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Synopsis: In this strange new world of Beyond, Five Kingdoms vie for supremacy. Each Kingdom has a proud and forthright race: Vampires, Elves, Gargoyles, Werecats, and Ogres. Beyond is embroiled in a constant struggle for power, with some Kingdoms very wealthy and some comprised of the humble poor. One man seeks to unite them all, and to rule as Emperor. Scarred by the King's murder of his drunkard father, Lord Ruthro grew up as a member of a despised race, and vows to brings prosperity and equality to all, so that no one is left behind. His rapid rise to power is marked by blood and charisma in equal parts, shrewdly capitalizing on the civil unrest within each Kingdom. But as Emperor, Lord Ruthro has grown despotic and corrupt. Who shall stop him? The Three Fates, descended from the Gods, have prophesied his ascendency. They shall seize six babies, and protect them on a post-apocalyptic Earth, and infuse them with incredible powers. When these six Warriors come of age on Earth, they shall return to battle with Lord Ruthro. This spell-weaving tale will feature strange creatures, devious spells of magic, and many diabolical traps and tricks aplenty in the Warrior's path.
Publication Date: 03/24/15
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: An otherworldly, evil and dangerous force infests America’s oldest and most haunted city, St. Augustine, Florida. Everyone living there, or visiting, is at risk in ways too horrible to imagine. Standing between this invader and the people of St. Augustine are teenagers Jeff and Carla, the mysterious Native American shaman, Lobo, and Lyle, the homeless guy. In their quest to save themselves and all the inhabitants of this ancient Florida city, Jeff and Carla uncover lost parts of St. Augustine history, push past the limits of space and time, and come face-to-face with what they come to realize are the true walking dead.
Publication Date: 03/23/15
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Science Fiction
Synopsis: "If you like post-apocalyptic novels about survival, this is definitely the book for you." - Tori Schultz, Litpick
"Compelling, vivid, realistic, and with far more psychological depth than the usual young adult dystopian read." - D Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
"Kind of like Hunger Games combined with Their Eyes Were Watching God, with a little sci fi thrown in. Great characters with strong personalities ... enough danger to get your blood pumping." - Jessica Buike
_____________________________________________________
YOUNG OUTCAST FACES HURRICANE ...
DESPISED FEDERATION SEEKS TO CAPTURE HER FOR DNA ...
REGINA FIGHTS TO STAY ALIVE AND FREE.
_____________________________________________________
Amazon Best Seller (YA Dystopian, and Self-esteem).
A gray patrol boat crosses Regina Shen's path. They're coming for her.
As an outcast, Regina is forced to fend for herself and her younger sister in a world that bans books. An approaching storm could be the least of her problems.
Perfect for fans of the Hunger Games, Divergent, and Maze Runner. Regina Shen:Resilience is the first book in a science fiction thriller series with an ordinary yet strong young woman facing extraordinary hurdles with tenacity.
The World Federation condemns Regina, her mom, and sister to live on the seaward side of barrier walls. Those walls were built to hold back rising seas caused by abrupt climate change and as a place to dump outcasts. Regina survives by her wits on swampy islands and thrives on salvage from sunken cities, including illegal print books, which she commits to memory.
Three-hundred-plus-year-old Grand Old Dames rule the Federation using a rigid caste system and the notorious Department of Antiquities. They've kept peace and order by destroying all evidence from before the Great Collapse. Now world fertility is plunging. Chief Inspector Joanne Demarco pursues Regina for unique DNA that could prevent human extinction and boost the inspector's power.It's too bad Regina doesn't trust her enough to barter fairly, let alone with her life.
A hurricane threatens to destroy Regina's world, tearing her from family and home. With Demarco and bounty hunters in hot pursuit, Regina risks her life to try to rescue her sister. Faced with dying in the storm or from starvation, she is tempted to surrender to Demarco's offer of refuge and food. However, that means becoming a slave or worse, a guinea pig in a Federation lab. Then no one will stand up for her sister.
Can Regina survive the hurricane, stop Demarco, and help her sister?
