100 Great New Books
Fall 2011
Albee, Sarah. Poop Happened
Chronicles the evolution of waste disposal throughout the ages, answers a variety of related questions, and includes photographs and illustrations.
Angleberger, Tom. Horton Halfpott
Horton, a kitchen boy in a castle in 19thcentury England, becomes embroiled in a mystery surrounding a series of thefts, which is also connected to the pursuit of a very eligible and wealthy young lady's affections.
Angleberger, Tom. Darth Paper Strikes Back.
After several Origami Yoda-related incidences, Dwight is suspended for being a troublemaker and Yoda asks friends to save Dwight by creating a case file that proves Dwight is an asset to his school.
Aronson, Marc. War Is…(2008)
A collection of essays, memoirs, letters, and fiction that present opposing viewpoints on the nature of war by such contributors as Mark Twain, Bob Dylan, and Ernie Pyle.
Bacskai, Andrew.Fighting the Legend.
Ty Wilson, a great football player at his high school, does not like when people compare him to his father, who left Ty and his mother after getting another woman pregnant, but Ty finds the strength to continue playing, even against his half brother's team.
Barnes, Derrick. We Could Be Brothers.
Two eighth-graders from very different backgrounds, Robeson "Crease" Battlefield and Pacino Clapton, discover in afterschool detention that they have a great deal in common.
Bartoletti Campbell, Susan. Wheels of Change.how women rode the bicycle to freedom : (with a few flat tires along the way)
Combines text with vintage photographs, advertisements, cartoons, and songs to examine how women have used bicycles throughout history to improve their lives.
Bauer, Joan.Close to Famous
The residents of Culpepper, despite their grand aspirations, have made little progress toward achieving their goals, but unexpected events and surprises put the ambitions of the residents to the test.
Bedford, Martyn. Flip.
Alex awakens to find that six months have gone by and he seems to be living in another boy's body, and as Alex tries to figure out what happened, he wonders if he will ever be able to return to the life he once knew.
Beil, Michael. The Red Blazer Girls: The Mistaken Masterpiece (#3)
Red Blazer are hired by Father Julian who wants them to authenticate a painting, while Sophie faces off with her arch-rival and takes care of movie-star Nate Etan's dog.
Blumenthal, Karen. Bootleg.Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition
Chronicles the history of Prohibition, a period from 1920 to 1933 during which it was illegal to sell or drink alcohol, discussing how what began as a movement to heal social ills, became a burden to ordinary citizens and a boon to criminals.
Bodeen, S.A.The Gardener.
When Mason finds a beautiful but catatonic girl in the nursing home where his mother works, the discovery leads him to revelations about a series of disturbing human experiments that have a connection to his own life.
Bradbury, Jennifer. Wrapped.
Agnes would like to arrive in Cairo on the back of a camel to study Egyptian mummies, but she is stuck in 1817 London at the beginning of her debut season as a debutant
Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker.Jefferson's Sons.
A fictionalized look at the last twenty years of Thomas Jefferson's life at Monticello through the eyes of three of his slaves, two of whom were his sons by his slave, Sally Hemings.
Bradman, Tony. Ed. Under the Weather: Stories About Climate Change.
Contains eight short stories by various authors in which they explore the effects of climate change on children living in different parts of the world.
Bragg, Virginia. How the Croacked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous.
Shares the sometimes gruesome details of the deaths of nineteen famous historical figures, including King Tut, Pocahontas, George Washington, and Marie Curie.
Bransford, Nathan. Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow
When Jacob Wonderbar and his friends Sarah and Dexter find a spaceship crashed in the woods near their suburban neighborhood, their discovery leads them to a series of adventures including space travel, substitute teachers, kidnapping, and more.
Brevard, Katherine McLean. The Story of Guns: How They Changed the World.
Traces the history of guns and gunpowder and discusses how both transformed the world and how wars were fought.
Brown, Harriet. Food from the Sun How Plants Live and Grow
Examines how plants make food from the sun, how photosynthesis works, and how plants live and grow.
Calkhoven, Laurie. Will at the Battle of Gettysburg (Boys of Wartime series)
In 1863, twelve-year-old Will, who longs to be a drummer in the Union army, is stuck in his sleepy hometown of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, but when the Union and Confederate armies meet right there in his town, he and his family are caught up in the fight. Includes historical notes, glossary, and a time line of events.
Clements, Andrew. Troublemaker.
When his older brother gets in serious trouble, Clay decides to change his own mischief-making ways, but he cannot seem to shake his reputation as a troublemaker.
Cole, Stephen. Z-Raptor.
Sequel to: Z. Rex. Adam Adlar and his dad try to stop the carnage when the video-game technology Mr. Adlar invented, which allows players to use their thoughts to control the action, is stolen by scientists who use it to create dinosaurs with killing instincts and a human ability to learn.
Cross, Gillian. Where I Belong.
Khadija, a Somali refugee, becomes a model for a famous fashion designer to help her family back home, while the designer's daughter Freya and fourteen-year-old Abdi, whose family Khadija lives with in London, try to protect her.
Green, Tim. Deep Zone.
Troyand Ty, rivals who want their teams to win a tournament that is being held at the Super Bowl, find themselves in danger when they are trapped in the Everglades and realize they have links to the mob and their lives have been entangled for a long time.
Dagg, Carole Estby. The Year We Were Famous.
Clara tries to help her mother raise enough money in 1896 to save their home from foreclosure and announce their plans to walk over four thousand miles from their hometown in Washington to New York City within seven months.
Dorling Kindersley. Climate Change
Drago, Ty. The Undertakers: Rise of the Corpses
Will is one of only a few people who is able to see the growing number of corpses invading his town, and forced to join a ragtag army of teenage resistance fighters called the Undertakers, Will is suddenly in the middle of a war between the living and the dead.
Falls, Kat. Dark Life
When fifteen-year-old Ty, who has always lived on the ocean floor, joins Topside girl Gemma in the frontier's underworld to seek and stop outlaws who threaten his home, they learn that the government may pose an even greater threat.
Ferraiolo, Jack D. Sidekicks.
Scott Hutchinson, aka Bright Boy, the sidekick of Phantom Justice, begins to question how long he can remain in the shadow of the superhero after discovering that his nemesis might be one of the most popular kids at his school.
Fishbone, Greg. Galaxy Games: The Challengers
Tyler Sato, unsure what to do about the fact the star his cousins named after him is traveling towards Earth and everyone thinks it will destroy the planet, meets alien M'Frozza and tries to help her save her the world in the Galaxy Games.
Kacvinsky, Katie. Awaken.
In the year 2060, when people hardly ever leave the security of their houses and instead do everything online, Madeline Freeman, the seventeen-year-old daughter of the man who created the national digital school attended by all citizens, is wooed by a group of radicals who are trying to get people to "unplug."
Ford, Michael. Z
In the year 2032, after a virus that turned people into zombies has been eradicated, Josh is invited to join an underground gaming society, where the gamers hunt zombies and the action is more dangerous than it seems.
Ganeshram, Ramin. Stir It Up!
Thirteen-year-old Anjali dreams of hosting a televised cooking show featuring foods based on her Hindu and Trinidadian heritage, but when an opportunity presents itself, she will have to defy her family to go to the audition. Includes recipes.
Garretson, Dee. Wolf Storm.
Young actors shooting a movie in theCarpathian Mountains are separated from base camp by a terrible blizzard and come face-to-face with a pack of hungry wolves.
Greenwald, Lisa. Reel Life Starring Us.
Dina, the new girl, is doing a video project with the incredibly popular Chelsea, and while Dina hopes that this will be her opportunity to improve her social life, Chelsea is more focused on family issues than anything happening at school.
Greenwald, Tommy. Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Not Reading.
Middle schooler Charlie Joe is proud of his success at avoiding reading, but eventually his schemes go too far.
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Torn.
Time travelers arrive in 1611 to rescue John Hudson, the missing son of explorer Henry Hudson, but just as the mutiny on the "Discovery" is supposed to start, and their knowledge of history is tested and they fear that more is at stake than just one boy's life.
Havelin, Kate. Dressing a Nation: Hoopskirts, Union Blues and Confederate Grays. (Series)Civil War Fashions from 1861-1865.
Illustrations and text explore the fashion trends of the United States from 1861 to 1865, focusing on how the Civil War impacted styles, manufacturing, undergarments, everyday clothing, and fashions during the era.
Henderson, Jason. Voice of the Undead.
After a fire damages his boarding school in Switzerland, Alex and his friends move to the girls' school across the lake, where supernatural happenings are disturbing the peace, and in the meantime, more Van Helsing family secrets are revealed.
Higson, Charlie. The Dead
Ed, Jack, Bam, and the other students at RowhurstAcademy must run for their lives when a mutant disease attacks the adults and turns them into flesh-eating monsters.
Hoare, Ben. Endangered Animals. Dorling Kindersley.
An introduction to various animal species that are threatened with extinction, including polar bears, sea turtles, river dolphins, jaguars, gibbons, and others; and discusses ways to help them survive.
Hobbs, Will. The Maze(1998)
Rick, a fourteen-year-old foster child, escapes from a juvenile detention facility near Las Vegas and travels to CanyonlandsNational Park in Utah where he meets a bird biologist working on a project to reintroduce condors to the wild.
Hobbs, Will. Jackie’s Wild Seattle (2003)
Fourteen-year-old Shannon and her little brother, Cody, spend the summer with their uncle, helping at a wildlife rescue center named Jackie's Wild Seattle.
Holm, Jennifer L. and Matthew. Squish: Super Amoeba (Sequel: Brave New Pond)
The young amoeba Squish, inspired by his favorite comic book hero, Super Amoeba, tries to navigate his way through school and save his friends and the world from the evils that lurk in the halls.
Howse, Emily. Zitface
Thirteen-year-old Olivia Hughes is forced to rethink her plans to become an actress when a full-blown case of acne results in the dramatic decline of her popularity at school, and the cancellation of a national advertising campaign.
Hughes, Pat. Five Fourths of July.
On July 4th, 1777, Jake and his friends are celebrating their new nation's independence, but over the next four years Jake finds himself in increasingly adventurous circumstances as he battles British forces, barely survives captivity on a prison ship, and finally returns home to Connecticut, war-torn and weary, but hopeful for America's future.
Hurwitz, Michele Weber. Calli Be Gold.
Calli, the third child in a family of busy high-achievers, likes to take her time and observe rather than rush around, and when she meets an awkward, insecure Noah and is paired with him in the Peer Helper Program, she finds satisfaction in working with him.
Jones, Traci L. Silhouetted by the Blue
After the death of her mother in an automobile accident, Serena, who has gotten the lead in her middle school play, is left to handle the day-to-day challenges of caring for herself and her younger brother when their father cannot pull himself out of his depression.
Kinney, Jeff. Cabin Fever (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #6)
Greg, stuck indoors with his family over the holiday because of a blizzard, suffers from claustrophobia and worries they will not be able to weather the storm.
Kloepfer, Jon. The Zombie Chasers
Zack Clarke's sleepover turns into chaos when Zombies invade.
Korman, Gordon. Unsinkable (Titanic series)
The lives of four young passengers aboard the maiden voyage of the RMS "Titanic" become linked, and while Paddy stows away, Sophie and her mother are delivered to the ship by the police, Juliana watches as her father's wealth barely conceals his madness, and Alphie harbors a great secret.
Kowitt, Holly. The Loser List.
Danny Shine tries to get his name off the "Loser List" posted in the girls' bathroom and winds up in detention, where the school bullies discover Danny's artistic talents and encourage him to draw tattoos and graffiti, but when the bullies steal from his favorite store, Danny needs to find a way to steal it back, return it, and end his association with the bullies before he gets new reputation.
Krishnaswami, Uma. The Grand Plan to Fix Everything.
Eleven-year-old Dini loves movies, and so when she learns that her family is moving to India for two years, her devastation over leaving her best friend in Maryland is tempered by the possibility of meeting her favorite actress, Dolly Singh.
Krosoczka, Jarrett J. Lunch Lady and the Field Trip Fiasco
While the Lunch Lady and the Breakfast Bunch are on a field trip to a local art museum, the Breakfast Bunch realizes that some of the artwork has been replaced with fakes and set out to find the thief responsible.
Latimer, Clay. VIPPass to a ProBasketball Game
Describes various activities and people who work behind the scenes during a National Basketball Association game.
Lemke, Don. Drop In (Tony Hawk’s 900 Revolution) 8 book set
A group of high school kids step up when Tony Hawk's skateboard shatters and the students set out on an adventure around the world to collect the missing pieces and put them back together.
Leonard, Julia Platt. Cold Case
When Oz Keillor finds a dead body in his family's Santa Fe, New Mexico, restaurant, he is determined to solve the mystery in which his older brother is implicated, but which also involves their long-dead father, who was accused of being a spy.
Lupica, Mike. The Underdogs.
Small but fast Will Tyler, an avid football player, takes matters into his own hands to try and finance the city's football team, giving the whole community hope in the process.
MacHale, D.J. The Black
Cooper Foley, who has a knack for getting into trouble, ends up in the middle of a border war between the worlds of the living and the dead, trying to find out about the mysterious Morpheus Road.
Maddox, Jake. Cheer Challenge
Amanda is thrilled when she is selected to be the captain of the cheerleading squad, but soon learns that the job is harder than she thought.
Maldonado. Secret Saturdays.
Justin, a fatherless in a dangerous neighborhood, starts to worry about his friend Sean, who has started telling lies and getting into trouble at school, and he suspects that the change in attitude is connected to mysterious trips Sean takes with his mother.
Mandelski, Christina. The Sweetest Thing
A teenage girl tries to balance her life, but her time is split between her first love, a cake-decorating business, her dad's reality television show, and her efforts to find her missing mother.
McPherson, Stephanie Sammartino. Iceberg.Right Ahead: The Tragedy of the Titanic.
Explores the legacy of the "Titanic" tragedy, discussing how the sinking of the ship led to new regulations and the formation of an ice patrol that later became the Coast Guard.
Nance, Andrew. Return to Daemon Hall: Evil Roots
Wade and Demarius go to author Ian Tremblin's home as judges of the second writing contest but soon are mysteriously transported to Daemon Hall, where they and the three finalists must tell--and act out--the stories each has written.
Nardo, Don. Migrant Mother.
Explores and analyzes the historical context and significance of the iconic Dorothea Lange photograph of a migrant mother and her children.