Tuesday, December 22, 2009

New books just in time for Christmas

Candor by Pam Bachorz
In the town of Candor, teens behave perfectly because they are controlled by subliminal messages. Oscar Banks knows about the messages and he knows how to get kids out of Candor. When Nia comes to Candor she will be changed by the messages. Will Oscar see her change or help her escape?

A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper
On her 16th birthday, Sophia begins a diary of her day-to-day life on an island. She is among the last descendants of an impoverished royal family trying to hold their nation together on the eve of the second World War.

Hitch by Jeanette Ingold
To help his family during the depression, Moss Trawnley joins the Civilian Conservation Corps. Moss gets quite an education about the value of hard work, about caring for others, and about taking reponsiblity for his own future.

Liar by Justine Larbalestier
Micah will freely admit she's a compulsive liar, but that may be the one honest thing she'll ever tell you. This book is a bone-chilling thriller that will have readers seesawing between truths and lies right up to the end!

In the Woods by Robin Stevenson
When Cameron rescues a baby abandoned in the woods, everyone says it is a miracle. Is it a stroke of luck that he just happened to be there and heard the baby's cry? But Cameron has a secret: it wasn't just luck. He was there because his twin sister Katie begged him to go. Did she know about the baby? Is she covering for someone? At first Cameron just wants some answers, but once he knows the truth, he has to decide what to do with it.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Austrian Prince Alek is on the run from the Clanker powers who are attempting to take over the globe using mechanical machinery. Deryn Sharp is a commoner, a girl disguised as a boy, who is an excellent airman. With the Great War brewing, Alek's and Deryn's path cross in the most unexpected way. . . taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around the world adventure. One that will change their lives forever.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Revelations by Melissa De La Cruz -
Schuyler Van Alen's blood legacy has just been called into question: Is the young woman in fact a Blue Blood, or is it the sinister Silver Blood that runs through her veins? When one of the Gates of Hell is breached by the Silver Bloods, the Blue Bloods will need Schuyler on their side.

The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa De La Cruz -
Once left to live the glamorous life in New York City, the Blue Bloods--an ancient group of vampires--now find themselves in an epic battle for survival following the stunning revelation of a young socialite's true identity and the growing threat of the sinister Silver Bloods.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han -
Some summers are just destined to be pretty. Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer, they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

Chains- by Laurie Halse Anderson -At the start of the Revolutionary War, Isabel is sold to a cruel loyalist family, even though she has been promised freedom by her former owner. Soon faced with the choice of working for or against the British, Isabel chooses to work with anyone who can help her.

Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow - Sixteen-year-old Dru's psychic abilities helped her father battle zombies and other creatures of the "Real World," but now she must rely on herself, a "werwulf"-bitten friend, and a half-human vampire hunter to learn who murdered her parents, and why.

Vampirates Tide of Terror - by Justin Somper - In the sequel to "Demons of the Ocean," Connor must learn the pirate way aboard the Diablo, or face dangerous consequences, while his twin sister Grace senses that something is very wrong on the vampirate ship she left behind


The Sorceress The Secrets of the Immortal by Nicholas Flamel-
While armies of the Shadowrealms gather and Machiavelli goes to Alcatraz to kill Perenelle Flamel, fifteen-year-old twins Sophie and Josh Newman accompany the Alchemist to England to seek Gilgamesh.

Thursday, November 05, 2009





Solace of the Road by Siobhan Dowd-While running away from a London foster home just before her fifteenth birthday, Holly has ample time to consider her years of residential care and her early life with her Irish mother, whom she is now trying to reach.







Spells and Sleeping Bags by Sarah Mlynowski - Rachel and her younger sister, both witches, spend the summer at Camp Wood Lake, where Rachel tries to have a normal camp experience while surreptitiously honing her newly discovered talents.










Fire by Kristin Cashore -: In a kingdom called the Dells, Fire is the last human-shaped monster, with unimaginable beauty and the ability to control the minds of those around her, but even with these gifts she cannot escape the strife that overcomes her world.










Confessions of a Serial Kisser - by Wendelin Van Draanen -After reading her mother's secret collection of romance novels during her parent's difficult separation, seventeen-year-old Evangeline Logan begins a quest for the perfect kiss.







