All Books
Synopsis: People in Merit, Wisconsin, always said Jimmy was . . . you know. But people said all sorts of stupid stuff. Nobody really knew anything. Nobody really knew Jimmy.
I guess you could say I knew Jimmy as well as anyone (which was not very well). I knew what scared him. And I knew he had dreams even if I didn't understand them. Even if he nearly ruined my life to pursue them.
Jimmy's dead now, and I definitely know that better than anyone. I know about blood and bone and how bodies decompose. I know about shadows and stones and hatchets. I know what a last cry for help sounds like. I know what blood looks like on my own hands.
What I don't know is if I can trust my own eyes. I don't know who threw the stone. Who swung the hatchet? Who are the shadows? What do the living owe the dead?
I guess you could say I knew Jimmy as well as anyone (which was not very well). I knew what scared him. And I knew he had dreams even if I didn't understand them. Even if he nearly ruined my life to pursue them.
Jimmy's dead now, and I definitely know that better than anyone. I know about blood and bone and how bodies decompose. I know about shadows and stones and hatchets. I know what a last cry for help sounds like. I know what blood looks like on my own hands.
What I don't know is if I can trust my own eyes. I don't know who threw the stone. Who swung the hatchet? Who are the shadows? What do the living owe the dead?
Publication Date: 07/11/25
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: It should have been a short suspended-animation sleep. But this time Rose wakes up to find her past is long gone— and her future full of peril.
Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for sixty-two years when she is woken by a kiss. Locked away in the chemically induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten subbasement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now, her parents and her first love are long gone, and Rose— hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire— is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat. Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existence, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes— or be left without any future at all.
Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for sixty-two years when she is woken by a kiss. Locked away in the chemically induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten subbasement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now, her parents and her first love are long gone, and Rose— hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire— is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat. Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existence, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes— or be left without any future at all.
Publication Date: 07/11/25
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Science Fiction
Synopsis: A sensational YA science fiction debut from an exciting new British author!
Just because she's confined to the planet, doesn't mean she can't reach for the stars.
2788. Only the handicapped live on Earth. Eighteen-year-old Jarra is among the one in a thousand people born with an immune system that cannot survive on other planets. Sent to Earth at birth to save her life, she has been abandoned by her parents. She can't travel to other worlds, but she can watch their vids, and she knows all the jokes they make. She's an "ape," a "throwback," but this is one ape girl who won't give in.
Jarra makes up a fake military background for herself and joins a class of norms who are on Earth for a year of practical history studies excavating the dangerous ruins of the old cities. She wants to see their faces when they find out they've been fooled into thinking an ape girl was a norm. She isn't expecting to make friends with the enemy, to risk her life to save norms, or to fall in love.
Just because she's confined to the planet, doesn't mean she can't reach for the stars.
2788. Only the handicapped live on Earth. Eighteen-year-old Jarra is among the one in a thousand people born with an immune system that cannot survive on other planets. Sent to Earth at birth to save her life, she has been abandoned by her parents. She can't travel to other worlds, but she can watch their vids, and she knows all the jokes they make. She's an "ape," a "throwback," but this is one ape girl who won't give in.
Jarra makes up a fake military background for herself and joins a class of norms who are on Earth for a year of practical history studies excavating the dangerous ruins of the old cities. She wants to see their faces when they find out they've been fooled into thinking an ape girl was a norm. She isn't expecting to make friends with the enemy, to risk her life to save norms, or to fall in love.
Publication Date: 07/11/25
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Science Fiction
Synopsis:
"I dare you…"
If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does….
Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock—with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.
But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams—and his life—for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all….
"I dare you…"
If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does….
Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock—with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.
But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams—and his life—for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all….
Publication Date: 07/11/25
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Romance
Synopsis: When we first meet 17-year-old farm girl Jessie, it is several days after her high school band concert and her parents have just recently informed her that the world will end as she knows it. It doesn't take long or much effort from her parents to persuade Jessie to stop attending high school and train with her father, a war veteran, in survival.
Through constant bad weather, some life-threatening scenarios and many reality-questioning dreams, Jessie is tested in more ways than she could ever imagine.
Will the bringer of death consume her or will Jessie find her way through the trials ahead of her?
