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July 2008

July's roundup of Cool New Books includes THE DANGEROUS DAYS OF DANIEL X, James Patterson's sci-fi adventure about a boy who uses his unique gifts to hunt down the killer who brutally murdered his parents; STOP IN THE NAME OF PANTS!, the ninth installment in Louise Rennison's hilariously entertaining Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series; THE MIDNIGHT TWINS, Jacquelyn Mitchard's spellbinding tale of twins with special powers; KRISTEN, the continuation of Lisi Harrison's Clique Summer Collection; SHADOWS IN THE TWILIGHT, a companion novel to A BRIDGE TO THE STARS, in which Henning Mankell details the surprising changes in Joel Gustafson’s existence; and BLACK RABBIT SUMMER by Kevin Brooks, a compelling mystery and a profound exploration of the many subtle influences that can change --- and end --- relationships.


Stand-Alone Titles

Book Cover ArtAPPETITE FOR DETENTION
written by Sloane Tanen
photographed by Stefan Hagen

Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books
ISBN: 9781599900759
Ages 12-up
80 pages

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Following the success of Sloane Tanen’s adult books comes a title aimed directly at teens. From back-to-school anxiety and chick cliques to gym class, teachers and other eye-rolling icons of school life, these photographic scenes of the teen experience are as ingenious as they are hilarious. Specifically concerned with the trials and tribulations of high school and teendom, APPETITE FOR DETENTION will have teens everywhere (and more than a few adults) laughing with recognition.


Book Cover ArtBLACK RABBIT SUMMER
Kevin Brooks
The Chicken House/Scholastic
ISBN: 9780545057523
Ages 12-up
496 pages

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Thoughtful Pete, tough Pauly, twins Eric and Nicole, strange Raymond: As kids they were tight; now they've grown up- --- and apart. They agree to get together one last time. But, twisted by personal histories and fueled by pharmaceuticals, old jealousies surface. The party is soon over, and the group splinters off into the night. Into the noise and heat and chaos of the carnival. Days later, a girl goes missing. The prime suspect in her disappearance? One of their own, one of the old gang. Pete doesn't know what to believe: Could one of his childhood friends really be a cold-blooded killer?


Book Cover ArtCAUGHT BETWEEN THE PAGES Marlene Carvell
Dutton Juvenile
ISBN: 9780525479161
Ages 12-up
160 pages

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PJ Barnes is on the fast track to failing high school, and everyone is riding him about it --- especially his English teacher, Mrs. Jordan. Then, somehow, her personal journal gets mixed up with his homework papers. Thinking he’ll find the answers to the next quiz, he starts reading and quickly discovers it’s not what he expected. As insights and family secrets surface, PJ begins to realize that Mrs. Jordan knows more about his past, his present and his future than he ever imagined.


Book Cover ArtDREAM GIRL
Lauren Mechling
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780385735216
Ages 12-up
320 pages

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Claire Voyante has been having strange visions ever since she can remember. Whenever she follows her hunches, she comes up empty --- or ends up in pretty awkward situations. But that all changes on Claire’s 15th birthday, when her grandmother, Kiki --- former socialite, fashion icon and permanent fixture at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel --- gives her something a little more extraordinary than one of her old cocktail dresses: a strange black-and-white onyx cameo on a gold chain. It’s not long before Claire’s world becomes a whole lot clearer. And a whole lot more dangerous.


Book Cover ArtTHE EXCHANGE
Graham Joyce
Viking Juvenile
ISBN: 9780670062072
Ages 12-up
256 pages

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Caz and her best friend Lucy have a secret. Late at night, they break into strangers’ homes --- not to steal anything, just for the rush. Then Caz gets caught in the act by elderly Mrs. Tranter, and before she knows it, the old woman has snapped a silver bracelet around her wrist. Caz can’t remove it, no matter what she does; and then it becomes part of her, sinking into her skin like a tattoo. Worst and most unsettling of all, it has given her an unpredictable kind of ESP. She can see into people’s inner lives, whether she wants to or not.


Book Cover ArtTHE EXPLOSIONIST
Jenny Davidson
HarperTeen
ISBN: 9780061239755
Ages 12-up
464 pages

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When the medium from her great-aunt’s séance is found murdered, 15-year-old Sophie sets out to find the killer with the help of her friend Mikael. But suddenly she no longer knows whom to trust --- her handsome teacher might be a terrorist, her friends don’t believe a word she says, and the possibility of communicating with the dead no longer seems so crazy after all.


Book Cover ArtGIRL V. BOY
Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout
Hyperion Books for Children
ISBN: 9781423101574
Ages 12-up
320 pages

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Sixteen-year-old Luisa Perez is not looking to win any awards for school spirit. In fact, she and her friends make it a point to avoid all extracurricular activities. So when her English teacher volunteers her to be an anonymous columnist for the school paper, Luisa’s first impulse is to run. But, unlike her high-school dropout sister, Luisa does want to go to college --- it may be her only ticket out of a life spent working at the cowboy-themed diner where she waitresses part time --- and it would be nice to have at least one activity for her applications. Her first assignment is to cover her high school's latest fundraiser, which pits the girls against the boys.


Book Cover ArtUNDONE
Brooke Taylor
Walker Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780802797636
Ages 14-up
320 pages

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When Kori Kitlzer, the “dark angel” of the eighth grade, tells Serena Moore that they are more alike than she thinks, Serena is instantly intrigued. As their friendship solidifies and their lives entwine, Serena tries to become more like the fearless, outspoken and ambitious Kori. Soon Serena doesn’t know where she begins and Kori ends. But when a twist of fate yanks Kori away from Serena, she will need to find a way to complete her best friend’s life left undone.


Book Cover ArtWOULD YOU
Marthe Jocelyn
Wendy Lamb Books/Random House
ISBN: 9780375837036
Ages 12-up
176 pages

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For Natalie’s amazing older sister, Claire, this summer is fantastic, because she’s zooming off to college in the fall. For Natalie, it’s a fun summer with her friends; nothing special. But when Claire is hit by a car, the world changes in a heartbeat. Over the next four days, moment by moment, Natalie, her parents and their friends wait to learn if Claire will ever recover.


Series Books/Sequels

The Clique Summer Collection

Book Cover ArtKRISTEN: The Clique Summer Collection #4
Lisi Harrison
Poppy/Little, Brown for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780316027526
Ages 12-up
144 pages

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With the rest of the Pretty Committee scattered across the globe, Kristen is stuck in summer school at OCD, making good on her scholarship commitments. No sleepover horse camp, no Hawaiian spa, no Spanish vacation, not even a trip to Orlando. But when Kristen scores a job looking after hang-ten hottie Dune Baxter's eight-year-old sister, Ripple, Westchester suddenly doesn't seem so bad. It looks like Kristin is about to ride the wave of first love….


Confessions of Georgia Nicolson

Book Cover ArtSTOP IN THE NAME OF PANTS!: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #9
Louise Rennison
HarperTeen
ISBN: 9780061459320
Ages 12-up
320 pages

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Three maybe-boyfriends is a lot for any girl to handle --- red-bottomed or not. Robbie the Sex God is back from Kiwi-a-gogo land wanting to "get coffee", Masimo the Luuurve God says things like "Ciao, Georgia, see you later" and her mate Dave the Laugh snogs her in a pond. It's enough to make any girl mad. Now that she has tearfully eschewed Robbie the Sex God with a firm hand, Georgia is left with two potential snoggees to choose from, and it's high time she left the cakeshop of love for good. This time with a gorgey Italian cakey. Or a nip-libbling Dave the Tart. But certainly not both. Maybe.


Daniel X

Book Cover ArtTHE DANGEROUS DAYS OF DANIEL X
James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 9780316002929
Ages 12-up
272 pages

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Daniel X's secret abilities --- like being able to manipulate objects and animals with his mind or to recreate himself in any shape he chooses --- have helped him survive. But Daniel doesn't have a normal life. He is the protector of the earth, the Alien Hunter, with a mission beyond what anyone could imagine.

From the day that his parents were brutally murdered in front of his very eyes, Daniel has used his unique gifts to hunt down their assassin. Finally, with the help of The List bequeathed to him in his parents' dying breath, he has located the killer.

Now, on his own, he vows to take on his father's mission --- and to have vengeance in the process.


The Midnight Twins Trilogy

Book Cover ArtTHE MIDNIGHT TWINS
Jacquelyn Mitchard
Razorbill/Penguin Young Readers Group
ISBN: 9781595141606
Ages 12-up
240 pages

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Meredith and Mallory Brynn are mirror twins born on either side of midnight one snowy New Year's Eve. They have always been inseparable. But after they are nearly killed in a mysterious fire on their 13th birthday, the bond that has always joined them unravels. They begin to have visions and dreams that reveal the deep secrets kept by the people around them. Meredith and Mallory realize they have each been given a gift: Mallory can see deep into the past; Meredith can see the future. But when they discover that one boy is not what they imagined, their lives will be changed forever. If they can survive…


Companion to A BRIDGE TO THE STARS

Book Cover ArtSHADOWS IN THE TWILIGHT
Henning Mankell
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780385734967
Ages 12-up
208 pages

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Joe will soon be 12, and he thinks nothing is going on in the small community where he lives. But he’s wrong. One day, an incident that could easily have been a catastrophe turns into a miracle. Now Joel believes he owes the world a good deed, to prove that he deserved what might have been divine intervention. He thinks up an elaborate scheme, but it doesn’t go as anticipated. Even though his heart is in the right place, feelings are hurt. If he confesses what he’s done and why, will things be put right again?


Sequel to BAD KITTY

Book Cover ArtKITTY KITTY
Michele Jaffe
HarperTeen
ISBN: 9780060781118
Ages 12-up
320 pages

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Jasmine Callihan’s fabulous life has taken a turn for the worse --- Dadzilla has moved her to Venice, Italy, 4,000 miles from her pals and her hot boyfriend, Jack. But Jas has a plan: If she can become a model daughter and stay out of trouble, surely the fates will stop Riverdancing over her whole life’s happiness. But for Jas, whose superpower is Attractive to Cats and whose warning label is CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS, trouble --- and bad kitties --- is waiting around every canal.

    --- Compiled and Written by Tom Donadio

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