Getting Lost with Boys - by Hailey Abbott- When Jacob Stein offers to be her travel companion on a road trip from San Diego to her sister's place in northern California, Cordelia Packer never realized how much fun she could have getting lost with a boy.








Hero by Perry Moore - Thom Creed, the gay son of a disowned superhero, finds that he, too, has special powers and is asked to join the very league that rejected his father, and it is there that Thom finds other misfits whom he can finally trust.







Fireworks- four Summer Stories by Niki Burnham, Erin Haft, Sarah Mlynowski and Lauren Myracle















Pool Boys by Erin Hoft - This summer, lives and loves will all intersect in the most juicy ways imaginable. Because, in the posh Club, no rules apply--except the rules of attraction.






After Summer by Hailey Abbott - Summer may be over, but the hook ups are hotter than ever.

Friday, October 09, 2009



Notes from the Dog by Gary Paulsen- Sometimes having company is not all it's cracked up to be. Fifteen-year-old Finn is a loner, living with his dad and his amazing dog, Dylan. This summer he's hoping for a job where he doesn't have to talk to anyone except his pal Matthew. Then Johanna moves in next door. She's 10 years older, cool, funny, and she treats Finn as an equal. Dylan loves her, too. Johanna's dealing with breast cancer, and Matthew and Finn learn to care for her, emotionally and physically. When she hires Finn to create a garden, his gardening ideas backfire comically. But Johanna and the garden help Finn discover his talents for connecting with people.



Angry Management by Chris Crutcher -Every kid in this group wants to fly. Every kid in this group has too much ballast. Mr. Nak's Angry Management group is a place for misfits. A place for stories. And, man, does this crew have stories. There's Angus Bethune and Sarah Byrnes, who can hide from everyone but each other. Together, they will embark on a road trip full of haunting endings and glimmering beginnings. And Montana West, who doesn't step down from a challenge. Not even when the challenge comes from her adoptive dad, who's leading the school board to censor the article she wrote for the school paper. And straightlaced Matt Miller, who had never been friends with outspoken genius Marcus James. Until one tragic week--a week they'd do anything to change--brings them closer than Matt could have ever imagined. Chris Crutcher fills these three stories with raw emotion. They are about insecurity, anger, and prejudice. But they are also about love, freedom, and power. About surviving. And hope.







Touch by Francine Prose - Ninth-grader Maisie's concepts of friendship, loyalty, self-acceptance, and truth are tested to their limit after a school bus incident with the three boys who have been her best friends since early childhood.






Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - By winning the annual Hunger Games, District 12 tributes Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have secured a life of safety and plenty for themselves and their families, but because they won by defying the rules, they unwittingly become the faces of an impending rebellion.







Swim the Fly by Don Calame- Fifteen-year-old Matt Gratton and his two best friends, Coop and Sean, always set themselves a summertime goal. This year's? To see a real-live naked girl for the first time--quite a challenge, given that none of the guys has the nerve to even ask a girl out on a date. But catching a girl in the buff starts to look easy compared to Matt's other summertime aspiration: to swim the 100-yard butterfly (the hardest stroke known to God or man) as a way to impress Kelly West, the sizzling new star of the swim team.




Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce - When she is sent as part of the delegation from Tortall to negotiate a peace treaty with Carthak, fifteen-year-old Daine must use her powers to communicate with animals for more than healing the Carthak emperor's dying birds.

Friday, September 25, 2009




The Last Apprentice by Joseph Delaney - Tom is reunited with his mother and must return to Greece to face a new and terrible threat from the dark forces, and a momentous decision must be made, causing a serious rift between Tom and the Spook that threatens to separate them forever.






Geektastic by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci - A collection of twenty-nine short stories about geeks.










When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead -As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1970s television game show, "The $20,000 Pyramid," a twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space.





Daniel X Watch the Skies by James Patterson -
All's quiet in the small town of Holliswood, the television sets a-glow in every home. But not all is as perfect as it seems. A terrifying outlaw has just arrived in town, with the goal of throwing it into chaos--and filming the pandemonium for the fellas back home. Only one person can stop him and his thugs from destroying the city and everyone living there. Daniel X assembles an all-star team of his own creation, but not even he could imagine the enormity of this made-for-TV-villain's powers.




The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci - When Jane moves to the suburbs, she thinks her life is over, but she meets three friends who form a club P.L.A.I.N.E., but can art really save a group of misfits from high school?

