It's a quiet week for new YA releases, but for fans of thrillers of the fantasy or espionage variety, the latest installments of the Strange Angels and the Alex Rider series may be all that you need.

New Releases for November 17th

Hardcover

CROCODILE TEARS: Alex Rider, Book Eight by Anthony Horowitz (Philomel)
It's just another day in the life of an average kid. If you're Alex Rider, that is. A con artist has realized there is big money in charity --- the bigger the disaster, the greater the money flow! So that is what he will produce: the biggest disaster known to man, all thanks to genetically modified wheat that can release a virus so potent it can knock out an entire country in one windy day. But Alex Rider will face whatever it takes--gunfire, explosions, hand-to-hand combat with mercenaries-- to bring down his most dangerous adversary yet.

Often imitated, never equaled, the series that triggered a reading phenomenon is back, exhilarating and addictive as ever.


Paperback

BETRAYALS: A Strange Angels Novel, by Lili St. Crow (Razorbill/Penguin Young Readers Group)
She’s no angel…
Poor Dru Anderson. Her parents are long gone, her best friend is a werewolf and she’s just learned that the blood flowing through her veins isn’t entirely human. (So what else is new?)
Now Dru is stuck at a secret New England School for other teens like her, and there’s a big problem --- she’s the only girl in the place. A school full of cute boys wouldn’t be so bad, but Dru’s killer instinct says that one of them wants her dead. And with all eyes on her, discovering a traitor within the Order could mean a lot more than social suicide…

Can Dru survive long enough to find out who has betrayed her trust --- and maybe even her heart?

Labels: New Releases

Whether you're in the mood for gripping historical fiction, heart-racing thrillers, quirky comedies or mind-bending fantasies, we're sure you'll find something to satisfy your literary cravings in this week's New Releases Roundup, which includes two installments in Laurie Faria Stolarz's paranormal Touch series; David Almond's heartbreaking tale of survival, RAVEN SUMMER; HAZEL, Julie Hearn's anticipated follow up to last year's IVY; and Margaret Peterson Haddix's latest suspense novel about a young Hollywood starlet, CLAIM TO FAME.


New Releases for November 10th

Hardcover

ANGEL IN VEGAS: The Chronicles of Noah Sark, by Norma Howe (Candlewick Press)
Who is Noah Sark, really? And what is he doing in the men’s room at Angelo’s Donut Shop in Las Vegas, Nevada? No use asking him; he doesn’t know. But he’s gambling that an assignment from above will shed some light --- after all, a life depends on it! Only master satirist Norma Howe could craft a provocative meditation on free will from blending one (or maybe two) budding teen romances, a psychic fair, a dead frog, a headful of blond curls, and Las Vegas in all its glitz and kitsch (hello, Elvis!) with the dramatic backstory of Princess Diana in Paris. The jackpot? A wild and witty portrait of an unlikely guardian angel on a desperate mission to save a certain unknown girl from a certain unknown disaster.

THE BROTHERS STORY by Katherine Sturtevant (Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers)
Teenage twins Kit and Christy have grown up amid grinding poverty in their Essex village. As Christy has been “simple” from birth, Kit is literally his brother’s keeper. But the latest hardships visited upon their country home by the Great Frost of 1683–84 bring Kit to frustration and despair, and he abandons Christy to make his way to London, seeking to better himself. There he finds work as an apprentice to a struggling artist and much else to take his mind off what he has left behind. But the time comes when he can no longer ignore the problem of his brother.

A fascinating portrait of a young person struggling to balance family and freedom, The Brothers Story is also a frank depiction of Restoration London in its bawdy, raucous glory.

CLAIM TO FAME by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)
I have to tell you my secret. I can't go on...without revealing it. I had a pretty good run, hiding from everyone for five years. For five years I was safe. But now...

It was a talent that came out of nowhere. One day Lindsay Scott was on the top of the world, the star of a hit TV show. The next day her fame had turned into torture. Every time anyone said anything about her, she heard it. And everyone was talking about Lindsay: fans, friends, enemies, enemies who pretended to be friends....

Lindsay had what looked like a nervous breakdown and vanished from the public eye. But now she's sixteen and back in the news: A tabloid newspaper claims that Lindsay is being held hostage by her father.

The truth? Lindsay has been hiding out in a small Illinois town, living in a house that somehow provides relief from the stream of voices in her head. But when two local teenagers try to "rescue" Lindsay by kidnapping her, Lindsay is forced to confront everything she's hiding from. And that's when she discovers there may be others who share her strange power. Lindsay is desperate to learn more, but what is she willing to risk to find the truth?

THE MAGICIAN OF HOAD by Margaret Mahy (Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster)
Heriot Tarbas was born with a gift. Visions wake him in the middle of the night, and others' thoughts invade his head. Heriot's mind already feels torn apart when the King of Hoad decides to tear him away from his family.

Heriot quickly discovers that life in the royal court is much more difficult and complex than life on the farm. Being at the beck and call of a King who expects him to read friends' and foes' minds alike is no small challenge, but neither is being caught in a power struggle among three princes and an intimidating Hero of Hoad.

As Heriot hones his skills and grows into the role of the Magician of Hoad, the number of people he can trust becomes smaller. Loneliness threatens to engulf him until a chance encounter brings a street urchin named Cayley into his life. Heriot feels inexplicably drawn to Cayley, someone he sees so much of himself in, yet at times feels like he does not understand at all. But even amidst the turmoil, Heriot is certain that his ever-developing power is the key to his destiny...if only he could figure out exactly what that destiny is supposed to be.

Award-winning author Margaret Mahy conjures a faraway, majestic land where truth is an illusion, freedom is a battle, and pure magic may be the only saving grace.

RAVEN SUMMER by David Almond (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)
Liam and his friend Max are playing in their neighborhood when the call of a bird leads them out into a field beyond their town. There, they find a baby lying alone atop a pile of stones --- with a note pinned to her clothing. Mystified, Liam brings the baby home to his parents. They agree to take her in, but police searches turn up no sign of the baby’s parents. Finally they must surrender the baby to a foster family, who name her Allison. Visiting her in Northumberland, Liam meets Oliver, a foster son from Liberia who claims to be a refugee from the war there, and Crystal, a foster daughter. When Liam’s parents decide to adopt Allison, Crystal and Oliver are invited to her christening. There, Oliver tells Liam about how he will be slaughtered if he is sent back to Liberia. The next time Liam sees Crystal, it is when she and Oliver have run away from their foster homes, desperate to keep Oliver from being sent back to Liberia. In a cave where the two are hiding, Liam learns the truth behind Oliver’s dark past --- and is forced to ponder what all children are capable of.

WINTER’S END by Jean-Claude Mourlevat (Candlewick Press)
In a gripping dystopian novel, four teenagers risk impossible odds to fight against tyranny in a world of dangerous choices --- and reemerging hope.

Escape. Milena, Bartolomeo, Helen, and Milos have left their prison-like boarding schools far behind, but their futures remain in peril. Fleeing across icy mountains from a terrifying pack of dog-men sent to hunt them down, they are determined to take up the fight against the despotic government that murdered their parents years before. Only three will make it safely to the secret headquarters of the resistance movement. The fourth is captured and forced to participate in a barbaric game for the amusement of the masses --- further proof of the government’s horrible brutality. Will the power of one voice be enough to rouse a people against a generation of cruelty? Translated from the French, this suspenseful story of courage, individualism, and freedom has resonated with young readers across the globe.

DEADLY LITTLE LIES: A Touch Novel, by Laurie Faria Stolarz (Disney-Hyperion)
Last fall, sixteen-year-old Camelia fell for Ben, the mysterious new boy at school who turned out to have a very mysterious gift --- pyschometry, the ability to sense the future through touch. But just as Camelia and Ben's romance began to heat up, he abruptly left town. Brokenhearted, Camelia has spent the last few months studying everything she can about psychometry, and experiencing her own strange brushes with premonition. Camelia wonders if Ben's abilities have somehow rubbed off on her. Can the power of psychometry be transferred?
Even once Ben returns to school, Camelia can't get close enough to share her secret with him. Despite the romantic tension between them, Ben remains aloof, avoiding contact. Then when an unexpected kiss leads to a frightening argument, Camelia makes the painful decision to let Ben go and move on. Adam, the hot new guy at work, seems good for her in ways Ben wasn't. Adam is easygoing, and seems to really care about her.

But when Camelia and Adam start dating, a surprising love triangle results. A chilling sequence of events upturns secrets from Ben's past --- and Adam's. Someone is lying, and it's up to Camelia to figure out who-before it's too late.

EVERWILD: Skinjacker Trilogy, Book Two by Neal Schusterman (Simon & Schuster)
There was the rumor of a beautiful sky witch, who soared across the heavens in a great silver balloon. And there were whispers of a terrible ogre made entirely of chocolate, who lured unsuspecting souls with that rich promising smell, only to cast them down a bottomless pit from which there was no return.

Everlost, the limbo land of dead children, is at war. Nick the "Chocolate Ogre" wants to help the children of Everlost reach the light at the end of the tunnel. Mary Hightower, self-proclaimed queen of lost children and dangerous fanatic, is determined to keep Everlost's children trapped within its limbo for all eternity. Traveling in the memory of the Hindenburg, Mary is spreading her propaganda and attracting Afterlights to her cause at a frightening speed.

Meanwhile, Allie the Outcast travels home to seek out her parents, along with Mikey, who was once the terrifying monster the McGill. Allie is tempted by the seductive thrill of skinjacking the living, until she learns a shocking secret: Those who skinjack are not actually dead.

Critically acclaimed author Neal Shusterman writes a book about life, death, and how the choices we make define ourselves in this luminous sequel to EVERLOST, which Orson Scott Card called "marvelously inventive...and magically beautiful."

HAZEL by Julie Hearn (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster)
Hazel Louise Mull-Dare has a good life, but it's so dull. With an adoring father who grants her every wish, a place in the Kensington School for the Daughters of Gentlemen, and no pressure to excel in anything whatsoever, her future looks primly predictable.

But on the day of the Epsom Derby --- June 4, 1913 --- everything changes. A woman in a dark coat steps in front of the king's horse, in protest at the injustice of denying women the vote. She dies days later, bringing further attention to the suffragist cause. Young Hazel is transfixed. And when her bold new friend Gloria convinces her to take on the cause, Hazel gets her first taste of rebellion.

But doing so leads her into greater trouble than she could have ever imagined. Such great trouble that she is banished from London, all the way to where her family fortune originates --- a sugar plantation in the Caribbean. There Hazel is forced to confront the dark secrets of her family --- secrets that have festered, and a shame that lingers on.


Paperback

DEADLY LITTLE SECRET: A Touch Novel by Laurie Faria Stolarz (Hyperion Books for Children)
Sixteen-year-old Camelia Hammond’s normal life gets turned upside down when Ben Carter transfers to her school. Rumors fly that Ben murdered his girlfriend. Then Camelia starts receiving threatening letters and phone calls. Her gut says she can trust Ben, but then who is stalking her every move? And is the stalker really capable of the threats he makes?
- Click here to read our review of DEADLY LITTLE SECRET.

WTF by Peter Lerangis (Simon Pulse)
Two parties, six alternating points of view, and three letters that says it all --- WTF!


New Releases for November 12th

Hardcover

THE BETRAYAL OF NATALIE HARGROVE by Lauren Kate (Razorbill/Penguin Young Readers Group)
A steamy Southern beauty makes one fatal mistake...

Natalie Hargrove would kill to be her high school’s Palmetto Princess. But her boyfriend Mike King doesn’t share her dream and risks losing the honor of Palmetto Prince to Natalie’s nemesis, Justin Balmer. So she convinces Mike to help play a prank on Justin. . . one that goes terribly wrong. They tie him to the front of the church after a party --- when they arrive the next morning, Justin is dead.

From blackmail to buried desire, dark secrets to darker deeds, Natalie unravels. She never should’ve messed with fate. Fate is the one thing more twisted than Natalie Hargrove.


Paperback

BEAUTIFUL AMERICANS by Lucy Silag (Razorbill)
A story of four American teens in Paris… and the scandal that leads one girl to disappear.

This sparkling novel reveals exactly how it feels to be a teen in love, in angst, in a big, gorgeous, unfamiliar city. Fall in love with the elusive model --- gorgeous PJ, on the run from a mysterious past. Or Olivia, a hardworking ballerina whose fall from grace --- both literal and figurative --- lands her in the arms of the wrong boy. Witness the melodrama of jaded but beautiful Alex, whose seductions will never fill the void left by her father. Finally, let fun-loving Zack warm your heart with his vulnerability and sweet Memphis accent.

On their own for the first time, these kids go wild in Paris. But when PJ disappears, the others must face the lies they’ve told and the secrets they’ve kept in order to help find her.

Labels: New Releases

I hope you remembered to set your clocks back an hour yesterday, as the first Sunday in November marks the end of Daylight Savings Time throughout most of the country. While most of us opt to use our newly regained hour for a bit more snooze time, we're willing to bet a few of you fellow book junkies spent those extra sixty minutes with your noses buried in a great book! And for the rest of you who slept right through it, we have seven fantastic titles in this week's New Releases Roundup to help you catch up, including 2 juicy new installments to the Gossip Girl and It Girl series by Cecily von Ziegesar; FADE OUT, Rachel Caine's next book in the Morganville Vampires series; and the heart-wrenching FREAKS AND REVELATIONS by Davida Wills Hurwin.


New Releases for November 1st

Hardcover

FREAKS AND REVELATIONS by Davida Wills Hurwin (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
This raw, moving novel follows two teenagers --- one, a Mohawk-wearing 17-year-old violent misfit; the other, a gay 13-year-old cast out by his family, hustling on the streets and trying to survive. Acclaimed author Davida Wills Hurwin creates a riveting narrative told in alternating perspectives of their lives before and after the violent hate crime that changed both their futures. This tragic but ultimately inspirational journey of two polarized teens, their violent first meeting, and their peaceful reunion years later is an unforgettable story of survival and forgiveness.

This story is inspired by the real lives of Matthew Boger and Timothy Zaal, who have shared their story on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and NPR.

DEVIOUS: An It Girl Novel, created by Cecily von Ziegesar (Poppy/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Popular Gossip Girl character Jenny Humphrey never goes looking for trouble; but trouble always seems to find her. What Waverly Academy mischief will Jenny, Tinsley, and Callie stir up now?

It's January, and a new semester at Waverly Academy means one thing: new students. Make that hot new students. A gorgeous brother-sister pair is taking Waverly by storm, and the campus is abuzz with fresh gossip and even fresher crushes. But while all the girls are busy drooling over the new it-guy, they'd better watch their backs --- because his sister is going to give them all a run for their money. After all, there can only be one It Girl...

STRUTS & FRETS by Jon Skovron (Amulet Books)
Told in a voice that’s honest, urgent, and hilarious, STRUTS & FRETS will resonate not only with teenage musicians but with anyone who ever sat up all night listening to a favorite album, wondering if they’d ever find their place in the world.

Music is in Sammy’s blood. His grandfather was a jazz musician, and Sammy’s indie rock band could be huge one day --- if they don’t self-destruct first. Winning the upcoming Battle of the Bands would justify all the band’s compromises and reassure Sammy that his life’s dream could become a reality. But practices are hard to schedule when Sammy’s grandfather is sick and getting worse, his mother is too busy to help either of them, and his best friend may want to be his girlfriend.

When everything in Sammy’s life seems to be headed for major catastrophe, will his music be enough to keep him together?


Paperback
BREAKFAST AT BLOOMINGDALES by Kristen Kemp (Scholastic)
Kat's come to New York City with a dream: to be a big fashion designer and to see her name on a label in Bloomingdale's. Back in upstate New York, she imagined a city paved in Prada . . . but the reality isn't quite so fashionable. Still, there are friends to be made, boys to be flirted with, and amazements to be found . . . sometimes when she least expects it. Even when her lame boyfriend from back home comes to the city to try to reclaim her, Kat knows she's found her place . . . now all she has to do is have NYC find her back!


New Releases for November 3rd

Hardcover

MILLION-DOLLAR THROW by Michael (Philomel Books)
What would you do with a million dollars, if you were 13?

Nate Brodie is nicknamed “Brady” not only for his arm, but also because he’s the biggest Tom Brady fan. He’s even saved up to buy an autographed football. And when he does, he wins the chance for something he’s never dreamed of --- to throw a pass through a target at a Patriots game for one million dollars.

