CAN'T GET THERE FROM HERE
Todd Strasser
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689841698
Ages 12-up
208 pages

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Her street name is Maybe. A runaway from an abusive home, she lives with a band of homeless teens who have no place but the city streets and no family but one another. Abused, abandoned and forgotten, they struggle against the cold, hunger and constant danger.

With the frigid winds of January comes a new girl: Tears, a twelve-year-old whose mother doesn't believe her stepfather abuses her. As the other kids start to disappear --- victims of violence, addiction and exposure --- Maybe tries to help Tears get off the streets --- if it's not already too late.

DOUBLE HELIX
Nancy Werlin
Dial Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0803726066
Ages 12-up
244 pages

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Eli has been offered a job at Wyatt Transgenics by famed scientist Dr. Wyatt. The salary is substantial, the work is interesting and Dr. Wyatt seems to be paying special attention to Eli. However, Eli's father is vehemently against his taking the job but won't explain why. Eli knows that there's some connection between Dr. Wyatt and his parents --- something too painful for his father to discuss. As he continues to work at the lab and spend time with Dr. Wyatt, Eli begins to uncover some disconcerting truths about himself, about his very makeup.

FIRMAMENT
Tim Bowler
Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689861613
Ages 12-up
320 pages

Everybody says that Luke has good hands. Good for playing the piano, just like his father did before he died. And good for climbing. Skin and his gang would like Luke to use those hands to climb into Mrs. Little's house and steal something. They want him to prove that he's a real part of the gang. But when Luke does climb into the house, he encounters something so unexpected that it changes everything --- something that unlocks secrets and helps Luke find out exactly who he is and what it is that he's been searching for.

HOW TO SURVIVE YOUR FRESHMAN YEAR
edited by Mark W. Bernstein and Yadin Kaufmann
Hundreds of Heads Books
ISBN: 0974629200
256 pages

Freshman year in college can be quite nerve-wracking, but knowing what to expect can help alleviate some of the anxiety. The hundreds of college students interviewed for this book are refreshingly honest about the realities of freshman year --- the good, the bad and the unforeseen. These sophomores, juniors and seniors all survived that dreaded first year, and in this easy-to-read guide they address a number of important topics: living arrangements, dealing with roommates, choosing a major, the best way to study, financial issues, fashion concerns, how to spend your free time, and much more.

It's never too early to start thinking about life after high school. So be sure to pick up a copy of this informative and insightful book --- because "Hundreds of Heads are Better Than One."

INVENTING ELLIOT
Graham Gardner
Dial Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0803729642
Ages 12-up
192 pages

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When Elliot Sutton arrives at Holminster High, he is determined to reinvent himself. The new Elliot will be tough and impenetrable and show no fear. He soon encounters the Guardians, a group of upperclassmen who secretly rule over Holminster with a quiet and anonymous terror. Obsessed with George Orwell's book 1984, they desire power for the sake of power. And strangely enough, they also want Elliot. Not to terrorize --- but to become one of them.

MESSENGER
Lois Lowry
Walter Lorraine Books/Houghton Mifflin
ISBN: 0618404414
Ages 12-up
176 pages

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Once a utopian community that prided itself on welcoming new people, Village will soon be closed to all outsiders. As one of the few people able to travel through the dangerous Forest, Matty must deliver the message of Village's closing and try to convince Seer's daughter to return with him before it's too late. But Forest has become hostile to Matty as well, and he must risk everything to fight his way through it, armed only with an emerging power he can't yet explain or comprehend.

MONTMORENCY: Thief, Liar, Gentleman
Eleanor Updale
Orchard Books
ISBN: 0439580358
Ages 10-14
232 pages

When a petty thief falls though a glass roof in his attempt to escape from the police, what should have been his death marks the beginning of a whole new life. After his broken body is reconstructed by an ambitious young doctor, he is released from prison and --- with the help of Victorian London's extensive sewer system --- becomes the most elusive burglar in the city. He adopts a dual existence as a respectable, wealthy gentleman named Montmorency, and his degenerate servant Scarper. But Montmorency must always be on guard, because the smallest mistake could reveal his secret and ruin both his lives.

NOTHING TO LOSE
Alex Flinn
HarperTempest
ISBN: 0060517506
Teen Fiction
288 pages

A year ago, seventeen-year-old Michael escaped his violent home by joining a traveling carnival with a "no questions asked" policy. Now, his mother is on trial for murdering his stepfather and only Michael can save her. But if he reveals the truth about his past, it could cost him his newfound freedom forever.

SISTERLAND
Linda Newbery
David Fickling Books/Random House
ISBN: 0385750269
Ages 12-up
384 pages

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Hilly's German grandmother, HeidiGran, suffers from Alzheimer's disease and has come to live with Hilly's family. As her mind becomes more muddled, secrets buried in her past start to emerge. Why does HeidiGran keep talking about a girl named Rachel? And why does she make racist remarks about Hilly's friend, Ruben? As Hilly struggles to cope with revelations about her family's past, she encounters racism and prejudice for herself when a friend becomes the victim of a mindless attack.

SPLINTERING
Eireann Corrigan
Scholastic
ISBN: 0439535972
Ages 12-up
192 pages

Eireann Corrigan's debut novel, told in poems, is about a family whose lives are shattered after a stranger breaks into their house and attacks them. This powerful and moving story is about the sisters who must barricade themselves with their mother behind a splintering door, the son who hides in the basement and the father who nearly dies. It's also about the aftermath --- the days, weeks and months following this unfortunate, random act of violence.

STORY TIME
Edward Bloor
Harcourt
ISBN: 0152046704
Ages 12-up
420 pages

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George and Kate are promised the finest education when they transfer to the Whittaker Magnet School. It boasts the highest test scores in the nation. But at what price? Their new school's curriculum is focused on beating standardized tests and classes are held in dreary, windowless rooms. Worst of all, there seems to be a demon loose in the building, one whose murderous work has only just begun.

TREE GIRL
Ben Mikaelsen
Rayo
Teen Fiction
ISBN: 0060090049
240 pages

Ben Mikaelsen, author of the acclaimed TOUCHING SPIRIT BEAR, makes his debut for older teen readers with TREE GIRL, the story of a sixteen-year-old Guatemalan girl who witnesses the horrors of guerilla warfare from the safety of a tree and vows never to climb again. This riveting and heartwrenching tale is based on a true story told to Mikaelsen one night by the real Tree Girl in a secret safe house in Guatemala.

THE V CLUB
Kate Brian
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689867646
Ages 14-up
288 pages

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When Victoria A. Treemont, the most revered and reclusive woman in Ardsmore, Pennsylvania, passes away, she leaves behind a $160,000 scholarship fund that has the students at Ardsmore High School talking --- and thinking. The successful candidate must "exemplify purity of soul, spirit, and body." No one knows for sure what this means, but Mandy, Kai, Debbie and Eva think it may be about virginity --- and the V Club is soon established.

WALKING ON AIR
Kelly Easton
Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689848757
Ages 12-up
233 pages

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It is the Depression in America, 1931. Twelve-year-old June is a tightrope walker performing in her preacher father's revival shows. She and her family travel through cities, makeshift camps, carnivals and freak shows. Torn between loyalty to her family and their religion, and the life she might have on her own, Julie comes to realize that discovering what the world has in store for her will require facing old family secrets and making some gut-wrenching decisions.

Series Books:

PRINCESS IN PINK: The Princess Diaries, Volume V
Meg Cabot
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060096101
Ages 12-up
256 pages

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In this latest installment of the popular Princess Diaries series, Mia has one wish: to spend an evening with Michael in a tux and a corsage on her wrist --- in other words, the prom. Michael, however, does not want to go. To make matters worse, a service workers strike (with Grandmère and Lilly at the heart of it and on opposite sides) threatens the very existence of this year's prom.

PERFECT PRINCESS: A Princess Diaries Book
Meg Cabot
illustrated by Chesley McLaren
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060526793
Ages 12-up
160 pages

If you simply cannot get enough of the Princess Diaries series, then you must check out PERFECT PRINCESS, the followup to the New York Times bestselling PRINCESS LESSONS. Meg Cabot and acclaimed fashion artist Chesley McLaren join forces once again to create a royal roster of princesses old and new, real and fictional. Do you have what it takes to be a princess? Mia Thermopolis certainly does. Find out what you can do to become a perfect princess!

GIRLS ON FILM: An A-List Novel
Zoey Dean
Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 0316734756
256 pages

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This sequel to THE A-LIST begins with Anna Percy feeling empowered after telling Ben to take a hike. He continues to pursue her though, refusing to go back to Princeton without a reconciliation. Anna is just not sure if she buys his New Year's cover story: that he was helping out a celebrity friend who nearly drank herself to death. In the meantime, Anna wonders if she and Adam have any chemistry. She also bonds with Sam, and after mentioning Ben's New Year's alibi the girls try to guess the identity of the mysterious alcoholic celebrity.

DARK MIRROR (Angel Series)
Craig Shaw Gardner
Simon Spotlight
ISBN: 0689867018
Ages 16-up
272 pages

In his two-plus centuries on Earth, Angel has seen his share of imitators. But so far he has not encountered a clone, a true double --- until now.

A steady parade of perfect doubles arrives at Angel Investigations, but they're not looking for help. They want the original humans (and vampire) dead. And if Angel, Lorne and their friends can't band together to figure out where the clones are coming from, a murder spree that starts in their lobby might spread to the entire city. But how do you defeat someone who knows your every thought, your every battle plan, your darkest fear? How can Angel defeat himself?

THE BOOK OF THREE (Charmed)
Diana G. Gallagher and Paul Ruditis
Simon Spotlight
ISBN: 0689867093
Ages 12-up
288 pages

While not a continuation of the Charmed series, THE BOOK OF THREE is without question a "don't miss" for fans of both the television program and the novels. This first-ever completely authorized guide to Aaron Spelling's supernatural hit features exclusive in-depth interviews with the cast and crew, episode guides, character profiles, notable quotes, and much more!