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1-3
Good Crooks series.
Illustrated by
Ward Jenkins.
Twins Billy and Jillian secretly love doing good deeds, even though their parents are crooks. They're beginning to suspect they are adopted and head to the hospital to investigate. Along the way, the twins try to help a skunk who can't make a stink. Black-and-white cartoons complement the potty humor and silly hijinks. Lyrics to a "Stinky Style Song" (available online) are appended.
570 pp.
| Egmont
| March, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-1-60684-421-2$18.99
(4)
YA
Dark Passages series.
The new Now is an alternate Victorian London, where Emma (White Space) awakens in the body of schizophrenic grownup Elizabeth. Institutionalized in a psychiatric asylum, Emma must evade a nefarious doctor to relocate her friends and realign their realities. A complicated plot and sizable cast of characters with alternating aliases and versions of themselves limits this novel's appeal to series fans.
284 pp.
| Egmont
| April, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-1-60684-585-1$16.99
(3)
4-6
It's 1960, and twelve-year-old Peggy Sue's family has moved from Texas to the recently declared state of Hawaii. As the new girl, Peggy Sue is crudely pigeonholed as a haole--a non-native white person--by a bully. Bustard's historical setting adds a unique backdrop to this story of a terribly homesick girl who learns a lesson about family.
(3)
4-6
Clone Chronicles series.
Fisher and his clone-turned-brother Alex look forward to the opening of a new theme park designed by their parents. Fun is thwarted by a pack of beautiful alien girls--with questionable motives--forcing Fisher to work with his nemesis to save the world. This fourth entry successfully blends adolescent social hijinks with sci-fi adventure in a comic, action-packed story.
370 pp.
| Egmont
| January, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-1-60684-591-2$17.99
(3)
YA
In this companion to Kill Me Softly, the town of Beau Rivage is ruled by fairy-tale curses, and Vivian Deneuve's is "Snow White," with her love Henley as the Huntsman. At an exclusive underworld club, Viv meets a prince who promises to keep her safe...but at what cost? It's hard to predict who might emerge the hero in this dark, twisted tale.
354 pp.
| Egmont
| May, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-1-60684-467-0$18.99
|
EbookISBN 978-1-60684-468-7
(4)
YA
Into the Dark series.
Haden (a banished Underlord), Daphne, and their friends search for the Key of Hades and a way to return to the Underrealm in time to prevent monsters from being loosed upon the world. The multiple first-person narrators' voices are not particularly distinctive, but the banter and will-they-won't-they angst of this tale inspired by the Persephone myth will appeal to supernatural-romance fans.
(4)
YA
Tora Reynolds (Burn Out) escapes the Consulate holding center, fleeing to the resistance settlement Callie City. Tora must adjust to a new planet, hide from the Consulate, determine which rebels she sides with, and decide if she should trust Kale or James. Helvig builds a clear picture of this harsh, not-so-foreign world, but readers might get bogged down by the many characters.
(3)
1-3
Illustrated by
Michael Allen Austin.
Hissy Fitz the cat really wants to nap, but too many things are keeping him from his sweet slumber: his home is too loud; the kids won't leave him alone; and he can't deny his instincts to eat, prowl, and play nighttime soccer with feline friends. Readers will enjoy accompanying the humorously grumpy cat on his adventures; Austin's black-and-white illustrations capture Hissy's 'tude.
(4)
4-6
This retelling of "The Brave Little Tailor" adds another deception to those that characterized the original: protagonist Saville is a girl who disguises herself as a boy so she can take over father's tailoring business after he falls ill. Political intrigue and a larger-than-necessary cast of characters overcomplicate the story, but Saville's motivations make her a likable heroine.
386 pp.
| Egmont
| May, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-1-60684-525-7$16.99
|
EbookISBN 978-1-60684-526-4
(4)
4-6
Seaborne series.
Young Dean, having run afoul of the Pirate King, is forced on a secret mission to find a route to the fabled golden island of Zenhala. Myklusch relies too heavily on stock settings and characterizations, and the story feels clichéd; nevertheless, the action is tense throughout as Dean overcomes one obstacle after the next.
366 pp.
| Egmont
| February, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-1-60684-376-5$16.99
(4)
4-6
Jaguar Stones series.
Max, Lola, and their companions continue their quest to find the Jaguar Stones. They end up on a wild globetrotting adventure that includes talking monkeys, ghost ships, ancient Central American cities, and a baseball game featuring the ghosts of Red Sox past. The whole setup is bizarre, but fans will want to keep reading to see how the exciting series wraps up.
(3)
1-3
Goofballs series.
Illustrated by
Colleen Madden.
Have the Goofballs finally met a mystery they can't solve? When items in Miss Becker's kindergarten classroom keep disappearing without any explanation, the Goofballs, a young detective team, go undercover as teachers to investigate. In his sixth installment, Abbott effectively uses spunky dialogue to create constant action and memorable characters, while Madden's detailed black-and-white illustrations bring humorous scenes to life.
(3)
1-3
Good Crooks series.
Illustrated by
Ward Jenkins.
Billy and Jillian have frightening urges--to do good deeds! This isn't great since crime is their family's business. Hijinks abound in the first two adventures of this chapter book series as the twins try to return a stolen zoo monkey forced into pickpocketing and then a pilfered, high-ransom TV-star pooch. Cartoonlike black-and-white illustrations pair perfectly with the twins' harebrained schemes. Review covers these Good Crooks titles: Dog Gone! and Missing Monkey!.
(3)
1-3
Good Crooks series.
Illustrated by
Ward Jenkins.
Billy and Jillian have frightening urges--to do good deeds! This isn't great since crime is their family's business. Hijinks abound in the first two adventures of this chapter book series as the twins try to return a stolen zoo monkey forced into pickpocketing and then a pilfered, high-ransom TV-star pooch. Cartoonlike black-and-white illustrations pair perfectly with the twins' harebrained schemes. Review covers these Good Crooks titles: Dog Gone! and Missing Monkey!.
(4)
YA
Her mom doesn't get her and she's never known her dad, but Minerva has always found refuge in songwriting and in her best friend, Fin. Eager to buy a new ukulele, Minerva and Fin become children's party entertainers and Minerva falls for their coworker, Hayes; meanwhile, Minerva discovers that her father has moved back to town. Though well written, the story can be melodramatic.
(3)
YA
Demon Catchers of Milan series.
In this follow-up to The Demon Catchers of Milan, Mia Dellatorri has now settled into life with her Italian demon-catching family. When Mia falls for family friend Bernardo Tedesco, she must balance love, learning the family business, and researching the demon who still seeks to possess her. Beyer's sophisticated supernatural series offers a vivid and affectionate portrait of modern Milanese culture.
(4)
YA
Dark Passages series.
"Eric felt blood welling from the fresh wound on his cheek. I'm real; I'm bleeding; you can't bleed if you're not real..." Eight strangers are lost in a fog, hunted by the stuff of nightmares. One little girl knows where they are, trapped in the space between their stories, but she may not be what she seems. A gory, unwieldy experiment in puppet-master horror and multiverse theory.
(3)
4-6
Clone Chronicles series.
After their Hollywood heroics in Cloneward Bound, nerdy Fisher Bas and his cooler "brother"/clone, Two, return to Palo Alto to thwart Three, their evil clone nemesis seeking world domination. Two--who here gains a real identity and place in the Bas family--along with Fisher and middle-school wrestling champ Amanda Cantrell, hilariously battle evil--and middle-school drama--in this successful action-packed installment.
382 pp.
| Egmont
| May, 2014
|
TradeISBN 978-1-60684-476-2$17.99
|
EbookISBN 978-1-60684-477-9
(3)
YA
Calliope has suffered from graphomania, an overwhelming compulsion to write, ever since her abusive father and a girl from his parish went missing. The words frighten her, but Callie struggles to unlock their meaning, as several lives--including her own--hang in the balance. Callie is a sympathetic protagonist, and her painful journey to understanding is gripping.
(4)
YA
Into the Dark series.
A dual narrative, this retelling of the Persephone myth follows Haden, disgraced prince of the Underrealm, in search of a key to his troubled kingdom, and Daphne, the mortal girl he must convince to follow him there to help. With its myriad characters and unwieldy subplots, the lengthy book lacks focus. However, the world-building and myth-weaving are inventive and the protagonists engaging.