Nate should be excited. But things have been tough lately. His dad lost his job and his family is losing their home. It’s no secret that a million dollars would go a long way. So all Nate feels is pressure, and just when he needs it most, his golden arm begins to fail him. Even worse, his best friend Abby is going blind, slowly losing her ability to do the one thing she loves most --- paint. Yet Abby never complains, and she is Nate’s inspiration. He knows she’ll be there when he makes the throw of a lifetime.

Mike Lupica’s latest sports novel is also his most heartwarming.

I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU: A Gossip Girl Novel, created by Cecily von Ziegesar (Poppy/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Blair, Serena, Nate, Dan, and Vanessa went off to live their lives.

Now they're coming home for the holidays.

A lot can change in a few months . . . but some things never do.

It finally happened: we went to college. We started over. No one knows who we've coveted, what we scored on the SATs,where our parents live, or when we became debaucherous. We've learned new things, made new friends, and maybe even met the loves of our lives. We've changed.

Or at least, some of us have. But old habits are hard to break -- -especially when faced with your former besties and former flames. With everyone back in the city for the holidays, this break is guaranteed to be filled with makeups, breakups, and shakeups.

Lucky for you, I'm here to report all the scandal as it happens. Let the games begin!

You know you love me,
xoxo Gossip Girl

FADE OUT: The Morganville Vampires, Book Four by Rachel Caine (Berkley)
Without the evil vampire Bishop ruling over the town of Morganville, the resident vampires have made major concessions to the human population. With their newfound freedom, Claire Danvers and her friends are almost starting to feel comfortable again...Now Claire can actually concentrate on her studies, and her friend Eve joins the local theatre company. But when one of Eve's castmates goes missing after starting work on a short documentary, Eve suspects the worst. Claire and Eve soon realise that this film project, whose subject is the vampires themselves, is a whole lot bigger --- and way more dangerous --- than anyone suspected.

Labels: New Releases

We have nine exciting and highly anticipated new releases to share with you this week, including Kristina Springer's debut THE ESPRESSOLOGIST, about a match-making barista; Alexander Gordon Smith's jailbreak novel, LOCKDOWN; SPLENDOR, the final chapter in the Luxe series by Anna Godbersen; Lisi Harrison's Clique prequel, CHARMED AND DANGEROUS; and TEMPTED, the latest installment the mother-daughter duo P. C. and Kristin Cast's House of Night series.


New Releases for October 27th

Hardcover

THE ESPRESSOLOGIST by Kristina Springer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers)
What’s your drink of choice? Is it a small pumpkin spice latte? Then you’re lots of fun and a bit sassy. Or a medium americano? You prefer simplicity in life. Or perhaps it’s a small decaf soy sugar-free hazelnut caffe latte? Some might call you a yuppie. Seventeen-year-old barista Jane Turner has this theory that you can tell a lot about a person by their regular coffee drink. She scribbles it all down in a notebook and calls it Espressology. So it’s not a totally crazy idea when Jane starts hooking up some of her friends based on their coffee orders. Like her best friend, Em, a medium hot chocolate, and Cam, a toffee nut latte. But when her boss, Derek, gets wind of Jane’s Espressology, he makes it an in-store holiday promotion, promising customers their perfect matches for the price of their favorite coffee. Things are going better than Derek could ever have hoped, so why is Jane so freaked out? Does it have anything to do with Em dating Cam? She’s the one who set them up! She should be happy for them, right?

With overtones of Jane Austen’s EMMA and brimming with humor and heart, this sweet, frothy debut will be savored by readers.

LOCKDOWN: Escape from the Furnace, by Alexander Gordon Smith (Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers)
Furnace Penitentiary: the world’s most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth’s surface. Convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, sentenced to life without parole, “new fish” Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world. Except in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood-drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison.

Together with a bunch of inmates --- some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers --- Alex plans an escape. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace’s deeper, darker purpose, Alex’s actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that’s hidden from the eyes of the world.

THE SHADOW DRAGONS: The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica, Book Four, written and illustrated by James A. Owen (Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)
World War II has been raging for three years, but a more terrible evil is just over the horizon. The last stones are falling from the Keep of Time, and the Imperial Cartological Society, led by Richard Burton, has collected doors and is building a new tower at the request of an old enemy: the Winter King's shadow. He has a terrible weapon --- the Spear of Destiny --- that can be used to command the shadows of anyone it touches.

The Shadow King uses the Spear of Destiny to enlist an unstoppable army of Dragon shadows. And after the Archipelago falls, the Shadow King intends to use the turmoil of World War II to take over both worlds.

All the legendary Caretakers, past and present, come together to save two worlds, and their only hope lies with a small group of companions who are on the quest for the broken sword Caliburn; the Grail Child, Rose Dyson; her clockwork companion, the owl Archie; a dead professor of ancient literature; and the mythical knight Don Quixote.

SPLENDOR: A Luxe Novel, by Anna Godbersen (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
New beginnings.

Shocking revelations.

Unexpected endings.

A spring turns into summer, Elizabeth relishes her new role as a young wife, while her sister, Diana, searches for adventure abroad. But when a surprising clue about their father's death comes to light, the Holland girls wonder at what cost a life of splendor comes.

Carolina Broad, society's newest darling, fans a flame from her past, oblivious to how it might burn her future. Penelope Schoonmaker is finally Manhattan royalty --- but when a real prince visits the city, she covets a title that comes with a crown. Her husband, Henry, bravely went to war, only to discover that his father's rule extends well beyond New York's shores and that fighting for love may prove a losing battle.

In the dramatic conclusion to the bestselling Luxe series, New York's most dazzling socialites chase dreams, cling to promises, and tempt fate. As society watches what will become of the city's oldest families and newest fortunes, one question remains: Will its stars fade away or will they shine ever brighter?

DESTINY’S PATH: Warrior Princess, Book Two by Frewin Jones (HarperTeen)
Her destiny must be fulfilled . . .

Ranwen refuses to take orders from anyone --- even the Shining Ones, the ancient gods whose power is feared throughout the land. They want her as their Chosen One, destined to save her country from the Saxons. But Branwen doubts she's truly ready to be a leader.

Then a messenger from the skies shows her a vision of a bleak and violent future --- a future in which Branwen has abandoned her destiny, and those most dear to her suffer unspeakable horrors. There's a blurry line between good and evil, and those Branwen trusts the most are capable of the greatest betrayal. The Shining Ones have spoken. Will Branwen answer their call?

CHARMED AND DANGEROUS: The Rise of the Pretty Committee, by Lisi Harrison (Poppy/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Happy New Clique!

Once upon a time, in Westchester and Orlando, there were four betas just waiting for their alpha. It took a miracle to bring the Pretty Committee together --- or rather, a New Year's Yves party. Because sometimes when you meet someone, it just cliques.

Massie Block: Is destined to lead, but trapped as a beta in the Ahnabees, the top clique at PMS (Presbyterian Middle School). She has ah-mazing ideas --- Friday night sleepovers, Gossip Points, and atching charm bracelets. When will it be her time to rule?

Alicia River: Is dying to lead the Body Alive Dance Studio Squad. With the captain on vacation, BADSS’s live performance on Merri Lee Marvil’s New Year’s Yves show is her chance to shine. Will she prove herself alpha-worthy --- or will she need to find a whole new clique?

Dylan Marvil: Is done, done, and done with people kissing her teeny-tiny butt just because her mom is famous. But who would be brave enough to stand up to someone so Marvilous?

Kristen Gregory: Has made a New Year’s resolution to make friends and get a life. Escape from Planet Loser starts… now!

Claire Lyons: Is psyched times ten to win a last-minute invitation to the New Year’s Yves satellite party in Orlando. But first she needs to sneak out of the house. And the countdown to midnight begins in ten… nine… eight…

The Clique… the only thing harder than getting in is staying in.

TEMPTED: House of Night, Book Six by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast (St. Martin’s Griffin)
So… you’d think after banishing an immortal being and a fallen High Priestess, saving Stark’s life, biting Heath, getting a headache from Erik, and almost dying, Zoey Redbird would catch a break. Sadly, a break is not in the House of Night school forecast for the High Priestess in training and her gang. Juggling three guys is anything but a stress reliever, especially when one of them is a sexy Warrior who is so into protecting Zoey that he can sense her emotions. Speaking of stress, the dark force lurking in the tunnels under the Tulsa Depot is spreading, and Zoey is beginning to believe Stevie Rae could be responsible for a lot more than a group of misfit red fledglings. Aphrodite’s visions warn Zoey to stay away from Kalona and his dark allure, but they also show that it is Zoey who has the power to stop the evil immortal. Soon it becomes obvious that Zoey has no choice: if she doesn’t go to Kalona he will exact a fiery vengeance on those closest to her. Will Zoey have the courage to chance losing her life, her heart, and her soul? Find out in the next spectacular installment in the House of Night Series, TEMPTED.


Paperback

THE PATRON SAINT OF BUTTERFLIES by Cecilia Galante (Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books)
Agnes and Honey have been best friends for as long as they can remember. But everything is about to change, from their friendship to the only home they’ve ever known: a religious commune called Mount Blessing. Agnes loves being a believer and following the rules of the commune, but Honey has started to rebel. Then, when Agnes and Honey experience the outside world (on the run, no less), their friendship is tested further. After all, when everything you’ve ever known turns out to be a lie, how do you find the truth? A powerful story of faith, doubt, abuse, and above all, friendship.
- Click here to read our review of THE PATRON SAINT OF BUTTERFLIES.

PERFECT MISTAKE by Kate Brian (Priviledge)
MAKE NEW FRIENDS AND KILL THE OLD....

Ariana Osgood has everything she's ever wanted. A place at elite Atherton-Pryce boarding school. Fabulous friends. A new crush. And most importantly, a new identity. Now that she's officially become Briana Leigh Covington, Ariana's troubled past is dead and buried.

Or is it?

When the one person who knows her secret arrives on campus, Ariana decides it's time to say good-bye to her ex-best friend --- forever. From the author of the bestselling Private novels comes a series about the dark world of wealth, secrets, and PRIVILEGE.


New Releases for October 29th

Paperback

DRAGONHAVEN by Robin McKinley (Speak)
Jake lives at the Makepeace Institute of Integrated Dragon Studies in Smokehill National Park. There are five million acres of the Smokehill wilderness, and the endangered dragons rarely show themselves. Jake’s never seen one except at a distance. But then, on his first overnight solo in the park, he meets a dragon—and she is dying. More than that, she has just given birth, and one of the babies is still alive. . . .
- Click here to read our review of DRAGONHAVEN.

Labels: New Releases

In case you didn't already know, October 18-24th is Teen Read Week! And what would be a more perfect way to kick off the festivities than with our latest roundup of new releases, which offers eight rich and thought-provoking titles that tackle some pretty heavy topics, like culture clashes in Katherine Patterson's THE DAY OF THE PELICAN; the difficulties of loss in Valerie O. Patterson's THE OTHER SIDE OF BLUE and HOLD STILL by Nina LaCour; coming-of-age angst in Barry Lyga's GOTH GIRL RISING, and matters of the heart in K. L. Madigan FLASH BURNOUT and Lauren Strasnick's NOTHING LIKE YOU. This week also marks the release of the last installment of the endearing Dairy Queen series, FRONT AND CENTER by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, as well as the third book in Nancy Farmer's The Sea of Trolls Trilogy, THE ISLANDS OF THE BLESSED.


New Releases for October 19th

Hardcover

THE DAY OF THE PELICAN by Katherine Paterson (Clarion Books)
Meli Lleshi is positive that her drawing of her teacher with his pelican nose started it all. The Lleshis are Albanians living in Kosovo, a country trying to fight off Serbian oppressors, and suddenly they are homeless refugees. Old and young alike, they find their courage tested by hunger, illness, the long, arduous journey, and danger on every side. Then, unexpectedly, they are brought to America by a church group and begin a new life in a small Vermont town. The events of 9/11 bring more challenges for this Muslim family --- but this country is their home now and there can be no turning back. A compassionate, powerful novel by a master storyteller.

FLASH BURNOUT by L. K. Madigan (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Fifteen-year-old Blake has a girlfriend and a friend who’s a girl. One of them loves him; the other one needs him.

When he snapped a picture of a street person for his photography homework, Blake never dreamed that the woman in the photo was his friend Marissa’s long-lost meth-addicted mom. Blake’s participation in the ensuing drama opens up a world of trouble, both for him and for Marissa. He spends the next few months trying to reconcile the conflicting roles of Boyfriend and Friend. His experiences range from the comic (surviving his dad’s birth control talk) to the tragic (a harrowing after-hours visit to the morgue).

In a tangle of life and death, love and loyalty, Blake will emerge with a more sharply defined snapshot of himself.

FRONT AND CENTER by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
After five months of sheer absolute craziness I was going back to being plain old background D.J. In photographs of course I'm always in the background...

But it turns out other folks have big plans for D.J. Like her coach. College scouts. All the town hoops fans. A certain Red Bend High School junior who's keen for romance and karaoke. Not to mention Brian Nelson, who she should not be thinking about! Who she is done with, thank you very much. But who keeps showing up anyway...

GOTH GIRL RISING by Barry Lyga (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Time is a funny thing in the hospital. In the mental ward. You lose track of it easily.

After six months in the Maryland Mental Health Unit, Kyra Sellers, a.k.a. Goth Girl, is going home. Unfortunately, she's about to find out that while she was away, she lost track of more than time. Kyra is back in black, feeling good, and ready to make up with the only person who's ever appreciated her for who she really is. But then she sees him. Fanboy. Transcended from everything he was into someone she barely recognizes. And the anger and memories come rushing back.

There's so much to do to people when you're angry. Kyra's about to get very busy.

THE OTHER SIDE OF BLUE by Valerie O. Patterson (Clarion Books)
Cyan was named after a shade of blue, her artist mother's favorite color. The color of the sea. Since her father's death last year, she’s felt just as mercurial and dark as her namesake, and the distance between Cyan and her mother has grown as wide as an ocean. Now they're returning to the island of Curaçao in the Caribbean, where her father's mysterious accident occurred, and joining them will be Kammi --- who may soon become a stepsister. Haunted by the secrets of the past, Cyan will explore all the depths of her blueness this summer, discovering the light, the darkness, and the many shades in between that are within her --- and within us all.


New Releases for October 20th

Hardcover

HOLD STILL by Nina LaCour (Dutton Juvenile)
An arresting story about starting over after a friend’s suicide, from a breakthrough new voice in YA fiction.

dear caitlin, there are so many things that i want so badly to tell you but i just can’t.

Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend’s suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn’t die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid’s descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid --- and Caitlin herself.

NOTHING LIKE YOU by Lauren Strasnick (Simon Pulse)
When Holly loses her virginity to Paul, a guy she barely knows, she assumes their encounter is a one-night stand. After all, Paul is too popular to even be speaking to Holly...and he happens to have a long-term girlfriend, Saskia. But ever since Holly's mom died six months ago, Holly has been numb to the world, and she's getting desperate to feel something, anything --- so when Paul keeps pursuing her, Holly relents. Paul's kisses are a welcome diversion...and it's nice to feel like the kind of girl that a guy like Paul would choose.

But things aren't so simple with Saskia around. Paul's real girlfriend is willowy and perfect... and nothing like Holly. To make matters worse, she and Holly are becoming friends. Suddenly the consequences of Holly's choices are all too real, and Holly stands to lose more than she ever realized she had.
- Click here to read Lauren Strasnick's guest blog about the release of NOTHING LIKE YOU.

THE ISLANDS OF THE BLESSED by Nancy Farmer (Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books)
In this much-anticipated conclusion to the Sea of Trolls trilogy, Notland is no place to seek one's true calling. Or is it?

Labels: New Releases

This week's New Releases Roundup offers a wide range of subjects, settings and genres by both new authors as well as old favorites, giving readers the perfect excuse to do a bit of exploring of their own this Columbus Day. These 14 titles will take you around the world and through time --- from the English countryside in John Harwood's THE SÉANCE and South America in Mal Peet's EXPOSURE, to 1918 Texas in Marian Hale's THE GOODBYE SEASON, not to mention the fictional fantasy city of Fellsmarch in Cinda Williams Chima's THE DEMON KING --- as well as introduce you to some memorable characters, like a descendant of Shakespeare 's infamous Scottish king in LADY MACBETH'S DAUGHTER by Lisa Klein, steampunk alter egos of Lewis Carroll's Wonderland cast in Frank Beddor's ARCHENEMY, and a young girl with psychic powers in the latest installment of Wendy Corsi Staub's Lily Dale series.

