Even though 2020 has lasted at least a century, it’s still hard to believe that December has finally arrived. How’s the weather where you are? Snow? Or sporting short sleeves? Have you started preparing for the holidays? What books are you putting on your gift list (giving or receiving)?
Happy Reading,
Jocelyn, Halli, Martina, and Elizabeth
YOUNG ADULT NOVELS NEW IN STORES NEXT WEEK
A Curse of Roses
by Diana Pinguicha
Hardcover
Entangled: Teen
Released 12/1/2020
Based on Portuguese legend, this #OwnVoices historical fantasy is an epic tale of mystery, magic, and making the impossible choice between love and duty…
With just one touch, bread turns into roses. With just one bite, cheese turns into lilies.
There’s a famine plaguing the land, and Princess Yzabel is wasting food simply by trying to eat. Before she can even swallow, her magic―her curse―has turned her meal into a bouquet. She’s on the verge of starving, which only reminds her that the people of Portugal have been enduring the same pain for years.
If only it were possible to reverse her magic. Then she could turn flowers into food.
Fatyan, a beautiful Enchanted Moura, is the only one who can help. But she is trapped by magical binds. She can teach Yzabel how to control her curse―if Yzabel sets her free with a kiss.
As the King of Portugal’s betrothed, Yzabel would be committing treason, but what good is a king if his country has starved to death?
With just one kiss, Fatyan is set free. And with just one kiss, Yzabel is yearning for more.
She’d sought out Fatyan to help her save the people. Now, loving her could mean Yzabel’s destruction.
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A Sky Beyond the Storm
by Sabaa Tahir
Hardcover
Razorbill
Released 12/1/2020
Picking up just a few months after A Reaper at the Gates left off…
The long-imprisoned jinn are on the attack, wreaking bloody havoc in villages and cities alike. But for the Nightbringer, vengeance on his human foes is just the beginning.
At his side, Commandant Keris Veturia declares herself Empress, and calls for the heads of any and all who defy her rule. At the top of the list? The Blood Shrike and her remaining family.
Laia of Serra, now allied with the Blood Shrike, struggles to recover from the loss of the two people most important to her. Determined to stop the approaching apocalypse, she throws herself into the destruction of the Nightbringer. In the process, she awakens an ancient power that could lead her to victory–or to an unimaginable doom.
And deep in the Waiting Place, the Soul Catcher seeks only to forget the life–and love–he left behind. Yet doing so means ignoring the trail of murder left by the Nightbringer and his jinn. To uphold his oath and protect the human world from the supernatural, the Soul Catcher must look beyond the borders of his own land. He must take on a mission that could save–or destroy–all that he knows.
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Admission
by Julie Buxbaum
Hardcover
Delacorte Press
Released 12/1/2020
From the New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things comes an of-the-moment novel that peeks inside the private lives of the hypercompetitive and the hyperprivileged and takes on the college admissions bribery scandal that rocked the country.
It’s good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer. She’s headed off to the college of her dreams. She’s going to prom with the boy she’s had a crush on since middle school. Her best friend always has her back, and her mom, a B- list Hollywood celebrity, may finally be on her way to the B+ list. It’s good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer–at least, it was, until the FBI came knocking on her front door, guns at the ready, and her future went up in smoke. Now her mother is under arrest in a massive college admissions bribery scandal. Chloe, too, might be facing charges, and even time behind bars. The public is furious, the press is rabid, and the US attorney is out for blood.
As she loses everything she’s long taken for granted, Chloe must reckon not only with the truth of what happened, but also with the examination of her own guilt. Why did her parents think the only way for her to succeed was to cheat for her? What did she know, and when did she know it? And perhaps most importantly, what does it mean to be complicit?
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Band Nerds Awards : Nominations from the 13th Chair Trombone Player
by DJ Corchin
Paperback
Sourcebooks Explore
Released 12/1/2020
Move over, Pulitzer! Get out of the way, Nobel Prize! The most prestigious award of the century is calling. Don’t miss another laugh-out-loud installment in the 13th Chair series by DJ Corchin!
The Marching Band Nerd Awards are not your typical awards. But do any other awards even matter? Could you win the award for the Most Texts Sent During Rehearsal? Or the Fastest Person with a Tuba award? Most Creative Use of a Saber? Or the award for the Largest Spit Pool? These hilarious awards will have band nerds of all ages picking winners.
