Tuesday, October 25, 2011

New Additions to the Collection

Girls Don't Fly by Kristen Chandler
Myra is used to keeping her feet firmly on the ground. She's got four younger brothers, overworked parents, and a pregnant older sister, and if Myra wasn't there to take care of everyone, they'd probably fall apart. But when her boyfriend unceremoniously dumps her, Myra feels like she's lost her footing. Suddenly she's doing things she never would've a few months earlier: quitting her job, applying for a scholarship to study birds in the Galapogos, and falling for a guy who's encouraging her to leap from her old life . . . and fly.

Set in the Salt Lake City area, Girls Don't Flyis full of intelligence, humor, and is a refreshing change of pace for teen readers.


Nursery Rhyme Comics edited by Chris Duffy
First Second is very proud to present Nursery Rhyme Comics. Featuring fifty classic nursery rhymes illustrated and interpreted in comics form by fifty of today's preeminent cartoonists and illustrators, this is a groundbreaking new entry in the canon of nursery rhymes treasuries. From New Yorkercartoonist Roz Chast's "There Was a Crooked Man" to Bad Kittyauthor Nick Bruel's "Three Little Kittens" to First Second's own Gene Yang's "Pata-Cake," this is a collection that will put a grin on your face from page one and keep it there. Each rhyme is one to three pages long, and simply paneled and lettered to ensure that the experience is completely accessible for the youngest of readers. Chock full of engaging full-color artwork and favorite characters (Jack and Jill! Old Mother Hubbard! The Owl and the Pussycat!), this collection will be treasured by children for years to come.

Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions by Various Authors
A journey may take hundreds of miles, or it may cover the distance between duty and desire.

Sixteen of today's hottest writers of paranormal tales weave stories on a common theme of journeying. Authors such as Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine, and Melissa Marr return to the beloved worlds of their bestselling series, while others, like Claudia Gray, Kami Garcia, and Margaret Stohl, create new landscapes and characters. But whether they're writing about vampires, faeries, angels, or other magical beings, each author explores the strength and resilience of the human heart.

Suspenseful, funny, or romantic, the stories in Enthralled will leave you moved


There is No Long Distance Now: Very Short Stories by Naomi Shihab Nye
In these forty life-altering, life-affirming, and extremely short short stories, the award-winning poet Naomi Shihab Nye proposes that no matter how great the divide between friends, siblings, life and death, classmates, enemies, happiness and misery, war and peace, breakfast and lunch, parent and child, country and city, there is, in fact, no long distance. Not anymore.


Sita's Ramayana by Samhita Arni
The Ramayana is an epic poem by the Hindu sage Valmiki, written in ancient Sanskrit sometime after 300 BC. It is an allegorical story that contains important Hindu teachings, and it has had great influence on Indian life and culture over the centuries. Children are often encouraged to emulate the virtues of the two main characters — Rama and Sita. The Ramayana is frequently performed as theater or dance, and two Indian festivals — Dussehra and Divali — celebrate events in the story.

This version of The Ramayana is told from the perspective of Sita, the queen. After she, her husband Rama and his brother are exiled from their kingdom, Sita is captured by the proud and arrogant king Ravana and imprisoned in a garden across the ocean. Ravana never stops trying to convince Sita to be his wife, but she steadfastly refuses his advances. Eventually Rama comes to her rescue with the help of the monkey Hanuman and his army. But Rama feels he can’t trust Sita again. He forces Sita to undergo an ordeal by fire to prove herself to be true and pure. She is shocked and in grief and anger does so. She emerges unscathed and they return home to their kingdom as king and queen. However, suspicion haunts their relationship, and Sita once more finds herself in the forest, but this time she is pregnant. She has twins and continues to live in the forest with them.

The story is exciting and dramatic, with many turns of plot. Magic animals, snakes, divine gods, demons, sorcerers and a vast cast of characters all play a part in the fierce battles fought to win Sita back. And in the process the story explores ideas of right vs. wrong, compassion, loyalty, trust, honor and the terrible price of war.


iBoy by Kevin Brooks

Search. Shock. Destroy.

