12 and up

Well of Sorrows
Book Details

Spellcast
Barbara Ashford
Maggie Graham's life is a mess. First, she loses her job. Then, her bathroom ceiling collapses. Hoping a weekend getaway will restore her spirits, she drives to Vermont and stumbles upon the Crossroads Theatre. Although she has no intention of auditioning, she soon finds herself part of a very odd summer stock company that includes moody and mysterious director Rowan Mackenzie, a man with the uncanny ability to transform a train wreck of a show into something magical. Before the season ends, Maggie is determined to discover the truth about the Crossroads. She never imagines that she'll discover secrets about her past - and Rowan's - that will change their lives forever.Read Barbara Ashford's blogs and other content on the Penguin Community.
Book Details

Master and Apprentice
Sonya Bateman
A DEADLY CULT. AN UNBREAKABLE CURSE. THE RULES ARE SIMPLE: LEARN TO KILL . . . OR DIE. Luck has never been on Gavyn Donatti’s side. Anyone else with magic abilities inherited from a distant genie relative would have it made, but not Donatti, descendant of a cranky, shape-shifting genie named Ian. The prince of a murdered kingdom, consumed with revenge and driven by an unbreakable curse, Ian is determined to hunt down and destroy every last one of his enemies in the power-hungry snake clan—at any cost, including his life. Or Donatti’s. Obsessed by his own rage, Ian has never really taught Donatti how to use his abilities. So when a powerful cult of magic-users captures Ian’s wife, the princess Akila, and then Ian himself, Donatti is left alone to take on dozens of half-djinn and their mysterious leader with designs on world domination. Facing an impossible mission, Donatti is forced to turn to an enemy for help—one who claims to know how to unlock his true potential. Trusting a snake might be the last mistake Donatti ever makes—but if he doesn’t learn to wield the power inside him, everyone will pay the ultimate price.
Book Details

Touch of Frost
Jennifer Estep
My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy -- a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody's head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest. But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I'm determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why – especially since I should have been the one who died . . ."Touch of Frost is an intriguing start to an exciting new series!" --Award-winning author Jeri Smith-Ready". . .surviving high school means staying alive!" --New York Times bestselling author Kerrelyn Sparks
Book Details

Women Heroes of World War II
Kathryn J. Atwood
A 2012 VOYA Nonfiction Honor List selection Noor Inayat Khan was the first female radio operator sent into occupied France and transferred crucial messages. Johtje Vos, a Dutch housewife, hid Jews in her home and repeatedly outsmarted the Gestapo. Law student Hannie Schaft became involved in the most dangerous resistance work--sabotage, weapons transference, and assassinations. In these pages, young readers will meet these and many other similarly courageous women and girls who risked their lives to help defeat the Nazis. Twenty-six engaging and suspense-filled stories unfold from across Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Denmark, Great Britain, and the United States, providing an inspiring reminder of women and girls’ refusal to sit on the sidelines around the world and throughout history. An overview of World War II and summaries of each country’s entrance and involvement in the war provide a framework for better understanding each woman’s unique circumstances, and resources for further learning follow each profile. Women Heroes of World War II is an invaluable addition to any student’s or history buff’s bookshelf.
Book Details

Dream Smashers
Angela Carlie
My name is Autumn Spring Winters. Right? What sane person names their kid after not only one season of the year, but three? Well, the last name was inherited, but still. Nobody ever said my mom was in her right mind, though. I often wonder what life would be like if she wasn’t a tweaker. But, you know, that’s just a daydream. Reality is she’s a meth addict. She’s been an addict for as long as I can remember. Sometimes I like to believe her when she says she’s clean. Sometimes, when she’s high, we get along great. Sometimes we even talk. When she’s coming down, though, it’s best to just hide.My name is Autumn Spring Winters and Dream Smashers is my story. It’s a love story, but most of all, it’s about letting go.Readers of Ellen Hopkins, Laurie Halse Anderson, Jay Asher and Leslie Connor will enjoy reading Dream Smashers.Discover other great novels from Angela CarlieThe Lords of Shifters Novels:Spider WarsLoramendi's StoryDark Horse
Book Details

The Day the Fortune Teller Died
Marianna Heusler
Eva Avanti, the new girl in school, desperately needs help. A fortune teller has predicted that great harm will come to her. Determined to learn who is going to hurt her and why, Eva implores amateur sleuth Isabella and her friends Vicki and Lauren to investigate. When the girls stumble upon the dead body of the fortune teller, it's clear that it's not only Eva who is in danger. As the three friends race against the clock, they discover the motive for a long-forgotten crime, buried treasure, and a murderer who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
Book Details

The Girl in the Steel Corset
Kady Cross
In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one…except the "thing" inside her.When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch….Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help—and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on—even if it seems no one believes her.
Book Details

The Emerald Atlas
John Stephens
"A strong . . . new trilogy, invoking just a little Harry Potter and Series of Unfortunate Events along the way."—Realms of FantasySiblings Kate, Michael, and Emma have been in one orphanage after another for the last ten years, passed along like lost baggage. Yet these unwanted children are more remarkable than they could possibly imagine. Ripped from their parents as babies, they are being protected from a horrible evil of devastating power, an evil they know nothing about. Until now. Before long, Kate, Michael, and Emma are on a journey through time to dangerous and secret corners of the world . . . a journey of allies and enemies, of magic and mayhem. And—if an ancient prophesy is true—what they do can change history, and it's up to them to set things right."A new Narnia for the tween set."—The New York Times"[A] fast-paced, fully imagined fantasy."—Publishers Weekly"Echoes of other popular fantasy series, from "Harry Potter" to the "Narnia" books, are easily found, but debut author Stephens has created a new and appealing read . . ."—School Library Journal, Starred Review
Book Details

Invincible
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Nick Gautier's day just keeps getting better and better. Yeah, he survived the zombie attacks, only to wake up and find himself enslaved to a world of shapeshifters and demons out to claim his soul.His new principal thinks he's even more of a hoodlum than the last one, his coach is trying to recruit him to things he can't even mention and the girl he's not seeing, but is, has secrets that terrify him.But more than that, he's being groomed by the darkest of powers and if he doesn't learn how to raise the dead by the end of the week, he will become one of them...