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Synopsis:
While studying under Vivaldi, three girls in a Venice orphanage forge their own notions of love in a sensuous, engrossing novel told in three narrative voices.
It is a longing and search for love that motivates three girls living in the Ospedale della Pietà, an orphanage renowned for its extraordinary musical program. But for Rosalba, Anetta, and Luisa, the love they seek is not where they expect to find it. Set in the early 1700s in the heart of Venice, this remarkable novel deftly weaves the history of Antonio Vivaldi’s early musical career into the lives of three young women who excel in voice and instrument. Under the composer’s tutelage and care, the orphans find expression, sustenance, and passion. But can the sheltered life of the orphanage prepare them for the unthinkable dangers outside its walls?
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Educational
Synopsis: This fast-paced read will keep readers on the edge of their seats!
Someone is killing boys in a small town. The murder weapon is a truck, and the only protection is a curfew enacted to keep kids off the streets. But it’s summer—and that alone is worth the risk of staying out late for James, Willie, and Reggie.
Willie, who lost his arm in the first hit-and-run attack, finds it hard to keep up with his two best friends as they leave childhood behind. All of them are changing, hounded by their parents, hunted by the killer, and haunted by the “monster,” a dead thing that guards the dangerous gateway between youth and manhood. But that’s not all: shadowing the boys everywhere is Mel Herman, the mysterious and brilliant bully whose dark secrets may hold the key to their survival. As the summer burns away, these forces collide, and it will take compassion, brains, and guts for the boys to overcome their demons—and not become monsters themselves.
In this chilling and poignant debut novel, Daniel Kraus deftly explores the choices boys grapple with and the revelations that occur as they become men.
Someone is killing boys in a small town. The murder weapon is a truck, and the only protection is a curfew enacted to keep kids off the streets. But it’s summer—and that alone is worth the risk of staying out late for James, Willie, and Reggie.
Willie, who lost his arm in the first hit-and-run attack, finds it hard to keep up with his two best friends as they leave childhood behind. All of them are changing, hounded by their parents, hunted by the killer, and haunted by the “monster,” a dead thing that guards the dangerous gateway between youth and manhood. But that’s not all: shadowing the boys everywhere is Mel Herman, the mysterious and brilliant bully whose dark secrets may hold the key to their survival. As the summer burns away, these forces collide, and it will take compassion, brains, and guts for the boys to overcome their demons—and not become monsters themselves.
In this chilling and poignant debut novel, Daniel Kraus deftly explores the choices boys grapple with and the revelations that occur as they become men.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Mystery
Synopsis: It’s summer vacation, the weather’s great, and all the kids are having fun outside. So where’s Greg Heffley? Inside his house, playing video games with the shades drawn.
Greg, a self-confessed “indoor person,” is living out his ultimate summer fantasy: no responsibilities and no rules. But Greg’s mom has a different vision for an ideal summer . . . one packed with outdoor activities and “family togetherness.”
Whose vision will win out? Or will a new addition to the Heffley family change everything?
F&P level: T
Greg, a self-confessed “indoor person,” is living out his ultimate summer fantasy: no responsibilities and no rules. But Greg’s mom has a different vision for an ideal summer . . . one packed with outdoor activities and “family togetherness.”
Whose vision will win out? Or will a new addition to the Heffley family change everything?
F&P level: T
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Series
Synopsis: A celebration of the triumph of true love As Ehwa grew from a girl to a young woman in The Color of Earth and The Color of Water, she began to understand and experience love and relationships, with her mother as a model and confidante. Now, in the heartwarming conclusion to this lyrically written and delicately drawn trilogy, Ehwa's true love comes at last, and as her mother looks on, she takes the final steps towards becoming an adult. In the tradition of My Antonia and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, from the pen of the renowned Korean manhwa creator Kim Dong Hwa, comes a girl's coming of age story, set in the vibrant pastoral landscape of Korea.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Manga/Graphic Novel
Synopsis: Have you ever read a story and wondered what you would do in that situation? Would you run into the abandoned house after the killer? Or run screaming from the scene to analyze the whole thing with your friends? Would you be bold enough to flirt with your crush—even though he has a girlfriend? Or would you quietly back off, in hopes of meeting a better guy to crush on?
In Your Life, But Better, you don’t just read a story—you become the story. Take a quick personality quiz at the end of each chapter, and find out how you would act if you were confronted with the scene you just read. Are you star material? Or the queen of romance? What will you learn about yourself?