Read entire series:
Book 1: Resilience - amazon.com/dp/B00VDIZ72O
Book 2: Vigilance - amazon.com/dp/B00WDAQDJW
Book 3: Defiance - amazon.com/dp/B01187267S
Book 4: Endurance - amazon.com/dp/B01FWERE7K
"Compelling, vivid, realistic, and with far more psychological depth than the usual young adult dystopian read." - D Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
"Kind of like Hunger Games combined with Their Eyes Were Watching God, with a little sci fi thrown in. Great characters with strong personalities ... enough danger to get your blood pumping." - Jessica Buike
_____________________________________________________
YOUNG OUTCAST FACES HURRICANE ...
DESPISED FEDERATION SEEKS TO CAPTURE HER FOR DNA ...
REGINA FIGHTS TO STAY ALIVE AND FREE.
_____________________________________________________
Amazon Best Seller (YA Dystopian, and Self-esteem).
A gray patrol boat crosses Regina Shen's path. They're coming for her.
As an outcast, Regina is forced to fend for herself and her younger sister in a world that bans books. An approaching storm could be the least of her problems.
Perfect for fans of the Hunger Games, Divergent, and Maze Runner. Regina Shen:Resilience is the first book in a science fiction thriller series with an ordinary yet strong young woman facing extraordinary hurdles with tenacity.
The World Federation condemns Regina, her mom, and sister to live on the seaward side of barrier walls. Those walls were built to hold back rising seas caused by abrupt climate change and as a place to dump outcasts. Regina survives by her wits on swampy islands and thrives on salvage from sunken cities, including illegal print books, which she commits to memory.
Three-hundred-plus-year-old Grand Old Dames rule the Federation using a rigid caste system and the notorious Department of Antiquities. They've kept peace and order by destroying all evidence from before the Great Collapse. Now world fertility is plunging. Chief Inspector Joanne Demarco pursues Regina for unique DNA that could prevent human extinction and boost the inspector's power.It's too bad Regina doesn't trust her enough to barter fairly, let alone with her life.
A hurricane threatens to destroy Regina's world, tearing her from family and home. With Demarco and bounty hunters in hot pursuit, Regina risks her life to try to rescue her sister. Faced with dying in the storm or from starvation, she is tempted to surrender to Demarco's offer of refuge and food. However, that means becoming a slave or worse, a guinea pig in a Federation lab. Then no one will stand up for her sister.
Can Regina survive the hurricane, stop Demarco, and help her sister?
Read entire series:
Book 1: Resilience - amazon.com/dp/B00VDIZ72O
Book 2: Vigilance - amazon.com/dp/B00WDAQDJW
Book 3: Defiance - amazon.com/dp/B01187267S
Book 4: Endurance - amazon.com/dp/B01FWERE7K
Publication Date: 03/20/15
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Adventure
Synopsis: In this second book of the God Chronicle trilogy Thomas God's Last Prophet realizes that the only way to beat Lucifer and prevent Armageddon is by stopping the birth of the Antichrist.
Publication Date: 03/17/15
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: Silver Medal: Nautilus Book Awards, Fiction 2016 Reader Views Literary Award Winner 2015/2016Finalist 2015: INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award, Multicultural FictionJoseph Fafa of Nigeria has high hopes when he begins his premed studies at a North Carolina College. But his love for the beautiful and talented daughter of a prestigious Southern family threatens to destroy his dreams of becoming a doctor. Will he escape the power of an irate father and hold onto his youthful love, a flare of illumination sparked amidst the clash between two cultures?
Love's Affliction braves the limits of romantic love, overcoming barriers, and pondering how the dreams of our youth can temper and deepen our foundations.
Love's Affliction braves the limits of romantic love, overcoming barriers, and pondering how the dreams of our youth can temper and deepen our foundations.
Publication Date: 03/17/15
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Romance
Synopsis: Both torn from their homes in Laos, a boy and a moon bear cub form a deep bond in this “moving and memorable” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) tale of impossible odds and resilient hope, based on true and tragic conditions in Eastern Asia.