New Releases for October 12th

Paperback

THE SÉANCE by John Harwood (Mariner Books)
Wraxford Hall, a decaying mansion in the English countryside, has a sinister reputation. Once, a family disappeared there. And now Constance Langton has inherited this dark place as well as the mysteries surrounding it.

Having grown up in a house marked by the death of her sister, Constance is no stranger to mystery, secrets, and the dark magic around us. Her father was distant. Her mother was in perpetual mourning for her lost child. In a desperate attempt to coax her mother back to health, Constance took her to a séance hoping she would find supernatural comfort. But tragic consequences followed, leaving her alone in the world --- alone with Wraxford Hall. Saddled with this questionable bequest, she must find the truth at the heart of all these disappearances, apparitions, betrayal, blackmail, and villainy, even if it costs her life.

John Harwood's second novel delivers on the great promise proven by his first with this gripping mystery set in the heart of Victorian England.


New Releases for October 13th

Hardcover

ALMOST PERFECT by Brian Katcher (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)
You only hurt the ones you love.

Logan Witherspoon recently discovered that his girlfriend of three years cheated on him. But things start to look up when a new student breezes through the halls of his small-town high school. Sage Hendricks befriends Logan at a time when he no longer trusts or believes in people. Sage has been home-schooled for a number of years and her parents have forbidden her to date anyone, but she won’t tell Logan why. One day, Logan acts on his growing feelings for Sage. Moments later, he wishes he never had. Sage finally discloses her big secret: she’s actually a boy. Enraged, frightened, and feeling betrayed, Logan lashes out at Sage and disowns her. But once Logan comes to terms with what happened, he reaches out to Sage in an attempt to understand her situation. But Logan has no idea how rocky the road back to friendship will be.

EXPOSURE by Mal Peet (Candlewick Press)
When a black South American soccer star signs on to a team in the country’s racist south, headlines blare. And when he falls for the sensual Desmerelda, a stunning white pop singer and daughter of a wealthy politician, their sudden and controversial marriage propels the pair to center stage, where they burn in the media spotlight. But celebrity attracts enemies; some very close to home. And its dazzle reaches into the city’s hidden corners, exposing a life of grit and desperation the glitterati could never imagine. When a girl is found murdered, reporter Paul Faustino is caught between worlds as he witnesses the power of the media in making --- and breaking --- lives. Inspired by Shakespeare’s OTHELLO, this modern tragedy of desire and betrayal, incisively and compassionately told, is a truly enthralling work of crossover fiction.

FAT CAT by Robin Brande (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
You are what you eat. . . .

Cat smart, sassy, and funny --- but thin, she’s not. Until her class science project. That’s when she winds up doing an experiment --- on herself. Before she knows it, Cat is living --- and eating --- like the hominids, our earliest human ancestors. True, no chips or TV is a bummer and no car is a pain, but healthful eating and walking everywhere do have their benefits.

As the pounds drop off, the guys pile on. All this newfound male attention is enough to drive a girl crazy! If only she weren’t too busy hating Matt McKinney to notice. . . .

This funny and thoughtful novel explores how girls feel about their bodies, and the ways they can best take care of their most precious resource: themselves.

GIRL IN THE ARENA by Lise Haines (Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books)
Lyn is a neo-gladiator’s daughter, through and through. Her mother has made a career out of marrying into the high-profile world of televised blood sport, and the rules of the Gladiator Sports Association are second nature to their family. Always lend ineffable confidence to the gladiator. Remind him constantly of his victories. And most importantly: Never leave the stadium when your father is dying. The rules help the family survive, but rules --- and the GSA --- can also turn against you. When a gifted young fighter kills Lyn’s seventh father, he also captures Lyn’s dowry bracelet, which means she must marry him... For fans of The Hunger Games and Fight Club, Lise Haines’s debut novel is a mesmerizing look at a world addicted to violence—a modern world that’s disturbingly easy to imagine.

THE GOODBYE SEASON by Marian Hale (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)
Mercy Kaplan doesn’t want to be like her mother, saddled with crying kids and failing crops for the rest of her life. Mercy longs to be on her own --- until her wish comes true in the worst possible way. It is 1918 and a deadly flu epidemic ravages the country, leaving her utterly alone and penniless.

Mercy soon finds a job with Mrs. Wilder. But there’s something unsettling about the woman, whose brother died under mysterious circumstances. And then there’s Daniel, who could sweep a girl off her feet if she isn’t careful.

LADY MACBETH’S DAUGHTER by Lisa Klein (Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books)
Albia has grown up with no knowledge of her mother of her father, the powerful Macbeth. Instead she knows the dark lure of the Wychelm Wood and the moors, where she’s been raised by three strange sisters. It’s only when the ambitious Macbeth seeks out the sisters to foretell his fate that Albia’s life becomes tangled with the man who leaves nothing but bloodshed in his wake. She even falls in love with Fleance, Macbeth’s rival for the throne. Yet when Albia learns that she has the second sight, she must decide whether to ignore the terrible future she foresees --- or to change it. Will she be able to save the man she loves from her murderous father? And can she forgive her parents their wrongs, or must she destroy them to save Scotland from tyranny?

In her highly anticipated follow-up to OPHELIA, Lisa Klein delivers a powerful re-imagining of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, featuring a young woman so seamlessly drawn it seems impossible she was not part of the Bard’s original play.

SOLACE OF THE ROAD by Siobhan Dowd (David Fickling Books/Random House)
Memories of mum are the only thing that make Holly Hogan happy. She hates her foster family with their too-nice ways and their false sympathy. And she hates her life, her stupid school, and the way everyone is always on at her. Then she finds the wig, and everything changes. Wearing the long, flowing blond locks she feels transformed. She’s not Holly anymore, she’s Solace: the girl with the slinkster walk and the supersharp talk. She’s older, more confident --- the kind of girl who can walk right out of her humdrum life, hitch to Ireland, and find her mum. The kind of girl who can face the world head-on. So begins a bittersweet and sometimes hilarious journey as Solace swaggers and Holly tiptoes across England and through memory, discovering her true self and unlocking the secrets of her past.


WE WERE HERE by Matt De La Pena (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)
The story of one boy and his journey to find himself.

When it happened, Miguel was sent to Juvi. The judge gave him a year in a group home --- said he had to write in a journal so some counselor could try to figure out how he thinks. The judge had no idea that he actually did Miguel a favor. Ever since it happened, his mom can’t even look at him in the face. Any home besides his would be a better place to live.

But Miguel didn’t bet on meeting Rondell or Mong or on any of what happened after they broke out. He only thought about Mexico and getting to the border to where he could start over. Forget his mom. Forget his brother. Forget himself.

Life usually doesn’t work out how you think it will, though. And most of the time, running away is the quickest path right back to what you’re running from.

LILY DALE: DISCOVERING by Wendy Corsi Staub (Walker Books for Young Readers)
After finally learning who was behind her mother’s death, Calla still doesn’t understand why it happened. Somewhere out there, someone seems to share the powerful psychic abilities that allow Calla to see not only into the past, but to the Other Side --- someone who apparently doesn’t want to be found. Will Calla’s journey lead to the closure she's been searching for, or will it force her to accept yet another loss and forever wonder what might have been?

As new mysteries unfold and old ones are solved, this spine-tingling series continues. With an eye-catching new look, Wendy Corsi Staub’s fans will not be disappointed.

THE DEMON KING: A Seven Realms Novel, by Cinda Williams Chima (Disney-Hyperion)
Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for himself, his mother, and his sister Mari. Ironically, the only thing of value he has is something he can't sell. For as long as Han can remember, he's worn thick silver cuffs engraved with runes. They're clearly magicked-as he grows, they grow, and he's never been able to get them off.

While out hunting one day, Han and his Clan friend, Dancer catch three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. After a confrontation, Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to ensure the boy won't use it against them. Han soon learns that the amulet has an evil history-it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece that powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.

Meanwhile, Raisa ana'Helena, Princess Heir of the Fells, has her own battles to fight. She's just returned to court after three years of relative freedom with her father's family at Demonai camp --- riding, hunting, and working the famous Clan markets. Although Raisa will become eligible for marriage after her sixteenth name-day, she isn't looking forward to trading in her common sense and new skills for etiquette tutors and stuffy parties.

Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage. She aspires to be like Hanalea-the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But it seems like her mother has other plans for her --- plans that include a suitor who goes against everything the Queendom stands for.

The Seven Realms will tremble when the lives of Han and Raisa collide in this stunning new page-turner from bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima.

WHITE HEAT: Book Two of the Perfect Fire Trilogy by K. M. Grant (Walker Books for Young Readers)
Picking up where BLUE FLAME left readers, Raimon has escaped the pyre and is hiding deep within the mountains of the Occitan. He longs to follow Yolanda to Paris, where she has been forced to marry Sir Hugh. However, he knows he must instead fulfill his duty of protecting the Blue Flame and save their beloved country from the advancing forces set on destroying it. In Paris, Yolanda believes Raimon is dead, she still resists her marriage, and as Sir Hugh’s war train --- backed by the French king --- heads for the Occitan, Yolanda must find new ways to fight. Weaving a satisfying, complex tale, master storyteller K. M. Grant draws readers right back into the dramatic love triangle and the chaos of war. Can Yolanda and Raimon’s love survive the ravages of a siege, her forced betrothal, and the growing divisions within their beloved homeland?


New Releases for October 15th

Hardcover

GATEWAY by Sharon Shinn (Viking Juvenile)
As a Chinese adoptee in St. Louis, teenage Daiyu often feels out of place. When an elderly Asian jewelry seller at a street fair shows her a black jade ring --- and tells her that “black jade” translates to “Daiyu” --- she buys it as a talisman of her heritage. But it’s more than that; it’s magic. It takes Daiyu through a gateway into a version of St. Louis much like 19th-century China. Almost immediately she is recruited as a spy, which means hours of training in manners and niceties and sleight of hand. It also means stealing time to be with handsome Kalen, who is in on the plan. There’s only one problem. Once her task is done, she must go back to St. Louis and leave him behind forever. . . .

THE OMNIVORE’S DILEMMA: The Secrets Behind What You Eat – Young Readers Edition, by Michael Pollan (Dial Books for Young Readers)
“What’s for dinner?” seemed like a simple question --- until journalist and supermarket detective Michael Pollan delved behind the scenes. From fast food and big organic to small farms and old-fashioned hunting and gathering, this young readers’ adaptation of Pollan’s famous food-chain exploration encourages kids to consider the personal and global health implications of their food choices. In a smart, compelling format with updated facts, plenty of photos, graphs, and visuals, as well as a new afterword and backmatter, The Omnivore’s Dilemma serves up a bold message to the generation that needs it most: It’s time to take charge of our national eating habits --- and it starts with you.

ARCHENEMY: The Looking Glass Wars, Book 3 by Frank Beddor (Dial Books for Young Readers)
Discover the fate of Wonderland --- and imagination itself --- in this riveting conclusion to the New York Times bestselling trilogy.

The Heart Crystal’s power has been depleted, and Imagination along with it. The people of Wonderland have all lost their creative drive, and most alarmingly, even Queen Alyss is without her powers. There is some comfort in the fact that the vicious Redd Heart seems to be similarly disabled. Amazingly, she is attempting to team up with her enemy, Alyss, in order to reclaim Wonderland from King Arch. Alyss might have no choice but to accept Redd’s overtures, especially when she begins to receive alarming advice from the caterpillar oracles.

Page-turning and complex, this culmination of the Wonderland saga is intensely satisfying.

Labels: New Releases

We have quite a fantastic list of new releases to share with you today, as some of the most anticipated books of the season are among this week's offerings, including Melissa de la Cruz's 4th installment in the Blue Bloods series, THE VAN ALEN LEGACY; yet another wacky Georgia Nicolson adventure with an equally wacky title, ARE THESE MY BASOOMAS I SEE BEFORE ME?; not to mention a holiday-themed romance from Kate Brian, EX-MAS. Fans of The Hunger Games should not miss James Dashner's dystopic sci-fi novel, THE MAZE RUNNER, as well as Scott Westerfeld's illustrated spin on World War I in LEVIATHAN.


New Releases for October 5th

Hardcover

FIRE by Kristin Cashore (Dial Books for Young Readers)
She is the last of her kind...

It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. In King City, the young King Nash is clinging to the throne, while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. War is coming. And the mountains and forest are filled with spies and thieves. This is where Fire lives, a girl whose beauty is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her.

Exquisitely romantic, this companion to the highly praised GRACELING has an entirely new cast of characters, save for one person who plays a pivotal role in both books. You don't need to have read GRACELING to love FIRE. But if you haven't, you'll be dying to read it next.


New Releases for October 6th

Hardcover

BAD APPLE by Laura Ruby (HarperTeen)
"If I really wanted to open up, I'd confess that I really am the liar everyone believes I am."

High-school junior Tola Riley has green hair, a nose ring, an attitude problem, and a fondness for fairy tales, which are a great escape from real life. Everyone thinks she's crazy; everyone says so. Everyone except Mr. Mymer, her art teacher. He gets her paintings and lets her hang out in the art room during lonely lunch periods.

But then rumors start flying and Tola is suddenly the center of a scandal. The whole town is judging her --- even her family. When Mr. Mymer is suspended for what everyone thinks is an affair, she has no choice but to break her silence. Fairy tales won't help her this time . . . so how can she tell the truth? And, more importantly, will anyone believe her?

HOW BEAUTIFUL THE ORDINARY: Twelve Stories of Identity, edited by Michael Cart (HarperTeen)
A girl thought to be a boy steals her sister's skirt, while a boy thought to be a girl refuses to wear a cornflower blue dress. One boy's love of a soldier leads to the death of a stranger. The present takes a bittersweet journey into the past when a man revisits the summer school where he had "an accidental romance." And a forgotten mother writes a poignant letter to the teenage daughter she hasn't seen for fourteen years.

Poised between the past and the future are the stories of now. In nontraditional narratives, short stories, and brief graphics, tales of anticipation and regret, eagerness and confusion present distinctively modern views of love, sexuality, and gender identification. Together, they reflect the vibrant possibilities available for young people learning to love others --- and themselves --- in today's multifaceted and quickly changing world.

ICE by Sarah Beth Durst (Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster)
When Cassie was a little girl, her grandmother told her a fairy tale about her mother, who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth. Now that Cassie is older, she knows the story was a nice way of saying her mother had died. Cassie lives with her father at an Arctic research station, is determined to become a scientist, and has no time for make-believe.

Then, on her eighteenth birthday, Cassie comes face-to-face with a polar bear who speaks to her. He tells her that her mother is alive, imprisoned at the ends of the earth. And he can bring her back --- if Cassie will agree to be his bride.

That is the beginning of Cassie's own real-life fairy tale, one that sends her on an unbelievable journey across the brutal Arctic, through the Canadian boreal forest, and on the back of the North Wind to the land east of the sun and west of the moon. Before it is over, the world she knows will be swept away, and everything she holds dear will be taken from her --- until she discovers the true meaning of love and family in the magical realm of Ice.

THE VAN ALEN LEGACY: A Blue Bloods Novels, by Melissa de la Cruz (Disney-Hyperion)
With the stunning revelation surrounding Bliss's true identity comes the growing threat of the sinister Silver Bloods. Once left to live the glamorous life in New York City, the Blue Bloods now find themselves in an epic battle for survival. Not to worry, love is still in the air for the young vampires of the Upper East Side. Or is it? Jack and Schuyler are over. Oliver's brokenhearted. And only the cunning Mimi seems to be happily engaged.

ARE THESE MY BASOOMAS I SEE BEFORE ME? by Louise Rennison (HarperTeen)
For Georgia, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Just when she thought she was the official one-and-only girlfriend of Masimo, he's walked off into the night with the full hump, leaving Georgia all aloney on her owney --- again. All because Dave the Laugh tried to do fisticuffs at dawn with him!

Two boys fighting over Georgia? It's almost as romantic as Romeo and Juliet . . . though perhaps a touch less tragic.

It's time for Georgia to get to the bottom (oo-er) of this Dave the Laugh spontaneous puckering business once and for all. It's like they always say: If you snog a mate in the forest of red bottomosity and no one is around to see it, is he still a mate? Or is he something more?

LEVIATHAN written by Scott Westerfeld and illustrated by Keith Thompson (Simon Pulse)
It is the cusp of World War I, and all the European powers are arming up. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet.

Aleksandar Ferdinand, prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battle-torn Stormwalker and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, a girl disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With the Great War brewing, Alek's and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way...taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure. One that will change both their lives forever.

THE MAZE RUNNER by James Dashner (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade --- a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up --- the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.