In Your Life, But Better, you don’t just read a story—you become the story. Take a quick personality quiz at the end of each chapter, and find out how you would act if you were confronted with the scene you just read. Are you star material? Or the queen of romance? What will you learn about yourself?
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Chick Lit
Synopsis: Jem Lockwood has been fatherless for four years and finally gets a Big Brother, but just as the best summer of his life is about to begin, he discovers that Jesse Standish's rented house is about to be sold. Jem does all in his daring imagination to make Jesse's house unmarketable. This three-ring circus romps with Jem's boyhood friends and older brother Chris, all recognizable kids who share in the rough-and-tumble delight of living in a Massachusetts city whose newspaper is delivered by kids on bikes, where kids play in the streets, and the local convenience store is owned by the family of Jesse’s girlfriend, Andrea. Meanwhile the city’s swimming pond has been sabotaged, and the city has to close it to all recreation after two boys are injured. Jem is sure he knows who did it, and helps carry out a plan to punish the evildoer.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: Heaven couldn't be a phone bank, could it?
Charlotte Usher discovers that the afterlife isn't quite what she pictured when she's forced to intern at a hotline for troubled teens. Before she can officially cross over, she'll have to be a source of guidance for one such teen. The problem is she doesn't have much advice to offer since dying hasn't exactly boosted her confidence level.
But when Hawthorne High's leading, love-to-hate cheerleader Petula and her gothic little sis' Scarlet find themselves suddenly resting-in-peace in comas, Charlotte's opportunity to save them will prove to be the risk of a lifetime-for all of them.
Praise for ghostgirl:
* Polished dark-and-deadpan humor, it's a natural fit with Gen Y, too." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)
* "[Tonya] beats out witty teen-speak like a punk-band drummer, keeping the narrative fast-paced and fun yet thought-provokingly heartwarming. Goofy, ghastly, intelligent, electrifying." --Kirkus (starred review)
*"Tim Burton and Edgar Allan Poe devotees will die for this fantastic, phantasmal read." --School Library Journal (starred review)
* "Readers with a taste for black humor and satire will feast on Hurley's crisp, wise dialogue. Anticipate a well deserved cult following." --VOYA (starred review)
Charlotte Usher discovers that the afterlife isn't quite what she pictured when she's forced to intern at a hotline for troubled teens. Before she can officially cross over, she'll have to be a source of guidance for one such teen. The problem is she doesn't have much advice to offer since dying hasn't exactly boosted her confidence level.
But when Hawthorne High's leading, love-to-hate cheerleader Petula and her gothic little sis' Scarlet find themselves suddenly resting-in-peace in comas, Charlotte's opportunity to save them will prove to be the risk of a lifetime-for all of them.
Praise for ghostgirl:
* Polished dark-and-deadpan humor, it's a natural fit with Gen Y, too." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)
* "[Tonya] beats out witty teen-speak like a punk-band drummer, keeping the narrative fast-paced and fun yet thought-provokingly heartwarming. Goofy, ghastly, intelligent, electrifying." --Kirkus (starred review)
*"Tim Burton and Edgar Allan Poe devotees will die for this fantastic, phantasmal read." --School Library Journal (starred review)
* "Readers with a taste for black humor and satire will feast on Hurley's crisp, wise dialogue. Anticipate a well deserved cult following." --VOYA (starred review)
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis:
IN THE ENCLAVE, YOUR SCARS SET YOU APART, and the newly born will change the future.
Sixteen-year-old Gaia Stone and her mother faithfully deliver their quota of three infants every month. But when Gaia's mother is brutally taken away by the very people she serves, Gaia must question whether the Enclave deserves such loyalty. A stunning adventure brought to life by a memorable heroine, this dystopian debut will have readers racing all the way to the dramatic finish.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Science Fiction
Synopsis: Michael’s grandfather has a secret—a secret that’s almost too strange to share . . .
When Michael moves to Israel, he leaves loneliness behind and steps into the light of his grandfather’s magic. Like a sorcerer’s apprentice, Michael learns how to blur the lines between dreams and reality when his grandfather hands down the most precious of gifts—a gift that allows Michael passage into his grandfather’s dreams.
Written with a quiet simplicity that wins the reader over at once Uri Orlev writes in a style so sure and yet so unassuming that it is certain to linger in reader’s minds long after turning the last page.
