CHILDREN'S
Released: April 24, 2012
"Artful. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
Amanda, who signs all of her artwork "Zero," planned to leave Phoenix in the fall to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 24, 2012
"A purely satisfying look at mourning and sexuality--and even their connection. (Fiction. 15 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 24, 2012
"A breathless escapade, featuring several horror-show tropes leavened with hints of satire. (Fantasy. 11-13)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 24, 2012
"Suspenseful fun. (Mystery. 12 & up)"
In a follow-up to
Deadly Cool (2011), Hartley Featherstone returns to romp through another murder mystery.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 24, 2012
"A sparkling, imaginative romp that is nevertheless plenty provocative. (Science fiction. 14 & up)"
This breezy and intriguing near-time dystopia concludes with the much-anticipated birth that was bought and paid for in the first installment,
Bumped (2011).
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 24, 2012
"Hocking sure knows how to bring it. (Paranormal romance. 14 & up)"
Hocking (
Torn, 2011, etc.) saves the best for last in the final installment of the Trylle trilogy.
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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: April 17, 2012
"A high-quality, absorbing drama. (Paranormal historical romance. 12 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 12, 2012
"Overall, accessible, gripping and poignant. (Science fiction. 14 & up)"
Despite the campy title, Barnes (Tales of the Madman Underground, 2009) spins a space-travel tale with scientific and emotional substance.In 2129, most humans are economically comfortable, but the big money and cachet is in entertainment.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 12, 2012
"A compellingly sinister page-turner. (Suspense. 14 & up)"
In a tense mystery, a former foster kid calling herself Eve Brightman enters a dangerous scheme to impersonate a missing heiress.
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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 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 3, 2012
"Recommended for readers who like their fantasy seasoned with feisty characters and nonstop action. Roll over, Jane Austen! (author's note) (Historical fantasy. 10 & up)"
Kat Stephenson, incorrigible as ever, returns to sow more magical chaos in a Regency England where families tainted by witchcraft are shunned in polite Society.
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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 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 1, 2012
"A worthwhile adventure and an easy sell for feline fanciers who already know what their pets are saying. (author's note) (Fantasy. 11 & up)"
Natalie Ng, gifted with the Talent of being able to communicate with cats, embarks on an impetuous adventure as a movie riffing off film classic
Ferris Bueller's Day Off is filmed at her Chicago-area high school.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2012
"A dark yet very fresh fairy-tale reinvention. (QR code to digitally access poetry written by characters) (Fantasy. 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
"The best Vietnam War novels yet for this age range. (Fiction. 9-13)"
In the second installment of his Vietnam War series, Lynch follows 18-year-old Ivan Bucyk, one of four friends who pledged to go to war together once one was drafted.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2012
"This quietly understated performance captures the wistfulness of music in a minor key and is ultimately successful in its life-affirming message. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
Will a story told in believable first-person voice by a 75-year-old man truly strike a chord with a teen audience? The answer is yes, though it may be a smallish one.
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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
"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
"Readers of this multifaceted, well-crafted tale will eagerly await Sage's further adventures. (map) (Adventure. 8-14)"
A brazen 15-year-old orphan living in the imaginary kingdom of Carthya becomes embroiled in a treasonous power-play to install a false prince on the vacant throne.
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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 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
"A good balance between dark action and emotional costs. (Fantasy. 11-15)"
This installment deviates from The Last Apprentice's usual formula, following witch assassin Grimalkin instead of Spook's apprentice Thomas Ward after the events of
Rage of the Fallen (2011).
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