CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 16, 2010
"A sure hit with teen readers. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
A stranger rides into town on a battered old BMW motorcycle and with mad ninja skills stands up to the drug-dealing bullies in the high school, then walks into the police station and confesses to murder.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 1, 2010
"Not for everyone; but for those who can appreciate the interplaying reflections of lies, myths and memory, a modern masterpiece. (Science fiction. YA)"
In this dark, brilliant sequel to Incarceron (2010), worlds within worlds collide to mutual destruction—or, maybe, rebirth.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 1, 2010
"Magnificent and magical. (Fantasy. YA)"
Classic McKinley, from the original concept (pegasi!) to the lush, dense prose and the careful unfolding of a nuanced tale.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 1, 2010
"The synthesis makes for a thrilling, thoroughly road-worthy joy ride. (Historical fiction. 10 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 19, 2010
"The narrative, flecked with the same surgical illustrations as the first installment, flows evenly through 19th-century turns of phrases and events, resulting in a page-turner of an historical horror that will simultaneously thrill readers and make them sick to their stomachs. (Horror. 12 & up)"
Book two of Yancey's excitingly complex Monstrumologist series follows the inquisitively uncertain 12-year-old hero Will Henry and his Monstrumologist caregiver as they pursue the Wendigo, an elusive, yellow-eyed monster that slices and eats the skin of its human prey before violently devouring the internal organs.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 19, 2010
"A good match with Russell Freedman's Washington at Valley Forge (2008). (appendix, glossary, acknowledgments) (Historical fiction. 10 & up)"
At the end of Chains (2008), Isabel rescues her friend Curzon from Bridewell Prison and rows away from Manhattan in their escape from slavery.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 12, 2010
"The novel is rich with detail, and both the Brooklyn and Paris settings provide important grounding for the haunting and beautifully told story. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
Andi Alpers, a 17-year-old music lover, is about to be expelled from her elite private school.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 12, 2010
"The author depicts the journey to overcome a legacy of poverty, violence, addiction and ignorance as an arduous one, but Vera's path glimmers with grace and hope. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2010
"Readers new to the series should start with the first volume; fans will be more than satisfied. (Fantasy. 12-15, adult)"
Cornish finishes off his Foundling's Tale trilogy (originally dubbed Monster Blood Tattoo) while repeatedly coming perilously close to finishing off his central characters in a riveting string of brangles with bogles and even more vicious human foes.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2010
"Big, bold, beautiful. (notes) (Graphic classic. YA)"
Hinds adds another magnificent adaptation to his oeuvre (King Lear, 2009, etc.) with this stunning graphic retelling of Homer's epic.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2010
From 1600 to the 1800s, sugar drove the economies of Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa and did more "to reshape the world than any ruler, empire, or war had ever done."
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2010
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 28, 2010
"A passionately wise, spectacularly hilarious and surpassingly humane outing from a master."
Ask Tiffany Aching, and she'll tell you: It's not easy being a witch, especially when you're only almost 16 years old.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 14, 2010
"Notable for well-drawn characters, an engaging plot and, especially, hauntingly beautiful language, this is an outstanding book. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
This debut solo effort after several collaborations with husband Tom McNeal (The Decoding of Lana Morris, 2007, etc.) stands out in the crowded coming-of-age field.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 14, 2010
"Powerful. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
Levi's older brother Boaz enlisted in the Marines after graduating from high school rather than attend an elite university as expected.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 14, 2010
"Masterful storytelling. (Fantasy. 10 & up)"
Funke deftly escorts readers on another fantasy adventure, this time to dark, enchanting Mirrorworld, a fairy-tale land inhabited by humans, faerie creatures and the Goyls, a warring stone race.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2010
"Gorgeously written, this bittersweet chronicle of family complexities is wise but never pat—a masterful meditation on anxiety and courage that will be savored by thoughtful readers. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
A talented artist and observer of birds, 12-year-old New Zealander Frankie has always been friends with his pal Gigs.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2010
"It's rare to see second- and third-wave feminism square off in YA literature so successfully; don't miss this round. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
Another powerful, involving exploration of teen girls' identities and relationships from the ever-improving Vivian (A Little Friendly Advice, 2008, Same Difference, 2009).
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2010
"As Cadel's multiple adversaries don't start showing their faces until late in the proceedings, much of the "war" seems fought in the abstract, but the climax is taut, absorbing and tantalizingly ambiguous. (Thriller. 12-15)"
Cyber-espionage takes both front seats in this conclusion to the outstanding Genius series.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2010
"Well done. (end note, cast list) (Fantasy. 12 & up)"
Morris pulls off a spectacular conclusion to his humane and witty Squire's Tales series as destructive intrigues both provide a backdrop for a fan-pleasing reunion of favorite figures from past episodes and lead up to the final battle between Arthur and his brilliant, hideously warped son Mordred.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2010
"No Chillul Hashem here, but gemilut hasadim and tikun olam: serving the dead in lovingkindness, repairing the world. (Fiction. YA)"
Seventeen-year-old Gittel is preparing for marriage, and she hopes the shadchen, the matchmaker, picks a good husband.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2010
"Fast-paced, masterful and wholly satisfying. (Fantasy. 12 & up)"
Starting at the ending and ending at the beginning, Thompson's latest Liddy-family romp in Tír na n'Óg (The Last of the High Kings, 2008, etc.) lives up to the highest expectations and brings back familiar friends from both worlds, from Aengus, the Dagda and the puka to Jenny, J.J. and Mikey.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 24, 2010
"It will grab them and not let go, and if it leaves them with questions, well, then, it's probably exactly the book Collins was hoping for, too."
CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 1, 2010
"A much-needed look at the terrifying perils of life on the margins that will have all readers pondering the heady question of moral responsibility. (Graphic fiction. 12 & up)"
A haunting, ripped-from-the-headlines account of youth gang violence in Chicago provides the backdrop for a crucial mediation on right and wrong.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 1, 2010
"An exemplar of history writing and a must for libraries and classrooms. (a note to the reader, time line, quote attributions, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 12 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 1, 2010
"Carefully documented in appended chapter notes, the text is illustrated throughout with maps and stunning photographs. (Nonfiction. 12 & up)"
Freedman once again demonstrates his incomparable mastery of presenting complex, sweeping historical subjects in an engaging, dynamic narrative.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: July 6, 2010
"Characters are rounded, the plot slow but steady and the imagery engaging in this noteworthy debut. (Historical fiction. 12 & up)"
When he sends her to Missouri to be a paid companion to an elderly woman during the summer of 1926, Iris suspects that her father is just getting rid of her so he can concentrate on Celeste, his fiancée, who's working with him to open a new shoe store in Kansas City.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: June 1, 2010
"Packaged in a chunky, square-shaped volume, this unique collection of Native American folklore invites readers to sample and savor each colorful, wily tale. (editor's notes, contributors' bios) (Graphic folklore. 10 & up)"
Vigorously rendered in striking graphic format, this robust anthology of 21 Native American folktales features a bevy of wily rascals in a veritable smorgasbord of trickster tales.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 13, 2010
"This intense, sensual and bittersweet love story unfolds in hauntingly lyrical prose and should appeal to mature teens. (Historical fiction. 14 & up)"
Growing up in a large, eccentric, extended family in Yonkers in the late 1960s, two first cousins exist in their own private world.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 11, 2010
"A thoughtful, accessible and richly detailed read that moves along at a satisfying clip—this will appeal beyond just already-established fans of historical fiction. (Historical fiction. 14 & up)"
Alternating narratives weave a tale of fatalistic misfortune set in Victorian England with an unexpected note of hope striking the final chord.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 4, 2010
"Urban fantasy, con story, coming of age—whatever you call it, read it. (Urban fantasy. 14 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2010
"An enchanting exploration of life's myriad mysteries. (Graphic fiction. 13 & up)"
The residents of the small Mexican town of El Rosario don't quite know what to make of Mr. Mendoza and his omnipresent paintbrush.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2010
"A long, immensely enjoyable, curiously comforting ramble through an absurd-but-benign world, tellingly filed by the Library of Congress under "Adventure and adventurers—Fiction," "Accidents—Fiction" and "Luck—Fiction." (Fiction. 12 & up)"
It's easy to fall off the face of the Earth, as the affable 15-year-old Ry discovers when he misses his camp-bound train somewhere in Montana.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2010
"Astonishing and inspiring. (Fantasy. YA)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 12, 2010
"Fast-paced adventure and an unfamiliar, frightening enemy set a new scene for teen urban fantasy. (Urban fantasy. YA)"
Ellie is in her final year at a New Zealand boarding school, living the typical teen's life: classes, friends, a black belt in tae kwon do and a crush on an adorable yet enigmatic boy named Mark.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2010
"For series fans, unmissable. (Fiction. 12-15)"
With each volume of this stellar series, the question arises anew: How will the text deceive its readers now that we're able to recognize Eugenides's lies?
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2010
"An essential read for fans and a great entry point for newcomers to the world; here's hoping there's more to come. (Science fiction. 13 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2010
"A chilling, atmospheric story that will haunt readers with its descriptions of a desolate terrain and Sig's difficult decisions. (author's note) (Thriller. YA)"
"Even the dead tell stories," begins Sedgwick's slim yet taut and complex thriller about a family barely surviving in 1910 along the Swedish-Finnish border, 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2010
"Their story, along with the rest of the cast's, will have readers simultaneously laughing, crying and singing at the top of their lungs. (Fiction. YA)"
Will Grayson loves indie rock, plays the eye-rolling angry stepchild to his extraordinarily giant, lovable, gay best friend Tiny Cooper and doesn't realize that he yearns for his other indie-rock–loving friend Jane until it's too late. will grayson (he never uses uppercase) hates most everything except sharing an XXL coffee with his best friend Maura each morning and covertly conversing with his Internet boyfriend every night.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 9, 2010
"Only a clichéd fatness explanation (overeating) and the implausibility of such highly successful lip reading distract; but the funny, clever voice and the small but spot-on thread of deaf politics make this a winner. (Fiction. 12-16)"
This witty tale of mainstreaming, misfits and murder glitters like the "Future Diamonds" that coal-mine souvenirs promise to someday become.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 1, 2010
"Like the finest chocolate, a rich confection of darkness, subtlety and depth, bittersweet and absolutely satisfying. (Science fiction. YA)"
A far-future thriller combines riveting adventure and masterful world-building with profound undertones.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 1, 2010
"Irresistible, funny and touching—a must read for all teenage girls, whether en-braced or not. (Graphic memoir. 12 & up)"
Telgemeier has created an utterly charming graphic memoir of tooth trauma, first crushes and fickle friends, sweetly reminiscent of Judy Blume's work.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 5, 2010
Sweet never really fit in at home or at school, but she has satisfying friends and connections.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 5, 2010
"Classic themes of love, family, betrayal and renewal combine to create multilayered historical fiction that perfectly illustrates how the past continues to influence the present. (Graphic historical fiction. 12 & up)"
Lost treasure, mother love and misbegotten romance form the bases of this richly rewarding intergenerational graphic novel.
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