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Born Different
Faye Aitken-Smith
Synopsis: Urban gritty inspirational story of breaking free from the chains that bind us all. Self harm or Love? Addiction or Recovery? Gabe is not a hero, he is damned to be different in a world where everyone seems to want to be the same. His friends are damned too, to lives unpredictable,though a life of crime,sex and drugs is calling. But Gabe has dreams of better things, and a secret that is so shameful it is killing him. Born Different is inspirational for young adults that wouldn't read inspirational books. Facing head on at full speed, depression, addiction, and all other issues that adults, old or young, face; self harm, alcoholism, suicide. Born different questions authority, society, morality and the universe All wrapped up in a modern urban fairytale like love story that takes you to the edge and back again. You might like it, it might just open your mind, it might just help you realise what you have to change.
Publication Date: 10/21/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The ABCs of Dinkology: Time In-Between (Vol. 2)
Ernest Nathan Acosta III, AE Stueve
Synopsis: It's been a few weeks since Max Dinkman learned about his now ex-girlfriend's preferences and his dad's condition. He's not taking it well. Luckily, his dad's dog, Moses, is here to help. Join Max and Moses as they deal with a life turned upside down in the continuing story that mixes comic book art with prose, poetry, footnotes, trading cards, and an unofficial soundtrack!
Publication Date: 10/21/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Manga/Graphic Novel
Stone Cold Touch
Jennifer L. Armentrout
Synopsis: Every touch has its price 

Layla Shaw is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life—no easy task for a seventeen-year-old who's pretty sure things can't get worse. Her impossibly gorgeous best friend, Zayne, is forever off-limits thanks to the mysterious powers of her soul-stealing kiss. The Warden clan that has always protected her is suddenly keeping dangerous secrets. And she can barely think about Roth, the wickedly hot demon prince who understood her in ways no one else could. 

But sometimes rock bottom is only the beginning. Because suddenly Layla's powers begin to evolve, and she's offered a tantalizing taste of what has always been forbidden. Then, when she least expects it, Roth returns, bringing news that could change her world forever. She's finally getting what she always wanted, but with hell literally breaking loose and the body count adding up, the price may be higher than Layla is willing to pay….
Publication Date: 10/21/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Anything He Wants and Castaway
Synopsis:

A powerful billionaire who always gets what he wants.
An innocent protégée who will explore the darkest reaches of her own desire.
Experience their intoxicating tale-now available for the first time as a complete saga...

Anything He Wants
Lucy Delacourt's temp position isn't quite her dream job but it pays the bills. The highlight of her day is riding the elevator in the mornings with a handsome stranger. But everything changes when the stranger seduces her. Completely out of character, she yields without a fight, but she has no idea her wanton acts with a man whose name she doesn't know will change her life forever. Because the sexy stranger is none other than Jeremiah Hamilton, billionaire CEO of Hamilton Industries, and one taste isn't nearly enough to satisfy his need.

Castaway
As the billionaire pulls Lucy deeper into his world of high stakes business deals and ruthless takeovers, he demands nothing less than her complete surrender. But Jeremiah has no place in his life for love, and as Lucy falls deeper for him, she risks having her heart shattered. Making matters worse, Jeremiah's fiercest rival is determined to steal Lucy's affection...and to do it, he'll show her the sinister side of Jeremiah's opulent world. With nowhere to turn and no one to trust, there's only one thing Lucy knows for sure: she'll never be free from Jeremiah's sweet possession.

"Smoking HOT! Full of secrets, lust, domination, romance, danger and action. There is so much to like!" -Crazy Four Books

Publication Date: 10/21/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Series
The ABCs of Dinkology: Life (Vol. 1)
Chris Smith, AE Stueve
Synopsis: In 1999 Max Dinkman is cruising through life without a care in the world. He is 17. He is going to graduate soon. He doesn't know what he's going to do after that and he doesn't care. As long as he has his comic books, his weed, his fantasies driven by a combination of the two, and his girlfriend, he's content. Then his girlfriend gives him some disturbing news. Then his dad follows it up with some more. Then Max isn't so sure about anything. Follow his adventures in the first volume of a five volume series that mixes comic book art with prose, poetry, footnotes, trading cards, and an unofficial soundtrack!
Publication Date: 10/21/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Manga/Graphic Novel
The Kingdom Lights
Steven VS
Synopsis:

In a world where cities float, airships sail the skies and mythical creatures are summoned in a pinch, Celes Vale is distinctly average. Living in the shadow of his talented cousin and his powerful aunt and uncle, Celes is resigned to a future of soot, factories and well, more soot.

