All Books
The Tragedy Paper
Elizabeth Laban
Synopsis: Perfect for fans of Thirteen Reasons Why and Looking for Alaska, Jennifer Weiner, #1 New York Times bestselling author, calls Elizabeth LaBan’s The Tragedy Paper “a beguiling and beautifully written tale of first love and heartbreak.” 

It follows the story of Tim Macbeth, a seventeen-year-old albino and a recent transfer to the prestigious Irving School, where the motto is “Enter here to be and find a friend.” A friend is the last thing Tim expects or wants—he just hopes to get through his senior year unnoticed. Yet, despite his efforts to blend into the background, he finds himself falling for the quintessential “It” girl, Vanessa Sheller, girlfriend of Irving’s most popular boy. To Tim's surprise, Vanessa is into him, too, but she can kiss her social status goodbye if anyone ever finds out. Tim and Vanessa begin a clandestine romance, but looming over them is the Tragedy Paper, Irving’s version of a senior year thesis, assigned by the school’s least forgiving teacher.
 
Jumping between viewpoints of the love-struck Tim and Duncan, a current senior about to uncover the truth of Tim and Vanessa, The Tragedy Paper is a compelling tale of forbidden love and the lengths people will go to keep their secrets.
Publication Date: 02/11/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Nonfiction
Road Rash
Mark Huntley Parsons
Synopsis: A teenage drummer finds out what life is really like on tour with a rock band in this funny and bittersweet YA novel. For anyone who loved Almost Famous or This Is Spinal Tap.
 
After being dropped from one band, sixteen-year-old drummer Zach gets a chance to go on tour with a much better band. It feels like sweet redemption, but this is one rocky road trip—filled with jealousy, rivalries, and on-stage meltdowns.
 
Mark Parsons has written a fast-paced, feel-good novel about a boy finding his place in the world, in a band, and in the music. Zach is a character teens will stand up and cheer for as he lands the perfect gig, and the perfect girl.
 
“A must-read for young garage-band types.” —Booklist
 
“Readers and especially musicians should enjoy debut novelist Parsons’s look at a band on the run.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“A road-trip adventure in romance and friendship that is ultimately all about the music.” —Kirkus Reviews
Publication Date: 02/11/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Love Me
Rachel Shukert
Synopsis: The golden age of glam . . . 

Amanda is heartbroken. She's tried, but she can't get over her breakup with hotshot writer Harry Gordon. If only she could talk to him, she could convince him that their love story is bigger than any screenplay. But Amanda isn't the only one in Hollywood keeping a secret—Harry's got one too.

Margo has to pinch herself: there's talk of her getting an Oscar nom for her first film role, and she's living with the Dane Forrest, the gorgeous movie star millions—including herself—swoon over. But if the public finds out about their domestic arrangement, her career will be over. The studio has a plan to fix it all . . . but is Margo prepared to pay the price?

Gabby's drinking is out of control, but who cares? She's bored and depressed. She needs someone who will treat her like the woman she is beneath the silly stage costumes and pigtails. And she's sure unpredictable musician Eddie Sharp is The One. But playing with bad boys like Eddie isn't for little girls. . . .

"In this scintillating sequel to Starstruck, the stakes are higher, the fights are cattier, and the drama soars sky-high . . .   more twists and turns than Mulholland Drive. Secrets abound, and enough is held back to ensure that the next volume will have plenty left to reveal. This sizzling sequel definitely delivers the goods: think Valley of the Dolls meets Gossip Girl."--Kirkus Reviews
Publication Date: 02/11/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Romance
The Glass Casket
McCormick Templeman
Synopsis: Death hasn't visited Rowan Rose since it took her mother when Rowan was only a little girl. But that changes one bleak morning, when five horses and their riders thunder into her village and through the forest, disappearing into the hills. Days later, the riders' bodies are found, and though no one can say for certain what happened in their final hours, their remains prove that whatever it was must have been brutal.
   Rowan's village was once a tranquil place, but now things have changed. Something has followed the path those riders made and has come down from the hills, through the forest, and into the village. Beast or man, it has brought death to Rowan's door once again.
   Only this time, its appetite is insatiable.

