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We have six exciting new releases to share with you this week, including DAWN, Kevin Brooks's dark and edgy novel about substance abuse and family relationships; WHAT I WORE TO SAVE THE WORLD, Maryrose Wood's followup to the romantic fantasies WHY I LET MY HAIR GROW OUT and HOW I FOUND THE PERFECT DRESS; and the Simon Pulse teen dramas PERFECT SHOT and THE WORLD IS MINE.

New Releases for December 1st


Hardcover

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

BLOOD NINJA by Nick Lake (Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)
In the course of a day, Taro's entire life changes: His father is murdered before his eyes, and Taro is taken by a mysterious ninja on a perilous journey toward safety. Someone wants Taro dead, but who --- and why? With his best friend, Hiro, and their ninja guide Shusaku, Taro gets caught in the crossfire of a bitter conflict between rival lords for control of imperial Japan. As Taro trains to become a ninja himself, he's less and less sure that he wants to be one. But when his real identity is revealed, it becomes impossible for Taro to turn his back on his fate.

DAWN by Kevin Brooks (The Chicken House/Scholastic)
Dawn's dad is a recovering substance abuser, a one-time child molester, and...a born-again Christian. Religion: That's his latest addiction. But as far as Dawn is concerned, the Man Upstairs has robbed her of the father she once loved --- drugs, drinks, and all.

Which is why Dawn's gone shopping for Bibles. For research. To know her enemy. Because, to get her old dad back, she's going to have to do away with this God guy.

She'd just better pray that the fallout from her father's past life of crime doesn't catch up to her first.


Paperback

PERFECT SHOT by Debbie Rigaud (Simon Pulse)
Who doesn't want to be a cover girl?
London Abrams's first love is volleyball, so why does she enter an online modeling competition? Answer: super-hottie Brent St. John. London spots Brent signing in contestants at a store, and she gets in line simply to say hi. But she never dreams she'll make it into the competition!

London's now up against 14 hungry fashionistas willing to do whatever it takes to win. All she wants to win is Brent's heart...but the money prize couldn't hurt. If London plays this right, she can win the contest, the boy and the cash. Game on!

WHAT I WORE TO SAVE THE WORLD by Maryrose Wood (Berkley Trade)
Senior year's coming up fast and Morgan still has no clue about college, or a career --- the whole rest-of-her-life thing is basically a blank. Maybe it's because she spent her junior year obsessing about Colin, the hot Irish guy she fell for last summer (that was right around the same time she discovered she's a half-goddess from the days of Irish lore...you had to be there). She even saved Colin from a nasty enchantment, but he doesn't know that. Colin doesn't believe in magic, not even a little.

But then a mysterious message reunites her with Colin, who turns out to be caught up in the biggest faery-made disaster ever. We're talking the end of reality --- not just reality TV. To save the world, she's going to have to tell Colin the truth about her half-goddess mojo. But if he doesn't believe in magic, how will he ever believe in her?

THE WORLD IS MINE written by Lyah B. LeFlore and illustrated by DL Warfield (Simon Pulse)
Blue Reynolds has it all: money, brains, style, charisma and the hunger to be more than what his parents have planned for him. He's a dreamer on a mission to become the world's next music business mogul. But for now he'll settle for being the youngest, hottest party promoter around...and the man on the arm of the fly and sassy Jade Taylor.

Collin Andrews is Blue's best friend, and the order to Blue's madness. Blue dreams up the ideas and Collin figures out how to make them happen; together, they make a powerhouse team that's ready to blow the roof off the music game!

Coming up is never easy. These two dreamers will have to put everything on the line and do whatever it takes to succeed. It's the new American dream, and the sky's the limit. All they need is one shot.