Twelve tales, twelve dangerous tales of mystery, magic, and rebellious hearts. Each twists like a spindle to reveal truths full of warning and triumph, truths that free hearts long kept tame, truths that explore life, and death. A prince has a surprising awakening. A beauty fights like a beast. A boy refuses to become prey. A path to happiness is lost, then found again. New York Times bestselling author Soman Chainani respins old stories into fresh fairy tales for a new era and creates a world like no other. These stories know you. They understand you. They reflect you. They are tales for our times. So read on, if you dare. This title is intended for tweens and is suitable for most audiences. Recorded with permission of HarperCollins. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.
A cat-and-mouse game that can only end in bloodshed.Esha lost everything in the royal coup—and as the legendary rebel known as the Viper, she's made the guilty pay. Now she's been tasked with her most important mission to date: taking down the ruthless General Hotha. Kunal has been a soldier since childhood. His uncle, the general, has ensured that Kunal never strays from the path—even as a part of Kunal longs to join the outside world, which has only been growing more volatile. When Esha and Kunal's paths cross one fated night, an impossible chain of events unfolds. This title is intended for teens, however, it may contain language or themes that some readers may find offensive. Recorded with permission of Katherin Tegen Books, an imprint of
When the Sudanese civil war reaches his village in 1985, eleven-year-old Salva becomes separated from his family and must walk with other Dinka tribe members through southern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya in search of safe haven. Based on the life of Salva Dut, who, after emigrating to America in 1996, began a project to dig water wells in Sudan. This title is intended for tweens and is suitable for most audiences. Recorded with permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library's catalog.
When her beloved cousin goes missing after a May Day celebration, sixteen-year-old Ivy discovers that both her cousin and her hometown in the Missouri Ozarks are as full of secrets as the woods that surround them. This title is intended for teens, however, it may contain language or themes that some readers may find offensive. Recorded with permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.
A tale based on true events follows the coming-of-age of a girl who is motivated by an act of racism at school to learn about her ancestral heritage and her grandparents' experiences as lost children during the Korean War. This title is intended for tweens and is suitable for most audiences. Recorded with permission of HarperCollins. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.
Belly spends the summer she turns sixteen at the beach just like every other summer of her life, but this time things are very different. This title is intended for teens, however, it may contain language or themes that some readers may find offensive. Recorded with permission of Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.
Skye Shin has heard it all. Fat girls shouldn't dance. Wear bright colors. Shouldn't call attention to themselves. But Skye dreams of joining the glittering world of K-Pop, and to do that, she's about to break all the rules that society, the media, and even her own mother, have set for girls like her. She'll challenge thousands of other performers in an internationally televised competition looking for the next K-pop star, and she'll do it better than anyone else. When Skye nails her audition, she's immediately swept into a whirlwind of countless practices, shocking performances, and the drama that comes with reality TV. What she doesn't count on are the highly fat-phobic beauty standards of the Korean pop entertainment industry, her sudden media fame, and scrutiny, or the sparks that soon fly with her fellow competitor, Henry Cho. But Skye has her sights on becoming the world's first plus-sized K-pop star, and that means winning the competition, without losing herself. This title is intended for tweens and is suitable for most audiences. Recorded with permission of Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.
Mia and Jake have known each other their whole lives. They've endured summer vacations, Sunday brunches, even dentist visits together. Their mothers, who are best friends, are convinced that Mia and Jake would be the perfect couple, even though they can't stand to be in the same room together. After Mia's mom turns away yet another cute boy, Mia and Jake decide they've have had enough. Together, they hatch a plan to get their moms off their backs. Permanently. All they have to do is pretend to date and then stage the worst breakup of all time -- and then they'll be free. The only problem is, maybe Jake and Mia don't hate each other as much as they once thought... This title is intended for teens, however, it may contain language or themes that some readers may find offensive. Recorded with permission of Swoon, an imprint of Macmillan. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.
Silver Batal, a young desert-dweller, dreams of becoming a water dragon racer, and when she befriends a rare dragon that can swim and fly, she may just get her chance. This title is intended for tweens and is suitable for most audiences. Recorded with permission of Square Fish, an imprint of Macmillan. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.
When seventeen-year-old Ginny receives a packet of mysterious envelopes from her favorite aunt, she leaves New Jersey to criss-cross Europe on a sort of scavenger hunt that transforms her life. This title is intended for teens, however, it may contain language or themes that some readers may find offensive. Recorded with permission of HarperCollins. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.
In 1868, with his army officer father suddenly posted to India, and his mother mysteriously "unwell," fourteen-year-old Sherlock Holmes is sent to stay with his eccentric uncle and aunt in their vast house in Hampshire, where he uncovers his first murder and a diabolical villain. This title is intended for tweens and is suitable for most audiences. Recorded with permission of Farrar, Straus & Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.
After twelve-year-old Lark, determined to escape her squalid life, steals a magical sword from the Royal Museum, she reluctantly becomes the next Nightingale, destined to vanquish an ancient evil. This title is intended for tweens and is suitable for most audiences. Recorded with permission of Atheneum, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.
A lengthy California drought escalates to catastrophic proportions, turning Alyssa's quiet suburban street into a warzone, and she is forced to make impossible choices if she and her brother are to survive. This title is intended for teens, however, it may contain language or themes that some readers may find offensive. Recorded with permission of S&S Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.
While running a spy network from their elementary school, five unpopular misfits combine their talents and use cutting-edge gadgetry to fight evil around the world. This title is intended for tweens and is suitable for most audiences. Recorded with permission of Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.
High school senior Tanner Scott has hidden his bisexuality since his family moved to Utah, but he falls hard for Sebastian, a Mormon mentoring students in a writing seminar Tanner's best friend convinced him to take. This title is intended for teens, however, it may contain language or themes that some readers may find offensive. Published with permission of Simon & Schuster. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.
While his human Elliot adjusts to his new home and stepfamily, Gizmo, an evil genius guinea pig, searches for a new evil lair where he can plot to take over the world, but Gizmo is constantly thwarted by Elliot's little stepsister Jasmine (who likes to play dress-up), Abuela (who may or may not like to eat cavies), and Wedgie (a Corgi superhero and Gizmo's nemesis). This title is intended for tweens and is suitable for most audiences. Recorded with permission of Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.
Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed "Dumplin'" by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked... until Will takes a job at Harpy's, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn't surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back. Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant -- along with several other unlikely candidates -- to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she'll shock the hell out of Clover City -- and maybe herself most of all.
This title is intended for teens, however, it may contain language or themes that some readers may find offensive. Recorded with permission of HarperCollins. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.
In the aftermath of a major earthquake, eleven-year-old Maya overcomes her own fear to help others at home and in northeast Japan, where a tsunami caused great damage. Includes author's note about the facts behind the story.
This title is intended for tweens and is suitable for most audiences. Recorded with permission of Atheneum, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.
Seventeen-year-old Kim gets more than she bargained for when she is set up for murder. Perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying, E. Lockhart, and Gillian Flynn. 17-year-old Kim never expected to plot a murder. But that was before her boyfriend dumped her for another girl. Now, Kim's stuck on a class trip to London with him and his new soulmate and she can't help wishing he was a little bit dead, even if she'd never really do that. But when Kim meets Nicki, a stranger on the plane who's more than willing to listen to Kim's woes, things start to look up. Nicki's got a great sense of humor, and when she jokes about swapping murders, Kim plays along, that is, until Kim's ex-boyfriend mysteriously dies. Blackmailed by Nicki to fulfill her end of the deal, Kim will have to commit a murder or take the fall for one.
This title is intended for teens, however, it may contain language or themes that some readers may find offensive. Recorded with permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.
Sixth-graders Sara, a Pakistani American, and Elizabeth, a Jewish girl, connect in an after school cooking club and bond over food and their mothers' struggles to become United States citizens.
This title is intended for tweens and is suitable for most audiences. Recorded with permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.