A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Pick

[STAR] "With stylish prose, richly developed characters and well-realized worldbuilding, Templeman plumbs archetypes of folklore to create a compelling blend of mythic elements and realistic teen experience."-Kirkus Reviews, Starred

[STAR] "This has both the stylish beauty of those [classic fairy] tales and the chilling darkness that makes them timeless."-The Bulletin, Starred

“The legion of Maggie Stiefvater fans out there ought to look this way.”-Booklist
Publication Date: 02/11/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Pieces of Me
Amber Kizer
Synopsis: When high school oddball and introvert Jessica Chai is killed in a car accident, her parents decide that Jessica would have wanted her organs donated to those who so desperately need these gifts of life. But Jessica is angry about dying and being dismembered. Taking the idea of cell memory to the next level, not only do the recipients get pieces of Jessica, but gets pieces of their memories and lives moving forward—she knows what they know and keeps tabs on their growth, recovery, and development. This begins her journey to learn her purpose as she begins to grasp that her ties to these teenagers goes beyond random weirdness. It's through their lives that Jessica learns about herself, as she watches the lives she literally touched continue to interlock.
Publication Date: 02/11/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Double Take
Laura Kennedy
Synopsis: When sixteen-year-old Brooke Bentley's green convertible and cell phone conk out during a tropical rainstorm, she believes it's just bad luck. But when she darts through the dark to a dilapidated Victorian she thinks is the home of a friend and is invited in by a butler wearing a faded black tux, Brooke knows it must be karma. Because how often do you meet a reclusive 1950's movie star who thinks she's actress Terry Moore? And how often does someone as charming as eighty-year-old Laura de France insist on turning you into a movie star, too?
Publication Date: 02/11/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Humor
Lord and Lady Bunny--Almost Royalty!
Sophie Blackall, Polly Horvath
Synopsis: This hilarious sequel to Mr. and Mrs. Bunny-Detectives Extraordinaire! is a bunny-rific "tail" that even includes a guest appearance by J. K. Rowling a.k.a. "Oldwhatshername". 

Madeleine wants nothing more than to save money for college, but her impractical, ex-hippie parents are broke. When the family unexpectedly inherits a sweet shoppe in England that has the potential to earn serious profit, they see an answer to all their problems. . . . Meanwhile, Mr. and Mrs. Bunny—formerly of the detecting persuasion—are looking for new professions, and Mrs. Bunny decides she would like to be Queen. Soon they, too, are headed across the pond. Brought to you by National Book Award-winning author Polly Horvath and Caldecott Medal–winning illustrator Sophie Blackall, the adventures of Madeleine and the Bunnys are zanier than ever.
Publication Date: 02/11/14
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Empress of the Sun
Ian McDonald
Synopsis: World-hopping, high-action adventure starring a smart boy with computer skills and a tough girl who pilots a blimp
 
The airship Everness makes a Heisenberg Jump to an alternate Earth unlike any her crew has ever seen. Everett, Sen, and the crew find themselves above a plain that goes on forever in every direction without any horizon. There they find an Alderson Disc, an astronomical megastructure of incredibly strong material reaching from the orbit of Mercury to the orbit of Jupiter. 

Then they meet the Jiju, the dominant species on a plane where the dinosaurs didn't die out. They evolved, diversified, and have a twenty-five million year technology head-start on humanity. War between their kingdoms is inevitable, total and terrible. 

Everness has jumped right into the midst of a faction fight between rival nations, the Fabreen and Dityu empires. The airship is attacked, but then defended by the forces of the Fabreen, who offers theEverness crew protection. But what is the true motive behind Empress Aswiu's aid? What is her price?