Paperback

EX-MAS: A Love/Hate Story, by Kate Brian (Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)
Seventeen-year-old Lila Beckwith's parents just left for vacation, and Lila's all set to throw the holiday party of the season. But when her Christmas-obsessed little brother, Cooper, discovers that global warming is melting the North Pole, he and his best friend, Tyler, take off on a runaway mission to save Santa.

Lila has to get Cooper safely home before her parents get back on Christmas Eve. But the only person who can help her is Tyler's older brother, Beau --- a.k.a. Lila's musician, anti-everything ex-boyfriend.

It'll take more than a Christmas miracle for Lila and Beau to overcome their differences and find their fugitive brothers. But could a journey destined for disaster help these polar opposites fall in love...all over again?

GO AHEAD, ASK ME by Nico Medina and Billy Merrell (Simon Pulse)
Would you rather be a stereotypically beautiful class-A moron or a Nobel Prize winner with a gimp arm?

Your best friend's significant other hits on you --- and not in a cute, in-front-of-your-best-friend sort of way. What to do? Blow them off? Flirt back? Play it cool, then fill your friend in?

Would you rather marry the love of your life and have no friends, or never marry and have friends for life?

Whether you're hanging out with your besties or getting closer to your crush, these five hundred questions are sure to spark convos, truths, laughs, and buried secrets. Start from the front, the back, or flip to any page to find out who you --- and your friends --- really are.

Labels: New Releases

So much to read, so little time! This week's roundup new releases offers 16 titles to top off your ever-growing TBR pile, from compelling historical fiction novels and coming-of-age tales to sci-fi/fantasy thrillers and school dramas. Also featured this week are Justine Larbalestier's buzzworthy LIAR, Ann Rinaldi's moving period piece LEIGH ANN'S CIVIL WAR and highly anticipated new installments of your favorite series, including The Demonata, Gossip Girl: The Carlyles, Skeleton Creek, and The Bloody Jack Adventures.


New Releases for September 28th

Hardcover

LEIGH ANN’S CIVIL WAR by Ann Rinaldi (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Leigh Ann Conners is spunky and determined. Although she often finds herself in trouble, she loves her two older brothers dearly and would do anything to make them proud.

When the Yankees arrive in Roswell, Georgia, Leigh Ann places a French flag upon the family’s mill. She hopes the Yankees will then spare the mill from destruction, but her actions have disastrous results. Sent north with the women and children who worked in the mill --- all branded traitors for making fabric for Confederate uniforms --- Leigh Ann embarks on a journey that requires her to find her own inner strength. Only then will she be able to rise above the war raging around her.


PANAMA by Shelby Hiatt (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
At fifteen, a girl moves from a small town in Ohio to Panama while her father takes part in building the Panama Canal. This trip comes just at the right time for her. She yearns to see more of the world than her small mid-western town has to offer. She wants to meet new people. Visit exciting places. Panama with its lush rainforests and myriad of people is the perfect place for her desires to be fulfilled. Then she meets Frederico, a Spanish aristocrat who is working as a digger, one of the masses who toils daily in the heat and the dust and the danger of the canal. He embodies everything she's looking for: he's exotic, exciting, intelligent and pushes her beyond the limits her sequestered life has set for her. They begin a romance and he awakens her body as well as her soul.

RAPTURE OF THE DEEP: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, Soldier, Sailor, Mermaid, Spy, by L. A. Meyer (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
On the very day that Jacky Faber is to wed her true love, she is kidnapped by British Naval Intelligence and forced to embark on yet another daring mission --- this time to search for sunken Spanish gold. But when Jacky is involved, things don't always go as planned.

Jacky has survived battles on the high seas, the stifling propriety of a Boston finishing school, and even confinement in a dank French prison. But no adventure has quite matched her opportunistic street-urchin desires --- until now.


New Releases for September 29th

Hardcover

DUPLIKATE by Cherry Cheva (HarperTeen)

To Do List:

* Ace SATs
* Ace finals
* Ace AP physics project
* Avoid murdering lab partner
* Submit Yale application
* Resolve possibly evil twin situation

Due date: December 15th
Countdown: 11 days

By the time Kate Larson accidentally fell asleep at three a.m., she'd already done more work in one night than the average high school senior does in a week. Getting into Yale has been her dream for years --- and being generally overworked and totally under-rested is the price of admission. But when she opens her eyes the next day, she comes face-to-face with, well, her face --- which is attached to her body, which is standing across the room. Wait, what?

Meet Kate's computer-generated twin. Kate doesn't know why she's here or how to put her back where she belongs, but she's real. And she's the last thing Kate has time to deal with right now. Unless . . .

Could having a double be the answer to Kate's prayers? After all, two Kates can do more work than one. Or will keeping her twin a secret turn her dream future into a living nightmare?


LIAR by Justine Larbalestier (Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books)
Micah will freely admit that she’s a compulsive liar, but that may be the one honest thing she’ll ever tell you. Over the years she’s duped her classmates, her teachers, and even her parents, and she’s always managed to stay one step ahead of her lies. That is, until her boyfriend dies under brutal circumstances and her dishonesty begins to catch up with her. But is it possible to tell the truth when lying comes as naturally as breathing? Taking readers deep into the psyche of a young woman who will say just about anything to convince them --- and herself --- that she’s finally come clean, LIAR is a bone-chilling thriller that will have readers see-sawing between truths and lies right up to the end. Honestly.

MY INVENTED LIFE by Lauren Bjorkman (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)
With Roz and Eva everything becomes a contest --- who can snag the best role in the school play, have the cutest boyfriend, pull off the craziest prank. Still, they’re as close as sisters can be. Until Eva deletes Roz from her life like so much junk e-mail for no reason that Roz understands. Now Eva hangs out with the annoyingly petite cheerleaders, and Roz fantasizes about slipping bovine growth hormone into their Gatorade.

Roz has a suspicion about Eva. In turn, Eva taunts Roz with a dare, which leads to an act of total insanity. Drama geeks clamor for attention, Shakespearean insults fly, and Roz steals the show in Lauren Bjorkman’s hilarious debut novel.

PASTWORLD by Ian Beck (Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books)
What if all of London were really an amusement park --- a whole city returned to Victorian times to entertain visitors from the twenty-first century? That's the wildly original premise of Ian Beck's PASTWORLD, a high-stakes mystery set in a simulated past.

Eve is a lifelong resident of Pastworld who doesn’t know she’s living in a theme park until a mysterious threat forces her to leave home. Caleb is a visiting tourist who finds the lawlessness of the past thrilling --- until he suddenly becomes a fugitive from an antiquated justice system. And in the midst of it all, in the thick London fog a dark and deadly figure prowls, claiming victim after victim. He’s the Fantom, a creature both of the past and of the present, in whose dark purpose Caleb and Eve will find their destinies combined.

Page-turning, complex, and haunting, PASTWORLD masterfully exposes the human experience of the past, of violence, of technology, and of entertainment.

SECRET SOCIETY by Tom Dolby (Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins)
Secrets, secrets are no fun. Secrets, secrets hurt someone. . . .

An eccentric new girl. A brooding socialite. The scion of one of New York's wealthiest families. A promising filmmaker. As students at the exclusive Chadwick School, Phoebe, Lauren, Nick, and Patch already live in a world most teenagers only dream about.

They didn't ask to be Society members. But when three of them receive a mysterious text message promising success and fame beyond belief, they say yes to everything --- even to the harrowing initiation ceremony in a gritty warehouse downtown and to the ankh-shaped tattoo they're forced to get on the nape of their necks. Once they're part of the Society, things begin falling into place for them. Week after week, their ambitions are fulfilled. It's all perfect—until a body is found in Central Park with no distinguishing marks except for an ankh-shaped tattoo.

Tom Dolby makes his teen fiction debut with this riveting novel about a dangerous society so secret that once you get in, you can never get out.


Paperback

HOW TO DITCH YOUR FAIRY by Justine Larbalestier (Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books)
Everyone in New Avalon has a fairy. Though invisible, a personal fairy is vital to success. It might determine whether you pass a math class or find the perfect outfit. But all fourteen-year-old Charlie can do is find parking spaces --- and she doesn’t even drive. At first, teaming up with Fiorenza (who has an all-the-boys-like-you fairy) seems like a great idea. But when Charlie unexpectedly gets her heart’s desire, she’ll have to resort to extraordinary measures to ditch her fairy.


New Releases for October 1st

Hardcover

THE DOOM MACHINE by Mark Teague (The Blue Sky Press/Scholastic)
When a spaceship lands in Vern Hollow, Jack's hometown, he and his no-account inventor-uncle Bud are busy trying to fix a car driven by Dr. Shumway and her daughter, Isadora. Although Uncle Bud secretly knows the aliens are after one of his inventions, everyone is surprised when the space aliens capture seven of Vern Hollow's residents and take them into outer space on a wild adventure. . . .

After a series of twists and turns, all of them are taken to Skreepia, the aliens' planet, where they have to defeat the Skreep queen before she can use Uncle Bud's invention to take over planet Earth. Filled with wonderful detail, humor, inventive dialog, and irresistible black-and-white spot art, THE DOOM MACHINE is a tour de force by one of America's most beloved storytellers.

ONCE WAS LOST by Sara Zarr (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Samara Taylor used to believe in miracles. She used to believe in a lot of things. As a pastor's kid, it's hard not to buy in to the idea of the perfect family, a loving God, and amazing grace. But lately, Sam has a lot of reason to doubt. Her mother lands in rehab after a DUI and her father seems more interested in his congregation than his family. When a young girl in her small town is kidnapped, the local tragedy overlaps with Sam's personal one, and the already-worn thread of faith holding her together begins to unravel.

In her third novel, acclaimed author Sara Zarr examines the coexistence of affliction and hope, and what happens when everything you thought you believed --- about God, about your family, about yourself --- is transformed.

DARK CALLING: The Demonata, Book 9 by Darren Shan (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
I know it's ridiculous. Lights can't whisper. But I swear I heard a voice calling to me. It sounded like static to begin with, but then it came into focus, a single word repeated over and over. Softly, slyly, seductively, insistently.

"Come..."

The Disciples are being manipulated by beings older than time. Only Kernel Fleck knows that something is wrong. But he is in the grip of a creature who cares nothing for the fate of humanity. Voices are calling to him from the darkness and he's powerless to resist.

Kernel has already been to hell and back. Now he's about to go further...

The horrifying adventures continue with the ninth book in the gory and chilling Demonata series.

GOSSIP GIRL: THE CARLYLES #4: LOVE THE ONE YOU’RE WITH created by Cecily von Ziegesar (Poppy/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
It's Thanksgiving, and the Carlyle triplets are thankful to be escaping the New York City cold-they're jetting to the tropics and bringing all their friends along for the ride. The sun isn't the only thing that's sizzling on this vacation getaway --- I'm forecasting sultry poolside encounters, too. So, don't forget to pack the sunscreen...you don't want to get burned.

SKELETON CREEK #2: GHOST IN THE MACHINE by Patrick Carman (Scholastic Press)
Strange things are happening in Skeleton Creek...and Ryan and Sarah are trying to find out why. Ryan writes down everything in his journal, and Sarah records everything on her videocam. The two move deeper into the mystery they've uncovered, determined to discover the secrets buried in Skeleton Creek, in the conclusion to Patrick Carman's thrilling series.

In this groundbreaking format, the story is broken into two parts --- Ryan's text in the book, and Sarah's videos on a special website, with links and passwords given throughout the book.


Paperback

LET IT SNOW: THREE HOLIDAY ROMANCES by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle (Speak)
The weather outside is frightful, but these stories are delightful! When a huge blizzard (that doesn’t show signs of stopping) hits, Gracetown is completely snowed in. But even though it’s cold outside, things are heating up inside, proving that the holiday season is magical when it comes to love. In three wonderfully (and hilariously!) interconnected tales, YA stars John Green, Lauren Myracle, and Maureen Johnson create a must-have collection that captures all the spirit of the holiday season.
- Click here to read our review of LET IT SNOW.

THE GOOD NEIGHBORS: BOOK ONE: KIN by Holy Black (GRAPHIX)
The human realm and the faerie realm have always been good neighbors. But all that is about to change…

Rue Silver’s life isn’t at all what it appears to be; her mother has disappeared --- and her father is being blamed for her murder. Is he guilty, or is there another truth behind it all? Rue digs deeper into her family’s past and makes a startling discovery: her mother is a faerie, and she’s vanished back into the faerie realm because of a broken promise. In order to save her, Rue must defeat a dark faerie --- who threatens our very mortal world.
- Click here to read our review of KIN.

Labels: New Releases

There's a little something for everyone this week, as the gems in today's roundup of new releases include Libba Bray's much anticipated quirky "road-trip" novel, GOING BOVINE, and the family drama ELI THE GOOD by Silas House, as well as the paperback releases of the philosophical fantasy NATION and John Green's bestseller PAPER TOWNS. Perfect for your sci-fi/fantasy fix --- replete with monsters, vamps and faeries --- are PRETTY DEAD by Francesca Lia Block, Rick Yancey's THE MUNSTRUMOLOGIST and the fantastical fairy tale WONDROUS STRANGE by Lesley Livingston.


New Releases for September 22nd

Hardcover

ELI THE GOOD by Silas House (Candlewick Press)
Bicentennial fireworks burn the sky. Bob Seger growls from a transistor radio. And down by the river, girls line up on lawn chairs in pursuit of the perfect tan. Yet for ten-year-old Eli Book, the summer of 1976 is the one that threatened to tear his family apart. There is his distant mother; his traumatized Vietnam vet dad; his wild sister; his former war-protester aunt; and his tough yet troubled best friend, Edie, the only person with whom he can be himself. As tempers flare and his father’s nightmares rage, Eli watches from the sidelines, but soon even he cannot escape the current of conflict. From Silas House comes a tender look at the complexities of childhood and the realities of war --- a quintessentially Southern novel filled with music, nostalgic detail, a deep respect for nature, and a powerful sense of place.

GOING BOVINE by Libba Bray (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)
All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school --- and life in general --- with a minimum of effort. It’s not a lot to ask. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: he’s sick and he’s going to die. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure --- if he’s willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most.

HOMESTRETCH by Paul Volponi (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster)
A runaway boy with nothing finds everything he needs, including a family, in the most unlikely of places --- at a racetrack.

PRETTY DEAD by Francesca Lia Block (HarperTeen)
People pity me, but mostly they feel envy. I have all the luxury and freedom a girl my age could want.

Something is happening to Charlotte Emerson. Like the fires that are ravaging the hills of Los Angeles, it consumes her from the inside out. But whether it is her eternal loneliness, the memory of her brother, the return of her first love, or the brooding, magnetic Jared --- she cannot say. What if it's something more . . .

Something to do with the sudden tear in her perfect nails. The heat she feels when she's with Jared. The blood rushing once again to her cheeks and throughout her veins.

For Charlotte is a vampire, witness to almost a century's worth of death and destruction. But not since she was a human girl has mortality touched her.

In what way will you be transformed?

Until now.

Z. REX: The Hunting, Book 1 by Steve Cole (Philomel Books)
You’re 14 and find yourself on your own. Your father, who has developed the world’s cutting-edge research on virtual electronic game-playing, has been missing for weeks. And suddenly you’re being hunted by men with guns, your picture is on the news, and, worst of all, something seemingly impossible is chasing you --- a savage, man-eating dinosaur. How can that be? Why is everyone trying to capture you? And what is your strange connection with this 21st-century prehistoric monster?

THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST by Rick Yancey (Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)
These are the secrets I have kept. This is the trust I never betrayed. But he is dead now and has been for more than forty years, the one who gave me his trust, the one for whom I kept these secrets. The one who saved me...and the one who cursed me.

So begins the journal of Will Henry, orphaned assistant to Dr. Pellinore War throp, a man with a most unusual specialty: monstrumology, the study of monsters. In his time with the doctor, Will has met many a mysterious late-night visitor, and seen things he never imagined were real. But when a grave robber comes calling in the middle of the night with a gruesome find, he brings with him their most deadly case yet.

Critically acclaimed author Rick Yancey has written a gothic tour de force that explores the darkest heart of man and monster and asks the question: When does a man become the very thing he hunts?


Paperback

NATION by Terry Pratchett (HarperCollins)
When a giant wave destroys his village, Mau is the only one left. Daphne --- a traveler from the other side of the globe --- is the sole survivor of a shipwreck. Separated by language and customs, the two are united by catastrophe. Slowly, they are joined by other refugees. And as they struggle to protect the small band, Mau and Daphne defy ancestral spirits, challenge death himself, and uncover a long-hidden secret that literally turns the world upside down.
- Click here to read our review of and an excerpt from NATION.

