July New Books (Part 7)

Love and Other Unknown Variables by Shannon Lee Alexander

Contemporary Fiction 

Charlie Hanson has a clear vision of his future. A senior at Brighton School of Mathematics and Science, he knows he'll graduate, go to MIT, and inevitably discover solutions to the universe's greatest unanswered questions. He's that smart. But Charlie's future blurs the moment he reaches out to touch the tattoo on a beautiful girl's neck. The future has never seemed very kind to Charlotte Finch, so she's counting on the present. She's not impressed by the strange boy at the donut shop--until she learns he's a student at Brighton where her sister has just taken a job as the English teacher. With her encouragement, Charlie orchestrates the most effective prank campaign in Brighton history. But, in doing so, he puts his own future in jeopardy. By the time he learns she's ill--and that the pranks were a way to distract Ms. Finch from Charlotte's illness--Charlotte' gravitational pull is too great to overcome. Soon he must choose between the familiar formulas he's always relied on or the girl he's falling for (at far more than 32 feet per second squared).

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork

Contemporary Fiction 

Marcelo Sandoval, a seventeen-year-old boy on the high-functioning end of the autistic spectrum, faces new challenges, including romance and injustice, when he goes to work for his father in the mailroom of a corporate law firm.

The Messengers by Edward Hogan

Paranormal

Fifteen-year-old Frances is sent to her aunt's house for the summer to escape difficulties at home. Soon she meets Peter, a man unlike anyone she has ever known. Peter is a messenger--but his messages never bring good news. Peter believes that Frances is a messenger, too. In a compelling page-turner as complex as it is chilling, the author of Daylight Saving poses the provocative question: If you could change the future, where would you start?

A Million Miles Away by Lara Avery

Contemporary Fiction 

Shortly after her boyfriend, Peter, is deployed to Afghanistan, high school senior Michelle dies in a car crash and when her bereft twin, Kelsey, connects with Peter she is unable to tell him the truth as, through their separate woes, they support each other and begin to fall in love.

Mindwalker by A. J. Steiger

Science Fiction 

At seventeen, Lain Fisher has already aced the Institute's elite training program for Mindwalkers, therapists who use a direct neural link to erase a patient's traumatic memories. A prodigy and the daughter of a renowned scientist-whose unexplained death left her alone in the world-Lain is driven by the need to save others.

When Steven, a troubled classmate, asks her to wipe a horrific childhood experience from his mind, Lain's superiors warn her to stay away. Steven's scars are too deep, they say; the risk too great. Yet the more time Lain spends with him, the more she begins to question everything about her society. As she defies the warnings and explores Steven's memories, it becomes clear that he's connected to something much bigger…something the Institute doesn't want the world to discover.

Lain never expected to be a rule breaker. She certainly didn't plan on falling in love with a boy she's been forbidden to help. But then, she never expected to stumble into a conspiracy that could ignite a revolution.

Modern Art Adventures: 36 Creative, Hands-On Projects Inspired by Artists from Monet to Banksy by Maja Pitamic and Jill Laidlaw

Nonficiton 

Introduces the major movements of modern art and provides representative examples from individual artists, with thirty-six art projects that can be done in imitation of each style.

New year, new books ~ Happy 2015! (part 8)

Thor God of Thunder vol 3: The Accursed by Aaron Klein

It's the bloody return of one of Thor's greatest enemies: Malekith the Accursed! The former lord of the Dark Elves is freed from his otherworldly prison, and the chase is on across the Nine Realms to capture him! As Malekith begins a bloody rampage, Thor finds new allies to aid him: a Dark Elf sorceress! A gun-toting Light Elf! A gargantuan Mountain Giant! A dwarf who loves dynamite! And a particularly surly troll...?! The Wild Hunt has begun!

Training for Speed, Agility, & Quickness by Lee Brown

Today’s athletes are bigger, stronger, faster, and more agile than ever before. Exhibiting a combination of power, speed, and quickness, they’ve raised the bar on performance, competition, and training. Training for Speed, Agility, and Quickness is the complete workout guide you need in order to perform a step ahead of the competition.   With this total training package, you’ll have exclusive online access to a video library of the most effective drills and exercises for developing movement skills, and you’ll see how to perform key tests and execute the best and most complex drills from the book. 

Unfriended by Rachel Vail

When thirteen-year-old Truly is invited to sit at the Popular Table, she finds herself caught in a web of lies and misunderstandings, made unescapable by the hyperconnected social media world.

Whole Lotta Creativity Going On: 60 Fun and Unusual Exercises to Awaken and Strengthen Your Creativity by Regina Pecelli

Be your own kind of creative. Everyone has a creative core. Everyone! But, in order for it to thrive, it needs to be nurtured. That's where "Whole Lotta Creativity Going On" can help. It's not a crafts or how-to book, but rather a fun book, filled with 10 different types of unusual and thought-provoking activities and exercises, which can be used to ignite and invigorate your creative spark. 

Wild Rover No More by L. A. Meyer

In 1809, just when it looks like Jacky Faber and her beloved Jaimy will finally find their romance, Jacky is accused of treason and must flee Boston while her friends attempt to clear her name. Of course that means wild adventures for our fun-loving heroine, who manages to secure a job as a governess--and run away with the circus.

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

An aristocratic girl who is a member of a warmongering and enslaving empire purchases a slave, an act that sets in motion a rebellion that might overthrow her world as well as her heart.

First New Books of 2014~ Part 2

World After by Susan Ee

Penryn's search for her kidnapped sister, Paige, leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans, while Raffe must choose between reclaiming his wings--and his role as the angels' leader--or helping Penryn survive.

Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn

A year after vanishing from a party, screaming and drenched in blood, seventeen-year-old Annaliese Rose Gordon appears hundreds of miles from home with no memory, but a haunting certainty that she is actually another girl trapped in Annaliese's body.

The Pitcher by William Hazelgrove

A boy with a golden arm but no money for lessons. A mother who wants to give her son his dream before she dies. A broken down World Series pitcher who cannot go on after the death of his wife. These are the elements of The Pitcher . A story of a man at the end of his dream and a boy whose dream is to make his high school baseball team. In the tradition of The Natura l and The Field of Dreams , this is a mythic story about how a man and a boy meet in the crossroads of their life and find a way to go on. You will laugh and you will cry as The Pitcher and Ricky prepare for the ultimate try out of life.

No Easy Way Out by Dayna Lorentz

Teens Marco, Shay, Ryan, and Lexi form new allies in the quarantined mall-as the bodies pile up, the disease mutates, the Senator's authority is questioned, and it becomes clear there's no one to trust.

Break These Rules by various YA Authors

If you're a girl, you should strive to look like the model on the cover of a magazine. If you're a boy, you should play sports and be good at them. If you're smart, you should immediately go to college after high school, and get a job that makes you rich. Above all, be normal. Right? Wrong , say 35 leading middle grade and young adult authors. Growing up is challenging enough; it doesn't have to be complicated by convoluted, outdated, or even cruel rules, both spoken and unspoken. Parents, peers, teachers, the media, and the rest of society sometimes have impossible expectations of teenagers. These restrictions can limit creativity, break spirits, and demand that teens sacrifice personality for popularity. In these personal, funny, moving, and poignant essays, Kathryn Erskine ( Mockingbird ), Matthew Quick ( The Silver Linings Playbook ), Gary D. Schmidt ( The Wednesday Wars ), Sara Zarr ( Story of a Girl ), and many others share anecdotes and lessons learned from their own lives in order to show you that some rules just beg to be broken.