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare - Sixteen-year-old Clary continues trying to make sense of the swiftly changing events and relationships in her life as she becomes further involved with the Shadowhunters and their pursuit of demons and discovers some terrifying truths about her parents, her brother Jace, and her boyfriend Simon.

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare - Still pursuing a cure for her mother's enchantment, Clary uses all her powers and ingenuity to get into Idris, the forbidden country of the secretive Shadowhunters, and to its capital, the City of Glass, where with the help of a newfound friend, Sebastian, she uncovers important truths about her family's past that will not only help save her mother but all those that she holds most dear.

Wake by Lisa McMann- Ever since she was eight years old, high school student Janie Hannagan has been uncontrollably drawn into other people's dreams, but it is not until she befriends an elderly nursing home patient and becomes involved with an enigmatic fellow-student that she discovers her true power.

Melting Stones by Tamora Pierce - Residents of the island of Starns send for help from Winding Circle temple, and when prickly green mage Rosethorn and young stone mage trainee Evvy respond, Evvy finds that the problem is with a long-dormant volcano and tries to use her talents to avert the looming destruction.

Chasing the Bear by Robert B. Parker - Spenser reflects back to when he was fourteen-years-old and how he helped his best friend Jeannie when she was abducted by her abusive father.

L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad -
Los Angeles is all about the sweet life: hot clubs, cute guys, designer . . . everything. Nineteen-year-old Jane Roberts can't wait to start living it up. She may be in L.A. for an internship, but Jane plans to play as hard as she works, and has enlisted her BFF Scarlett to join in the fun.When Jane and Scarlett are approached by a producer who wants them to be on his new series, a "reality version of Sex and the City," they can hardly believe their luck. Their own show? Yes, please! Soon Jane is TV's hottest star. Fame brings more than she ever imagined possible for a girl from Santa Barbara-free designer clothes, the choicest tables at the most exclusive clubs, invites to Hollywood premieres-and she's lapping up the VIP treatment with her eclectic entourage of new pals. But those same friends who are always up for a wild night are also out for a piece of Jane's spotlight. In a city filled with people chasing after their dreams, it's not long before Jane wakes up to the reality that everyone wants something from her, and nothing is what it seems to be.

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan - While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it's up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.

Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce - Having been promoted from "Puppy" to "Dog," Beka, now a full-fledged member of the Provost's Guard, and her former partner head to a neighboring port city to investigate a case of counterfeit coins.

Eliot Rosewater Nominees

Yellow Flag by Robert Lipsyte - In any race, there are drivers and, at the front of the pack, there are racers. In the final laps, it's the racer who moves his car through the sweet spot, picks off the competition, and drives through a hole to win. In Kyle's family, his older brother, Kris, has always been the racer, born and bred to it, like his father and grandfather and great-grandfather before him. And that's just fine with Kyle; he's got other things to do. Now Kris is out of commission, injured, and Kyle has no choice but to drive. Does he want to drive just long enough to keep Kris's seat warm, or does he want to race-and win?

Unwind by Neal Shusterman -In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would "unwind" them Connor's parents want to be rid of him because he's a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev's unwinding has been planned since his birth, as part of his family's strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can't be harmed -- but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.

Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins - Don't call me a demon. I prefer the term Fallen Angel. Everybody deserves a vacation, right? Especially if you have a pointless job like tormenting the damned. So who could blame me for blowing off my duties and taking a small, unauthorized break? Besides, I've always wanted to see what physical existence is like. That's why I"borrowed" the slightly used body of a slacker teen. Believe me, he wasn't going to be using it anymore anyway. I have never understood why humans do the things they do. Like sin-if it's so terrible, why do they keep doing it? I'm going to have a lot of fun finding out!

Red Glass by Laura Resau- ONE NIGHT SOPHIE and her parents are called to a hospital where Pedro, 6-year-old Mexican boy, is recovering from dehydration. Crossing the border into Arizona with a group of Mexicans and a coyote, or guide, Pedro and his parents faced such harsh conditions that the boy is the only survivor. Pedro comes to live with Sophie, her parents, and Sophie's Aunt Dika, a refugee of the war in Bosnia. Sophie loves Pedro - her Principito, or Little Prince. But after a year, Pedro's surviving family in Mexico makes contact, and Sophie, Dika, Dika's new boyfriend, and his son must travel with Pedro to his hometown so that he can make a heartwrenching decision.

Peak by Roland Smith - After Peak Marcello is arrested for scaling a New York City skyscraper, he's left with two choices: wither away in Juvenile Detention or go live with his long-lost father, who runs a climbing company in Thailand. But Peak quickly learns that his father's renewed interest in him has strings attached. Big strings. He wants Peak to be the youngest person to reach the Everest summit--and his motives are selfish at best. Even so, for a climbing addict like Peak, tackling Everest is the challenge of a lifetime. Bu it's also one that could cost him his life.

Big Fat Manifesto by Susan Vaught-Jamie is a senior in high school and, like so many kids in that year, doing too much-including trying to change the world-and fighting for her rights as a very fat girl. And not quietly: she's writing a column every week in the paper with her thoughts and fears and gripes. As her column raises all kinds of questions, so too, must she find her own private way in her world, with love popping up in an unexpected place, and satisfaction in her size losing ground to real frustration.

Beauty Shop for Rent by Laura Bowers - Abbey Garner has a plan: to earn a million dollars by the time she's thirty-five. Financial independence will allow her to break the cycle of unhappiness endured by the women in her family. Determined to fulfill her dream, Abbey works at Granny Po's struggling beauty shop, where the feisty Gray Widows go to primp, polish, perm...and, of course, gossip. There, among the hair dryers and perm rods--and with the help of a new friend--Abbey finds the courage to open her heart and take risks required for her to live life to its fullest.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac- by Gabrielle Zevin - If Naomi had picked tails, she would have won the coin toss. She wouldn't have had to go back for the yearbook camera, and she wouldn't have hit her head on the steps. She wouldn't have woken up in an ambulance with amnesia. She certainly would have remembered her boyfriend, Ace. She might even have remembered why she fell in love with him in the first place. She would understand why her best friend, Will, keeps calling her "Chief." She'd know about her mom's new family. She'd know about her dad's fiance. She never would have met James, the boy with the questionable past and the even fuzzier future, who tells her he once wanted to kiss her. She wouldn't have wanted to kiss him back. But Naomi picked heads.

Everything You Want by Barbara Shoup - With high school mercifully drawing to a close, Emma's only question is, What next? And can it please be completely unlike what happened before? Then one lucky little lotto ticket seems to give the answer-or does it? Everything You Want is a story about what happens to an average family when money is suddenly no object. Although Emma is bright and creative and has a supportive family, she isn't exactly excited about life after high school. She's got her share of unresolved issues, including a disastrous ending to her crush of a lifetime, which left her with a broken heart and a bloody nose (how do you move on when the only boy you've ever wanted to date punches you in the face?). Then Emma's family wins fifty million dollars in the lottery, but instead of making everything better, it just makes everything more complicated.

Thursday, July 23, 2009





P.S. I Loathe YouThe Pretty Committee goes boycrazy as Massie cheers for the soccer team in an attempt to attract the attention of Dempsey, her new crush, while her friend Layne starts flirting with Dempsey and Dylan pursues Derrington.





Crazy Hot
This summer's not just hot...it's crazy hot.It's been a year since the hottest au pairs ever saw the Hamptons, and they're certainly older -- though not necessarily wiser. Or drama-free.Eliza, Jacqui, and Mara thought they'd be spending the summer apart, but when Eliza's new stepmother finds herself in need of some nannying help around the megamansion with the step-monsters, Eliza makes a call...and Jacqui and Mara wind up with two first-class tickets to the Hamptons.After ruling her first year at Parsons, Eliza, the up-and-coming starlet-turned-designer, is opening her own boutique on super posh Main Street. But it's not just Eliza's career that's on the fast track -- her relationship with Jeremy is too. Too bad he's moving too fast for Eliza to keep up.Brazilian beauty Jacqui is trying to be a good, responsible au pair. But it's tough when there's a hot British photographer following you around, telling you to quit your job and become an international supermodel. All she wants is to make enough money to pay for NYU...so what happens when she gets a much bigger offer?After getting fired from her travel-writing job and dumped at the airport by her journalist boyfriend, Mara settles for a summer chasing toddlers once again. There's one benefit to nannying: She'll have plenty of material for the novel she's writing about being an au pair -- and an It Girl -- in the Hamptons. Nothing's going to distract her from the task at hand...except perhaps her old flame, Ryan Perry.Can our three favorite Hamptons girls survive the craziest, hottest summer yet?







Kaleidoscope Eyes
Will Lyza's 1968 summer mystery lead to . . . pirate treasure? When Lyza helps her dad clean out her late grandfather's house, a mysterious surprise brightens the sad task. In Gramps's dusty attic, Lyza discovers three maps, carefully folded and stacked, bound by a single rubber band. On top, an envelope says "For Lyza ONLY." What could this possibly be? It takes the help of her two best friends, Malcolm and Carolann, to figure out that the maps reveal three possible spots in their own New Jersey town where Captain Kidd (theCaptain Kidd, seventeenth-century pirate) may have buried a treasure. Can three thirteen-year-olds actually conduct a secret treasure hunt? And what will they find? In a tale inspired by a true story of buried treasure, Jen Bryant weaves an emotional and suspenseful novel in poems, all set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War during a pivotal year in U.S. history







Vampirates Black Heart There ' s a new ship of vampirates roaming the seas, leaving a trail of fear and devastation in its wake. When a high-profile pirate is slain, the Pirate Federation takes decisive action and begins training up a ship of dedicated vampire hunters. The team will be led by newly appointed Captain, Cheng Li and will include pirate prodigy Connor Tempest. Meanwhile, Connor ' s twin sister Grace enjoys a bittersweet reunion with their mother. Sally Tempest has some important and shocking news that will leave the twins facing a very uncertain future.







Sprout -Sprout Bradford has a secret, but it's not what everyone thinks. He'll admit he's gay, and he'll reveal when he last dyed his hair green. However, Sprout finds he's had a more profound effect on the lives around him that he ever thought possible.







Awakening
If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl- someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I'm as far away from normal as it gets. A living science experiment- not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a sinister organization called the Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters, I'm a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control; I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever. Now I'm running for my life with three of my supernatural friends-a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch-and we have to find someone who can help us before the Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying.





Playing Dead
A Carnegie Medal winner begins a new series. Blade is practically invisible, perfectly alone, living only by his wits in the city--just the way he likes it. Until the day a chance encounter sends his world crashing down around him and he finds himself on the run again.





Fragile Eternity

Seth never expected he would want to settle down with anyone-but that was before Aislinn. She is everything he'd ever dreamed of, and he wants to be with her forever. Forever takes on new meaning, though, when your girlfriend is an immortal faery queen.Aislinn never expected to rule the very creatures who'd always terrified her-but that was before Keenan. He stole her mortality to make her a monarch, and now she faces challenges and enticements beyond any she'd ever imagined.In Melissa Marr's third mesmerizing tale of Faerie, Seth and Aislinn struggle to stay true to themselves and each other in a milieu of shadowy rules and shifting allegiances, where old friends become new enemies and one wrong move could plunge the Earth into chaos.



Perfect In a town where gossip thrives like the ivy that clings to its mansions, where mysteries lie behind manicured hedges and skeletons hide in every walk-in closet, four perfect-looking girls aren't nearly as perfect as they seem. Three years ago, Spencer, Aria, Emily, Hanna, and their best friend Alison were the girls at Rosewood Day School. They clicked through the halls in their Miu Miu flats, tanned in their matching Pucci bikinis, and laughed behind their freshly manicured fingernails. They were the girls everyone loved but secretly hated-especially Alison. So when Alison mysteriously vanished one night, Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna's grief was tinged with . . . relief. And when Alison's body was later discovered in her own backyard, the girls were forced to unearth some ugly memories of their old friend, too. Could there be more to Alison's death than anyone realizes? Now someone named A, someone who seems to know everything, is pointing the finger at one of them for Ali's murder. As their secrets get darker and their scandals turn deadly, A is poised to ruin their perfect little lives forever .



Skinny-dipping
Same Hamptons,all new gamesNot-so-poor-anymore Eliza has traded babysitting for velvet-rope-sitting. And Jacqui, in an odd twist, is doing all the babysitting because Mara's up every night doing her best second-rate party girl impression at the hot club where Eliza works. At first it's annoying, but the new au pair, Philippe, is sexy and French -- but off-limits to Jacqui, who claims she's sworn off guys.Your favorite bikini-clad au pairs are back. But this summer, if it's possible, they will have more fun, more sun, and more romance than they know how to handle.





Sun-kissed
Sometimes when the sun shines, it scorches.Third time's the charm as Mara, Eliza, and Jacqui head back to the Hamptons. This summer the au pairs are doing it right: in style, in step, and "in" everywhere.Mara has the VIP hookup at all the new clubs -- not to mention sweet digs living with bf Ryan on his parents' yacht. Eliza's nights are steaming too, since she and Jeremy are in total relationship bliss. Too bad she's spending her days at a fashion internship where the hot new designer goes allDevil Wears Pradaon her. Jacqui is newly single, and on the prowl, with three boy millionaires next door competing for her affections.The girls seem to have the whole package this summer. But looks -- as all good Hamptons girls know -- can be very deceiving....





French Kiss
Two beautiful girls. One sexy city. Endless opportunities for 'amour. When Alexa St. Laurentfalls in love, she falls hard.Can she keep her cool after meeting a French guy who's too good to be true and too hard to resist? For Holly Jacobson, being in love with her boyfriend Tyler is as natural as breathing. But there's no denying that Alexa's Parisian cousin, Pierre, takes Holly's breath away... On a whirlwind rendezvous in Paris, the City of Love, Alexa and Holly are about to discover that everything sounds sexier in French.







Hollywood Hills
The week before graduation, Alexa and Holly go to Los Angeles.










Masquerade
Schuyler Van Alen, growing comfortable with her newfound vampire powers, seeks her grandfather in Italy, while back in New York plans are being completed for the fabulous Four Hundred Ball, to be followed by an elite, teens-only event at which masks hide a terrible secret.

Monday, July 20, 2009






Big Mouth by Deborah Halverson - FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLD SHERMIE THUFF is a Big Guy with a Big Dream- to become the most famous competitive eater in the world. But every big dream has to start somewhere, and Shermie's determined to start his in the spotlight. If he can take first place in Nathan's World Famous International hot dog eating competition, fame will be his. The catch? The current record is 53-1/2 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes. Shermie's personal best? Seven. Clearly, Shermie has some training to do. . . . Only, no matter how hard he tries, he can't get past nine measly wieners. Then, just when Shermie's about to crack under the pressure, he gets his biggest shake-up of all: news that the 53-1/2 record holder is an itty-bitty, 130-pound guy. So Shermie vows to lose his restrictive Fat Belt the only way he knows how-with the help of Gardo, a weight-cutting fanatic determined to turn Big Shermie into a lean, mean eating-machine.







Lucas by Kevin Brooks - On an isolated English island, fifteen-year-old Caitlin McCann makes the painful journey from adolescence to adulthood through her experiences with a mysterious boy, whose presence has an unsettling effect on the island's inhabitants.







Dragonfire by Donita K. Paul - Three years of strife have passed since Kale and Bardon freed Paladin's knights. Now, fiery dragons scorch their beautiful countryside as an evil husband-and-wife wizard duo battle one another for supremacy. The people of Amara just want to be left alone, hoping the conflict with disappear. But Paladin is dying, and Bardon and Kale-now married-must accept fateful assignments if their land is to survive. Will their efforts turn the tide against their adversaries? They face a deadly threat-and a challenging choice. Kale's responsibility is to find, hatch, and train an army of dragons, and she tackles the daunting task-until she is shocked by a betrayal. As the Amaran countrymen seek escape, she must search for her husband, family, and friends while organizing an underground movement to weaken the enemy. But when the end draws near, Kale must choose between two dismal destinies. Prepare to experience breathtaking adventure and mind-blowing fantasy as never before in this stunning addition to Donita K. Paul's popular Dragon Keepers fantasy series.

Friday, July 17, 2009




Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell- In fifth-century Britain, nine years after the destruction of their home on the island of Shalott brings her to live with her father and brothers in the military encampments of Arthur's army, seventeen-year-old Elaine describes her changing perceptions of war and the people around her as she becomes increasingly involved in the bitter struggle against the invading Saxons.


Leaving Fishers by Margaret Peterson Haddix -Dorry is unbearably lonely at her new high school until she meets Angela and her circle of friends. She soon discovers they all belong to a religious group, the Fishers of Men. At first, as Dorry becomes involved with the Fishers, she is eager to fit in and flattered by her new friends' attention.
But the Fishers make harsh demands of their members, and Dorry must make greater and greater sacrifices. In demonstrating her devotion, Dorry finds herself compromising her grades, her job, and even her family's love. How much is too much? And where will the cult's demands end?