PAPER TOWNS by John Green (Speak)
Likable Quentin Jacobsen has yearned for his vibrant neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman, since they were kids. So imagine his ecstasy when she lures him into a middle-of-the night adventure…and his pain when she vanishes. Finding Margo becomes Q's quest in an irresistible plot combining a friendship tale, a road trip and a mystery.
Click here to read our review of and an excerpt from PAPER TOWNS.

WONDROUS STRANGE by Lesley Livingston (HarperTeen)
Since the dawn of time, the Faerie have taken. . . .

Seventeen-year-old actress Kelley Winslow always thought faeries were just something from childhood stories. Then she meets Sonny Flannery. He's a changeling --- a mortal taken as an infant and raised among Faerie --- and within short order he's turned Kelley's heart inside out and her life upside down.

For Kelley's beloved Central Park isn't just a park --- it's a gateway between her ordinary city and the Faerie's dangerous, bewitching Otherworld. Now Kelley's eyes are opening not just to the Faerie that surround her, but to the heritage that awaits her . . . a destiny both wondrous and strange.

Labels: New Releases

We all need an escape from the real world every now and then and this week's roundup of new releases offers just that, promising to transport us to different centuries, dimensions and even alternate realities. These fourteen titles serve up a healthy dose fantasy ---- like ONE WITCH by Carolyn MacCullough and FOREST BORN by Shannon Hale --- not to mention a few supernatural and paranormal tales --- LILLY DALE: CONNECTING by Wendy Corsi Staub and DEMON CHICK by Marilyn Kaye --- plus some juicy works historical fiction, such as THE SILVER BLADE by Sally Gardner and TIME OF THE WITCHES by Anna Myers. Sarah Miller's THE OTHER GIRL will give you the opportunity to get inside someone else's head --- literally! --- while THE CUPCAKE QUEEN by Heather Hepler and RUNNING ON THE CRACKS by Julia Donaldson provide more of a grounded, but equally entertaining getaway.

New Releases for September 14th

Hardcover

ONCE A WITCH by Carolyn MacCullough (Clarion Books)
Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search --- and the stranger --- will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all. This is a spellbinding display of storytelling that will exhilarate, enthrall, and thoroughly enchant.


New Releases for September 15th

Hardcover

CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER by Michelle Moran (Crown)
The marriage of Marc Antony and Cleopatra is one of the greatest love stories of all time, a tale of unbridled passion with earth-shaking political consequences. Feared and hunted by the powers in Rome, the lovers choose to die by their own hands as the triumphant armies of Antony’s revengeful rival, Octavian, sweep into Egypt. Their three orphaned children are taken in chains to Rome; only two --- the ten-year-old twins Selene and Alexander --– survive the journey. Delivered to the household of Octavian’s sister, the siblings cling to each other and to the hope that they will return one day to their rightful place on the throne of Egypt. As they come of age, they are buffeted by the personal ambitions of Octavian’s family and court, by the ever-present threat of slave rebellion, and by the longings and desires deep within their own hearts.

Selene’s narrative is animated by the concerns of a young girl in any time and place --– the possibility of finding love, the pull of friendship and family, and the pursuit of her unique interests and talents. While coping with the loss of both her family and her ancestral kingdom, Selene must find a path around the dangers of a foreign land. Her accounts of life in Rome are filled with historical details that vividly capture both the glories and horrors of the times. She dines with the empire’s most illustrious poets and politicians, witnesses the creation of the Pantheon, and navigates the colorful, crowded marketplaces of the city where Roman-style justice is meted out with merciless authority.

DEMON CHICK by Marilyn Kaye (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)
Jessica may not have the warmest relationship with her mother, aspiring presidential candidate Margaret Hunsucker, but it still comes as a shock when she discovers that her mother has sold her to the devil. Will she have to spend eternity in hell with one of Satan’s minions, a demon named Brad? Brad takes pains to explain that they live in one of hell’s better neighborhoods, and he seems like a nice enough guy --- but still! And things only get worse when Jessica learns the full extent of her mother’s evil plans. Can she and Brad come up with a plan to save the world?

GIVE UP THE GHOST by Megan Crewe (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)
Cass McKenna much prefers ghosts over “breathers.” Ghosts are uncomplicated and dependable, and they know the dirt on everybody…and Cass loves dirt. She’s on a mission to expose the dirty secrets of the poseurs in her school.

But when the vice president of the student council discovers her secret, Cass’s whole scheme hangs in the balance. Tim wants her to help him contact his recently deceased mother, and Cass reluctantly agrees.

As Cass becomes increasingly entwined in Tim’s life, she’s surprised to realize he’s not so bad --- and he needs help more desperately than anyone else suspects. Maybe it’s time to give the living another chance….

RUNNING ON THE CRACKS by Julia Donaldson (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)
Leo’s running from her past. Finlay’s running into trouble. Together, they stumble into a crazy new world of secrets, lies, and Chinese food.

But someone is on Leo’s trail . . . Eccentric, unforgettable characters and genuine, heart-pounding suspense make for a stunning combination as celebrated author Julia Donaldson expands her talents in her first novel for young adults.

TIME OF THE WITCHES by Anna Myers (Walker Books for Young Readers)
An orphan named Drucilla has finally has a place to call home with the Putnam family in Salem. Although her adopted mother is strange --- haunted by a troubled past --- Dru feels drawn to her as the mother she never had. When a new reverend and his family move into town with their servant Tituba, life takes a strange turn as young girls begin to fall ill and accusations of witchcraft begin to swirl. Reluctant to turn her back on the Putnams or her peers and overwhelmed by the power of groupthink among the other girls in town, Dru becomes one of the accusers herself. But when her best friend Gabe is accused, she must find a way to end the hysteria, or risk losing him forever.

THE BOOKS OF BAYERN: FOREST BORN by Shannon Hale (Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books)
Rin is sure that something is wrong with her…something really bad. Something that is keeping her from feeling at home in the Forest homestead where she’s lived all her life. Something that is keeping her from trusting herself with anyone at all. When her brother Razo returns from the city for a visit, she accompanies him to the palace, hoping that she can find peace away from home. But war has come to Bayern again, and Rin is compelled to join the queen and her closest allies --- magical girls Rin thinks of as the Fire Sisters --- as they venture into the Forest toward Kel, the land where someone seems to want them all dead. Many beloved Bayern characters reappear in this story, but it is Rin’s own journey of discovering how to balance the good and the bad in herself that drives this compelling adventure.

MIDVALE ACADEMY: THE OTHER GIRL: A Midvale Academy Novel, by Sarah Miller (St. Martin's Press)
Molly McGarry is about to learn that the only thing more traumatizing than spending six months trapped in your boyfriend’s head is being stuck inside your ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend’s head. After Molly dumps Gideon because she thinks he’s lusting after some one else, a game of spin the bottle leads to a kiss between Gideon and the beautiful, sexy Pilar Benitez-Jones. Somehow, the kiss knocks Molly out of Gideon’s head --- and right into Pilar’s. Now she’s desperate to get Gid back. She uses all her “superpower” to try come between Pilar and Gid, but instead of breaking them up, she seems to be bringing them closer together. Can she stand to be at school with Gid and at the same time be inside the mind of the girl he moved on with? How does Molly win back Gid without letting him know what’s going on? And how on earth is she ever going to get out of Pilar’s head...?

Paperback

BOOK OF A THOUSAND DAYS by Shannon Hale (Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books)
When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years for Saren’s refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment.

As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable. But the arrival outside the tower of Saren’s two suitors --- one welcome, and the other decidedly less so --- brings both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows.

With Shannon Hale’s lyrical language, this forgotten but classic fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm is reimagined and reset on the central Asian steppes; it is a completely unique retelling filled with adventure and romance, drama and disguise.
- Click here to read our review of BOOK OF A THOUSAND DAYS.

LILY DALE CONNECTING by Wendy Corsi Staub (Walker Books for Young Readers)
Now that Calla has accepted her ability to communicate with the Other Side, she’s desperate to connect with the one spirit whose energy she can’t seem to feel anywhere: her late mother. As ominous supernatural signs imply that the devastating loss might not have been an accident, Calla sets out to uncover the truth, convinced that a shadowy stranger may hold the key. But she gets more than she bargained for when she stumbles across a shocking secret about her mom’s past --- one that will change Calla’s own future forever.
- Click here to read our review of LILY DALE


New Releases for September 17th

Hardcover

THE CUPCAKE QUEEN by Heather Hepler (Dutton Juvenile)
A confection of a novel, combining big city sophistication with small-town charm.

When her mother moves them from the city to a small town to open up a cupcake bakery, Penny’s life isn’t what she expected. Her father has stayed behind, and Mom isn’t talking about what the future holds for their family. And then there’s Charity, the girl who plays mean pranks almost daily. There are also bright spots in Hog’s Hollowlike Tally, an expert in Rock Paper Scissors, and Marcus, the boy who is always running on the beach. But just when it looks as though Penny is settling in, her parents ask her to make a choice that will turn everything upside down again. A sweet novel about love, creativity, and accepting life’s unexpected turns.

THE SILVER BLADE by Sally Gardner (Dial Books for Young Readers)
A stirring tale of magic and revolution --- fans of THE RED NECKLACE won't want to miss it.

The year is 1794. With his beloved Sido safely in England and the Reign of Terror at its height, mysterious Yann returns to revolutionary France to smuggle out aristocratic refugees who will otherwise face the guillotine. But while the two are apart, Yann’s Gypsy origins prejudice Sido’s guardian against their marriage, thwarting their longed-for reunion. When Sido is kidnapped under strange circumstances, however, Yann must use all his strength and courage to outwit the evil Count Kalliovski, rescue Sido, and help save all of France.

As she did in THE RED NECKLACE and the award-winning I, CORIANDER, Sally Gardner spins an epic tale that combines a vivid sense of history, characters full of Dickensian drama and fascination, and a sizzling adventure with touches of magic and romance.

Paperback

MARCH TOWARD THE THUNDER by Joseph Bruchac (Speak)
Louis Nolette, a fifteen-year-old Abenaki Indian from Canada, is recruited to fight in the northern Irish Brigade in the Civil War. Though he is too young, and neither American nor Irish, he finds the promise of good wages and the fight to end slavery persuasive enough to join up. But war is never what you expect, and as Louis fights his way through battles, he encounters prejudice and acceptance, courage and cowardice, and strong and weak leadership in the most unexpected places.

THE RED NECKLACE by Sally Gardner (Speak)
A mysterious gypsy boy, Yann Margoza, and his guardian, a dwarf, work for the magician Topolain in 1789. On the night of Topolain’s death, Yann’s life truly begins. That’s when he meets Sido, an heiress with a horrible father. An attachment is born that will determine both their paths. Revolution is afoot in France, and Sido is being used as a pawn. Only Yann will dare to rescue her from a fearful villain named Count Kalliovski. It will take all of Yann’s newly discovered talent to unravel the mysteries of Sido’s past and his own and to fight the devilish count.

Labels: New Releases

We have quite a juicy roundup of new releases to share with you today, brimming with more than 20 new titles that range from the works of YA heavyweights like Avi, Patricia McCormick, Darren Shan and Suzanne Collins to those of inspiring debut authors like Max Turner, Malinda Lo, and Jennifer Brown. The Teenreads staff will be on hiatus this week until after Labor Day, so we hope this jam-packed list will leave you with enough book fodder to tide you over until you hear from us again next Tuesday. In the mean time, happy reading!


New Releases for September 1st

Hardcover

ASH by Malinda Lo (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.

The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash's capacity for love --- and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.

Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, ASH is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.

THE DEVIL’S KISS by Sarwat Chadda (Disney-Hyperion)
As the youngest and only female member of the Knights Templar, Bilquis SanGreal grew up knowing she wasn't normal. Instead of hanging out at the mall or going on dates, she spends her time training as a soldier in her order's ancient battle against the Unholy.

Billi's cloistered life is blasted apart when her childhood friend, Kay, returns from Jerusalem, gorgeous and with a dangerous chip on his shoulder. He's ready to reclaim his place in Billi's life, but she's met someone new: amber-eyed Michael, who seems to understand her like no one else, effortlessly claiming a stake in her heart.

But the Templars are called to duty before Billi can enjoy the pleasant new twist to her life. One of the order's ancient enemies has resurfaced, searching for a treasure that the Templars have protected for hundreds of years --- a cursed mirror powerful enough to kill all of London's firstborn. To save her city from catastrophe, Billi will have to put her heart aside and make sacrifices greater than any of the Templars could have imagined.

HATE LIST by Jennifer Brown (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.

Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.

THE HOLLOW by Jessica Verday (Simon Pulse)
When Abbey's best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is dead, and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. Then she meets Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen's funeral, and keeps reappearing in Abbey's life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he's the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again...but also special.

Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen's betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her --- one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian, as well as her own sanity.

HOW TO STEAL A CAR by Pete Hautman (Scholastic Press)
Some girls act out by drinking or doing drugs. Some girls act out by sleeping with guys. Some girls act out by starving themselves or cutting themselves. Some girls act out by being a bitch to other girls.

Not Kelleigh. Kelleigh steals cars.

In HOW TO STEAL A CAR, National Book Award winner Pete Hautman takes teen readers on a thrilling, scary ride through one suburban girl's turbulent life --- one car theft at a time.

THE MILES BETWEEN by Mary E. Pearson (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)
Destiny Faraday makes a point of keeping her distance from her classmates at Hedgebrook Academy. Her number-one rule: Don’t get attached. But one day, unexpectedly finding a car at their disposal, Destiny and three of her classmates embark on an unauthorized road trip.

They’re searching for one fair day --- a day where the good guy wins and everything adds up to something just and right. Their destination: Langdon, a town that Destiny’s unsuspecting companions hope will hold simply a day of fun. But, as Destiny says, “Things are not always what they seem.” Only she knows that Langdon holds far more than that --- a deep secret she has never shared with anyone.

THE MILES BETWEEN explores the wonder and magic of a very real world where chance, mystery, and secrets abound.

MURDER AT MIDNIGHT by Avi (Scholastic Press)
A plot to overthrow King Claudio is brewing in the Kingdom of Pergamontio. Scholarly Mangus the magician -- along with his street-smart and faithful new servant boy, Fabrizio --- have been marked as easy scapegoats for the traitor lurking within the king's court. Together, these two unlikely partners must gather clues to solve the mystery and prove their innocence before the stroke of midnight. . . or face death!

Intricate plotting, surprise twists, and lively prose make for another suspenseful page-turner that stands alone or sets the stage for MIDNIGHT MAGIC!
- Click here to read our review and an excerpt of MURDER AT MIDNIGHT.

NIGHT RUNNER by Max Turner (St. Martin's Griffin)
For Zack Thomson, living in the Nicholls Ward isn't so bad. After his parents died, he developed strange and severe allergies, and the mental institution was the only place where he could be properly looked after. As strange as it was, it was home. He could watch as much television as he wanted; his best friend Charlie visited him often enough; and Nurse Ophelia --- the prettiest no-nonsense nurse ever --- sometimes took him bowling. Of course, that didn't mean he had it easy. His allergies restricted his diet to strawberry smoothies, and being the only kid at the hospital could get lonely. But it never once crossed Zack's mind to leave...until the night someone crashed through the front doors and told him to run. Now he's on a race for answers --- about his past, his parents, and his strange sickness --- even as every step takes him closer to the darkest of truths.

PURPLE HEART by Patricia McCormick (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins)
When Private Matt Duffy wakes up in an army hospital in Iraq, he's honored with a Purple Heart. But he doesn't feel like a hero.There's a memory that haunts him: an image of a young Iraqi boy as a bullet hits his chest. A little boy who'd been Matt's friend. And Matt can't shake the feeling that he was somehow involved in his death. But because of a head injury he sustained just moments after the boy was shot, Matt can't quite put all the pieces together. Eventually Matt is sent back into combat with his squad --- Justin, Wolf, and Charlene --- the soldiers who have become his family during his time in Iraq. He's counting on his buddies to help find out the truth. But in combat, there is no black and white, and Matt soon discovers that the notion of who is guilty is very complicated indeed. National Book Award Finalist Patricia McCormick has written a visceral and compelling portrait of life in a war zone, where loyalty is valued above all, and death is terrifyingly commonplace.

