12 and up

The Newcomers
Helen Thorpe
“A delicate and heartbreaking mystery story...Thorpe’s book is a reminder that in an era of nativism, some Americans are still breaking down walls and nurturing newcomers, the seeds of the great American experiment.” —The New York Times Book Review “The teens we meet have endured things none of us can imagine…and [this book has] never been more crucial than at this moment.” —USA TODAY “Helen Thorpe has taken policy and turned it into literature.” —Malcolm Gladwell From the award-winning, “meticulously observant” author of Soldier Girls and Just Like Us comes a powerful and moving account of how refugee teenagers at a public high school learn English and become Americans, in the care of a compassionate teacher. The Newcomers follows the lives of twenty-two immigrant teenagers throughout the course of the 2015-2016 school year as they land at South High School in Denver, Colorado. These newcomers, from fourteen to nineteen years old, come from nations convulsed by drought or famine or war. Many come directly from refugee camps, after experiencing dire forms of cataclysm. Some arrive alone, having left or lost every other member of their original family. At the center of their story is Mr. Williams, their dedicated and endlessly resourceful teacher of English Language Acquisition. If Mr. Williams does his job right, the newcomers will leave his class at the end of the school year with basic English skills and new confidence, their foundation for becoming Americans and finding a place in their new home. Ultimately, “The Newcomers reads more like an anthropologist’s notebook than a work of reportage: Helen Thorpe not only observes, she chips in her two cents and participates. Like her, we’re moved and agitated by this story of refugee teenagers…Donald Trump’s gross slander of refugees and immigrants is countered on every page by the evidence of these students’ lives and characters” (Los Angeles Review of Books). With the US at a political crossroads around questions of immigration, multiculturalism, and America’s role on the global stage, Thorpe presents a fresh and nuanced perspective. The Newcomers is “not only an intimate look at lives immigrant teens live, but it is a primer on the art and science of new language acquisition and a portrait of ongoing and emerging global horrors and the human fallout that arrives on our shores” (USA TODAY).
Book Details

The Glass Town Game
Rebecca Green, Catherynne M. Valente
A Parents’ Choice Gold Award Winner “Dazzling.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) Charlotte and Emily Brontë enter a fantasy world that they invented in order to rescue their siblings in this “lovely, fanciful” (Booklist, starred review) novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making.Inside a small Yorkshire parsonage, Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne Brontë have invented a game called Glass Town, where their toy soldiers fight Napoleon and no one dies. This make-believe land helps the four escape from a harsh reality: Charlotte and Emily are being sent away to a dangerous boarding school. But then something incredible happens: a train whisks them all away to a real Glass Town, and the children trade the moors for a wonderland all their own. This is their Glass Town…almost. Their Napoleon never rode into battle on a fire-breathing porcelain rooster. And the soldiers can die; wars are fought over a potion that raises the dead, a potion Anne would very much like to bring back to England. But returning is out of the question—Charlotte will never go back to that horrible school. Together the Brontë siblings must battle their own imaginations in this magical celebration of authorship, creativity, and classic literature from award-winning author Catherynne M. Valente.
Book Details

This Mortal Coil
Emily Suvada
In this gripping debut novel, seventeen-year-old Cat must use her gene-hacking skills to decode her late father’s message concealing a vaccine to a horrifying plague.Catarina Agatta is a hacker. She can cripple mainframes and crash through firewalls, but that’s not what makes her special. In Cat’s world, people are implanted with technology to recode their DNA, allowing them to change their bodies in any way they want. And Cat happens to be a gene-hacking genius. That’s no surprise, since Cat’s father is Dr. Lachlan Agatta, a legendary geneticist who may be the last hope for defeating a plague that has brought humanity to the brink of extinction. But during the outbreak, Lachlan was kidnapped by a shadowy organization called Cartaxus, leaving Cat to survive the last two years on her own. When a Cartaxus soldier, Cole, arrives with news that her father has been killed, Cat’s instincts tell her it’s just another Cartaxus lie. But Cole also brings a message: before Lachlan died, he managed to create a vaccine, and Cole needs Cat’s help to release it and save the human race. Now Cat must decide who she can trust: The soldier with secrets of his own? The father who made her promise to hide from Cartaxus at all costs? In a world where nature itself can be rewritten, how much can she even trust herself?
Book Details

