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"And in that moment, I fall in love with what I have to do: Live this work. Sing what's true. Figure out how." ~ from J. Patrick Lewis and George Ella Lyon's Voices from the March on Washington
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New and Recently Released!
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| Urban Outlaws by Peter Jay BlackAdventure. Beneath the streets of London live the Urban Outlaws: Jack, Charlie, Obi, Slink and Wren. Orphaned and hiding from social services, they use their advanced tech skills (plus some other, shadier abilities) to outwit rich criminals and redistribute their stolen money to people in need. Faced with a code-breaking supercomputer that could destroy their secrets, the Outlaws have to find a way to take down the machine, as well as the vicious people who want to control it. Similar to Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider books, this series opener offers smart dialogue, enviable technology, and tons of high-octane action. |
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| In Real Life by Cory Doctorow; illustrated by Jen WangGraphic Fiction. Arizona high-schooler Anda's boring life gets a jolt of adrenaline when she joins an all-girls fighting guild in Coarsegold Online, a massive multiplayer game. Inside the game, Anda (aka Kalidestroyer) is recruited to kill "gold farmers" who sell in-game items for real-world cash. It's not until she unexpectedly makes friends with a gold farmer (who is actually a Chinese boy named Raymond) that Anda discovers some grim truths about what happens behind the scenes of Coarsegold. Though it will especially appeal to girl gamers, this colorful, thought-provoking graphic novel will interest anyone who's curious about the real-world effects of gaming. |
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| Voices from the March on Washington by J. Patrick Lewis and George Ella LyonHistorical Poetry. Even if poetry isn't usually your thing, this dramatic and powerful book might just get you hooked. Each poem in this collection is written in the voice of a person (real or imagined) at the 1963 March on Washington, giving you a unique and deeply personal view into one of the biggest events of the American Civil Rights Movement. From famous figures to average kids, there's a fresh point of view on every page, and the poems (most of which are quite short) are arranged in a simple style so that you can read them quickly or stop to linger on your favorites. |
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| Fantasy League by Mike LupicaSports Fiction. Though he's hardly the star player on his youth football team, Charlie "The Brain" Gaines is a genius at fantasy football -- nobody knows more than he does about teams, stats, and strategy. Charlie's best friend Anna shares his love of the game, and so does her Grandpa Joe, who owns the local NFL team. When Joe starts to act on Charlie's advice, however, Charlie's confidence -- and his friendship with Anna -- is challenged. Packed with honest emotion and lots of details for die-hard football fans, Fantasy League will leave readers cheering. |
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| The Map to Everywhere by Carrie Ryan and John Parke DavisFantasy. Adventurous 12-year-old Marrill doesn't mean to get stuck on a pirate ship. But when the Enterprising Kraken simply appears in a suburban parking lot, her curiosity gets the better of her, and she winds up trapped on board as the ship sails the magical waters that connect different worlds. To get back home, Marrill -- aided by Fin, a thief who's so forgettable that hardly anyone remembers him -- must outrace a crazed wizard to collect the pieces of the legendary Map to Everywhere. Twisty, fast-moving, and wildly imaginative, this swashbuckling fantasy is a promising start to the Pirate Stream series. |
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Early in 2015, the winners of many of 2014's book awards and honors will be announced. Before a new batch of books gets decked out with shiny award stickers, take a look at these honor books from years past.
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| Doll Bones by Holly BlackHorror. It's normal to outgrow your toys…but what if your toys won't let you go? A creepy old china doll is the central figure in an epic, imaginary game played by 12-year-old friends Zach, Poppy, and Alice. Just as Zach (pressured by his dad to "grow up") suddenly quits the game, Poppy is visited by the ghost of a murdered girl named Eleanor. Eleanor's ashes are inside the china doll, and her spirit won't rest unless the three friends journey to her grave and bury her ashes. But can their changing friendship survive the quest? Find out in this eerie, bittersweet adventure, which won a Newbery Honor in 2014. |
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| The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia ManzanoHistorical Fiction. This 2013 Pura Belpre Honor book is set in 1969 Spanish Harlem, where 14-year-old Rosa María Evelyn del Carmen Serrano (she prefers Evelyn) is embarrassed by her old-fashioned Puerto Rican mother -- not to mention her outspoken, orange-haired abuela, for whom Evelyn has to give up her bedroom. Abuela is hard to live with, but she's also full of fascinating family secrets, and her involvement with the Young Lords (a Puerto Rican activist group) awakens Evelyn's sense of pride and thirst for justice. For further vivid, authentic historical fiction about reluctant revolutionaries, check out Rita Garcia-Williams' One Crazy Summer or Kekla Magoon's The Rock and the River. |
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| Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker RhodesFiction. Twelve-year-old Lanesha doesn't have many friends because she is different; she can see and sometimes even talk with ghosts...including the ghost of her mother, who died while giving birth to her. Lanesha lives in New Orleans' Ninth Ward with wise and loving Mama Ya-Ya, who has visions of the future and knows that a big storm (which turns out to be Hurricane Katrina) is coming. When the city is evacuated, Mama Ya-Ya and Lanesha have no way to leave and must survive the best they can on their own. This riveting story's believable characters, emotional intensity, and touch of the supernatural make it a poignant, memorable read -- one that earned a 2011 Coretta Scott King Honor for author Jewell Parker Rhodes. |
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| Picture Me Gone by Meg RosoffMystery. When her father's friend Matthew suddenly disappears, Mila accompanies her father to upstate New York in search of the missing man. Wise beyond her 12 years, Mila's razor-sharp observation skills and strong emotional insight allow her to see things that no one else can see. As the clues and revelations surrounding Matthew start to come together, Mila's understanding of the feelings and actions of adults -- including those of her own father -- is challenged. Sophisticated readers will savor the intimate writing style and complex characters in this deep and witty National Book Award finalist from 2013. |
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| Navigating Early by Clare VanderpoolHistorical Fiction. Jack has never met anyone quite like Early Auden. Like Jack, Early is an outsider at their 1940s boarding school. But unlike Jack, Early is brilliant and eccentric. Obsessed with the number pi, Early claims that there's a story inside pi's infinite digits. It's the mystical events of this story that drive Early (with the skeptical Jack in tow) to run away in search of a large black bear, believing that the bear will lead him to his beloved older brother, who was lost in World War II. This moving story, which received a 2014 Printz Honor, is perfect for readers who enjoy wilderness adventures with just a hint of magic. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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