All Books
Synopsis: Have you ever been trapped in an elevator, locked in a room or held under water in a lake or pool? When you begin reading Martha Martin's The Haunting of Annie MacKay, you share a nightmare with Annie that will not release you until the end. Annie is being haunted by horrific nightmares and just as she graduates from middle school she inherits a house, from a distant relative she didn't know existed. Although apprehensive about moving to distant Fog Island she understands that it is the chance for a new start for her family. This brilliantly written first novel deals with friendships, family, and a sense of community in a fashion that will keep you turning pages. Sandy Gilbert Langley Middle School, Langley, WA Teacher of thirty-one years
Publication Date: 08/05/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Paranormal
Synopsis: In this fourth adventure Cat Royal becomes an unlikely recruit in the British Navy, takes passage to America and unravels a fiendish plot to do away with Lord Francis, heir to a dukedom.
Publication Date: 08/04/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
Synopsis: "From the first page of Seaborn, you are immersed. Chris Howard navigates a wild ride through a brilliantly edgy and richly atmospheric alter-world. Here is a fresh, formidable spin on fantasy, and Howard is a talent to watch out for. Seaborn will leave you spellbound." --Adele Griffin, author of where I want to be
"Dark and atmospheric, Seaborn is an imaginative new entry in the world of paranormal fiction." --Liz Maverick, author of Wired, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2007
"...a fresh and entertaining read and I fully expect we will be hearing more from Chris Howard in the future." --SciFiGuy
"Fascinating read..." --Romantic Times 4 star review
Description: Corina Lairsey has just clawed her way free from one controlling relationship when she finds herself in another-only this guy, Aleximor, has really gotten under her skin. Literally. A 400-year-old sorcerer who gathers the drowned dead off the ocean's floor for the King of the Seaborn, he's inside her head and is wearing her body like a wetsuit. Corina desperately schemes to regain control of her self, fighting against time as Aleximor trades pieces of her life away in exchange for power over the path between the worlds of the living and the dead . . . Kassandra is the King of the Seaborn's granddaughter. She comes from the sea, but has spent her whole life in exile on the surface, struggling to control frightening powers she barely understands. She declares war on her murderous grandfather and manipulates her family, friends, oceanic royalty, and the US Navy to aid her- but Aleximor intends to use Kass to carry out his revenge against the entire Seaborn royal line. And she's also fallen in love-one more struggle for an already troubled soul.
Author's Note: Seaborn is a contemporary fantasy about the loss of freedom. There are two heroines. One, Corina Lairsey has just lost all physical control, and her story is about how she fights, convinces, bargains with the evil inside in order to get her self back. The other is Kassandra, who is from the sea, but has grown up in Nebraska in exile. She has the opposite problem Corina has. Kassandra's one of the most powerful things from the sea, but she's the product of others' manipulations, following a path to the throne she's not sure she wants to take, struggling to be certain that any motive in her head is really her own.
"Dark and atmospheric, Seaborn is an imaginative new entry in the world of paranormal fiction." --Liz Maverick, author of Wired, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2007
"...a fresh and entertaining read and I fully expect we will be hearing more from Chris Howard in the future." --SciFiGuy
"Fascinating read..." --Romantic Times 4 star review
Description: Corina Lairsey has just clawed her way free from one controlling relationship when she finds herself in another-only this guy, Aleximor, has really gotten under her skin. Literally. A 400-year-old sorcerer who gathers the drowned dead off the ocean's floor for the King of the Seaborn, he's inside her head and is wearing her body like a wetsuit. Corina desperately schemes to regain control of her self, fighting against time as Aleximor trades pieces of her life away in exchange for power over the path between the worlds of the living and the dead . . . Kassandra is the King of the Seaborn's granddaughter. She comes from the sea, but has spent her whole life in exile on the surface, struggling to control frightening powers she barely understands. She declares war on her murderous grandfather and manipulates her family, friends, oceanic royalty, and the US Navy to aid her- but Aleximor intends to use Kass to carry out his revenge against the entire Seaborn royal line. And she's also fallen in love-one more struggle for an already troubled soul.
Author's Note: Seaborn is a contemporary fantasy about the loss of freedom. There are two heroines. One, Corina Lairsey has just lost all physical control, and her story is about how she fights, convinces, bargains with the evil inside in order to get her self back. The other is Kassandra, who is from the sea, but has grown up in Nebraska in exile. She has the opposite problem Corina has. Kassandra's one of the most powerful things from the sea, but she's the product of others' manipulations, following a path to the throne she's not sure she wants to take, struggling to be certain that any motive in her head is really her own.
