Saturday, May 5, 2012

Exciting New Books for Young Readers & Teens


After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick

Jeffrey isn't a little boy with cancer anymore. He's a teen who's in remission, but life still feels fragile. The aftereffects of treatment have left Jeffrey with an inability to be a great student or to walk without limping. His parents still worry about him. His older brother, Steven, lost it and took off to Africa to be in a drumming circle and "find himself." Jeffrey has a little soul searching to do, too, which begins with his escalating anger at Steven, an old friend who is keeping something secret, and a girl who is way out of his league but who thinks he's cute.
 
Akiko and the Alpha Centauri 5000 by Mark Crilley 

Akiko and her crew–Spuckler Boach, Mr. Beeba, Poog, and Gax–are competing in an intergalactic race from one side of the universe to the other. Along the way they have to make it through the narrow passages of the Labyrinth of Lulla-ma-Waygo, the notorious Almost Black Hole of Luzbert-7, and the deadly Jaws of McVluddapuck. All Akiko wants to do is make it back to Earth in one piece!

But when Spuckler discovers that his old rival Bluggamin Streed is also in the race, winning becomes the most important thing. And Akiko quickly finds herself caught up in the competition. Who will go home with the celebrated Centauri Cup?

Archvillain by Barry Lyga (Archvillain Series #1)

Kyle Camden knows exactly where he was the night Mighty Mike arrived: sneaking around the fallow field behind Bouring Middle School, preparing one of his most ingenious pranks yet.

Which is why he couldn't tell anyone where he was. Or what he saw.

Those lights everyone saw in the sky weren't tiny meteors burning up in the atmosphere. They were some kind of strange, supercooled plasma that bathed the entire field - including Kyle - in alien energies.

Critically acclaimed YA author Barry Lyga makes his Scholastic middle-grade debut with a superhero story turned on its head.

Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley

In the little village of Castle Down, in a kingdom plagued by war, lives a peasant girl called Bella. Blessed with a kind family and a loving friend, she manages to create her own small patch of sunlight in a dark and dangerous world. Bella is a blacksmith's daughter; her friend Julian is a prince -- yet neither seems to notice the great gulf that divides his world from hers.

Suddenly Bella's world collapses. First Julian betrays her. Then it is revealed that she is not the peasant she believed herself to be: She is Isabel, the daughter of a knight who abandoned her in infancy. Now he wants her back, so Bella is torn from her beloved foster family and sent to live with her deranged father and his resentful new wife. Soon Bella is caught up in a terrible plot that will change her life -- and the kingdom -- forever. With the help of her godmother and three enchanted gifts, she sets out on a journey in disguise that will lead her to a destiny far greater than any she could have imagined.


The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander (Newbery Honor Book)

Peace reigns in Caer Dallben, where Taran works as Assistant Pig-Keeper, but evil threatens the rest of Prydain. The diabolical Arawn's army grows every day, and his terrible warriors never die. They are born in the Black Cauldron from the stolen bodies of slain soldiers. If evil is to be defeated, the cauldron must be destroyed. Taran volunteers to travel to Arawn's stronghold and assist in the destruction of the dreaded cauldron. With his faithful friends reassembled, Taran marches off to face great danger with a courageous heart.

The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity by Mac Barnett

Steve Brixton always wanted to be a detective... until he found out he already WAS one. It all starts here: The thrilling story of Steve Bixton's first case. Our hero has a national treasure to recover, a criminal mastermind to unmask, and a social studies report due Monday -- all while on the run from cops, thugs, and secret-agent librarians. 

Since when can librarians rappel from helicopters? Does Steve have any brothers or sisters? If not, then why is this series called The Brixton Brothers? You will solve all these mysteries and many more by the time you finish The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity.

Chess Rumble by G. Neri

A story in free verse about a troubled boy who learns to use his mind insteadof his fists through the guidance of an unconventional mentor and the game ofchess.

Eye of the Crow by Shane Peacock (Boy Sherlock Holmes Series #1)

Sherlock Holmes, just thirteen, is a misfit. His highborn mother is the daughter of an aristocratic family, his father a poor Jew. Their marriage flouts tradition and makes them social pariahs in the London of the 1860s; and their son, Sherlock, bears the burden of their rebellion. Friendless, bullied at school, he belongs nowhere and has only his wits to help him make his way.

But what wits they are! His keen powers of observation are already apparent, though he is still a boy. He loves to amuse himself by constructing histories from the smallest detail for everyone he meets. Partly for fun, he focuses his attention on a sensational murder to see if he can solve it. But his game turns deadly serious when he finds himself the accused — and in London, they hang boys of thirteen.


Ghouls Gone Wild by R.L. Stine (Mostly Ghostly Series #5)

Max’s parents are planning to sell their house and move the family far, far away. But Max can’t leave Nicky and Tara, the two ghosts who live with him. They need him. 

He’s the only one who can help them become kids again! Max has to stop his parents! 
Havoc by Chris Wooding (Malice Series #2)

Seth finally managed to escape the terrifying comicbook world of Malice, but he left his best friend Kady there. Now he must go back and rescue her. But can he find a way back in? Kady has her own worries. She's trying to reach Havoc, a group of rebel kids plotting to destroy Tall Jake, the evil ruler of Malice. 

But somebody is watching the comic and can see what everyone is up to. Is there no way to escape?

Jennifer Murdley’s Toad by Bruce Coville (Magic Shop Series #3)

Meet Bufo--A Toad With a Past

Jennifer Murdley had no idea what she was getting into the day she bought the big toad from the strange man who ran Elives's Magic Shop. The thing didn't even start talking to her until she had it out of the store.

And once the toad did start to talk, it still kept a lot of secrets. So Jennifer didn't find out about his strange birth...or the treasure hidden in his forehead...or the witch who was out to get him...until she and her friends were in more trouble than they had imagined!

Killer Pizza by Greg Taylor (Killer Pizza Series #1)

Pizza you’ll die for!

Toby McGill dreams of becoming a world-famous chef, but up until now, his only experience has been watching the Food Network. When Toby lands a summer job at Killer Pizza, where pies like The Monstrosity and The Frankensausage are on the menu, things seem perfect. His coworkers, Annabel and Strobe, are cool, and Toby loves being part of a team. But none of them are prepared for what’s really going on at Killer Pizza: It’s a front for a monster-hunting organization!

Learning to cook pizzas is one thing, but killing hideously terrifying monsters? That’s a whole other story. Still, if Toby quits Killer Pizza, will monsters take over his town?


Klondike Kid: Sailing for Gold by Deborah Hopkinson

Seattle, July 1897

Ever since his mother died, Davey has had a secret plan: He's saving his money so he can run away to Alaska to find Uncle Walt, the only relative he has. No one is going to stop him -- not even mean Mrs. Tinker, who owns the Seattle boardinghouse where Davey lives and works.

When gold is discovered in the Klondike, Davey is convinced that's where he'll find his uncle. But then Davey's money disappears, and with it his hopes of finding his uncle -- until Davey comes up with a new, much more dangerous plan.


Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen 

One day I was 12 years old and broke. Then Grandma gave me Grandpa's old riding lawnmower. I set out to mow some lawns. More people wanted me to mow their lawns. And more and more. . . . One client was Arnold the stockbroker, who offered to teach me about "the beauty of capitalism. Supply and Demand. Diversify labor. Distribute the wealth." "Wealth?" I said. "It's groovy, man," said Arnold.

If I'd known what was coming, I might have climbed on my mower and putted all the way home to hide in my room. But the lawn business grew and grew. So did my profits, which Arnold invested in many things. And one of them was Joey Pow the prizefighter. That's when my 12th summer got really interesting.

Let’s Get This Party Haunted by R.L. Stine



The Misadventures of Maude March by Audrey Couloumbis (Newbery Honor Book)

Eleven-year-old Sallie March is a whip-smart tomboy and voracious reader of Western adventure novels. When she and her sister, Maude, are orphaned for the second time, they decide to escape their new self-serving guardians for the wilds of the frontier and an adventure the likes of which Sallie has only read about. 

This time, however, the wanted woman isn’t a villain out of a dime novel–it’s Sallie’s very own sister!
Narrated by the irrepressible Sallie, what follows is the rollicking story of what really happened out there on the range. Not the lies the papers printed, but the honest-to-goodness truth of how things went from bad to worse and how two very different sisters went from being orphans to being outlaws–and lived to tell the tale! 

Bursting with memorable characters, fast-paced action, and laugh-out-loud moments, this is Newbery Honor winner Audrey Couloumbis’s most unforgettable work yet.

No Time Like Show Time by Michael Hoeye (Hermux Tantamoq Adventures Series #3)

Trouble is brewing at the Varmint Theater! Before he knows it, watchmaker mouse Hermux Tantamoq finds himself not only hired to track down a mysterious blackmailer, but roped into designing the set for an upcoming show. Hermux is on the case--and busy backstage--but as he enters the chaotic world of the theater he's lost in a whirlwind of distractions: an accidental foray into "reality theater," film director Brinx Lotelle's shameless interest in Hermux's friend Linka, beauty queen Tucka Mertslin's latest shenanigans, mysterious newcomer Corpius Crounce, and a very strange parrot. 

When Hermux receives a threatening message, he realizes it's up to him to save the day, save the theater, protect his new friends and get the girl--a lot for one mouse to handle, even with a surprisingly talented pet ladybug in tow!

Period Pieces by Erzsi Deak

Girlfriend.
Aunt Flo.
DoN a Rosa.
That time of the month.
Being on the rag.
The curse.
Monthlies.
Womanly time.
George. 

You might have a different name for it, but all of these words mean the same thing: your period. And the number of nicknames you can make up for your period is nothing compared to the number of ways you can feel about it.

You may wonder if you're the only girl you know who doesn't have her period. Or you may feel excited about growing up. Are you confused about what's happening inside your body? Or do you feel silly as you giggle with your mom or friends about the pamphlets you're given in school?

In these frank and often poignant new short stories, twelve stellar authors explore the anxiety and excitement of "becoming a woman." Engaging, empowering, and sometimes hilarious, these stories show us girls who couldn't be more different -- and yet ultimately reveal that, in many ways, we are all the same.


Pure Dead Batty by Debi Gliori (Pure Dead Series #5)

Autumn has come to StregaSchloss, and as the days grow dark, an even darker depression has come over the Strega-Borgia family. Ever since the disappearance of their beloved nanny, Mrs. McLachlan, nothing has been the same. To make matters worse, Luciano has been wrongfully charged with her murder and thrown into prison. Never has the family needed Mrs. McLachlan so badly! But with the help of a magical camera and a mysterious silver thread, there may still be hope. . . .

School Spirit by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel (Suddenly Supernatural Series #1)

All Kat Roberts wants is to be normal, or at least to look that way to students at her new school. But her mother is a medium, and not the kind that fits in between small and large; Kat's mom is the kind of medium who sees spirits and communicates with them. And, even worse, Kat has just discovered that she can see spirits too.

In this first adventure in the popular Suddenly Supernatural series, Elizabeth Cody Kimmel brings humor and heart to the trials and tribulations of finding out who you are and who you want to be-all while surviving the seventh grade.


The Super-Powered Sneeze by Scott Nickel (a Graphic Novel)

Typically Jimmy Sniffles super powers lie in his nose, but this time danger looms as nothing happens when his spectacular sniffs are wiped out by cold medicine. 
The Thing About George by Lisa Graff

The thing about poodles is that Georgie Bishop hates to walk them.
The thing about Jeanie the Meanie is that she would rather write on her shoe than help Georgie with their Abraham Lincoln project.

The thing about Georgie's mom is that she's having a baby--a baby who will probably be taller than Georgie very, very soon.

The thing about Georgie . . . well, what is the thing about Georgie?


The Unseen by Zilpha Snyder

Xandra Hobson has always been fascinated by magic. So when she rescues a beautiful wounded bird, she is convinced that the glowing white feather it leaves behind must be magical. When she brings the feather to school, she is surprised to find that Belinda is interested in it, too. Belinda is a weird girl whom everybody makes fun of. Xandra doesn’t want to be seen with her, but Belinda seems to know something about the feather—so Xandra decides to befriend her. Belinda calls the feather a key.

But a key to what? And how does it work? When Xandra tries to use the key, she becomes aware of an unseen world, full of phantoms. Some are soft and cuddly, like the young animals she has rescued. But others are terrifying monsters. Could the key’s magic be evil? Xandra needs Belinda to help her explore the unseen, but she also needs to learn to help herself if the key is to become a gift and not a nightmare.

Zen and the art of faking it by Jordan Sonnenblick

When eighth-grader San Lee moves to a new town and a new school for the umpteenth time, he doesn't try to make new friends or be a loner or play cool. Instead he sits back and devises a plan to be totally different. When he accidentally answers too many questions in World History on Zen (only because he just had Ancient Religions two schools ago) all heads turn and San has his answer: he's a Zen Master. And just when he thinks everyone (including the cute girl he can't stop thinking about) is on to him, everyone believes him . . . in a major Zen way.