THE TEAR COLLECTOR by Patrick Jones (Walker Books for Young Readers)
Fans of urban fantasy should prepare for a new kind of vampire --- one that feeds off of tears instead of blood. Descended from an ancient line of creatures that gain their energy from human tears, Cassandra Gray depends on human sorrow to live. Only Cass has grown tired of living this life and wants to live like a human, especially now that she's met someone worth fighting for.
- To read Patrick Jones's guest blog, click here.

VIOLA IN REEL LIFE by Adriana Trigiani (HarperTeen)
I'm marooned.

Abandoned.

Left to rot in boarding school . . .

Viola doesn't want to go to boarding school, but somehow she ends up at an all-girls school in South Bend, Indiana, far, far away from her home in Brooklyn, New York. Now Viola is stuck for a whole year in the sherbet-colored sweater capital of the world.

Ick.

There's no way Viola's going to survive the year --- especially since she has to replace her best friend Andrew with three new roommates who, disturbingly, actually seem to like it there. She resorts to viewing the world (and hiding) behind the lens of her video camera.

Boarding school, though, and her roommates and even the Midwest are nothing like she thought they would be, and soon Viola realizes she may be in for the most incredible year of her life.

But first she has to put the camera down and let the world in.

THE CIRCLE OF GOLD: The Book of Time III by Guillaume Prevost (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic)
Sam rescued his father from Dracula's castle, but that doesn't mean their troubles are over. Now Allan Faulkner lies in a coma in the Sainte-Mary hospital, tossing about and muttering aloud about saving Sam's late mother. Sam has no choice but to go back in Time to see her. His inability to control his destination, however, means he journeys to ancient China, Renaissance Rome, and even 2025 --- where he sees his own grave! Can Sam prevent this grisly ending and save his mother once and for all?

DAUGHTERS OF THE SEA: HANNAH by Kathryn Lasky (Scholastic Press)
DAUGHTERS OF THE SEA tells the story of 3 mermaid sisters who are separated at birth by a storm and go on to lead three very different lives. Book 1 is about Hannah, who spent her early days in an orphanage and is now a scullery maid in the house of rich, powerful family. She is irresistibly drawn to the sea and through a series of accidents and encounters discovers her true identity. Hannah relizes that she must keep the truth a secret but she also knows that soon she will have to make the choice --- to be a creature of the land or the sea.
- Click here to read our review of and an excerpt from DAUGHTERS OF THE SEA: HANNAH.

SOULSTICE: The Devouring, Book 2 by Simon Holt (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
The terrifying, nail-biting, and grossly intriguing sequel to THE DEVOURING.

It's been six months since Reggie first discovered and fought against the Vours, malicious and demonic beings that inhabit human bodies on the eve of the Winter Solstice.

The Vours still haunt Reggie, but only in her dreams-until one night, when an unexpected visitor turns her nightmares into reality.

CATCHING FIRE by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic Press)
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Paperback

DEATH’S SHADOW: BOOK 7 OF THE DEMONATA SERIES by Darren Shan (Little, Brown Young Readers)
With Beranabus, Grubbs and Kernel off exploring the universe of the Demonata for clues about the Shadow behind the demon invasion, Bec is left behind in Carcery Vale for safekeeping. But with Dervish's health on the decline, Lord Loss knows she's the most vulnerable piece of the Kah-Gash. As hoards of demons, werewolves and zombies advance, Bec needs to figure out how to reach Beranabus with crucial information about the Shadow-fast.
- Click here to read our review of DEATH’S SHADOW.

THE DRAGON HEIR by Cinda Williams Chima (Hyperion Books for Children)
Relationships are tested, strange alliances are made (and broken) and startling secrets are revealed, as THE DRAGON HEIR brings Cinda Williams Chima’s series to a gripping yet bittersweet conclusion that will leave readers wanting to revisit the previous two installments, THE WARRIOR HEIR and THE WIZARD HEIR.
- Click here to read our review of THE DRAGON HEIR.

New Releases for September 3rd

Hardcover

NEWSGIRL by Liza Ketchum (Viking Juvenile)
It’s the spring of 1851 and San Francisco is booming. Twelve-year-old Amelia Forrester has just arrived with her family and they are eager to make a new life in Phoenix City. But the mostly male town is not that hospitable to females and Amelia decides she’ll earn more money as a boy. Cutting her hair and donning a cap, she joins a gang of newsboys, selling Eastern newspapers for a fortune. And that’s just the beginning of her adventures. Participating in the biggest news stories of the day, Amelia is not a girl to let life pass her by --- even and especially when it involves danger!


Paperback

THE SMILE by Donna Jo Napoli (Speak)
In the 1490s, the women of Florence don’t have much say in their lives. Most likely, Elisabetta’s father will arrange a suitable marriage for her when she turns 15. However, an acquaintance of the family, a famous painter named Leonardo da Vinci, introduces Elisabetta to a young man who instantly steals her heart --- and calls her Mona Lisa.
- Click here to read our review of THE SMILE.

DEATH RUN by Jack Higgins with Justin Richards (Speak)
Twins Rich and Jade Chance are on vacation with their father, master spy John Chance --- or so they think. The British government actually sent their father to keep tabs on a Swiss banker who is trying to escape from the Tiger, a ruthless criminal. But the banker is captured and taken to a remote Scottish castle --- along with Rich! Now it’s up to Jade and her father to rescue them. Will they be able to stop the Tiger before Rich’s time runs out?


New Releases for September 7th

Hardcover

CRAZY BEAUTIFUL by Lauren Baratz-Logsted (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
In an explosion of his own making, Lucius blew his arms off. Now he has hooks. He chose hooks because they were cheaper. He chose hooks because he wouldn’t outgrow them so quickly. He chose hooks so that everyone would know he was different, so he would scare even himself.

Then he meets Aurora. The hooks don’t scare her. They don’t keep her away. In fact, they don’t make any difference at all to her.

But to Lucius, they mean everything. They remind him of the beast he is inside. Perhaps Aurora is his Beauty, destined to set his soul free from its suffering.

Or maybe she’s just a girl who needs love just like he does.


New Releases for September 8th

Hardcover

THE GEORGES AND THE JEWELS by Jane Smiley (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
Jane Smiley makes her debut for young readers in this stirring novel set on a California horse ranch in the 1960s. Seventh-grader Abby Lovitt has always been more at ease with horses than with people. Her father insists they call all the mares “Jewel” and all the geldings “George” and warns Abby not to get attached: the horses are there to be sold. But with all the stress at school (the Big Four have turned against Abby and her friends) and home (her brother Danny is gone --- for good, it seems --- and now Daddy won’t speak his name), Abby seeks refuge with the Georges and the Jewels. But there’s one gelding on her family’s farm that gives her no end of trouble: the horse who won’t meet her gaze, the horse who bucks her right off every chance he gets, the horse her father makes her ride and train, every day. She calls him the Ornery George.

MUCHACHO by Louanne Johnson (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
An inspiring YA debut from the author of DANGEROUS MINDS.

Eddie Corazon is angry. He’s also very smart. But he’s working pretty hard at being a juvenile delinquent. He blows off school, even though he’s a secret reader. He hangs with his cousins, who will always back him up --- when they aren’t in jail.

Then along comes Lupe, who makes his blood race. She sees something in Eddie he doesn’t even see in himself. A heart, and a mind, and something more: a poet. But in Eddie’s world, it’s a thin line between tragedy and glory. And what goes down is entirely in Eddie’s hands.

Gripping, thought-provoking, and hopeful, Muchacho is a rare and inspiring story about one teen’s determination to fight his circumstances and shape his own destiny.

ONE OF THE SURVIVORS by Susan Shaw (Margaret K. McElderry/Simon & Schuster)
Anger. Sadness. Rage. Grief. Guilt.

Joey Campbell experiences them all, even though he knows what he should really feel is lucky. Lucky to have survived the fire that burned Village Park High School to the ground. Lucky that his best friend, Maureen, also survived, when no one else in his freshman history class managed to make it out alive.

Writing in a journal provides some solace, but Joey knows that redemption lies with the living. If only the living students and parents didn't blame him for the fire...

Startling, relevant, and honest, Joey's story is simply unforgettable.

RAGE: A Love Story, by Julie Anne Peters (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
Johanna is steadfast, patient, reliable; the go-to girl, the one everyone can count on. But always being there for others can’t give Johanna everything she needs --- it can’t give her Reeve Hartt.

Reeve is fierce, beautiful, wounded, elusive; a flame that draws Johanna’s fluttering moth. Johanna is determined to get her, against all advice, and to help her, against all reason. But love isn’t always reasonable, right?

In the precarious place where attraction and need collide, a teenager experiences the dark side of a first love, and struggles to find her way into a new light.

Paperback

LIVING DEAD GIRL by Elizabeth Scott (Simon Pulse)
When Alice was 10, Ray took her away from her family and friends. She learned to give up all power and endure the pain, and waited for the nightmare to be over. Now Alice is 15 and Ray still has her, but speaks more and more of her death. However, she doesn’t know that he has something more terrifying than death in mind for her.
- Click here to read our review of LIVING DEAD GIRL.

Labels: New Releases

Just in time for the start of the school year, this week’s new releases offer compelling tales of ambition, consequences, and ultimate redemption as everyone is heading back to their desks. Secrets are uncovered as we follow the Faust teenagers to the elite Marlowe School, where they soar to suspicious heights with the help of their benefactor’s extraordinary "gifts" in ANOTHER FAUST. Boarding school girls are clawing their way to the top in ALPHAS, more adventures ensue in the fourth VAMPIRE ACADEMY book, Will and Ernie are struggling with high school jocks in DIARY OF A WITNESS, and David Levithan revisits the tragic September 11th events through the lives of three teens in LOVE IS A HIGHER LAW. What kind of back-to-school trouble will you get yourself into? (We mean with all these detention-worthy reads, of course!)

New Releases for August 25th

Hardcover

ALPHAS by Lisi Harrison (Poppy/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
At OCD the losers are tormented.

At Alpha Academy, they're sent home.

Skye Hamilton has scored an invitation to the ultra-exclusive Alphas --- only boarding school where beta is spelled LBR. What happens when the country's best, brightest, and hawtest begin clawing and scratching their way to the top?
- Click here to read our review of ALPHAS.

ANDROMEDA KLEIN by Frank Portman (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)
Andromeda Klein has a few problems.

Her hair is kind of horrible.

Her partner-in-occultism, Daisy, is dead.

Her secret, estranged, much older and forbidden boyfriend-in-theory, has gone AWOL.

And her mother has learned how to text.

In short, things couldn't get much worse. Until they do. Daisy seems to be attempting to make contact from beyond, books are starting to disappear from the library, and then, strangely and suddenly, Andromeda's tarot readings are beginning to predict events with bizarrely literal accuracy.

Omens are everywhere. Dreams; swords; fires; hidden cards; lost, broken, and dead cell phones . . . and what is Daisy trying to tell her?

In the ensuing struggle of neutral versus evil, it's Andromeda Klein against the world, modern society, demonic forces, and the "friends" of the library.
- Click here to read our review of ANDROMEDA KLEIN, and Frank Portman's guest blog.

ANOTHER FAUST by Daniel and Dina Nayeri (Candlewick)
One night, in cities all across Europe, five children vanish --- only to appear, years later, at an exclusive New York party with a strange and elegant governess. Rumor and mystery follow the Faust teenagers to the city’s most prestigious high school, where they soar to suspicious heights with the help of their benefactor’s extraordinary "gifts." But as the students claw their way up --- reading minds, erasing scenes, stopping time, stealing power, seducing with artificial beauty --- they start to suffer the side effects of their own addictions. And as they make further deals with the devil, they uncover secrets more shocking than their most unforgivable sins. At once chilling and wickedly satirical, this contemporary reimagining of the Faustian bargain is a compelling tale of ambition, consequences, and ultimate redemption.

AS YOU WISH by Jackson Pearce (HarperTeen)
Ever since Viola's boyfriend broke up with her, she has spent her days silently wishing --- to have someone love her again and, more importantly, to belong again --- until one day she inadvertently summons a young genie out of his world and into her own. He will remain until she makes three wishes.

Jinn is anxious to return home, but Viola is terrified of wishing, afraid she will not wish for the right thing, the thing that will make her truly happy. As the two spend time together, the lines between master and servant begin to blur, and soon Jinn can't deny that he's falling for Viola. But it's only after Viola makes her first wish that she realizes she's in love with Jinn as well . . . and that if she wishes twice more, he will disappear from her life --- and her world --- forever.

BLOOD PROMISE: Vampire Academy, Book 4 by Richelle Mead (Razorbill / Penguin)
How far will Rose go to keep her promise?

The recent Strigoi attack at St. Vladimir’s Academy was the deadliest ever in the school’s history, claiming the lives of Moroi students, teachers, and guardians alike. Even worse, the Strigoi took some of their victims with them. . . including Dimitri.

He’d rather die than be one of them, and now Rose must abandon her best friend, Lissa --- the one she has sworn to protect no matter what—and keep the promise Dimitri begged her to make long ago. But with everything at stake, how can she possibly destroy the person she loves most?

DIARY OF A WITNESS by Catherine Ryan Hyde (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
One day, something’s going to snap. . . .

Ernie doesn't have a lot of friends at school. Just Will. They have stuff in common --- like fishing. But more important, they have common enemies: the school jocks, who seem to find bullying just another sport.

For the most part, Ernie and Will take life at high school in stride. Until Will has one very bad day. Now nothing is remotely funny. Ernie finds himself a witness --- to loss, to humiliation, and to Will’s anger --- an anger that’s building each and every moment.

Ernie doesn’t want to believe his best friend is changing, but he can’t deny the truth. Soon he has a choice: join or die. Or can he find another way?

THE LAST APPRENTICE: CLASH OF THE DEMONS by Joseph Delaney (Greenwillow Books)
As the Spook's apprentice, Thomas Ward's first duty is to protect the County from ghosts, boggarts, and other dangerous creatures. But now his mother has come back from her homeland to seek his help. One of the most dangerous of the old witches, Ordeen, is about to return to earth, bringing with her suffering and devastation. Tom's mother has mustered a powerful army --- including Tom's friend Alice, the Pendle witches, and the assassin Grimalkin --- to confront Ordeen. If Tom joins them, the Spook will refuse to take Tom back as his apprentice. What sacrifices will be made in the battle against the dark?

LOVE IS THE HIGHER LAW by David Levithan (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
First there is a Before, and then there is an After....

The lives of three teens --- Claire, Jasper, and Peter --- are altered forever on September 11, 2001. Claire, a high school junior, has to get to her younger brother in his classroom. Jasper, a college sophomore from Brooklyn, wakes to his parents' frantic calls from Korea, wondering if he's okay. Peter, a classmate of Claire's, has to make his way back to school as everything happens around him.

Here are three teens whose intertwining lives are reshaped by this catastrophic event. As each gets to know the other, their moments become wound around each other's in a way that leads to new understandings, new friendships, and new levels of awareness for the world around them and the people close by.

David Levithan has written a novel of loss and grief, but also one of hope and redemption as his characters slowly learn to move forward in their lives, despite being changed forever.

POP by Gordon Korman (HarperTeen)
When Marcus moves to a new town in the dead of summer, he doesn't know a soul. While practicing football for impending tryouts, he strikes up an unlikely friendship with an older man. Charlie is a charismatic prankster—and the best football player Marcus has ever seen. He can't believe his good luck when he finds out that Charlie is actually Charlie Popovich, or "the King of Pop," as he had been nicknamed during his career as an NFL linebacker. But that's not all. There is a secret about Charlie that his family is desperate to hide.

When Marcus begins school, he meets the starting quarterback on the team: Troy Popovich. Right from the beginning, Marcus and Troy disagree—about football, about Troy's ex-girlfriend, Alyssa, but most of all about what's good for Charlie. Marcus is betting that he knows what's best for the King of Pop. And he is willing to risk everything to help his friend.

SENT by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Simon & Schuster)
"I think it's probably safe to say, given when you should have landed, that you're...um..."

"Tell me!"

"I think, right now, you're the king of England."

Thirteen-year-olds Jonah and Chip are reeling from the news that they're both missing children from history, kidnapped from their proper time period. Before they can fully absorb this revelation, a time purist named JB zaps Chip and another boy, Alex, back to the fifteenth century, where they supposedly belong. Determined not to lose their friends, Jonah and his sister, Katherine, grab Chip's arms just as he's being sent away. The result? Jonah and Katherine also end up in the fifteenth century, where they decidedly do not belong.

Chip's true identity is Edward V, king of England, and Alex is his younger brother, Richard, Duke of York. But Chip is convinced that his uncle, Richard of Gloucester, plans to kill them and seize the throne for himself.

