New Fiction Release

In Del Rio, Texas, life is all about borders -- and what happens when you cross the line. A fresh new series in the tradition of Bluford High explores what it's like to grow up on the edge.

A quinceanera for the record books?

If Fabiola Garza had her way, her quinceanera would be as simple and as non-traditional as possible-just two airline tickets to New York City and her best friend in tow. Sadly, things hardly ever go Fabi's way.

After mean girl Melodee lays down a quinceanera challenge in front of the entire school, Fabi is forced to upgrade her party plans. Melodee is rich and popular-her quinceanera will be effortlessly epic. Fabi is at a loss as to how to make her party remotely as fun and fabulous as Melodee's is sure to be. Younger sister Alexis steps in with a scheme to get Fabi on the TV show Quince Dreams-but Fabi isn't convinced she won't end up in a quince nightmare instead.

Universally recognized as Dante's early masterpiece, and including some of his best poetry outside the Divine Comedy, to which it can be regarded as a sort of prequelPart poetical tribute, part autobiography, it traces Dante's passionate love for Beatrice from his first meeting with her as a boy to her premature death at the age of 24 and the psychological and emotional turmoil that this caused him. Not only a lasting monument to the powers of imagination, it also represents the triumph of poetry, love, and faith over death, and can now be fully appreciated by English readers in Anthony Mortimer's stunning verse translation.

 

Rory the pet mouse goes on a trip to Edinburgh Zoo in Sam's pocket. He leans out to get a better look and falls into the anteater's enclosure. How will wee Rory ever find Sam again in the enormous zoo? 'Have you seen Sam?' Rory asks, and tries to describe his owner. He tells the zebra Sam's got sticky-out sandy hair, and gets sent to the lion! He tells the lion Sam's got big round eyes, and gets sent to the owl! Rory meets lots of animals -- a helpful anteater, a polite zebra, a grumpy lion, a hungry owl, a friendly rhino, the elegant flamingos and the blethering penguins, who take him along on their penguin parade. But will he ever find Sam? This charming zoo story, full of wonderful animal characters, is beautifully illustrated by talented young artist, Joanne Nethercott.

 

Ages 10 years & over. Luanne Armstrong takes the reader on a tension-filled ride as Regan, a young girl living in the inner city, searches for her mother who has mysteriously disappeared. Homeless but by no means hapless, Regan is on her own much of the time but also receives help from a wide diversity of people: a young homeless boy like herself, her kung-fu teacher, a university researcher, her grandmother, and a group of people who survive as bottle pickers. On the street, she must learn who it is she can truly trust, and it is not always those whom she (and the reader) might expect. Through her search for her mother, and in her connections with the people who truly help and care for her, Regan discovers her own inner strength and independence. In this fast-paced and sensitive story, Armstrong draws us into the shadowy and difficult side of inner-city life to show us both the dark and the compassionate sides of the people who survive in its midst.

 

 

The Stakes Have Never Been Higher for this Homicide Cop

Publishers Weekly calls J. Mark Bertrand's writing "gritty and chilling." He returns once more to the streets of Houston for another twisting mystery featuring Detective Roland March. This time, a new case is launched by the discovery of a headless corpse...only the investigation quickly becomes complicated when a blood sample analysis brings a phone call from the FBI.

The body was an undercover agent working to bring down Mexican cartels. The feds want the case closed rather than risk exposing other agents in the field, but March can't abide letting a murder go unsolved. And he doesn't have to dig long to figure out something isn't right. Someone is covering something up, and it seems that everyone has something to hide. Maybe even March, as the case soon intersects, unexpectedly, with the murder that led him to become a homicide cop, all those years ago.

Daisy Crispin is at a crossroads. In one direction lies the promised land--life at college, away from her embarrassing and overprotective parents. In the other direction is reality--her strapped bank account, an ailing father, and family priorities. Daisy knows the "perfect" daughter wouldn't have to think twice. But maybe Daisy was never really perfect on any level, because she does not want her life to look the way her parents think it should. She won't let that stop her, though. Now that she has been given an exciting free trip to Argentina before going to college, she's thrilled--until her parents decide to go along with her.

Hilarious and all too true to life, Perfectly Ridiculous gives teen girls more of what they want and love to read from Kristin Billerbeck.