Apocalypse


Kyle West - 2012
    An invasion of monsters. A desperate fight for survival...Alex Keener has lived all of his sixteen years in Bunker 108. He's walked the same metal halls, seen the same faces, has followed the same rules. All that changes when a viral outbreak forces him to flee the safety of his bunker.Outside, he discovers a barren world twisted by the impact of the meteor Ragnarok thirty years ago. Alone, he must wander a brutal landscape, where every breath is a fight for survival. Monsters haunt the planet's surface, and nothing of the old world remains.Can Alex survive this hellish wasteland, or will he become its newest victim?

Sprite


Peter Meredith - 2012
    Odd doesn't protest. This is her life and it can be no other way, not when she's deformed as she is.Born with a combination of rare birth defects, Odd's eyes are a startling and dreadful red. Demon eyes is the first thought that springs to mind and the little girl takes care to hide them behind dark sunglasses. This is something her mother insists on, except when she's trading freak show peeks for dollars or drinks, a practice that is a nightly torture for the girl.Yet when her mom abandons her, Odd discovers that loneliness and fear of the unknown are far worse than being a freak. Desperate for the least love, the girl with red eyes begins a quest through the American underclass that takes her halfway across the country. She thinks her adventure is a search for her mother, but in truth she's after so much more.

The Moon and Beyond


John E. Siers - 2012
    So smart, in fact, that they've figured out how gravity works. More importantly, they've figured out how to make it work as a propulsion system. Of course, they are going to tell the world about it. Eventually. But first, they have a few things to do, like build a fleet of gravity-powered spacecraft and establish a permanent settlement on the Moon... assuming they can keep the U.S. government from figuring out what they are doing, shutting them down, and putting them all under arrest. Welcome to the Lunar Free State...

The Zombie Chasers


John Kloepfer - 2010
    This fan-favorite is perfect for reluctant readers as well as fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Dork Diaries.A sudden zombie epidemic has turned a sleepover at Zack Clarke’s house into a level three creep-over! Zack’s sister is now a zombie; his living dead, flesh-eating neighbors have wrecked his house; and he’s been left to fend them off with his sister’s snotty BFF, Madison. Luckily Zack’s nerdy pal Rice has a plan to defeat the undead…if these three zombie chasers can make it out alive.Featuring John Kloepfer’s signature hilarious and gory descriptions and Steve Wolfhard’s hysterical black and white interior illustrations, this is an uproarious, gore-streaked kick-off to the ever-popular Zombie Chasers series!

The Only Ones


Aaron Starmer - 2011
    He was forgotten. When everyone else in the world disappeared one afternoon, these children were the only ones left behind. There's Darla, who drives a monster truck; Felix, who used string and wood to rebuild the internet; Lane, who crafts elaborate contraptions for live entertainment; and nearly forty others, each equally brilliant and peculiar. Inspired by the prophecies of a mysterious boy who talks to animals, Martin believes he can reunite them all with their loved ones. But believing and knowing are two different things, as he soon discovers with the push of a button, the flip of a switch, the turn of a dial...A whimsical apocalyptic fable that carries readers to a future world without adults, a journey filled with dark humor that every reader will want to take.

Ripped Tide


Lance CarneyLance Carney - 2015
    The only things on his mind are fresh sea air, fresh seafood, Fat Tire Amber Ale, and the avoidance of any type of healthcare institution. But fate and jellyfish draw him back, and reluctantly he agrees to go undercover to combat narcotic drug diversion at nearby Boiling Grove Community Hospital. With minimal assistance from Willie, his socially imbalanced sidekick, Daniel must navigate through dangerous situations and wild characters, including a brawny redneck with a Bob Marley tattoo; a foreign physician with bat-like qualities; and a lackluster Human Resources Director with a penchant for Mai Tais and Ebenezer Scrooge.Ripped Tide: A Daniel O’Dwyer Oak Island Adventure is a humorous take on a very serious issue.