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Band Nerds Confessions : Quotes from the 13th Chair Trombone Player
by DJ Corchin
Paperback
Sourcebooks Explore
Released 12/1/2020
A hilariously brilliant compilation of all things related to band-nerd utopia will have you at cello! This sharp installment of the 13th Chair series from DJ Corchin is laugh-out-loud funny!
Socrates. Plato. Aristotle. Mere child’s play! Band Nerds Confessions is the newest addition to the Band Nerds Book Series. With over 800 quotes, anecdotes, and thoughts from the 13th Chair, there isn’t a larger source of band hodgepodge genius on the planet.
We’ve all wondered what our messy music lockers say about us. Or dreamed of the many ways instruments can fit together to form a super robot. Truly thought-provoking words await you. Go ahead, open to any page and transport yourself to the humorously inspiring music world of the 13th Chair!
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Day One
by Kelly deVos
Hardcover
HarperCollins
Released 12/1/2020
In the sequel to Day Zero, stepsisters Jinx and MacKenna must put aside their enmity and work together to rescue their little brother…and possibly save the world. A nonstop whirlwind of a read for fans of Marie Lu, Rick Yancey and Alexandra Bracken.
RULE ONE: THOSE WHO PANIC DON’T SURVIVE
IT’S AS TRUE NOW AS IT WAS THE DAY OUR WORLD EXPLODED INTO CHAOS
Jinx
Three months ago, all I wanted was to stay up late playing video games and pretending things were fine. But with my parents’ role in a massive political conspiracy exposed, I ended up on the run, desperate to rescue my little brother, Charles, from the clutches of The Opposition.
I used to hate my father’s obsession with disaster prepping. But as I fight my way across a war-torn country and into a secret military research facility with only my stepsister to count on, I realize that following Dr. Doomsday’s Guide for Ultimate Survival might be our only hope of surviving to see Charles again.
MacKenna
Once, I had it all. The right backstory. The right qualifications. But my life as a student journalist was destroyed forever in the explosions that triggered the country’s meltdown. Now I’m determined to help Jinx get our little brother back. But we also have to find our own reasons to survive. Somehow, I’ve become the first reporter of the new civil war. In a world where your story is your ultimate weapon, I have to become the toughest freedom fighter of all.
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Fall into Me
by Mila Gray
Hardcover
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Released 12/1/2020
An unexpected and searing romance unfolds between a young recording artist and her ex-Marine bodyguard trying to outrun his difficult past in this wrenching novel from the author of Come Back to Me and Run Away with Me.
Luna is one of the most famous singer-songwriters in the world. But she’s barely keeping it together. Demands from her family, friends, and fans have all become too much. Especially when she starts receiving threatening messages from a dangerous stalker.
That’s when Will comes into the picture. A Marine who has just returned from a tour in Afghanistan, Will is unsure what to do with the next chapter of his life. So when a job working security comes up, he figures he’d be a perfect fit. But Will wasn’t expecting a job that thrusts him so into the limelight—and he definitely wasn’t expecting Luna; a human hurricane who’s used to getting whatever she wants.
Once Luna begins to let her guard down and show her real self to Will, their relationship moves from professional friendship to something more. As Will battles his inner demons, and Luna attempts to escape the realities of fame, they discover a deep connection that can’t be denied. But Will knows he shouldn’t compromise himself with a client. It’s too risky. Too complicated.
And yet none of that matters when the threats against Luna only get worse, leading to an altercation that could mean both Will and Luna losing the one thing that means everything to them—each other.
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New Year’s Kiss
by Lee Matthews
Paperback
Random House
Released 12/1/2020
A fun and upbeat paperback original romance about a girl who has a New Year’s resolution to make the coming year epic in every way–and is willing to put herself out there for love.
Tess and her opinionated older sister Lauren are spending the week after Christmas at the snowy Evergreen Lodge in Vermont and they aren’t happy about it. Their stern grandmother, who owns the holiday resort, is not known for her warmth and good humor. But when shy, straight-laced Tess meets Christopher in the lobby, things are suddenly looking up. And when she decides to get out of her comfort zone and create a bucket list of things to accomplish before the New Year-like singing in public and skiing a black-diamond slope-Christopher is happy to help, even as he keeps a secret that could turn everything upside down. When the ball drops, will Tess and Christopher share a magical kiss-or will Tess start the new year off alone?
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The Ballad of Ami Miles
by Kristy Dallas Alley
Hardcover
Swoon Reads
Released 12/1/2020
A teen girl on a quest to find her long-lost mother finds herself on a journey of self-discovery in Kristy Dallas Alley’s moving YA debut, The Ballad of Ami Miles.
Raised in isolation at Heavenly Shepherd, her family’s trailer-dealership-turned-survival compound, Ami Miles knows that she was lucky to be born into a place of safety after the old world ended and the chaos began. But when her grandfather brings home a cold-eyed stranger, she realizes that her “destiny” as one of the few females capable of still bearing children isn’t something she’s ready to face.
With the help of one of her aunts, she flees the only life she’s ever known and sets off on a quest to find her long-lost mother (and hopefully a mate of her own choosing). But as she journeys, Ami discovers many new things about the world…and about herself.
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The Cousins
by Karen M. McManus
Hardcover
Delacorte Press
Released 12/1/2020
Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each another, and they’ve never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they’re surprised . . . and curious.
Their parents are all clear on one point–not going is not an option. This could be the opportunity to get back into Grandmother’s good graces. But when the cousins arrive on the island, it’s immediately clear that she has different plans for them. And the longer they stay, the more they realize how mysterious–and dark–their family’s past is.
The entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn’t over–and this summer, the cousins will learn everything.
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The Frozen Prince
by Maxym M. Martineau
Paperback
Sourcebooks Fire
Released 12/1/2020
I will fight―for her, for all of us―until I have nothing left to give.
Noc, leader of the assassins of Cruor, may have broken the curse that’s kept him trapped for so many years, but the dark magic won’t be denied. If he doesn’t kill Leena―the girl he can’t live without―then his own life will be given as payment. To make matters worse, the truth of his past has fallen into the hands of his enemies, threatening everyone he’s ever loved.
And their time is running out.
Leena has finally come into her own as a Charmer and would do anything to help Noc survive. When she learns of a magical creature that may be able to save him, she gathers her courage and sets out for the frozen north. But what starts as a hunt for answers quickly turns deadly, and soon Leena, Noc, and their trusted band of assassins find themselves face-to-face with an enemy more terrible, and powerful, than they could have ever imagined.
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The Good Girls
by Claire Eliza Bartlett
Hardcover
HarperTeen
Released 12/1/2020
One of Us Is Lying meets Sadie in this twisty, feminist thriller for the Me Too era.
The troublemaker. The overachiever. The cheer captain. The dead girl. Like every high school in America, Jefferson-Lorne High contains all of the above.
After the shocking murder of senior Emma Baines, three of her classmates are at the top of the suspect list: Claude, the notorious partier; Avery, the head cheerleader; and Gwen, the would-be valedictorian.
But appearances are never what they seem. And the truth behind what really happened to Emma may just be lying in plain sight. As long buried secrets come to light, the clock is ticking to find Emma’s killer—before another good girl goes down.
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The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre
by Robin Talley
Hardcover
HarperTeen
Released 12/1/2020
Melody McIntyre, stage manager extraordinaire, has a plan for everything.
What she doesn’t have? Success with love. Every time she falls for someone during a school performance, both the romance and the show end in catastrophe. So, Mel swears off any entanglements until their upcoming production of Les Mis is over.
Of course, Mel didn’t count on Odile Rose, rising star in the acting world, auditioning for the spring performance. And she definitely didn’t expect Odile to be sweet and funny, and care as much about the play’s success as Mel.
Which means that Melody McIntyre’s only plan now is trying desperately not to fall in love.
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Wonderful Women of History
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Paperback
DC Comics
Released 12/1/2020
Not all heroes wear capes!
Wonder Woman has been an inspiration for decades, and while not everyone would choose her star-spangled outfit for themselves, her compassion and fairness are worthy of emulation. We’ll be presenting tales of the real-world heroes who take up Diana’s mantle and work in the fields of science, sports, activism, diplomacy, and more!
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