Alien on a Rampage by Clete Barrett Smith

David is looking forward to spending another adventure-filled summer at his grandmother’s Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast—a vacation hotspot for aliens. But as soon as he meets Grandma’s new repairman, an alien named Scratchull, he becoms suspicious. The only problem is that it is difficult to be sneaky when you have a ravenous alien pet attached to you. Even though no one else—including Grandma—thinks that Scratchull is an underhanded handyman, David decides to spy on him. But no one believes David when he discovers that Scratchull really is an evil mastermind with a plot to destroy the planet. Without the help of Grandma and his friends, will David be able to save Earth before it’s too late?

Disney/Hyperion Books

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Madhatten Mystery by John J. Bonk

       Summary:All set to spend their summer in New York City   with their aunt while their father is honeymooning with his new wife, Lexi and her younger brother Kevin’s snoozy summer plans turn into high-stakes adventure when Lexi overhears a plot to steal Cleopatra’s famous jewels from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Joining forces with budding investigative journalist Kim Ling Levine, they ditch day camp to track down the thieves and rake in the reward money. Can Lexi, Kevin, and Kim find out who’s behind the jewel heist without getting into too much trouble themselves?For fans of the classic From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler comes a hilarious whodunnit that will keep readers guessing to the very end.

Walker & Company

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Bridge of Time, by Lewis Buzbee

Summary: “Best friends Lee Jones and Joan Lee have a lot more in common besides their names. On the eve of their class trip, they each learn their parents are getting divorced. Ugh. The class trip is a dud, so Lee and Joan steal away to talk. What follows is an afternoon nap in a lighthouse, walking up to find the Golden Gate Bridge gone–gone!–and meeting a young man named Sam Clemens, who is on the run from a mysterious stranger.Lee and Joan wonder: Where are they? What year is it? Why don’t their cell phones work? How will they get back? Do they even want to? Will life ever be the same? “from Amazon

 

Feiwel and Friends

 

The Whole Story of Half a Girl, by Veera Hiranandani

A coming of age story of a girl whose life is turned upside down when her father loses his job. Sonia, who is half-Indian, half-Jewish  must leave the comfort of her much loved open-minded private school, the Community. Sonia is confronted for the first time with defining her ethnicity. When she notices at the new school, kids are self segregated by skin color at the lunch tables, she wonders to her parents, what am I black or white?  She explores new identities and struggles to choose between two groups of friends. As her father’s depression deepens, Sonia is forced to re-examine her definition of family and where her loyalties lie.

Delacorte Press

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The Classroom: The Epic Documentary of a Not-Yet-Epic Kid , by Robin Mellom

Summary:

As a documentary is filmed at their middle school, roles reverse for worrier Trevor and his lifelong best friend Libby, who has always rescued him from embarrassing situations but is now focused on being “cool” and no longer wants to be his “friend friend.”

Disney Book Group

 

Choke, by Diana Lopez

A heartfelt novel about the disturbing “choking game” trend — and one girl’s struggle for self-acceptance.If she could — if her parents would let her — eighth-grader Windy would change everything about herself. She’d get highlights in her hair, a new wardrobe; she’d wear makeup. But nothing ever changes. The mean girls at school are still mean, and Windy’s best friend Elena is still more interested in making up words than talking about boys.
And then one day, Windy gets the change she’s been looking for. New girl Nina — impossibly cool, confident, and not afraid of anyone — starts hanging out with Windy! Nina even wants to be “breath sisters.” Windy isn’t sure what that means, exactly, but she knows she wants to find out. It sounds even better than a BFF.Windy is right, at first. Being a breath sister gains her a whole new set of friends, girls she feels closer to and cooler with than anyone else. But her inclusion in the new crowd comes at a dangerous price. Windy wants to change everything about her life … but is she really willing to give up everything in the process? ( Amazon)

 

Scholastic Press

The Boy Project : (Notes and Observations of Kara McAllister), by Kami Kinard

Summary:

Eighth-grader Kara McAllister chronicles her efforts when she tries to use the scientific method to transform her social blunders into romantic victories.

Scholastic Press

The Boy on Cinnamon Street, by Phoebe Stone

Summary: A story about a wounded girl and the boy who won’t give up on her. 7th grader Louise should be the captain of her school’s gymnastics team – but she isn’t. She’s fun and cute and should have lots of friends – but she doesn’t. And there’s a dreamy boy who has a crush on her – but somehow they never connect. Louise has everything going for her – so what is it that’s holding her back? Phoebe Stone tells the winning story of the spring when 7th grader Louise Terrace wakes up, finds the courage to confront the painful family secret she’s hiding from – and finally get the boy.