But on the night of his twelfth birthday everything changes. A blinding light, a whispered voice and in an instant Celes becomes the first ordinary child in history to develop magic, sending him on a fast-track ticket to the greatest of the floating cities, Gardarel. Boasting grand, elegant buildings wrought from shimmering white stone, the entire city appears as though it has been built from light, and so it has come to be called the Kingdom Lights.

Though some welcome Celes, others want the dirt-ridden up-start off their city—preferably head first. Nowhere is this clearer than in the attitude and actions of the beautiful and haughty Lady Ban and her sneering nephew, Marcus Blackwood. But Blackwood, with his gang of goons and unimaginative one-liners, is soon the least of Celes’s problems.

With a little magic and a lot of detective work, Celes and his group of Scurriers and Wisps unravel the dark truth behind Lady Ban’s prim, perfect smile—an alliance to the villainous Wardens and the masked man who leads them. However, in his attempt to expose Lady Ban, Celes unwittingly stumbles onto an even darker conspiracy—a plan that could lead to the complete destruction of Gardarel itself.

Publication Date: 10/17/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
No Place for Kids
Alison Lohans
Synopsis: Sisters Jennifer and Sarah were once part of a happy, stable family, but their idyllic life comes to an abrupt end when their mother dies and their father, overcome with grief, loses his grip on his family.

With nothing left to lose, the two sisters, aged ten and twelve, decide run away to their mother’s sister in Vancouver, setting out with very little money and no clear plan. Along the way, they must overcome fear, loneliness, illness, and the conflict inherent in their sibling relationship. This emotional story deals with mature themes, but is ultimately about the enduring bonds of family.
Publication Date: 10/17/14
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Prairie Pictures
Shirlee Smith Matheson
Synopsis: For twelve-year-old Sherri, moving is a way of life. Her family has lived in seven different places in as many years, three in the last year alone. But no place has ever been as strange as the ranching community of Gardin, where the Old West meets new industry and the community is divided between longtime residents and recent arrivals. Initially aligning herself with another outsider, Sherri realizes that she would rather look for friendships based on more than the arbitrary divisions that exist among her peers. But just as she starts to feel at home in Gardin, her parents announce plans to uproot the family once again.
Publication Date: 10/17/14
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Close
Erika Raskin
Synopsis: Single-mom Kik Marcheson is doing the best she can. But effort doesn't seem to count for much in the parenting department.

Her oldest daughter, Doone, is swimming in the deep end of adolescence. Casey, the middle-child slash good-girl is fraying along the edges and Tess, a quirky kindergartner, has installed an imaginary playmate in the family abode.

When Doone falls in with the wrong crowd, a TV therapist offers to help. And things do start to look up. But only for a while.
Publication Date: 10/16/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Summer of Hope
Jodie Andrefski
Synopsis: A secret can change everything.

After witnessing her twin brother's death, sixteen-year-old Callie shuts down. Forced to go to her family's summer beach house, she resolves to erase the pain any way she can. Enter the "Perfect's"--the Gold Card group of girls who offer escape in the form of parties, booze and boys.

Things change when she meets Ethan. Callie does her best to convince herself she couldn't care less if Ethan looks like he just stepped out of a magazine and is completely adorkable to boot. Despite trying to keep her distance, Callie is drawn to his sweet ways and sexy smile. She falls hard--but her world comes crashing down when she discovers he's been hiding a secret that could change everything. Ethan came to the beach to escape, to live without the label. Because his label... is the kid with Hodgkin's disease.

