Here Come the New Books for May 2016! (part 3)

Flawed by Cecelia Ahern

Science Fiction 

Celestine North lives a perfect life. She's a model daughter and sister, she's well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she's dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan. But then Celestine encounters a situation in which she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule and now faces life-changing repercussions. She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found FLAWED.

Game Art: Art from 40 Video Games and Interviews with their Creators by Matt Sainsbury

Nonfiction 

Features interviews with game developers and discussion of the creative process behind video game development. Includes full-color artwork and concept art from 40 video games.

Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse

Historical Fiction 

In 1943 Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, teenage Hanneke--a 'finder' of black market goods--is tasked with finding a Jewish girl a customer had been hiding, who has seemingly vanished into thin air, and is pulled into a web of resistance activities and secrets as she attempts to solve the mystery and save the missing girl.

The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead
Fantasy
For a select group of girls, the Glittering Court offers a shot at a life they've only ever dreamed of, one of luxury, glamour, and leisure. To high-born Adelaide, whose wealthy family is forcing her into a loveless marriage, the Glittering Court represents something else-- the chance to chart her own destiny, and adventure in an unspoiled, prosperous new land across the sea. After a chance meeting with the dazzling Cedric Thorn, Adelaide poses as a servant to join the crop of impoverished girls he promises to transform into proper ladies. But her familiarity with upper class life comes with a price-- she must hide her identity from her new friends, mysterious refugee Mira and fiery former laundress Tamsin, and most importantly, from Cedric himself-- even though she's falling in love with him.

Half Lost by Sally Green
Paranormal
The Alliance is losing. Their most critical weapon, seventeen-year-old witch Nathan Brynn, has killed fifty-two people, and yet he's no closer to ending the tyrannical, abusive rule of the Council of White Witches in England. Nor is Nathan any closer to his personal goal: getting revenge on Annalise, the girl he once loved, before she committed an unthinkable crime. There is an amulet, protected by the extremely powerful witch Ledger, which could be the tool Nathan needs to save himself and the Alliance. But the amulet is not so easily acquired. And lately Nathan has started to suffer from visions: a vision of a golden moment when he dies, and of an endless line of Hunters, impossible to overcome. Gabriel, his closest companion, encourages Nathan to run away with him, to start a peaceful life together. But even Gabriel's love may not be enough to save Nathan from this war, or from the person he has become.

What's New in November? (Part 6)

Really Professional Internet Person by Jenn McAllister

Nonfiction 

Jenn McAllister, better known as JennxPenn, has been obsessed with making videos since she found her parents video camera at the age of eight. A shy child, Jenn turned to film because, unlike with life, you can always have a do-over.

Really Professional Internet Person offers both an insider's guide to building a successful YouTube channel and an intimate portrait of the surreality of insta-fame and the harsh reality of high school.

Brimming with honesty, heart and Jenn's patented sense of humor, Really Professional Internet Person features top ten lists, photos, screenshots, social media posts and never-before-posted stories chronicling Jenn's journey from an anxious middle-schooler just trying to fit in, to a YouTube sensation unafraid to stand out.

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

Paranormal

What if you aren't the Chosen One? The one who's supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death? What if you're like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again. Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week's end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life. Even if your best friend is worshipped by mountain lions.

The Rose Society by Marie Lu

Science Fiction 

Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends. Then they betrayed her, and she destroyed them all. Adelina Amouteru's heart has suffered at the hands of both family and friends, turning her down the bitter path of revenge. Now known and feared as the White Wolf, she and her sister flee Kenettra to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army of allies. Her goal: to strike down the Inquisition Axis, the white-cloaked soldiers who nearly killed her. But Adelina is no heroine. Her powers, fed only by fear and hate, have started to grow beyond her control. She does not trust her newfound Elite friends. Teren Santoro, leader of the Inquisition, wants her dead. And her former friends, Raffaele and the Dagger Society, want to stop her thirst for vengeance. Adelina struggles to cling to the good within her. But how can someone be good, when her very existence depends on darkness? 

The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett

Fantasy 

Deep in the Chalk, something is stirring. The owls and the foxes can sense it, and Tiffany Aching feels it in her boots. An old enemy is gathering strength.

This is a time of endings and beginnings, old friends and new, a blurring of edges and a shifting of power. Now Tiffany stands between the light and the dark, the good and the bad.

As the fairy horde prepares for invasion, Tiffany must summon all the witches to stand with her. To protect the land. Her land.

There will be a reckoning…

The Survival Guide to Bullying: Written by a Teen by Aija Mayrock

Nonfiction 

NEW, updated edition! Written by a teenager who was bullied throughout middle school and high school, this kid-friendly book offers a fresh and relatable perspective on bullying. Along the way, the author offers guidance as well as different strategies that helped her get through even the toughest of days. The Survival Guide to Bullying covers everything from cyber bullying to how to deal with fear and how to create the life you dream of having. From inspiring "roems" (rap poems), survival tips, personal stories, and quick quizzes, this book will light the way to a brighter future. This updated edition also features new, never-before-seen content including a chapter about how to talk to parents, an epilogue, and an exclusive Q&A with the author.

The Rest of Your Summer Reading ~ August New Books (part 9)

Survive the Night by Danielle Vega

Action/Adventure 

Fresh out of rehab for oxycodone addiction, Casey and some of her friends attend an all-night rave called Survive the Night in the New York City subway, and find themselves fighting for their lives because drugs are not the only danger here--something is using the rave to attract victims, and some of them will not be coming back.

Unlikely Hero of Room 13 B by Teresa Toten

Contemporary Fiction 

Adam not only is trying to understand his OCD, while trying to balance his relationship with his divorced parents, but he's also trying to navigate through the issues that teenagers normally face, namely the perils of young love.

We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen

Contemporary Fiction 

Thirteen-year-old brilliant but socially-challenged Stewart and mean-girl Ashley must find common ground when, two years after Stewart's mother died, his father moves in with his new girlfriend--Ashley's mother, whose gay ex-husband lives in their guest house.

The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige

Dorothy Must Die #2

Fantasy 

Amy's job as assassin didn't work out as planned. Dorothy is still alive. The Order has vanished. And the home she couldn't wait to leave behind might be in danger.

The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker

Witch Hunter #1

Fantasy 

Set in an alternative 16th-century England, Elizabeth Grey is the only girl in the king's elite group of witch hunters. When she's framed for being a witch herself, Elizabeth finds freedom at the hands of the world's most wanted wizard and her loyalties are tested.

New Books for June...Finally! (Part 10)

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Contemporary Fiction 

Sydney's charismatic older brother, Peyton, has always been the center of attention in the family but when he is sent to jail, Sydney struggles to find her place at home and the world until she meets the Chathams, including gentle, protective Mac, who makes her feel seen for the first time.

Scarlett Undercover by Jennifer Latham

Mystery 

Scarlett, a sixteen-year-old private detective in the fictional city of Las Almas, finds herself at the center of a mysterious case--involving ancient curses, priceless artifacts, and jinn--as she discovers that her own family secrets may have more to do with the situation than she thinks.

A School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin

Historical Fiction 

England, 1814. After accidentally setting her father's stables on fire while performing a scientific experiment, Miss Georgiana Fitzwilliam is sent to Stranje House where she meets Lord Sebastian Wyatt. Thrust together in a desperate mission to invent a new invisible ink for the English war effort, Georgie and Sebastian must find a way to work together without losing their heads-or their hearts.

The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

Mystery 

Follows three young operatives of a Psychic Detection Agency as they battle an epidemic of ghosts in London.

Seriously Wicked by Tina Connolly

Paranormal 

Cam's adopted mother is a wicked witch who wants Cam to be just like her, even as Cam tries to stop her plans for ruling the world, including the latest, which involves summoning a demon that now possesses one of the boys at Cam's school.

New Books for June...Finally! (Part 4)

The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

Contemporary Fiction 

When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she decides to do the unthinkable ... convince the cute guy waiting to pick up his sister to pretend to be her boyfriend for the night. Will Gia turn her fake boyfriend into a real one without exposing her lie and possibly destroying her friendships and her newfound relationship?

Forever: Maximum Ride by James Patterson

Action/Adventure 

Maximum Ride and her broken flock roam a postapocalyptic world, searching for answers to what happened.

Furious Jones and the Assassin's Secret by Tim Kehoe

Action/Adventure 

Upon witnessing his famous spy-novelist father's murder just seven months after his mother's death, twelve-year-old Furious, now an orphan, seeks clues in his father's latest novel to stop the murderer before he or she strikes again.

The Glass Casket by McCormick Templeman

Paranormal 

After the brutal murder of her cousin, everything changes for sixteen-year-old Rowan, who must not only seek the evil forces responsible before they destroy her family and village, but also set aside her studies when she becomes betrothed to her best friend, Tom.

The Good Girls by Sara Shepard

Mystery 

When a rich bully and someone else dies, Mackenzie, Ava, Caitlin, Julie, and Parker wonder if they're being framed. Or are they about to become the killer's next targets?

April Books bring May...more books! (April new books part 4)

Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons

Science Fiction

Living in hiding with other ragtag girls in a world where women are hunted and sold for breeding, Aya is caught by a group of businessmen who test her survival skills.

Gone Too Far by Natalie Richards

Mystery

When high school senior Piper Woods finds a notebook with mutilated photographs and a list of student sins, she is sure the book is too gruesome to be true, but when a student from the list dies, and although everyone thinks it is a suicide, she suspects something much worse, and her fears are confirmed when she receives an anonymous text daring her to make things right.

Half Wild by Sally Green

Paranormal

In a modern-day England where two warring factions of witches live amongst humans, seventeen-year-old Nathan has come into his own unique magical Gift, but he is on the run with the Hunters close behind, and they will stop at nothing until they have captured Nathan and destroyed his father.

I Was Here by Gayle Forman

Contemporary Fiction

In an attempt to understand why her best friend committed suicide, eighteen-year-old Cody Reynolds retraces her dead friend's footsteps and makes some startling discoveries.

Liars, Inc. by Paula Stokes

Mystery

Max Cantrell has never been a big fan of the truth, so when the opportunity arises to sell forged permission slips and cover stories to his classmates, it sounds like a good way to make a little money and liven up a boring senior year. With the help of his friends Preston and Parvati, Max starts Liars, Inc. Suddenly everybody needs something and the cash starts pouring in. Who knew lying could be so lucrative?

When Preston wants his own cover story to go visit a girl he met online, Max doesn’t think twice about hooking him up. Until Preston never comes home. Then the evidence starts to pile up—terrifying clues that lead the cops to Preston’s body. Terrifying clues that point to Max as the murderer.

Can Max find the real killer before he goes to prison for a crime he didn’t commit?

July's New Books are (finally) Here! (part 4)

Teen Spirit by Francesca Lia Block

Julie wanted nothing more than to feel connected to her deceased grandmother, but when she actually makes contact with the other side it's not her grandmother that responds, but a spirit that has its own sinister agenda.

A Breath of Frost by Alyxandra Harvey

When three cousins in 1814 London discover their magical powers and family lineage of witchcraft, they accidentally open the gates to the underworld allowing the spirits of dark witches known as the Greymalkin Sisters to hunt and kill young debutante witches for their powers.

Changers: Drew by T. Cooper & Allison Glock-Cooper

Changers Book One: Drew opens on the eve of Ethan Miller''s freshman year of high school in a brand-new town. He''s finally sporting a haircut he doesn't hate, has grown two inches since middle school, and can''t wait to try out for the soccer team. At last, everything is looking up in life. Until the next morning. When Ethan awakens as a girl. Ethan is a Changer, a little-known, ancient race of humans who live out each of their four years of high school as a different person. After graduation, Changers choose which version of themselves they will be forever--and no, they cannot go back to who they were before the changes began. Ethan must now live as Drew Bohner--a petite blonde with an unfortunate last name--and navigate the treacherous waters of freshman year while also following the rules: Never tell anyone what you are. Never disobey the Changers Council. And never, ever fall in love with another Changer. Oh, and Drew also has to battle a creepy underground syndicate called "Abiders" (as well as the sadistic school queen bee, Chloe). And she can''t even confide in her best friend Audrey, who can never know the real her, without risking both of their lives.

Insanity by Susan Vaught

The intertwining stories of three teenagers who find themselves haunted beyond imagining in the depths of a Kentucky mental institution.

First Books of Summer ~ June New Books part 7

Hidden like Anne Frank: 14 True Stories of Survival by Marcel Prins & Peter Henk Steenhuis

Fourteen unforgettable true stories of children hidden away during World War II. Jaap Sitters was only eight years old when his mother cut the yellow stars off his clothes and sent him, alone, on a fifteen-mile walk to hide with relatives. It was a terrifying night, one he would never forget. Before the end of the war, Jaap would hide in secret rooms and behind walls. He would suffer from hunger, sickness, and the looming threat of Nazi raids. But he would live. This is just one of the incredible stories told in HIDDEN LIKE ANNE FRANK, a collection of eye-opening first-person accounts that share what it was like to go into hiding during World War II.

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

Amy Gumm, the other girl from Kansas, has been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked to stop Dorothy who has found a way to come back to Oz, seizing a power that has gone to her head -- so now no one is safe!

Scan by Walter Jury & Sarah Fine

Tate Archer outruns armed government officials as he tries to keep his now dead father's strange invention out of the wrong hands, alien hands.

Pretending Normal by Mary Campisi

1976 Before-Sara Polokovich wants out of Norwood, Pennsylvania, population 4,582, where the undertaker and the butcher are the same person. All she has to do is earn a scholarship. Just two more years…but until then, she pours over classics to strengthen her comprehension skills, reviews for the SAT, and continues to request college brochures from every school in the northeast.
Sara’s just buried her mother, her father drinks too much, and her kid sister won’t leave her alone. Why can’t her life be normal? Even half-normal? Why does Frank, (she refuses to think of him as her father anymore), spend all of his time in the garage with that damn ‘57 Chevy? And why does he have to hide bottles all over the house; in the red metal cupboard in the garage, behind the faded orange curtain in the kitchen, under the sink in the bathroom? Why can’t anybody talk about what’s happening?
As Sara struggles to free herself from a life of dysfunction and disease, she will learn the true depths of a parent’s love and the ultimate sacrifice given— and taken— in the name of that love. Pretending Normal follows Sara Polokovich’s coming of age as she discovers the truths about family with all of its flaws and weaknesses as the bond that holds one to another, in love, loyalty, even death.

MAY I have some New Books Please? (Part 1)

An evil force has been awakened from years of sleep and it is up to fourteen-year-old Edmund, an aspiring sorcerer, and his friends to stop it.

  In modern-day England, where witches live alongside humans, Nathan, son of a White witch and the most powerful Black witch, must escape captivity before his seventeenth birthday and receive the gifts that will determine his future.

 Orphaned as a child in the crumbling village of Tulan, Elara is determined to learn her true identity, even if it means wielding a dagger. Meanwhile, in Galandria's royal capital, Princess Wilha stands out as someone to either worship or fear. Though no one knows why the king has always made her conceal her face-including Wilha herself.When an assassination attempt threatens the peace of neighboring kingdoms, Elara and Wilha are brought face to face . . . with a chance at claiming new identities. However, with dark revelations now surfacing, both girls will need to decide if brighter futures are worth the binding risks. 

Jack, who is sixteen and has anorexia, spends the summer in an eating disorder ward for teenagers and befriends both his overweight roommate and a dangerously thin dancer.

There is a new drug on the mean streets of Manchester which promises the most intense week of your life, and then you are dead--and after he watches a pop star die on stage, Adam thinks that his own life is so miserable that he might just as well try it.

New books to read during those April showers! (Part 1)

FML by Shaun David Hutchinson

At a party near the end of senior year, seventeen-year-old Simon Cross imagines his life with and without Cassie, the girl he has yearned for since they were freshman, and begins to discover the unpredictable wonders of life his best friends, Ben and Coop, have urged him to explore.

No Place by Todd Strasser

When Dan and his parents can no longer pay their mortgage, they end up homeless and living in a local tent city. It's a bad situation, and it only gets worse when the leader of the tent city is brutally beaten. Who is trying to shut down the tent city, and why?

Zombillenium by Arthur De Pins

Francis von Bloodt, a vampire and good family man, operates the one-of-a-kind theme park Zombiellennium. But this unique amusement park doesn't just hire anyone: mere mortals need not apply - only genuine werewolves, vampires, zombies and other citizens from the undead community are employed. This is what Aurelian gets to discover as, burnt out, deceived by his wife, he finally gets hired in spite of himself in this strange business. Gretchen, a plucky trainee witch, helps him get around...

Snakeroot by Andrea Cremer

Bosque Mar haunts Adne and Logan's dreams, trying to turn Adne to the dark side as he attempts to escape the Nether, where Calla, Shay and the other Guardians trapped him in the final battle of the War of All Against All.

A Mad, Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller

In 1909 London, as the world of debutante balls and high society obligations closes in around her, seventeen-year-old Victoria must figure out just how much is she willing to sacrifice to pursue her dream of becoming an artist.

New Books for March ~ Part 5

These Lying Eyes by Amanda Allen

How can the truest friends you’ve ever had be a curse? Perhaps when you’re the only one who can see them. But when the unseen world forces its way into Mina Roth’s life, she is forced to trust herself as never before. With an old friend, her lifelong companions, and a newly discovered faith in herself, Mina uncovers a hidden world and makes some startling discoveries about friendship, family, and what it means to love.

 Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick

Seven stories of passion and love separated by centuries but mysteriously intertwined--this is a tale of horror and beauty, tenderness and sacrifice. An archaeologist who unearths a mysterious artifact, an airman who finds himself far from home, a painter, a ghost, a vampire, and a Viking: the seven stories in this compelling novel all take place on the remote Scandinavian island of Blessed where a curiously powerful plant that resembles a dragon grows. What binds these stories together? What secrets lurk beneath the surface of this idyllic countryside? And what might be powerful enough to break the cycle of midwinterblood?

 Twisted Myths: 20 Classic Stories with a Dark and Dangerous Heart by Maura McHugh

Readers may be familiar with these traditional tales of gods, demons, and tricksters but they've never heard them like this before! Award-winning fantasy author Maura McHugh revisits the popular myths of Loki, Odin, Cupid, and Psyche and others from Greek and Norse mythology--as well as lesser known fables from Africa, Asia, and the Americas--and gives them a macabre makeover. These gruesome myths of love, treachery, sacrifice and revenge include: