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| Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti BowlingFiction. The awkwardness of being the new kid at school is extra intense for 8th-grader Aven, who has to put up with her classmates gawping at her because she was born without arms. Telling tall tales about losing her arms while alligator wrestling doesn't help -- some people just don't get her humor -- but things start to look up when Aven befriends some fellow misfits (like Connor, who has Tourette's syndrome) and they begin investigating strange events at a ramshackle Western theme park. Readers who love realistic fiction will root for the memorable characters in this not-so-insignificant story. |
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In Darkling Wood
by Emma Carroll
Fantasy. For fans of Kelly Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank the Moon and Jack Cheng's See You in the Cosmos, here is "a haunting and poignant exploration of family, loss, and redemption" (Booklist). When Alice is suddenly bundled off to her estranged grandmother Nell's house, there's nothing good about it, except the beautiful Darkling Wood at the end of the garden--but Nell wants to have it cut down. Alice feels at home there, at peace. She even finds a friend, a girl named Flo. But Flo doesn't go to the local school, and no one in town has heard of her. When Flo shows Alice the surprising secrets of Darkling Wood, Alice starts to wonder: What is real? And can she find out in time to save the wood from destruction?
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Pick your poison
by Lauren Child
Fiction. Wisecracking, code-cracking girl detective Ruby Redfort gets an unexpected taste of the action in her fifth fast-paced adventure. Ruby Redfort: You can count on her if you're between a rock and a hard place. A bite from a poisonous snake? Pass me the antivenom. Need someone to take the fall? You don't even have to ask. Stay one step ahead of trouble? Not so easy. There are always snakes to look out for, but they aren't half as poisonous as the rumors floating around Twinford. It's a lot to chew over. Will Ruby pull through in one piece? When trouble's out to get you and being smart is not enough, do you run like crazy, or is it time to brush up on your martial arts?
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| It All Comes Down to This by Karen EnglishFiction. A lot things are changing for Sophie's family in the summer of 1965: her parents are fighting, her sister Lily is getting ready to leave for college, and they're the only African-American family in their new Los Angeles neighborhood. As Sophie struggles to find new friends and Lily gets involved with Nathan, the housekeeper's son, they get a wider view of the injustices (big and small) simmering all around them. In the tradition of Rita Williams-Garcia's Gaither Sisters trilogy, this family story uses a backdrop of real history to serve up an authentically complicated slice of life. |
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| The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. PérezFiction. Though her dad reminds her that the first rule of punk is to be yourself, 12-year-old punk rocker Malú finds it tough to claim her identity as a "weird, unladylike, sloppy-Spanish-speaking, half-Mexican kid." Her passion for making zines and playing loud music doesn't live up to her "SuperMexican" mom's expectations, and her unorthodox style gets her into trouble at school. Even so, Malú is determined to get a band together and make some noise. Whether or not you share her taste in music, you'll be rooting for this fierce and funny heroine. |
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| Thornhill by Pam SmyGraphic Novel Hybrid. With a spellbinding blend of words and artwork, Thornhill pulls you into the lives to two girls who lived decades apart. In 1982, mute orphan girl Mary plans her revenge on the cruel bullies at the Thornhill Institute for Children, while in 2017, lonely Ella sees a girl wandering the grounds of the long-abandoned Institute. Mary's story is told through her diary entries while Ella's is told through illustrations, allowing each girl's sections to feel distinct -- until Ella finds Mary's diaries and their stories collide. Fans of Brian Selznick or Ransom Riggs won't want to miss the eerie artistry in this time-twisting tale. |
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If you're excited about The Book of Dust
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| The Twistrose Key by Tone AlmhjellFantasy. When a strange key magically summons 11-year-old Lin Rosenquist to the land of Sylveros, she's overjoyed to learn that the beautiful, wintry country is populated by talking former pets…including Rufus, Lin's dear departed pet vole. Danger looms, however, sending Lin and Rufus on a quest to find a lost child, fulfill a prophecy, and rescue Sylveros from cruel villains. Fans of the animal companions and high adventure in Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass should definitely pick up this richly drawn fantasy (and its sequel, Thornghost). |
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| The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly BarnhillFantasy. The Protectorate claims that babies have to be sacrificed every year to satisfy the evil forest witch. The villagers obey, never realizing that the witch, Xan, is actually a kind soul who rescues the abandoned infants. After Xan accidentally "enmagicks" one of the babies by feeding her moonlight, she decides raise to the child (now named Luna) herself, with some help from a sage swamp monster and a tiny, talkative dragon. As Luna's 13th birthday approaches and her magic grows, you'll discover that her story is just one of many threads in this award-winning page-turner. Like His Dark Materials, The Girl Who Drank the Moon uses fantasy to explore big questions about power and responsibility. |
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| The Golden Specific by S.E. GroveFantasy. A year ago, Sophia Tims and her friend Theo survived a perilous trip through the various Ages of their chronologically fractured world. Now, a new clue about her missing parents leads Sophia on another journey, away from her safe home in 1890s Boston and into the Dark Ages, in search of an unmapped, plague-riddled city. "Brilliantly imagined and full of wonder" (Kirkus Reviews), this steampunk-infused 2nd volume in the Mapmakers trilogy offers a captivating combination of history, science, and fantasy, along with a hint of horror -- just the thing for fans of His Dark Materials. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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