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THE COURT OF MIRACLES Young adult fiction by Kester Grant Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables has proven an enduring touchstone, inspiring everything from a stage musical (remember Les Miz?) to numerous movie versions. Court of Miracles puts its own fresh spin on this durable tale by setting it in an alternate Paris where the wretched poor have formed …
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You’ve petted your dog, you’ve walked your dog, but have you ever been inspired by your dog? I have. My newest book, Switched, is particularly close to my heart because it was inspired by my late dog, Riley. One morning when she was young, we went walking in a canyon and I let her go off-leash. …
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LORE Young adult fiction by Alexandra Bracken Alexandra Bracken’s LORE boasts a killer premise. Every seven years, as punishment for an ancient rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by the descendants of Greek heroes. The seven days of hunting is known as the Agon, and whoever kills a god will …
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I didn’t know what to expect. Having flown halfway around the world to visit the American International School of Abuja in Nigeria, I was open for adventure. But when the school invited me to visit their “sister school,” a local primary school they were mentoring, I wasn’t sure how those kids would react. After all, …
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Tween fiction by Holly Black
What happens when you take an iconic Disney villain (in this case, Maleficent) and put her in the hands of Holly Black, doyenne of YA fantasy? A delightful tween story that humanizes the villain and puts a new spin on the world of Sleeping Beauty.

In this telling, Princess (now Queen) Aurora …
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Middle-grade fiction by Kwame Mbalia Rick Riordan Presents delivers another engaging, kid-friendly, mythological tale in Kwame Mbalia’s Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky. When the story opens, Tristan Strong isn’t having the most ideal seventh-grade year. His best buddy, Eddie, died in a school bus crash, and Tristan blames himself for not being able …
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In Kate Allen’s lyrical novel, The Line Tender, budding middle school artist Lucy Everhart experiences a summer of discovery and loss in her seaside Massachusetts town. When the story opens, Lucy and her best friend Fred are abuzz over a fisherman landing a Great White Shark, rarely seen in their waters. The pair is working …
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From the start, this was no ordinary author visit. I arrived at 2 a.m. on a Saturday, expecting to spend a week and a half speaking at two international schools in Sudan. Unfortunately, that same Saturday, massive anti-government demonstrations began against despotic Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.  And the protests continued, swelling by thousands every day. On …
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