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New & Notable Books for Teens: April 2012

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Cover art for GRIMALKIN THE WITCH ASSASSIN
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2012
GRIMALKIN THE WITCH ASSASSIN
by Joseph Delaney, illustrated by Patrick Arrasmith
"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). Read full book review >
Cover art for CAT GIRL'S DAY OFF
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2012
CAT GIRL'S DAY OFF
by Kimberly Pauley
"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. Read full book review >
Cover art for SHADOWS ON THE MOON
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2012
SHADOWS ON THE MOON
by Zoë Marriott
"A dark yet very fresh fairy-tale reinvention. (QR code to digitally access poetry written by characters) (Fantasy. 14 & up)"
"Cinderella" is reimagined as a revenge story set in an alternate feudal Japan. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE LIST
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2012
Kirkus Star THE LIST
by Siobhan Vivian
"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. Read full book review >
Cover art for SHARPSHOOTER
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2012
SHARPSHOOTER
by Chris Lynch
"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. Read full book review >
Cover art for DYING TO KNOW YOU
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2012
DYING TO KNOW YOU
by Aidan Chambers
"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. Read full book review >