Twelve-year-old Tam, on a dare, ventures into a moon bear den in the mountains of Northern Laos. His goal is to steal the cub and sell it, making a fortune for his family. But the mother bear’s unexpected return upends Tam’s plan, and he barely escapes with his life. And then his life implodes anyway: his entire mountain village is made to relocate to make room for a new highway. Lured by the promise of electricity, running water, and a television, Tam’s people move to an overcrowded village, where Tam’s father is killed by a stray landmine.
Now the family breadwinner, Tam is forced to work hundreds of miles away in the city of Laos, at a moon bear farm where bile from bear gall bladders is used for medicine. It is a cruel, miserable place, and when a familiar face—the very cub he’d seen in the den in Vietnam—is sold to the bear farm, Tam knows he must save this moon bear, no matter what it takes.
Deeply and powerfully moving, Moon Bear is an unforgettable story of compassion, hope, and bravery against overwhelming odds, and brings to light the real-life, heartwrenching plight of Asia’s endangered moon bears.
Twelve-year-old Tam, on a dare, ventures into a moon bear den in the mountains of Northern Laos. His goal is to steal the cub and sell it, making a fortune for his family. But the mother bear’s unexpected return upends Tam’s plan, and he barely escapes with his life. And then his life implodes anyway: his entire mountain village is made to relocate to make room for a new highway. Lured by the promise of electricity, running water, and a television, Tam’s people move to an overcrowded village, where Tam’s father is killed by a stray landmine.
Now the family breadwinner, Tam is forced to work hundreds of miles away in the city of Laos, at a moon bear farm where bile from bear gall bladders is used for medicine. It is a cruel, miserable place, and when a familiar face—the very cub he’d seen in the den in Vietnam—is sold to the bear farm, Tam knows he must save this moon bear, no matter what it takes.
Deeply and powerfully moving, Moon Bear is an unforgettable story of compassion, hope, and bravery against overwhelming odds, and brings to light the real-life, heartwrenching plight of Asia’s endangered moon bears.
Publication Date: 03/17/15
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: It has been a time for rebuilding in Geyser, but rumors of a coming attack from the Odium band of cutthroat pirates are looming. Clyde, Nevele, Flam, and Rohm must strike out separately to find a way to stop them before it's too late. Nevele scours the dark alleys of Adeshka's neon-lit streets, paying for information from Odium defectors, and what she learns from one is terrifying--the gang has three days before the Odium attack Geyser. Their goal: to get at the deposit of wendal stone under the city and use it to create an army of fabrick weavers, which would make the Odium the biggest threat the planet Gleese has ever seen. What makes the threat so frightening isn't just an attack from the Odium--it's why.
Publication Date: 03/17/15
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Series
Synopsis: The year is 2021 and the money is still green. The fully privatized city of Tulsa, OK, is home to Sara Paige Christie, a teenage girl with her heart set on a film career in L.A. and her camera trained on the graffiti-covered walls of the city’s outskirts. In pursuit of a documentary subject that might propel her from college hopeful to film school admittee at USC, Sara has focused her ambitions upon a singularly ubiquitous tag―WH2RR??From the facades of storefronts to the walls of public restrooms, the tag is appearing nearly everywhere. Its stark all-capital letters and demanding question marks have captured Sara’s imagination, even as the private security personnel of Free Force Tulsa (FFT) scramble to eliminate the marks with power washers, gray-overs, and full censorship, stripping even photographs of the tags from the locally accessible Internet.Sara has no doubt that there is meaning hidden in plain sight, and she sets off on a mission to find the person behind the mysterious tags while balancing an already full life: her final exams, her wild best friend, a physical fitness test that threatens her GPA, and a family that seems almost oblivious to what’s happening just down the street from their suburban home.With the exception, perhaps, of her father.A retired Marine turned FFT investigator, Sara’s dad has been on the trail of the graffiti artist for his own professional reasons. And if he knows what’s going on, he’s not telling Sara.And they're not the only ones on the hunt…Tensions are rising in town and beyond. Between the machinations of the city’s home-grown megachurch, Chosen Hill, and the movements of a growing camp of homeless citizens parked just beyond Tulsa’s comfort and security, life in Tulsa is about to become very interesting, and Sara just might be in the right place to catch it all on film…… but only if she survives.