Before the attack, Tom Harvey was just an average teen. But a head-on collision with high technology has turned him into an actualized App. Fragments of a shattered iPhone are embedded in his brain. And they're having an extraordinary effect on his every thought.

Because now Tom knows, sees, and can do more than any normal boy ever could. But with his new powers comes a choice: Seek revenge on the vicious gangs who rule the South London housing projects where he lives, and who violated his friend Lucy? Or keep quiet and move on?

Not even the search engine in his head can predict the shocking outcome of iBoy's actions.

A Wi-Fi thriller by YA master Kevin Brooks.


Lost in Time: A Blue Bloods Novel by Melissa de la Cruz
The stakes have never been higher for the young Blue Bloods of Manhattan. After their brief yet beautiful bonding ceremony in Italy, Schuyler Van Alen and Jack Force depart for Egypt, desperate to find the elusive Gate of Promise before Jack must face his twin, Mimi, for a blood trial. A blood trial that only one of them can survive. But everything Schuyler thought she knew about the gate turns out to be a lie, and they soon find themselves ensnared in a deadly battle against the demon-born. Schuyler and Jack take up arms, only to realize that there is a much graver threat simmering in the Kingdom of the Dead.

Meanwhile, determined to save the only vampire she still loves, Mimi has followed Kingsley Martin into Hell. With the help of her new human Conduit, Oliver Hazard-Perry, Mimi makes a bargain with the Queen of the Dead that she may soon regret. When the time comes to choose between love and revenge, both Mimi and Oliver will learn the true meaning of sacrifice.

Confronted by danger, betrayal, and loss at every turn, the Blue Bloods must find the will to fight—and love—another day.


Darkfall by Janice Hardy
With the rebellion in full swing, fifteen year-old Nya's loyaltie are put to the ultimate test,and she is forced to choose between leading an army against the Duke or abandoning her people to save her sister.



My Big Mouth: 10 Songs I Wrote that Almost Got Me Killed by Peter Hannan
A hilarious illustrated novel by Peter Hannan -- writer, artist, & producer.

Davis Delaware is not from Delaware. But try telling that to everyone at his new school. When you move in the middle of ninth grade, people are going to think whatever they want about you. If they pay attention at all.

Blending in is fine with Davis. He just wants to doodle in his notebook. Make a few friends. Not rock the boat.

Easier said than done.

Because when he starts a band called The Amazing Dweebs with beautiful Molly and nerdy Edwin, Davis rocks the boat big-time. And all that rocking gets the attention of school bully Gerald "the Butcher" Boggs. Now Davis is suddenly king of the school -- and the Butcher's next target.

This can't end well.

This illustrated middle-grade novel from CATDOG creator Peter Hannan is packed with doodles, song lyrics, notebook pages, a mini flip book -- and lots of laughs.


How to Rock Braces and Glasses by Meg Haston
Gorgeous, uber-harsh, and uber-stylish, Kacey Simon is the undisputed social dictator of Marquette Middle School. That is, until an eye infection and a visit to the dentist leave her with coke-bottle glasses, a mouth full of metal, and... alittttthsp!Dissed and dismissed by her popular friends, Kacey is forced to hang out with a boy who wears skinny jeans and jams in his own band. But as she adjusts to life as a loser, she's surprised to find that Skinny Jeans is kind of hot and his band is pretty cool. Suddenly, hitting rock-bottom feels oddly uplifting. Could rocking braces and glasses be the best thing to ever happen to her?

In this hilarious reversal of the cool crowd versus the nerd herd, a popular girl finds herself in Loserville and realizes it's about time she paid back all the bad karma she built up as Queen Bee.


Crossed by Ally Condie
The hotly awaited second book in the dystopian Matched trilogy

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky--taken by the Society to his certain death-only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander-who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart--change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.


Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber
Ferris Bueller meets La Femme Nikita in this funny, action-packed young adult novel.

It’s prom night-and Perry just wants to stick to his own plan and finally play a muchanticipated gig with his band in the Big Apple. But when his mother makes him take Gobija Zaksauskas-their quiet, geeky Lithuanian exchange student-to the prom, he never expects that his ordinary high school guy life will soon turn on its head. Perry finds that Gobi is on a mission, and Perry has no other choice but to go along for a reckless ride through Manhattan’s concrete grid with a trained assassin in Dad’s red Jag.

Infused with capers, car chases, heists, hits, henchmen, and even a bear fight, this story mixes romance, comedy, and tragedy in a true teen coming-of-age adventure-and it’s not over until it’s au revoir.


Desert Angel by Charlie Price
Fourteen-year-old Angel wakes up one morning at her desert trailer home to discover her mother has been murdered by a lowlife named Scotty, who has vanished. Angel has no water, no weapon, but she knows that Scotty, an expert tracker and hunter, will surface soon in order to eliminate her as a witness. She has to run, to disappear, if she is to survive and tell the world what happened. Her flight takes her through a harsh landscape to places she never expected to be, forcing her to trust others for the first time and strengthening her in ways she doesn’t even anticipate . . . until it’s time to take a stand.

The Chronicles of Harris Burdick by Various Authors
An inspired collection of short stories by an all-star cast of best-selling storytellers based on the thought-provoking illustrations in Chris Van Allsburg’s The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.

For more than twenty-five years, the illustrations in the extraordinary Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg have intrigued and entertained readers of all ages. Thousands of children have been inspired to weave their own stories to go with these enigmatic pictures. Now we’ve asked some of our very best storytellers to spin the tales. Enter The Chronicles of Harris Burdick to gather this incredible compendium of stories: mysterious, funny, creepy, poignant, these are tales you won’t soon forget.

This inspired collection of short stories features many remarkable, best-selling authors in the worlds of both adult and children's literature: Sherman Alexie, M.T. Anderson, Kate DiCamillo, Cory Doctorow, Jules Feiffer, Stephen King, Tabitha King, Lois Lowry, Gregory Maguire, Walter Dean Myers, Linda Sue Park, Louis Sachar, Jon Scieszka, Lemony Snicket, and Chris Van Allsburg himself.

Van Allsburg's Harris Burdick illustrations have evoked such wonderment and imagination since Harris Burdick's original publication in 1984; many have speculated or have woven their own stories to go with his images. More than ever, the illustrations send off their eerie call for text and continue to compel and pick at the reader's brain for a backstory--a threaded tale behind the image. In this book, we've collected some of the best storytellers to spin them.


Amplified by Tara Kelly
When privileged 17-year-old Jasmine gets kicked out of her house, she takes what is left of her savings and flees to Santa Cruz to pursue her dream of becoming a musician. Jasmine finds the ideal room in an oceanfront house, but she needs to convince the three guys living there that she's the perfect roommate and lead guitarist for their band, C-Side. Too bad she has major stage fright and the cute bassist doesn't think a spoiled girl from over the hill can hack it. . . . In this fresh new novel by critically acclaimed author Tara Kelly, Jasmine finds out what happens when her life gets Amplified.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

More Great Reads

Ashfall by Mike Mullin
After the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano destroys his city and its surroundings, fifteen-year-old Alex must journey from Cedar Falls, Iowa, to Illinois to find his parents and sister, trying to survive in a transformed landscape and a new society in which all the old rules of living have vanished.


Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?


Death Cure by James Dashner
Thomas knows that Wicked can't be trusted, but they say the time for lies is over, that they've collected all they can from the Trials and now must rely on the Gladers, with full memories restored, to help them with their ultimate mission. It's up to the Gladers to complete the blueprint for the cure to the Flare with a final voluntary test.
What Wicked doesn't know is that something's happened that no Trial or Variable could have foreseen. Thomas has remembered far more than they think. And he knows that he can't believe a word of what Wicked says.
The time for lies is over. But the truth is more dangerous than Thomas could ever imagine.
Will anyone survive the Death Cure?


A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting— he’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It’s ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd— whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself— Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.

Steampunk: an Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories by Various Authors
In the first major YA steampunk anthology, 14 top storytellers push the genre's mix of sci-fi, fantasy, history, and adventure in fascinating new directions.



The Survival Kit by Donna Freitas
When Rose’s mom dies, she leaves behind a brown paper bag labeled Rose’s Survival Kit. Inside the bag, Rose finds an iPod, with a to-be-determined playlist; a picture of peonies, for growing; a crystal heart, for loving; a paper star, for making a wish; and a paper kite, for letting go.

As Rose ponders the meaning of each item, she finds herself returning again and again to an unexpected source of comfort. Will is her family’s gardener, the school hockey star, and the only person who really understands what she’s going through. Can loss lead to love


Guys Read: Thriller edited by Jon Scieszka
A body on the tracks

A teenage terrorist

A mysterious wish-granting machine

The world's worst private detective

The second volume in the Guys Read Library of Great Reading is chock-full of mystery, intrigue, and nefarious activity. Featuring some of the best writers around, and compiled by certified guy Jon Scieszka, Guys Read: Thriller is a pulse-pounding collection of brand-new short stories, each one guaranteed to keep you riveted until the final page.


The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen
Two hundred years after humans drove the dragons from the islands of May, the last wyrm rises anew to wreak havoc, with only a healer's daughter and a kite-flying, reluctant hero standing in its way.



Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett
Ariadne is destined to become a goddess of the moon. She leads a lonely life, filled with hours of rigorous training by stern priestesses. Her former friends no longer dare to look at her, much less speak to her. All that she has left are her mother and her beloved, misshapen brother Asterion, who must be held captive below the palace for his own safety.So when a ship arrives one spring day, bearing a tribute of slaves from Athens, Ariadne sneaks out to meet it. These newcomers don’t know the ways of Krete; perhaps they won’t be afraid of a girl who will someday be a powerful goddess. And indeed she meets Theseus, the son of the king of Athens. Ariadne finds herself drawn to the newcomer, and soon they form a friendship—one that could perhaps become something more.Yet Theseus is doomed to die as an offering to the Minotaur, that monster beneath the palace—unless he can kill the beast first. And that "monster" is Ariadne’s brother . . .

Bunheads by Sophie Flack
On-stage beauty. Backstage drama.

As a dancer with the ultra-prestigious Manhattan Ballet Company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward juggles intense rehearsals, dazzling performances and complicated backstage relationships. Up until now, Hannah has happily devoted her entire life to ballet.

But when she meets a handsome musician named Jacob, Hannah's universe begins to change, and she must decide if she wants to compete against the other "bunheads" in the company for a star soloist spot or strike out on her own in the real world. Does she dare give up the gilded confines of the ballet for the freedoms of everyday life?


Variant by Robinson Wells
After years in foster homes, seventeen-year-old Benson Fisher applies to New Mexico's Maxfield Academy in hopes of securing a brighter future, but instead he finds that the school is a prison and no one is what he or she seems.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Celebrate your Freedom to Read!!


Today is the first day of the annual Banned Books Week which is meant to highlight the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.

So pick up a banned or challenged book at the library and celebrate your freedom to read!

(Some banned and challenged books have been put on display on top of the bookshelf across from the elevator on the 2nd floor of the library. All of these books are covered with brown paper to highlight that they were challenged somewhere in the world. All books may be checked out.)

Monday, September 19, 2011

Even More New Books

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out....Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea.


The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.

Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses. The one who has never done anything remarkable, and can't see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king-a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs her to be the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies, seething with dark magic, are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior, and he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn't die young.

Most of the chosen do.


All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidently poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.

Goliath by Scott Westerfeld
A #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author delivers the riveting conclusion to his masterful trilogy. The tension thickens as "Leviathan" steams toward New York City with a homicidal maniac on board: secrets suddenly unravel, characters reappear, and nothing is as it seems. Illustrations.

Circle 9 by Anne Heltzel
Who was Abby then? Who is Abby now? In this courageous psychological thriller, Abby tells the story of living her new life and discovering her old one, while grappling with an ever-changing reality.


The Lying Game by Sara Shepard
Pretty girls don't play by the rules. They make them. Abandoned by her mother at age five, Emma Paxton has had a rough life in foster care, always longing for a family of her own. When she discovers Sutton Mercer, the wealthy twin she never knew she had, she leaps at the chance to meet her. But then Sutton disappears. . . . Mistaking Emma for her sister, Sutton's friends whisk her away. At first Emma plays along, eager to peek into her twin's life. Sutton seems to have everything Emma never got--an adoring boyfriend, fiercely loyal friends, and a close-knit family--but as Emma is drawn further into Sutton's world, she finds that everyone is hiding dark secrets. Worst of all, Sutton may not be coming back--ever. Now, to find out what happened to her, Emma must keep up the charade. But one wrong move and she could end up missing as well. Let the Lying Game begin.

