F - 2972 | Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez

I wonder what it would be like to be free? Not to need wings because you don’t have to fly away from your country?

Anita de la Torre is a twelve-year-old girl living in the Dominican Republic in 1960.

Most of her relatives have emigrated to the United States, her Tío Toni has disappeared, Papi has been getting mysterious phone calls about butterflies and someone named Mr. Smith, and the secret police have started terrorizing her family for their suspected opposition to the country’s dictator.

While Anita deals with a frightening series of events, she also struggles with her adolescence and her own personal fight to be free.

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F - 2969 | Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez

After Tyler's father is injured in a tractor accident, his family is forced to hire migrant Mexican workers to help save their Vermont farm from foreclosure.

Tyler isn’t sure what to make of these workers. Are they undocumented? And what about the three daughters, particularly Mari, the oldest, who is proud of her Mexican heritage but also increasingly connected her American life. Her family lives in constant fear of being discovered by the authorities and sent back to the poverty they left behind in Mexico. Can Tyler and Mari find a way to be friends despite their differences?

In a novel full of hope, but no easy answers, Julia Alvarez weaves a beautiful and timely story that will stay with readers long after they finish it.

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F - 2967/1 | Snap (Bannister's Muster #1) by Barbara Gaskell Denvil

A boy with his head in the clouds. A magical ride through the sky. Can he take a trip back to medieval London and get home in time for school?

Twelve-year-old Nathan Bannister fantasizes about never having to go to class again. But his dreams never included a crazy wizard and a hot air balloon waiting inside his bedroom! Nathan is cold, scared, and still in his pajamas when the mad magician abandons him in medieval London.

Can Nathan track down the loony wizard to find his way back before school, or will all his homework become ancient history?

Snap is the first book in the Bannister's Muster middle-grade fantasy series. If you and your child like wondrous magic, awesome action, and cool medieval cities, then you'll both love Barbara Gaskell Denvil's brilliant adventure.

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F - 2967/2 | Snakes & Ladders (Bannister's Muster #2) by Barbara Gaskell Denvil

A magic knife. A fantastical land with a secret. Can one boy travel through time to discover his destiny?

Twelve-year-old Nathan Bannister remains awestruck by his crazy trips through time. More exploring the mystical world of Lashtang with his younger sister Poppy, he has an enchanted knife. But before he can unravel the weapon's connection to his family, he misplaces Poppy…

In his quest to recover his sister, Nathan must fight side-by-side with King Richard and determine both friends and foes in medieval London. With Granny's delicious cakes for sustenance, he realizes that deducing the secret behind the knife may be the key to saving his sibling.

Can Nathan reunite his family and understand his legacy, or will a fearsome battle leave him and his sister lost to history?

Snakes & Ladders is the second book in the Bannister's Muster middle-grade fantasy series. If you and your child like wacky time travel, amazing magical tricks, and fast-paced adventures, then you'll love Barbara Gaskell Denvil's trip through history.

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F - 2967/3 | Blind Man's Buff (Bannister's Muster #3) by Barbara Gaskell Denvil

A boy on the throne. A magical land under threat. Can he discover his own power in time to lead an army into battle?

At 14 years old, Londoner Nathan Bannister never thought he’d be the prince of a magical kingdom. Discovering he has his own special abilities, he hopes to use them to bring peace to Lashtang. But if he doesn't learn quickly, his leadership may not survive an attack from vengeful wizards.

On his quest to save his new land, Nathan must escape a devious trick and fight off a three-headed dog. When he discovers that his throne's enemies possess modern-day weapons, he knows Lashtang will fall without some serious help.

Can Nathan recruit an army of allies and use his fledgling magic to save the day, or will a long line of royals come to a terrible end?

Blind Man's Buff is the third book in the Bannister's Muster middle-grade fantasy series. If you like exciting magic, fierce battles, and fantastical creatures, then you'll love Barbara Gaskell Denvil's fast-paced adventure.

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F - 2967/4 | Dominoes (Bannister's Muster #4) by Barbara Gaskell Denvil

A young ruler under attack. His subjects in peril. Can one boy cut the enchanted chain that powers his enemy?

Fourteen-year-old Nathan Bannister hoped his family’s new royal rule would bring peace to the magical kingdom of Lashtang, but they’re not there yet. Instead, he must frantically rescue his people after a devastating attack from monstrous wizards. At last he discovers the magical chain that will bring the rest of his people back, he knows their only chance lies in cutting it.

Desperately organizing his defense before his enemy becomes too powerful, another adventure through time throws a wrench in his plans.

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F - 2967/5 | Leapfrog (Bannister's Muster #5) by Barbara Gaskell Denvil

As a boy struggles to protect his kingdom, a dark enemy rises to end his family’s hope of reigning again.

Nathan Bannister thinks he's finally mastered his magic. But that doesn’t do him much good when he loses his magical knife to the enemy. He's terrified his rivals will use it against him.

Granny get’s involved, but things go from bad to worse when Lashtang's biggest enemy escapes from prison. Knowing he needs help, Nathan turns to some of England's old kings, as his enemies bring back the dead. But in the end Nathen realises that only he and Poppy can make things right.

Can Nathan reclaim his magic knife and the throne, or will his final battle end in tragedy?

Leapfrog is the fifth book in the Bannister's Muster middle-grade fantasy series. If you and your child like enchanted worlds, unexpected twists and turns, and non-stop action, then you'll love Barbara Gaskell Denvil's stupendous caper.

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F - 2967/6 | Hide & Seek (Bannister's Muster #6) by Barbara Gaskell Denvil

A boy who finds his power, A dual to end all battles, and a grandmother who does much more than baking cookies.

Nathan now fourteen, must find a way to end the Hazlett’s rule and gain the throne back for his mother. He has the help of Kings from England’s past, but Clebbster brings a few families members back from the dead himself. How on earth will Nathan defeat them.

Yaark is still creeping around, and Poppy discovers that she’s the one destined to fight him. Everybody needs a friend in times of trouble and luckily both Nathan and Poppy find they have more than they thought!

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PN - 998/1 | Horizon (Horizon #1) by Scott Westerfeld

When a plane crash-lands in the arctic, eight young survivors step from the wreckage expecting to see nothing but ice and snow. Instead they find themselves lost in a strange jungle with no way to get home and little hope of rescue.

Food is running out. Water is scarce. And the jungle is full of threats unlike anything the survivors have ever seen before -- from razor-beaked shredder birds to carnivorous vines and much, much worse.

With danger at every turn, these eight kids must learn to work together to survive.

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F - 2914/1 | A Boy Called Christmas (Christmas #1) by Matt Haig

You are about to read the true story of Father Christmas.
It is a story that proves that nothing is impossible.
If you are one of those people who believe that some things are impossible, you should put this book down right away. It is most certainly not for you.
Because this book is FULL of impossible things.

Are you still reading?

Good.

Then let us begin . . .

A Boy Called Christmas is a tale of adventure, snow, kidnapping, elves, more snow, and an eleven-year-old boy called Nikolas, who isn't afraid to believe in magic.

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F - 2914/2 | The Girl Who Saved Christmas (Christmas #2) by Matt Haig

If magic has a beginning, can it also have an end?

When Amelia wants a wish to come true she knows just the man to ask - Father Christmas.

But the magic she wants to believe in is starting to fade, and Father Christmas has more than impossible wishes to worry about: upset elves, reindeers dropping out of the sky, angry trolls - and the chance that Christmas might be cancelled.

But Amelia isn't just any ordinary girl...

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F - 2862 | Summerlost by Ally Condie

It's the first real summer since the devastating accident that killed Cedar's father and younger brother, Ben. But now Cedar and what’s left of her family are returning to the town of Iron Creek for the summer. They’re just settling into their new house when a boy named Leo, dressed in costume, rides by on his bike. Intrigued, Cedar follows him to the renowned Summerlost theatre festival.

Soon, she not only has a new friend in Leo and a job working concessions at the festival, she finds herself surrounded by mystery. The mystery of the tragic, too-short life of the Hollywood actress who haunts the halls of Summerlost. And the mystery of the strange gifts that keep appearing for Cedar.

Infused with emotion and rich with understanding, Summerlost is the touching middle grade debut from Ally Condie, the international bestselling author of the Matched series, that highlights the strength of family and personal resilience in the face of tragedy.

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PN - 935 | Freshman for President by Ally Condie

Theres no way fifteen-year-old Milo Wright could win the election for President of the United States of America is there?
But what if Milo could get the teenage vote? What happens when the media starts promoting his candidacy?
What have Milo and his campaign manager and classmate Eden James got up their sleeves?

Running a race against all odds will make readers laugh and cheer and think about the unbelievable possibility.

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F - 2854/1 | The Schwa Was Here (Antsy Bonano #1) by Neal Shusterman

They say if you stare at him long enough, you can see what’s written on the wall behind him. They say a lot of things about the Schwa, but one thing’s for sure: no one ever noticed him. Except me. My name is Antsy Bonano—and I can tell you what’s true and what’s not, ’cause I was there.

I was the one who realized the Schwa was “functionally invisible” and used him to make some big bucks. But I was also the one who caused him more grief than a friend should. So if you all just shut up and listen, I’ll spill everything. Unless, of course, "the Schwa Effect" wipes him out of my brain before I'm done....

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F - 2854/2 | Antsy Does Time (Antsy Bonano #2) by Neal Shusterman

Fueled by friendship and sympathy, Antsy Bonano signs a month of his life over to his dying classmate Gunnar Umlaut.

Soon everyone at school follows suit, giving new meaning to the idea of living on borrowed time. But does Gunnar really have six months to live, or is news of his imminent death greatly exaggerated?

When a family member suffers a heart attack after donating two years to Gunnar, Antsy wonders if he has tempted fate by playing God.

Fans of the Schwa will welcome favorite and new characters in this wholly fresh tale, which is as touchingly poignant as it is darkly comical.

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F - 2854/3 | Ship Out of Luck (Antsy Bonano #3) by Neal Shusterman

In honor of Old Man Crawley’s eightieth birthday, the Bonano family has been invited to celebrate with a weeklong cruise to the Caribbean aboard the world’s largest, grandest ship.

But whether on land or at sea, Antsy can’t manage to stay out of trouble: He quickly finds himself the accomplice of stowaway and thief Tilde, whose self-made mission it is to smuggle onto the ship and across the U.S. border illegal immigrants from her native Mexico. When Antsy steps in to take the fall for Tilde, he becomes the focus of a major international incident and the poster child for questionable decisions.

Equal parts clever and riotous, Ship Out of Luck brings back the beloved cast of characters from Neal Shusterman’s acclaimed The Schwa Was Here and Antsy Does Time.

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PN - 928/1 | The Darkdeep (The Darkdeep #1) by Ally Condie, Brendan Reichs

When a bullying incident sends twelve-year-old Nico Holland over the edge of a cliff into the icy waters of Still Cove, where no one ever goes, friends Tyler and Ella – and even 'cool kid' Opal – rush to his rescue... only to discover an island hidden in the swirling mists below.

Shrouded by dense trees and murky tides, the island appears uninhabited, although the kids can't quite shake the feeling that something about it is off. Their suspicions grow when they stumble upon an abandoned houseboat with an array of curiosities inside: odd-looking weapons, unnerving portraits, maps to places they've never heard of, and a glass jar containing something completely unidentifiable.

As the group delves deeper into the unknown, their discoveries – and their lives –begin to intertwine in weird and creepy ways.

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PN - 928/2 | The Beast (The Darkdeep #2) by Ally Condie, Brendan Reichs

Nico, Opal, Tyler, Emma, and Logan survived their worst fears come to life, and saved their tiny Pacific Northwest town of Timbers from a monstrous figment invasion.

Now they just want to keep their heads down, enjoy Halloween, and explore the secrets of their mysterious houseboat clubhouse.
And also figure out their new Torchbearer responsibilities as keepers of the Darkdeep, an ancient whirlpool hidden in Still Cove that can make both dreams and nightmares into reality.

Told from alternating points of view, this chilling sequel from bestselling duo Ally Condie and Brendan Reichs will once again have readers sleeping with the lights on.

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PN - 928/3 | The Torchbearers (The Darkdeep #3) by Ally Condie, Brendan Reichs

After the events of Dark Halloween, the town of Timbers is in a full-blown monster panic, making life for the Torchbearers--Opal, Nico, Tyler, Emma, and Logan--extremely difficult.

Nico is investigating the Rift and the strange natural phenomena that continue to occur, all while worrying about his dad's potential work transfer.
Opal has her hands full researching the founding Torchbearer, Yvette Dumont, and deciphering clues from another realm sent by the mysterious Thing In a Jar.
Emma's wildly popular YouTube show has brought her new-found fame, but also earned her some enemies.
Logan is trying to unlock secrets in his own family history...

But that's not all. Something cryptic has surfaced from within the Darkdeep.

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F - 2853/1 | Chase (Chase #1) by Linwood Barclay

The Incredible Journey meets Gordon Korman's On the Run in this exciting middle-grade thriller.

Chipper is a very special dog. He's part of a multi-million dollar experiment at a secret organization known only as The Institute. The Institute has been experimenting with dogs, melding them with state-of-the-art computer technology. But there's a problem with Chipper. His natural dog instincts often overrule his computer side. No matter what he's doing, if he sees a squirrel or a mouse, he'll drop everything to chase it. So The Institute has decided it's time to pull the plug on Chipper. Chipper manages a daring escape with a destination in mind, but a team from the Institute, led by the cold-hearted Daggert, is hot on his heels.

Twelve-year-old Jeff Conroy lives with his aunt and helps run her business, a lakeside cabin-rental operation that caters to fishermen. Jeff desperately misses his parents, who were killed in a plane crash a year earlier. But at least he's made one friend: Emily, whose ex-cop father owns a similar business down the lake. And Emily, a computer whiz, has the coolest fort ever: a trackless, abandoned train station in the middle of the forest...

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