Sunset Beach

By Mary Kay Andrews

Drue Campbell’s life and career have recently been derailed.  The only thing she has left is the house her mother left her: a ramshackle beach bungalow with a missing roof in the once-sleepy town of Sunset Beach.  When Drue’s father turns up at her mother’s funeral and offers her a job at his law firm, Drue doesn’t know whether to be grateful or resentful that he suddenly reappeared.  She grudgingly accepts the job, but when her attention is caught by a suspicious murder case, Drue finds herself entangled in a decades-old mystery-one that may have dire consequences for Drue and the people she loves. 

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Mistress of the Ritz

By Melanie Benjamin

A captivating novel based on the story of the extraordinary real-life American women who secretly worked for the French Resistance during WWII–while playing hostess to the invading Germans at the iconic Hotel Ritz in Paris. 

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Island of Sea Women

By Lisa See

This beautiful thoughtful novel illuminates a world turned upside down, one where the women are in charge, engaging in dangerous physical work, and the men take care of the children.  A classic Lisa See story–one of women’s freindships and the larger forces that shape them. 

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Fear of Missing Out

 by Kate McGovern

Every teen has a fear of missing out on something–a party, a basketball game, a hangout after school.  But what about missing out on life?  When Astrid learns that her cancer has returned, she hears about a radical technology called cryopreservation that allows terminally ill patients to freeze themselves until a future time where there is a cure. She sets out with her supportive boyfriend Mohit, and her best friend, Chloe, to see if this is the path she really wants to take.  What will Astrid miss out on if she goes through with cryopresevation?  What will she miss out on is she doesn’t.

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Within These Lines

 by Stephanie Morrill

Evalin Cassano’s life in an Italian-American family in 1941 is everything it “should be”…until she falls in love with Taichi Hamasaki, the son of Japanese immigrants.  Despite the scandal it would cause and the fact that iterracial marriage is illegal in California, Evalina and Taichi vow they will find a way to be together.

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The Unbudgeable Curmudgeon

by Matthew Burgess

Have you ever seen a curmudgeon that looks like your brother, but is in such a bad mood you hardly recognize him?  You can try all the peanut butter sandwiches and brownies you have, but he is not moving.  Nothing works, especially nudging, and he just makes you so grumpy that eventually you have no choice but to fight back–and then…Have you ever become a curmudgeon that just won’t budge?

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Nobody Hugs a Cactus

by Carter Goodrich

Hank is the prickliest cactus in the entire world.  He sits in a pot in a window that faces the empty desert, which is just how he likes it.  So, when all manner of creatures–from tumbleweed to lizard to owl–come to disturb his peace, Hank is annoyed.  He doesn’t like noise, he doesn’t like rowdiness, and definitely does not like hugs.  But the thing is, no one is offering one.  Who would want to hug a plant so mean?  Hank is beginning to discover that being alone can be, well, lonely.

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Charlie & Mouse Even Better

by Laurel Snyder

In this heartwarming follow-up to Laurel Snyder’s award-winning beginning chapter book Charlie & Mouse, the two brothers prepare to celebrate one very special birthday: their mom’s!  Follow along as they choose the best pancakes, hunt for presents, decorate with snakes, and more.  Things don’t go exactly as planned…but with plenty of humor and heart, Charlie and Mouse prove that sometimes when things aren’t perfect, what they turn out to be is even better.

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Bat and the End of Everything

by Elana K. Arnold

Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed Bat) has been the caretaker for Thor, the best skunk kit in the world…but the last day of third grade is quickly approaching, and Thor is almost ready to be released into the wild.  The end of school also means that Bat has to say goodbye to his favorite teacher, and he worries about the summer care of Babycakes, their adorable class pet.  Not only that, but his best friend is leaving for a long vacation in Canada.  Summer promises good things, too, like helping out at the vet clinic and hanging out with his sister, Janie, but Bat can’t help but feel that everything is coming to an end.

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Max and the Midknights

by Lincoln Peirce

Max wants to be a knight!  Too bad that dream is about as likely as finding a friendly dragon.  But when Max’s uncle Budrick is kidnapped by the cruel King Gastley, Max has to act…and fast!  Joined by a band of brave adventurers–the Midknights–Max sets out on a thrilling quest: to save Uncle Budrick and restore the realm of Byjovia to its former high spirits!

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