Publication Date: 03/15/15
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis:
Filled with moments of deep emotion and unexpected humor, this understated and wise novel explores the complexities of living with OCD and offers the prospect of hope, happiness and healing. Perfect for readers who love Eleanor & Park and All the Bright Places.
ADAM’S GOALS:
Grow immediately.
Find courage.
Keep courage.
Get normal.
Marry Robyn Plummer.
The instant Adam Spencer Ross meets Robyn Plummer in his Young Adult OCD Support Group, he is hopelessly, desperately drawn to her. Robyn has an hypnotic voice, blue eyes the shade of an angry sky, and ravishing beauty that makes Adam’s insides ache. She’s also just been released from a residential psychiatric program—the kind for the worst, most difficult-to-cure cases; the kind that Adam and his fellow support group members will do anything to avoid joining.
Adam immediately knows that he has to save Robyn, must save Robyn, or die trying. But is it really Robyn who needs rescuing? And is it possible to have a normal relationship when your life is anything but?
Select praise for The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B:
“. . . achingly authentic. Like Augustus Waters before him, Adam Spencer Ross will renew your faith in real-life superheroes and shatter your heart in equal measures.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred
“This book made me laugh, cry, think, and kept me coming back for more.” —The Guardian
“Adam is a protagonist that readers will root for.” —VOYA
“Honest, fresh, and funny . . . Toten employs information about OCD like grace notes in this deft and compelling narrative.” —Booklist
“Adam is a fresh and complex character, and far more than the sum of his symptoms.” —Publishers Weekly
Publication Date: 03/10/15
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: The Newbery Honor Award Winner and New York Times bestseller Roller Girl is a heartwarming graphic novel about friendship and surviving junior high through the power of roller derby—perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier's Smile!
For most of her twelve years, Astrid has done everything with her best friend Nicole. But after Astrid falls in love with roller derby and signs up for derby camp, Nicole decides to go to dance camp instead. And so begins the most difficult summer of Astrid's life as she struggles to keep up with the older girls at camp, hang on to the friend she feels slipping away, and cautiously embark on a new friendship. As the end of summer nears and her first roller derby bout (and junior high!) draws closer, Astrid realizes that maybe she is strong enough to handle the bout, a lost friendship, and middle school… in short, strong enough to be a roller girl.
In this graphic novel debut that earned a Newbery Honor and five starred reviews, real-life derby girl Victoria Jamieson has created an inspiring coming-of-age story about friendship, perseverance, and girl power!
For most of her twelve years, Astrid has done everything with her best friend Nicole. But after Astrid falls in love with roller derby and signs up for derby camp, Nicole decides to go to dance camp instead. And so begins the most difficult summer of Astrid's life as she struggles to keep up with the older girls at camp, hang on to the friend she feels slipping away, and cautiously embark on a new friendship. As the end of summer nears and her first roller derby bout (and junior high!) draws closer, Astrid realizes that maybe she is strong enough to handle the bout, a lost friendship, and middle school… in short, strong enough to be a roller girl.
In this graphic novel debut that earned a Newbery Honor and five starred reviews, real-life derby girl Victoria Jamieson has created an inspiring coming-of-age story about friendship, perseverance, and girl power!
Publication Date: 03/10/15
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Manga/Graphic Novel
Synopsis: Alys’s whole world was comprised of the history project that was due, her upcoming violin audition, being held tightly in the arms of her boyfriend, Ben, and laughing with her best friend, Delilah. At least it was—until she found herself on the wrong end of a shotgun in the school library. Her suburban high school had become one of those places you hear about on the news—a place where some disaffected youth decided to end it all and take as many of his teachers and classmates with him as he could. Except, in this story, that youth was Alys’s own brother, Luke. He killed fifteen others and himself, but spared her—though she’ll never know why.