Can you believe in someone who can’t believe in himself? Maybe…Maybe I just wanted to get through Year 12, coaching, and soccer with no distractions. Maybe life had other plans.Maybe I shouldn’t be drawn to Cole; the new guy who gets into fights and smokes. Maybe I should want to date Jaime; the nice, steady guy who’s always been there.Maybe you can’t help who you fall for, whether they’re good for you or not. Maybe it shouldn’t matter as long as you’re happy.Maybe each new bruise on Cole’s face is a reason to walk away. Maybe there’s more to the secrets he hides and that’s a reason to be there for him.Maybe a lifetime of pain can’t be washed away by anyone else but you. Maybe finally proving that someone else isn’t going to walk away is enough.Or, maybe it’s time I got out of my own head and stopped wondering. Maybe it’s time I just live by my own rules and find out the answers to all those maybes.It’s time for no more maybes.A sweet YA romance about first love and learning to understand different experiences, this is Cole’s story from Aurora’s point of view.The companion novel, Gray’s Blade, is from Cole’s point of view; much like the characters themselves, Cole’s version is darker, dirtier, and rougher. Read through to the end of No More Maybes for a sneak peek at chapter one of Cole’s side. Please be aware that this story is set in Australia and therefore uses Australian English spelling and syntax.
Book Details

Are you a dog lover? Do you enjoy dog books? Meet Lord Banjo. From humble family dog to Royal Pooch, what a difference a doggie DNA test makes. When Banjo discovers he's descended from royalty, he knows he's destined to rule. With gentle barks and a touch of the royal paw, he informs his mum that her highest priority is to help him tell his story. The short chapters and sweet illustrations in this tale of a lovable, huggable dog will appeal to adults and children alike. You'll laugh out loud as Lord Banjo describes his adventures with the Royal Mum and Dad and the Royal Critter Sitter. You'll meet Puddin' the cat and learn what she thinks about her brother's royal status. Dog lovers of all ages will appreciate Lord Banjo's antics, and if you're a pet parent, his behavior will seem strangely familiar. Have you ever wondered what your dogs and cats are thinking? Find out when you read this humorous book, destined to become one of your favorites.
Book Details

The Breathless
Tara Goedjen
For fans of the dark family secrets of We Were Liars and the page-turning suspense of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, The Breathless is a haunting tale of deeply buried secrets, forbidden love, and how far some will go to bring back what’s long dead. No one knows what really happened on the beach where Roxanne Cole’s body was found, but her boyfriend, Cage, took off that night and hasn’t been seen since. Until now. One year—almost to the day—from Ro’s death, when he knocks on the door of Blue Gate Manor and asks where she is. Cage has no memory of the past twelve months. According to him, Ro was alive only the day before. Ro’s sister Mae wouldn’t believe him, except that something’s not right. Nothing’s been right in the house since Ro died. And then Mae finds the little green book. The one hidden in Ro’s room. It’s filled with secrets—dangerous secrets—about her family, and about Ro. And if what it says is true, then maybe, just maybe, Ro isn’t lost forever. And maybe there are secrets so dark, they should never see the light of day.“[The Breathless] is full of secrets, dark magic, and satisfying twists and turns.”—Booklist“Bringing together horror, romance, and tragedy in one creepy old house,…[The Breathless] will leave readers heartbroken and haunted.”—The Bulletin“An absorbing and romantic Gothic mystery that will haunt you long after the final page.”—Kara Thomas, author of The Darkest Corners and Little Monsters “Evocative and mysterious; The Breathless is rich with layered secrets and intertwined stories of love and loss.”—Sarah Tomp, author of My Best Everything. “The Breathless is part magic-tinged mystery, part Southern Gothic, and part romance that chills and thrills you all at once. I couldn't put it down!”—Tara Hudson, author of the Hereafter trilogy “This sultry Southern tale is drenched in atmosphere! A world of secrets, mysterious family heirlooms, and forbidden love. Get ready to be bewitched by a story where not only does the past live on . . . the dead do, too!”—Adriana Mather, New York Times bestselling author of How to Hang a Witch
Book Details

