CHILDREN'S
Released: March 13, 2012
"No simple coming-out story, this many-layered effort is gritty, warm and ultimately hopeful. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
Compassionate, thoughtful and expressive, this New Zealand import traces a Maori teen's journey through friendships, family, work and the realization that he is gay.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: March 13, 2012
"This epic has everything readers can ask for: great characters and a truly spectacular plot filled with romance, suspense, friendship and betrayal. (Fantasy. 14 & up)"
With this, the second of the Lumatere Chronicles, fans will be delighted to learn more about this fantasy world and their favorite characters from
Finnikin of the Rock (2010).
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CHILDREN'S
Released: March 20, 2012
"Infused with nostalgia and affection, this celebration of the deliberately constructed self will hold readers in its spell from beginning to end. (Historical fiction. 13 & up)"
Fourteen-year-old Portia joins a circus freak show looking for the father who abandoned her, but she finds much more.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: March 27, 2012
"A sentimental tale of hardships, resilience and first-time experiences that illustrates a universal truism: Hope springs eternal in the young. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
Debut author Crockett's poetic first-person narrative depicts an adolescent's coming-of-age amid wartime havoc and an unforgiving, possibly post-apocalyptic winter.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2012
"While readers who long for concrete answers may be frustrated, those willing to go along with this captivating exploration of both individual and collective identity will find themselves pondering its implications long after the last page. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2012
"The issue is seldom front and center in books for teens, but Vivian refuses to falsify or avoid the uncomfortable realities that looks alone confer status, and their power is greatest when obscured by the pretense that "looks don't matter." (Fiction. 12 & up)"
This riveting exploration of physical appearance and the status it confers opens a cultural conversation that's needed to happen for a long time.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2012
"A smart and rewarding ode to literature. (Fantasy. 12 & up)"
This richly satisfying tale of first and last love transcends its genre--not another breathless, fan-fiction take on a literary classic but an intertextual love letter.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2012
"Part science fiction, part adventure, part mystery, but every bit engrossing; be sure to start the hold list for the sequel. (Science fiction. 12 & up) "
Vivid imagination and deft storytelling make for refreshing speculative fiction in this time-travel tale.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2012
"Written with the authority of a fine writer with an inquiring mind, this dramatic story is history writing at its best. (Nonfiction. 14 & up)"
In fascinating detail, Aronson tells the story of America during J. Edgar Hoover's reign as head of the FBI and "the nearly fifty years of criminal activity that was his legacy."
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 2, 2012
"An impressive blend of biography and magical realism. (author's notes; select bibliography) (Fantasy. 14 & up)"
A 20th-century teen artist and 19th-century French poet Arthur Rimbaud transcend time and place in this luminous paean to the transformative power of art.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 3, 2012
"If you haven't discovered this series yet, get going; if you're already a fan, why are you even reading this review? (Urban fantasy/thriller. 14 & up)"
The conclusion to Black's brilliant and unusual Curse Workers trilogy lives up to its predecessors.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 3, 2012
"A page turner--with grace. (map, list of characters) (Historical thriller. 14 & up)"
Fiction and history coalesce in a rich, ripping tale of assassinations, political intrigue and religion in 15th-century Brittany.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 12, 2012
"Rich in voice, humor and dazzling imagery, studded with edgy ideas and wildly original, this multicultural mashup--like its heroine--defies categorization. (Fantasy. 12 & up)"
Noted for her fantasy and science fiction for adults, Hopkinson jumps triumphantly to teen literature.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 17, 2012
"An engrossing exploration of how a murder affects a community. (Historical thriller. 12 & up)"
The high school year is almost over, there's a party in the park, and Mister Death will soon be there, rifle in hand.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 17, 2012
"Brilliant: a vision of history before the victors wrote it. (historical note) (Historical fiction. 12 & up)"
Two girls of very different degree are brought together unwillingly by the English conquest of Wales.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2012
"Devastating and heartbreaking, this will be a disappointment for readers looking for a conventional happy ending. But those willing to take the risk will--like Bitterblue--achieve something even more precious: a hopeful beginning. (Fantasy. 14 & up)"
Building on the plots and themes of the award-winning
Graceling (2008) and its companion
Fire (2009), this rich and poignant fantasy grapples with the messy aftermath of destroying an evil overlord.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2012
"Inventive and hilarious, with laugh-out-loud moments on every page. (Fantasy. 8 & up)"
Instead of finding Happily Ever After with their princesses, four Princes Charming (Prince Duncan insists they pluralize the noun, not adjective) must team up on a farcical quest to save their kingdoms.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2012
"Prescient writing, fully developed characters and completely, tragically believable situations elevate this sad, gripping tale to a must-read level. (Fiction. 11 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2012
"Breathtaking. (Dystopian. 14 & Up)"
In the visceral and deeply affecting companion to the Printz Award–winning
Ship Breaker, Bacigalupi returns to a dark, war-torn dystopian future in which severe climatic change and years of political upheaval have left the United States a bloodied and ravaged landscape.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2012
"Tart, funny and fast-moving, with a touch of rueful realism and a lot of heart. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
Lia Latimer is more than ready to take her future in her own hands when she wins £8 million in the lottery. She'll drop out of school, buy a flat, leave her annoying family behind. What could go wrong?
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