Alys’s downward spiral begins instantly, and there seems to be no bottom. A heartbreaking and beautifully told story.
Alys’s downward spiral begins instantly, and there seems to be no bottom. A heartbreaking and beautifully told story.
Publication Date: 03/10/15
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: The race is on for Ace and Bub in their sixth adventure in this popular young graphic novel series, which Kirkus called “funny from the first panel!”
Ace and Bub are tangled up in an island-hopping competition, and there’s more than just the grand prize—a houseboat!—at stake. The salesman and sponsor is Crazy Critter (and he really is craaazy), and it soon becomes clear that he has more than publicity for his houseboat dealership to gain from the race. Before long, the brothers are wrapped up in the plot: a fast-growing vine is entangling all the nearby islands! Which of their fellow competitors can help them put a stop to this outbreak—and which ones are behind it?
Ace and Bub are tangled up in an island-hopping competition, and there’s more than just the grand prize—a houseboat!—at stake. The salesman and sponsor is Crazy Critter (and he really is craaazy), and it soon becomes clear that he has more than publicity for his houseboat dealership to gain from the race. Before long, the brothers are wrapped up in the plot: a fast-growing vine is entangling all the nearby islands! Which of their fellow competitors can help them put a stop to this outbreak—and which ones are behind it?
Publication Date: 03/10/15
Age Level: 5 - 8
Genre: Humor
Synopsis: Fans of How to Train Your Dragon will love this whimsical tale, the first in a series, by a Newbery Honor winner, featuring charming illustrations and pet "training tips" in each chapter.
Crusty dragon Miss Drake has a new pet human, precocious Winnie. Oddly enough, Winnie seems to think Miss Drake is her pet—a ridiculous notion!
Unknown to most of its inhabitants, the City by the Bay is home to many mysterious and fantastic creatures, hidden beneath the parks, among the clouds, and even in plain sight. And Winnie wants to draw every new creature she encounters: the good, the bad, and the ugly. But Winnie’s sketchbook is not what it seems. Somehow, her sketchlings have been set loose on the city streets! It will take Winnie and Miss Drake’s combined efforts to put an end to the mayhem . . . before it’s too late.
This refreshing debut collaboration by Laurence Yep, a two-time Newbery Honor winner and a Laura Ingalls Wilder Award winner, and Joanne Ryder features illustrations by Mary GrandPré.
Praise for A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans
*“Warm humor, magical mishaps, and the main characters’ budding mutual respect and affection combine to give this opener for a planned series a special shine.” –Booklist, Starred
“Aternately comical, suspenseful and sometimes sweetly emotional.” –Kirkus Reviews
“With a black-and-white spot illustration opening most chapters, an engaging narrator, and a consistently fluid writing style, this title makes a fine dragon choice for readers.” –School Library Journal
“In this series launch, Yep and Ryder conjure up a world where dragons and humans interact, and the results are heartwarming and quite funny.” –Publishers Weekly
“A clever and amusing novel that imagines a magical world that nestles right up against our own and sometimes crosses over.” –The Bulleting of the Center for Children’s Books
Praise for A Dragon’s Guide to Making Your Human Smarter
"Yep and Ryder keep the magic coming with their whimsical fantasy, enhanced by Grandpré's sweet drawings. The story positively vibrates with fun." —Kirkus Reviews
" Lighthearted episodes of unusual school lessons and field trips, illustrated by GrandPré’s winsome spot art, are grounded by Miss Drake’s more serious encounters with the goons...a gratifying development as this buoyant, fantastical series continues."—The Horn Book Review
Crusty dragon Miss Drake has a new pet human, precocious Winnie. Oddly enough, Winnie seems to think Miss Drake is her pet—a ridiculous notion!