When Michael moves to Israel, he leaves loneliness behind and steps into the light of his grandfather’s magic. Like a sorcerer’s apprentice, Michael learns how to blur the lines between dreams and reality when his grandfather hands down the most precious of gifts—a gift that allows Michael passage into his grandfather’s dreams.
Written with a quiet simplicity that wins the reader over at once Uri Orlev writes in a style so sure and yet so unassuming that it is certain to linger in reader’s minds long after turning the last page.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: Set in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, this is the story of one family's struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of racism and social injustice. And it is also Cassie's story--Cassie Logan, an independent girl who discovers over the course of an important year why having land of their own is so crucial to the Logan family, even as she learns to draw strength from her own sense of dignity and self-respect.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Historical Fiction
Synopsis: A Newbery Medal Winner
Although she is the daughter of Damar's king, Aerin has never been accepted as full royalty. Both in and out of the royal court, people whisper the story of her mother, the witchwoman, who was said to have enspelled the king into marrying her to get an heir to rule Damar-then died of despair when she found she had borne a daughter instead of a son. But none of them, not even Aerin herself, can predict her future-for she is to be the true hero who will wield the power of the Blue Sword...
“[The Hero and the Crown] confirms McKinley as an important writer of modern heroic fantasy, a genre whose giants include C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin.”—The Washington Post
“An utterly engrossing fantasy.”—The New York Times
Although she is the daughter of Damar's king, Aerin has never been accepted as full royalty. Both in and out of the royal court, people whisper the story of her mother, the witchwoman, who was said to have enspelled the king into marrying her to get an heir to rule Damar-then died of despair when she found she had borne a daughter instead of a son. But none of them, not even Aerin herself, can predict her future-for she is to be the true hero who will wield the power of the Blue Sword...
“[The Hero and the Crown] confirms McKinley as an important writer of modern heroic fantasy, a genre whose giants include C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin.”—The Washington Post
“An utterly engrossing fantasy.”—The New York Times
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: The infamous pirate, riverboat seductress, master of disguise, and street-urchin-turned-sailor Jacky Faber has been captured by the French and beheaded in full view of her friends and crew. Inconceivable? Yes! The truth is she’s secretly forced to pose as an American dancer behind enemy lines in Paris, where she entices a French general into revealing military secretsall to save her dear friends. Then, in intrepid Jacky Faber style, she dons male clothing and worms her way into a post as galloper with the French army, ultimately leading a team of men to fight alongside the great Napoleon.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: We meet Vinnie in high school where he does not attend classes. His path leads from untimely deaths, changes of schools, a first love, to problems academically, emotionally and socially. He reels from a failed first encounter with a girl. He reads philosophical works and experiments with alcohol and other drugs. His major conflict is introversion compounded by self-medication. He hitchhikes across the country with two friends. Upon his return he’s under pressure at school. Psychologists and the school administration recommend that Vinnie be transferred to a special school, which he never attends. As Vinnie descends he realizes that he must change. An arrest results in court-ordered rehabilitation.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: They destroyed the mighty Mayan Empire. What hope for a few shipwrecked survivors?
A South American cruise. It should have been a once in a lifetime experience. And it was. But not in the way they imagined. Barely surviving a horrific shipwreck, the remaining passengers have to try and cope with finding food, water, shelter, let alone the constant arguments.
And then there are the bugs. Not the sort that you squish and then get on with your day. Oh no. Toe biters, pond skaters, assassin bugs and harvestmen that drop down on top of their victims – all of these could be found in your garden. But on this lost island they are all at least twenty times their normal size. Trapped on an island with a six metre long giant centipede with armoured plates was not on the cruise itinerary. Now all they want is to get off – without being squished!
“Anyone pack the bug spray?”
BUG ISLAND is suitable for anyone aged 8 years or older.
A South American cruise. It should have been a once in a lifetime experience. And it was. But not in the way they imagined. Barely surviving a horrific shipwreck, the remaining passengers have to try and cope with finding food, water, shelter, let alone the constant arguments.
And then there are the bugs. Not the sort that you squish and then get on with your day. Oh no. Toe biters, pond skaters, assassin bugs and harvestmen that drop down on top of their victims – all of these could be found in your garden. But on this lost island they are all at least twenty times their normal size. Trapped on an island with a six metre long giant centipede with armoured plates was not on the cruise itinerary. Now all they want is to get off – without being squished!
“Anyone pack the bug spray?”