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Books for the beach!






Alligator Bayou - by Donna Jo Napoli- Fourteen-year-old Calogero Scalise and his Sicilian uncles and cousin live in small-town Louisiana in 1898, when Jim Crow laws rule and anti-immigration sentiment is strong, so despite his attempts to be polite and to follow American customs, disaster dogs his family at every turn.




Creature of the Night- by Kate Thompson- Bobby lives a reckless life smoking, drinking, and stealing cars in Dublin. So his mother moves the family to the country. But Bobby suspects their cottage might not be as quaint as it seems. And spooky details of the history of their little cottage gradually turn Bobby into a detective of night creatures real and imagined.






Slob by Ellen Potter

Twelve-year-old Owen Birnbaum is the fattest kid in school. But he's also a genius who invents cool contraptions like a TV that shows the past. Something happened two years ago that he needs to see. But genius or not, there is much Owen can't outthink. Like his gym coach, who's on a mission to humiliate him. Or the way his Oreos keep disappearing from his lunch. He's sure that if he can only get the TV to work, things will start to make sense. But it will take a revelation for Owen, not science, to see the answer's not in the past, but the present. That no matter how large he is on the outside, he doesn't have to feel small on the inside.With her trademark humor, Ellen Potter has created a larger-than-life character and story whose weight is immense when measured in heart.





Punkzilla by Adam Rapp -
"Punkzilla" is on a mission to see his older brother "P", before "P" dies of cancer. Still buzzing from his last hit of meth, he embarks on a days-long trip from Portland, Ore. to Memphis, Tenn., writing letters to his family and friends. Along the way, he sees a sketchier side of America and worries if he will make it to see his brother in time.






The Call to Shakabaz by Amy Wachspress -Newly orphaned, Doshmisi, Denzel, Maia, and Sonjay discover a carefully guarded secret about their family. They travel with their pesky parrot to the distant land of Faracadar, where they must attempt to retrieve the powerful Staff of Shabakaz and free the land from the clutches of the malevolent enchanter Sissrath.






Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen- It's been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents' divorce- or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live. A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she's been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend. In her signature pitch-perfect style, Sarah Dessen explores the hearts of two lonely people learning to connect.







Doomwyte by Brian Jacques -Bisky, a young mouse, persuades the creatures of Redwall Abbey to search for a fabled treasure, but the Doomwytes--sinister ravens led by the deadly Korvus Skurr--are vying for the same treasure, in this latest adventure in the bestselling series.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

New young adult books with audio!



Dreamland - Sarah Dessen- Audio Book- After her older sister runs away, sixteen-year-old Caitlin decides that she needs to make a major change in her own life and begins an abusive relationship with a boy who is mysterious, brilliant, and dangerous.













The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong - Book and Audio- After fifteen-year-old Chloe starts seeing ghosts and is sent to Lyle House, a mysterious group home for mentally disturbed teenagers, she soon discovers that neither Lyle House nor its inhabitants are exactly what they seem, and that she and her new friends are in danger.







Why I Fight- by J. Adams Oaks - Book and Audio- After his house burns down, twelve-year-old Wyatt Reaves takes off with his uncle, and the two of them drive from town to town for six years, earning money mostly by fighting, until Wyatt finally confronts his parents one last time






Dope Sick - Water Dean Myers- Book and Audio - Seeing no way out of his difficult life in Harlem, seventeen-year-old Jeremy "Lil J" Dance flees into a house after a drug deal goes awry and meets a weird man who shows different turning points in Lil J's life when he could have made better choices.








Necropolis - Anthony Horowitz - Book and Audio-To stop the evil corporation Nightrise from unleashing its devastating power around the globe, fifteen-year-old Matt and three other Gatekeepers travel to Hong Kong to find Scarlet, the final Gatekeeper, whose fate is inextricably joined to their own.







Being Nikki- by Meg Cabot- Book and Audio - Studious, socially conscious Emerson Watts learns startling news about the family of Nikki Howard, the teen supermodel into whose body Emerson's brain was transplanted by the nefarious Stark corporation.