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 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: 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 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
"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
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: 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 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: 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. 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
"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: 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
"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. 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: 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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