Am Reading - Girl Out of Time

Girl Out of Time

by Clyde Boyer

What they say: After thirteen-year-old Anna Armstrong loses her parents in an accident, she is sent to live on her Uncle Jack’s farm. She is despondent, but on her first night there, she is awoken by strange lights originating from a nearby lake. She sets out to investigate—and the skies suddenly erupt in a thunderous explosion.

That’s when Anna sees a mysterious woman floating across the lake.

She discovers Mara—the woman on the lake—is a time traveler on the run from frightening bone-faced alien creatures. She also learns that time travel has consequences. Mara’s time-hopping escape has broken the universe, opening wormholes throughout the valley, each leading to another world.

Now, Mara needs Anna’s help—together, they must use science to track down the aliens and close the portals before anything escapes. But can they figure out how before Mara’s very existence is erased forever?

Girl Out of Time is a thrilling adventure of two unlikely friends who team up to take on a world of aliens, wormholes, and time travel—to save themselves and, possibly, the entire planet.

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Whatcha Reading Wednesday - Forget Me Not

Forget Me Not

by Alyson Derrick

What they say: A romantic ode to the strength of love and the power of choosing each other, against odds and obstacles, again and again.

What would you do if you forgot the love of your life ever even existed?

Stevie and Nora had a love. A secret, epic, once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. They also had a plan: to leave their small, ultra-conservative town and families behind after graduation and move to California, where they could finally stop hiding that love.

But then Stevie has a terrible fall. And when she comes to, she can remember nothing of the last two years—not California, not coming to terms with her sexuality, not even Nora. Suddenly, Stevie finds herself in a life she doesn’t quite understand, one where she’s estranged from her parents, drifting away from her friends, lying about the hours she works, dating a boy she can’t remember crushing on, and headed towards a future that isn’t at all what her fifteen-year-old self would have envisioned.

And Nora finds herself…forgotten. Can the two beat the odds a second time and find their way back together when “together” itself is just a lost memory?

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Am Reading - A Bit of Earth

A Bit of Earth

by Karuna Riazi

What they say: Growing up in Pakistan, Maria Latif has been bounced between reluctant relatives for as long as she can remember--first because of her parents' constant travel, and then because of their deaths. Maria has always been a difficult child, and it never takes long for her guardians to tire of her. So when old friends of her parents offer to "give her a better life" in the United States, Maria is shipped to a host family across the world.

When Maria arrives on Long Island, things are not quite what she was expecting. Mr. Clayborne has left on an extended business trip, Mrs. Clayborne seems emotionally fraught, and inexplicable things keep happening in the Claybornes' sprawling house. And then Maria finds a locked gate to an off-limits garden. Since she's never been good at following rules, Maria decides to investigate and discovers something she never thought she'd find: a place where she feels at home.

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Am Reading - Woodwitch

Woodwitch

by Skye McKenna

What they say: Step into the magical world of Hedgewitch, where the land of Faerie lies just beyond our own . . . The enchanting new series continues.

Cassie has settled into life in Hedgely when, out of the blue, her troubled cousin, Sebastian, comes to stay for Hallowe'en. Sneering and scornful, Sebastian trails after Cassie and her friends, interfering with their coven projects and belittling the dangers of the faery world.

But Cassie, Rue and Tabitha have bigger problems - as the nights grow longer, a dark shadow creeps out of the Hedge and villagers start behaving strangely, possessed with the desire to find a mysterious object.

When the Hedgewitch is called away, the girls decide to investigate and discover that whoever is controlling the villagers is seeking a faery relic: an ancient and dangerous weapon, hidden somewhere in the village. Their magical training will be put to the test as they venture deeper into the Hedge and race to find the faery treasure before it falls into the hands of the Erl King.

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Coming Soon - The Ghoul in the School

The Ghoul in the School - The Breakfast Club Adventures #2

by Marcus Rashford

What they say: Marcus and the Breakfast Club Investigators are back in The Breakfast Club Adventures: The Ghoul in the School ! From #1 bestselling author Marcus Rashford comes another exciting adventure full of fantastic friendships, high-stakes mysteries and strange goings-on! Written with Alex Falase-Koya and packed with tons of illustrations by Marta Kissi.

There’s something strange going on at school . . .

The Breakfast Club Investigators haven't managed to solve a mystery in months and Marcus is worried that the group is going to break up! So when Gbenga, the captain of the school basketball team, comes to ask for their help Marcus knows this might just be the Investigator's last chance to prove themselves.

The basketball team have had a streak of bad luck, and Marcus and his mates are sure there's more going on than meets the eye. As the mystery deepens and they uncover one surprising clue after another, they discover that someone – or some thing – has cursed the basketball team! Can Marcus and his friends solve the mystery in time?

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Whatcha Reading Wednesday - What Stays Buried

What Stays Buried

by Suzanne Young

What they say: In her first book for middle grade readers, New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Young brings together a thrilling ghost story, a heartfelt coming of age journey, and a poignant reminder that those we’ve loved and lost are never far away—perfect for fans of Bone Hollow  and  The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street . 

Twelve-year-old Calista Wynn will lose her ability to speak with the dead on her thirteenth birthday. And with only a few weeks left, children have started going missing. When Calista meets The Tall Lady—an angry spirit with a grudge against Calista, her family, and the entire town—she knows she’s found the ghost responsible for the disappearances. It’s up to Calista, the only one who can see The Tall Lady, to stop her. If she doesn’t, Calista won’t just lose her powers… she’ll lose everyone she has left.

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Coming Soon - Skandar and the Phantom Rider

Skandar and the Phantom Rider

by A.F. Steadman

What they say: The Island shall have its revenge...

Skandar Smith has achieved his dream to train as a unicorn rider.

But as Skandar and his friends enter their second year at the Eyrie, a new threat arises. Immortal wild unicorns are somehow being killed, a prophecy warns of terrible danger, and elemental destruction begins to ravage the Island. 

Meanwhile, Skandar’s sister, Kenna, longs to join him – and Skandar is determined to help her, no matter what. As the storm gathers, can Skandar discover how to stop the Island tearing itself apart – before it’s too late for them all? 

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Coming Soon - This Delicious Death

This Delicious Death

by Kayla Cottingham

What they say: Three years ago, the melting of arctic permafrost released a pathogen of unknown origin into the atmosphere, causing a small percentage of people to undergo a transformation that became known as the Hollowing. Those impacted slowly became intolerant to normal food and were only able to gain sustenance by consuming the flesh of other human beings. Those who went without flesh quickly became feral, turning on their friends and family. However, scientists were able to create a synthetic version of human meat that would satisfy the hunger of those impacted by the Hollowing. As a result, humanity slowly began to return to normal, albeit with lasting fear and distrust for the people they'd pejoratively dubbed ghouls.

Zoey, Celeste, Valeria, and Jasmine are all ghouls living in Southern California. As a last hurrah before their graduation they decided to attend a musical festival in the desert. They have a cooler filled with hard seltzers and SynFlesh and are ready to party.

But on the first night of the festival Val goes feral, and ends up killing and eating a boy. As other festival guests start disappearing around them the girls soon discover someone is drugging ghouls and making them feral. And if they can't figure out how to stop it, and soon, no one at the festival is safe.

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Recent Release - Divine Rivals

Divine Rivals

by Rebecca Ross

What they say: After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish—into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.

Shadow and Bone meets Lore in Rebecca Ross's Divine Rivals, an epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.

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Spotlight - All This Time

All This Time

by Mikki Daughtry and Rachael Lippincott

What they say: Kyle and Kimberly have been the perfect couple all through high school, but when Kimberly breaks up with him on the night of their graduation party, Kyle’s entire world upends—literally. Their car crashes and when he awakes, he has a brain injury. Kimberly is dead. And no one in his life could possibly understand.

Until Marley. Marley is suffering from her own loss, a loss she thinks was her fault. And when their paths cross, Kyle sees in her all the unspoken things he’s feeling.

As Kyle and Marley work to heal each other’s wounds, their feelings for each other grow stronger. But Kyle can’t shake the sense that he’s headed for another crashing moment that will blow up his life as soon as he’s started to put it back together.

And he’s right.

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Whatcha Reading Wednesday - He Who Breaks the Earth

He Who Breaks the Earth

by Caitlin Sangster

What they say: Mateo spent years believing he suffered from a strange wasting sickness, but he’s finally learned the much darker truth. Now he will do whatever it takes to save himself, even if it means betraying Lia, the one girl who’s ever made him care about something more than his research.

It doesn’t help that his father kidnapped the last living member of Lia’s family, and though it means Mateo will get to see her again, it’s only because Lia is already hunting them.

Anwei’s rage can’t be contained after the disaster at the tomb that ended with Knox almost dying. Worse, she learned that the brother she’d been desperate to avenge has been living a life of luxury, raised by the monster of her nightmares. With the power of an ancient, nameless god running in her veins, Anwei vows to end the shapeshifter once and for all.

But the members of her crew each have their own motivations—and their own gods whispering in their ears. Anwei has never put much stock in the divine, but as she gets closer to the shapeshifter she’s chased for so long, she realizes that the gods’ plan and her own might diverge. But Anwei has only one goal: revenge, and she’ll destroy anyone standing in her way.

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Coming Soon - Silver in the Bone

Silver in the Bone

by Alexandra Bracken

What they say: A series opener inspired by Arthurian legend and fueled by love, revenge, and pure adrenaline!

Tamsin Lark didn’t ask to be a Hollower. As a mortal with no magical talent, she was never meant to break into ancient crypts, or compete with sorceresses and Cunningfolk for the treasures inside. But after her thieving foster father disappeared without so much as a goodbye, it was the only way to keep herself—and her brother, Cabell—alive.

Ten years later, rumors are swirling that her guardian vanished with a powerful ring from Arthurian legend. A run-in with her rival Emrys ignites Tamsin’s hope that the ring could free Cabell from a curse that threatens both of them. But they aren’t the only ones who covet the ring.

As word spreads, greedy Hollowers start circling, and many would kill to have it for themselves. While Emrys is the last person Tamsin would choose to partner with, she needs all the help she can get to edge out her competitors in the race for the ring. Together, they dive headfirst into a vipers’ nest of dark magic, exposing a deadly secret with the power to awaken ghosts of the past and shatter her last hope of saving her brother. . . .

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Easter Read - The Dinosaur that Pooped Easter

The Dinosaur the Pooped Easter!

by Dougie Poynter and Tom Fletcher

What they say: Danny and Dino's big Easter tradition

was hunting for eggs on a chocolatey mission.

This year they were looking in Fairytale Land.

They needed some eggs for a feast they had planned!

Danny and Dino are searching for Easter eggs in Fairytale Land! They hunt up beanstalks and inside the houses of the three pigs, and soon they have plenty of chocolate treats. But when they take an egg from a magical cave, they get into trouble with the cave's owner... a grumpy dragon! Can Dino's quick thinking and rumbly tummy save the day?

This hilarious addition to the new lift-the-flap series features a host of hidden surprises. The poop-filled adventure is written by bestselling author duo Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter, and brought to life by the preposterously talented Gary Parsons.

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Recent Release - The Stained Sea

The Stained Sea - Omen #1

by Paul Carver Williams

What they say: In the wake of a lost messiah, an oppressed religious sect known as ‘the singers of Oros’ are targeted by those in power. A lone singer calling himself Runo works tirelessly to revive the faith of his people by any means necessary. Even if it leads to bloody experiments, and cold-hearted manipulation. A young slave named Cai is called on by a philosopher to aid in a catalogue of the wealthiest families in Grecuria, starting with the owner of the library where he works. On his journey he must confront a past that isn’t his own. 

Lastly, Sailing on a sky ship surrounded by merchants, Mele Amahki was given passage to begin a new life. However, everything changes when their pink sky turns blue, and they find themselves in a new, unexpected world where things are much the same as back home, except her people do not exist. She finds herself thrust into positions of power, entirely unsure of what is best for her crew. Knowledge, religion, power, and blood run through the veins of the Grecurian islands. But through three headstrong individuals, the veins will be cut, and darkness will stain the sea.

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Spotlight - Kingdom of Blood and Salt

Kingdom of Blood and Salt

by Alexis Calder

What they say: After spending years training to defend my people from our enemies, I never expected that my enemy would be the one keeping me alive.

Athos is the last human city. A treaty with the Fae keeps the fae, the vampires, and the wolf shifters at bay, while we fight against the dragons at our border. Being a human in this world is dangerous and we all make sacrifices to survive.

When the delegation sent by the Fae King arrives to claim the human tributes required by our treaty, I never expected to forge a connection with their leader.

Ryvin is as dangerous as he is handsome. I know he’s my enemy, and I know I’m supposed to hate him, but with each passing day, he’s more difficult to resist.

But things are changing in Athos. Humans no longer want to bend to the Fae King.

Alliances blur and centuries of lies begin to unravel.

And I’m faced with a choice.

No matter how much I hate him, Ryvin might be the key to preventing war.

But it may mean sacrificing everything….

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Whatcha Reading Wednesday - Spaceboy

Spaceboy

by David Walliams

What they say: America. The 1960s.

Stuck on a remote farm with her awful aunt, twelve-year-old orphan Ruth spends every night gazing at the stars, dreaming of adventure.

One night she spots a flying saucer blazing across the sky… before crash-landing in a field. When the spaceship opens and reveals a mysterious alien, all Ruth’s dreams come true.

But does this visitor from another planet have a giant secret?

Spaceboy is a hilarious and action-packed tale for readers in any solar system.

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Spotlight - The Grace of Wild Things

The Grace of Wild Things

by Heather Fawcett

What they say: An inventive and fantastical reimagining of Anne of Green Gables—with magic and witches!—that explores found family, loss, and the power of a girl's imagination, from the acclaimed author of The Language of Ghosts and The School Between Winter and Fairyland.

Grace has never been good at anything except magic—not that anyone believes her. While other children are adopted from the orphanage, nobody wants Grace. So she decides to make a home for herself by running away and offering herself as an apprentice to the witch in the nearby woods. After all, who better to teach Grace to use her magic? Surely the witch can’t be that bad.

But the witch is that bad—she steals souls for spells and gobbles up hearts. So Grace offers a deal: If she can learn all 100½ spells in the witch’s grimoire, the witch will make Grace her apprentice. But if Grace fails, the witch can take her magic. The witch agrees, and soon an unexpected bond develops between them. But the spells are much harder than Grace expected, and when a monster from the witch’s past threatens the home Grace has built, she may have to sacrifice more than her magic to save it.

Inspired by Anne of Green Gables, this is a magical story of found family, loss, and the power of a girl’s imagination.

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Coming Soon - Stars and Smoke

Stars and Smoke

by Marie Lu

What they say: Meet Winter Young – International pop sensation, with a voice like velvet and looks that could kill. His star power has smashed records, selling out stadiums from LA to London. His rabid fans would move heaven and earth for even a glimpse of him – just imagine what they’d do to become his latest fling.

Meet Sydney Cossette – Part of an elite covert ops group, Sydney joined their ranks as their youngest spy with plans to become the best agent they’ve ever had. An ice queen with moves as dangerous as her comebacks, Sydney picks up languages just as quickly as she breaks hearts. She's fiery, no-nonsense, and has zero time for romance – especially with a shameless flirt more used to serving sass than taking orders.

When a major crime boss gifts his daughter a private concert with Winter for her birthday, Sydney and Winter's lives suddenly collide. Tasked with infiltrating the crime organization’s inner circle, Sydney is assigned as Winter's bodyguard with Winter tapped to join her on the mission of a lifetime as a new spy recruit. Sydney may be the only person alive impervious to Winter's charms, but as their mission brings them closer, she’s forced to admit that there's more to Winter Young than just a handsome face...

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