The crew of the Everness is divided in a very alien world, a world fast approaching the point of apocalypse.
Publication Date: 02/04/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Science Fiction
Saving Kabul Corner
N. H. Senzai
Synopsis: From Afghanistan to America, family matters most in this companion to Shooting Kabul, which Kirkus Reviews called “an ambitious story with much to offer.”

A rough and tumble tomboy, twelve-year-old Ariana couldn’t be more different from her cousin Laila, who just arrived from Afghanistan with her family. Laila is a proper, ladylike Afghan girl, one who can cook, sew, sing, and who is well versed in Pukhtun culture and manners. Arianna hates her. Laila not only invades Ariana’s bedroom in their cramped Fremont townhouse, but she also becomes close with Mariam Nurzai, Ariana’s best friend.

Then a rival Afghan grocery store opens near Ariana’s family store, reigniting a decades-old feud tracing back to Afghanistan. The cousins, Mariam, and their newfound frenemie, Waleed Ghilzai, must ban together to help the families find a lasting peace before it destroys both businesses and everything their parents have worked for.
Publication Date: 02/04/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Landry Park
Bethany Hagen
Synopsis: “Downton Abbey” meets The Selection in this dystopian tale of love and betrayal

Sixteen-year-old Madeline Landry is practically Gentry royalty. Her ancestor developed the nuclear energy that has replaced electricity, and her parents exemplify the glamour of the upper class. As for Madeline, she would much rather read a book than attend yet another debutante ball. But when she learns about the devastating impact the Gentry lifestyle—her lifestyle—is having on those less fortunate, her whole world is turned upside down.  As Madeline begins to question everything she has been told, she finds herself increasingly drawn to handsome, beguiling David Dana, who seems to be hiding secrets of his own. Soon, rumors of war and rebellion start to spread, and Madeline finds herself at the center of it all. Ultimately, she must make a choice between duty—her family and the estate she loves dearly—and desire.

