New Books Ready to be Checked Out!

The world of Atherton consists of three distinct, interconnected lands stacked atop each other like a layer cake. At the top are the Highlands, home to Atherton's rich and oppressive ruling class; the middle layer is the Flatlands, populated by Atherton's subservient working class; the bottom layer is The Wastelands where none dare venture, for the few that have done so have never been heard from again. When the three worlds inexplicably begin to collapse into each other, and the Highlands and Flatlands prepare for war, it may well be young, insatiably curious Edgar who holds the key to Atherton's survival. With soft, well-articulated vocalizations, Davis portrays a wide range of characters here, and his intimate delivery proves perfect for pulling the listener into the heart of this complex fantasy. The augmentation of his performance with strategically placed music and sound effects only serves to enhance his storytelling.

This far-future dystopian novel extrapolates the future of social networking, crossing it with virtual reality. Mistletoe is a 15-year-old orphan from the slums of Little Saigon beneath Eastern Seaboard City. Her world is disrupted when her guardian is killed by the police while aiding a wealthy boy her age, who has strayed beneath the canopy that separates the haves and have-nots. Ambrose, she discovers, is on the run from his father, the inventor of Unison, the powerful social network that essentially rules their world. The two soon learn that they’ve shared the same terrifying dreams and that they are both the result of a horrendous genetic experiment. Escaping the police and moving in and out of Unison, Mistletoe and Ambrose search for a way to defeat their megalomaniacal enemy. Incorporating Facebook-like elements—its pushy emphasis on friending, status updates inserted into the narrative—Marino’s first novel is well written, energetic, and inventive, though the characters are thin and the plot predictable. Still, this tale should appeal to fans of the current crop of dystopian fiction.

The fourth book in O’Connor’s Olympians series retells the myth of Hades and Persephone as a dramatic, romantic saga of a controlling parent and a rebellious daughter. Although a more family friendly version than the darker source material, O’Connor’s version is still set in ancient Greece and opens with an introduction to the realm of the dead that sets a fittingly grand tone for the narrative. Hades, the lord of the dead, is a lonely ruler of the realm of mortals’ souls while the other Greek gods joyously celebrate on Mount Olympus. One of the most celebrated is Demeter, goddess of agriculture and also mother to Kore, a daughter tired of being kept away from anything that could possibly do her harm. When Kore wanders off, she’s kidnapped by Hades, who showers her with gifts and promises to make her his queen. Kore slowly begins to enjoy her newfound luxury, changing her name to Persephone, even as Demeter frantically searches for her daughter and becomes so distraught she allows the crops of mortals to wither and die. O’Connor’s brand of classical                                                  mythology for modern sensibilities serves as a good introduction to the gods and settings of the Greek myths.

Rosie Nominees for 2012-2013

 Yummy - A graphic novel based on the true story of Robert "Yummy" Sandifer, an eleven-year old African American gang member from Chicago who shot a young girl and was then shot by his own gang members

  Revolution -  An angry, grieving seventeen-year-old musician facing expulsion from her prestigious Brooklyn private school travels to Paris to complete a school assignment and uncovers a diary written during the French revolution by a young actress attempting to help a tortured, imprisoned little boy--Louis Charles, the lost king of France.

 Pull - After his father kills his mother, seventeen-year-old David struggles to take care of his two sisters--and himself--while dealing with his grief, guilt, and trying to fit in at a tough new school while hiding his past. 

 Five Flavors of Dumb -

New Young Adult Titles!

The Other Wes Moore - Traces the parallel lives of two youths with the same name in the same community, describing how the author grew up to be a Rhodes Scholar and promising business leader while his counterpart suffered a life of violence and imprisonment.     

Jake, Reinvented - Rick becomes friends with the popular new boy, Jake Garrett, football player and host of superlative parties, and in the process discovers the true nature of his schoolmates and uncovers the mystery of Jake's past.     

Because I Am Furniture - Fourteen-year-old Anke feels both relieved and neglected that her father abuses her older brother and sister but ignores her, but when she catches him with one of her friends, she finally becomes angry enough to take action. 

Surviving the Angel of Death - Describes the life of Eva Mozes and her twin sister Miriam as they were interred at the Auschwitz concentration camp during the Holocaust, where Dr. Josef Mengele performed sadistic medical experiments on them until their release. 

Deadly Pink - Grace Pizzelli is the average sister. She's nothing like her brilliant older sister, Emily, who works for Rasmussem, creators of the world's best virtual reality games. They seem so real that you can taste the food and smell the flowers. The games aren't real, though-or at least they weren't. Now that Emily has hidden herself inside one , it's clear that the technology can only keep her safe for so long. Something must have gone terribly wrong for Emily to retreat into the pink and sparkly Land of the Golden Butterflies, but no one seems to know what. Grace may consider herself average, but she's the only one who can save Emily. So Grace enters the game, hoping to find her sister and talk her out of virtual suicide. There isn't much time left before sustained exposure to the technology will have dire results. Unless Grace can find her sister soon, Emily will die-for real.

 Bloodlines - When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning.

 Vampirates Immortal War -When the Pirate Federation and Nocturnals form an alliance to battle the renegade Vampirates, twins Connor and Grace Tempest each have important roles to play in the war--he as a pirate warrior and she as a powerful healer working with the war-wounded.

 Fight for Freedom - In 1861, a young slave named Sam escapes to search for his father, who has been conscripted into the Confederate army, and makes his way to a northern city, while back at the Virginia plantation where Sam was raised Annabelle, the owner's daughter, struggles to run things after her father's death.     

 City of Lost Souls - When Jace vanishes with Sebastian, Clary and the Shadowhunters struggle to piece together their shattered world and Clary infiltrates the group planning the world's destruction.  

Destined - The conclusion to the bestselling Wings series. Laurel now knows the truth: Yuki is a rare Winter faerie, the most powerful--and deadly--of all, and she is working with Klea to conquer and destroy Avalon. With Tamani, David, and Chelsea by her side, Laurel prepares for a fight she never thought she would have to face.

 The Selection - Sixteen-year-old America Singer is living in the caste-divided nation of Illéa, which formed after the war that destroyed the United States. America is chosen to compete in the Selection--a contest to see which girl can win the heart of Illéa's prince--but all she really wants is a chance for a future with her secret love, Aspen, who is a caste below her.

 The Enchantress - With the twins of prophecy split, Nicholas Flamel near death, and John Dee in possession of the swords of power, Danu Talis has yet to fall and the future of the human race lies in the balance.     

 Just for Fins - As the mermaid Crown Princess of Thalassinia, Lily must dive deep into findng a solution when she discovers the ocean's warming is causing big waves for both mermaids and humans.

 The Drowned Cities - In a dark future America that has devolved into unending civil wars, orphans Mahlia and Mouse barely escape the war-torn lands of the Drowned Cities, but their fragile safety is soon threatened and Mahlia will have to risk everything if she is to save Mouse, as he once saved her. 

 Shadow and Bone - Orphaned by the Border Wars, Alina Starkov is taken from obscurity and her only friend, Mal, to become the protegé of the mysterious Darkling, who trains her to join the magical elite in the belief that she is the Sun Summoner, who can destroy the monsters of the Fold.     

 Bitterblue - Eighteen-year-old Bitterblue, queen of Monsea, realizes her heavy responsibility and the futility of relying on advisors who surround her with lies as she tries to help her people to heal from the thirty-five-year spell cast by her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities. 

 Tiger Lily -Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily receives special protections from the spiritual forces of Neverland, but then she meets her tribe's most dangerous enemy--Peter Pan--and falls in love with him. 

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