JB promises that if the kids can "fix time," he will allow them to return to the present day. But how can they possibly return home safely when history claims that Chip and Alex were murdered?

In a riveting tale that climaxes on the battlefield at Bosworth, master storyteller Margaret Peterson Haddix brings readers back in time to an unforgettable moment in history and plunges them into the adventure of a lifetime.

SHOOTING STAR by Fredrick McKissack Jr. (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster)
Jomo Rodgers finished his first year on varsity hearing "if onlys," as in, if only he were bigger.

His talent on the field is easy to spot, and local papers and college recruiters are taking notice. But with his best friend on speed dial for recruiters at big-time college programs, and treated like a king at football-crazy Cranmer Academy, Jomo decides he wants to be more than merely good, he wants to be the real deal...now.

Taking his coach's lecture about commitment to heart, Jomo plunges into a new workout regimen that will make him stronger and faster. But is that enough? A little juice --- as in steroids --- might be the difference between being good and being great. It's an easy choice...that is about to make his life a whole lot harder.

TOMBSTONE TEA by Joanne Dahme (Running Press Kids)
In order to be accepted by the “in crowd” at her new high school, Jamie accepts a dare to spend one night in a local cemetery collecting rubbings from ten gravestones. Once inside the gate of the dark and frightening burial ground, Jamie meets Paul, a handsome boy who works as a caretaker at the cemetery. Paul explains to Jamie about Tombstone Tea: a fund-raising performance in which actors impersonate the people buried in the cemetery. The actors are supposedly rehearsing on this particular evening, but Jamie quickly discovers that they aren’t actors at all but the ghosts of men and women buried in the cemetery. When one woman decides to adopt Jamie to replace her lost daughter, our heroine fears she may never escape the cemetery.
- Click here to read our review of TOMBSTONE TEA.

TRICKS by Ellen Hopkins (Margaret K. McElderry/Simon & Schuster)
Five teenagers from different parts of the country. Three girls. Two guys. Four straight. One gay. Some rich. Some poor. Some from great families. Some with no one at all. All living their lives as best they can, but all searching...for freedom, safety, community, family, love. What they don't expect, though, is all that can happen when those powerful little words "I love you" are said for all the wrong reasons.

Five moving stories remain separate at first, then interweave to tell a larger, powerful story --- a story about making choices, taking leaps of faith, falling down, and growing up. A story about kids figuring out what sex and love are all about, at all costs, while asking themselves, "Can I ever feel okay about myself?"


Paperback

THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS by E. Lockhart (Hyperion Books for Children)
Frankie Landau-Banks at age 14:
Debate Club.
Her father's "bunny rabbit."
A mildly geeky girl attending a highly competitive boarding school.

Frankie Landau-Banks at age 15:
A knockout figure.
A sharp tongue.
A chip on her shoulder.
And a gorgeous new senior boyfriend: the supremely goofy, word-obsessed Matthew Livingston.

Frankie Landau-Banks.
No longer the kind of girl to take "no" for an answer.
Especially when "no" means she's excluded from her boyfriend's all-male secret society.
Not when her ex-boyfriend shows up in the strangest of places.
Not when she knows she's smarter than any of them.
When she knows Matthew's lying to her.
And when there are so many, many pranks to be done.

Frankie Landau-Banks, at age 16:
Possibly a criminal mastermind.
This is the story of how she got that way.
- Click here to read our review and an excerpt of THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU BANKS.

JET SET by Carrie Karasyov and Jill Kargman (HarperTeen)
I'm Lucy Peterson, and let me tell you --- I don't fit in at my new boarding school in Switzerland at all. Caviar at every meal, white-tie affairs (because black-tie is so last season), trips to Geneva to pick up the latest couture, and real live royals lurking around every corner? None of that is really my speed. I'm just your average American teen, here on scholarship, ready to kick some academic and tennis butt so I can have my pick of Ivy League colleges.

Only now I'm falling all over myself to impress my crush, who just happens to be a prince, I've gotten myself tangled up in a tabloid disaster --- literally --- and the "It" clique on campus has decided that I am worthy of their evil scorn. What have I gotten myself into?

KINGDOM KEEPERS II: DISNEY AT DAWN by Ridley Pearson (Disney – Hyperion)
It's supposed to be a happy day at the Magic Kingdom --- the return of the teenaged holographic hosts. But things go very wrong when a sudden lightning storm disrupts the celebration, and Amanda's mysterious sister, Jez, disappears. The only clue is the sighting of a wild monkey in the Magic Kingdom during the storm.
- Click here to read our review and an excerpt of DISNEY AT DAWN.

THE LAND OF THE SILVER APPLES by Nancy Farmer (Atheneum)
THE LAND OF THE SILVER APPLES, Nancy Farmer's sequel to THE SEA OF TROLLS, continues the adventures of Jack, an apprentice bard and his companions as they travel underground to the Hollow Road in search of the faerie realm.
- Click here to read our review of THE LAND OF SILVER APPLES.

SPIRIT by J. P Hightman (HarperTeen)
Seventeen-year-old ghost hunters Tess and Tobias spend their days and nights searching for the paranormal in the cold, dark heart of the Victorian era --- an age of black clothes and black moods. Their latest investigation has them seeking the truth about a couple that was murdered two centuries earlier during the Salem witch trials. But in all their adventures, Tess and Tobias have never before encountered a force as evil as the one that awaits them in Salem. . . .

UP ALL NIGHT by Peter Abrahams, Libby Bray, David Levithan,
Patricia McCormick, Sarah Weeks, Gene Luen Yang, and Ariel Pollak (HarperTeen)
Six great writers equal six fantastic short stories in this flawless collection of tales dealing with encounters of the world of sleepless nights. Each story has a different twist for situations that people experience as they skip sleep and struggle through the night.
- Click here to read our review of UP ALL NIGHT.

New Releases for August 26th

Paperback

THE DEBS by Susan McBride (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)
LAURA DELACROIX BELL --- this dazzling trust fund girl’s size 14 figure doesn’t stop her from attracting the sexiest scoundrel in town, or the admiring eye of the Glass Slipper Club. However, a salacious secret could take her out of the running.

Michelle “Mac” Mackenzie --- brainy, cynical, and maybe a tad judgmental, Mac would rather bury her nose in a good book than embrace her deb destiny. But being a debutante was her late mother’s dream.

Ginger Fore --- this adorable tree-hugger wants to wear her grandmother’s vintage ball gown instead of splurging on an expensive dress. Yet when she gets tangled up with an older guy, Ginger will have plenty more to think about.

Jo-Lynn Bidwill --- a former child beauty queen, Jo-Lynn is a bitchy vamp who makes it her mission in life to take out the debu-trash. And Jo-Lynn’s sights are set on Laura Bell.

Labels: New Releases

In case you're in search of a late-season beach read or an excuse to put off those dreaded summer reading assignments for just a little bit longer, this week's new releases offers five escapist novels packed with everything from family skeletons, a sweeping 13th century romance, a hippie colony in the mountains, and of course... zombies!

New Releases for August 18th

Hardcovers

BREATHLESS by Jessica Warman (Walker Books for Young Readers)
When Katie Kitrell is shipped off to boarding school by her distant father and overbearing mother, it doesn’t take her long to become part of the It Crowd. She’s smart, she’s cute, and she’s an Olympic-bound swimmer who has a first class ticket to any Ivy League school of her choice. But what her new friends, roommate, and boyfriend don’t know is that Katie is swimming away from her past, and from her schizophrenic older brother, Will, who won’t let her go. And when he does the unthinkable, it’s all Katie can do to keep her head above water.

KARMA FOR BEGINNERS by Jessica Blank (Disney-Hyperion)
Fourteen-year-old Tessa has never had a normal life. Her mother, a frustrated hippie with awful taste in men, has seen to that. But when her mom pulls her out of school to live at an ashram in the Catskills, Tessa goes from being a freak among normal people to being an outcast among freaks. Freaks who worship an orange robe-wearing guru. And while her mom is buzzing with spiritual energy, and finding a little too much favor with the guru, all Tessa feels are weird vibes.

Unless she's with Colin, the gorgeous boy who fixes trucks for the ashram. The connection they share is the most spiritual thing Tessa has ever felt. But he's older --- like illegally older --- and Tessa's taking dangerous risks to spend time with him. Soon her life is blooming into a psychedelic web of secrets and lies and it's clear that something's about to give way. When it does, will she have anyone to hold on to? Will she even know herself?

TROUBADOR by Mary Hoffman (Bloomsbury USA)
A story of persecution and poetry, love and war set in 13th century Southern France. As crusaders sweep through the country, destroying all those who do not follow their religion, Bertrand risks his life to warn others of the invasion. As a troubadour, Bertrand can travel without suspicion from castle to castle, passing word about the coming danger. In the meantime Elinor, a young noblewoman, in love with Bertrand, leaves her comfortable home and family and becomes a troubadour herself. Danger encircles them both, as the rising tide of bloodshed threatens the fabric of the society in which they live.


Paperback

NEVER SLOW DANCE WITH A ZOMBIE (Tor)
Principal Taft's 3 Simple Rules for Surviving a Zombie Uprising:

Rule #1: While in the halls, walk slowly and wear a vacant expression on your face. Zombies won't attack other zombies.

Rule #2: Never travel alone. Move in packs. Follow the crowd. Zombies detest blatant displays of individuality.

Rule #3: If a zombie should attack, do not run. Instead, throw raw steak at to him. Zombies love raw meat. This display of kindness will go a long way.

On the night of her middle school graduation, Margot Jean Johnson wrote a high school manifesto detailing her goals for what she was sure would be a most excellent high school career. She and her best friend, Sybil, would be popular and, most important, have boyfriends. Three years later, they haven't accomplished a thing!

Then Margot and Sybil arrive at school one day to find that most of the student body has been turned into flesh-eating zombies. When kooky Principal Taft asks the girls to coexist with the zombies until the end of the semester, they realize that this is the perfect opportunity to live out their high school dreams. All they have to do is stay alive....


New Release for August 20th

Hardcover

LIVING ON IMPULSE by Cara Haycak (Dutton)
Mia Morrow is impulsive, plain and simple. While her friends are concerned with grades and colleges, Mia would rather focus on the things that make her happy --- like chasing boys or snatching something off a department store shelf. No big deal, right? But then Mia gets caught shoplifting, and her thoughtless behavior doesn’t just push her friends away, it gets her into a lot of trouble, too. In this eye-opening tale of friendships, family, and negative impulses, Cara Haycak subtly shows that the power to heal is within all of us, and it almost always starts with forgiveness.

Labels: New Releases

There's no shortage of interesting characters in this week's new releases, where you'll encounter a high school debutante, a Danish prince with a lot on his plate, an otherwise good girl who just did a very bad thing, a first-year psych major with boyfriend issues, some stranded sailors, a young girl fighting against an unfortunate (to say the least) family curse, and more.


New Releases for August 11th

Hardcover
AFTER by Amy Efaw (Viking)
An infant left in the trash to die. A teenage mother who never knew she was pregnant . . .

Before That Morning, these were the words most often used to describe straight-A student and star soccer player Devon Davenport: responsible, hardworking, mature. But all that changes when the police find Devon home sick from school as they investigate the case of an abandoned baby. Soon the connection is made --- Devon has just given birth; the baby in the trash is hers. After That Morning, there’s only one way to define Devon: attempted murderer.

HAMLET by John Marsden (Candlewick Press)
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark, but Hamlet can’t be sure what’s causing the stench. His rage at his mother’s infidelities --- together with his greed for the sensual Ophelia and his dead father’s call to revenge a "murder most foul" --- have his mind in chaos, and he wants to scatter his traitorous uncle’s insides across the fields. But was it really his father’s ghost that night on the ramparts, or a hell-fiend sent to trick him? "Action is hot," he tells Ophelia, who lives shut up in a tower with her longings and lust. "Action is courage, and reflection is cowardly. Picking up the knife has the colors of truth. As soon as I hesitate. . . ." In this dark, erotically charged, beautifully crafted novel, John Marsden brings one of Shakespeare’s most riveting characters to full-blooded life in a narrative of intense psychological complexity.

PSYCH MAJOR SYNDROME by Alicia Thompson (Disney-Hyperion)
Using the skills you've learned so far in Introduction to Psychology, please write a brief self-assessment describing how things are going in your freshman year. Presenting Concerns: The Patient, Leigh Nolan (that would be me), has just started her first year at Stiles College. She has decided to major in psychology (even though her parents would rather she study Tarot cards, not Rorschach blots).

Patient has always been very good at helping her friends with their problems, but when it comes to solving her own...not so much.

Patient has a tendency to over-analyze things, particularly when the opposite sex is involved. Like why doesn't Andrew, her boyfriend of over a year, ever invite her to spend the night? Or why can't she commit to taking the next step in their relationship? And why does his roommate Nathan dislike her so much? More importantly, why did Nathan have a starring role in a much-more-than-friendly dream?

Aggravating factors include hyper-competitive fellow psych majors, a professor who's badly in need of her own psychoanalysis, and mentoring a middle-school-aged girl who thinks Patient is, in a word, naive. Diagnosis: Psych Major Syndrome

ROSIE & SKATE by Beth Ann Bauman (Wendy Lamb)
It's off-season at the Jersey shore, when the boardwalk belongs to the locals. Rosie is 15 and her sister Skate is 16. Their dad, an amiable drunk, is spending a few weeks in jail while their cousin Angie looks after them in their falling-down Victorian on the beach. Skate and her boyfriend Perry are madly in love, inseparable --- until now, when Perry goes off to Rutgers. Rosie is shyer than Skate, but she’s drawn to Nick, a boy in their Alateen group. What happens to Rosie and Skate in a few tumultuous weeks is deftly shaded, complex, and true. Readers will be caught up in each girl’s shifting feelings as the story plays out within the embrace of their warmhearted community.

WHEN THE SNOW FELL by Henning Mankell (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)
Joel Gustafson’s journey toward becoming a man continues.

As it has in the past, the first snow of the year signifies to Joel Gustafson his very own New Year’s Eve. So when the snow begins to fall on a cold November day, Joel gets busy making new resolutions --- three, to be exact.

As the winter days pass, life becomes ever more complicated. Joel has questions and the answers don’t necessarily come easily, but he is determined to keep his resolutions --- for his father, for himself, and for their future.

In this companion novel to A BRIDGE TO THE STARS and SHADOWS IN THE TWILIGHT, readers follow Joel’s journey as he realizes along the way that it will require determination, strength, and valor to truly become a man.

Paperback

IMPOSSIBLE by Nancy Werlin (Speak)
Inspired by the ballad “Scarborough Fair,” this riveting novel combines suspense, fantasy, and romance for an intensely page-turning and masterfully original tale.

Lucy Scarborough is 17 when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or fall into madness upon their child’s birth. Unless she can complete these tasks, Lucy will go mad, just like her mother and all the Scarborough women before her. But Lucy is the first girl who won’t be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents and her childhood friend Zach beside her. As they struggle to make sense of the puzzle in the ballad and play by the dangerously important rules, time is slipping away and Lucy’s fate hangs in the balance. Do they have love and strength enough to overcome an age-old evil?

LESSONS FROM A DEAD GIRL by Jo Knowles (Candlewick)
Leah Greene is dead. For Laine, knowing what really happened and the awful feeling that she is, in some way, responsible set her on a journey of painful self-discovery. Yes, she wished for this. She hated Leah that much. Hated her for all the times in the closet, when Leah made her do those things. They were just practicing, Leah said. But why did Leah choose her? Was she special, or just easy to control? And why didn’t Laine make it stop sooner? In the aftermath of the tragedy, Laine is left to explore the devastating lessons Leah taught her, find some meaning in them, and decide whether she can forgive Leah and, ultimately, herself.

A BRIDGE TO THE STARS by Henning Mankell (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)
Two things are hard for Joel Gustafson to cope with: not knowing why, and not being able to do anything about it. Joel’s father was once a sailor who lived by the sea. Joel’s mother once lived with them. Joel’s father abandoned the sea. Joel’s mother abandoned Joel and his father.

While looking out his window one night, Joel sees a lonely dog on the street. Joel spots the animal again and begins sneaking out night after night, trying to find it. During these nocturnal outings, Joel discovers aspects of life he has never imagined. And then one night he discovers that his father’s bed, too, is empty.

As Joel investigates his father’s mysterious absences and continues to search for the dog, he discovers his own inner strength and learns about adult disappointments and needs.