Hometown Cinderella \ The Inn at Hope Springs


Ruth Axtell Morren - 2012
    A half-share in her father's Maine farmhouse is the only refuge she has left, even if her resentful stepmother treats Mara as little more than a servant. But there is one bright spot: the unexpected kindness of neighbor Gideon Jakeman.A widowed farmer with a teenage daughter, Gideon hardly pictures himself as anyone's Prince Charming. Especially a woman of Mara's refinement. Yet his quiet, rugged strength makes her feel as though she's found her rightful place by his side, if they can find faith enough to forge their own happy ending.

Penguins Can't Fly: +39 Other Rules That Don't Exist


Jason W. Kotecki - 2015
    We knew this instinctively as kids, but somehow forgot on the way to adulthood. We got busy and overwhelmed, started valuing things that don't matter, and learned to follow the rules that don't even exist:hate mondaysonly celebrate when the calendar gives you permissiondon't make a messdon't play hookyhide your weirdnesshide your wrinklescare what other people thinkFollowing these so-called rules is a terrific way to stress you out, sap your energy, and ensure a boring life. But there's a better way. In his enlightening book, author and artist Jason Kotecki uncovers some of the most useless rules so you can shift perspective and start seeing the world with wonder once again.It's time to stop living by someone else's rules. Your life is a story, and a short one at that. Make it a good one.

Sizzle


Lee McClain - 2011
    She may be only fourteen, but Linda loves making fresh Mexican food with her aunt Elba and blogging about food with her best friend, Julia.But after Aunt Elba suffers a ministroke, Linda is catapulted across the country and into a whole new life. In Pittsburgh, living with bossy Aunt Pat and her seven kids, Linda feels completely out of place. Aunt Pat wants Linda’s help with Angel, a young foster child in the family who speaks only Spanish, but he seems impossible. And Linda’s cousin Chloe treats her like a total intruder. Worst of all, Aunt Pat is a local celebrity with her own TV show, Cooking from Cans — and she won’t let Linda in the kitchen. Linda might go loco if she doesn’t get some fresh food — like now.Finally Linda gets her chance to sizzle — with a cooking project at school. It’s an added bonus that cute-guy-with-a-secret Dino Moretti (who even smells delicious) is in her group. But when jealous Chloe joins the group, Linda’s new life heats up fast. In the end, it’s up to Linda to decide what kind of cook — and person — she truly wants to be.

Fashion Academy


Sheryl Berk - 2015
    (Their motto, "We are SEW FAB"). But when her daring fashion and stellar grades turn the Fab A-listers green with envy, Mickey discovers that standing out doesn't always make it easy to fit in. So when friendly classmate JC comes up with a plan to help Mickey fit in, she decides to take the ultimate fashion risk-ditch her personal style for good.One mega makeover later, pink-haired Mickey Williams mysteriously disappears, and the trendy, blonde "Kenzie Wills" shows up on the FAB scene, blending with the other students in a way Mickey never could. But when Mickey starts to lose herself to "Kenzie," she's not sure that fitting in is worth cutting herself down to size...

I Have a Bad Feeling About This


Jeff Strand - 2014
    Somebody might have told you that, but they were trying to find out if you'd really do it.Henry Lambert would rather play video games than spend time in the great outdoors--but that doesn't make him a wuss. Skinny nerd? Fine. But wuss is a little harsh. Sadly, his dad doesn't agree. Which is why Henry is being shipped off to Strongwoods Survival Camp.Strongwoods isn't exactly as advertised. It looks like the victim of a zombie apocalypse, the "camp director" is a psycho drill sergeant, and Henry's sure he saw a sign written in blood...Wilderness Survival Tip #2 In case of an avalanche, don't despair. You're doomed, but that's a wicked cool death.Wilderness Survival Tip #3 If you're relying on this book for actual survival tips, you're dead already.Praise for Jeff Strand's A Bad Day For Voodoo: "A delightfully ludicrous read."--School Library Journal"Just the thing for teen wiseacres."--Booklist"[A] free-wheeling dark comedy that starts off running and doesn't stop until all plausibility is exhausted. Sam Raimi fans should eat it up."--Publishers Weekly

Soul Trapper


F.J. Lennon - 2010
    . . and that sometimes they have unfinished business. Shortly after death, a soul will see a door of light leading to the afterlife. But sometimes, when there’s something or someone still pulling at them, souls turn their back to this door. Instead, they haunt the living . . . Hollywood native Kane Pryce isn’t your average twenty-something dabbling musician. Yes, he’s an occasional substance abuser with a distrustful nature and self-destructive streak. And yes, most people might take him for a down-on-his-luck slacker. But to those in a very small circle, he’s also known as a ghost-hunting legend. Delving deep into the supernatural isn’t a lifestyle that Kane chose for himself, however; it was thrust upon him when his father vanished under mysterious circumstances. Unbeknownst to anyone besides Kane, his father left instructions to his son that led Kane to the Soul Trap, a powerful supernatural treasure that allows him to hunt down, capture, and send ghosts from the earthly realm to the afterlife. For Kane, power over the supernatural has come with a price. Despite his attempts to do good with this power, his efforts often leave a path of destruction. So when his paranormal side-job attracts the attention of Eva Kells, a crack reporter intent on breaking his story, Kane is reluctant can he trust her? Soon, though, risking his heart on a snooping journalist is the least of Kane’s worries. He receives a call from a terrified priest whose church is haunted by the soul of a deceased little boy. Kane takes on the case, but as he begins to learn the strange details surrounding the boy’s death, he realizes that there’s much more at stake than he ever could have imagined. And to complicate things even further, he falls hard for the boy’s mother. The only problem is, she’s been dead for almost fifty years . . . Nail-biting and darkly humorous, SoulTrapper takes readers on a thrilling ride through the ghostly realm.

The Sage Wind Blows Cold


Clint Hollingsworth - 2015
    "The Sage Wind blows Cold" is a finalist in Chanticleer Dante Rossetti Awards 2014, New Adult Thriller. Author Clint Hollingsworth studied tracking under Tom Brown, Jr., consultant on Benicio Del Toro's "The Hunted" and is a black belt in Goju Ryu karate. "Bagging a killer should have been the end of it, but it was only the beginning. Young tracker Mackenzie Crow, working at his uncle’s bounty hunting business, is ambivalent when an old flame pleads for help. Not sure where he stands with Kailee, Mac soon finds out: she is married to his old rival and has kept this from him in order to solicit his expertise. Once in the woods with the Search and Rescue team, Mac comes into his element and within a short time has found both the lost child’s trail and something completely unexpected: a strange set of tracks following the girl. Before this is through, he will be hunted by a psychopath and a cadre of mercenaries, all wanting to remove Crow from the land of the living."

Class Favorite


Taylor Morris - 2007
    It was February 14, to be exact. Happy Valentine's Day. Sara Thurman has never considered herself part of the popular crowd - she's got her best friend Arlene and that seems like enough. But when Sara's mom sends a special Valentine's Day delivery (PERIOD FLOWERS!) to her class, all of a sudden Sara is very famous - only for a horribly embarrassing reason! It seems everyone at Bowie Junior High knows something about Sara that she'd rather keep to herself and the harder Sara tries to blend in the more she ends up sticking out. Not only that, but it suddenly seems that Arlene doesn't have time for her anymore, and she has an unbearable crush on Jason who doesn't have any idea who she is (until now, that is). Worst of all, nothing's felt the same since Sara's dad left home. It all has Sara wondering if things will ever return to normal -- especially if she can't even remember what normal feels like. Sara can't figure out why it seems that everyone else has it easier than she does - would things be better if she were popular? Sara decides that if she can't beat 'em then she'll join 'em -- and she hatches a top secret mission to become....Class Favorite.

Interrogating Ellie


Julian Gray - 2015
    When her marriage breaks down and she finds herself alone in an enemy land, her passionate, restless nature drives her in a struggle for survival against the odds. Who can she trust? And ultimately, who can she love? Interrogating Ellie is based on a true story.Visit www.interrogating-ellie.comto find out more