Matchless

      Gregory Maguire
     Matchless

When the story was first translated from Danish and published in England in the mid-nineteenth century, the Little Match Girl's dying visions of lights and a grandmother in heaven were often interpreted as metaphors of religious salvation. In "Matchless", Maguire adds a different dimension to the story, intertwining the match girl's tale with that of a young boy, Frederik, whose own yearnings are the catalyst for a better future for himself and his family. Maguire uses his storytelling magic to rekindle Andersen's original intentions, and to suggest transcendence, the permanence of spirit, and the continuity that links the living and the dead.

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    The Marbury Lens

      Andrew Smith
     The Marbury Lens

Sixteen-year-old Jack gets drunk and is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is kidnapped. He escapes, narrowly. The only person he tells is his best friend, Conner. When they arrive in London as planned for summer break, a stranger hands Jack a pair of glasses. Through the lenses, he sees another world called Marbury. There is war in Marbury. It is a desolate and murderous place where Jack is responsible for the survival of two younger boys. Conner is there, too. But he’s trying to kill them. Meanwhile, Jack is falling in love with an English girl, and afraid he’s losing his mind. Conner tells Jack it’s going to be okay. But it’s not. Andrew Smith has written his most beautiful and personal novel yet, as he explores the nightmarish outer limits of what trauma can do to our bodies and our minds.

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    Model Crime

      Carolyn Keene
     Model Crime

Sydney, Bess and George's cousin and my good friend, is finally getting married to her fiance, Vic! We're so happy for her, and we're sure it's going to be a beautiful wedding -- after all, she's a famous model and he's a reality TV stud. Plus, we're all bridesmaids! Imagine seeing George in a dress....But that's where the fun and games stop. As Sydney prepares for her wedding, mysterious things start happening to her and Vic. Vic is almost poisoned, and Sydney's bridal shower is sabotaged -- and there are too many suspects to count. But why would anyone want to ruin Sydney's special day? These can't be coincidences. I'm sure there is something sinister afoot, and I'm determined to find it out and help my friend.

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    Fractured Souls

      Jessica Sorensen
     Fractured Souls

Gemma thought she had said her good-byes and had felt every possible emotion she could before her soul was detached again. Deep down inside, she hoped she’d never wake up from it because, in her eyes, life without emotion and memories isn’t worth living. But she does wake up and discovers she can still feel and remember everything she experienced over the last few months. Alex is also telling her that everything’s okay, that he didn’t betray her, and that what she thought happened really didn’t. Gemma isn’t sure if she can trust Alex, so she tries to keep her distance from him, even though the electric connection and her desire make it nearly impossible. The only person she can trust is Laylen, but even that becomes complicated when the lines of their friendship begin to blur. While Gemma struggles with her emotions and relationships, she searches for her mother, entering a dangerous world of secrets, seduction, and evil. The further she digs into her mother’s secrets and past, the more she wonders what waits for her at the end of her search and if maybe some things are better left in the dark.

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    Paranormalcy

      Kiersten White
     Paranormalcy

Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours. But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures. So much for normal.

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    Following My Own Footsteps

      Mary Downing Hahn
     Following My Own Footsteps

When Gordy Smith and his down-and-out family go to live with his rich grandmother, Gordy brings with him all the hostilities of an abused child whose drunken father has beaten him regularly. His no-nonsense grandmother and his friendship with a boy who uses a wheelchair change his perspective and life. The author, Mary Downing Hahn is a former children''s librarian.

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    Karen's Snow Day

      Ann M. Martin
     Karen's Snow Day

All kids love a snowy day, and Karen can't believe her luck--a day off from school because of snow. But when Karen gets in over her head in the snow shoveling business, it's up to her and her friends to find a way to dig themselves out.

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    Beta

      Rachel Cohn
     Beta

Elysia is created in a laboratory, born as a sixteen-year-old girl, an empty vessel with no life experience to draw from. She is a Beta, an experimental model of a teenage clone. She was replicated from another teenage girl, who had to die in order for Elysia to exist. Elysia's purpose is to serve the inhabitants of Demesne, an island paradise for the wealthiest people on earth. Everything about Demesne is bioengineered for perfection. Even the air induces a strange, euphoric high, which only the island's workers-soulless clones like Elysia-are immune to. At first, Elysia's life is idyllic and pampered. But she soon sees that Demesne's human residents, who should want for nothing, yearn. But for what, exactly? She also comes to realize that beneath the island's flawless exterior, there is an undercurrent of discontent among Demesne's worker clones. She knows she is soulless and cannot feel and should not care-so why are overpowering sensations clouding Elysia's mind? If anyone discovers that Elysia isn't the unfeeling clone she must pretend to be, she will suffer a fate too terrible to imagine. When her one chance at happiness is ripped away with breathtaking cruelty, emotions she's always had but never understood are unleashed. As rage, terror, and desire threaten to overwhelm her, Elysia must find the will to survive. The first in a dazzlingly original science fiction series from best-selling author Rachel Cohn, "Beta "is a haunting, unforgettable story of courage and love in a corrupted world. Praise for Beta "A terrific premise that is equally well executed...Readers can only hope [the sequel] will be as thrilling as this series kickoff."--Los Angles Times "

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    The Secret of Platform 13

      Eva Ibbotson
     The Secret of Platform 13

Under Platform 13 at Kings Cross Station there is a secret door that leads to a magical island..... It appears only once every nine years. And when it opens, four mysterious figures step into the streets of London. A wizard, an ogre, a fey and a young hag have come to find the prince of their kingdom, stolen as a baby nine years before. But the prince has become a horrible rich boy called Raymond Trottle who doesn't understand magic and is determined not to be rescued. 'This kind of fun will never fail to delight.' Philip Pullman

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    Beyond the Valley of Thorns

      Patrick Carman
     Beyond the Valley of Thorns

The second dazzling installment in Patrick Carman's masterful Land of Elyon trilogy! Alexa thought her troubles were over when she defeated the man who had threatened to bring down Bridewell from within. But now that the walls around her land have fallen, a new, unexpected threat has risen from outside. Suddenly, Alexa is involved in a battle much, much larger than her own life . . . a battle in which she is destined to play a key role. In order to help good defeat evil, Alexa and her friends must venture farther than they've ever gone before -- confronting giants, bats, ravenous dogs, and a particularly ghoulish mastermind in order to bring back peace.

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