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Impatient Fire
W. W. Hill, William Hill, William Hill
Synopsis: A fast-paced adventure and mystery for magic and animal lovers, as well as anyone with a temper. The second trimester at FAA (Familiar Academy for Avians) begins with Jules growing desperate to regain her magic and find her vanished father. She will try any cure, even many of the crazy 77 Ways to restore her seventh sense. The fourteen-year-old sets out with her best friend Lance, the accident prone runt dragon, and the musical Birds of Disfeather to unlock a secret vault and fix the school's deranged Maze. Even if they survive such dangers, the academy's talent show still might kill them. Can Jules manage her temper and muster the patience needed to wait for the wizardly moment to act? Can she find her father? Is she more than her lost magic?
Publication Date: 11/01/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
The Skinny On Success
Synopsis: In Jim Randel's distinct and unique format of telling a story through skinny stick people, readers will see success in a new light as they learn the tools that will help them to become victorious or, if they want to flourish even more, how to take their dreams about achieving to the next level. The Skinny on Success will explain how to: Identify the three steps in the process that leads to success that triumphant people take; See the importance of passion, action, & persistence; Decide how big a role talent plays in becoming successful; Be inspired by the examples of Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, John Grisham, and others, who went from rejection after rejection to huge triumphs; Benefit from the author's synthesis of the key findings from illuminating books on success, including Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, Daniel Coyne's the Talent Code, and others.
Publication Date: 11/01/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Nonfiction
50 Classic Movies You Should Know About
Synopsis:

Teens love movies. But when we start talking about the movies from last century, they're often in the dark. Reel Culture is for the young person who is curious about film history, and wants to be the one at the party who knows what Casablanca was about or who first made the LBD (little black dress) hot in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. From Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory to Raiders of the Lost Ark, Reel Culture explores the 50 most influential--yet often unknown to teens--films of the 20th century.

Publication Date: 11/01/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Historical Nonfiction
The Youngest Templar
Michael Spradlin
Synopsis: Tristan and his friends haveescaped the Holy Land, but theirdangerous journey is far fromover!

Picking up right where the breathtaking actionleft off, Tristan and his friends, the archer RobardHode and the assassin Maryam, have escapedthe Holy Land, but they are still a long wayfrom the end of their perilous journey. And whilethey may have eluded the villainous Templar SirHugh, they know he will never be far behind.

Their only hope is to reach safety in England. Butbefore they do that they run straight into a rebelband of Cathars, a heretical sect fighting off the oppressionof France’s king. When Tristan falls for thebeautiful leader of the Cathars, though, his loyaltiesare torn between aiding her in her hour of need orfleeing with his sacred charge—to protect the HolyGrail.

Publication Date: 10/29/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Series
Kris Longknife: Undaunted
Synopsis: Kris Longknife encounters some peaceful aliens who have come to warn humanity of an unidentifiable force that is roaming the galaxy, obliterating everything in its path-a path now leading directly toward the human worlds.
Publication Date: 10/27/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Clone Betrayal
Steven L. Kent
Synopsis: View our feature on Steven Kent’s The Clone Betrayal.Lt. Wayson Harris was born and bred as the ultimate soldier. But he is unique, possessing independence of thought. And when the military brass decide to blame the clones for the decimation of the U.A. republic, Lt. Harris decides to stop being the scapegoat, with all the firepower he can muster.
Publication Date: 10/27/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Lockdown: Escape From Furnace
Alexander Gordon Smith
Synopsis:

Furnace Penitentiary: the world's most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth's surface. Convicted of a murder he didn't commit, sentenced to life without parole, "new fish" Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world. Except in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood-drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison.

Together with a bunch of inmates―some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers―Alex plans an escape. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace's deeper, darker purpose, Alex's actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that's hidden from the eyes of the world.

Publication Date: 10/27/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Horse Diaries: Koda
Ruth Sanderson, Patricia Hermes
Synopsis: For anyone who has ever dreamed of hearing a horse’s story . . .

Independence, Missouri, 1846

Koda is a bay quarter horse with a white blaze. He loves to explore the countryside and run free with his human friend Jasmine nearby. But after Koda sets out with Jasmine’s family on a long and dusty wagon train journey on the Oregon Trail, he finds out what is truly important to him. Here is Koda’s story . . . in his own words.

With moving and knowledgeable text and lovely black-and-white art throughout—both by real horse people—this is the perfect fit for all lovers of horses and history!
Publication Date: 10/27/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
War Games
Akila Couloumbis, Audrey Couloumbis
Synopsis: Based on a true story of World War II.

For 12-year-old Petros, World War II feels unreal and far away. What’s real is working in his papa’s garden. Playing marbles with his friends. Fighting with his older brother, Zola. Zola, who must always be first. Who must always be best. But when the Germans invade Greece, the war suddenly comes impossibly close. Overnight, neighbors become enemies. People begin to keep secrets (Petros’s family most of all). And for the first time, Petros has the chance to show Zola that he’s not just a little brother but that he can truly be counted on. Soon what were once just boys’ games become matters of life and death as Petros and Zola each wonder if, like their resistance fighter cousin, they too can make a difference.
Publication Date: 10/27/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Historical Fiction
The Book of the Maidservant
Rebecca Barnhouse
Synopsis: “A funny and wise book about friendship, loyalty, and love.”—Karen Cushman

Johanna is a servant girl to Dame Margery Kempe, a renowned medieval holy woman. Dame Margery feels the suffering the Virgin Mary felt for her son but cares little for the misery she sees every day. When she announces that Johanna will accompany her on a pilgrimage to Rome, the suffering truly begins. After walking all day, Johanna must fetch water, wash clothes, and cook for the entire party of pilgrims. Then arguing breaks out between Dame Margery and the other travelers, and Johanna is caught in the middle. As the fighting escalates, Dame Margery turns her back on the whole group, including Johanna. Abandoned in a foreign land where she doesn’t even speak the language, the young maidservant must find her own way to Rome.