Publication Date: 08/04/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Romance
Synopsis: When you loved the one who was killing you, it left you no options. How could you run, how could you fight, when doing so would hurt that beloved one? If your life was all you had to give, how could you not give it? If it was someone you truly loved?
To be irrevocably in love with a vampire is both fantasy and nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen, and in another by her profound connection to werewolf Jacob Black, a tumultuous year of temptation, loss, and strife have led her to the ultimate turning point. Her imminent choice to either join the dark but seductive world of immortals or to pursue a fully human life has become the thread from which the fates of two tribes hangs.
Now that Bella has made her decision, a startling chain of unprecedented events is about to unfold with potentially devastating, and unfathomable, consequences. Just when the frayed strands of Bella's life-first discovered in Twilight, then scattered and torn in New Moon and Eclipse-seem ready to heal and knit together, could they be destroyed... forever?
The astonishing, breathlessly anticipated conclusion to the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn illuminates the secrets and mysteries of this spellbinding romantic epic that has entranced millions.
To be irrevocably in love with a vampire is both fantasy and nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen, and in another by her profound connection to werewolf Jacob Black, a tumultuous year of temptation, loss, and strife have led her to the ultimate turning point. Her imminent choice to either join the dark but seductive world of immortals or to pursue a fully human life has become the thread from which the fates of two tribes hangs.
Now that Bella has made her decision, a startling chain of unprecedented events is about to unfold with potentially devastating, and unfathomable, consequences. Just when the frayed strands of Bella's life-first discovered in Twilight, then scattered and torn in New Moon and Eclipse-seem ready to heal and knit together, could they be destroyed... forever?
The astonishing, breathlessly anticipated conclusion to the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn illuminates the secrets and mysteries of this spellbinding romantic epic that has entranced millions.
Publication Date: 08/02/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: When you choose to be with a lady, you must wonder if she is the best for you too.
Many many kisses. -Michaela
Tyson is a survivor, and he wants an exotic companion. An email relationship with a young lady in Romania forces him to verbalize his desire. Intrigued by the powerful emotional connection, he decides to make the journey to Bucharest. When they meet, unexpected feelings begin to contaminate their prose.
Many many kisses. -Michaela
Tyson is a survivor, and he wants an exotic companion. An email relationship with a young lady in Romania forces him to verbalize his desire. Intrigued by the powerful emotional connection, he decides to make the journey to Bucharest. When they meet, unexpected feelings begin to contaminate their prose.
Publication Date: 08/02/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
Synopsis: A novel about an alienated teenager; the daughter of infamous woman who has the power to turn invisible. When this "disappointingly normal" daughter discovers she has inherited more than just her mother's metallic blue eyes, she finds herself pulled into
Publication Date: 08/01/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis:
In 1852 Ohio, twelve-year-old Owen steals aboard a floating circus called the River Palace, with nothing more in mind than catching a little of the show. But then a free black man named Solomon offers to take him on as an assistant animal keeper, and Owen discovers a family among the ragtag members of the circus-including a young elephant named Little Bet. A brush with yellowfever in New Orleans and a devastating storm threaten the boat and its crew. But it's the menace of slave catchers that poses the greatest danger of all, and that will put Owen's loyalty to Solomon and Little Bet to the test. This is a memorable tale of prejudice, race, and the relationships that transcend them. Inspired by the riverboat circuses of the nineteenth century, it also brings little known historical facts to life.
TRACIE VAUGHN ZIMMER has worked as a special education teacher and reading specialist. She is also the creator of more than 80 teacher's guides for numerous publishers and has published poetry books as well as the novel Reaching for Sun. Tracie lives outside Cincinnati, Ohio, with her husband and two children.
www.tracievaughnzimmer.com
PRAISE FOR REACHING FOR SUN:
"Like taking slow bites from a piece of homemade lemon pie-sharp sweet and honest."
-Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medal winner
"Josie's strength shines as she handles sadness and loss as well as recovery and progress."-Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Publication Date: 08/01/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis: It makes Eli cringe when her mother comes home proudly dressed in a foam rubber French fry suit after her first day as a mascot for Burgers ?n' Fries. Families come in many forms in the animal kingdom, Eli's teacher had informed her. Sure, but ? French fries? How can her mother be so unembarrassable? When 15-year-old Eli Smyth isn't fuming over her mother's goofy jobs and total lack of inhibition, she's envious of Grace. Eli's best friend has two dads, both tres cool, and neither dresses up as fast food for a living. Maybe JG can understand. He's the boy in her class who shares her appreciation of rock band Decapitated Heads and also happens to have problems with his dad. Nobody's parents, though, are as wacko as Eli's mom. Everything she says and does drives Eli crazy. The too-frank sex-talks, the penchant for clothing that resembles flour sacks; the list goes on ? It seems her mom can't do much more to aggravate Eli ? and then gets pregnant. To Eli, there's nothing more disgusting than pregnancy. Now that her mother's puking her guts out most mornings and beginning to look like Jabba the Hut, what if she needs Eli's love and understanding? Will Eli be there for her?
