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12 and up | Page 409 | LitPick Book Reviews
12 and up
Devilish
Devilish
Maureen Johnson
During her senior year at St. Teresa's Preparatory School, Jane must battle against the devil, who is masquerading as a sophomore with a penchant for cupcakes, to save her best friend Ally, who has sold her soul in exchange for popularity.

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An Abundance of Katherines
An Abundance of Katherines
John Green
From the #1 bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars Michael L. Printz Honor BookLos Angeles Times Book Prize FinalistKatherine V thought boys were grossKatherine X just wanted to be friendsKatherine XVIII dumped him in an e-mailK-19 broke his heartWhen it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type happens to be girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact.On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun--but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl.Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.

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Sleeper Code (Part 1 in the Sleeper Conspiracy)
Sleeper Code
Tom Sniegoski
When teenager Tom Lovett learns that his narcoleptic "fits" are really cover for his alter ego, Tyler Garrett, to commit coldblooded murder as a hired assassin, Tom vows to take down the evil agency that created him while also fighting the evil within himself. Original.

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The Beast of Noor
The Beast of Noor
Janet Lee Carey
Do not wander in the deeps where the Shriker's shadow creeps. When he rises from beneath. Beware the sharpness of his teeth. For over 300 years, a monster known as the Shriker has roamed Shalem Wood, terrorizing the villagers who live on its edges and slaughtering those unfortunate enough to wander on to his path. The people of Noor have lived in fear for so long that most of them have forgotten that once upon a time the Shriker was just a loyal dog, until the day when he was cruelly betrayed by his master and cursed to live a bloodthirsty life, always seeking revenge for the fate his owner dealt him. But Miles and Hanna Ferrell have not forgotten where the Shriker came from--how could they? It was their ancestor who betrayed the dog... A tale of terror and magic that channels Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Beast of Noor tells the story of two siblings determined to set their family free and break the curse of the Shriker or die trying.

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Out of Patience
Out of Patience
Brian Meehl
Some folks have skeletons in their closets. The Waters have toilets. Jake’s mortified by his dad’s dream to open the American Toilet Museum. Toilets have caused enough turmoil in Patience, Kansas. Patience has been cursed for 129 years, since Jeremiah Waters installed the first flush toilet. The Dolphin Deluge Wash-Down Water Closet caused a stink, and since then Patience has been drying up like a cow pie in August. Jake wants out of Patience, especially when his dad gets a relic for his museum, triggering the curse’s last promise: “The day the Plunger of Destiny returns to Patience, the final destruction begins!” Can Jake save Patience by discovering what happened when Jeremiah last sat on the Dolphin Deluge Wash-Down Water Closet?

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Harlem Hustle
Harlem Hustle
Janet McDonald
Hustle's personal Harlem was sorely in need of a renaissance. For him, it was the place where a scared kid named Eric Samson had been ditched by druggy parents and dismissed by frustrated teachers. Abandoned to the streets to raise himself, Eric Samson knows life won't be easy, beginning with the choices he must make. The fast cash of the streets still tempts him, but the threat of getting locked up – again – is daunting. Maybe Eric's way out is as Harlem Hustle, the rapper he dreams of being. At his side is Manley "Ride" Freeman, surrogate brother and best friend. And Jeannette Simpson, the college-bound "round-the-way" girl he hopes will be more than a friend. But does Eric have the strength to leave the familiar street life behind and the courage to reach for his dream?In her companion to Brother Hood, Janet McDonald once again captures the rhythms of Harlem in this fast, funny story of a restless teenager who uses the power of words to rise above it all.

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The Adventures of Michael MacInnes
The Adventures of Michael MacInnes
Jeff Carney
A poet, a maverick, “the wandering outlaw of his own dark mind” – Michael MacInnes, an orphan attending a prestigious boys’ school in 1924, doesn’t fit into his surroundings. Lucky for him, neither does his new roommate, Roger Legrande. Physics is Roger’s passion. But with expulsions from two other prep schools already under his belt, a secret that dare not speak its name, and a roommate like Michael MacInnes, he, too, quickly finds himself on the wrong side of authority – whether that means publishing an underground literary magazine, performing an aerial rescue mission at a local girls’ school, or taking on the brutish school bootlegger.  This debut novel spins an uproarious yarn about a pair of Prohibition-era rebels who aren’t afraid to stand up against prohibitions in general.

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Out of Focus
Out of Focus
Margaret Buffie
In this novel by Margaret Buffie, 16-year-old Bernice Dodd feels lucky. Her mother's inheriting Black Spruce Lodge means no more roach-infested apartments or bullies in the hallways. No more avoiding the landlord or sneaking away in the middle of the night because the rent is overdue. But some things will probably never change. Bernie will still have to take care of her younger siblings. Her mother will keep disappearing on drinking binges and find yet another creep of a boyfriend. And Bernie's anger toward her mother will continue to grow. Could Black Spruce Lodge be the family's last chance to get their lives in focus? Will Bernie find some perspective -- on her emotions, on Jack, the boy next door, and on Tony, the goodlooking novelist across the lake? One thing is very clear, though: rage doesn't let go without a fight.

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Troll Bridge: A Rock'n' Roll Fairy Tale
Trollbridge
Adam Stemple, Jane Yolen
A wicked adventure--or deadly…trollbleFor sixteen-year-old harpist prodigy Moira, the annual Dairy Princess event in Vanderby is just another lame publicity "op." Moira a dairy princess? Get real. Twelve girls have been selected to have their likeness carved in butter and displayed on the Trollholm Bridge. It's a Vanderby State Fair tradition that has been going on for, like, ever.As far as Moira is concerned, the sooner it's over with the butter--er--better. About the same time and not far away, three brothers--members of the sensationally popular teen boy band The Griffsons--are in the middle of a much needed road trip to relax from the pressures of their latest tour. In a flash, however, the kids are suddenly transported to a strange and mystical wilderness where they find themselves in the middle of a deadly tug-of-war struggle between a magical fox named Fossegrim and the monstrous troll Aenmarr of Austraegir. At the heart of the feud is a battle for possession of a mysterious magical fiddle--and an ancient compact between Trollholm and the outer world.Whatever. All Moira cares about is that eleven of her fellow princesses have been enchanted into a slumber and Moira needs to figure out a way to awaken them…and get home.Unfortunately for Moira and the Griffsons, nothing in Trollholm is as it seems. Finding a way out of Trollholm may be a lot more difficult than they think.

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The Judgment (Feather and Bone: The Crow Chronicles)
The Judgment- Feather and Bone-The Crow Chronicles
Clem Martini
In the third and final novel of Feather and Bone: The Crow Chronicles, Kyp and the remains of the flock emerge tattered but alive from their fiery ordeal in the human colony. Pursued by the vengeful Kuper and his fanatical Collection, they flee south, outnumbered and exhausted. Flying through a strange land, where food is scarce and unknown enemies lurk, Kyp and the flock search for an elusive haven. This is a time of terrors and dark omens, when crows hunt down fellow crows. The life or death of the deeply divided flock depends on Kyp's decisions. Does he have the wisdom to decide well and grow from popular hero to mature Chooser? The world of crows is turned upside down in the epic battle that follows his Choice.

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