Publication Date: 07/11/25
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis: #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong begins her new series with Omens, featuring a compelling new heroine thrust into a decades-old murder case and the dark mysteries surrounding her strange new home.
Twenty-four-year-old Olivia Taylor Jones has the perfect life. The only daughter of a wealthy, prominent Chicago family, she has an Ivy League education, pursues volunteerism and philanthropy, and is engaged to a handsome young tech firm CEO with political ambitions.
But Olivia’s world is shattered when she learns that she’s adopted. Her real parents? Todd and Pamela Larsen, notorious serial killers serving a life sentence. When the news brings a maelstrom of unwanted publicity to her adopted family and fiancé, Olivia decides to find out the truth about the Larsens.
Olivia ends up in the small town of Cainsville, Illinois, an old and cloistered community that takes a particular interest in both Olivia and her efforts to uncover her birth parents’ past.
Aided by her mother’s former lawyer, Gabriel Walsh, Olivia focuses on the Larsens’ last crime, the one her birth mother swears will prove their innocence. But as she and Gabriel start investigating the case, Olivia finds herself drawing on abilities that have remained hidden since her childhood, gifts that make her both a valuable addition to Cainsville and deeply vulnerable to unknown enemies. Because there are darker secrets behind her new home and powers lurking in the shadows that have their own plans for her.
Twenty-four-year-old Olivia Taylor Jones has the perfect life. The only daughter of a wealthy, prominent Chicago family, she has an Ivy League education, pursues volunteerism and philanthropy, and is engaged to a handsome young tech firm CEO with political ambitions.
But Olivia’s world is shattered when she learns that she’s adopted. Her real parents? Todd and Pamela Larsen, notorious serial killers serving a life sentence. When the news brings a maelstrom of unwanted publicity to her adopted family and fiancé, Olivia decides to find out the truth about the Larsens.
Olivia ends up in the small town of Cainsville, Illinois, an old and cloistered community that takes a particular interest in both Olivia and her efforts to uncover her birth parents’ past.
Aided by her mother’s former lawyer, Gabriel Walsh, Olivia focuses on the Larsens’ last crime, the one her birth mother swears will prove their innocence. But as she and Gabriel start investigating the case, Olivia finds herself drawing on abilities that have remained hidden since her childhood, gifts that make her both a valuable addition to Cainsville and deeply vulnerable to unknown enemies. Because there are darker secrets behind her new home and powers lurking in the shadows that have their own plans for her.
Publication Date: 07/11/25
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Mystery
Synopsis:
In the beginning was the darkness, and in the darkness was a girl, and in the girl was a secret...
In the domed city of Yuan, the blind Princess Isra, a Smooth Skin, is raised to be a human sacrifice whose death will ensure her city’s vitality. In the desert outside Yuan, Gem, a mutant beast, fights to save his people, the Monstrous, from starvation. Neither dreams that together, they could return balance to both their worlds.
Isra wants to help the city’s Banished people, second-class citizens despised for possessing Monstrous traits. But after she enlists the aid of her prisoner, Gem, who has been captured while trying to steal Yuan’s enchanted roses, she begins to care for him, and to question everything she has been brought up to believe.
As secrets are revealed and Isra’s sight, which vanished during her childhood, returned, Isra will have to choose between duty to her people and the beast she has come to love.
Publication Date: 07/11/25
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: A finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, Crawford, Gemmell, and British Fantasy Awards, and the winner of the Locus Award for Best First Novel, Throne of the Crescent Moon is a fantasy adventure with all the magic of The Arabian Nights.
The Crescent Moon Kingdoms, home to djenn and ghuls, holy warriors and heretics, are at the boiling point of a power struggle between the iron-fisted Khalif and the mysterious master thief known as the Falcon Prince. In the midst of this brewing rebellion a series of brutal supernatural murders strikes at the heart of the Kingdoms. But these killings are only the earliest signs of a plot for the Throne of the Crescent Moon that threatens to turn the great city of Dhamsawwaat, and the world itself, into a blood-soaked ruin.
The Crescent Moon Kingdoms, home to djenn and ghuls, holy warriors and heretics, are at the boiling point of a power struggle between the iron-fisted Khalif and the mysterious master thief known as the Falcon Prince. In the midst of this brewing rebellion a series of brutal supernatural murders strikes at the heart of the Kingdoms. But these killings are only the earliest signs of a plot for the Throne of the Crescent Moon that threatens to turn the great city of Dhamsawwaat, and the world itself, into a blood-soaked ruin.
