Sunday, May 10, 2009

Silvertongue



Silvertongue (The Stoneheart Trilogy #3) by Charlie Fletcher


The city of London is in the middle of one of its most destructive wars in history. And yet most of its inhabitants don't even know it.

The stakes are high, with the spits engaged in a struggle against the evil taints that will determine the fate of their very souls. Twelve year old George Chapman and his friend Edie are caught in the middle. A glint with the ability to "see" the past, Edie has become a crucial asset in the ongoing war. The Gunner, a statue of a World War I soldier, continues do his part to help them in their quest.

But George knows that he is the one who must play the biggest role in helping to bring an end to the war. With the Walker intent on forcing his evil designs on London and the world, George realizes that his destiny is inextricably tied to the Walker's destruction. In the end, the most important soul he manages to save might just be his own.

Filled with intriguing suspense, invigorating action sequences, and well developed characters, Silvertongue is a thrilling conclusion to the international blockbuster Stoneheart trilogy.

Friday, April 17, 2009

As Simple As Snow

As Simple As Snow by Gregory Galloway
Anastasia (Anna) Cayne is a complicated high school girl with a penchant for riddles and affectionate mind games, who spends much of her time writing obituaries for every living person in town. She is unlike anyone the narrator has ever known, and her energy and enthusiasm explode his quiet universe, revealing a world of Houdini tricks, strange art, covert messages, and ghost stories-although her past remains an even bigger enigma. Even so, he couldn't be happier. But a week before Valentine's Day, Anna disappears, leaving behind nothing except a dress placed neatly near a hole in the frozen river, and a string of unanswered questions.

Thirsty

Thirsty by M. T. Anderson
From the moment he knows that he is destined to be a vampire, Chris thirsts for the blood of people around him while also struggling to remain human.

Switchers

Switchers by Kate Thompson
When freakish weather grips the Arctic regions and moves southward, an Irish girl and her strange companion save the world from disaster through their ability to switch into animal forms. Books in this trilogy: Book 1. Switchers -- Book 2. Midnight's choice -- Book 3. Wild blood.

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones
Fifteen-year-old Ruby Milliken leaves her best friend, her boyfriend, her aunt, and her mother's grave in Boston and reluctantly flies to Los Angeles to live with her father, a famous movie star who divorced her mother before Ruby was born.

Fighting Ruben Wolfe

Fighting Ruben Wolfe by Markus Zusak
Partly because of their family's poor finances and partly to prove themselves, brothers Ruben and Cameron take jobs as fighters and find themselves reacting very differently in the boxing ring.

Mortal Engines (The Hungry City Chronicles #1)

Mortal Engines (The Hungry City Chronicles #1) by Philip Reeve
In the distant future, when cities move about and consume smaller towns, a fifteen-year-old apprentice is pushed out of London by the man he most admires and must seek answers in the perilous Out-Country, aided by one girl and the memory of another. Books in this series: Book 1. Mortal engines -- Book 2. Predator's gold -- Book 3. Infernal devices -- Book 4. A Darkling plain.

Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 1

Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 1 written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa
Alchemy: the mystical power to alter the natural world, somewhere between magic, art, and science. When two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, dabble in these powers to grant their dearest wish, they become slaves of the military-alchemical complex. This is Volume 1 in the series Fullmetal Alchemist.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Fifteen year old Christopher Boone has Asperger's Syndrome, a condition similar to autism. One night he observes that the neighbor's dog has been killed and knows that it is wrong. He needs to leave his street on his own to find out who killed the dog.

The River Between Us

The River Between Us by Richard Peck
During the early days of the Civil War, the Pruitt family takes in two mysterious young ladies who have fled New Orleans to come north to Illinois.

Looking for Alaska

Looking for Alaska by John Green
Sixteen-year-old Miles' first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama includes good friends and great pranks, but is defined by the search for answers about life and death after a fatal car crash.

Goose Girl

Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
On her way to marry a prince she's never met, Princess Anidori is betrayed by her guards and her lady-in-waiting and must become a goose girl to survive until she can reveal her true identity and reclaim the crown that is rightfully hers.

The Afterlife

The Afterlife by Gary Soto
A senior at East Fresno High School lives on as a ghost after his brutal murder in the restroom of a club where he had gone to dance.

Dragonflight

Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
On the beautiful planet Pern, colonized for centuries, Land Holders and Craftsmen have traditionally tithed food and supplies to the dragonweyrs to which they are bound. In times past, the mighty telepathic dragons and their riders were the only protection from the dreaded, life-threatening Thread. But it has been over 400 years since the last Threadfall, and some people have come to doubt that the menace will every strike again. But F'lar, rider of Pern's greatest bronze dragon, has no such illusions. This is Book 1 in the Dragonriders of Pern series.

All Rivers Flow to the Sea

All Rivers Flow to the Sea by Alison McGhee
After a car accident in the Adirondacks leaves her older sister Ivy brain-dead, seventeen-year-old Rose struggles with her grief and guilt as she slowly learns to let her sister go.

First Crossing: Stories About Teen Immigrants

First Crossing: Stories About Teen Immigrants by Donald R. Gallo (Editor)
Stories of recent Mexican, Venezuelan, Kazakh, Chinese, Romanian, Palestinian, Swedish, Korean, Haitian, and Cambodian immigrants reveal what it is like to face prejudice, language barriers, and homesickness along with common teenage feelings and needs.

Friday, April 10, 2009

The Year the Swallows Came Early

The Year the Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice
Eleanor "Groovy" Robinson loves cooking and plans to go to culinary school just as soon as she's old enough. But even Groovy's thoughtfully—planned menus won't fix the things that start to go wrong the year she turns eleven—suddenly, her father is in jail, her best friend's long-absent mother reappears, and the swallows that make their annual migration to her hometown arrive surprisingly early. As Groovy begins to expect the unexpected, she learns about the importance of forgiveness, understands the complex stories of the people around her, and realizes that even an earthquake can't get in the way of a family that needs to come together.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Serendipity Market

Serendipity Market by Penny Blubaugh
When the world begins to seem unbalanced, Mama Inez calls ten storytellers to the Serendipity Market and, through the power of their magical tales, the balance of the world is corrected once again.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Catcher in the Rye is the story of teenager Holden Caulfield's turbulent last few days before his Christmas vacation. During these days, Holden leaves Pencey Prep, a boys' school he's been kicked out of, and takes off for a few nights alone in New York City. Holden tells the story as a monologue.

A Wizard of Earthsea

A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea Series #1) by Ursula K. Le Guin
A boy grows to manhood while attempting to subdue the evil he unleashed on the world as an apprentice to the Master Wizard. Books in this series: Book 1. A Wizard of Earthsea -- Book 2. The Tombs of Atuan -- Book 3. The Farthest Shore -- Book 4. Tehanu -- Book 5. The Other Wind.

Double Helix

Double Helix by Nancy Werlin
Eighteen-year-old Eli discovers a shocking secret about his life and his family while working for a Nobel Prize-winning scientist whose specialty is genetic engineering.

I Am the Messenger

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
After capturing a bank robber, nineteen-year-old cab driver Ed Kennedy begins receiving mysterious messages that direct him to addresses where people need help, and he begins getting over his lifelong feeling of worthlessness.

Godless

Godless by Pete Hautman
When sixteen-year-old Jason Bock and his friends create their own religion to worship the town's water tower, what started out as a joke begins to take on a power of its own.

Bone: Out from Boneville

Bone: Out from Boneville (Bone Series #1), Vol. 1 written and illustrated by Jeff Smith
After being run out of Boneville, the three Bone cousins - Fone Bone, Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone, are separated and lost in a vast uncharted desert. One by one, they find their way into a deep forested valley filled with wonderful and terrifying creatures.

The Adventures of Blue Avenger: A Novel

The Adventures of Blue Avenger: A Novel by Norma Howe
On his sixteenth birthday, still trying to cope with the unexpected death of his father, David Schumacher decides--or does he--to change his name to Blue Avenger, hoping to find a way to make a difference in his Oakland neighborhood and in the world.

Rats Saw God

Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas
In hopes of graduating, Steve York agrees to complete a hundred-page writing assignment which helps him to sort out his relationship with his famous astronaut father and the events that changed him from promising student to troubled teen.

New Boy

New Boy by Julian Houston
As a new sophomore at an exclusive boarding school, a young black man is witness to the persecution of another student with bad acne.

Girl Goddess #9: Nine Stories

Girl Goddess #9: Nine Stories by Francesca Lia Block, Steve Scott (Illustrator)
Nine stories about girl goddesses of every age and shape and color and size, wearing combat boots and spiky hair or dressed all in white. One girl has two moms, another has no mother at all but a strange blue skinned creature that lives in her closet. One is a rock star groupie, another loves dancing and reading poetry and having picnics in the backyard when the moon is full. These are stories about girls discovering that the world is not a simple place and that there is more than one way to live.

Wintergirls

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Eighteen-year-old Lia comes to terms with her best friend's death from anorexia as she struggles with the same disorder.

Secrets of My Hollywood Life

Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita
Longing to experience the life of a "normal" teenager, sixteen-year-old actress Kaitlin Burke assumes a false identity to attend a local high school. Books in this series: Book 1. Secrets of My Hollywood Life -- Book 2. Secrets of My Hollywood Life : On Location -- Book 3. Secrets of My Hollywood Life : Family Affairs -- Book 4. Secrets of My Hollywood Life : Paparazzi Princess.

Project Sweet Life

Project Sweet Life by Brent Hartinger
When their fathers insist that they get summer jobs, three fifteen-year-old friends in Tacoma, Washington, dedicate their summer vacation to fooling their parents into thinking that they are working, which proves to be even harder than having real jobs would have been.

