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Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy

by Bil Wright 

Carlos Duarte knows that he’s fabulous. He’s got a better sense of style than half the fashionistas in New York City, and he can definitely apply makeup like nobody’s business. He may only be in high school, but when he lands the job of his dreams—makeup artist at the FeatureFace counter in Macy’s—he’s sure that he’s finally on his way to great things. But the makeup artist world is competitive and cutthroat, and for Carlos to acheive his stardom, he’ll have to believe in himself more than ever….

Now Playing: Stoner and Spaz II

by Ron Koertge 

Beautiful but troubled Colleen Minou is the only girl who ever looked at Ben Bancroft as more than a spaz— more than just that kid with cerebral palsy. Yet the more time Ben spends with her, the more glaring their differences appear. Is what Ben feels for Colleen actual affection, or more like gratitude? Then there’s Amy (aka A.J.), who is everything Colleen isn’t, and everything Ben’s grandma wants for him: clean-cut and upper-class, academically driven, just as obsessed with filmmaking as Ben is. But what does A.J. see when she looks at Ben? CP? Or the person behind the twisted body? In Ron Koertge’s sharp, darkly humorous follow-up to the award-winning Stoner & Spaz, Ben tries to come to terms with his confused feelings toward A.J. and his inimitable connection to Colleen, who is sometimes out of it, sometimes into him, and always exhilarating.

Pregnant Pause

by Han Nolan 

Nobody gets away with telling Eleanor Crowe what to do. But as a pregnant sixteenyear-old, her options are limited: move to Kenya with her missionary parents or marry the baby’s father and work at his family’s summer camp for overweight kids. Despite her initial reluctance to help out, Elly is surprised that she actually enjoys working with the campers. But a tragedy on the very day her baby is born starts a series of events that overwhelms Elly with unexpected emotions and difficult choices. Somehow, she must turn her usual obstinance in a direction that can ensure a future for herself—and for the new life she has created.

Viola in the Spotlight

by Adriana Trigiani

Viola is finally where she belongs—back home in Brooklyn, where there are no khakis or sherbet-colored sweaters and people actually think her yellow flats are cool. With two whole months of nothing to do but hang with her two best friends, Andrew and Caitlin, this is going to be the best break ever! But her BFFAA, Andrew, has started acting weird around her, and a new boyfriend has her friend Caitlin ditching her every chance she gets. When Viola's roommates from Prefect Academy show up for a visit, she starts to wonder—is Brooklyn where she wants to stay? When a tragic event shakes everyone's world, Viola realizes it's not where she belongs that matters—it's who she's with that really counts. In this heartwarming follow-up to bestselling author Adriana Trigiani's teen debut, Viola in Reel Life, Viola just may be ready to get out from behind her trusty video camera and take the starring role in her own life.

New Graphic Novels!

Bad Island

by Doug TenNapel

Something on this island is up to no good . . .When Reese is forced to go on a boating trip with his family, the last thing he expects is to be shipwrecked on an island-especially one teeming with weird plants and animals. But what starts out as simply a bad vacation turns into a terrible one, as the castaways must find a way to escape while dodging the island's dangerous inhabitants. With few resources and a mysterious entity on the hunt, each secret unlocked could save them . . . or spell their doom. One thing Reese knows for sure: This is one Bad Island.

 

Thor: The Mighty Avenger, Vol. 1: The God Who Fell to Earth

Roger Langridge (Author), Chris Samnee (Illustrator), Matthew Wilson (Illustrator)

 

 

 

Thor: The Mighty Avenger, Volume 2

by Roger Langridge , Chris Samnee (Illustrator)

He's banished, he's mad, and he wants to fight. ROGER LANGRIDGE (Muppet Show, Eisner and Harvey Award nominee) and CHRIS SAMNEE (SIEGE: EMBEDDED, The Mighty) re-imagine the God of Thunder in THOR THE MIGHTY AVENGER! THRILL as he battles robots the size of cities! GASP as he tames the mightiest sea creatures! SWOON as he rescues damsels from the vilest villains!

Morning Glories, Volume 1 by Joe Eisma , Nick Spencer

Morning Glory Academy is one of the most prestigious prep schools in the country... but something sinister and deadly lurks behind its walls. When six gifted, but troubled, students arrive, they find themselves trapped and fighting for their lives as the secrets of the academy reveal themselves! Everything to date of the series from issues #1-12, plus many behind-the-scenes bonuses and other features. 

James Patterson's Witch and Wizard, Volume 2: Operation Zero by Victor Santos (Artist) , Dara Naraghi 

Whit and Wisty get the shock of their lives when a member of the New Order's inner circle, The One Who Bans Books, contacts them with a clandestine proposal: he wants their help in removing The One Who Is The One from power! He confesses to having grown disgusted with the N.O., and reveals that he's aware of an ancient book of the occult that holds a spell for stripping an individual of all their magic. Unfortunately, the book is in a heavily-guarded N.O. bunker that's shielded against magic portals from Shadowland. But more importantly, can the Allgood siblings even trust this man who is willing to commit treason, or is his offer just an elaborate trap?

New Fantasy Titles!

