July New Books (Part 9)

Silent Alarm by Jennifer Banash

Contemporary Fiction 

Alys, a Plaineville, Wisconsin, junior who dreams of studying violin at Julliard, must deal with the aftermath of a tragic high school shooting in which her older brother, Luke, was the shooter.

Spelled by Betsy Schow

Fantasy 

As the crown princess of Emerald, Dorthea lives a charmed life full of Hans Christian Louboutin glass slippers and Glenda Original ball gowns. But when she unknowingly wishes upon a cursed star, all hell breaks loose and the rules of fairy tale disappear--taking Dorthea's parents with them.

Sweet by Emmy Laybourne

Action/Adventure 

The luxurious celebrity cruise launching the trendy new diet sweetener Solu should be the vacation of a lifetime. But Laurel is starting to regret accepting her friend Viv's invitation. She's already completely embarrassed herself in front of celebrity host Tom Forelli--the hottest guy ever!--and she's too sick to even try the sweetener. And that's before Viv and all the other passengers start acting really strange. Tom knows that he should be grateful for this job and the chance to shed his former-child-star image. His publicists have even set up a 'romance' with a sexy reality star. But as things on the ship start to get wild, he finds himself drawn to a different girl. And when the hosting gig turns into an exposé on the shocking side effects of Solu, it's Laurel that he's determined to save. Emmy Laybourne, author of the Monument 14 trilogy, takes readers on a dream vacation in Sweet that goes first comically, then tragically, then horrifyingly, wrong!

Tangled Webs by Lee Bross 

Historical Fiction 

London, 1725. Everybody has a secret. Lady A will keep yours—for a price. This sumptuous, scandalous YA novel is wickedly addictive.

Lady A is the most notorious blackmailer in the city. With just a mask and a gown to disguise her, she sweeps into lavish balls and exclusive events collecting the most valuable currency in 1725 London—secrets.

But leading a double life isn't easy. By day Lady A is just a sixteen-year-old girl named Arista who lives in fear of her abusive master, Bones, and passes herself off as a boy to move safely through the squalor of London's slums. When Bones attempts to dispose of his pawn forever, Arista is rescued by the last person she expects: Jonathan Wild, the infamous Thief Taker General who moves seamlessly between the city's criminal underworld and its most elite upper circles. Arista partners with Wild on her own terms in the hopes of saving enough money to buy passage out of London.

Everything changes when she meets Graeden Sinclair, the son of a wealthy merchant. Grae has traveled the world, has seen the exotic lands Arista has longed to escape to her whole life, and he loves Arista for who she is—not for what she can do for him. Being with Grae gives something Arista something precious that she swore off long ago: hope. He has promised to help Arista escape the life of crime that has claimed her since she was a child. But can you ever truly escape the past? 

To Hold the Bridge by Garth Nix

Fantasy 

A collection of nineteen short stories, one set in the same world as Shade's Children, and another story set in the world of A Confusion of Princes.

First Books of Summer ~ June New Books part 3

Savage Drift by Emmy Laybourne

It's over. Dean, Alex, and the other survivors of the Monument 14 have escaped the disaster zone and made it to the safety of a Canadian refugee camp. Some of the kids have been reunited with their families, and everyone is making tentative plans for the future. And then, Niko learns that his lost love, Josie, has survived! Or is it? For Josie, separated from the group and presumed dead, life has gone from bad to worse. Trapped in a terrible prison camp with other exposed O's and traumatized by her experiences, she has given up all hope of rescue. Meanwhile, scared by the government's unusual interest in her pregnancy, Astrid--along with her two protectors, Dean and Jake--joins Niko on his desperate quest to be reunited with Josie. 

 This One Summer by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki

Every summer, Rose goes with her mom and dad to a lake house in Awago Beach. It's their getaway, their refuge. Rosie's friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and when Rose and Windy seek a distraction from the drama, they find themselvesnbsp;with a whole new set of problems. One of the local teens - just a couple of years older than Rose and Windy - is caught up in something bad... Something life threatening. It's a summer of secrets, and sorrow, and growing up, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other. 

Pointe by Brandy Colbert

Four years after Theo's best friend, Donovan, disappeared at age thirteen, he is found and brought home and Theo puts her health at risk as she decides whether to tell the truth about the abductor, knowing her revelation could end her life-long dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer.

Call Me By My Name by John Ed Bradley

Growing up in Louisiana in the late 1960s, where segregation and prejudice still thrive, two high school football players, one white, one black, become friends, but some changes are too difficult to accept.

After the End by Amy Plum

World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land. When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.

Summer Reads! - July New Books (part5)

Zom-B City by Darren Shan

As zombies overrun London, B battles moral dilemmas and a growing sense of hopelessness at every turn.

 Monument 14: Sky on Fire by Emmy Laybourne

After repairing a school bus, the group of survivors split in two, with one group heading to the airport in hopes of reuniting with their parents and saving their dying friend and the other trying to rebuild the community they lost.

My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf

In graphic novel format, the author offers an account of growing up in the same schools as Jeffrey Dahmer, who went on to become one of the most notorious serial killers and cannibals in United States history.

The Rough Guide to the Best iPhone and iPad Apps by Peter Buckley

So many apps and so little time! This guide pinpoints the finest free and paid-for applications across all the categories of the Apple App Store.

Happy Holidays ~ New Books for December (Part 1)

The Sweetest Spell by Suzanne Selfors

Scorned in her Flatlands village because of a deformed foot, Emmeline Thistle's life changes when she is taken in by Wanderlands dairy farmers and discovers her magical ability to make chocolate, which is more precious and rare than gold or jewels in thekingdom of Anglund.

Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz

A boy with autism teams up with the high school bully to get to the bottom of a cafeteria crime.

 Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

Six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world--as they know it--apart.

Jewelry Upcycled by Sherri Haab

Before you recycle that soda bottle, scrap that old T-shirt, or toss that broken china plate, ask yourself: "Could I use this to make something fabulous?" Impossible? Think again! In Jewelry Upcycled!, jewelry expert and bestselling author Sherri Haab has teamed up with daughter Michelle Haab to show you how to transform metal, glass, plastic, fabric, and found objects--items you might otherwise recycle or throw away--into fun and exciting jewelry designs.  

Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier

Sixteen-year-old Gwen, the newest and final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve, searches through history for the other time-travelers, aided by friend Lesley, James the ghost, Xemerius the gargoyle demon, and Gideon, the Diamond, whose fate seems bound with hers.