Steel Trapp: The Challenge

Steel Trapp: The Challenge by Ridley Pearson
On a two-day train trip to enter his invention in the National Science Competition in Washington, D.C., fourteen-year-old Steven "Steel" Trapp, possessor of a remarkable photographic memory, becomes embroiled in an international plot of kidnapping and bribery that may have links to terrorists.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

City of Masks (Stravaganza Series #1)

City of Masks (Stravaganza Series #1) by Mary Hoffman
While sick in bed with cancer, Lucien begins making journeys to a place in a parallel world that resembles Venice, Italy, and he becomes caught up in the political intrigues surrounding the Duchessa who rules the city. Books in this series: Book 1. Stravaganza : City of Masks -- Book 2. Stravaganza : City of Stars -- Book 3. Stravanga : City of Flowers -- Book 4. Stravaganza : City of Secrets.

Private Peaceful

Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo
When Thomas Peaceful's older brother is forced to join the British Army, Thomas decides to sign up as well, although he is only fourteen years old, to prove himself to his country, his family, his childhood love, Molly, and himself.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
Four friends discover that a pair of jeans fit each of them. Each teen gets to wear them for a few weeks before sending them on, and thus the pants travel from place to place, linking the girls. Books in this series: Book 1. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. -- Book 2. The Second Summer of the Sisterhood -- Book 3. Girls in Pants -- Book 4. Forever in Blue.

Baseball in April and Other Stories

Baseball in April and Other Stories by Gary Soto
A collection of eleven short stories focusing on the everyday adventures of Hispanic young people growing up in Fresno, California.

First Part Last

First Part Last by Angela Johnson
Bobby's carefree teenage life changes forever when he becomes a father and must care for his adored baby daughter.

Winter Rose

Winter Rose by Patricia A. McKillip
Teenage Rois Melior and her older sister, Laurel, fall in love the mysterious Corbet Lynn. Corbet has returned to his ancestral home (now a ruin) in their small town, despite the curse laid upon him by his vengeful grandfather. Rois becomes obsessed with Corbet's secret past--and with the curse that will forever haunt him.

Speak

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
A traumatic event near the end of the summer has a devastating effect on Melinda's freshman year in high school.

Neverwhere

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
A man goes to the aid of a woman pursued by assassins and discovers an alternative City of London, a subterranean, medieval world populated by "people who fell through the cracks" from the real city above. A fantasy tale, replete with demons and wizards.

Little Brother

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
After being interrogated for days by the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco, California, seventeen-year-old Marcus, released into what is now a police state, decides to use his expertise in computer hacking to set things right.

Feed

Feed by M. T. Anderson
In a future where most people have computer implants in their heads to control their environment, a boy meets an unusual girl who is in serious trouble.

King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-Advised Autobiography

King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-Advised Autobiography by Chris Crutcher
Chris Crutcher, author of young adult novels such as "Ironman" and "Whale Talk," as well as short stories, tells of growing up in Cascade, Idaho, and becoming a writer.

Water Mirror

Water Mirror by Kai Meyer, Elizabeth D. Crawford (Translator)
In a place similar to Venice, Italy, two teenaged orphans, apprenticed to a maker of magic mirrors, begin to realize that their fates are tied to the magical protector of the city known as the Flowing Queen and to the ruler of Hell, respectively. Books in this series: Book 1. The Water Mirror -- Book 2. The Stone Light -- Book 3. The Glass Word.

An Island like You: Stories of the Barrio

An Island like You: Stories of the Barrio by Judith Ortiz Cofer
Twelve stories about young people caught between their Puerto Rican heritage and their American surroundings.

Down the Rabbit Hole (Echo Falls Series #1)

Down the Rabbit Hole (Echo Falls Series #1) by Peter Abrahams
Like her idol Sherlock Holmes, eighth grader Ingrid Levin-Hill uses her intellect to solve a murder case in her home town of Echo Falls. Books in this series: Book 1. Down the Rabbit Hole -- Book 2. Behind the Curtain -- Book 3. Into the Dark.

Maximum Ride: MAX

Maximum Ride: MAX by James Patterson
When millions of fish start dying off the coast of Hawaii and something is destroying hundreds of ships, the government enlists the Flock--a band of genetically modified children who can fly--to help get to the bottom of the disaster before it is too late. Books in this series: Book 1. Maximum Ride : the Angel Experiment -- Book 2. School's Out, Forever -- Book 3. Saving the World and other Extreme Sports -- Book 4. The Final Warning -- Book 5. Max.

Sabriel (Abhorsen Trilogy Series #1)

Sabriel (Abhorsen Trilogy Series #1) by Garth Nix, illustrated by Leo And Diane Dillon
Sabriel, daughter of the necromancer Abhorsen, must journey into the mysterious and magical Old Kingdom to rescue her father from the Land of the Dead. Books in this series: Book 1. Sabriel -- Book 2. Lirael -- Book 3. Abhorsen.

Feathers

Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson
When a new, white student nicknamed "The Jesus Boy" joins her sixth grade class in the winter of 1971, Frannie's growing friendship with him makes her start to see some things in a new light.

Witch's Boy

Witch's Boy by Michael Gruber
A grotesque foundling turns against the witch who sacrificed almost everything to raise him when he becomes consumed by the desire for money and revenge against those who have hurt him, but he eventually finds his true heart's desire.