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Scythe by Neal ShustermanScience Fiction. Most job training isn't life-threatening, but being a Scythe isn't a typical job. It's 2042, and Earth is enjoying a post-mortal period, free of natural or accidental death. To keep the population in check, the Scythes -- an organization of professional killers -- are tasked with randomly "gleaning" lives. Sixteen-year-olds Citra and Rowan are horrified at the idea of murder, yet both are chosen as apprentice Scythes and forced into a winner-gleans-loser competition. As their violent training progresses, the apprentices take turns describing their moral misgivings and increasingly complicated relationship.
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Rose & Thorn by Sarah PrineasFantasy. After the spell protecting her is destroyed, Rose seeks safety in the world outside the valley she had called home. She’s been kept hidden all her life to delay the three curses she was born with—curses that will put her into her own fairy tale and a century-long slumber. Accompanied by Griff, the handsome and mysterious Watcher, and Quirk, his witty and warmhearted partner, Rose tries to escape from the ties that bind her to her story. But will the path they take lead them to freedom, or will it bring them straight into the fairy tale they are trying to avoid?
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Nonfiction. This striking work of narrative nonfiction tells the true story of six-year-old Sachiko Yasui's survival of the Nagasaki atomic bomb on August 9, 1945, and the heartbreaking and lifelong aftermath. Having conducted extensive interviews with Sachiko Yasui, Caren Stelson chronicles Sachiko s trauma and loss as well as her long journey to find peace. This book offers readers a remarkable new perspective on the final moments of World War II and their aftermath.
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The Witch's Vacuum Cleanerby Terry PratchettShort Stories. The Witch’s Vacuum Cleaner is the second fabulously funny short-story collection from the late acclaimed storyteller Terry Pratchett. A follow-up to Dragons at Crumbling Castle, this second batch of storytelling gems features stories written when Sir Terry was just seventeen years old and working as a junior reporter. In these pages, new Pratchett fans will find wonder, mayhem, sorcery, and delight—and loyal readers will recognize the seeds of ideas that went on to influence his most beloved tales later in life.
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The Lost and the Found by Cat ClarkeFiction. When six-year-old Laurel Logan was abducted, the only witness was her younger sister, Faith. Since then, Faith’s childhood has revolved around her sister’s disappearance—from her parents’ broken marriage and the constant media attention to dealing with so-called friends who only ever want to talk about her missing sister. Now, thirteen years later, a young woman is found in the front yard of the Logans’ old house, disoriented and clutching the teddy bear Laurel was last seen with. Soon after, a disturbing series of events leaves Faith increasingly isolated from her family and paranoid about her sister’s motives. Before long, Faith begins to wonder if it’s the abduction that’s changed her sister, or if it’s something else.
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Focus on: Canadian Authors |
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| Through the Woods by Emily CarrollHorror Comics. A dismembered bride. A sinister smile. A monster in human skin. A wolf outside your bedroom window. These themes, all familiar to fans of fairy tales and Gothic ghost stories, are given a visually arresting new spin in this collection of horror comics. Canadian artist Emily Carroll -- you might be familiar with her webcomics -- illustrates each chilling tale with bold colors (emphasis on the blood red), careful period details, and masterful pacing, creating suspense with each turn of the page. If you love the eerie atmosphere of Edward Gorey's art but prefer stories with an unsettling edge, don't miss this shiver-inducing journey Through the Woods. |
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| The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim by E.K. JohnstonFantasy. Once, dragon slaying was a noble calling, with slayers guarding their neighbors from ferocious, carbon-hungry dragons. These days, however, most slayers work for big cities and corporations. That's why the citizens of Trondheim, a tiny town in rural Ontario, are so grateful for the protection of a renowned family of slayers like the Thorskards. It's also why Siobhan, a gifted musician, agrees to become bard (and algebra tutor) to trainee slayer Owen Thorskard and to join his family's campaign to return dragon slaying to its roots. Along with its sequel, Prairie Fire, this inventive spin on dragon lore will enchant readers with its strong characters, quirky humor, and intricate world-building. |
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| The Truth Commission by Susan JubyFiction. To complete a "creative nonfiction" project for their Vancouver Island art school, Normandy Pale and her friends form the Truth Commission: each week, they ask students or faculty members to reveal the facts behind a piece of gossip. The results are both enlightening and unsettling, and Normandy realizes that there are times when she'd rather not know the truth -- especially if it involves her sister Keira, who's suddenly back from college and just as hostile as ever. "Hilarious, deliciously provocative and slyly thought-provoking" (Kirkus Reviews), The Truth Commission will remind readers that honesty is rarely as simple as it seems. |
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| The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa TotenFiction. From the very first moment he sees her in Young Adult OCD Support Group, 14-year-old Adam knows that he has to save Robyn Plummer. True, the need to protect people -- like his struggling divorced mom and his anxious younger brother -- drives many of Adam's habits and rituals, but he's sure he can do better where Robyn is concerned. A connection as powerful as theirs has got to be stronger than either of their compulsions…doesn't it? Similar to Corey Ann Haydu's OCD Love Story, The Unlikely Hero of Room 13 B offers a complex, first-person look at falling in love while living with mental illness. |
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| Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-JonesMystery. Forced to leave home in order to escape his abusive stepfather, homeless teen Brent -- aka "Blink" due to a facial tic -- is scavenging for room-service leftovers in a hotel hallway when he witnesses the kidnapping of an oil company's CEO. Another street kid, Kitty (nicknamed "Caution, as in Toxic"), stays with her violent, drug-dealer boyfriend because she doesn't believe she deserves any better. After Blink leaves the scene of the kidnapping and Caution flees from her boyfriend, the two of them are drawn together -- and may end up being each other's salvation. Set in Toronto and narrated alternately by various characters, Blink & Caution is a gritty, fast-paced, and beautifully written novel with more than a tinge of noir. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books! |
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Manatee County Public Library System 1301 Barcarrota Boulevard West Bradenton, Florida 34205 (941) 748-5555www.mymanatee.org/library |
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