Unknown to most of its inhabitants, the City by the Bay is home to many mysterious and fantastic creatures, hidden beneath the parks, among the clouds, and even in plain sight. And Winnie wants to draw every new creature she encounters: the good, the bad, and the ugly. But Winnie’s sketchbook is not what it seems. Somehow, her sketchlings have been set loose on the city streets! It will take Winnie and Miss Drake’s combined efforts to put an end to the mayhem . . . before it’s too late.
This refreshing debut collaboration by Laurence Yep, a two-time Newbery Honor winner and a Laura Ingalls Wilder Award winner, and Joanne Ryder features illustrations by Mary GrandPré.
Praise for A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans
*“Warm humor, magical mishaps, and the main characters’ budding mutual respect and affection combine to give this opener for a planned series a special shine.” –Booklist, Starred
“Aternately comical, suspenseful and sometimes sweetly emotional.” –Kirkus Reviews
“With a black-and-white spot illustration opening most chapters, an engaging narrator, and a consistently fluid writing style, this title makes a fine dragon choice for readers.” –School Library Journal
“In this series launch, Yep and Ryder conjure up a world where dragons and humans interact, and the results are heartwarming and quite funny.” –Publishers Weekly
“A clever and amusing novel that imagines a magical world that nestles right up against our own and sometimes crosses over.” –The Bulleting of the Center for Children’s Books
Praise for A Dragon’s Guide to Making Your Human Smarter
"Yep and Ryder keep the magic coming with their whimsical fantasy, enhanced by Grandpré's sweet drawings. The story positively vibrates with fun." —Kirkus Reviews
" Lighthearted episodes of unusual school lessons and field trips, illustrated by GrandPré’s winsome spot art, are grounded by Miss Drake’s more serious encounters with the goons...a gratifying development as this buoyant, fantastical series continues."—The Horn Book Review
Publication Date: 03/10/15
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Humor
Synopsis: Fans of Mary Poppins will love this whimsical tale of a boarding school for children of very busy parents, where an extraordinary headmistress teaches them life lessons about courage, adventure, friendship . . . and the importance of birthday cake.
Nestled inside a lighthouse, Great Rapscott School for the Daughters of Busy Parents takes its motto from Amelia Earhart: Adventure is worthwhile in itself. Headmistress Ms. Rapscott couldn’t agree more, but her students, who are shipped to the school in boxes, could use a little convincing. Still, despite their initial reluctance, the students are soon soaring through the sky and getting lost on purpose. In addition to learning what birthday cakes are and how best to approach a bumbershoot tree, the students also manage to learn a little something about strength and bravery.
Bestselling author Elise Primavera has created an irresistible, richly illustrated story about finding your way.
Nestled inside a lighthouse, Great Rapscott School for the Daughters of Busy Parents takes its motto from Amelia Earhart: Adventure is worthwhile in itself. Headmistress Ms. Rapscott couldn’t agree more, but her students, who are shipped to the school in boxes, could use a little convincing. Still, despite their initial reluctance, the students are soon soaring through the sky and getting lost on purpose. In addition to learning what birthday cakes are and how best to approach a bumbershoot tree, the students also manage to learn a little something about strength and bravery.
Bestselling author Elise Primavera has created an irresistible, richly illustrated story about finding your way.
Publication Date: 03/10/15
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Adventure
Synopsis: Fans of Goosebumps and Ghostbusters will love the first book in this spine-tingling new horror series for young readers.
As president of the Monsters’ Anonymous Club (MAC), David Reid knows first-hand that it takes one part courage, two parts teamwork, three parts brains, and a big dash of humor to fight the unseen monsters that haunt the attics and backwoods of his hometown. Fortunately, David is aided in his ongoing battles with the supernatural by a fearless team of preteen ghostbusters including Laura Chen, the MAC’s vice-president whose background in dance has made her a top-notch athlete; Jeremy Bauer, the club’s resident smart aleck; Jeremy’s bratty and very pesky little sister Kimmy; budding scientist Austin Reese; Carla Freeman with her encyclopedic knowledge of the paranormal world; Eddie Gonzales with his telepathic ability to communicate with animals; and Stinky, Eddie’s new pet hamster, who just happens to be the perfect three-inch, four-legged spy.
