"An action-packed, wild ride with unexpected twists and turns and characters readers care about—call it a dystopia with heart. (Science fiction. 12-18)"
Centuries after the Omniwar left much of the planet uninhabitable, Maximum Racing, the pre-eminent extreme sport, delivers vicarious thrills on reality TV; winning a race with a homebuilt car earns two teens in a remote, hardscrabble town a chance to race against professionals and star in the world's deadliest competition.
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"Struggling or reluctant readers may be perplexed, but the gripping, if violent, teen content will keep them engaged. Guaranteed to generate lively discussion. (Science fiction. 13 & up)"
The Lazarus serum allows people with the right blood type to survive death, but in this minimalist dystopia, death may be preferable to the grim future that awaits the resurrected.
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"An action-packed, tongue-in-cheek romp fitted out with snarky dialogue, heroic fantasy tropes aplenty and a notably resilient protagonist. (Graphic novel. 11-13)"
A supposed village lad kidnapped to stand in for the vanished prince he resembles rises to the challenge. More or less.
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"Presumably Wooding's past and present YA fans will wish to step up; otherwise, only for readers who don't have a skeptical bone in their bodies."
Popular British YA author Wooding (Havoc, 2010, etc.) makes his adult debut with this rollicking, picaresque steampunk fantasy.
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"A real crowd pleaser, with further episodes possible but not necessary. (Graphic hybrid/fantasy. 11-13)"
This sequel to Malice (2009) draws the rival casts of evil monsters and teenage rebels into climactic battles both in this world and the parallel one behind the pages of a comic.
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In this hybrid-format horror/fantasy restless teens in search of adventure pass back and forth between their world and Malice—a tenebrous, ruined city stocked with clockwork monsters and other hazards.
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"Although strikingly different from The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray (2004) and Poison (2005), this stunning work of speculative fiction will appeal to Wooding's fans and earn him new ones. (Fiction. YA)"
Come visit Orokos, an ancient metropolis in serious decay from previous technological heights.
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"Sure to appeal to fans of Holly Black and Charles de Lint, as well as other writers of dark fantasy. (Fiction. 13+)"
In this exciting fantasy by the author of The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray (2004), the kidnapping of her sister propels a teenaged girl out of her rural village determined to bring the baby back.
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"This brilliant effort will appeal to readers of Philip Pullman, Cornelia Funke, and Christopher Pike as well as to older teen fans of fantasy 'new weird' writers like China Miéville. (Fiction. 13+)"
Readers will get finger cramps from rapidly turning the pages of Wooding's gripping tale, an excellent mélange of horror, suspense, and the gothic.
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