BUG ISLAND is suitable for anyone aged 8 years or older.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: Steven Raines (you know, the man who made billions making an operating system that out-Microsoft-ed Microsoft?) has hired Alex Cheradon (private investigator) to look for his missing daughter. Good news: it's a million dollar payday. Bad news: she may be a Satanist hell bent on bringing the Devil to Earth.
The dead bodies are piling up. Vampires are crawling out of the woodwork. And there's something named Pookie that's lurking around the corner.
Breathtakingly paced, the jokes and wisecracks fly fast as Alex races against the clock to save the day.
This is Book 1 in the Alex Cheradon Series.
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Other books in the Alex Cheradon Series:
VOLUME 1-
Fruitbasket from Hell (Alex Cheradon #1.1)
A is for Amnesia, B is for Bullet (Alex Cheradon #1.2)
Little People, Big Crimes (Alex Cheradon #1.3)
VOLUME 2 -
One Time Only (Alex Cheradon #2.1)
Welcome to Crazytown (Alex Cheradon #2.2)
Odd Man Out (Alex Cheradon #2.3)
Full Moon, Half Wits (Alex Cheradon #2.4)
One Tomb Short of a Graveyard (Alex Cheradon #2.5)
VOLUME 3
Lucky Dogs (Alex Cheradon #3.1)
Everything's Coming Up Aces (Alex Cheradon #3.2)
The House Always Wins (Alex Cheradon #3.3)
The dead bodies are piling up. Vampires are crawling out of the woodwork. And there's something named Pookie that's lurking around the corner.
Breathtakingly paced, the jokes and wisecracks fly fast as Alex races against the clock to save the day.
This is Book 1 in the Alex Cheradon Series.
--------
Other books in the Alex Cheradon Series:
VOLUME 1-
Fruitbasket from Hell (Alex Cheradon #1.1)
A is for Amnesia, B is for Bullet (Alex Cheradon #1.2)
Little People, Big Crimes (Alex Cheradon #1.3)
VOLUME 2 -
One Time Only (Alex Cheradon #2.1)
Welcome to Crazytown (Alex Cheradon #2.2)
Odd Man Out (Alex Cheradon #2.3)
Full Moon, Half Wits (Alex Cheradon #2.4)
One Tomb Short of a Graveyard (Alex Cheradon #2.5)
VOLUME 3
Lucky Dogs (Alex Cheradon #3.1)
Everything's Coming Up Aces (Alex Cheradon #3.2)
The House Always Wins (Alex Cheradon #3.3)
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Mystery
Synopsis: It came here 3000 years ago.
Cast out by God. Shunned by Lucifer.
Over the centuries, through deception and manipulation, it has come into our homes and we have welcomed it with open arms.
But now the time has come.
And all Hell is going to break loose.
Dispatched by Heavenly Host, Daniel has arrived on Third Creation and is greeted with a mystery he did not expect. The angel finds himself battling against forces of darkness where there should be none.
One woman may hold the key to mankind's salvation. But Daniel isn't the only one looking for her.
An epic war across the Creations is about to begin.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jason Krumbine is a born again Christian and is happily married to wonderful woman named Donna. They live in Florida where he spends his free time reading and practicing his mad Nintendo Wii skills. Jason is the author of Fruitbasket from Hell, Reflections of the Pink Elephant, Explorers of the Unknown, Heaven's Superhero and A is for Amnesia, B is for Bullet. For questions, comments, and just about anything e-mail Jason at onestrayword@gmail.com
Cast out by God. Shunned by Lucifer.
Over the centuries, through deception and manipulation, it has come into our homes and we have welcomed it with open arms.
But now the time has come.
And all Hell is going to break loose.
Dispatched by Heavenly Host, Daniel has arrived on Third Creation and is greeted with a mystery he did not expect. The angel finds himself battling against forces of darkness where there should be none.
One woman may hold the key to mankind's salvation. But Daniel isn't the only one looking for her.
An epic war across the Creations is about to begin.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jason Krumbine is a born again Christian and is happily married to wonderful woman named Donna. They live in Florida where he spends his free time reading and practicing his mad Nintendo Wii skills. Jason is the author of Fruitbasket from Hell, Reflections of the Pink Elephant, Explorers of the Unknown, Heaven's Superhero and A is for Amnesia, B is for Bullet. For questions, comments, and just about anything e-mail Jason at onestrayword@gmail.com
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy