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Cool New Books for March

March's roundup of cool new books is full of familiar characters returning for more adventures. They include Russel Middlebrook, the proud young man who we first met in GEOGRAPHY CLUB; Cyd Charisse, the star of the highly anticipated sequel to GINGERBREAD; and the five teenagers collectively known as The Midnighters, who all appear in the second installment of Scott Westerfeld's riveting trilogy. We're also introducing a fun new series from Simon Spotlight Entertainment called "Stake Your Destiny," in which readers assume the role of Buffy Summers and have the ability to determine what happens to the Vampire Slayer and the gang throughout each novel.


BOY2GIRL
Terence Blacker
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 0374309264
Ages 12-up
304 pages

Matthew's American cousin, Sam, has come to London to live with the family. Sam is charismatic and funny, but can he be trusted to be a reliable friend? Matthew and his pals set up a challenge for Sam in order to prove himself: he must begin the new year at Bradbury Hill School posing as a girl. It turns out that Sam is great in his assumed role. He fools everyone and has an electrifying effect at the school. And the longer the prank goes on, the more hilarious --- and serious --- are the repercussions.


BOY KILLS MAN
Matt Whyman
HarperTempest
ISBN: 0060746637
Teen Fiction
160 pages

To Shorty and Alberto, it seems like the only people in their town who command respect are the drug dealers --- they're rich, powerful, and not afraid of anybody. So when Alberto gets a job as a hit man for a drug dealer, he's thrilled because he knows that his family won't starve and he'll be a big shot. He thinks his life has finally begun. But in this tough South American town, twelve-year-old assassins are disposable. And it won't be long before Alberto and Shorty find this out.


BRAS & BROOMSTICKS
Sarah Mlynowski
Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0385731817
Ages 12-up
320 pages

What if all your wishes could come true? Blink your eyes, drink a fizzing pink potion, and just like that, your life is perfect. Rachel's younger sister knows this feeling well because she suddenly has magical powers. Rachel is jealous because she would love to be able to work some magic herself --- to dance without looking like she's being electrocuted, win back her best friend, stop her father's wedding, and find a date for Spring Fling. Unfortunately, Rachel isn't bewitched --- yet.


BROKEN SONG
Kathryn Lasky
Viking Children's Books
ISBN: 0670059315
Ages 11-up
160 pages

The year is 1897, and gifted violinist Reuven Bloom (who first appeared as a revolutionary in THE NIGHT JOURNEY) is fifteen years old. Life for the Jews in Russia is very hard. First Reuven's best friend is captured to serve in the Tsar's army, then his parents and older sister are murdered. Reuven's dreams of music must be abandoned for the time being. Because now he has only one goal: to escape. Along with his baby sister, Reuven sets off toward an unknown freedom. His journey takes him first across Russia, then ultimately to America.


CANDY
Kevin Brooks
The Chicken House/Scholastic
ISBN: 0439683270
Ages 12-up
368 pages

Joe is a kid from the right side of the tracks who cares about his music and not much else --- until he falls for a girl named Candy. Suddenly he is drawn into Candy's world, which is filled with drugs, violence and desperation. As the dark truth about Candy's life emerges, Joe finds himself facing real danger at every twist and turn. Soon his conflicting emotions begin to mirror Candy's, and he understands that falling in love just might be worth the struggle.


LAST DANCE ON HOLLADAY STREET
Elisa Carbine
Knopf
ISBN: 0375828966
Ages 12-up
208 pages


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The year is 1878. Thirteen-year-old Eva doesn't have a family and feels like an orphan --- but she's not. Sadie Lewis, the woman who gave her up at birth, is living in Denver. And Eva, armed with an address, is determined to find her. But this mission holds more surprises than she ever could have anticipated. When Eva reaches 518 Holladay Street, she discovers Sadie Lewis's shocking secret --- a secret that lands Eva in a house of ill repute, forced to dance with strangers for her keep. Eva knows in her bones that she is indeed free --- and that she must find a way to escape.


LBD: LIVE AND FABULOUS!
Grace Dent
G.P. Putnam's Sons
ISBN: 0399241884
Ages 12-up
256 pages

It's been a year since the LBD (aka Les Bambinos Dangereuses) saved Blackwell School with their brilliant music festival featuring rock-god Spike Saunders. Now Ronnie, Fleur and Claude have absolutely no plans for their summer break. Plus, the relationship between Ronnie and her skater-punk boyfriend Jimi Steele is rocky. But then salvation comes in the form of four tickets from Spike to Astlebury --- the biggest rock festival ever.


LOOKING FOR ALASKA
John Green
Dutton Children's Books
ISBN: 0525475060
Ages 14-up
160 pages


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Miles "Pudge" Halter is abandoning his fairly normal life. Fascinated by the last words of famous people, Pudge leaves for boarding school to seek what a dying Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps." He makes friends with people whose lives are anything but safe and boring. One of them is the self-destructive and sexy Alaska, who has perfected the arts of pranking and ignoring school rules. Pudge falls impossibly in love. But when tragedy strikes the close-knit group, Pudge must come face-to-face with death and learn some valuable lessons in the process.


THE ORDER OF THE POISON OAK
Brent Hartinger
HarperTempest
ISBN: 0060567317
Teen Fiction
240 pages


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Russel Middlebrook (from GEOGRAPHY CLUB) is back, and he and his friends are now working as counselors at a summer camp. After some tough months at school following his formation of a gay-straight alliance at his high school and tired of being an "out" teenager, Russel feels that this is the perfect getaway. But he must earn the respect of his ten-year-old campers, who are all burn survivors. And then he meets fellow counselor Web Bestian, who may or may not be straight.


PROM
Laurie Halse Anderson
Viking Children's Books
ISBN: 0670059749
Ages 12-up
224 pages


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High school senior Ashley Hannigan seems to be the only one in her urban Philadelphia high school who doesn't care about the prom. But when the faculty advisor gets in serious trouble for taking the prom money, Ashley suddenly finds herself with the huge responsibility of putting together a gala dance out of absolutely nothing. But she isn't on her own --- her large family, her best friend's eccentric grandmother, and her fellow classmates all lend a helping hand. And in coordinating the Big Dance, Ashley learns that she has choices about her life after high school.


SHRIMP
Rachel Cohn
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689866127
Ages 12-up
288 pages


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In this highly anticipated sequel to GINGERBREAD, Cyd Charisse has returned home from her summer in New York City with a new mission: to reclaim her true love, Shrimp, the hottest pint-size artist-surfer in San Francisco. Although he broke up with her before she left, Cyd has grown up during the summer months --- and she doesn't plan to let Shrimp get away that easily this time around.


VENUS AND SERENA: SERVING FROM THE HIP: 10 Rules for Living, Loving, and Winning
written by Venus and Serena Williams, with Hilary Beard
Houghton Mifflin
ISBN: 0618576533
Ages 12-up
144 pages

In this straight-talking smart guide, tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams speak candidly about their personal experiences and share their insights on a variety of topics, including: what it takes to rise and stay on top, who watches their backs when the pressure is on, how they spend --- and save --- their money, dating issues, and excelling in school without being so stressed out.


Series Books

The Midnighters

MIDNIGHTERS #2: Touching Darkness
Scott Westerfeld
Eos/HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060519541
Young Adult Fiction
336 pages


Read a Review & Excerpt

The Midnighters of Bixby, Oklahoma, are aware that their town is full of secrets. These five teenagers are the only ones who know about the mysterious hour at midnight when the world freezes, except for them and the creatures that inhabit the darkness. But they don't know why earlier generations of Midnighters all disappeared, or why they are now the only Midnighters in town. As they learn more about the secret hour's twists and turns, they uncover terrifying mysteries woven into the very fabric of Bixby's history, and a conspiracy that touches both the midnight hour and the world of daylight.

At the same time, the Midnighters' own secrets start to emerge, including some that were never meant to come to light, changing the fragile dynamics among the five. This time Jessica Day is not the only Midnighter in mortal danger, and if the group can't find a way to come together, they could lose one of their own --- forever.


Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Stake Your Destiny

THE SUICIDE KING
Robert Joseph Levy
Simon Spotlight Entertainment
ISBN: 0689869576
Ages 16-up
160 pages

A rash of student suicides sweeps through Sunnydale High, jolting the community. When the newly arrived grief counselor ends up killing himself, Buffy and the gang begin to suspect that there's something supernatural to blame. Soon one of their own begins to show signs of debilitating despondency, and it becomes a race against time for the Slayer to defeat the ancient threat known as the Suicide King.

This is the first book in a brand new series called "Stake Your Destiny," where the reader controls the action and accepts the full responsibility of being the Slayer. If you enjoy reading the "Choose Your Own Adventure" series of books, you will fall in love with these novels!


Everwood

SLIPPING AWAY (Everwood #5)
Emma Harrison
Simon Spotlight Entertainment
ISBN: 0689878532
Ages 12-up
176 pages

Right before break, Ephram Brown's dad informs him that the family will be going to Vail for Thanksgiving and that the Abbotts will be accompanying them. Sure, Ephram and Amy will be able to hang out, but they'll have to do it under the watchful, disapproving eyes of their parents. But as disappointed as Ephram is at the idea of spending Thanksgiving on skis instead of on the couch, he never could have anticipated what lies in store for him on the slopes.

    --- Compiled and Written by Tom Donadio

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