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Who Could That Be at This Hour?
All the Wrong Questions Book 1
Lemony Snicket
In a fading town, far from anyone he knew or trusted, a young Lemony Snicket began his apprenticeship in an organization nobody knows about. He started by asking questions that shouldn't have been on his mind. Now he has written an account that should...
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The Spindlers
Lauren Oliver
Decades from now Lauren Oliver will be remembered as one of the best and brightest children's authors of this generation. The Spindlers is her second novel for younger audiences and is destined, in my estimation, to become a classic.
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My Name Is Mina
David Almond
The prequel to the author's award-winning Skellig, which I haven't read and which one doesn't need to read to appreciate this little masterpiece. Almond basically takes us into the mind of a special child, an innocent, not yet corrupted by society's...
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The Boy at the End of the World
Greg van Eekhout
Watch out for Greg van Eekhout! His first book, Kid vs. Squid, was wonderful but so bizarre I'm not sure I could accurately describe it. Not so his sophomore effort, The Boy at the End of the World. This is about as good as science fiction for young...
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Every You, Every Me
David Levithan
A powerful exploration of those intense relationships we form in high school, relationships we assume (no, not assume, know) will define our lives. And those assumptions are always wrong. This realization tears apart a group of friends as they try to...
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Liesl & Po
Lauren Oliver
Lauren Oliver's second book for younger readers, The Spindlers, absolutely blew me away, forcing me to reread this, her first. An adventure, a story of friendships, but also a meditation on coming to terms with loss, on letting go of and remembering...
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Imaginary Girls
Nova Ren Suma
A tense thriller, full of supernatural overtones, and completely impossible to describe without giving away the story. You will either love it or hate it! Me? I couldn't put it down. Dark and challenging. (For ages 14 and up) —Recommended by Jeff
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A Boy and a Bear in a Boat
Dave Shelton
One of the most charming books I've ever encountered. Just flip through it and try not to smile at the author's whimsical illustrations. (For ages 8 to 12) —Recommended by Jeff, City Lights Books
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Cold Cereal
Adam Rex
Let me set this up for you: there is an evil, evil corporate cereal company. And I mean meanly evil. Their slogan, "There's a little bit of magic in every box," is literally true. And how they get that magic there is mean and evil.
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Oddfellow's Orphanage
Emily Winfield Martin
Finding wonderful chapter books for the under-eights has been the most frustrating part of what I do here... and then I read this. Beautifully written and illustrated, intelligent and witty, as well as warm and fuzzy, this is as good as it gets.
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School of Fear
Class Is Not Dismissed!
Gitty Daneshvari
Have no fear! The frightened foursome are back in this this wickedly funny and phobia-inducing sequel to School of Fear! Everyone is (still) afraid of something... Madeleine Masterson is deathly afraid of bugs, especially spiders;Theodore Bartholomew...
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Al Capone Shines My Shoes
Gennifer Choldenko
What do you do when your neighbors are a bunch of hit men, con men, and mad dog murderers? Well, if you're Moose Flanagan, you ask the most notorious convict of them all, Al Capone, for help. But when that convict comes through for youÑand then asks...
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This Book Is Not Good For You
The Secret Series
Pseudonymous Bosch
Between the pages of this book lies the secret to the best-tasting chocolate in all the world. I promise, your taste buds will tingle. Your palette will sing! Oh no, have I accidentally tempted you to read this book? I will warn you, however, the...
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The Maze Runner
James Dashner
Thomas wakes up, with no memory, surrounded by other boys his age, in a place they call the Glade. All they know is that the stone door set in the insurmountable stone wall opens every morning and closes every evening. Outside lies a maze against which...
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