Publication Date: 12/31/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: Kara Gillian is in seriously deep trouble. She’s used to summoning supernatural creatures from the demon realm to our world, but now she’s the one who’s been summoned. Kara is the prisoner of the demonic lord Mzatal, but quickly discovers that she’s far more than a mere hostage. But waiting for rescue has never been her style, and Kara has no intention of being a pawn in someone else’s game.
Yet intrigue and treachery are running rampant, and Kara is hard pressed to keep her wits about her. Her abilities as a homicide detective are put to the test as she seeks the truth about FBI Agent Ryan Kristoff; Rhyzkahl, the demon lord she is sworn to; and her own history in the demon realm. She's going to need all the strength and tenacity she's developed as a cop and a summoner, or the hell she endures may well last forever.
Touch of the Demon is the exciting fifth installment of the Kara Gillian series.
Yet intrigue and treachery are running rampant, and Kara is hard pressed to keep her wits about her. Her abilities as a homicide detective are put to the test as she seeks the truth about FBI Agent Ryan Kristoff; Rhyzkahl, the demon lord she is sworn to; and her own history in the demon realm. She's going to need all the strength and tenacity she's developed as a cop and a summoner, or the hell she endures may well last forever.
Touch of the Demon is the exciting fifth installment of the Kara Gillian series.
Publication Date: 12/31/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: When Jewel ATerafin returns home from the war on the South, she arrives moments too late to prevent the demonic assassination of Amarais ATerafin--the Terafin, head of House Terafin.
And though one of her companions, Lord Celleriant of the Winter Queen's court, manages to slay the demon, it is too little, too late. For now the battle to become The Terafin and claim the House Seat will begin.
Four candidates have declared themselves, but Jewel, the Terafin's own secretly designated choice to become the next head of House, has yet to announce her intentions. While some seek to intimidate Jewel or recruit her for their own bids, others begin to gather around her: her den, the most loyal of House Terafin's Chosen, Haval the dressmaker, powerful magi, and three mysterious "winged cats" who come to her in the midst of a deadly encounter in a forest not meant for mortals to walk.... Jewel does not want to make any decisions before the Terafin is laid to rest.
But as the enemies of House and Empire mobilize, it becomes terrifyingly clear that everyone -- including Jewel and her otherworldly allies -- must survive the three days of the funeral rites before they can even be certain that there will be a House Terafin left to fight over....
And though one of her companions, Lord Celleriant of the Winter Queen's court, manages to slay the demon, it is too little, too late. For now the battle to become The Terafin and claim the House Seat will begin.
Four candidates have declared themselves, but Jewel, the Terafin's own secretly designated choice to become the next head of House, has yet to announce her intentions. While some seek to intimidate Jewel or recruit her for their own bids, others begin to gather around her: her den, the most loyal of House Terafin's Chosen, Haval the dressmaker, powerful magi, and three mysterious "winged cats" who come to her in the midst of a deadly encounter in a forest not meant for mortals to walk.... Jewel does not want to make any decisions before the Terafin is laid to rest.
But as the enemies of House and Empire mobilize, it becomes terrifyingly clear that everyone -- including Jewel and her otherworldly allies -- must survive the three days of the funeral rites before they can even be certain that there will be a House Terafin left to fight over....
Publication Date: 12/31/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
Synopsis: Cecilia Galante's sweet series about a lovable curly-haired cupid soars on in book #4.
Every cupid has a one-of-a-kind flying friend, right? Wrong! Willa Bean has Snooze, an owl, but the new girl in school, Lucy, has an owl, too! And Lucy's owl is bigger, and maybe even smarter, than Snooze. What if Mr. Wingston overshadows Snooze at Noble Nimbus Day? Nope, nope, nope-ity nope. Willa Bean has to make sure Snooze is the best owl at Cupid Academy!
Every cupid has a one-of-a-kind flying friend, right? Wrong! Willa Bean has Snooze, an owl, but the new girl in school, Lucy, has an owl, too! And Lucy's owl is bigger, and maybe even smarter, than Snooze. What if Mr. Wingston overshadows Snooze at Noble Nimbus Day? Nope, nope, nope-ity nope. Willa Bean has to make sure Snooze is the best owl at Cupid Academy!
