CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 1, 2011
"The abrupt ending leaves enough unanswered questions to set breathless readers up for volume two of this trilogy. (Science fiction. 14 & up)"
Oliver's artfully detailed prose reveals, brick by brick, the sturdy dramatic foundation of an initially implausible premise.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: March 1, 2011
"It was just good and bad and interesting and fucked-up and very human, like anything else." (Fiction. 14 & up)"
Finally, a book about a transgender teen that gives its central character a life in which gender and transition matter but do not define his existence!
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CHILDREN'S
Released: March 1, 2011
"National Book Award–winner Blundell (What I Saw and How I Lied, 2008) delivers a brilliantly conceived novel set against the backdrop of the 1950 Kefauver mob hearings and the Red Scare with a story of redemption and truth at its core. (Historical fiction. 14 & up)"
Caught up in dreams of dancing on Broadway, Kit Corrigan unwisely accepts an apartment and a nightclub job from mob lawyer Nate Benedict in exchange for keeping tabs on his son Billy, who's enlisted in the Army along with Kit's brother, Jamie.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: March 8, 2011
"Wynne-Jones' finest, most beautifully written novel yet, one more in a career full of distinguished works. (afterword) (Mystery. YA)"
Two teenagers hurt by life "with its never-ending snares and pitfalls and dire consequences" come together in this elegantly constructed noir mystery and love story.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: March 17, 2011
"Delicious. (Fantasy. 14 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: March 22, 2011
"Sepetys' flowing prose gently carries readers through the crushing tragedy of this tale that needs telling. (maps, timeline, author's note) (Historical fiction. 12 & up, adult)"
This bitterly sad, fluidly written historical novel tackles a topic woefully underdiscussed in English-language children's fiction: Joseph Stalin's reign of terror.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 5, 2011
"Multilayered and engrossing, Cooper's tale alternates between frothy fun and heartbreaking seriousness with utter mastery. (author's note) (Historical fiction. YA)"
Having narrowly escaped the Nazi bombing of their miniscule island kingdom, the young impoverished royal family of Montmaray is living in exile in England with their very wealthy aunt (A Brief History of Montmaray, 2008).
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 15, 2011
"In its portrayal of race relations in a wounded country as well as of the ugly power dynamics of a community of adolescent boys, this novel excels, bringing readers up to the grim, uncertain present with mastery. (Historical fiction. 14 & up)"
A boarding-school story set in the aftermath of the Rhodesian Civil War examines evil from all sides and provides no easy answers.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2011
"A compassionate and moving window on a harsh world. (glossary of Zulu words) (Fiction. 12 & up)"
Set in an impoverished South African shantytown where post-Apartheid freedom is overshadowed by rampant AIDS and intractable poverty, this novel takes a loving, clear-eyed look at the clash of old and new through the experience of one appealing teenager.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2011
"Complex, rich and memorable. (Fantasy. 10-14)"
In this modern fairytale, an insouciant, "somewhat heartless" 12-year-old girl from Omaha visits Fairyland and accepts a quest to rescue its inhabitants from the rule-mad Marquess.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 10, 2011
"A contemporary reboot that does the original proud. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
Drug addiction and tainted love mess with the mind of a befuddled au pair in this creepy update of Henry James'
The Turn of the Screw.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 12, 2011
"The result is a memorable tale of personal growth and acceptance that will make teens eager to join a Dreamland Social Club of their own. (author's note) (Fiction. 14 & up)"
In this evocative homage to Coney Island, the "Playground of the World," a 16-year-old girl searches for clues about the mother she barely remembers.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 24, 2011
Sixteen years after the publication of the Pura Belpré–winning An Island Like You (1995), Cofer returns to the characters of her New Jersey barrio with an affecting treatment of one girl's coming-of-age.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 24, 2011
"The humor is both dark and madcap, including footnote asides and commercial scripts that keep the laughs coming. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
This inventive satire mocks celebrity culture while celebrating the resilience of teen girls.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 24, 2011
"An informative, insightful account of a fascinating period of American history. (glossary, bibliography, source notes) (Nonfiction. 12 & up)"
When Congress passed the 18th Amendment, prohibiting the manufacture and sale of alcohol, supporters were convinced it would create a stronger, more moral nation. Instead, it ushered in an era of corruption and lawlessness, here brought to life with a fast-paced, gripping narrative and period photographs.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: June 7, 2011
"A book sure to haunt its reader long after the last past is turned—exquisitely eerie. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)"
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: July 5, 2011
"Williams, a renowned dramatist, gives readers compelling characters and, in simple language, delivers a complicated story rooted--sadly and upliftingly--in very real events. (author's note, glossary) (Fiction. 12 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: July 5, 2011
"Wickedly macabre and absolutely terrifying. (Horror. 14 & up)"
Two girls are brought together more from ennui than anything else in this riveting tale that brings the murderous history of a disintegrating coastal town into the present.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: July 12, 2011
"This engaging mystery has plenty of both paranormal and romance, spiced with loving families and satisfyingly packed with self-sufficient, competent girls. (Paranormal mystery. 12-15)"
A pragmatic heroine must confront her magical side to save the day, find the ghost, win the boy and corral the goats.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 1, 2011
"Thoughtful, scary and captivating. (Urban fantasy. 14 & up)"
In an impeccably paced and unusually profound urban-fantasy novel, 16-year-old half-demon Catholic-school student Jael Thompson comes into her powers, explores her heritage and battles a tyrannical Hell beast.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 1, 2011
"Refreshingly hopeful and beautifully written. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
In an isolated island culture, a girl guides her people into the future despite encroaching mainland influences.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 2, 2011
An absorbing and quietly moving coming-of-age story about a French-Canadian teenager during World War II who contracts tuberculosis, along with her younger brother and sister, and is confined to a local sanatorium for long-term care just before her 16th birthday.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 9, 2011
"The comedy and drama are both mild, but the two eminently likable teens at the center of it look capable of keeping heads and hearts in balance in a world subject to sudden tilts. (Fiction. 13-16)"
Almost despite himself, 16-year-old Stan emerges with flying colors from a week of sweet confusion, domestic turmoil and momentous tests of character.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2011
"Abundantly original, marvelously inventive and enormous fun, this can stand alongside the best horror fiction out there. We demand sequels. (Paranormal adventure. 12 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2011
"Overall, the tone is as raw, down-to-earth and transcendent as the music Scout and Kid ultimately make together. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 8, 2011
" An outstanding love story peopled by a wealth of memorable characters. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 13, 2011
"He deftly blurs lines between science and the supernatural, and what results is a long, dark-night-of-the-soul journey for both Will Henry and Pellinore that is certain to turn the hearts and the stomachs of every reader who dares open its pages. (Horror. 14 & up)
"
When an obscure, slimy, flesh-colored pouch is delivered to Pellinore Warthrop's door and renders the deliverer into a bloody, pulpy zombie-like mess, the Monstrumologist has but one course of action open to him.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 27, 2011
"Rarely--perhaps not since the author's own Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer (2007)--does a series kick off so deliciously. (Fantasy. 13-16)"
A love thought lost proves anything but when another world's 1,000-year war spills over into this one.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 27, 2011
"A poignant tribute to the life and talent of Siobhan Dowd and an astonishing exploration of fear. (Fiction. 11-14)"
From a premise left by author Siobhan Dowd before her untimely death, Ness has crafted a nuanced tale that draws on elements of classic horror stories to delve into the terrifying terrain of loss.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2011
"In this chilling debut, Mullin seamlessly weaves meticulous details about science, geography, agriculture and slaughter into his prose, creating a fully immersive and internally consistent world scarily close to reality. (author's note) (Speculative fiction. 14 & up)"
"The pre-Friday world of school, cell phones, and refrigerators dissolved into this post-Friday world of ash, darkness, and hunger."
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2011
"Sophisticated teens and adults will appreciate this subtle yet powerful exposition of the far-reaching implications of war. (Fiction. 14 & up) "
A coming-of-age story framed by some of the most terrifying events of the last 60 years, from World War II to 9/11.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2011
"An exquisite package, much like one of Pei's buildings. (timeline, bibliography, source notes, index, suggestions for further reading, listings of building projects, awards) (Nonfiction. 12 & up) "
This lively blend of narrative and detailed design is a perfect way to introduce the architectural vision of I.M. Pei to young readers.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2011
"A multi-layered and absorbing good read by a promising debut novelist. (Fiction. 13 & up)"
Hannah has always dreamed of becoming a ballerina and living "the most amazing, wonderful, and crazy life."
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2011
"A promising, deeply felt debut. (Spanish glossary) (Verse fiction. 12 & up)"
A resilient Mexican-American girl copes with familial obligation and loss in this free-verse novel.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 18, 2011
"Like nothing else out there now. (Fantasy. 13-18)"
The bestselling author of Shiver (2009) and Linger (2010) turns the legend of the water horse into a taut, chilling, romantic adventure.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 18, 2011
"Former child violin prodigy Martinez brings this overwrought world to tense, quivering life and guides readers through it confidently. A brilliant debut. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
Grammy-winning, world-touring violinist Carmen Bianchi, 17, has outgrown child-prodigy status. To transition to an adult career as a virtuoso soloist, she must win the Guarneri Competition. If she loses, she'll be just another former prodigy.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 1, 2011
"A clean, graphically interesting design abets a well-researched, engaging narrative that contributes a more nuanced view of the period than is often seen. (author's note, further reading, source notes, index) (Nonfiction. 12 & up)
"
A fascinating look at one of the most crucial places and periods in the civil rights movement through two polar opposites.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 8, 2011
"Horse story, road trip, coming-of-age tale: It's any and all of these, but mostly a tender and authentic voyage into the mind of a wise, funny and wholly likable protagonist. (Fiction. 11 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 14, 2011
"An inventive offering, sure to please fans of both American and Japanese comics. (Graphic fiction. 13 & up)"
A daring piece of graphic-novel meta-fiction explores the tropes of manga versus Western comics.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Dec. 1, 2011
"Compelling, honest and true--this musing about art and self-discovery, replete with pitch-perfect dialogue, will have wide appeal. (Fiction. 13 & up)"
Two childhood friends struggle to preserve their relationship as it evolves into a romance amid a host of pressures in this remarkable illustrated work of contemporary fiction.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Dec. 27, 2011
"A poignant, exhilarating tale of a love affair gone to the dogs. (Romance. 14 & up)"
A toy truck, bottle caps, rose petals, a cookbook and a box full of other seemingly unobtrusive mementos are dumped on the doorstep of Ed Slaterton by his ex-girlfriend, Min. Their unlikely romance lasted just over a month.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Dec. 27, 2011
"An exciting and inspirational must-read that begs a sequel. (Paranormal romance. 12 & up)"
High-school temptresses wield magic to emancipate a lovelorn girl from her pain in this finely wrought tale.
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