New Books — January 2009

Nonfiction

Prince of Stories: the many worlds of Neil Gaiman. Hank Wagner, Christopher Golden, and Stephen R. Bissette. 823.914 Wagner This book explores the work of Neil Gaiman, internationally bestselling author and pop culture phenomenon. “Prince of Stories” chronicles the history and impact of the author’s complete works in film, fiction, comic books, and more. There are also 16 pages of b&w photos and 8 pages color photos.

New Fiction

The Savage. David Almond. Y Almond. Mysterious and mesmerizing, this graphic novel-within-a-novel pairs the extraordinary prose of Almond with the visual genius of McKean, for a tale of a boy who writes about being terrorized by a bully–a story with a life of its own.

The Good Neighbors. (Book One: Kin). Holly Black. Y Black. Sixteen-year-old Rue Silver, whose mother disappeared weeks ago, believes she is going crazy until she learns that the strange things she has been seeing are real, and that she is one of the faerie creatures, or Good Neighbors, that mortals cannot see.

The Big Splash. Jack D. Ferraiolo. Y Ferraiolo. Matt Stevens, an average middle schooler with a glib tongue and a knack for solving crimes, uncovers a mystery while working with “the organization,” a mafia-like syndicate run by seventh-grader Vincent “Mr. Biggs” Biggio, specializing in forged hall passes, test-copying rings, black market candy selling, and taking out hits with water guns.

Looks. Madeleine George. Y George. Two high school girls, one an anorexic poet and the other an obese loner, form an unlikely friendship. This unforgettable debut novel tells a provocative story that explores the ways in which girls use food and their bodies to say what they cannot.

Spirit. J.P. Hightman. Y Hightman. In 1892, a wealthy, seventeen-year-old married couple, Tess and Tobias Goodraven, lay ghosts to rest for the thrill of it but, separated by the terrible witch who was responsible for the Salem witchcraft horrors, they may not have strength to survive, much less help the dead.

Deadville. Ron Koertge. Y Koertge. While visiting an injured classmate in the hospital, sixteen-year-old Ryan, who is trying to come to terms with his sister’s death from cancer, meets a young patient who claims to be able to see into the world where the dead live.

I Know It’s Over. C.K. Kelly Martin. Y Martin. Sixteen-year-old Nick, still trying to come to terms with his parents’ divorce, experiences exhiliration and despair in his relationship with his girlfriend Sasha especially when, after instigating a trial separation, she announces that she is pregnant.

Bonechiller. Graham McNamee. Y McNamee. Four high school students face off against a soul-stealing beast that has been making young people disappear their small Ontario, Canada, town for centuries.

Vibes. Amy Ryan. Y Ryan. Nothing is beyond Kristi Carmichael’s disdain. Yet for all her attitude and her mind-reading abilities, Kristi has a vulnerable side. A school project brings her together with her crush, her absent father comes home and drops a bombshell, and a friend comes out of the closet. Suddenly Kristi is left doubting that she can read people at all.

What They Always Tell Us. Martin Wilson. Y Wilson. Sixteen-year-old Alex feels so disconnected from his friends that he starts his junior year at a Tuscaloosa, Alabama, high school by attempting suicide, but soon, a friend of his older brother draws him into cross-country running and a new understanding of himself.

New Paperback Fiction

Dooley Takes the Fall. Norah McClintock. YPB McClintock. As a troubled teen struggles to free himself from his past and the implications of the present conspiracies that surround him, Dooley tries to prove his innocence in a suicide that looks like murder.

Shadow Kiss: a Vampire Academy novel. Richelle Mead.YPB Mead. While Rose is coping with the darker effects of being shadow-kissed, her relationship with Dimitri is finally taking off, and when he disappears during a Strigoi attack on St. Vladimir’s Academy, she must make a terrible choice.

In a Flash. Eric Walters. YPB Walters. The first flash mob Ian puts together himself is a sixty-plus person, four-minute pillow fight in a department store. His friend Oswald is thrilled with the event, but Julia, the one Ian really wants to impress, is still convinced that flash mobs are stupid. While Ian tries to prove Julia wrong by initiating flash mobs with political impact, Julia is busy waging war with the strict new principal at school. When Julia goes too far and gets herself suspended, Ian sees an opportunity for a relevant and persuasive flash mob. – From publisher marketing