I think it's safe to assume that even though school's finally out and your vacation is in full swing, most of you haven't even glanced at your assigned summer reading lists yet. That's ok, we won't tell if you won't! If you're looking to squeeze in some me-reading before you hunker down and tackle those classics, check out some of this week's new releases, where we're spotlighting Melissa de la Cruz's new Blue Bloods book, KEYS TO THE REPOSITORY; SELLOUT, Ebony Joy Wilkins's tale of a teenager who tries to get back in touch with her African-American roots; Ally Carter's 4th Gallagher Girls book, ONLY THE GOOD SPY YOUNG; and Stephanie Hemphill's WICKED GIRLS, which gives readers an inside view of the Witch Trials from the perspective of three real young women living in Salem in 1692. There’s plenty more where that came from, so procrastinate away!
New Releases for June 29th
Hardcover
BRUISER Neal Shusterman (HarperTeen)
Tennyson:
Don't get me started on the Bruiser. He was voted "Most Likely to Get the Death Penalty" by the entire school. He's the kid no one knows, no one talks to, and everyone hears disturbing rumors about. So why is my sister, Brontë, dating him? One of these days she's going to take in the wrong stray dog, and it's not going to end well.
Brontë:
My brother has no right to talk about Brewster that way --- no right to threaten him. There's a reason why Brewster can't have friends --- why he can't care about too many people. Because when he cares about you, things start to happen --- impossible things that can't be explained. I know, because they're happening to me.
WICKED GIRLS: a Novel of the Salem Witch Trials by Stephanie Hemphill (Balzer + Bray)
What started out as girls' games became a witch hunt. WICKED GIRLS is a fictionalized account of the Salem Witch Trials told from the perspectives of three of the real young women living in Salem in 1692.
Ann Putnam Jr. plays the queen bee. When her father suggests that a spate of illnesses within the village is the result of witchcraft, Ann grasps her opportunity. She puts in motion a chain of events that will change the lives of the people around her forever.
Mercy Lewis, the beautiful servant in Ann's house, inspires adulation in some and envy in others. With a troubled past, she seizes her only chance at safety.
Margaret Walcott, Ann's cousin, is desperately in love and consumed with fiery jealousy. She is torn between staying loyal to her friends and pursuing the life she dreams of with her betrothed.
With new accusations mounting daily against the men and women of the community, the girls will have to decide: Is it too late to tell the truth?
KEYS TO THE REPOSITORY: A Blue Bloods Novel by Melissa De La Cruz (Disney-Hyperion)
Lavish parties, passionate meetings in the night, bone-chilling murders and midterms --- the day-to-day life of Schuyler Van Alen and her Blue Bloods friends (and enemies) is never boring. But there's oh-so-much more to know about these beautiful and powerful teens. Below the streets of Manhattan, within the walls of the Repository, exists a wealth of revealing information about the vampire elite that dates back before the Mayflower.
Won't you come inside?
ONLY THE GOOD SPY YOUNG: Gallagher Girls, Book Four by Ally Carter (Disney-Hyperion Book)
When Cammie Morgan enrolled at the Gallagher Academy, she knew she was preparing for the dangerous life of a spy. What she didn’t know was that the serious, real-life danger would start during her junior year of high school. But that’s exactly what happened two months ago when Cammie faced off against an ancient terrorist organization dead set on kidnapping her.
Now the danger follows her everywhere, and even Cammie “The Chameleon” can’t hide. When a terrifying encounter in London reveals that one of her most-trusted allies is actually a rogue double-agent, Cammie no longer knows if she can trust her classmates, her teachers --- or even her own heart.
In this fourth installment of the New York Times best-selling series, the Gallagher Girls must hack, spy, steal, and lie their way to the truth as they go searching for answers --- recognizing that the key to Cammie’s future may lie deep in the past.
Paperback
PRISM by Faye Kellerman and Aliza Kellerman (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
Aida Hutchenson, Zeke Anderson and Joy Tallon: three teens with nothing in common, thrown together by an explosive accident that turns their class trip into a desert nightmare. And the next morning…a return to their ordinary lives with everything just as it was before. Or is it? Increasingly unnerved by the distorted world around her, Kaida must band together with Zeke and Joy in hopes of making it back to the reality she remembers…and surviving the one she's fallen into.
- Click here to read our review of PRISM.
SPLENDOR: A Luxe Novel by Anna Godbersen (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
ISBN: 9780061626333
Ages 14-up
416 pages
New beginnings. Shocking revelations. Unexpected endings.
As spring turns into summer, Elizabeth relishes her new role as a young wife, while her sister, Diana, searches for adventure abroad. But when a surprising clue about their father's death comes to light, the Holland girls wonder at what cost a life of splendor comes. In the dramatic conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Luxe series, Manhattan's most dazzling socialites chase dreams, cling to promises and tempt fate. Only one question remains: Will they fade away or will they shine ever brighter?
- Click here to read our review of SPLENDOR.
New Releases for July 1st
Hardcover
LIFE, AFTER by Sarah Darer Littman (Scholastic Press)
Life in Argentina --- private school, a boyfriend, a loving family --- crumbles quickly after a terrorist attack kills Dani’s aunt and unborn cousin. In order to escape a country that is sinking under their feet, Dani and her family move to the United States. It’s supposed to be a fresh start, but when you’re living in a cramped apartment and going to high school where all the classes are in another language --- and not everyone is friendly --- life in America is not all it’s cracked up to be. Dani misses her old friends and her old life.
But then Dani meets a boy named Jon, who isn’t like all the other students. Through him, she becomes friends with Jessica, one of the popular girls, who is harboring a secret of her own. And then there’s Brian, the boy who makes Dani’s pulse race. In her new life, Dani learns how to heal and forgive. She finds the courage to say goodbye and allows herself to love and be loved again.
SELLOUT by Ebony Joy Wilkins (Scholastic Press)
NaTasha has a wonderful life in affluent Park Adams. She fits in, she has friends and she's a member of the all-white ballet troupe. Being nearly the only African American in her school doesn't bother NaTasha. But it bothers Tilly, NaTasha's spitfire grandmother from Harlem, who decides NaTasha needs to get back to her roots or her granddaughter is in danger of losing herself completely. Tilly whisks NaTasha away to a world where all of a sudden nothing in NaTasha's life makes any sense: Harlem and Comfort Zone in the Bronx, a crisis center where Tilly volunteers her time to help troubled girls get on the right track. These are girls who are completely unlike anyone NaTasha has ever encountered. These girls are rough, beautiful, streetwise, sure of themselves and wield their secrets like knives --- and they dislike NaTasha and her world of privilege with a passion.
If there is ever a time when NaTasha feels like running away from something, now is it. But she doesn't. She stands her ground. And what she discovers surprises everyone, especially NaTasha.
AND THEN I FOUND OUT THE TRUTH by Jennifer Sturman (Point/Scholastic)
Delia Truesdale is still searching for the truth about her mother, who is in hiding somewhere in South America. But for now, Delia has to make do with her mystery-solving in New York City, alongside her Aunt Charley (a downtown hipster), her Aunt Patience (an uptown ice queen), a detective with a questionable taste in neckties, an eccentric psychic, her brainiac friend and Quinn, the wealthy, gorgeous boy who --- gasp! --- seems to return Delia's affections. Too bad Quinn's shady CEO dad may be involved in the scheme Delia is trying to crack, and a trip to South America may be in order after all...
Paperback
INDIGO BLUES by Danielle Joseph (Flux)
“Even though you tossed me away, I'm here to stay.
Oh, Indigo, how could you let me go…”
-from "Indigo Blues" written by Adam Spade, performed by Blank Stare
Indigo:
I never asked to be famous --- or infamous. Such is my fate for briefly dating (and dumping) Adam Spade. Yes, the Adam from the indie rock band who wrote "Indigo Blues" --- the song that gave the band overnight success, propelled them to New York City and stole my precious anonymity. Now I'm pawed by fans, stalked by reporters and pegged as a vicious heartbreaker. And Adam is still calling me. Doesn't he have better things to do?
Adam:
With a hit single and a promising career, I should be on top of the world. People on the street are beginning to recognize me, which is cool and scary. The band is counting on me to write another hit, but I can't stop thinking about Indigo. Why won't she answer the phone?
LIFEBLOOD: Darkside, Book 2 by Tom Becker (Scholastic Paperbacks)
A series of unexplained murders on the Darkside of London has Jonathan tangled up in another dangerous mystery. With the help of his ally, private detective (and werewolf) Elias Carnegie, the pair discover that Jonathan's mother was investigating similar murders before she vanished. Jonathan becomes obsessed with solving the crimes and finding his mother. Meanwhile, the Ripper family is involved in a deadly scandal that goes right to the heart of Darkside society and they're watching Jonathan. In his desperation, can Jonathan solve the murders and find his mother before the Rippers find him?
- Click here to read our review of LIFEBLOOD.
THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic Paperback)
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlaying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one girl and one boy between the ages of 12 and 18 to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has also resolved to outwit the creators of the games. To do that she will have to be the last person standing at the end of the deadly ordeal and that will take every ounce of strength and cunning she has.
- Click here to read our review of THE HUNGER GAMES and an Author Talk with Suzanne Collins.
PROPHECY OF THE SISTERS, BOOK 1 by Michelle Zink (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
An ancient prophecy divides two sisters --- one good, one evil.
Who will prevail?
Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, they find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' deaths, a boy, a book and a lifetime of secrets.
- Click here to read our review of PROPHESY OF THE SISTERS, and Michelle's Teenreads.com guest post, "Outlines, Magic, and Not Knowing."
WHAT’S YOUR STATUS? by Katie Finn (Point)
Madison MacDonald thinks things are finally working out!
Followers: 300
Status Updates:
mad_mac Nate and I have been together for two months and it’s wonderful! Life is good!
mad_mac Well, except for the fact that I still might be failing history.
mad_mac And I no longer have a BFF.
mad_mac But aside from those things!
mad_mac Okay. So, um, apparently I’ve just been put in charge of the school’s priceless heirloom.
mad_mac And the assistant headmaster has a vendetta against me.
mad_mac And it seems I’m being blackmailed.
mad_mac Gathering together a crew. I’m going to try and pull off a heist. Without getting caught. Or expelled. Or arrested.
mad_mac Also, I think I may have just accidentally wrecked my relationship…
Madison MacDonald is trying not to panic.