Fans of Ally Condie, Kiera Cass, Veronica Roth, and even Jane Austen will be enthralled by this breathtaking read.
Publication Date: 02/04/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Romance
CHRISSIE'S RUN
S.A. Mahan
Synopsis: In the repressive New Republic, the right to life does not exist. Such life matters are decided at special clinics called Parlors where abortion is mandatory if the unborn baby is a second daughter or is deemed defective in any way. Chrissie, sixteen and unwed, receives the terrible news from the Parlor. 'It is deformed, dear," the redheaded woman with green eyes tells Chrissie, as if she is giving her the time of day. 'It is missing its right foot, part of its right hand, and it probably has a mental deficiency.' That means mandatory abortion for Daniel, and sterilization for Chrissie and her boyfriend, Jason. Chrissie knows that Daniel is her baby's name. He is Daniel in the lion's den, because: 'That is what the voice calls him, the voice that whispers to me in my mind late at night when I am drifting away into sleep. I try to picture what a lion's den might look like. If it is as bad as what I picture, Daniel is definitely in it.' Tomorrow is abortion day for Chrissie and she decides, like her aunt before her, to run. That will make her an enemy of the state (it does not even help that her father is high up in the government) and, if she survives, an imprisoned felon. Chrissie will stop at nothing to save her baby. She searches for a mysterious place called Haven. Government police and specialists known as closers relentlessly hunt for her. But she will have unexpected help. Guides will appear to help her, with names like Moses, Samson, Angel and Dragon. These guides are gifted in many different ways, exceptional deadly fighters, and willing to risk everything to lead runners to safety. The closers are just as gifted in their own way, Hydra, Medusa, Medea, Goliath and: 'His name is Stingray, Chrissie,' Moses whispers with fear in his eyes as they hide in the mangroves along the beach, 'he is a very special closer, the baddest of the bad, and he's here for you!' What follows is an incredible action filled escape where Chrissie must come of age and stand by her choice to save her baby. Prepare to be swept toward an unimaginable conclusion in this non-stop, page turning thriller.
Publication Date: 02/04/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Science Fiction
Twisted (Volume 1)
Brittany Hawes
Synopsis: TWISTED won for best book in the 2013 Young Author Contest by Deep Sea Publishing. It is part 1 of the Twisted series by Brittany Hawes. Street-smart and sassy Lola Phillips has never had it easy. An orphan at the age of eight and a high school dropout at the age of 16, Lola’s only concerns in life are making it to the next day while living on Skid Row and seeking out her missing parents. When a mysterious man approaches her with a tempting offer to help her find out what happened to her parents, she agrees. Her agreement: To take on the name of Harlot Rue and become his personal agent and assassin. Easy, right? Lola takes her new job and is propelled into a world she had no idea existed underground. Welcome to H Corporation, a secret organization burrowed miles beneath the earth, hidden away from the rest of the world. Their goal is to maintain peace throughout the world and they need people like Lola Phillips to do so. Unfortunately, being a teenaged girl comes with the same problems no matter where you are—even miles underground. Enter infuriatingly handsome and haughty Retro, a fellow agent whose main mission seems like it may be to make Lola fall madly in love with him. It’s up to Lola to stay grounded enough to do what she came to do. But finding her parents won’t be as easy as she’s expecting, especially when there’s another organization who would do anything, including murder, to stop her.
Publication Date: 02/02/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Mystery
Secrets and Spies: Plague
Synopsis: Fourteen-year-old Beth Johnson is a talented and beautiful young actress. She is also a spy. It's the summer of 1665, and the horrific Plague is overwhelming London. With so many dead and dying, the King's Master of Secrets, Alan Strange, must entrust Beth with her most important mission yet. With pestilence all around her, will Beth survive long enough to discover who is behind the latest conspiracy to kill the King?
Publication Date: 02/01/14
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Historical Fiction
Secrets and Spies: Treason
Synopsis: Fourteen-year-old Beth Johnson is a talented and beautiful young actress. She is also a spy. The year is 1664, and Charles II is on the throne, but all is not well in the bustling city of London, and there are those who would gladly kill the king and destroy the Monarchy. One morning, a mysterious ghost ship drifts up the Thames. Sent to investigate by the King's Master of Secrets, Alan Strange, Beth quickly finds herself embroiled in a dangerous adventure. Will Beth be able to unravel the plot to kill the King before it's too late?
Publication Date: 02/01/14
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Historical Fiction
Sherlock, Lupin, and Me: The Dark Lady
Iacopo Bruno, Irene Adler
Synopsis: While on summer vacation, little Irene Adler meets a young William Sherlock Holmes. The two share stories of pirates and have battles of wit while running wild on the sunny streets and rooftops. When Sherlock's friend, Lupin, joins in on the fun, they all become fast friends. But the good times end abruptly when a dead body floats ashore on the nearby beach. The young detective trio will have to put all three of their heads together to solve this mystery.
Publication Date: 02/01/14
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Mystery
River of Peril
Susan K. Marlow
Synopsis:

Jem Coulter thinks his family is just on a sightseeing trip to the big city of Sacramento. Then armed bandits hold up the stagecoach for the secret stash they’re carrying: gold for the Union Army fighting the distant Civil War! Suddenly war isn’t so far away; it’s right there on the road to Sacramento, with Jem’s father, the sheriff of Goldtown, fighting against the rebel army’s Knights of the Golden Circle.

When the family finally reaches the city, they think they’re safe at last. Setting out to see the sights, Jem, his sister Ellie, and their cousin Nathan make a new friend. But is Henry the pal they think he is? With a father who is a die-hard Confederate, could Henry be in cahoots with the thieves?

River of Peril gives readers ages 8 to 12 the fast-moving, exciting adventure they’ve come to expect in this series, as well as a glimpse into the history of post–Gold Rush and Civil War life in 1860s California, with stagecoaches, steamboats, stowaways—and lots of gold!

Publication Date: 02/01/14
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Historical Fiction

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