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Beyond the bright sea
by Lauren Wolk
Set adrift on the ocean in a small skiff as a newborn, 12-year-old Crow embarks on a quest to find the missing pieces of her history. By the award-winning author of Wolf Hollow. Simultaneous eBook.
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The someday birds
by Sally J. Pla
A 12-year-old boy who maintains a life of careful organization and comfortable routines struggles to adapt during a cross-country road trip with his boisterous siblings to visit their father, an Afghanistan War veteran who is undergoing major surgery. Simultaneous eBook. 35,000 first printing.
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| This Would Make a Good Story Someday by Dana Alison LevyFiction. Family togetherness is the last thing that Sara Johnston-Fischer wants from her summer. It's only under protest that she joins the whole embarrassing clan (two moms, loudmouth little sister Ladybug, activist older sister Laurel, and Laurel's boyfriend Root) on an epic train trip across the U.S. With prickly humor and reluctant enjoyment, Sara's journal entries recount the places her family visits, the "New Train Friends" they make, and the unexpected changes that happen along the way. Fans of author Dana Alison Levy's Family Fletcher books will recognize some familiar characters in this offbeat slice of life. |
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| The Adventures of John Blake: Mystery of the Ghost Ship by Philip Pullman; illustrated by Fred FordhamGraphic Novel Adventure. Shipwrecked and nearly drowned, Australian teen Serena is pulled from the ocean -- only to find herself in more danger. She's been rescued by the ghost ship Mary Alice, which is being pursued by an American investigator, a British Naval spy, and a scheming tech tycoon. They -- and now Serena -- are all caught in the complex web that surrounds one member of the ship's crew: teenage time traveler John Blake. Sweeping artwork captures the futuristic technology and adrenaline-fueled action in this inventive graphic novel written by popular author Philip Pullman. |
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Midnight without a moon
by Linda Williams Jackson
Living with her sharecropper grandparents on a white man's mid-20th-century cotton plantation, Rose Lee Carter joins local resistance activities in the wake of a black youth's murder by a white mob that has been unjustly acquitted. Simultaneous eBook. 15,000 first printing.
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| A Pocket Full of Murder by R.J. AndersonFantasy/Mystery. In Tarreton, money and magic are hoarded by the wealthy few, leaving the poor to scrape by with basic spells. As lower-class Moshites, Isaveth and her family face injustice every day, but never more so than when their father is accused of murdering a high-profile citizen. Intent on proving her father's innocence, Isaveth -- aided by a curiously helpful street boy named Quiz -- sets out on a quest to find the real murderer. If you love diving into vivid fantasy worlds with their own complicated systems of religion, magic, and politics, you won't want to miss A Pocket Full of Murder (or its sequel, A Little Taste of Poison). |
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| Hold Fast by Blue BalliettMystery. After her father disappears off the bitter cold streets of Chicago, and a devastating break-in forces her family to move to a homeless shelter, bright, determined fifth-grader Early Pearl begins to suspect that the clues she needs to reunite her family are hidden in the Langston Hughes book her father left behind. Combining Blue Balliett’s distinctive brand of clever mystery with the harsh but hopeful struggle of a family in a tough situation, this touching, compassionate novel is sure to captivate readers long after they've turned the last page. |
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| Chasing Secrets by Gennifer CholdenkoHistorical Mystery. Despite the lack of science classes at her fancy finishing school, 13-year-old Lizzie Kennedy hopes to become a doctor. It's an unusual ambition for a girl in 1900, but Lizzie is smart and curious. That curiosity leads her to question the rumors of a bubonic plague outbreak in Chinatown, especially after Chinatown is quarantined and Jing (the Kennedys' cook and father to Lizzie's friend Noah) is trapped inside. Blending strange-but-true history with politics and mystery, Chasing Secrets will captivate readers of all kinds. For another visit to San Francisco with author Gennifer Choldenko, check out the Al Capone at Alcatraz series, beginning with Al Capone Does My Shirts. |
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| Moxie and the Art of Rule Breaking by Erin DionneMystery. A shocking family revelation turns a carefree summer into a high-stakes scavenger hunt for feisty math geek Moxie. Years ago, Moxie's grandfather hid several stolen and extremely valuable paintings from infamous mob boss Sully Cupcakes, and now Sully wants his paintings back…or else. Her grandfather's memory isn't what it used to be, but Moxie and her best friend Ollie are up to the task of dodging the mobsters and tracking down the hidden masterpieces. Fans of Blue Balliett's books will appreciate the likable characters and twisty puzzles in this mystery inspired by a real (and still unsolved) theft from Boston's Isabella Gardner Museum. |
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| Murder is Bad Manners by Robin StevensHistorical Mystery. Thoughtful Hazel Wong keeps a low profile, unlike her best friend Daisy Wells, who is the queen bee of their boarding school. Both girls, however, are smarter than they let on, and neither can resist a good mystery. Together they form the covert Wells & Wong Detective Society, uncovering secrets about their classmates and solving small cases, until a murder at the school presents them with their biggest sleuthing opportunity yet. Set in 1934 England, this smart, suspenseful series starter is sure to grab mystery-lovers. For another whodunit set at a British boarding school, try Esme Kerr's The Girl with the Glass Bird. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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San Mateo Public Library 55 West 3rd Avenue San Mateo, California 94402 (650) 522-7802www.smplibrary.org |
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