Fall 2015 middle-grade and young adult books

The Line We Cross
By Randa Abdel-Fattah
Scholastic, Inc (May 9, 2017)) 18.99

Ages: 12-17
BISAC: Growing Up & Facts of Life
Michael likes to hang out with his friends and play with the latest graphic design software. His parents drag him to rallies held by their anti-immigrant group, which rails against the tide of refugees flooding the country. And it all makes sense to Michael.

Sparrow

By Sarah Moon

Arthur A. Levine Books

Ages: 12-17

BISAC: Juvenile Fiction, Coming of age, Growing Up

ISBN-13: 978-1467703406

Sparrow has always had a difficult time making friends. She would always rather have stayed home on the weekends with her mother, an affluent IT Executive at a Manhattan bank, reading, or watching the birds, than playing with other kids. And that's made school a lonely experience for her. It's made LIFE a lonely experience.

Stop. Breathe. Chill. These mindfulness exercises will teach you how to focus on the present and stop freaking out about the future. Each entry tackles the sort of stuff life throws at you every day. Whether it's a situation with friends, issues with family, or the pressures of school, you'll learn how to live in the moment and stop stressing out.

Serafina and the Black Cloak
By Robert Beatty
Disney-Hyperion (July 2015) $16.99
Ages: 9-12
Genre: Middle grade fantasy,

mystery

Young Adults

You Can't Be Too Careful!

By Roger Mello
Elsewhere Editions (April 4, 2017) $16.85

Age: 5-8 years

Genre: Children's Books, Activities, Facts & Games
With a playful lightness of touch, Mello explores serious questions about the importance of kindness and the dangers of greed. Mello's illustrations will inspire his young readers, providing them with familiar and approachable images while encouraging imagination to fill in the narrative gaps, as he captures the mysteries of childhood through rich, vibrant imagery. -from publisher

One last word

By Nikki Grimes

Bloomsbury

Ages: 12-17

BISAC: Poetry, New, Classic

ISBN-13: 978-1619635548

In this emotional and thought-provoking book of poetry, Nikki Grimes finds inspiration from poets of the Harlem Renaissance. Moved by the evocation verse of Legendary writers, Grimes has composed gorgeous new poetry with timely themes for todays readers.

An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes

By Randy Ribay

Merit Press

Age: 13-18

BISAC: Juvenile Fiction, Struggle, Friends, Coming out story, Coming of Age Story

 ISBN-13: 978-1440588143

Four friends from wildly different backgrounds have bonded over Dungeons & Dragons since the sixth grade. Now they're facing senior year and a major shift in their own universes. Math whiz Archie is struggling with his parents' divorce after his dad comes out as gay. Mari is terrified of her adoptive mother's life-altering news. Dante is carrying around a huge secret that is proving impossible to keep hidden. And when Sam gets dumped by the love of his life, everyone is ready to join him on a cross-country quest to win her back. The four quickly discover that the road is not forgiving, and that real life is no game. They must face a test of friendship where the stakes are more than just a roll of the dice--they are life and death.

Moon Shadow

By Eric Downing

Alladin

Ages: 12-17

BISAC: Juvenile Fiction, Coming of age, Growing Up

ISBN-13: 978-1481475211

Lucia was born during a lunar eclipse. Though her mom has always told her eclipses are magical, Lucia doesn't buy into New Age nonsense. Magic involving shadows, dreams, and moonstones... she doesn't have time for any of that stuff. All she wants is to figure out how to get her best friend back back and cope with her parents' divorce.

Stop, Breathe, Chill

By Beth Stebner

Adams Media

Age:13-18

BISAC: Psychology, Poeple, Growing Up

Waste of Space
By Gina Damico
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt(July 11, 2017)) 17.99

Ages: 14-17
BISAC: Literature & Fiction

Cram ten hormonal teens into a spaceship and blast off: that’s the premise for the ill-conceived reality show Waste of Space.

The kids who are cast know everything about drama—and nothing about the fact that the production is fake. Hidden in a desert warehouse, their spaceship replica is equipped with state-of-the-art special effects dreamed up by the scientists partnering with the shady cable network airing the show.

Fall &Winter Books

Learning to Love the Girl in the Mirror

By Helena Grace Donald

Torch Flame Media LLC

Age:13-18

BISAC: Self Help, Teen Girls, True Story

This book is for every girl who has ever looked in the mirror and criticized her own reflection; for every girl who has ever compared herself negatively to others; for every girl who has ever thought of dieting; and for every girl who is already struggling with negative body image issues and unhealthy eating habits.

Project Semicolon

By Amy Bleuel

Harper Collins

Ages: 12-17

BISAC: Preventing Suicide, Guide, Hope, True Stories

ISBN-13: 978-0062466525

Project Semicolon: Your Story Isn't Over reveals dozens of new portraits and stories from people of all ages talking about what they have endured and what they want for their futures. This represents a new step in the movement and a new awareness around those who struggle with mental illness and those who support them. At once heartfelt, unflinchingly honest, and eternally hopeful, this collection tells a story of choice: every day you choose to live and let your story continue on.

Dot Journaling—A Practical Guide: How to Start and Keep the Planner, To-Do List, and Diary That'll Actually Help You Get Your Life Together

By Rachel Wilkerson Miller
The Experiment (July 31, 2017) $10.42

Age: Teenss

Genre: Crafts, Hobbies & Home, Scrapbooking

It’s a planner, to-do list, and diary for every aspect of your life: work, home, relationships, hobbies, everything.

Life is like a musical

By Tim Federle

Running Press

Ages: 12-17

BISAC: Guide, Life, Living

ISBN-13: 978-0762462643

Before Tim Federle became a bestselling author and a Broadway playwright, he worked as a back-up dancer at the Super Bowl, a polar bear at Radio City, and a card-carrying chorus boy on Broadway. Life is Life a Musical features 50 tips learned backstage, onstage, and in between gigs, with chapters such as "Dance Like Everyone's Watching" and "Save the Drama for the Stage." This charming and clever guide will appeal to all ages and inspire readers to step into the lead role of their own life, even if they're not a recovering theater major.

The Infographic Guide to College: A Visual Reference for Everything You Need to Know

By Adams Media
Simon and Schuster (July 4, 2017) $16.99

Age: 10+

Genre: Children's Books, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Spine-Chilling Horror

For fans of the popular Show Me How series, this illustrated guide to college life has everything a student

needs to excel in their first year, from tips on getting involved around campus to advice about applying for

loans and studying for exams.

Welcome to the Dark House

By Laurie Faria Stolarz
Hyperion (June 23, 2015) $9.99
Ages:14+

Genre: Horror

The Hearts We Sold

By Emily Lloyd Jones

Little Brown

Ages: 12-17

BISAC: Sci-Fi, Horror fantasy, Romance, Juvenile fiction

ISBN-13: 978-0316314596

Dee Moreno is out of options. Her home life sucks (to put it mildly), and she's about to get booted from her boarding school--the only place she's ever felt free--for lack of funds. But this is a world where demons exist,

and the demons are there to make deals: one human body part in exchange for one wish come true.The demon

who Dee approaches doesn't trade in the usual arms and legs, however. He's only interested in her heart. And

what comes after Dee makes her deal is a nightmare far bigger, far more monstrous than anything she ever

could have imagined. Reality is turned on its head, and Dee has only her fellow "heartless," the charming

but secretive James Lancer, to keep her grounded. As something like love grows between them amid an otherworldly ordeal, Dee begins to wonder: Can she give James her heart when it's no longer hers to give?

Anyone But Ivy Pocket

By Caleb Krisp

Greenwillow Books

(April 21, 2015) $17.99

Age: 8-12

Genre: Humor, Spine-Chilling Horror,

Science Fiction, Fantasy

Why Wont You Apologize?

By Harriet Lerner, PH.D.

Touchstone

Age: 13-18

BISAC: Psychology, Apologies, People, Short Stories, Juvenile Fiction

ISBN-13: 978-1501129599

Dr. Harriet Lerner has been studying apologies—and why some people won’t give them—for more than two decades. Now she offers compelling stories and solid theory that bring home how much the simple apology matters and what is required for healing when the hurt we’ve inflicted (or received) is far from simple. Readers will learn how to craft a deeply meaningful “I’m sorry” and avoid apologies that only deepen the original injury.

Far From The Tree

By Robin Benway

Harper Collins

Age 13-18

BISAC: Family, Adoption, Coming of age story, Juvenile Fiction

ISBN-13: 978-0062330628

But for Grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, discovering that she is a middle child is a different ride altogether. After putting her own baby up for adoption, she goes looking for her biological family, including—
Maya, her loudmouthed younger bio sister, who has a lot to say about their newfound family ties.

The launching of a new imprint is always exciting, and the Spring 2017 launch of Elsewhere Editions is one that definitely caught my eye. Devoted to translations of visionary picture books from all corners of the world, I imagine there must have been incredible, in-house excitement over this launch. Elsewhere Editions is a new children's imprint from Archipelago Books (Penguin Random House). Two that I especially love are Questions Asked and You Can't Be Too Careful!, winner of the 2014 Hans Christian Anderson Award. Genre-bending, thought-provoking, both are works of art that can be enjoyed by children of all ages as well as adults reading aloud. Both have beautiful artwork which will definitely be appreciated by art aficionados. I love the philosophical questions posed in Questions Asked, and believe every, single person thinks about these things at some time. And I absolutely love the artwork in You Can't be Too Careful! Every page is interactive. You could read this a hundred times and still find something new in its artwork.

Blight
By Kelly Williams Brown
HarperCollins Publishers (August 1, 2017)) 17.99

Ages: 13+
BISAC: Literature & Fiction
ISBN-13: 978-0971923805
Inspired by current environmental issues, specifically the genetic adjustment of seeds to resist blight and the risks of not allowing natural seed diversity, this is an action-adventure story.

Tell the Story to Its End
By Simon P. Clark
St. Martin's Press, 2015, $18.99
Age: 14+
Genre: Magically Haunting Fiction

Questions Asked

By Jostein Gaarder
Elsewhere Editions (May 9, 2017)) $9.79

Age: 3 - 7 years

Genre: Children's Books, Growing Up & Facts of Life
A picture book with fundamental philosophical questions, posed in a way only Jostein Gaarder is capable of. The illustrator has made an independent visual narrative that underscores the existential aspect of eacl question. Questions Asked shows confidence in a child's capacity to think deeply and read between the lines. This book explores life and death in a way will show how these questions are common to everyone. Emotional and moving with the subtle suggestion that the boy in the character has lost a twin. Though the idea is presented, it's open to interpretation.

Be the One

By Byron Pitts

Simon and Schuster

Age: 13-18

BISAC: Short Stories, True Stories, Hope, Believe

ISBN-13: 978-1442483828

None of these should be realities for anyone, much less a young person. But for some it is the only reality they have ever known. In these dark circumstances, six teens needed someone to “be the one” for them—the hero to help them back into the light. For Tania, Mason, Pappy, Michaela, Ryan, and Tyton, that hero was themselves. Through stirring interviews and his award-winning storytelling, Byron Pitts brings the struggles and triumphs of these everyday heroes to teens just like them, encouraging all of us to be the source of inspiration in our own lives and to appreciate the lives of others around us

Gracious: A Practical Primer on Charm, Tact, and Unsinkable Strength
By Alexandra Duncan
Rodale (April 4, 2017)) 22.99

Ages:Teens+
Genre: Etiquette, Cummunications & Social Skills

Graciousness is practicing the arts of kindness, thoughtfulness, good manners, humanity, and basic decency. As a bonus, it makes your life and even the world (or at least the room you're in) much lovelier.

Waste of Space
By Gina Damico
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 17.99

July, 2017

Ages:14-17
Genre : YA Fiction, humor, contemporary realistic

Cram ten hormonal teens into a spaceship and blast off: that’s the premise for the ill-conceived reality show Waste of Space.