Publication Date: 12/26/12
Age Level: 5 - 8
Genre: For Reluctant Readers
Synopsis:
Before you write me off as a delusional psycho, think about what it's like to be thrown into a situation where everyone knows everyone... and no one knows you. Sadie has the perfect plan to snag some friends when she transfers to Plainfield High—pretend to have a peanut allergy. But what happens when you have to hand in that student health form your unsuspecting mom was supposed to fill out? And what if your new friends want to come over and your mom serves them snacks? (Peanut butter sandwich, anyone?) And then there's the bake sale, when your teacher thinks you ate a brownie with peanuts. Graphic coming-of-age novels have huge cross-over potential, and Peanut is sure to appeal to adults and teens alike.
"A smart, affecting graphic young adult novel." —The New York Times
Publication Date: 12/26/12
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: 2013 NEXT GENERATION INDIE BOOK AWARD FINALIST (Young Adult Category)
2012 FOREWORD BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD FINALIST (Young Adult Category)
Sixteen-year-old Storm enjoys skateboarding, fixing broken electronics, and building things with his hands. They distract him from the tormented thoughts surrounding the circumstances of his mother’s death. But his problems can’t be avoided forever…
Since his mother’s death, tensions are high at home, the girl of Storm’s dreams is dating someone else, and an argument with his father lands him in the school counselors’ office.
Will Storm overcome his fears, let go of the feelings that have been haunting him, and reveal his long-held secrets? Can his dad ever forgive him? Will the girl of his dreams ever see him as more than a friend?
A true-to-life young adult novel teeming with mystery, romance and intrigue.
“Breathtaking. A powerful story of the heart ... Kline has the amazing talent of sharing a tragedy through the viewpoint of a young man.” ~ Elizabeth Mueller, YA Author of Darkspell
"A must read for teens, teachers, parents and anyone who would like to add to their understanding of how young people maneuver through their world.” ~Loyce Crawford, LCSW
2012 FOREWORD BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD FINALIST (Young Adult Category)
Sixteen-year-old Storm enjoys skateboarding, fixing broken electronics, and building things with his hands. They distract him from the tormented thoughts surrounding the circumstances of his mother’s death. But his problems can’t be avoided forever…
Since his mother’s death, tensions are high at home, the girl of Storm’s dreams is dating someone else, and an argument with his father lands him in the school counselors’ office.
Will Storm overcome his fears, let go of the feelings that have been haunting him, and reveal his long-held secrets? Can his dad ever forgive him? Will the girl of his dreams ever see him as more than a friend?
A true-to-life young adult novel teeming with mystery, romance and intrigue.
“Breathtaking. A powerful story of the heart ... Kline has the amazing talent of sharing a tragedy through the viewpoint of a young man.” ~ Elizabeth Mueller, YA Author of Darkspell
"A must read for teens, teachers, parents and anyone who would like to add to their understanding of how young people maneuver through their world.” ~Loyce Crawford, LCSW
Publication Date: 12/21/12
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis: Senior Aaron Hardaway has a new bad boy lover and he wants his mother out of his hair---super therapist Thirteen warns eyes wide open, but will Aaron listen? He's the son of one of Chicago's richest families. He'll graduate from an exclusive Chicago prep-school. He cruises in a Benz SLK300, a grad present from his father. Aaron Hardaway has it all. But a boyfriend. And a loving mother. Sylvia Karnes Hardaway, evil Queen of Chicago society, long ago thrust her son into therapy hell. Twelve shrinks later, Thirteen enters Aaron's life. Thirteen's mantra is eyes wide open. Thirteen will transform Aaron's life. So will bad boy Derrick. Aaron hooks up with Derrick, and things will never be the same. Maybe he should have kept his eyes wide open.
Publication Date: 12/21/12
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: Twelve year old Pete stumbles into desperate trouble the moment he chomps down on that mystery root and becomes a scenter. All of us have creatures, symbionts, living inside our bodies, but only a scenter can communicate with them and obtain their help, and Pete needs plenty of help. He has no one to teach him to use his new abilities and he is forced to save himself and his girlfriend from a far more powerful, and purely evil, scenter. For kids 10 and up.
Publication Date: 12/13/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction