All Books
The Brewster Boys and the Red Revenge
Synopsis: A week has passed since Jon, Pete, and Abby returned home from the attack on Pearl Harbor. Now all they want is to relax and enjoy the remainder of their summer. However, they soon realize that their time-travel adventure has just begun. After noticing minor changes in their neighborhood’s landscape, and receiving a cryptic phone message from an unknown source, the Brewster boys and Abby realize that something is missing from America - the states! The Mississippi River now divides the United States and the North American territory of the Soviet Union! Feeling responsible for these radical changes the Brewster boys and Abby have no other choice but to travel back and set things right. On their journey they’ll discover significant changes in the events of the Manhattan project, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the assassination of J.F.K. They will even visit Nikita Khrushchev’s Moscow!
Publication Date: 11/29/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Historical Fiction
Olivia, Mourning
Yael Politis
Synopsis: Book 1 of the Olivia Series
Historical Fiction (USA, 1840s)
Midwest Book Reviewbr>"Olivia, Mourning is historical fiction at its best ... Expect no easy conclusions to Book 1: it’s all about transition points and leaves the door open for further journeys with Olivia. Readers interested in historical fiction with a healthy dose of romance will find Olivia, Mourning a compelling, gripping saga that deliciously wraps what could be predictable elements in a cloak of many choices. It’s all about options and consequences – and is a heartfelt story especially recommended for readers who enjoy headstrong protagonists tasked with making their own way in the world."
Read the entire review at the author's blog:
yaelpolitis.wordpress.com/olivias-book/midwest-book-review-olivia-mourning/

Description
Olivia wants the 80 acres in far off Michigan that her father left to whichever of his offspring wants to stake a claim. As Olivia says, “I’m sprung off him just as much as Avis or Tobey.”
The problem: she’s seventeen, female, and it’s 1841.
Mourning Free knows how to run a farm and Olivia has complete trust in him.
The problem: he’s Black, the orphaned son of runaway slaves, and reluctant to travel and work with a white girl. He especially fears the slave catchers who patrol the free states, hunting fugitive slaves.
Not without qualms, they set off together. All goes well, despite the drudgery of survival in an isolated log cabin. Incapable of acknowledging her feelings for Mourning, Olivia thinks her biggest problem is her unrequited romantic interest in their young, single neighbor.
Then her world falls apart.
Strong-willed, vulnerable, and compassionate, Olivia is a compelling protagonist on a journey to find a way to do the right thing in a world in which so much is wrong.
Publication Date: 11/27/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Crash Into You
Katie McGarry
Synopsis: From acclaimed author Katie McGarry comes an explosive new tale of a good girl with a reckless streak, a street-smart guy with nothing to lose, and a romance forged in the fast lane 

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life—that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers…and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker—a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind. 

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks—no matter how angelic she might look. 

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other. 
Publication Date: 11/26/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: For Reluctant Readers
Summon
Meredith Mawr
Synopsis:

Killewycke Academy holds a dark, dangerous secret—especially for smart, small-town Electra Vance, away from home for the first time. In the Young Adult paranormal romance, Summon, first of The Summoner Series, mystery and love collide when Elle, starting her Senior year at Killewycke, meets beautiful but secretive Sam, who seems inexplicably drawn to her. As their relationship deepens, Elle is haunted by dark nightmares—often involving Sam and one of Killewycke’s more menacing instructors, Marcello Solis. Despite managing school’s tremendous workload, Elle’s safe, rational world begins to crumble when she and Sam discover that an antique box, belonging to her dead father, might be key to a strange ability she’d never known he had. Threatening faculty behavior escalates, as does Sam’s protective devotion, and Elle can’t help wondering if there really are secrets in her family’s past—secrets that would change her life, and her world, forever. And, when her dark dreams begin to come true, Sam fights Killewycke’s secrets—as well as his own—Fate, and Elle’s own stubborn rationality to convince her of her mysterious, inherited power before it’s too late.

Join Elle in Summon as she discovers more about love, her dreams, her world—even about Sam—than only her wildest dreams dared foretell!

Publication Date: 11/26/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Romance
Cry of the Machi
Alan S. Blood
Synopsis: Like all English villages, the quiet and charming Thorpe Amberley in the heart of the Suffolk countryside has its secrets, its mysteries and its legends. It also has its traditions, such as the Tamberley Morris Men, a dysfunctional band of blow-ins, mainly professionals, who rehearse every Thursday and drink in the local pub. Nothing much has served to disturb the tranquillity of Thorpe Amberley for centuries. Until now. A stunningly beautiful American woman comes to the village to teach at a nearby school, and her arrival coincides with the resurrection of deadly seeds of jealousy, evil and murder. When the village is rocked by a series of gruesome and apparently ritualistic killings, it soon becomes clear that the local police are up against dark forces which they are wholly unequipped to deal with. Unlikely help comes from the shamanistic connection with a Patagonian Machi through the Morris Men's Squire and the unexpected assistance of an ex-NYPD policeman. A hunt for not one, but two serial killers, is on, and Thorpe Amberley will never be the same again.
Publication Date: 11/26/13
Age Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Intangible
C A Gray
Synopsis: An ancient evil returns. A prophecy foretells of a champion.

Peter Stewart grew up on a unique version of the Arthurian legends taught him by his father, a harebrained quantum physicist who asserts that anything is possible. But Peter disbelieves anything which cannot be scientifically explained, despite a nagging sense that there is more to the world than meets the eye.

Lily Portman is an orphan with a secret: she can see creatures that are invisible to everyone else. These creatures control every human being she has ever met to varying degrees... until she meets Peter and his father.

When a mysterious stranger stages an accident which nearly costs Peter and Lily their lives, suddenly Lily learns that she is not crazy after all, and Peter discovers the truth of his father's stories... including the existence of Arthur's ancient nemesis, one who calls himself the Shadow Lord, and a prophecy with implications so profound that it will alter not only the course of their lives, but potentially the fate of the world.
Publication Date: 11/24/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Horizon
Alyson Noël
Synopsis:

"Dreams and reality bleed into each other in this dangerous and edgy romance!" –Justine magazine

Fate has bound them together―and torn them apart. Now, in Horizon, Daire and Dace face one final fight that will seal their destiny forever.

Daire Santos is the last of the Soul Seekers, and the only thing standing between the Richters and the destruction of everyone she loves. With her grandmother gone and Cade back in Enchantment, Daire must finally step into her destiny and lead the fight against the Richters. But what if that means sacrificing the person she loves most?

Bound to the Richters by blood, Dace struggles against the darkness growing inside him that threatens to claim Daire too. Though Daire refuses to give up on him, the choice may not be hers. An epic battle is on the horizon and the end of the world looms near. With such insurmountable odds stacked against them, is their love really enough to conquer all?


Also available: The Soul Seekers Books 1, 2 and 3 (Fated, Echo and Mystic) from bestselling author Alyson Noël.

Publication Date: 11/19/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Romance
The Severed Tower: A Conquered Earth Novel
Synopsis:

J. Barton Mitchell's sci-fi tour de force Conquered Earth series set in an alien-invaded post-apocalyptic world returns as the children forge deeper into the most dangerous lands in search of The Severed Tower

Holt, Mira, and Max have fled Midnight City with Zoey after watching her repel an entire Assembly army. Zoey's powers are unlocked, but who and what she is remains a mystery. All she knows is that she must reach the Severed Tower, an infamous location in the middle of the world's most dangerous landscape: The Strange Lands, a place where the laws of physics have completely broken down. But the closer they get to the Tower, the more precarious things become. The Assembly has pursued Zoey into the Strange Lands. Among them is a new group, their walkers and machines strangely bereft of any color, stripped to bare metal, and whose agenda seems to differ from the rest. To make matters worse, the group hunting Holt are here, too, led by a dangerous and beautiful pirate named Ravan. So is Mira's first love, Benjamin Aubertine, whose singular ambition to reach the Tower threatens to get them all killed.

Then there's the Strange Lands themselves. They have inexplicably begun to grow, spreading outwards, becoming more powerful. Somehow, it all seems tied to Zoey herself, and the closer she gets to the Tower, the weaker she becomes.