Callie is left with the choice of standing by Ethan's side and watching another person she loves die, or running and abandoning the one person who helped her to believe in love again. Callie's decision ends up putting her own life in danger, and changes the lives of everyone around her, forever.
Publication Date: 10/16/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Chick Lit
Changing Michael
Jeff Schilling
Synopsis: "Don’t Let Them Know Who You AreMatthew knows how things work. He’s pretty much an expert.For example: friends. Friendship requires both give and take, and Matthew strongly prefers taking. The solution is close acquaintances―people who think you’re their friend because you nod and act interested about whatever the hell they’re talking about.School? Perfectly pleasant as long as you don’t pay attention.Mom? Award yourself a point for each hands on hips or young man. Wear her down until you can get what you want.The general rule: The less anyone knows about you, the better.But even someone as clever as Matthew needs practice.That’s where Michael comes in.See, Michael doesn’t get it. He’s the kind of kid who comes up with the answer before the teacher. He’s the kind of kid who asks questions. He’s the kind of kid who still has the ratty old backpack he should have thrown in someone’s dumpster years ago.Consequently, he’s the kind of kid who gets the crap beaten out of him on a regular basis.So one day, Matthew, out of the kindness of his heart, decides to help Michael out. Turn his life around. Teach him how to make his life as great as Matthew’s.Before long, Matthew is helping Michael screw with his NASCAR-loving stepfather. He’s spreading rumors to convince the population of Alexander High School that Michael is a serious badass. He weaves his way into the lives of Michael’s estranged dad, and even Chrissy, the half-sister Michael never even knew he had.But what if Michael isn’t grateful for all of Matthew’s hard work? What if he actually likes who he is? Why the hell would he, and for that matter, why should Matthew even care?Changing Michael is an absorbing exploration into the head of one of the most fascinating high school characters since Holden Caulfield. Jeff Schilling’s remarkably insightful debut presents a story and a narrative voice readers will remember for a very long time to come.
Publication Date: 10/15/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Terminals
Royce Scott Buckingham
Synopsis: In The Terminals, Royce Buckingham tells the riveting story of a covert team of young, terminally ill teens who spend their last year alive running dangerous missions as super-spies for an organization that may not be all it seems.

When 19 year-old Cam Cody is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he expects to spend the rest of his shortened life in an adjustable bed. Then one night, a mysterious man offers Cam one chance to join a covert unit of young "terminals." They are like him, only they spend the last year of their lives executing exciting and dangerous missions to make the world a better place.

With nothing to lose, Cam is in.

A helicopter flies Cam to a secret tropical location, where he's tossed out with a parachute and an instruction manual. After a rough landing, he meets his nine teammates. The other terminals don't seem sick; Zara is beautiful, Donnie is an amazing athlete, and Calliope sings like a bird. He soon learns that they're enhanced with an experimental super steroid TS-8, which suppresses their illnesses' symptoms and heightens their physical and mental abilities. It's also fatal if taken for more than a year.

Cam joins this extreme spy team, and they begin pulling dangerous operations in multiple countries. As his teammates fall around him, he starts to receive cryptic messages from a haggard survivor of last year's class hiding in the forest. She reveals that the program isn't what it claims to be...


For any YA lover of The Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Divergent, or a much less graphic Kingsman - The Secret Service, this is definitely one to check out!
Publication Date: 10/14/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Science Fiction
Taking Flight
Elaine Deprince, Michaela DePrince
Synopsis: SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY MADONNA!
 
The extraordinary memoir of an orphan who danced her way from war-torn Sierra Leone to ballet stardom, most recently appearing in Beyonce’s Lemonade and as a principal in a major American dance company.
 
"Michaela is nothing short of a miracle, born to be a ballerina. For every young brown, yellow, and purple dancer, she is an inspiration!” —Misty Copeland, world-renowned ballet dancer
 
Michaela DePrince was known as girl Number 27 at the orphanage, where she was abandoned at a young age and tormented as a “devil child” for a skin condition that makes her skin appear spotted. But it was at the orphanage that Michaela would find a picture of a beautiful ballerina en pointe that would help change the course of her life.
 