Publication Date: 08/01/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: A female pharaoh? A woman general in the Kahn's army? A female Viking raider? No way, you say? Look again. Appearances can be deceiving ? Based on legends, poems, letters and first-hand accounts, these seven biographical tales tell of women who disguised themselves as men. From ancient Egypt through the Middle Ages to the 19th century, this historically accurate graphic treatment is perfect to transport readers back to bygone eras. The lives of these daring women were often filled with danger and the fear of discovery. However, for the sake of freedom, ambition, love or adventure, these women risked everything. No Girls Allowed brings a contemporary edge to a part of history largely untold ? until now.
Publication Date: 08/01/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Biography
Synopsis: Peter Jobe has just been named the unwilling leader of a study group of four other graduate students whose specialties range from neuroscience to religious studies. The five come from different countries and different disciplines, but they quickly realize the synergy of their ideas could revolutionize the scientific and religious communities. But as Peter's group is beginning to bond, another meeting of the minds is taking place halfway around the world. An unlikely collection of warlords and terrorists have pooled their resources and devised a devastating plan. As the countdown begins, Peter and his friends realize they may be the only ones standing between America and a nuclear holocaust.
Publication Date: 08/01/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
And if I should die before I awake,
I pray the popular attend my wake.
Charlotte Usher feels practically invisible at school, and then one day she really is invisible. Even worse: she's dead. And all because she choked on a gummy bear. But being dead doesn't stop Charlotte from wanting to be popular; it just makes her more creative about achieving her goal.
If you thought high school was a matter of life or death, wait till you see just how true that is. In this satirical, yet heartfelt novel, Hurley explores the invisibility we all feel at some times and the lengths we'll go to be seen.
Praise for ghostgirl:
* Polished dark-and-deadpan humor, it's a natural fit with Gen Y, too." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)
* "[Tonya] beats out witty teen-speak like a punk-band drummer, keeping the narrative fast-paced and fun yet thought-provokingly heartwarming. Goofy, ghastly, intelligent, electrifying." --Kirkus (starred review)
*"Tim Burton and Edgar Allan Poe devotees will die for this fantastic, phantasmal read." --School Library Journal (starred review)
* "Readers with a taste for black humor and satire will feast on Hurley's crisp, wise dialogue. Anticipate a well deserved cult following." --VOYA (starred review)
"Written with deadpan wit...this is a 'Wonderful Life'-like tale." -New York Post
"A sincere (and humorous) exploration of how we all feel invisible at one time or another...perfect read." -CosmoGirl
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
And if I should die before I awake,
I pray the popular attend my wake.
Charlotte Usher feels practically invisible at school, and then one day she really is invisible. Even worse: she's dead. And all because she choked on a gummy bear. But being dead doesn't stop Charlotte from wanting to be popular; it just makes her more creative about achieving her goal.
If you thought high school was a matter of life or death, wait till you see just how true that is. In this satirical, yet heartfelt novel, Hurley explores the invisibility we all feel at some times and the lengths we'll go to be seen.
Praise for ghostgirl:
* Polished dark-and-deadpan humor, it's a natural fit with Gen Y, too." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)
* "[Tonya] beats out witty teen-speak like a punk-band drummer, keeping the narrative fast-paced and fun yet thought-provokingly heartwarming. Goofy, ghastly, intelligent, electrifying." --Kirkus (starred review)
*"Tim Burton and Edgar Allan Poe devotees will die for this fantastic, phantasmal read." --School Library Journal (starred review)
* "Readers with a taste for black humor and satire will feast on Hurley's crisp, wise dialogue. Anticipate a well deserved cult following." --VOYA (starred review)
"Written with deadpan wit...this is a 'Wonderful Life'-like tale." -New York Post
"A sincere (and humorous) exploration of how we all feel invisible at one time or another...perfect read." -CosmoGirl
Publication Date: 08/01/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Paranormal
Synopsis: From the national bestselling author of Whistling in the Dark comes another funny, poignant, unforgettable story.