Chime by Franny Billingsley
Before Briony's stepmother died, she made sure Briony blamed herself for all the family's hardships. Now Briony has worn her guilt for so long it's become a second skin. She often escapes to the swamp, where she tells stories to the Old Ones, the spirits who haunt the marshes. But only witches can see the Old Ones, and in her village, witches are sentenced to death. Briony lives in fear her secret will be found out, even as she believes she deserves the worst kind of punishment. Then Eldric comes along with his golden lion eyes and mane of tawny hair. He's as natural as the sun, and treats her as if she's extraordinary. And everything starts to change. As many secrets as Briony has been holding, there are secrets even she doesn't know.

Tantalize: Kieren's Story by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Illustrated by new talent Doyle, Smith's "Tantalize" is reimagined as a graphic novel--seen through the eyes of werewolf Kieren. Young adult.

Monday, September 12, 2011

More New Books

Pure Red by Danielle Joseph
I, Cassia Bernard, do solemnly swear to find pure red-my passion-this summer. Dad's passion is art. When he's painting, no one can reach him, not even me. My mom's passion was the ocean. She said the ocean allows you to see whatever you want to see. That was one of the last things she ever said to me...

Sometimes what your heart desires isn't what it needs. Over the course of a hot Miami summer, sixteen-year-old Cassia discovers that sometimes it takes bullies and basketball, a best friend, and a gorgeous guy to help you understand what you actually need-and to help you see that, maybe, everything isn't so black and white.


Daniel X: Game Over by James Patterson
When Daniel X discovers that a duo of evil extraterrestrials is plotting to control kids around the world through videogames, he's determined to take them both out of commission. This pair of wicked game masters wants to destroy the human race by turning brainwashed videogamers into an unstoppable army of doom! They're also running an endangered species hunting club on the side, and their next target is none other thanDaniel. He'll have no choice but to turn to the aliens' rebellious son who needs help to stand up to his malicious parents. But can Daniel trust the progeny of this treacherous twosome? Or will it be "Game Over" for the alien hunter?

The Fox Inheritance by Mary Pearson
Once there were three. Three friends who loved each other — Jenna, Locke, and Kara. And after a terrible accident destroyed their bodies, their three minds were kept alive, spinning in a digital netherworld. Even in that disembodied nightmare, they were still together. At least at first. When Jenna disappeared, Locke and Kara had to go on without her. Decades passed, and then centuries. Two-hundred-and-sixty years later, they have been released at last. Given new, perfect bodies, Locke and Kara awaken to a world they know nothing about, where everyone they once knew and loved is long dead.Everyone except Jenna Fox.

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins
Everyone has something, someone, somewhere else that they’d rather be. For four high-school seniors, their goals of perfection are just as different as the paths they take to get there. A riveting and startling companion to the bestselling Impulse, Ellen Hopkins’s Perfect exposes the harsh truths about what it takes to grow up—and grow into our own selves. Because everyone wants to be perfect, but when perfection loses its meaning, how far will you go?

The Slayer Chronicles: First Kill by Heather Brewer
The Chronicles of Vladmir Tod is still sinking its fangs into readers. Now, "New York Times"-bestselling author Brewer brings fans the other side of the story, from the perspective of Vlad's former friend-turned-mortal enemy, vampire slyer Joss Macmillan.



Percy Jerkson and the Ovolactovegetarians by Stefan Petrucha
“Percy Jackson & the Olympians” gets carved up by Rick Parker and Stefan Petrucha in the third installment from PAPERCUTZ SLICES. The epic fantasy series is extremely popular with readers of all ages and backgrounds, making it a prime target for the parody duo of Parker and Petrucha, from whom no Young Adult Bestseller is safe!


Vanish: a Firelight Novel by Sophie Jordan
The steamy paranormal romance of "Firelight" continues in the second book of the series about a girl who can shape-shift into dragon form and the human boy she loves.




Stay with Me by Paul Griffin
Fifteen-year-olds C‚ce and Mack didn't expect to fall in love. She's a sensitive A student; he's a high school dropout. But soon they're spending every moment together, bonding over a rescued dog, telling their secrets, making plans for the future. Everything is perfect. Until. Until. Mack makes a horrible mistake, and in just a few minutes, the future they'd planned becomes impossible. In this stark new reality, both of them must find meaning and hope in the memories of what they had, to survive when the person they love can't stay.

From award-winning writer Paul Griffin, Stay with Meis both heartbreaking and uplifting, filled with characters (both dog and human) that will forever change the way you look at the world.


Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Set 50 years apart, two independent stories weave back and forth with mesmerizing symmetry. Playing with the form he created in his trailblazing debut novel, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret," Caldecott Medalist Selznick once again sails into uncharted territory and takes readers on an awe-inspiring journey. Illustrations.


I'm Not Her by Janet Gertler
"Cute and quirky, with sentimentality reminiscent of Judy Blume, this is a book for the keeper shelf -- one that readers will devour again and again!" -- RT Book Reviews, 4.5 starsBrainy Tess Smith is the younger sibling of the beautiful, popular, volleyball-scholarship-bound Kristina. When Kristina is diagnosed with bone cancer, it drastically changes both sisters' lives. Sometimes the things that annoy us the most about our siblings are the ones we'd miss the most if we lost them. In this YA literary coming-of-age novel that will appeal to readers who love Jodi Picoult and Sarah Dessen, sisters Tess and Kristina discover not only who they are, but who they can become."Rich in characterization, Gurtler's novel wrestles with some serious issues and explores different means of coping (or escaping) yet manages not to be overwhelming or bleak. Just right for fans of Sarah Dessen and Jodi Picoult, this is a strong debut that attempts to answer the question, What does it really mean to live?"

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

New Books

Witchlanders by Lena Coakley
Ryder’s mother was once a great prophet and powerful witch, but she is slowly losing her mind to grief—and maiden’s woe, an addictive flower drug found in the Witchlands. Deadly monsters made out of dirt and sticks and stones are coming, she warns. There is an assassin in the mountains, she cautions the coven. But none believe her.

Then the monsters come. In the wake of his village’s destruction, Ryder heads into the mountains on a quest to find the assassin and destroy the creator of the ghastly monsters. When he finds his twin—a spirit twin who is not the assassin, but is a sworn enemy of the Witchlanders—Ryder and Falpian awaken a long dormant magic and become entangled in the stirrings of new war between their peoples.

Laced with rich, imagined histories, miles of catacombs, and prophecies true and false, Lena Coakley’s debut novel is a lush, chilling story in the tradition of Nancy Farmer and Garth Nix.


Age of Reptiles: Omnibus by Ricardo Delgado
Forget the Silver Age, and bag the Golden Age - this is the Age of Reptiles! Ricardo Delgado, winner of the Eisner Award for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition, and a prolific development and storyboard artist (Men in Black, The Incredibles, WALL-E, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and The Matrix series) has crafted epic tales about the most unlikely cast of characters: dinosaurs! This volume collects long-out-of-print Age of Reptiles miniseries Age of Reptiles and Age of Reptiles: The Hunt, the never-before-collected third series, Age of Reptiles: The Journey, and a wide assortment of bonus material, including supplementary text pieces, a cover-art gallery, and sketchbook material.

Witch and Wizard Volume 2: Operation Zero by James Patterson
Whit and Wisty get the shock of their lives when a member of the New Order's inner circle, The One Who Bans Books, contacts them with a clandestine proposal: he wants their help in removing The One Who Is The One from power! He confesses to having grown disgusted with the N.O., and reveals that he's aware of an ancient book of the occult that holds a spell for stripping an individual of all their magic. Unfortunately, the book is in a heavily-guarded N.O. bunker that's shielded against magic portals from Shadowland. But more importantly, can the Allgood siblings even trust this man who is willing to commit treason, or is his offer just an elaborate trap?

The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore
The follow-up to the #1 "New York Times" bestseller "I Am Number Four." John Smith is Number Four. He has just met Number Six, and he knows the survival and the fate of Lorien--and Earth--now rest in their hands.



Pink by Lili Wilkinson
Debut author Wikinson takes a lighthearted but timely and resonant look at a teen's attempts to don a new personality and figure out who she really wants to be.




My Boyfriend is A Monster: Made For Each Other by Paul D. Storrie
Maria McBride is a little shy and a little awkward. So when she runs smack into--literally--the new guy at school, she doesn't know quite what to do. Tom's kind, good-looking, and well-built. And he's clearly drawn to Maria. But he turns down her tentative invites and seems very reluctant to talk about his past and his family--especially his father, the town's new funeral director. What is Tom's mystery? What's up with his dad's creepy assistant, Graves? What's going on at the family funeral home? And what is Maria getting herself into?

Wildefire by Karsten Knight
Ashline and her wild-child sister, Eve, never appeared too remarkable, besides being Polynesian in a white suburban town. That is, until a petty schoolyard quarrel escalates to violence, during which Eve kills a rival of Ashline’s in cold blood. Shocked, Ashline moves across the country to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start doesn’t go as planned. After a series of dangerous and mysterious occurrences—an attempted kidnapping, the appearance of paranormal beasts in the local forest—Ashline learns that she and four of her classmates are actually demigods who were summoned to this middle-of-nowhere school by an enigmatic blind girl. As a war between the gods looms over the campus, two very powerful organizations—with very different ideas on how the demigods should use their powers—are vying for control. Both groups want Ashline and her newfound abilities on their side…and some are willing to kill for her.

Racing in the Rain: My Life as a Dog by Garth Stein
Adapted from the author's adult novel: The art of racing in the rain.





The Philosophy Book by DK Publishing
An innovative and accessible guide to more than 2,000 years of thought
To the complete novice learning about philosophy can be daunting & The Philosophy Book changes all that. With the use of powerful and easy to follow images, succinct quotations, and explanations that are easily understandable, this book cuts through any misunderstandings to demystify the subject.
Each chapter is organized chronologically, and covers not only the big ideas, but the philosophers who first voiced them, as well as cross-referencing with earlier and later ideas and thinkers. The Philosophy Book untangles knotty theories and sheds light on abstract concepts, and is perfect for anyone with a general interest in how our social, political, and ethical ideas are formed, as well as students of philosophy and politics.


Danger! by Laura Buller
Warning! Open this book at your own risk. Inside, you'll encounter animals armed with sharp claws and killer jaws, deep-sea monsters, poisonous plants, and frogs falling from the sky, not to mention some of the world's most accident-prone humans. Explore the hottest and highest places on Earth, get lost in Antarctic wastes, and consider the end of the world and whether or not it's near. And just when you think you're done, you'll come face-to-face with the most dangerous mathematical formula in history.

Don't let the encyclopedic structure, funky mixed-media designs, facts, stats, and stories lull you into a false sense of security. Danger! is filled with peril, risk, and suspense. Open with extreme caution.


Supernaturally by Kiersten White
The thrilling sequel to the "New York Times" bestseller "Paranormalcy." Just when Evie thinks she's left behind her not-so-normal past, she finds herself caught once again in a dark web of faerie deceit.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

First Sneak Peak at the Hunger Games

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Hunger Games Movie Countdown

Men of the Hunger Games

Check out the July 29th Entertainment Weekly for coverage on the March 23 release of the Hunger Games Movie: http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/07/27/hunger-games-first-look-peeta-gale-exclusive/

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Book Trailer for Meg Cabot's Abandon

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Upcoming YA Book Releases

Check out YA Lit to see what young adult books are coming out soon. It is not totally complete, but a very good start to see when your possible next favorite book will be published.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Just finished Anya's Ghost, a graphic novel by Vera Brosgol. Anya Borzakovskaya is a teen struggling with her identity. She worries she's too fat, hates her Russian heritage, and has a crush on a boy that may not even know she exists. Then one day she falls into an old well and meets a new friend in the ghost of Emily, who fell down the well a century ago. Anya soon finds out that even though there are benefits to having a friend who's a ghost (she can go through lockers, and help Anya to cheat on tests), Emily is much more trouble than she's worth. Recommended for grades 7 and up.