Fun
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The Last Fallen Star (A Gifted Clans Novel)
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Graci Kim’s thrilling debut about an adopted Korean-American girl who discovers her heritage and her magic on a perilous journey to save her witch clan family.
Riley Oh can’t wait to see her sister get initiated into the Gom clan, a powerful lineage of Korean healing witches their family has belonged to for generations. Her sister, Hattie, will earn her Gi bracelet and finally be able to cast spells without adult supervision. Although Riley is desperate to follow in her sister’s footsteps when she herself turns thirteen, she’s a saram–a person without magic. Riley was adopted, and despite having memorized every healing spell she’s ever heard, she often feels like the odd one out in her family and the gifted community.
Then Hattie gets an idea: what if the two of them could cast a spell that would allow Riley to share Hattie’s magic? Their sleuthing reveals a promising incantation in the family’s old spell book, and the sisters decide to perform it at Hattie’s initiation ceremony. If it works, no one will ever treat Riley as an outsider again. It’s a perfect plan!
Until it isn’t. When the sisters attempt to violate the laws of the Godrealm, Hattie’s life ends up hanging in the balance, and to save her Riley has to fulfill an impossible task: find the last fallen star. But what even is the star, and how can she find it?
As Riley embarks on her search, she finds herself meeting fantastic creatures and collaborating with her worst enemies. And when she uncovers secrets that challenge everything she has been taught to believe, Riley must decide what it means to be a witch, what it means to be family, and what it really means to belong.
From author Graci Kim for Readers 10+.
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Minerva Keen’s Detective Club
This is a spine-tingling, creepy-crawling, giggle-producing kid’s detective club.
Living in the luxurious Arcanum building—with its interior balconies perfect for playing tag, an elevator like an iron birdcage, and quirky neighbors behind every apartment door—has always been fun and games for twelve-year-old Minerva Keen…until her neighbors start getting poisoned. Anyone could be next, and everyone is a suspect, including Minerva herself.
To clear her name and help the police crack the case, Minerva starts her own detective club. So what if it has only two other members, one being Minerva’s accident-prone daredevil brother and the other being the biggest and quietest kid in school, who is afraid of his own shadow? Minerva knows that with her brainpower, the club’s sleuthing skills, and case files full of suspects, they can unmask the poisoner…hopefully before it’s too late.
This page-turning new mystery series is packed with thrills, chills, laughs, and unforgettable characters and will leave kids eager to join the best club around.
From authors James Patterson and Keir Graff for Readers 8-12.
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Harley James & the Mystery of the Mayan Kings
Will Harley find the missing Mayan statue and save the World?
Amateur cryptologist Harley James has just landed in the sticky jungle of Tikal, Guatemala—home to the famous Mayan ruins. She’s made a few friends, a few mistakes…and a ground-breaking discovery.
The legendary statue of the long-lost Mayan King.
Just as she is about to impress her father with her discovery, the statue is stolen. Right from her own room!
And what’s worse? The legend says if the statues of the three kings are reunited, they’ll bring back an army from the dead to rule the world.
Follow along with Harley as she tracks down the missing Mayan statue, solves a few riddles and stumbles upon a secret society that will change her life forever!
From author Leah Cupps for Readers 8-12.
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Ben Archer and the Toreq Son – The Alien Skill Series, Book 6
Can a human boy save earth from an alien invasion?
Things are looking dire for Ben Archer.
From his jail cell on an alien warship Ben watches, helpless, as the Toreq blast the Earth with droughts, floods, and hurricanes. Ben‘s hopes of bringing balance back to the natural world are in shambles. His enemies accuse him of having misused his alien power and are only too happy to make him the scapegoat for humanity‘s wrongdoings.
Only Mesmo could convince his people to stand down. But Mesmo has disappeared and Ben fears the worst.
What can a thirteen-year-old-human boy do to save Earth? Can he regain his freedom and stop General Zoltar from executing his deep, dark secret – one that could doom them all?
From author Rae Knightly for Readers 10-14.
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The Book of Chaos (Starfell)
Twelve-year-old Fable Nuthatch has something that nobody else in Larkmoor has—magic. But living under the roof of her overprotective aunt, she’s forced to hide it from the world.
When a strange book lands in her lap and her cousin vanishes into its pages, she follows, hurtling into an enchanted forest far from the rolling hills of her home. Starfell is filled with unusual people and mystical creatures. Here, she’s accepted for who she is, and she’s finally free to embrace her powers.
But not everything is bright in Starfell. A darkness looms over the land, and her cousin is still missing. After following a trail of clues about other disappearances and the mysterious Fae Witch, Fable and her friends are confronted with a deadly secret—one that’s connected to Fable and her family.
With help from her peculiar new friends, Fable must learn to trust in herself or risk losing her cousin forever. Can she face the wicked secret hunting her and save him before it’s too late?
From author Jessica Renwick for Readers 8-12.
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Rick Riordan Presents Tiger Honor (A Thousand Worlds Novel, Book 2)
Sebin, a young tiger spirit from the Juhwang Clan, wants nothing more than to join the Thousand World Space Forces and, like their Uncle Hwan, captain a battle cruiser someday. But when Sebin’s acceptance letter finally arrives, it’s accompanied by the shocking news that Hwan has been declared a traitor. Apparently, the captain abandoned his duty to steal a magical artifact, the Dragon Pearl, and his whereabouts are still unknown. Sebin hopes to help clear their hero’s name and restore honor to the clan.
Nothing goes according to plan, however. As soon as Sebin arrives for orientation, they are met by a special investigator named Yi and Yi’s assistant, a girl named Min. Yi informs Sebin that they must immediately report to the ship Haetae and await further instructions. Sebin finds this highly unusual, but soon all protocol is forgotten when there’s an explosion on the ship, the crew is knocked out, and the communication system goes down. It’s up to Sebin, three other cadets, and Yi and Min to determine who is sabotaging the battle cruiser. When Sebin is suddenly accused of collaborating with the enemy, the cadet realizes that Min is the most dangerous foe of all.
From author Yoon Lee for Readers 8-12.
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Hannah Saves the World
Hannah’s got a funny feeling that it’s up to her to save the entire world. But before she can do that. She and her skeptical best friend Mia have to figure out what they’re saving the world from!
As Hannah and Mia’s detective work proceeds, they uncover a chain of clues that might unravel the mystery of the vandalized town playground. But what about the massive space cruiser parked high in the stratosphere, and the aliens inside who are laying plans to invade Earth?
Can a pair of middle-school detectives really save the world? Find out in this funny book for tweens!
From author A.M. Luzzader and illustrator Chadd VanZanten for Readers 8-12.
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Double Dino Trouble
How do you survive an encounter with a gang of rowdy dinosaurs?
Mr. Smith, who believes dinosaurs are long extinct, unravels a million-year-old egg without noticing. A little dinosaur follows him home, terrifies his cat, and rampages his house. Mr. Smith goes to sleep thinking his cat is next to him, only to wake up next to a dinosaur the following day.
Curious to learn more about this little fellow, he follows the weird creature up the mountain, where he has to fight for his life. Flown by twin dinosaurs, and almost killed by a poisonous one, Mr. Smith manages to escape with the help of his two new friends – Timo and Tara.
From Bulgarian-American author Diana Aleksandrova and illustrator Svilen Dimitrov for Readers 8-12.
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A Mermaid in Middle Grade: Book 1: The Talisman of Lostland
A young mermaid and a sea witch out for revenge. Oh, boy! There’s trouble ahead.
Can Brynn Finley become a sea guardian and help humans in danger when she just barely started the sixth grade?
Brynn is the only mermaid in school who hasn’t been able to learn magic. Until she can unlock the secret to magic spells, she can’t become a sea guardian like her parents and friends. On her quest to solve this mystery, Brynn and her best friend encounter a loveable sea turtle, a pair of selkie sisters, and Phaedra the great and terrible sea witch. But soon Brynn is over her head in trouble. She must learn to ask for help, do her best, and follow the merfolk oath if she wants to become a guardian of the sea!
From author A.M. Luzzader for Readers 8-10.
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Take Back the Block
Wes Henderson has the best style in sixth grade. That–and hanging out with his crew (his best friends since little-kid days) and playing video games–is what he wants to be thinking about at the start of the school year, not the protests his parents are always dragging him to.
But when a real estate developer makes an offer to buy Kensington Oaks, the neighborhood Wes has lived his whole life, everything changes. The grownups are supposed to have all the answers, but all they’re doing is arguing. Even Wes’s best friends are fighting. And some of them may be moving. Wes isn’t about to give up the only home he’s ever known. Wes has always been good at puzzles, and he knows there has to be a missing piece that will solve this puzzle and save the Oaks. But can he find it . . . before it’s too late?
From author Chrystal D. Giles for readers 8-12.