The summer Gibby McGraw catches her big break, the cicadas are humming, and it?s so warm even the frogs are sweating. Brain damaged after a tragic car accident that took both her parents, Gibby is now NQR (Not Quite Right), a real challenge for a fledgling newspaper reporter. Especially when she stumbles upon the dead body of the next governor of Kentucky, Buster Malloy.
Armed with her trusty blue spiral note-book, Gibby figures that solving the murder might be her best chance to prove to everyone that she can become Quite Right again. But she gets more than she bargained for when she uncovers a world of corruption, racism, and family secrets in small town Cray Ridge. Lucky for her, she?s also about to discover that some things are far more important than all the brains in the world, and that miracles occur in the most unexpected moments.
The summer Gibby McGraw catches her big break, the cicadas are humming, and it?s so warm even the frogs are sweating. Brain damaged after a tragic car accident that took both her parents, Gibby is now NQR (Not Quite Right), a real challenge for a fledgling newspaper reporter. Especially when she stumbles upon the dead body of the next governor of Kentucky, Buster Malloy.
Armed with her trusty blue spiral note-book, Gibby figures that solving the murder might be her best chance to prove to everyone that she can become Quite Right again. But she gets more than she bargained for when she uncovers a world of corruption, racism, and family secrets in small town Cray Ridge. Lucky for her, she?s also about to discover that some things are far more important than all the brains in the world, and that miracles occur in the most unexpected moments.
Publication Date: 07/29/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: The story takes place in early 2008. It is a time of great political unrest; people are living in constant fear of terrorist attack and are looking to the world leaders to take action. Suspicion of local government runs high and conspiracy rumours abound. Mitchell Webb, CEO of IDSys, and his long-term friend Simon Rockwell are on the brink of securing a contract from Her Majesty's Government for the design, manufacture and supply of Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFIDs) for the protection of the British Public against terrorist attack. It would be the biggest deal in their company's relatively short history. Shortly after being awarded the contract, there is a horrendous terrorist attack on one of England's most famous landmarks and the Government passes legislation for the compulsory introduction of RFIDs, bringing about a series of events that draw Mitch and his colleagues into the biggest conspiracy in history. Little by little, they uncover some unsettling information that makes them question the real motives behind the introduction of RFIDs. The friends soon find themselves in a deadly race against time, facing a powerful and ruthless enemy, culminating in an astonishing discovery about the very origins of life on Earth.
Publication Date: 07/24/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Mystery
Synopsis:
At the age of eleven, Li Cunxin was one of the privileged few selected to serve in Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolution by studying at the Beijing Dance Academy. Having known bitter poverty in his rural China home, ballet would be his family's best chance for a better future. From one hardship to another, Cunxin demonstrated perseverance and an appetite for success that led him to be chosen as one of the first two people to leave Mao's China and go to American to dance on a special cultural exchange. But life in the U.S. was nothing like his communist indoctrination had led him to believe. Ultimately, he defected to the west in a dramatic media storm, and went on to dance with the Houston Ballet for sixteen years.
This inspiring story of passion, resilience, and a family's love captures the harsh reality of life in Mao's communist China and the exciting world of professional dance. This compelling memoir includes photos documenting Li's extraordinary life.
Publication Date: 07/22/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Biography
Synopsis:
When Kori Kitlzer, the "dark angel" of the 8th grade, tells Serena Moore that they are more alike than she thinks, Serena is instantly intrigued. As their friendship solidifies and their lives entwine, Serena tries to become more like the fearless, outspoken, and ambitious Kori. Soon Serena doesn't know where she begins and Kori ends. But when a twist of fate yanks Kori away from Serena, she will need to find a way to complete her best friend's life left undone.
Undone is a striking debut novel about friendship, family, and the secrets we keep from the people to whom we are closest.
Publication Date: 07/22/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: WHEN MILTON AND Marlo Fauster die in a marshmallow bear explosion, they get sent straight to Heck, an otherworldly reform school. Milton can understand why his kleptomaniac sister is here, but Milton is—or was—a model citizen. Has a mistake been made? Not according to Bea “Elsa” Bubb, the Principal of Darkness. She doesn’t make mistakes. She personally sees to it that Heck—whether it be home-ec class with Lizzie Borden, ethics with Richard Nixon, or gym with Blackbeard the Pirate—is especially, well, heckish for the Fausters. Will Milton and Marlo find a way to escape? Or are they stuck here for all eternity, or until they turn 18, whichever comes first?
Publication Date: 07/22/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction