 | Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
Buy used from: $3.37 A delightful Brothers Grimm-like tale of a girl who tries to find the power in intelligence. Strength in characterizations and multiple, mature (and excellent) themes lead this original fable to the top of the ratings chart, and is my favorite of this year's Sunshine State books.
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 | The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) by Rick Riordan
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $3.25 My students who read this book really seemed to enjoy it. I tried reading it last summer, but found it so full of Greek mythology (so full that I felt "sensory overload") and only got through about a third of it. This is not my type of YA book, so I just moved on to something else.
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 | Heat by Mike Lupica
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $0.01 Review pending.
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 | Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan
Buy new: $5.99 / Used from: $0.01 A combination of THE SECRET GARDEN, LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE and OUT OF AFRICA, this story of a girl raised in Africa who must pretend to be another (dead) girl and travel back to England in 1920 to order to appease the other girl's evil parents is a bit predictable, but definitely a good dose of African/European culture clash to satisfy the curiosity of younger readers.
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 | Gossamer by Lois Lowry
Buy new: $8.68 / Used from: $0.01 Like gossamer (or a spider web), this book is lightweight. However, like gossamer, it also shows enormous strength and craftsmanship. This book is not the best of Lois Lowry's work, but she clearly knows how to tell a story and lace it with some beautiful prose. GOSSAMER is most importantly an excellent tool for teachers to use for class lessons in writing for the senses.
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 | House of the Red Fish by Graham Salisbury
Buy new: $13.22 / Used from: $0.01 |
 | The Anybodies by N. E. Bode
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $0.01 Review pending.
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 | Code Orange (Readers Circle) by Caroline B. Cooney
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $0.01 Review pending.
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 | Under the Same Sky by Cynthia DeFelice
Buy new: $6.95 / Used from: $0.01 Review pending.
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 | The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn
Buy new: $10.88 / Used from: $0.01 Review pending.
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 | Chicken Boy by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Buy new: $5.99 / Used from: $0.01 |
 | Jackie's Wild Seattle by Will Hobbs
Buy new: $5.99 / Used from: $0.01 Review pending.
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 | Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick
Buy used from: $1.99 When books about diseases and afflictions hit the recommended lists, I usually wince in anticipation over the impending emotional manipulation and "lessons about life" that are sure to make the book preachy, formulaic and short on humor. This book is a definite exception and sure to be a way to get boys reading what might be considered a "girls' book." This is a well-told YA novel.
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 | The Ravenmaster's Secret: Escape From The Tower Of London by Elvira Woodruff
Buy new: $5.99 / Used from: $0.01 Review pending.
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 | Surviving Antarctica: Reality TV 2083 by Andrea White
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $1.64 Review pending.
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