At the age of four, Michaela was adopted by an American family, who encouraged her love of dancing and enrolled her in classes. She went on to study at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at the American Ballet Theatre and is now the youngest principal dancer with the Dance Theatre of Harlem. She has appeared in the ballet documentary First Position, as well as on Dancing with the Stars, Good Morning America, and Nightline.
 
In this engaging, moving, and unforgettable memoir, Michaela shares her dramatic journey from an orphan in West Africa to becoming one of ballet’s most exciting rising stars.

“Michaela DePrince is the embodiment of what it means to fight for your dream.” —Today
 
“Michaela DePrince is a role model for girls on and off stage.” —NYLON
Publication Date: 10/14/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Biography
Monstrously Funny Cartoons
Christopher Hart
Synopsis: Learn to draw the silliest and scariest monsters, zombies, vampires, witches, mummies, and other creepy cartoon favorites.

Cartooning master Christopher Hart teaches aspiring artists all the drawing tips and tricks they need to create laugh-out-loud renditions of their favorite monsters and scary creatures. This jam-packed cartooning guide shows readers how to capture the lighter side of these creepy creatures by combining them with Hart's incredibly popular cartoon drawing style! Taking readers step-by-step through each monster type, Hart demonstrates how to draw everything from terrifyingly silly heads to wacky comic strip-like scenes of monstrous menace. Chockful of hints, humor, and horror, Monstrously Funny Cartoons is guaranteed to be a real scream for aspiring and professional artists, as well as all fans of things that go bump in the night.
Publication Date: 10/14/14
Age Level: Any Age
Genre: Nonfiction
Feedback
D L Richardson
Synopsis: Seventeen year old Ethan James can't bear the boring life he's living while waiting for a kidney transplant. When a donor is finally found he's on track to getting old life back as an ice hockey champion. However, two weeks after the operation, he's kidnapped by a man who believes in Feedback - the theory that organs retain the memories of the donor host. At least he isn't alone. Abducted with him are sixteen-year-old Florida Bowman and fifteen-year-old Jake Inala, who also received the spy's organs. The kidnapper tells them that their donor was a CIA agent. And now this terrorist wants to know where the dead spy hid the deadly bacteria bombs so he can carry on with his plans to destroy the world. The teen's lives are in danger because they don't believe that Feedback is real. Yet, during interrogation they begin to hear voices, telling them information they can't possibly know: the location of the bombs, the deactivation codes; the time the bombs are set to explode. Now they're faced with something more terrifying than organ transplants. They must trust that the voice in their head is real and save the planet. Or accept that hallucinations are causing the voices and that their bodies are rejecting the organs. In this teen spy thriller, listening to their inner voice could get them killed.
Publication Date: 10/13/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
Anybody Shining
Frances O'Roark Dowell
Synopsis: Can one mistake destroy the chance of a lifetime? A girl discovers there are many ways of being true in this magnificent ode to handwritten letters and the shining power of friendship from the author of Dovey Coe, set in the Appalachian mountains of 1920s North Carolina.

One true friend. Someone shining. That’s all twelve-year-old Arie Mae wants. But shining true friends are hard to come by deep in the mountains of western North Carolina, so she sets her sights on a cousin unseen, someone who lives all the way away in the big city of Baltimore, Maryland. Three unanswered letters later, Arie Mae learns that a group of kids from Baltimore are coming to spend a summer on the mountain.

Arie Mae loves her smudge of a town—she knows there’s nothing finer than Pa’s fiddling and Mama’s apple cake, but she also knows Big City folk might feel differently. How else to explain the song catcher ladies who have descended upon the village in search of “traditional tunes” and their intention to help “save” the townspeople? But when the group from Baltimore arrives, it seems there just might be a gem among them, one shining boy who doesn’t seem to notice Arie Mae wears the same dress every day and prefers to go barefoot. So what if he has a bit of a limp and a rumored heart problem—he also is keen about everything Arie Mae is keen about, and has all the makings of a true friend.

And so what if the boy’s mother warns him not to exert himself? He and Arie Mae have adventures to go on! In between writing letters to her cousin, Arie Mae leads her one shining friend on ghost hunts and bear chases. But it turns out those warnings were for a reason…
Publication Date: 10/07/14
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction

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