Publication Date: 11/19/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Series
Firebolt (The Dragonian Series)
Synopsis:                  Dragons. Right. Teenage girls don't believe in fairy tales, and sixteen-year old Elena Watkins was no different.
Until the night a fairy tale killed her father.
Now Elena's in a new world, and a new school. The cutest guy around may be an evil dragon, a Prince wants Elena's heart, and a long dead sorcerer may be waking up to kill her. Oh. And the only way Elena's going to graduate is on the back of a dragon of her own.
Teenage girls don't believe in fairy tales. Now it's time for Elena to believe - in herself.            
Publication Date: 11/19/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Series
Soul Slam: Soul Force Series
Synopsis: An ancient Egyptian amulet. A pharaoh’s soul inside demanding she obey. A double cross that ends with a curse. On her first heist to steal an ancient Egyptian amulet, sixteen-year-old Olivia inadvertently receives the soul of King Tut…and the deadly curse that comes with it. And Olivia’s not alone at the museum. A member of a secret society, Xander believes it’s his place to inherit King Tut’s soul and justly rule. He knows nothing about the society’s evil plan to control the world or the curse. Now, he must deal with the female thief who stole the amulet. When the two teens find themselves up against the secret society, they reluctantly join forces and must figure out how to end the curse before it turns deadly. On the run and unable to touch because of the curse, Olivia and Xander develop a connection during their quest. As the mystery surrounding the amulet unfolds, Olivia and Xander fall for each other. But is love enough to save them and the world from destruction? “If you are a fan of Rick Riordan books about a quest with love and history thrown in…this is for you!” – Hooked In A Book Review Other books in series: Tut’s Trumpet, Peace Piper, Cleo’s Curse
Publication Date: 11/15/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Romance
Moon of the Goddess
Cathy Hird
Synopsis: Thalassai, pampered princess of ancient Tiryns, wakes from a dream and discovers she has been kidnapped. Her fear grows to terror when she realizes her kidnappers intemd to use her as a pawn to gain Poseidon's aid for their valley. The mother goddess, who in the past sustained the valley, calls a bloodred harvest moon into the spring sky. She will challenge Poseidon for the allegiance of her people and assist the princess. Thalassai's brother Melanion rides north to rescue her, and finds allies among the servants of the goddess. Slowed by bandits, Melanion is forced to take a tunnel under the mountains even though earthquakes have rendered it hazardous. He skirts the edge of Hades' kingdom as he races to reach his sister in time. Caught between the mother goddess and the rising power of Olympus, will Thalassai break under the strain or find the strength she needs to stand up to her captors? Set in the days of Helen of Troy and the great heroes of Greece, this story takes the reader on a fast paced journey across the sun-drenched landscape of Homer and deep into darkness.
Publication Date: 11/13/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
A Season Without Rain
Joe Schwartz
Synopsis: Jacob Miller is angry with himself, the world, and God. Life seems so unfair, so cruel, that he can’t imagine why anyone even tries. After having a nervous breakdown, selling his business, filing for bankruptcy, having a baby, and finding out he owes over twenty grand in taxes, he is hardly happy to be alive. In the span of a year, Jacob will discover three very important things about life. Things can always be worse. There really is a God. And if you wait long enough anything can change. A Season Without Rain explores that gray area between poverty and middle class life, the struggling underclass for whom there are no advocates. A powerful story told in a modern, everyday voice that will entrench readers in Jacob Miller’s black world of anger, hate, resentment, lies, and violence. A Season Without Rain is Joe Schwartz’s first novel. His previous short story collections Joe’s Black T-Shirt, The Games Men Play, and The Veiled Prophet of St. Louis have been acclaimed vulgar as Bukowski and visceral as Carver. Joe lives and works in St. Louis happily writing stories exclusively about the Gateway City.
Publication Date: 11/13/13
Age Level: Adult
Genre: Fiction
Loud Awake and Lost
Adele Griffin
Synopsis: There was an accident. Ember knows at least that much. She was driving. The car was totaled. Eight months later, Ember feels broken. She can’t even remember the six weeks of her life leading up to the accident. Where was she going? Who was she with? And what happened during those six weeks that her friends and family won’t talk about?
 
In the wake of her critically praised young adult psychological thrillers, Tighter and All You Never Wanted, National Book Award finalist Adele Griffin has created another triumph in this unflinching story of loss and recovery that Booklist called “exquisite” in a starred review.


From the Hardcover edition.
Publication Date: 11/12/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Extracted (The Lost Imperials Book One)
Tyler H. Jolley, Sherry D. Ficklin
Synopsis: Welcome to the war. The Tesla Institute is a premier academy that trains young time travelers called Rifters. Created by Nicola Tesla, the Institute seeks special individuals who can help preserve the time stream against those who try to alter it. The Hollows is a rogue band of Rifters who tear through time with little care for the consequences. Armed with their own group of lost teens--their only desire to find Tesla and put an end to his corruption of the time stream. Torn between them are Lex and Ember, two Rifters with no memories of their life before joining the time war. When Lex's girlfriend dies during a mission, the only way he can save her is to retrieve the Dox, a piece of tech which allows Rifters to re-enter their own timeline without collapsing the time stream. But the Dox is hidden deep within the Telsa Institute, which means Lex must go into the enemy camp. It's there he meets Ember, and the past that was stolen from them both comes flooding back. Now armed with the truth of who they are, Lex and Ember must work together to save the future before the battle for time destroys them both again.
Publication Date: 11/12/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Science Fiction
The Almost Truth
Eileen Cook
Synopsis: From the author of Unraveling Isobel and The Education of Hailey Kendrick, a smart, romantic novel about a teenage con artist who might be in over her head.

Sadie can’t wait to get away from her backwards small town, her delusional mom, her jailbird dad, and the tiny trailer where she was raised…even though leaving those things behind also means leaving her best friend Brendan. Sadie wants a better life, and she has been working steadily toward it, one con at a time.

But when Sadie’s mother wipes out Sadie’s savings, her escape plan is suddenly gone. She needs to come up with a lot of cash—and fast—or she’ll be stuck in this town forever.

With Brendan’s help, she devises a plan—the ultimate con—to get the money. But the more lies Sadie spins, the more she starts falling for her own hoax…and perhaps for the wrong boy. Sadie wanted to change her life, but she wasn't prepared to have it flipped upside down by her own deception. With her future at stake and her heart on the line, suddenly it seems like she has a lot more than just money to lose...
Publication Date: 11/12/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Romance
White House Wit, Wisdom and Wisecracks
Ashley Walton, Phil Dampier
Synopsis: In January 2013, Barack Obama was sworn in for a second term as the 44th President of the United States of America. The only African-American to occupy the White House, this charismatic and eloquent leader is carrying on a rich tradition of oratory which started with the Founding Fathers of the 18th century. This comprehensive collection of witty one-liners, historic pronouncements, personal insights and philosophical musings should contain something for everyone. It goes without saying that you will find the goofs and gaffes of more recent incumbents of the office, but what clearly emerges from the more serious quotations in this compilation is how many of the problems faced by the earliest Presidents still resonate today. When George Washington said "Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom", Andrew Jackson admitted "I have always been afraid of banks" and Herbert Hoover declared "Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the national debt", they could have been talking of 21st-century crises. In our 24-hour TV news and internet world, how would the earliest leaders have stood up to scrutiny? More than a few Presidents were wooden and unsuited to the Oval Office, while others were the cream of their generation and could have succeeded in whatever career they chose. Some quotations have become beacons of inspiration - like these pearls of wisdom: Thomas Jefferson's drafting of the Declaration of Independence: " - that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." JFK's timeless exhortation: "My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country." As Commanders-in-Chief, Presidents are in charge of the most powerful armed forces ever known, yet humor is often their best weapon. Harry S. Truman: "You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog." Ronald Reagan: "I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency - even if I'm in a Cabinet meeting." Barack Obama: "I'm so over-exposed I'm making Paris Hilton look like a recluse."
Publication Date: 11/11/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Humor

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