New Books!!!

Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick- Eighth grade turns out to be an eventful year for Ginny and her family, as notes, lists, report cards, doctor bills, and other "stuff" reveal that the family moves to a big new house, Brian starts to be more than just a friend, Ginny's mother has a baby, and her stepfather loses his job.

The Girl Is Trouble- Late 1942 in New York City finds fifteen-year-old Iris helping more with her father's detective business, as long as she follows his rules and learns his techniques, but her investigation into her mother's supposed suicide gets Iris in big trouble--and not just with her father. (Also on CD)

The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life- Mary, Patrick, Winter, and Dez are determined to win the unofficial Senior Week Scavenger Hunt, but throughout the afternoon and evening Mary encounters the demons she and her friends have faced as high school "also-rans," and ponders what her college and future will bring. (Also on CD)

Between the Lines- Told in their separate voices, sixteen-year-old Prince Oliver, who wants to break free of his fairy-tale existence, and fifteen-year-old Delilah, a loner obsessed with Prince Oliver and the book in which he exists, work together to seek his freedom. (Also on CD)

There Is No Dog- When the beautiful Lucy prays to fall in love, God, an irresponsible youth named Bob, chooses to answer her prayer personally, to the dismay of his assistant, Mr. B who must try to clean up the resulting catastrophes. (Also on CD)

All the Right Stuff- The summer after his absentee father is killed in a random shooting, Paul works at a Harlem soup kitchen, where he listens to lessons about "the social contract" from an elderly African American man and mentors a seventeen-year-old unwed mother who wants to make it to college on a basketball scholarship. (Also on CD)

On the Day I Died- In a lonely Illinois cemetery one cold October night, teen ghosts recount the stories of their deaths in different time periods, from 1870 to the present, to sixteen-year-old Mike, who unknowingly picked up a phantom hitchhiker.

 Such Wicked Intent- When his grieving father orders the destruction of the Dark Library, Victor retrieves a book in which he finds the promise of not just communicating with the dead, but entering their realm, and soon he, Elizabeth, and Henry are in the spirit world of Chateau Frankenstein, creating and growing a body.

Insignia- Tom, a fourteen-year-old genius at virtual reality games, is recruited by the United States military to begin training at the Pentagon Spire as a combatant in World War III, controlling the mechanized drones that do the actual fighting off-planet.

Nevermore- One last chance . . . for Max, Fang, and Dylan . . . before it all ends. "Nevermore" is one last incredible, explosive adventure with an astonishing ending that no one could have seen coming.

Bird In A Box (Sound Recording)-  In 1936, three children meet at the Mercy Home for Negro Orphans in New York State, and while not all three are orphans, they are all dealing with grief and loss which together, along with the help of a sympathetic staff member and the boxing matches of Joe Louis, they manage to overcome. Includes author's notes.

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. 

Great website for the author in all of us!

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Figment is a community where you can share your writing, connect with other readers, and discover new stories and authors. Whatever you're into, from sonnets to mysteries, from sci-fi stories to cell phone novels, you can find it all there.

1,000 Reasons Never to Kiss a Boy

After her first boyfriend cheats on her, sixteen-year-old Jane vows to never kiss another boy.

Paper Covers Rock on CD

In 1982 Buncombe County, North Carolina, sixteen-year-old Alex Stromm writes of the aftermath of the accidental drowning of a friend, as his English teacher reaches out to him while he and a fellow boarding school student try to cover things up.

Keep Holding On

Bullied at school and neglected by her poor, self-absorbed, single mother at home, high school junior Noelle finally reaches the breaking point after a classmate commits suicide.

The Catastrohic History of You and Me on CD

Just before her sixteenth birthday, Brie Eagan literally dies of a broken heart when her boyfriend tells her he does not love her, and she then must go through the five stages of grief, while watching her friends and family try to cope with her death, before her faith in love is restored and she can move on to the afterlife.     

 

The City of Lost Souls on CD

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.     

Grave Mercy on CD

In the fifteenth-century kingdom of Brittany, seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where she learns that the god of Death has blessed her with dangerous gifts--and a violent destiny.

Underworld on CD

John Hayden, a death deity, takes seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera back to the Underworld against her will to keep her safe from the Furies, but her family is still at risk and she, herself, may never escape his captivity.

New Young Adult Books!!!!!!

