Fiction. Instead of going to college like his parents want him to, 18-year-old Robin Perry from Harlem (nephew of Richie Perry, the main character in author Walter Dean Myers' Fallen Angels) enlists in the army after 9/11 because he wants "to do something, to stand up for [his] country." Soon he is in Iraq as part of the Civil Affairs Battalion, a supposedly low-risk unit of men and women tasked with building trust between U.S. troops and the Iraqi people. But as they are increasingly involved in violence, Robin ("Birdy") and his fellow soldiers soon find their definition of "winning" ever more elusive and the war more random, confusing, and horrifying. This powerful book "takes readers behind the headlines to the everyday life of a soldier" (Horn Book).

Fiction. Fifteen-year-old Mumtaz lives in modern-day Pakistan and has been raised by her abusive aunt since the supposed death of her mother, Shabanu, ten years ago. When she learns that Shabanu is alive and in hiding nearby, Mumtaz falls into an emotional tailspin. The love of her grandfather, Baba, and summer visits from her cousin and best friend Jameel, who lives in California, keep her going until Baba suddenly dies. His will decrees that Jameel must take Baba's place as leader of the tribe, and that Jameel and Mumtaz must marry--immediately. Readers will be captivated by this rich family saga tinged with intrigue and adventure whether or not they've read the exquisite previous volumes, Shabanu and Haveli.

Fiction. The many members of this book's car-obsessed cast are all out to prove themselves, both on and off the quarter-mile, small-town Minnesota dirt track speedway that is the center of their lives. As they move through one day on a collision course to meet at the Saturday night race that could make or break the financially struggling Headwaters Speedway, all of them are hoping to win--and praying that the predicted rainstorm will pass them by. Exciting race scenes, colorful characters, and mechanical details that will enthrall gearheads make this fast-paced 1st entry in the Motor series a winner.

Fiction. Barred by their overprotective parents from attending the Astlebury Music Festival, best friends Ronnie, Fleur, and Claude (also known as "Les Bambinos Dangereuses," or the LBD) decide to stage their own music festival at Blackwell School. While they won't get to drool over a "million totally lush festival-going boys," they will get the hottest local bands lined up and everything will be brilliant--that is, if they can keep their nemesis, Panama Goodyear, from ruining it all. Georgia Nicholson fans who are keen on her English slang and pop culture references (music, fashion, etc.) will love this 1st of three books in the LBD series.

Fiction. Fifteen-year-old Jess is consumed with her flaws--a distinct lack of boobage, for starters, and a bum that looks huge in everything--and is jealous of her perfectly gorgeous best friend, Flora. But Jess is a positive, can-do sort of girl, so she comes up with schemes for improving her chances with cute boys like Ben...trouble is, Jess' schemes nearly always go wrong. Take her decision to use minestrone soup in plastic zip-bags instead of cleavage-enhancing silicone bra inserts--the soup-bags work great until one of them explodes at a party. Plenty of outrageous humor, a cast of oddball family members and good friends, and a sweet romance make this 1st book in a series perfect for Georgia Nicholson fans.

Fiction. No matter how hard she has tried to fit in, 15-year-old California girl Calypso Kelly is decidedly not part of the cool crowd at the posh English boarding school she attends. Desperate to gain some social capital, Calypso invents a fake boyfriend by pretending that her Hollywood mom's gay personal assistant is her older man. Her plan works--she makes gobs of new friends--but having a boyfriend (fake or not) complicates matters when Calypso's skill at fencing attracts the attention of a real-life handsome prince! Readers who are fond of both Georgia Nicholson and the Gossip Girl novels will enjoy this opener for the Calypso Chronicles series--it features a rivalry between Calypso and a truly despicable mean girl.

Fiction. Angela Cookson Potts--known to her friends and family as "Angel"--has a bubbly personality, great friends, and a career plan (she wants to be a chef), but she's afraid she'll never have a boyfriend. Angel's ex-model mother and her best friends are all twig-thin, which makes Angel, who has an enormous bosom and can't seem to keep her "wobbly bits" under control, feel all the more like "a walloping whale." After an all-cabbage diet and kick-boxing lessons fail to help her catch the eye of bad-boy Adam, big, beautiful Angel is conned into participating in the school fashion show...and gets a big, romantic surprise. This tasty morsel of British chick lit is the 1st of three books (so far!) that feature Angel, each of which includes recipes from her culinary repertoire.