Publisher: Dutton Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/17/2011
ISBN-13: 9780525423065
ISBN-10: 0525423060

Realistic Fiction. Danny is destined for greatness on his high-school gymnastics team--that is, if he can survive the football captains' relentless and often violent harassment. As he's smaller than most guys his age, Danny doesn't have much defense against the pranks and pummeling, but he may have an ally in the football team's newest player, a massive (and emotionally scarred) fullback named Kurt. Alternately narrated by Kurt and Danny, this novel takes an unflinching look inside the sometimes brutally competitive world of high-school sports. Leverage is a disturbing and graphic story that isn't for sensitive readers, but those who can handle it will remember it for a long, long time.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/22/2011
ISBN-13: 9781442409057
ISBN-10: 1442409053

Science Fiction. Years ago, genetic scientists created a generation of perfect children who will likely live forever...but something went wrong. The "perfect" generation's children all died by the age of 25, and every generation thereafter will, too, unless a cure is found. It's now commonplace for young girls to be kidnapped and used as breeding stock for the wealthy members of the First Generation; Rhine Ellery is 16 when she is taken to be one of Linden Ashby's several "brides," but unlike her sister wives, she's determined to escape. With strong gothic overtones, fully realized characters, romance, and riveting suspense, this 1st book in the Chemical Garden trilogy is one that fans of dystopian fiction won't want to miss.

First Chapter  

Publisher: Walker
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/01/2011
ISBN-13: 9780802721624
ISBN-10: 0802721621

Fiction. Charlie Tracker ("Jenna") and Fielding Withers ("Jonah") are co-stars of a hit TV show in which they play positively adorable next-door neighbors in love. Ever since their show was almost cancelled, they've been pretending to be a real-life couple, too...but really, they can't stand each other. When a false rumor that Fielding is gay causes the Family Network to cancel their show, Charlie and Fielding decide to audition for a production of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Can it save their careers? Can they keep from killing each other? Read this fun romance that's chock full of witty banter to find out.

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/01/2011
ISBN-13: 9780312614782
ISBN-10: 0312614780

Urban Fantasy. When 17-year-old Riley Blackthorne, an apprentice demon-trapper in 2018 Atlanta, Georgia, attempts a routine Grade-One demon extraction in a university library, things go awry despite her careful attention to procedure. Soon after, a much more dangerous demon kills Riley's father (a renowned demon-trapper himself), and it becomes clear that something very big--and very bad--is afoot, and Riley is in grave danger. With knockout world-building, sizzling romantic tension, and full-throttle action, this series opener is a good choice for fans of Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series or Sarah Rees Brennan's Demon's Lexicon trilogy.

First Chapter  

Publisher: Candlewick Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/08/2011
ISBN-13: 9780763639839
ISBN-10: 0763639834

Crime Novel. Forced to leave home in order to escape his abusive stepfather, homeless teen Brent--aka "Blink" due to a facial tic--is scavenging for room-service leftovers in a hotel hallway when he witnesses the kidnapping of an oil company's CEO. Another street kid, Kitty (nicknamed "Caution, as in Toxic"), stays with her violent, drug-dealer boyfriend because she doesn't believe she deserves any better. After Blink leaves the scene of the kidnapping and Caution flees from her boyfriend, the two of them are drawn together--and may end up being each other's salvation. Set in Toronto and narrated alternately by various characters, Blink & Caution is a gritty, fast-paced, and beautifully written novel with more than a tinge of noir.

American film star and dancer Fred Astaire was born in the month of May, and so was Isadora Duncan, who is widely regarded as the inventor of modern dance. In honor of them and of all those bold enough to shake their groove things, here's a selection of books about dance and dancers.

Publisher: Scholastic Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/01/2010
ISBN-13: 9780545060790
ISBN-10: 0545060796

Fiction. Rose lives in Cold War-era New York City; Ronald Reagan is president and people live with the ever-present fear of either Russia or the U.S. starting a nuclear war. She's a dancer at the NYC High School of Performing Arts, and she's incredibly lonely...until the night that Yrena, Rose's neighbor and the daughter of Russian diplomats, crawls through her bedroom window and insists that Rose take her out for a night of "normal" American teenage debauchery. Giving a strong sense of the time, the place, and the desire to create art through movement, this character-driven novel is an especially delicious read for dancers.

Publisher: Henry Holt
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/10/2008
ISBN-13: 9780805080711
ISBN-10: 0805080716

Nonfiction. If you love to dance but don't really know how (or whether) to pursue dancing as a career, you'll definitely want to check out Meet the Dancers, which profiles a variety of professionals whose work encompasses ballet, modern, Broadway, hip-hop, and other styles of dance. The dancers aren't necessarily what you'd expect--not all of them are skinny and tall, for example--and each of them took a slightly different path to success. Tips and advice are scattered throughout this helpful book, which should engage anyone wanting a peek into what it takes to be a dancer, as well as those planning a future on their toes.

Table of Contents  

Publisher: Atheneum Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/5/2006
ISBN-13: 9780689867477
ISBN-10: 0689867476

Nonfiction Graphic Novel. Siena Cherson Siegel began taking dance lessons in San Juan, Puerto Rico at the age of six, but when she saw Maya Plisetskaya perform with the Bolshoi Ballet, she knew she wanted to be a ballerina. This true story of Siena's years at the School of American Ballet in New York City isn't all glam and glitter: being a dancer requires hard work, discipline, and dedication, all of which shine through in this beautifully illustrated, funny, and poignant memoir.

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/10/2009
ISBN-13: 9781416978992
ISBN-10: 1416978992

Urban Fantasy. High-school senior Nicole has been in love with Zin since the first time she saw him dance. But even though Nicole feels a connection between them--one that helps her deal with her messed-up family life--Zin seems determined to keep her at a distance. After she begins performing in Zin's break-dancing group at NYC club Evermore, Nicole learns the startling truth about him: he is one of the Jiang Shi, immortals who feed on the souls of dying humans. Are Nicole's feelings for Zin really strong enough to last...forever? Twilight fans who can handle something a bit grittier will appreciate the tantalizing romance in Raven, and dance aficionados will love the detailed descriptions of the dance group's moves.

Publisher: Little, Brown
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/01/2008
ISBN-13: 9780316114301
ISBN-10: 0316114308

Fiction. Kayla Dean, a 14-year-old feminist, shy girl, budding investigative reporter, and word-coiner, is being pressured by her best friend, Rosalie, into auditioning for Royal Palm Academy's Lady Lions dance team. Rosalie's politics are toward the strident end of the feminism scale, and she's out to prove that the ultra-hot Lady Lions only choose dancers who are more generously endowed than A-cup Kayla is. But what if Kayla actually makes the team and likes being a booty-shaking Lady Lion? Can she be empowered--and wear really cute shoes? This smart, funny story about friendship and girl power is chock-full o' funktaciousness (defined in the book's "Lexicon of Kayla-isms").