Underworld- John Hayden, a death deity, takes seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera back to the Underworld against her will to keep her safe from the Furies, but her family is still at risk and she, herself, may never escape his captivity.

The Dead and the Gone- After a meteor hits the moon and sets off a series of horrific climate changes, seventeen-year-old Alex Morales must take care of his sisters alone in the chaos of New York City.

This World We Live In- When the moon's gravitational pull increases, causing massive natural disasters on earth, Miranda and her family struggle to survive in a world without cities or sunlight, and wonder if anyone else in still alive.

Liberator- After the Filthies seize control of the massive juggernaut Worldshaker, now called Liberator, members of the former elite, Swanks, remain to teach them, but class differences continue to cause strife and even Col and Riff may be unable to bring unity.

Paper Covers Rock- In 1982 Buncombe County, North Carolina, sixteen-year-old Alex Stromm writes of the aftermath of the accidental drowning of a friend, as his English teacher reaches out to him while he and a fellow boarding school student try to cover things up.

Grave Mercy- In the fifteenth-century kingdom of Brittany, seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where she learns that the god of Death has blessed her with dangerous gifts--and a violent destiny.

The Catastrophic History of You and Me- Just before her sixteenth birthday, Brie Eagan literally dies of a broken heart when her boyfriend tells her he does not love her, and she then must go through the five stages of grief, while watching her friends and family try to cope with her death, before her faith in love is restored and she can move on to the afterlife. 

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.

The Serpent's Shadow- Despite their best efforts, Carter and Sade Kane can't seem to keep Apophis, the chaos snake, down. Their only hope: find an ancient spell that might turn the serpent's own shadow into a weapon.

Insurgent- As war surges in the dystopian society around her, sixteen-year-old Divergent Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves--and herself--while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Fins Are Forever- Mermaid princess Lily is about to renounce her place in the royal succession of the undersea kingdom of Thalassina and spend her life on land with the boy she loves, until her annoying cousin appears and throws her decision into doubt.

Illusions- As her senior year of high school starts, Laurel is just beginning to adjust to Tamani's absence when he suddenly reappears, telling her he must guard her against the returning threat of the trolls that pose a danger both to her and to Avalon.

Wings- When a plant blooms out of fifteen-year-old Laurel's back, it leads her to discover the fact that she is a faerie and that she has a crucial role to play in keeping the world safe from the encroaching enemy trolls.

A Confusion of Princes- Battling aliens, space pirates, and competitors, Prince Khemri meets a young woman, named Raine, and learns more than he expected about the hidden workings of a vast, intergalactic Empire, and about himself.

Fade- Using her ability to tap into other people's dreams, eighteen-year-old Janie investigates an alleged sex ring at her high school that involves teachers using the date rape drug on students. 

Gone- While eighteen-year-old Janie ponders her future with Cabe, knowing that her being a dream-catcher means eventual blindness and crippling, she encounters her past as the father she never knew is hospitalized with brain trauma and seems to need her help.

Starters- To support herself and her younger brother in a future Beverly Hills, sixteen-year-old Callie hires her body out to seniors who want to experience being young again, and she lives a fairy-tale life until she learns that her body will commit murder, unless her mind can stop it. 

Chaos- The four heroic young Forest Guard recruits embark on their last mission to recover the lost Books of History before the Dark One enleashes their power to enslave humanity.

Renegade- "Turning his back on all that he once believed, Billos does the forbidden and enters into a Book of History. He lands in a reality as foreign to him as water is to oil -- a place called Paradise, Colorado. He has strange new powers given to him courtesy of a mysterious figure known as Marsuvees Black. The chosen four have survived the deseart, escaped the Black Forest, battled the Horde, and added a spirited refugee to their number. But nothing has prepared them for the showdown that Billos, the renegade, is luring them into." -- P. [4] of cover.

Forgive My Fins- Seventeen-year-old mermaid Lily has been living on land and attending high school, where she develops a crush on a boy but is afraid to tell him of her true destiny as the ruler of the undersea kingdom of Thalassinia.

Goddess Boot Camp- When she is unable to control her inherited powers, Phoebe must attend summer camp with a group of ten-year-olds, while coping with her boyfriend's apparent betrayal and mysterious messages about her deceased father.

Oh. My. Gods.- When her mother decides to remarry, Phoebe soon finds herself living on a remote Greek island, completing her senior year at an ancient high school where the students and teachers are all descended from gods or goddesses.