Inspired by the fifteenth-century text The Book of Margery Kempe, the first autobiography in English, debut novelist Rebecca Barnhouse chronicles Johanna’s painful journey through fear, anger, and physical hardship to ultimate redemption.
Publication Date: 10/27/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Historical Fiction
Bitter Night
Diana Pharaoh Francis
Synopsis: SOMETIMES YOU CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES. AND SOMETIMES, THEY CHOOSE YOU...

Once, Max dreamed of a career, a home, a loving family. Now all she wants is freedom...and revenge. A witch named Giselle transformed Max into a warrior with extraordinary strength, speed, and endurance. Bound by spellcraft, Max has no choice but to fight as Giselle's personal magic weapon -- a Shadowblade -- and she's lethally good at it. But her skills are about to be put to the test as they never have before....

The ancient Guardians of the earth are preparing to unleash widespread destruction on the mortal world, and they want the witches to help them. If the witches refuse, their covens will be destroyed, including Horngate, the place Max has grudgingly come to think of as home. Max thinks she can find a way to help Horngate stand against the Guardians, but doing so will mean forging dangerous alliances -- including one with a rival witch's Shadowblade, who is as drawn to Max as she is to him -- and standing with the witch she despises. Max will have to choose between the old life she still dreams of and the warrior she has become, and take her place on the side of right -- if she survives long enough to figure out which side that is....
Publication Date: 10/27/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Prowling The Seas
Pamela S. Turner
Synopsis:

From the surface of the ocean, it's hard to see any visible signs of life below. But this remarkable ecosystem is teeming with life―life that is increasingly under environmental stress. And it is often the predators that sound the earliest warning signs. By tracking a wide variety of ocean predators, the Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP) project provides essential cutting-edge information about the state of the ocean's health and the challenges facing all its inhabitants. Acclaimed science writer Pamela S. Turner takes readers along with four predators―a leatherback sea turtle, a bluefin tuna, a great white shark, and a Sooty Shearwater―on their remarkable journeys. This full-access look will change the way readers view our blue planet.

Publication Date: 10/27/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Blood Kin
Maria Lima
Synopsis: The perils of power...

Keira Kelly has come into her full powers, and they are frighteningly strong, creating a distance between her and her human friends in her beloved Rio Seco. It is time to obey her great-great-grandmother Gigi's orders and rejoin her family in northwest Canada, where Keira can learn to handle her dangerous new skills. She'll have friends with her every step of the way -- her shapeshifter brother Tucker, his beloved Niko, and, to Keira's dismay, her cousin on her mother's side, Daffyd ap Geraint, the Sidhe prince who suddenly appeared in her life and now refuses to leave -- but her vampire lover Adam has insisted on staying in Texas. And while there are certainly perks to being Family, such as a private Learjet for the flight to Canada and a fabulous penthouse condo overlooking Vancouver, there are threats looming that nobody, not even Gigi, anticipated. Keira's Sidhe inheritance from her mother is far more important than anyone ever realized, and the fate of the Family may depend upon what she does next....
Publication Date: 10/27/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
A Real Short History of Nearly Everything
Synopsis: Enter the world of science as Bill Bryson unmasks the mysteries of the universe.

Did you know that:

• Every atom in your body has almost certainly passed through several stars and been part of millions of organisms on its way to being you?

• If you are an average-sized kid, you have enough potential energy inside you to explode with the force of several hydrogen bombs?

And—What happened to dinosaurs? How big is the universe? Why are oceans salty? Is a meteor going to hit us?

Tackling everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bill Bryson’s inimitable storytelling skill makes the why, how, and, just as importantly, the who of scientific discovery entertaining and accessible for young readers.
Publication Date: 10/27/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Science
Powerless
Matthew Cody
Synopsis: Superheroes soar in this promising debut—and they’re kids!

Twelve-year-old Daniel, the new kid in town, soon learns the truth about his nice—but odd—new friends: one can fly, another can turn invisible, yet another controls electricity. Incredible. The superkids use their powers to secretly do good in the town, but they’re haunted by the fact that the moment they turn thirteen, their abilities will disappear—along with any memory that they ever had them. Is a memory-stealing supervillain sapping their powers?

The answers lie in a long-ago meteor strike, a World War II–era comic book (Fantastic Futures, starring the first superhero, Johnny Noble), the green-flamed Witch Fire, a hidden Shroud cave, and—possibly, unbelievably—“powerless” regular-kid Daniel himself.

Superhero kids meet comic book mystery in this action-filled debut about the true meaning of a hero.
Publication Date: 10/27/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Buck Fever
Cynthia Chapman Willis
Synopsis:

Twelve-year-old Joey MacTagert's dad wants his son to carry on the family tradition of hunting. But Joey has "buck fever"―he can't pull the trigger on a deer, and hates the idea of killing animals. He's more interested in art and hockey, two activities that his dad barely acknowledges.

Joey's dad wants him to use his special skill in tracking to hunt down the big antlered buck that roams the woods near their home. Joey knows how to track Old Buck, but has kept secret from his father the reason he's gained the deer's trust. When trouble between his parents seems to escalate, Joey and his older sister, Philly, find themselves in the middle of tensions they don't fully understand. Joey wants to keep the peace, and if conquering his buck fever will do it, he has to try.

Buck Fever is a nominee for the 2003 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.

Publication Date: 10/27/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction

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