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In Mary Amato’s ninth book, Invisible Lines, the reader is drawn into the world of Trevor Musgrove, a smart, funny, artistic 7th grader who has to learn how to navigate the rough waters of jealousy, deception, and poverty.  Trevor is no stranger to life’s hardships: his dad is in jail, his mom is barely keeping the family afloat, he’s responsible for babysitting his siblings and the family is broke.  When Trevor, his mom, younger brother and baby sister arrive at their new apartment in the run-down complex nicknamed “Deadly Gardens,” things maybe about to turn around for Trevor. The school he attends is much better than anyRead More →

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13 year old Sherry Holmes Baldwin is back (reluctantly) for another detective adventure with her ghostly mother and best friend Junie.  Turns out someone is stalking her stepmother, Paula (The Ruler) and the Academy of Spirits has assigned Sherry and her mom the case.  It’s a bad time for Sherry, though, because she’s totally in love with her boyfriend, Josh, and is worried about an 8th grade girl who’s trying to steal Josh away and Junie is starting to show an interest in fashion, make-up and guys. To top it off, her mom is competing the Ghostlympics, where the first prize is five minutes of “Real Time”,Read More →

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In: Action & Adventure (YA), On the Edge, Romance (YA), Supernatural & Horror (YA)
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Texas librarian Dia Reeves’ debut novel, Bleeding Violet, is a whirlwind, crazed, supernatural romantic thrillride, replete with madness, demons, sarcasm, irreverence, violence, sex and teen angst.  My head is still spinning… 16 year old Hanna’s mother abandoned her when she was a baby, leaving her to be raised in Finland by her father. After he dies, Hanna runs away to find and force a reunion with the mother she’s never met.  But Hanna’s life isn’t meant to be easy: she’s plagued by her own demons (manic depression and bipolar disorder) and a tendency towards violence and casual risk-taking; and when she breaks into her mother’sRead More →

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Here’s your chance to become an “Apprentice to One, Hero to All.” You can enter for a chance to win a trip to Austin, TX in Summer 2010 to attend the Ranger’s Apprentice Day Camp where you’ll learn archery, concealment, tracking, and more. Go to the official Ranger’s Apprentice website to learn more about the series and for an entry form and official contest rules. Good luck!Read More →

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In: Middle Grade Reviews, Mystery & Suspense, Mystery & Suspense (YA), Young Adult Book Reviews
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Anna Jarzab’s debut murder mystery, All Unquiet Things, immerses the reader in the elite world of Brighton Day’ School’s student body.  It’s the start of senior year, and no one has been able to put the horrific murder of the beautiful, smart, self-destructive Carly behind them. Carly’s first love, Neily, is still torn apart by grief, anger and pain after losing his beloved Carly twice – first when she cruelly dumped him in front of the whole school the year before her death; and second when he discovered her gunned-down body. She’d called him multiple times the day of her death and he’s tearing himselfRead More →

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Prince of Pirates is a solid installment in Philip Caveney’s Sebastian Darke series.  For those who enjoyed Prince of Fools, this book delivers more adventure, danger, and three friends working together to overcome obstacles. Ready to find their next adventure, Prince of Piratesopens with half-elf Sebastian, his trusty buffalope Max, and half-sized soldier/adventurer friend Cornelius about to enter a deep, dark forest on their way to the coast to find a ship to take them on the hunt for the long lost treasure of pirate King, Captain Callinestra.  While in the woods, Sebastian is bewitched by the beautiful, evil shape-changer Leonora.  After barely escaping from her clutches,Read More →

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Reading is Fundamental (RIF) has a special holiday greeting for everyone who remembers the joy of the holidays represented in a memorable book. Visit their interactive holiday card to see others’ memories and share your own. Here are some of ours: Every holiday season I love to revisit my favorite series of books, The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien.  There’s something magical, comforting, and nostalgic about immersing myself in the Middle Earth, sitting by the fire with old friends, and reliving the excitement of their adventure anew each time I read it. I find the gray winter days perfectly capture the feeling ofRead More →

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Publisher’s Weekly Children’s BookShelf (12/17/09) reports that local author Lisa McMann (Wake and Fade) has signed a four-book deal with the Pulse and Aladdin imprints. The deal is for two YA titles (Pulse) and two middle-grade novels(Aladdin). The first title from Pulse, Dead to You, slated for spring 2012, follows a teenage boy who returns to his family nine years after being abducted. Aladdin will publish The Unwanteds, a dystopian fantasy, in fall 2011; the book follows a group of kids who, after showing sparks of creativity, are banished to a secret world where they’re trained to hone their abilities. These sound great and weRead More →

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The real and the virtual mesh in Penguin Young Readers Group’s new campaign to promote Vampire Academy Signature Edition, a hardcover edition of the first volume of Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series. Razorbill released the book on November 25 with a 100,000-copy first printing. The campaign employs Augmented Reality (AR), a new wave of interactive online technology that brings a flat image to life with additional content when the image is held up to a Webcam. Visit Penguin’s Official Vampire Academy Site and read the full article in Publisher’s Weekly.  It’s totally cool!Read More →