Chime

by Franny Billingsley

Before Briony's stepmother died, she made sure Briony blamed herself for all the family's hardships. Now Briony has worn her guilt for so long it's become a second skin. She often escapes to the swamp, where she tells stories to the Old Ones, the spirits who haunt the marshes. But only witches can see the Old Ones, and in her village, witches are sentenced to death. Briony lives in fear her secret will be found out, even as she believes she deserves the worst kind of punishment. Then Eldric comes along with his golden lion eyes and mane of tawny hair. He's as natural as the sun, and treats her as if she's extraordinary. And everything starts to change. As many secrets as Briony has been holding, there are secrets even she doesn't know.

The Dark and Hollow Places (Forest of Hands and Teeth Series #3) by Carrie Ryan

There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face before Annah left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the Horde as they swarmed the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters. 
Annah's world stopped that day, and she's been waiting for Elias to come home ever since. Somehow, without him, her life doesn't feel much different than the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Until she meets Catcher, and everything feels alive again. But Catcher has his own secrets. Dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah has longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah: can she continue to live in a world covered in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?

 

Ironside (Modern Tale of Faerie Series #3)

by Holly Black

in the realm of faerie...the time has come for Roiben's coronation. Uneasy in the midst of the malevolent Unseelie Court, pixie Kaye is sure of only one thing her love for Roiben. But when Kaye drunkenly declares herself to Roiben, he sends her on a seemingly impossible quest to find a faerie who can tell a lie. Miserable and convinced she belongs nowhere, Kaye decides to tell her mother the truth that she is a changeling left in place of the human daughter stolen long ago. Her mother's shock and horror sends Kaye back to the world of Faerie to find her human counterpart and return her to Ironside. But when Kaye returns to the faerie courts, a battle of wits and weapons is being waged over Roiben's throne, and she soon finds herself at the center of it all.

…More Reviews

Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life

by Rachel Renee Russell , Rachel Renee Russell

The reason I chose this book was because this is an energetic and funny book for girls. The author Rachel Renee Russell catches your eye and brings you into a high schooler’s life. Nikki is the main character and she brings the story to life. She is a normal high schooler trying to enjoy her year at school. Every school, though, has a popular girl. Mackenzie is that girl and she is part of the ccp group (cute, cool, popular). She is the meanest girl in school, yet that’s an understatement for Nikki. Nikki meets some friendly girls, Chloe and Zoey, who become her great friends. While they are signing up for library shelving jobs they have an idea for the library trip to the New York library. Along the way, though, Nikki feels like Chloe and Zoey are ganging up on her. Will she be able to save her friendships? I feel this would be a good book for young readers. This shows how to get through a problem with your friend and make friends along the way. I enjoyed this book a lot and I hope you will too. Review by Hadassah

 

 

 

And..More Summer Reading Book Reviews

Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief

by Wendelin Van Draanen

One day when Sammy gets home from school her Grandmother tells her that the woman who lives one floor below them in the apartment building received a threatening note. Sammy’s grandmother is angry at Sammy because this woman thinks that Sammy put the threatening note on her door. Sammy realizes then that the thief put the note on the door and that, in fact, it was meant for Sammy. The thief just made a mistake when he/she missed the correct apartment by one floor. This threatening note was Sammy’s first clue. I didn’t like this book because it was off topic too much like on page 129, “The minute I got to school I could tell Heather’d been doing a lot of talking.” This is a mystery book. Why the book got into Heather’s faked broken nose (injured by Sammy – but not broken!) is beyond me. I felt it was a waste of time reading about what Sammy has going on in her life beyond the mystery that she was trying to solve. I don’t care to know Sammy’s character behind the scene – I just like to listen to the clues and solve the mystery. Another reason I didn’t like the book was because the case wasn’t really exact – especially in how it was solved. I felt the clues didn’t connect cleanly. I like mysteries where the reader has the chance to solve the case before the author gives the final answer. I felt how Sammy came to the resolution to this case was a little unclear. For example, I like it when I can look back in the book and say, “Oh!” and realize that he/she or it did it. The only reason I like the book is because during the last pages/chapter there was a huge chase scene. It had a lot of suspense which was the main reason it was my favorite part of the book. Review by Chris

 

One Day You'll Know (Heartland Series #6)

by Lauren Brooke

Times are anything but smooth sailing for Amy, her family, and their healing horse farm. Things are rough because Amy’s mother has died in an act of service to a horse that needed rescuing. She had the magic power to give the horses the treatment they needed. Now that she’s gone the healing power seems to fade from Heartland, despite the challenges Grandpa Jack, Amy, Lou (her sister), Ben and Ty (stable hands), and the horse doctor Scott try to keep the farm running. In every book Amy cures a troubled horse. In this book she cured Melodies, a foal. Amy’s sister Lou moved back to Heartland to help them overcome the loss of Mother. As the book progresses, though, the family issues get bigger and everything goes wrong. The last chapters of the book, though, are full of happy surprises. I gave this book 5 stars, 1,000,000 hearts, and 1,000 thumbs up! I appreciated how the author added suspense and surprises in places where you least expected them. I also like how she kept the problems real, instead of that they died because of an alien attack. The book was well-written and full of details. It was also full of horse facts, which was nice because I love horses. This book was great and I think that you should definitely read the Heartland series. Have fun and enjoy these awesome books! Review by Lauren

 

The Boy Next Door (Candy Apple Series #2)

by Laura Dower

This book, by Laura Dower, involves neighbors Taryn and Jeff who have been friends since they were little and do most things together. Once they reach middle school they have more fights and even crushes. Jeff is always teasing Taryn in a nice way, but one day he takes it too far. They promise each other that they will never do it again. Jeff stands her up one night, though, and she becomes furious with him, even starting to ignore him. Will Jeff do the right thing and apologize? This book is great for 5^th graders and middle schoolers. I would also recommend “The Accidental Cheerleader” by Mimi McCoy, “Miss Popularity” by Francesco Sedita, and “How to Be a Girly Girl in Just Ten Days” by Lisa Papademetriou. Review by Ellin

William Sleator

I regret to announce that YA author William Sleator  died suddenly in Thailand, at age 66.  Bill was one of the handful of writers who solidified the newly-created YA field in the early 1970s.  His writing career lasted 41 years, and his 1974 book, HOUSE OF STAIRS, was named one of the 100 Best Books of the 20th Century by the New York Times,   His last book, THE PHANTOM LIMB, will be published this fall.  Bill made  kids--boys especially--want to read.  Early in his career, Bill supported himself as a rehearsal pianist for the Boston Ballet.  He was able to give up that job in 1986 and write full time.  Bill loved meeting with his audience and was a frequent presenter at libraries and schools. Bill traveled extensively and divided his time between Boston, Massachusetts and rural Thailand.

--Stephen Weiner, Director, Maynard Public Library

More Summer Reading Book Reviews

Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief

by Wendelin Van Draanen

Sammy Keyes is a seventh grader who is in the wrong place at the wrong time. She is in her Grandmother’s apartment, which she is not allowed in because it is for senior citizens always, when she sees a burglary take place with her binoculars. The only problem is she thinks the burglar saw her. To make matters worse she waved at him! Later that day she sees a bunch of police cars outside the scene of the crime, The Heavenly Hotel, and stops inside. She tells the police what she knows, but they don’t believe her. They ask for her address, but since she is not allowed to live where she does, she gives the address of her rich friend, Marissa. Throughout the book Sammy, with the help of Marissa, tracks down clues. By the end of the book they’ve found the thief and are able to help the police catch him. Review by Daniel

 

Death by Bikini

by Linda Gerber

This book is told through the eyes of a young teenage girl named Aphra Connolly. Aphra lives with her father at a quiet island resort. The location of the island makes the resort attractive to a lot of fake-namers (people hiding secrets, celebrities, you name it) so Aphra doesn’t find it strange when a family comes to the resort. What she does find strange is when her father doesn’t tell her the family’s name so she can check them into the hotel or search information on them. She also finds it weird that her father is putting them up in room 40 even though it is under construction. Aphra just assumes it’s just a famous family that is going to a lot of trouble to act like they’re not there, to be invisible. They are until Adam Smith, the only child of the mysterious family, saves Aphra from a tidal wave. Since there aren’t any other kids her age, Aphra befriends the boy. He seems sweet and kind and is good-looking – nothing out of the ordinary. Or so she thinks until the body of a young woman staying at the resort is found dead at the beach. Her bikini straps are tied tightly around her neck. Everyone thinks it was the water that did it, just an innocent drowning accident. Aphra, on the other hand, has other ideas. Does the murder (as Aphra presumes) have something to do with the Smith family? If so, does that mean the killer is still lurking around the resort? Since her father will not tell her anything about the Smiths Aphra decides it is up to her to discover the truth about the Smiths and the murder. She can tell no one of her plan. As she sets out for the truth, Aphra learns that when it comes to murder, you can trust no one. Review by Olivia

 

The Emperor of Nihon-Ja (Ranger's Apprentice Series #10)

by John Flanagan

The Emperor of Nihon-ja is the final book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series. The story begins when the characters Will, Halt, and Alyss are in the land of Toscana negotiating a peace treaty between Toscana and Arrida. They decide, though, to depart for Nihon-ja to find their friend Horace who went there in the previous book. They set out on the journey on their friend’s new ship, Wolfwill. When the friends get there, they find out that a clan has rebelled against the Emperor of Nihon-ja Shigeru. They also learn that Horace has stayed to help the Emperor and is currently in Ran-koshi, a fortress. With some help, Will and his friends go and find him. They learn that Horace and Emperor Shigeru have enlisted the help of Kikori, which are timber workmen. With the snows protecting them, they have some time to train the Kikori against the rebelling warriors, but will it be enough? I would recommend this book to anyone who has read books 1 through 9 mostly because it is the final book. Overall I think this is not the best book in the series because the main characters are not in much danger. The majority of the book is planning a war and that, at times, can be rather boring. At the end of the planning phase, though, there is a battle, and that is quite interesting to read. In addition, it has a very nice and romantic ending. I think the series wraps up very nicely in the final chapter. Review by Derek