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.