Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/20/2012
ISBN-13: 9780547608327
ISBN-10: 0547608322

Paranormal Mystery. In this 1st morbidly hilarious installment of a new series, 16-year-old Lexington Bartelby is totally out of control. Formerly as sweet and well-behaved as any parent could hope for, she has become so shockingly and randomly violent that her classmates call her "Tyrannosaurus Lex." When Lex is shipped off to stay with her Uncle Mort for the summer, she learns a family secret: her uncle is actually a Grim Reaper who ushers the dead from one world to the next -- and Lex, who has shown substantial aptitude for the job herself, is now in training. This clever debut is a fun mix of snarky humor, mystery, and romance that's sure to make fans of Lish McBride's Hold Me Closer, Necromancer swoon.

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Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/03/2012
ISBN-13: 9780547628349
ISBN-10: 054762834X

Historical Fantasy. After escaping from a brutal arranged marriage in the middle of the night, 17-year-old Ismae is granted refuge at the convent of St. Mortain, where the nuns worship and serve the ancient god of Death. Believed to have been sired by Mortain himself, Ismae is nursed back to health, trained as an assassin, and dispatched to Brittany's high court as a spy...but can she follow her orders to kill without question? With its uncompromising heroine, richly described historical setting, exciting action, and heart-rending love story, this enthralling novel is a must-read for fans of Kristin Cashore's Graceling.

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Publisher: Little, Brown
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/05/2012
ISBN-13: 9780316127974
ISBN-10: 0316127973

Realistic Fiction. In a dismal Pennsylvania town that has more than its share of violence, Finley, a.k.a. "White Rabbit," is the only white player on his high school's varsity basketball team. He keeps his head down and his mouth shut, focusing most of his energy and attention on the game -- and on escaping his messed-up town with his girlfriend, Erin. But then Finley's coach insists that he befriend a new player, Russ, a wealthy African-American kid who has an odd way of coping with the trauma of his parents' murder (he claims that he's actually a being from outer space and calls himself Boy21). If you like carefully crafted characters and intense stories of friendship, conflicting loyalties, and tragedy, don't miss this "unusual and touching" (Booklist) read.

Publisher: Sourcebooks
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/06/2012
ISBN-13: 9781402268403
ISBN-10: 1402268408

Paranormal Romance. There are angels among us -- but Violet Eden doesn't have any idea that she's one of them until her 17th birthday. And not only does Violet learn that she is one of the Grigori (humans imparted with angelic essence), she finds out that Lincoln, her hard-core personal trainer and secret crush, is a Grigori as well. The two of them are destined to be partners in a brutal war against fallen angels, so they can't be romantically involved. Angry with Lincoln for keeping the truth from her, Violet tries to come to terms with her newfound powers and responsibilities on her own...and attracts the attention of mysterious bad boy Phoenix. With ample action and steamy romance, this 1st volume of a trilogy is a good pick for fans of Jana Oliver's similarly tense and gritty The Demon Trapper's Daughter.

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Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/10/2012
ISBN-13: 9780375968761
ISBN-10: 0375968768

Thriller. "In the beginning was the Book," a 700-year-old encoded tome that high-school senior Nora Kane, her college friend Chris, and Chris' roommate Max are attempting to translate for a dotty old professor. At first the project is just an escape from high school for Nora, but then she falls for Max. And then Chris is murdered -- and both Max and the manuscript disappear -- prompting Nora to journey to Prague in the hope of finding answers and proving her boyfriend's innocence. Compared by many reviewers to The Da Vinci Code for its cults, codes, action, and intrigue, this exciting read has plenty to please fans of realistic teen characters and relationships, too. For another novel that mixes deadly scholarship, thrills, and romance, check out Ian Caldwell's The Rule of Four.

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Publisher: William Morrow
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/01/2006
ISBN-13: 9780060853969
ISBN-10: 0060853964

Satirical Fiction. The world is coming to end...or is it? Although the Antichrist has been born, two major players -- a demon and an angel -- have become accustomed (and somewhat attached) to their earthly lives and the humans who are part of them. Not wanting things to change, they decide to work together to stop Armageddon. Originally published in 1990, this collaborative novel by well-known authors Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett is "hilariously naughty" (Kirkus Reviews). For another irreverent and even more fantastical take on the world's end, check out Pratchett's 26th Discworld novel, Thief of Time.

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Publisher: Graphia
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/18/2010
ISBN-13: 9780547341248
ISBN-10: 0547341245

Urban Fantasy. When Lisabeth Lewis's suicide attempt is interrupted by a pale messenger announcing that she's been chosen to be Famine, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the anorexic teen thinks she must be hallucinating from the few pills she's already taken. But the messenger leaves her a set of scales...and an enormous horse, which no one else can see, has taken up residence in her front yard, waiting for her to travel the world on his back. Balancing an honest and emotionally intense description of eating disorders with a creative paranormal backdrop, Hunger is a riveting, metaphorical novel that's tinged with dark humor. Intrigued by the idea of teens as the Four Horsemen? Check out the next two books in the series, Rage and Loss.

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Publisher: Harcourt
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/1/2006
ISBN-13: 9780152058265
ISBN-10: 0152058265

Apocalyptic SF. In this near-future story, 16-year-old Miranda and her family struggle for survival when an asteroid knocks the moon closer to Earth, setting into motion a series of earthquakes and tsunamis that wipe out entire coastlines and cut off all power and communications. Suddenly, Miranda's worries about the prom are replaced by fears about the unpredictable future -- will her family run out of food? Will they go crazy from being cooped up together? With civilization in tatters, why go on? Written in the form of Miranda's journal entries, this gripping and unnervingly plausible post-apocalyptic tale continues in The Dead & the Gone and The World We Live In. For an end-of-days story with similar survival aspects but a different cause, check out Stephen Wallenfels' riveting tale of alien invasion, POD.

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Publisher: Viking
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/16/2008
ISBN-13: 9780670019977
ISBN-10: 0670019976

Nonfiction. In this "surprisingly upbeat look at all the ways the universe can destroy us" (Kirkus Reviews), astronomer Philip Plait uses doomsday scenarios such as asteroid strikes, black holes, cosmic ray bursts, supernovae, and alien invasions to explain the principles of astronomy and physics. Because disasters, while infrequent, are inevitable (think of the dinosaurs), Plait advises readers not to panic and backs up his reassurance with statistics. For those who aren't convinced, he also outlines potential strategies for averting cosmic calamities. Don't miss this fun and informative book by the creator of the popular website badastronomy.com.

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Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/23/2006
ISBN-13: 9781560258506
ISBN-10: 1560258500

Horror. In this gloriously gruesome kickoff to author David Wellington's Monster Trilogy, the undead have taken over the world, leaving only handfuls of living humans here and there. A group of teenage girls travels from Africa to New York City looking for medicine, but New York is already a wasteland filled with ravening zombies. The zombie masters organize their hordes to oppose the well-armed teens, and every part of the city becomes a battleground. Horror fans who gobble up this gory, intense trilogy (completed by Monster Nation and Monster Planet) might also want to check out Max Brooks' World War Z, which has a movie version in the works.