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Cool New Books for June
The school year is coming to a close, and preparations for the summer can finally begin! Along with spending more time with family and friends (which we know you'll do), we recommend that you sit back, relax and enjoy a good book. Featured in this month's roundup of cool new books is LUNA, an unforgettable novel by Julie Anne Peters about a teen's struggle for self-identity and acceptance, and A HAT FULL OF SKY, Carnegie Medalist Terry Pratchett's spine-tingling sequel to THE WEE FREE MEN. We're also introducing a brand new series of original novels that will appeal especially to fans of a popular program on the WB Network.
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B FOR BUSTER
Iain Lawrence
Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0385730861
Ages 12-up
336 pages
Nicknamed after his hometown of Kakabeka, Canada, Kak dreams of flying with the Allied bombers in World War II. So at 16, underage and desperate to escape his abusive parents, he enlists in the Canadian Air Force. Soon he is trained as a wireless operator and sent to a squadron in England, where he's anticipating flying his first op. But his first time out, in a plane called B for Buster, reveals the ops for what they really are --- a harrowing ordeal.
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BE MORE CHILL
Ned Vizzini
Hyperion/Miramax Books
ISBN: 0786809957
Ages 13-up
288 pages
Jeremy Heere is what most people would consider a typical high school dork. Day after day he stares at beautiful Christine, the girl he can never have, and notes the small defeats that come his way on his Humiliation Sheets --- until he hears about the "squip." A pill-sized supercomputer that is swallowed, the squip is a technological breakthrough guaranteed to make anybody cool. It instructs Jeremy on what clothes to wear, how to walk and talk, and a whole lot more. Before he knows what hit him, Jeremy becomes friends with his former tormentors and has the attention of the Hottest Girls in School. But he discovers that there is a dark side to having a computer inside your brain --- and it can have disastrous consequences.
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BRO
Robert Newton Peck
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060529741
Ages 12-up
160 pages
Tugwell Dockery hasn't spoken since the horrific events that unfolded one afternoon six years ago at his grandfather's ranch. Now he's back there --- newly orphaned and living with his grandfather and gutsy great-aunt. Broda Joe Dockery hasn't seen his brother since his incarceration two years ago at the Pecan County Correctional Labor Camp. Realizing that Tug must live at the site of a tragedy he witnessed, Broda Joe is determined to be with his brother, even if it means breaking the law and risking his life.
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THE GRAVEDIGGER'S COTTAGE
Chris Lynch
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0066239419
Ages 12-up
208 pages
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When the McLuckie family moves to a seaside cottage to try to escape some sad memories, they discover that they've stumbled into a house that is indeed the perfect home --- for all the wrong reasons. Chris Lynch, author of the Michael L. Printz Honor Book FREEWILL, has written an entirely realistic tale of ghosts past, present and future.
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A HAT FULL OF SKY
Terry Pratchett
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060586605
Ages 12-up
288 pages
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Tiffany Aching, aspiring witch and cheese maker extraordinaire, is off to begin her apprenticeship in magic. She leaves behind not only the green, familiar hills of her home but also the blue, tattooed faces of her allies --- the sword-wielding, six-inch-high Nac Mac Feegle. But something is following Tiffany, a beguiling presence that powerful witches cannot protect her from. Soon she will be beyond the help of even the Nac Mac Feegle, lost in body and soul, with no one to show her how to return.
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THE KEY TO THE GOLDEN FIREBIRD
Maureen Johnson
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060541385
Ages 12-up
304 pages
Mayzie is the middle sister, sent to private school because of her brains. Brooks is the oldest; a beautiful athlete who is conflicted about her two loves --- softball and Dave. Palmer is the youngest, and is the only freshman on varsity softball. When the unthinkable happens --- the death of their father --- a year passes in shattered silence. While Brooks drinks and Palmer withdraws, Mayzie unwillingly starts to pick up the pieces, beginning with the key to their father's Pontiac Firebird.
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LUNA
Julie Anne Peters
Megan Tingley Books/Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 0316733695
Ages 15-up
256 pages
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Regan's brother Liam can't stand the person he is during the day. His true self --- Luna --- only reveals herself at night. In the privacy of his basement bedroom Liam transforms himself into the beautiful girl he longs to be, with help from his sister's clothes and makeup. Now, everything is about to change --- Luna is preparing to reveal herself to the people she loves. But are Liam's family and friends ready to welcome Luna into their lives?
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THE SONG OF AN INNOCENT BYSTANDER
Ian Bone
Dutton Books
ISBN: 0525472827
Ages 14-up
276 pages
When she was nine years old, Freda walked into an underground restaurant and straight into a terrifying ordeal. For thirty-six hours she was at the mercy of a deranged gunman. While her parents waited outside, Freda allied herself with the one person who could save her --- the gunman. Ten years later, a newspaper reporter is seeking the truth about Freda. What really happened down there?
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Series Books
Everwood
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FIRST IMPRESSIONS (Everwood #1)
Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz
Simon Spotlight
ISBN: 0689870825
Ages 12-up
240 pages
After the death of his mother, Ephram Brown moves with his family from New York City to the tiny town of Everwood, Colorado. He always had a great relationship with his mom, but his father, famous neurosurgeon Dr. Andy Brown, was always too busy saving lives to spend any quality time with him and his little sister, Delia. Ephram hates his new home, but at least one cool thing happens --- Ephram falls for the beautiful Amy Abbot. There is one major catch, however. Amy has a boyfriend who is in a coma --- and Ephram's dad might be the only one who can save him.
This touching story is the first in a series of original novels based on the hit WB program.
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Angel
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MONOLITH (Angel Series)
John Passarella
Simon Spotlight
ISBN: 0689870221
Ages 16-up
336 pages
Angel really wants to understand his son, Connor, but it's difficult to achieve this with so much going on in their busy lives --- especially when a gigantic monolith suddenly appears on Hollywood Boulevard. Nobody knows what to think of this massive rock with two demon faces carved on the outside. As Angel Investigations struggles to understand what the rock's appearance means, it becomes clear that Connor and Angel will have to work together in order to survive.
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Wicked Willow Trilogy
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SHATTERED TWILIGHT: Wicked Willow #2
Yvonne Navarro
Simon Spotlight
ISBN: 0689869533
Ages 14-up
272 pages
Condemned for saving Buffy from their evil phantom and for not protecting the other coven members fully (as she had promised), Willow must come up with a way to restore herself to them --- and to reinforce her position of power, which hangs in the balance. But the truth --- that she battled the phantom because the ghost of Tara told her to --- will only lower Willow's status in the eyes of her coven. As Willow turns to the elements for protection, Buffy and the rest of the Scoobies must find a way to fight back without losing Willow forever.
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And
the latest romantic comedy from Simon Pulse
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RIPPED AT THE SEAMS
Nancy Krulik
Simon Pulse
ISBN: 0689867719
Ages 14-up
336 pages
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Sami Granger is fresh off the bus from the Midwest when some crazy person in the bus terminal warns her that life in New York City won't be what she always dreamed of. Sami is determined to make it in an industry that is notoriously hard to break into --- the fashion industry. But nothing can prepare her for her first job working for a hot shot designer --- he steals her designs! The only place that will hire Sami now is a trashy lingerie store that she's too embarrassed to tell her old-fashioned father about. Will a visit from dad land Sami the job she's always wanted, or will she be right back to square one?
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--- Compiled and Written by Tom Donadio
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