Write to Influence!
Write to Influence! Personnel Appraisals, Resumes, Awards, Grants, Scholarships, Internships, Reports, Bid Proposals, Web Pages, Marketing, and More Powerful writing can change your life! You may be the best candidate for a competitive opportunity–hands down–but if the competition is better at telling a story, you lose. Powerful writing correlates directly to success, personal and professional. Opportunity knocking? Choose Write to Influence! when powerful writing is paramount to your goals. With this book you will: Write to win–Make every word count and every second of the reader's time play to your advantage Achieve your goals through persuasive communication in legal and many other applications Write a resume that stands out ... for the right reasons. Uncomfortable with self-promotion? No problem–twelve tips make job hunting less daunting Compose performance reviews–clear, powerful, compelling–for military and civilian writing Persuade the reader–Tips on strategic thinking will help you assemble hard-hitting facts to make your case Refine your presentation skills. Write and deliver a corporate speech? Learn to give a spot-on power point briefing Maximize your internet promotion–leverage powerful words to do just that Craft professional email–polished, succinct, and effective communication Make the grade (pun intended) with academic essays for high school thru graduate school degrees, e.g., an MBA Improve business writing skills–Avoid the ten most common errors with this correspondence how-to guide Attention employers! Write to Influence! is perfect for your employees! Have you read a paragraph in a report again and again ... unable to understand it? Bureaucratic, textual muck is time consuming, frustrating, counterproductive, and the bane of today's business products. Accurate, clear, and concise writing is the lifeblood for effective operations ... in private business, corporations, NGOs, government agencies and the military, in particular. Early Reviews: "Write to Influence! is a gem ... Anyone interested in not just adequate but powerful, super-charged writing will appreciate this clear discussion of how to produce effective, attention-grabbing pieces in all kinds of business and real-world scenarios ... where standout writing means the difference between success and failure. " –D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review "Write to Influence! is an essential guide for anyone seeking to improve their writing skills and inform or influence others with the written word. I write daily and constantly seek ways to improve my writing skills. Write to Influence will be on my desk to help me on that journey." –Mark Amtower, Managing Partner, Amtower & Company "Rating – 5 stars. This book is fantastic! It is spot-on for persuasive writing. This should be the textbook for a class required of all incoming college freshman, and a high school class, a class for all military officers, and a refresher at most companies ... I don't know of anyone who would not benefit from this book!" –NetGalley Reviewer
Book Details

The Shadow Tribe Series Book 1: The Boy with the Scar
Meet Joby. He's not your average boy.Homeless, destitute, and without friends, his past is a mystery even to him. With a magical staff and a fast hand, Joby roams the desert city of Terron with his only friend, a stray dog. Every day is one of survival. Every day is the same. Until one night . . . When breaking up a fight to help a lowly beggar escape his assailant, the mysterious scar on Joby’s right hand begins to glow blue. Narrowly escaping the aggressor in the fight, Joby finds he has messed with a man possessing dark powers. Determined to understand the origin of his scar, Joby sets out to discover the identity of this sorcerer whose spoken spells made it glow in the dark.If you want to get a glimpse of what The Shadow Tribe Series is like, read this series intro - there's more to this story than meets the eye.
Book Details

Fated To Love You
Kim, a Korean-American student who had just transferred to Boston, saw the love of her life on first day of school, or so she thought. The thought was quickly squashed when she saw another girl approached him. Since then, she experiences a sudden streak of bad luck in school, wondering why all these happened to her. Until one day, by the power of fate, she woke up in the hospital, and she saw the boy again…
Book Details

Garbage Collectors: Stories for Young Engineers
Jack Drozd thinks he’s an ordinary boy—but how come he and his friends get involved in crazy adventures? Could it be because they love mystery and suspense, the excitement of chasing ideas and are filled with a desire to figure things out? But their adventures don't require travel to remote or dangerous places, or transformation into creatures with magical powers. All they have to do is... think like engineers. In each of these stories the kids encounter a problem, such as garbage in the middle of a pristine pond, a snowball fight or a flood that might damage their school. They don’t need to be special geniuses to solve these difficulties, just willing to think. This process, however, isn't purely mental, it also engages all their emotions, anger, happiness, sadness, ecstasy, amazement and more. And even better, these stories also invite the reader to think about the method, find flaws in the presented solution or find a better answer.