Arthur A. Levine Books

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The Bell Bandit, by Jaqueline Davies

Summary:

Siblings Evan and Jessie must solve the mystery of a missing cherished family treasure while coming to terms with their beloved grandmother’s unsettling behavior.

Houghton Mifflin

Dear America: Behind The Masks, by Susan Patron

Summary: Newbery Award-winning author Susan Patron brings her talents to the beloved Dear America series in this exciting story of a girl growing up in the Wild West, in a California gold mining town. Growing up in the wild gold-mining town of Bodie, California, in the 1880s, Angeline Reddy has seen it all — saloons, brawls, and a whole lot of desperation. When her father, Bodie’s greatest lawyer, is declared murdered, Angie knows deep in her heart that he isn’t dead and decides it is up to her to solve the mystery of what happened to him. But when her mother takes ill and a mysterious ghost appears, putting together the puzzle pieces seems impossible. Not to mention, a gang of vigilantes, the 601, is raging out of control, running folks out of town, and nobody seems safe. Will Angie, with the help of her friends Ellie and Ling Loi, and the mysterious and tragically handsome Antoine, be able to uncover the secret of her father’s disappearance?

 

Scholastic

 

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Above World, by Jenn Reese

Summary: Thirteen-year-old Aluna has lived her entire life under the ocean with the Coral Kampii in the City of Shifting Tides. But after centuries spent hidden from the Above World, her colony’s survival is at risk. Only headstrong Aluna and her friend Hoku are stubborn and bold enough to face the terrors of land to search for way to save their people. Set in a world where overcrowding has led humans to adapt – growing tails to live under the ocean or wings to live on mountains – here is a ride through a future where greed and cruelty have gone unchecked, but the loyalty of friends remains true.

Candlewick Press

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Book of Wonders, by Jasmine Richards

Summary:  Zardi and Rhidan, her silver-haired violet-eyed friend, head for the high seas, sailing with the fabled Sinbad to find the Windrose, an amulet that will help them unseat Arabithia’s evil sultan and rescue Zardi’s sister from almost-certain death.

 Harper

 

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Cabinet of Earths, by Anne Nesbet

Summary:On their first day in Paris, Maya and her little brother, James, find themselves caught up in some very old magic. Houses with bronze salamanders for door handles, statues that look too much like Maya’s own worried face, a man wearing sunglasses to hide his radiant purple eyes . . . nothing is what it seems. And what does all that magic want from Maya? With the help of a friendly boy named Valko, Maya discovers surprises hidden in her family tree-grandmothers who walked in magic, a cousin so unremarkable she’s actually hard to see, and a terrible family habit of betraying one’s brother. And now the shimmering glass Cabinet of Earths, at the heart of all these secrets, has chosen Maya to be its new Keeper. As she untangles the ties between the Salamander House, the purple-eyed man, and the Cabinet of Earths, Maya realizes that her own brother may be in terrible danger. To save him, Maya must take on the magical underworld of Paris . . . before it is too late.

Harper

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Child of the Mountains, by Marilyn Sue Shank

Summary:”It’s about keeping the faith.”Growing up poor in 1953 in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia doesn’t bother Lydia Hawkins. She treasures her tight-knit family. There’s her loving mama, now widowed; her whip-smart younger brother, BJ, who has cystic fibrosis; and wise old Gran. But everything falls apart after Gran and BJ die and mama is jailed unjustly. Suddenly Lydia has lost all those dearest to her. Moving to a coal camp to live with her uncle William and aunt Ethel Mae only makes Lydia feel more alone. She is ridiculed at her new school for her outgrown homemade clothes and the way she talks, and for what the kids believe her mama did. And to make matters worse, she discovers that her uncle has been keeping a family secret–about her.If only Lydia, with her resilient spirit and determination, could find a way to clear her mother’s name.

Random House

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Curveball the Year I Lost my Grip, by Jordan Sonnenblick

Summary:Sometimes, the greatest comebacks take place far away from the ball field. Meet Peter Friedman, high school freshman. Talented photographer. Former baseball star. When a freakish injury ends his pitching career, Peter has some major things to figure out. Is there life after sports? Why has his grandfather suddenly given him thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment? And is it his imagination, or is the super-hot star of the girls’ swim team flirting with him, right in front of the amazing new girl in his photography class? In his new novel, teen author Jordan Sonnenblick performs his usual miraculous feat: exploring deep themes of friendship, romance, family, and tragedy, while still managing to be hilariously funny.

Scholastic Press

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