CHILDREN'S
Released: May 22, 2012
"A quietly absorbing journey. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
Clementine Williams, 16, heartbroken and guilt-ridden, could use some personal space to figure things out, but confined with her family on a 42-foot sailboat for a summer-long trip down the Illinois and Mississippi rivers on the Great Loop route, privacy is in short supply.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 15, 2012
"Indian folk art triumphantly meets 17th-century English trick verse in this sophisticated graphic venture fit for middle graders on up. (Picture book/poetry. 10 & up)"
Creative worlds collude and collide in this contemporary rendering of a well-known 17th-century English poem.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 15, 2012
"Necessary. (Nonfiction. 10-14)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 15, 2012
"A vivid, disturbing and all-too-real topical story. (Historical fiction. 14 & up)"
When 14-year-old Teddy is classified as troublesome, disrespectful and defiant of authority, his despised stepfather sends him off to St. Ignatius Academy for Boys, an isolated Roman Catholic boarding school.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 15, 2012
"Space battles! Political intrigue! Engineered warriors! Techno-wizardry! Assassins! Pirates! Rebels! Duels! Secrets, lies, sex and True Love! What more can anybody ask for? (Science fiction. 14 & up)"
Exuberant and insightful, this science-fiction
bildungsroman grapples with the essential question: "Who am I?"
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 15, 2012
"Though some subplots feel superfluous, the twists and turns make for an enjoyable ride that readers will likely remember. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
What happens in Mexico stays in Mexico, unless it forces you to show up late to high-school graduation in a squad car wearing a red Mexican wedding dress.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 15, 2012
"A substantive, sobering historical read, with just a few heaving bodices. (Historical fiction. 13 & up)"
The short life and times of Henry VIII's fifth wife, as seen through the eyes of her friend.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 15, 2012
"A carefully researched, precisely written tour de force; unforgettable and wrenching. (Historical fiction. 14 & up)"
Breaking away from Arthurian legends (
The Winter Prince, 1993, etc.), Wein delivers a heartbreaking tale of friendship during World War II.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 8, 2012
"Aided by a strong evocation of the tourist-driven rhythms of life on the Central Jersey Shore and a satisfyingly complicated, modern protagonist, this quick read will please readers looking for both nuance and heat in their beach books. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
Six months in the life of a proudly sex-positive 17-year-old from the Jersey Shore (but definitely not
Jersey Shore).
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 8, 2012
"Smart and insightful. (Realistic fiction. 12 & up)"
In a novel tailor-made for literature teachers, four unwilling high-school girls and their mothers join a summer book club with both comic and tragic results.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 8, 2012
"Absolutely delectable; if it has more fripperies and furbelows than are strictly speaking necessary, it makes up for that in the wizardly grace of its storytelling. (Fantasy. 12-18)"
Readers who get past the generic title and an off-puttingly generic cover will discover a fabulous fairy-tale mashup that deserves hordes of avid readers.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 8, 2012
"Good entertainment with some unexpected depth. (Science fiction. 12 & up)"
A well-done exploration of a teen's growing understanding of death, even though she herself has died five times.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 8, 2012
"Warmly drawn; a valuable conversation-starter for families like Ysabel and Justin's. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
In a compassionate family drama, twins Ysabel and Justin struggle with the revelation that their father has begun living as a woman.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 8, 2012
"A heartfelt if at times emotionally trying addition to the literature promoting better treatment of our fellow animals. (afterword) (Fiction. 9-12)"
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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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2012
"Anyone who read the first book was dying for this one months ago; they'll hardly be able to wait for the concluding volume. (Science fiction. 14 & up)"
In this addictive sequel to the acclaimed
Divergent (2011),
a bleak post-apocalyptic Chicago ruled by "factions" exemplifying different personality traits collapses into all-out civil war.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2012
"A welcome entry into the teen market, especially for Bluford Series fans. (glossary) (Fiction. 12-18)"
In the first title in the Border Town series, Alegría introduces Fabiola "Fabi" Garza, a Mexican-American teen in the fictitious Texas border town of Dos Rios.
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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
"Formulaic but fantastic, from the eye-catching cover to the growth of a heroine who might save the world. Tailor-made for popular consumption. (Dystopic steampunk. 14 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2012
"A strong entry in the growing genre of fiction about the Iraq war. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
When her boyfriend David leaves for a stint in Iraq, Penna is anxious and devastated, but eventually she finds ways to cope.
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