THE DEBUTANTE by Kathryn Williams (Hyperion)
Annie McRae has her whole senior year planned out. Early acceptance to Brown University, a field hockey scholarship to pay the bills, and days spent with her best friend Jamie and her boyfriend Jake. It is going to be perfect. Then her parents ruin it all by moving--to Alabama. Now, Annie finds herself in an unfamiliar world where she isn't even sure she speaks the same language. To top it off, she discovers that if she ever wants to escape back to her comfortable Yankee life, she will have to become a debutante. As in white-dress-wearing, perfect-manners-practicing, curtsying girly-girl. Fighting every step of the way, Annie spends the year learning to be a lady. Along the way, she discovers that friends can come from the most unlikely of places and that change is not always a bad thing...

THE CASTAWAYS: The Curse of the Jolly Stone Trilogy, Book III by Iain Lawrence
(Laurel Leaf)
The spirited adventure that began in THE CONVICTS and continued in THE CANNIBALS has its riveting conclusion in THE CASTAWAYS --- in which Tom Tin and his four convict companions save two sailors stranded on an iceberg. There’s Mr. Beezley, with his tattooed hands and icy stare; and Mr. Moyle, with his pig-like face and rotten teeth, who supposedly eats children. As Tom grows wary of the men, he suspects they are plotting to get rid of him. But
how? And if Tom and the other boys can’t stop the sailors, will they ever make it home to England, where Tom’s diamond remains buried, and where he still stands a chance of sorting out his tangled fate?

Labels: New Releases

This week's roundup of new releases brings us a real mixed bag --- we've got a few gritty coming-of-age novels, some fiction of the paranormal variety, a couple of romances and thrillers, and new installments of some of your favorite series. Also, be sure to check out a new line of memoirs from HCI Teens called Louder Than Words, in which real teens authors share their very real --- and rather heart-breaking --- stories. The first three are available today.


New Releases for August 1st

Hardcover

FADE TO BLUE by Sean Beaudoin (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Sophie Blue started wearing a black skirt and Midnight Noir lipstick on her last birthday. It was also the day her father disappeared. Or spontaneously combusted. Which is sort of bad timing, since a Popsicle truck with tinted windows has started circling the house.

Kenny Fade is a basketball god. His sneakers cost more than his Jeep. He's the guy all the ladies (and their mommas) want. Bad.

Sophie Blue and Kenny Fade don't have a thing in common. Aside from being reasonably sure they're losing their minds.

Acclaimed author Sean Beaudoin's wildly innovative novel combines uproarious humor with enough plot twists to fill a tube sock. Part thriller, part darkly comic philosophical discussion, and accompanied by a comic book interstitial, FADE TO BLUE is a whip-smart romp that keeps readers guessing until the last paragraph.

PROPHECY OF THE SISTERS by Michelle Link (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
An ancient prophecy divides two sisters ---

One good... One evil.... Who will prevail?

Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets.

Lia and Alice don't know whom they can trust. They just know they can't trust each other.

RUINED: A Ghost Story, by Paula Morris (Point/Scholastic)
Rebecca couldn't feel more out of place in New Orleans, where she comes to spend the year while her dad is traveling. She's staying in a creepy old house with her aunt. And at the snooty prep school, the filthy-rich girls treat Rebecca like she's invisible. Only gorgeous, unavailable Anton Grey seems to give Rebecca the time of day, but she wonders if he's got a hidden agenda. Then one night, in Lafayette Cemetery, Rebecca makes a friend. Sweet, mysterious Lisette is eager to talk to Rebecca, and to show her the nooks and crannies of the city. There's just one catch: Lisette is a ghost. A ghost with a deep, dark secret, and a serious score to settle. As Rebecca learns more from her ghost friend --- and as she slowly learns to trust Anton Grey --- she also uncovers startling truths about her own history. Will Rebecca be able to right the wrongs of the past, or has everything been ruined beyond repair?

PETTY IN PINK: Poseur #3 by Rachel Maude (Poppy/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Poseur's hot new handbag captures Hollywood tastemaker Ted Pelligan's eye, and now everyone's atwitter. Will those delicate straps hold his attention? Or snap under the strain...

To prove their worth, fashion foursome Melissa, Charlotte, Petra, and Janie must a) dangle their bag on celebrity armage b) sneak into the most anticipated event of the year, and c) convince the paparazzi to point their Canons. And all without couture-competitor Vivien Ho noticing.

Yeah, right.

Get ready to rumble, baybees! A party's not a party until something --- or someone --- breaks.


New Releases for August 3rd

Original Paperback

CHELSEY by Chelsey Shannon (HCI Teens)
Having already lost her mother to cancer as a young girl, Chelsey Shannon's life was turned upside when her father was tragically murdered when she was only thirteen years old. Through a mixture of captivating prose and poetry, Chelsey tells the story of how one girl experienced the unthinkable and found a way to grow and flourish despite the odds.

EMILY by Emily Smucker (HCI Teens)
Prone to illness throughout her life because of a weak immune system, Emily Smucker was used to having to sit things out. But when she got sick the summer before her senior year in high school, she was hit with a year of tests, wrong diagnoses, fading hopes, and a senior year sitting on the sidelines. Ultimately diagnosed with West Nile virus, EMILY is one girl's inside glimpse of living with chronic illness.

MARNI by Marni Bates (HCI Teens)
Marni Bates has battled a stress-related disorder known as trichotillomania for roughly six years. The impulse to pull out all her hair (including her eyelashes and eyebrows), has been a source of much pain, frustration, and in rare moments, humor. It wasn't until Marni searched 'hair-pulling' on Google that she discovered what she was doing had a name and an explanation. Hiding her condition took a lot of work, but being confronted with it was far more difficult. Unfortunately, the majority of high school students don't know how to react when faced with trich. Health courses tend to focus on already highly publicized conditions such as anorexia and bulimia, ignoring other stress-related disorders. In MARNI, author Marni Bates powerfully shares her journey, from the roots of her anxiety which was caused by her parents' messy divorce when she was eight, a dysfunctional relationship with her sister and father, and feeling like such a misfit that she convinced her mom to let her drop out of middle school to be homeschooled, to having her emotional turmoil give birth to trichotillomania.

New Releases for August 4th

Hardcover

IMMORTAL by Gillian Shields (HarperTeen)
Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Ladies, housed in a Gothic mansion on the bleak northern moors, is elite, expensive, and unwelcoming. When Evie Johnson is torn away from her home by the sea to become the newest scholarship student, she is more isolated than she could have dreamed. Strict teachers, snobbish students, and the oppressive atmosphere of Wyldcliffe leave Evie drowning in loneliness.

Evie's only lifeline is Sebastian, a rebellious, mocking, dangerously attractive young man she meets by chance. As Evie's feelings for Sebastian grow with each secret meeting, she starts to fear that he is hiding something about his past. And she is haunted by glimpses of a strange, ghostly girl --- a girl who is so eerily like Evie, she could be a sister. Evie is slowly drawn into a tangled web of past and present that she cannot control. And as the extraordinary, elemental forces of Wyldcliffe rise up like the mighty sea, Evie is faced with an astounding truth about Sebastian, and her own incredible fate.

Gillian Shields's electrifying tale will dazzle readers with suspense, mysticism, and romance.

SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic Press)
For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf --- her wolf --- is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human --- or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

SUNSET BOULEVARD: The A-List: Hollywood Royalty #2 by Zoey Dean (Poppy/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Starlet Amelie Adams's new movie is being shot on location-at Beverly Hills High. But the drama on-screen is nothing compared to what's happening off-screen.

Lights, camera, deception!


Paperback

THE DEATH OF JAYSON PORTER by Jaime Adoff (Hyperion Books for Children)
Sixteen-year-old Jayson Porter wants to believe things will get better. But the harsh realities of his life never seem to change. Living in the inland-Florida projects with his abusive mother, he tries unsuccessfully to fit in at his predominately white school, while struggling to maintain even a thread of a relationship with his drug-addicted father. As the pressure mounts, there's only one thing Jayson feels he has control over-the choice of whether to live or die. In this powerful, gripping novel, Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Jaime Adoff explores the harsh reality of a teenager's life, giving hope even in the bleakest of hours.

DARKSIDE Book 1 by Tom Becker (Orchard Books)
Jonathan Starling's home has been attacked, his dad is in an asylum, he's running for his life, and there's nowhere to hide. Jonathan has stumbled upon London's greatest secret: Darkside. Incredibly dangerous and unimaginably exciting, Darkside is the creepiest place Jonathan has ever seen. It's a world of nightmares and secrets, where vampires and werewolves stalk the streets, where fear and evil rule, and Jonathan has to find a way out. . . .

Join Jonathan on the Darkside for a nail-biting, nonstop adventure!

Will Jonathan learn the truth behind his father's mysterious illness and his mother's disappearance? And will he ever make it back to the Lightside of London again?


New Releases for August 6th

Hardcover

LIPSTICK APOLOGY by Jennifer Jabaley (Razorbill/Penguin Young Readers Group)
When Emily Carson’s parents die in a plane crash, she’s left with nothing but her mother’s last words scrawled in lipstick on a tray table: “Emily, please forgive me.”

Now it’s fall and Emily moves to New York City --- where she attracts the attention of two very different boys: the cute, popular Owen, and her quirky chemistry partner, Anthony. With the help of some surprising new friends, Emily must choose between the boy who helps her forget and the one who encourages her to remember, and ultimately heal.

Debut author Jennifer Jabaley has written a wonderful, feel-good romantic comedy with real emotional depth. Full of lovably wacky characters, LIPSTICK APOLOGY is a heartwarming story about the true meaning of forgiveness.

Labels: New Releases

Remember how I mentioned last week that new books always come out on Tuesdays? I lied. Much to my surprise, this week we've got a few Saturday releases to share with you --- which will be available August 1st --- along with a pretty exciting list of hardcovers and paperbacks you can expect to see in stores tomorrow.

New Releases for July 27th

Hardcover

DANIEL X: WATCH THE SKIES by James Patterson and Ned Rust (Little, Brown and Co.)
LIGHTS
All's quiet in the small town of Holliswood. Television sets, computers, and portable devices are aglow in every home, classroom, and store. Yet not all is perfect. Evil is lurking, just out of sight, behind the screen.

CAMERA
Residing in this sleepy town is a villain with more ambition than the world can withstand. Twisted beyond reason, he is dead set on throwing Holliswood into chaos and documenting the destruction of every person in it, including Daniel X.

EXTERMINATION
The only person who can stop this made-for-TV tyrant, Daniel must use his extraordinary power to save the town. But this devilish director has assembled an all-star team of his own creation and vows to stage the most spectacular finale the world has ever seen. Can Daniel X stop this deranged outlaw --- or will he find himself on the cutting room floor?

New Releases for July 28th

Hardcover
THE ETERNAL KISS: 12 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire, edited by Trisha Telep (Running Press Kids)
There’s an allure to vampire tales that have seduced readers for generations. From Bram Stoker to Stephanie Meyer and beyond, vampire stories are here to stay. For those fresh-blooded fans of paranormal romance or for those whose hunt and hunger never dies, these stories have what readers want!

This collection of original tales comes from some of the hottest, most popular, and best-selling YA writers, including Holly Black, Libba Bray, Melissa de la Cruz, Cassandra Clare, Rachel Caine, Cecil Castellucci, Kelley Armstrong, Maria V. Snyder, and more! They will make everyone a sucker for eternal kisses.

NOTES FROM THE DOG by Gary Paulsen (Wendy Lamb Books/Random House)
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 is 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.

THE TREASURE MAP OF BOYS: Noel, Jackson, Finn, Hutch, Gideon --- and me, Ruby Oliver, by E. Lockhart (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)
Ruby is back at Tate Prep, and it’s her 37th week in the state of Noboyfriend. Her panic attacks are bad, her love life is even worse, and what’s more:

Noel is writing her notes, Jackson is giving her frogs, Gideon is helping her cook, and Finn is making her brownies. Rumors are flying, and Ruby’s already-poor reputation is heading downhill.

Not only that, she’s also: running a bake sale, learning the secrets of heavy metal therapy, encountering some seriously smelly feet, defending the rights of pygmy goats, and bodyguarding Noel from unwanted advances.

In this companion novel to THE BOYFRIEND LIST and THE BOY BOOK, Ruby struggles to secure some sort of mental health, to understand what constitutes a real friendship, and to find true love --- if such a thing exists.


Paperback
MY SWORDHAND IS SINGING by Marcus Sedgwick (Laurel Leaf Books/Random House)
In a bitter winter, Tomas and his son, Peter, settle in a small village as woodcutters. Tomas digs a channel of fast-flowing waters around their hut so that they have their own little island kingdom. Peter doesn’t understand why his father has done this, or why his father carries a long, battered box, whose mysterious contents he is forbidden to know.

But Tomas is a man with a past --- a past that is tracking him with deadly intent. As surely as the snow falls softly in the forest of a hundred thousand silver birch trees, father and son must face a soulless enemy and a terrifying destiny.


New Releases for August 1st

Hardcover

MILESTONES by Samira Armin Hodges (Hungry Goat Press)
One day. That’s how long it took for fourteen year-old Faye Martin’s ordinary life to take a dramatic and unexpected turn. First, she gets struck by lightning. Second, Benjamin Parker, the object of her obsession, witnessed her near-death experience. Finally, her parents force her to leave her hometown of Seattle to attend a summer camp, aptly named ‘Camp Milestone’.

Only, Camp Milestone is no ordinary camp. Before she knows it, Faye finds herself caught in a whirlwind of uncertainty, torture, calamine lotion and romance….All in the name of summer camp. But as the summer unfolds, she realizes there is much more to Camp Milestone than meets the eye. Will she be able to unravel the mystery that surrounds this unusual camp? And more importantly, will she be able to survive the madness long enough to put the pieces together.

MY SOUL TO TAKE by Rachel Vincent (Harlequin Teen)
She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who will be next…

Labels: New Releases

In case you didn't already know, most new books (as well as CDs and DVDs) are released on Tuesdays. I'm not really sure why, but a quick Google search revealed many different, but plausible reasons for this, relating to things like sales figures, shipping time, and in-store preparation. Regardless, you'll often see "New Tuesday Releases" lists in bookstores, magazines, newspapers, websites, blogs, etc.

Aside from the guest posts from YA authors, Teenreads.com staff members and readers (which we've been really enjoying, and hope you are too!), many of you have suggested that you'd also like to see entries about new books coming out every week. So, because we don't update this blog on Tuesdays, we figured we'd give you all a head start by sharing a list of titles released on both hardcover and paperback every Monday, allowing you a full 24 hours of prep time for the following day's mad dash to the neighborhood bookstore.


New releases for July 21st

Hardcover
COFFEEHOUSE ANGEL by Suzanne Selfors (Walker Books for Young Readers)
From the author of SAVING JULIET comes a romantic comedy that is good to the last drop. When Katrina spots a homeless guy sleeping in the alley behind her grandmother’s coffee shop, she decides to leave him a cup of coffee, a bag of chocolate-covered coffee beans, and some pastries to tide him over. Little does she know that this random act of kindness is about to turn her life upside down. Because this adorable vagrant, Malcolm, is really a guardian angel on a break between missions. And he won’t leave until he can reward Katrina’s selflessness by fulfilling her deepest desire. Now if only she could decide what that might be . . .


Paperback
CHEATED by Patrick Jones (Walker Books for Young Readers)
Mick Salisbury wonders how he got where he is. For as long as he can remember, people have been saying the same thing about life being a series of choices. The problem is, he’s never been particularly good at making the right ones—especially since he was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, where most people are cheated out of all the better options in life.

So when a normal night spent hanging out, drinking with his two best friends, ends in a deadly mistake, individual decisions suddenly seem more important than Mick ever realized. And when he’s sitting in the police interrogation room, it will all come down to one choice. But once he heads down one road, will it ever be possible to turn back?

IVY by Julie Hearn (Atheneum)
In an engrossing odyssey into gritty 19th-century London, red-haired Ivy has been a thief. Her status improves when she becomes an artist's model. But she is also a drug addict, rendering her indifferent to the attention she attracts. Will she survive the deadly intentions of an unlikely murderer?

REVELATIONS: A Blue Bloods Novel by Melissa de la Cruz (Hyperion Books for Children)
The Blue Bloods are dealing with darker forces in this third volume of Melissa de la Cruz’s series. Most have completed their change into vampires, but they continue to train to hone their skills with The Committee. Some are even preparing for their Bonding. Still, the danger of the Silver Bloods lurks, and plenty of secrets are uncovered in REVELATIONS.

Labels: New Releases