In book one, “Don’t Play with Dead Things,” the MAC must battle a fiendish ghost that has possessed Jeremy and Kimmy’s mother and is threatening to take over the town unless our intrepid heroes can act quickly to stop the beast in its tracks.
“The Monsters’ Anonymous Club: Don’t Play with Dead Things” is a fast-paced ghost story full of twists and turns, lot of laughs, plenty of frights (nothing too gory!) and an emotionally satisfying resolution that proves ghosts deserve to “live” as happily ever after as our preteen heroes.
As president of the Monsters’ Anonymous Club (MAC), David Reid knows first-hand that it takes one part courage, two parts teamwork, three parts brains, and a big dash of humor to fight the unseen monsters that haunt the attics and backwoods of his hometown. Fortunately, David is aided in his ongoing battles with the supernatural by a fearless team of preteen ghostbusters including Laura Chen, the MAC’s vice-president whose background in dance has made her a top-notch athlete; Jeremy Bauer, the club’s resident smart aleck; Jeremy’s bratty and very pesky little sister Kimmy; budding scientist Austin Reese; Carla Freeman with her encyclopedic knowledge of the paranormal world; Eddie Gonzales with his telepathic ability to communicate with animals; and Stinky, Eddie’s new pet hamster, who just happens to be the perfect three-inch, four-legged spy.
In book one, “Don’t Play with Dead Things,” the MAC must battle a fiendish ghost that has possessed Jeremy and Kimmy’s mother and is threatening to take over the town unless our intrepid heroes can act quickly to stop the beast in its tracks.
“The Monsters’ Anonymous Club: Don’t Play with Dead Things” is a fast-paced ghost story full of twists and turns, lot of laughs, plenty of frights (nothing too gory!) and an emotionally satisfying resolution that proves ghosts deserve to “live” as happily ever after as our preteen heroes.
Publication Date: 03/07/15
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis: A young wolf seeks the bravery to be himself in this “rich take on the wild that quickens the pulse and fills the heart” (Kirkus Reviews), from the author of National Book Award Finalist Mean Margaret and The Wainscott Weasel.
Wolves. Predators of the wild. Stalkers of the forests. Born into rankings and expected to live up to their roles. Blue Boy, the alpha male of his pack, is the largest wolf many have ever seen, and his dream is to have a firstborn son who will take after him in every way. But Lamar is not turning out the way his father hoped. Lamar likes to watch butterflies. He worries if his younger siblings fall behind in the hunt. He has little interest in peacocking in front of other clans. Blue Boy grows increasingly dismayed at Lamar’s lack of wolf instincts, and then Lamar does the intolerable: he becomes attracted to a coyote. While the other infractions can be begrudgingly tolerated, this one cannot, and the unity of the pack is in jeopardy. Lamar wants to make his family happy, but is doing what is expected of him worth losing the only true friend he’s ever had?
Full of bite and beauty that will make you think of White Fang, then Ferdinand, this story cuts to the heart of what’s most important: being true to yourself, and being true to others.
Wolves. Predators of the wild. Stalkers of the forests. Born into rankings and expected to live up to their roles. Blue Boy, the alpha male of his pack, is the largest wolf many have ever seen, and his dream is to have a firstborn son who will take after him in every way. But Lamar is not turning out the way his father hoped. Lamar likes to watch butterflies. He worries if his younger siblings fall behind in the hunt. He has little interest in peacocking in front of other clans. Blue Boy grows increasingly dismayed at Lamar’s lack of wolf instincts, and then Lamar does the intolerable: he becomes attracted to a coyote. While the other infractions can be begrudgingly tolerated, this one cannot, and the unity of the pack is in jeopardy. Lamar wants to make his family happy, but is doing what is expected of him worth losing the only true friend he’s ever had?
Full of bite and beauty that will make you think of White Fang, then Ferdinand, this story cuts to the heart of what’s most important: being true to yourself, and being true to others.
Publication Date: 03/03/15
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction