Too Many for Details

Wow! A big pile of stuff hit the shelf in the last couple of days. So many, in fact, that I don't have time to give much info on them. This will basically just be a list. Here goes:

From Kate Brian's Private series (yes, they're chick books):

Inner Circle

Invitation Only

Untouchable

Confessions

Legacy

and Private

For fans of Daughters ofthe Moon who have been hoping for something new from Lynne Ewing, we now have the first 3 in the Sisters of Isis series:

Enchantress

Divine One

and Summoning

Icebound Land is the latest in John Flanagan's Rangers Apprentice series.

We have 2 more in Eric Nylund's Halo series inspired by the video game:

Fall of Reach

and First Strike

Cross My heart and Hope to Spy is the newest by Ally Carter, sequel to I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You.

2 new ones from Hilari Bell:

Shield of Stars is the first in a new series called The Shield, Sword and Crown.

Last Knight is the first in the Knight and Rogue series.

Dragon and Herdsman by Timothy Zahn is the latest in the Dragonback series.

Final Warning is the latest in James Patterson's Maximum Ride series.

Blaze of Silver is the latest in K.M. Grant's The DeGranville Trilogy.

Time's Memory by Julius Lester

HIVE::Higher Institute of Villainous Education by Mark Walden

The Spell Book of Listen Taylor by Jaclyn Moriarty

The New Policeman by Kate Thompson

I Am Rembrandt's Daughter by Lynn Cullen

The Death Collector by Justin Richards (I'm in the middle of this one right now. It's not bad! Look for a review soon.)

Zen and the Art of Faking It by Jordan Sonnenblick

A Thief in the House of Memory by Timothy Wynne-Jones

Undercover by Beth Kephart

The Luxe by Anna Godberson

Right Behind You by Gail Giles

The Princess and the Hound by Mette Harrison

Elissa's Quest by Erica Verrillo

Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan

Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman

Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata

Bread and Roses Too by Katherine Paterson

Brooklyn Rose by Ann Rinaldi

Um Like Om: A Girl Goddess's Guide to Yoga is just what it sounds like.

Phew!! Enjoy!

New Fantasy

A small pile of new books just hit the shelves, including, for fantasy lovers:

The entire 5 book Lost Years of Merlin series by T. A. Barron. A young boy with no name, home or memory soon discovers that he holds special powers. That boy is actually the young Merlin.

Voices by Ursula Le Guin is a companion to Gifts. In this one has Memer, a young girl, taking on a pivotal role in an attempt to free her countries from oppressors who believe that the written word is evil.

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip has a young girl who's only companions have been magical creatures called to her mountain by wizardry, suddenly caring for a baby.

Elske by Cynthia Voight is the story of 13-year-old Elske, who escapes rape and certain death at the hands of barbaric leaders and later becomes handmaiden to a rebellious noblewoman whose rightful throne she helps to reclaim.

Cannibals, Death, and Brothers

A few more new books have trickled in. Here's some detail:

Are We There Yet? by David Levithan has 16-year-old Elijah and his 23-year-old brother Danny, polar opposites who barely tolerate each other, being tricked by their parents to go on a trip to Italy together. While there, Elijah falls for a girl who later decides that she really likes Danny, leading both brothers to examine their lives and relationship.

10 Things to Do Before I Die by Daniel Ehrenhaft. As a joke, Ted's friends make a list of things he really should do before he dies. When Ted finds out that he's been poisoned and only has 24 hours to live, it's time to pull out the list.

The Cannibals is the sequel to Iain Lawrence's The Convicts (see What Mrs. N's Been Reading - The Convicts for my review of that one). In this one, Tom and Midgely escape from the prison ship taking them to Australia, and head for a remote Pacific island.

New and Continuing Series

Another pile just hit my desk. Included are additions to some popular series as well as the first book in a few new ones and a few stand-alones.

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard. If you've run the other chick series and are looking for a new one, this could be just what you've been waiting for. As an added bonus, this one has a mystery twist, as one of the group of friends has disappeared.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare is another in the growing list of urban fantasies, with young Clary able to see strange creatures and entering the world of the Shadowhunters who are charged with killing demonic creatures.

To Hawaii With Love by Michael Spradlin is the latest Spy Goddess book. In this one Rachel and her gang head for Hawaii (sounds real good about now!) to get hold of an artifact before the evil Simon Blankenship can.

Slawter by Darren Shan is the latest in the Demonata series. This one has Grubbs and Bill-E on the set of a horror movie.

Forging the Sword by Hilari Bell is the third in the Farsala trilogy.This one has the Farsalan resistance trying to hold off the Hrum.

Darkness Creeping is a collection of twisted tales by the always twisted Neal Shusterman. If you're looking for horror in short doses, this collection of short stories is for you.

House of the Red Fish by Graham Salisbury picks up one year after Under the Blood-Red Sun, as Tomi deals with anti-Japanese-American attitudes while attempting to rescue his father's fishing boat, sunk in the canal by the army's attack after Pearl Harbor.

The Eternal Flame by T.A. Barron is the third in the Great Tree of Avalon series. Three unlikely heroes must pull off seemingly impossible tasks to save Avalon.

The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima. 16-year-old Jack thinks he has a heart condition until he forgets to take his medicine and discovers that he is actually extremely powerful and a member of an underground society of magical people that are separated into 2 warring factions, each of which wants Jack to fight for their side in a magical tournament for power.

Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett continues the adventures of Tiffany Aching and the Wee Free Men. If you love Terry Pratchett's twisted sense of humor, that's all I need to say. If you're a lover of twisted humor and haven't yet checked out Pratchett, start with The Wee Free Men.

Last of That Last Batch - More Sequels and Series

OK, here's the last of that big batch from last week. It's more sequels and additions to series.


The Dark Flight Down by Marcus Sedgwick is the sequel to The Book of Dead Days. In this one, Valerian is now dead, and Boy is captured and imprisoned in the palace of Emperor Frederick III, who is obsessed with finding a way to become immortal.




Blood Brother by Malcolm Rose is the latest in the Traces series about a futuristic teenage forensic investigator. In this one, Luke and his robotic sidekick, Malc, are assigned to a hospital with a mysteriously high rate of fatalities. As Luke investigates anumber of suspicious patient deaths, he meets his long-lost father, a doctor who practices alternative medicine at the hospital. But this is no happy family reunion, as Luke's father's DNA is connected to several of the crimescenes, making him Luke's prime suspect.


Viking Warrior by Judson Roberts is the first in the Strongbow Saga. 14-year-old Halfdan, the son of a cheiftain and a princess, lives as a slave in Denmark in A.D. 845 but through a tragic bargain he gains his freedom and sets out to claim his birthright. If you like those bloody old Saxon battles, you'll probably love this one

The Riddle by Alison Croggon is the second in the Book of Pellinor series. Maerad's powers grow stronger by the day but now she and her mentor, Cadvan, are being hunted by both the Light and the Dark, and must unravel the Riddle of the Treesong before their fractured kingdom erupts in chaos.

It Had to Be You by Sabrina Jordan is from the First Kisses series. Emma, who gives love advice under her "Dear Daisy" junior high school column, wonders if she is really qualified since she can't even get her cute next door neighbor to ask her out.

Flawless by Sara Shepard is from the Pretty Little Liars series. This looks like a series that you really should read in order, with a continuing storyline. This one is #2. I also ordered #1 at the same time, but it's not in yet - don't ask me why. Anyway, I'd hold out for #1, Pretty Little Liars. The series deals with the disappearance of one of a group of teenage friends.

Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita is the first in a series about a teenage celebrity, 16-year-old actress Kaitlin, who assumes a new identity to experience the life of a "normal" teenager.

New Books By Favorite Authors

As promised, here are some more of those new Teen books that came in last week.

Airman by Eoin Colfer takes place in the late 19th century. Conor Broekhart discovers a conspiracy to overthrow the king, is branded a traitor, imprisoned, and forced to mine for diamonds under brutal conditions while he plans a daring escape from Little Saltee prison off the Irish coast by way of a flying machine that he must design, build, and trust to carry him to safety. This one looks quite good, but it's Colfer, so what else would you expect?

A Coming Evil by Vivian Vande Velde combines a ghost story with the German occupation of France during WWII. 13-year-old Lisette meets a ghost while living with her aunt who harbors Jewish and Gypsy children in the French countryside.

The Book of Mordred, also by Vivian Vande Velde takes place in Camelot. Mordred has been characterized a lot of different ways, depending on the author. This book looks at him through the eyes of three women who love him, including young Keira, a girl who can foretell the fate of her world.

Jinx by Meg Cabot mixes a love story with the supernatural. 16-year-old Jean "Jinx" Honeychurch, the descendant of a witch, leaves Iowa to live with relatives in Manhattan after her first spell goes bad. She'll need to brush up on her skills to stop her cousin from practicing black magic that could endanger both them and the boy they both like.

Blind Faith by Ellen Wittlinger deals with coping with the death of loved ones. While coping with her grandmother's sudden death and her mother's resulting depression and fascination with a spiritualist church, whose ministers claim to communicate with the dead, 15-year-old Liz finds herself falling for a new neighbor whose mother is dying of leukemia.

Diva by Alex Flinn is a different take on the "teen wants to be a famous star" genre. In this one, 16-year-old Cailin want to be an opera star.

Lucky T by Kate Brian takes place in a locale that's a bit unusual for a Teen book - Calcutta. Carrie's mom accidentally donates her lucky t-shirt to a charity called Help India, and Carrie's goes halfway around the world to get it back.

New Sequels and Series

A big pile of books hit my desk this morning. I'll do this in a couple of posts over the next couple of days, but to start, here are the sequels and series.

Faerie Lord by Herbie Brennan, is the 4th in the series that started with Faerie Wars. This one has Henry and Blue trying to stop a plague that is making the inhabitants of the faerie realm age far too quickly. Surprisingly, the hold list is short on this one today. I suspect that will change quickly when people realize that it's available.

It Had to Be You by Cecily Von Ziegesar, is the prequel to the Gossip Girl series. That pretty much sums this one up.

Payback by Melody Carlson is the latest in the Secret Life of Samantha McGregor series. This one has Samantha trying to prevent the violence that she has visions of happening at the prom.

True Talents and Hidden Talents by David Lubar is a series about a group of boys at an alternative school who discover that they have psychic powers.

We now have 4 books in Clare Bell's series, The Named - Ratha's Creature, Clan Ground, Ratha and the Thistle Chaser and Ratha's Challenge. This series follows a group of intelligent cats, 25 million years in the past. If you finished the Redwall series and the Warriors series, you might want to check these out.

Voyage of the Slaves by Brian Jacques is the latest in the Flying Dutchman series. Continuing their adventures through space and time, Ben and Ned find themselves in the Mediterranean in 1703, pursued by Barbary slave traders.

A lot of good stuff! Check 'em out. Look for more in the next couple of days.

Early Beach Reads?

A few new books just hit the shelf. Sorry guys, but these are essentially beach "chick books."

My Almost Epic Summer by Adele Griffin has 14-year-old Irene dreaming of being a hairstylist to the stars but ends up babysitting for the summer. Then she meets Starla, a gorgeous lifeguard with attitude, a the summer gets more interesting.

In The Bermudez Triangle, by Maureen Johnson, the longstanding friendship between 3 girls is tested when 2 of them find themselves attracted to each other. This one is for more mature teens.

Camp Confidentials, the end of the Withern Rise trilogy, and a Rum Running Mystery

Here's what hit the shelf today:

Reality Bites and Hide and Shriek by Melissa J. Morgan. These are both part of the Camp Confidential series, which was quite popular with people who turned in book reviews during Teen Summer Reading 2007. They take place at a summer camp.

The Underwood Sea by Michael Lawrence is the end of the Withern Rise trilogy (see my review of A Crack in the Line What Mrs. N's Been Reading - A Crack in the Line .) I really liked the first one and expect this to be good as well. If you like the alternate realities storylines you'll enjoy this series.

Black Duck by Janet Taylor Lisle is a story about rum running off the coast of Rhode Island during the 1920's.

Sonnenblick, Feddor and Martin Just In

There are a few new books trickling in. This batch includes the following:

Notes From the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick, the author of Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie. When 16-year-old Alex is assigned community service at a nursing home, he befriends a crotchety old guy, who teaches him about jazz guitar, love and forgiveness. I just love the cover - a picture of a garden gnome in the driver's seat of a car.

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor, is a twisted re-imagining of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Birdwing by Rafe Martin is a continuation of the Grimms fairy tale the Six Swans. In the Six Swans, six brothers are turned into swans. In this story, a sister sacrifices to save them from the curse but one brother isn't completely transformed. This is his story.

Reeve, Bray, Haddix and More

A very varied group of books by some wonderful, familiar authors just hit the shelf. There should be something for everyone. Check 'em out!

Larklight by Philip Reeve
The author of Mortal Engines ( a book I highly recommend - just don't read the blurb on the back cover - makes it sound really stupid) has started another unique fantasy series, this one set in space but in an alternate reality in the Victorian Era. I'm in the middle of reading this one, and am really enjoying it. Look for my review soon.

The House on the Gulf by Margaret Peterson Haddix
The author of the very popular Shadow Children series, brings us a standalone suspense novel about a house-sitting opportunity gone very bad.

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
The conclusion of the trilogy that started with A Great and Terrible Beauty, has the Order fighting for control of the realms, the burned East Wing of Spence Academy being rebuilt, and Gemma and her friends seeing a changed Pippa.

The Secret Under My Skin by Janet McNaughton
It's 2368, and humanity is struggling to recover from a technocaust that has left a generation of orphans in its wake. Strict government regulations convince people that technology is dangerous; confusion and fear rule the earth. When Blay, a government work-camp orphan, is chosen for a special mission by a guardian of the environment she begins to discover that all may not be as it seems.

New Fear Street

Not much new coming in at this time of year, but good news for fans of R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. We just got 2 new ones in.

Switched - Switching minds and/or bodies with someone else might sound like classic Disney fare, but with R.L. Stine you know there will be a wicked twist.

Secret Admirer - An actress getting flowers from a fan. No big deal, right? Not unless other events lead her to believe that the "fan" wants her dead.

All Mates Together

Just one new one in. It's Cathy Hopkins' All Mates Together, the latest in the Truth or Dare series. This one has the gang playing Truth or Dare at a sleepover celebrating the end of their high school days.

New Horowitz, Zevin and More

This time of year we're not getting a whole lot of new materials in, but a few hit the shelf recently.

The latest in Anthony Horowitz' Alex Rider series, Snakehead is here (sort of - there's a hold list but the last time I checked it wasn't nearly as long as I expected.) This one has Alex uncovering some information about his parents, while on a mission.

Gabrielle Zevin's (of Elsewhere fame, an excellent book if you haven't already read it) Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, has a young girl losing her memory of the last four years, after a nasty fall, causing her to reassess her life.

I'd Tell You I Love You But then I'd Have to Kill You (I don't know if the book's any good or not, but I love the title) by Ally Carter, has Cammie, the daughter of a former CIA operative and sophomore at a spy school, meeting a local boy which throws a wrench in her life.

New Westerfeld, Grant, and Hale

Only a few new things in today's batch, they look like really good ones.

Extras by Scott Westerfeld is the latest in the Uglies series. I loved the first one in this series (see What Mrs. N's Been Reading ) and the books are never on the shelf. I expect this to be the same.


How the Hangman Lost His Heart is by K.M. Grant who also wrote the DeGranville Trilogy which started with Blood Red Horse. I really liked that one as well (see What Mrs. N's Been Reading - Blood Red Horse ). This one is the story of a young girl, Alice, whose uncle was executed for treason in 1746 England. When Alice tries to reclaim her uncle's head from the pike on which it was displayed, to give it a proper burial, she ends up on the run from the king's soldiers with the help of the executioner. If no one has this one on hold, I may take it home. Looks good.

Book of a Thousand Days is by Shannon Hale who also wrote The Princess Academy (see What Mrs. N's Been Reading - The Princess Academy ) and the Books of Bayern series which started with The Goose Girl. This one is a retelling of a forgotten Brothers Grimm tale. I expect this to be a good one as well.

After the Wreck...

The exciting news today was the pile of video games that came in, but there was also one Teen book in the pile. It was Joyce Carol Oates', After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, and Flew Away. It's the story of 15-year-old Jenna's struggle to come to terms with the car accident that killed her mother and nearly took Jenna's life as well. Check it out!

Installments of Samantha McGregor, The Door Within, and More

Here's the latest new Teen stuff to hit the shelf:


Playing With Fire by Melody Carlson is the latest installment of the Secret Life of Samantha McGregor series. In this one Sam has a dream about an explosion in a place which may be associated with illegal drugs.




Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Leviathan is a he said/she said told in alternating chapters, about a guy who asks a girl to be his girlfriend for five minutes to avoid his ex.




The Final Storm is the last installment of The Door Within series by Wayne Batson. In this one, Paragor, the Wyrm Lord, and the deadly Seven Sleepers unite against the followers of King Eliam.






Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything by e. lockhart. When Gretchen Yee wishes she were a fly on the wall of the boys locker room, she never dreams that wish might actually come true. This one is for older teens.