Cool New Books for September

September's roundup of Cool New Books includes THE LOST COLONY, the fifth installment in Eoin Colfer's blockbuster fantasy series, Artemis Fowl; ESCAPE FROM THE CARNIVALE, the first book in a brand-new adventure series by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson featuring Peter's friends and enemies in Never Land; THE SECRET ORDER OF THE GUMM STREET GIRLS, Elise Primavera's debut novel about four very different girls who must unite in order to save the street on which they all live; and SONS OF DESTINY, the stunning finale to Darren Shan's Cirque du Freak saga.

Stand-Alone Chapter Books/Middle Grade Novels

THE BOOK OF ONE HUNDRED TRUTHS
Julie Schumacher
Delacorte Press
ISBN-10: 0385903111
ISBN-13: 9780385903110
Ages 9-12
192 pages

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It's hard for Thea to write four truths a day in the notebook her mother gave her for the summer. Especially when her grandparents' house on the Jersey Shore is even more packed with family than usual, and her cousin Jocelyn won't leave her alone. Jocelyn just might be the world's neatest and nosiest seven-year-old, and she wants to know what's in Thea's notebook. But Thea won't tell anyone about the secret she has promised to keep --- or how she lost her best friend.

FAIREST
Gail Carson Levine
HarperCollins
ISBN-10: 0060734086
ISBN-13: 9780060734084
Ages 8-14
336 pages

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The fairy Lucinda has once again given a dreadful gift. This time it's a mysterious magical mirror. The gift is disastrous when it falls into the hands of Aza, who never looks in a mirror if she can help it. In the Kingdom of Ayortha, Aza is most definitely not the fairest of them all. But in a land of singers, she has her own gift: a voice that can do almost anything, a voice that captivates all who hear it. In Ontio Castle, merry Prince Ijori is drawn to it, and Queen Ivi wants to use it for her own ends. Queen Ivi would do anything to remain the fairest in the land.

HORNS & WRINKLES
Joseph Helgerson
Houghton Mifflin
ISBN-10: 0618616799
ISBN-13: 9780618616794
Ages 9-12
368 pages

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The stretch of the Mississippi where Claire lives has rumors of river trolls, rock trolls and blue-wing fairies, although Claire has never spotted any. But then her cousin Duke takes a swim and sprouts a horn --- a long, pointy, handsome thing. After that, Claire doesn't have much choice but to believe that something fishy is going on, especially since she's the only one who can help Duke lose his new addition. Joseph Helgerson's tale is as twisty and unpredictable as the Mississippi River itself, while an unusual cast of characters adds excitement to the plot.

THE SECRET ORDER OF THE GUMM STREET GIRLS
Elise Primavera
HarperCollins
ISBN-10: 0060569468
ISBN-13: 9780060569464
Ages 8-12
464 pages

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Franny longs for adventure but can't even do a cartwheel. Pru can do a cartwheel but prefers hiding under her quilt, making up safety tips. Cat has no use for safety tips but supposedly has ESP. And Ivy has had a seven-year string of bad luck --- a Jinx that's about to get a whole lot worse. These girls have nothing in common except for the name of their street. And the fact that they dislike one another. But the four are thrown together when a pair of mysterious ruby-red slippers turns up --- along with the fashionably mad Cha Cha Staccato, who bears a frightening resemblance to a certain wicked witch.

THAT GIRL LUCY MOON
Amy Timberlake
Hyperion Books for Children
ISBN-10: 0786852984
ISBN-13: 9780786852987
Ages 9-12
304 pages

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When Lucy Moon's classmates find themselves in a police station after sledding on Wiggins Hill and the local paper refuses to report it --- or the role that Miss Ilene Viola Wiggins, the richest woman in town, plays in the arrest --- Lucy launches a campaign to fight against corruption in her hometown, and for sledding rights on Wiggins Hill. But Miss Wiggins's influence in town is wide and powerful. Soon, Lucy becomes a scapegoat and is labeled a "bad influence" by teachers and neighbors. The sixth grader begins to wonder: What exactly is the point of fighting injustice? And can one person really make a difference?

Series Books/Sequels

Artemis Fowl

THE LOST COLONY: Artemis Fowl #5
Eoin Colfer
Miramax/Hyperion Books for Children
ISBN-10: 0786849568
ISBN-13: 9780786849567
Ages 9-12
400 pages

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Ten thousand years ago, humans and fairies fought a great battle. When the fairies realized they'd never win, they moved their civilization underground and hid. All the families agreed, except the demons. The demons planned to lift themselves out of time until they were ready to wage war on the humans once more. But the spell went wrong, and they were catapulted into Limbo. Now the spell's deterioration is accelerating and the demon materializations are erupting. Even the fairy scientists can't predict the next one. But someone can.

Artemis Fowl, teenage criminal mastermind, has solved temporal equations that no human can. So when a confused and frightened demon pops up in a Sicilian theatre, Artemis is there to meet him. Unfortunately, a second mysterious party has also solved the equations and has managed to abduct the demon. Once again, Artemis will pair up with his old comrade, Captain Holly Short, to track down the missing demon, before the spell dissolves completely and the lost demon colony returns violently to Earth.

Cirque du Freak

SONS OF DESTINY: Book 12 in the Saga of Darren Shan
Darren Shan
Little, Brown and Company
ISBN-10: 0316156299
ISBN-13: 9780316156295
Ages 10-up
256 pages

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Time seemed to collapse... There was a sharp stabbing sensation in my stomach... Steve crowed, "Now I have you! Now you're gonna die!"

Dead if he loses --- doomed if he wins. The time has finally come for Darren to face his archenemy, Steve Leopard. One of them will die. The other will become the Lord of the Shadows --- and destroy the world.

Is the future written, or can Darren trick destiny?

Never Land Adventures

ESCAPE FROM THE CARNIVALE: A Never Land Adventure
Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Disney Editions/Hyperion Books for Children
ISBN-10: 0786837896
ISBN-13: 9780786837892
Ages 7-10
144 pages

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Life on Mollusk Island has settled into a regular rhythm after all the excitement surrounding the arrival of Peter, Molly and the pirates. But one day when Little Scallop and a few of her mermaid friends venture beyond the boundaries set by their parents, big trouble awaits them. Then the young mermaid Surf is grabbed by Crookshank's men and taken aboard his ship, the Carnivale. To her shock, Surf finds that Crookshank plans to make her part of his circus at sea --- just another sideshow attraction. Little Scallop, Teacher, James and Surf's twin Aqua devise a plan in an attempt to rescue Surf.

Companion to NORY RYAN'S SONG and MAGGIE'S DOOR

WATER STREET
Patricia Reilly Giff
Wendy Lamb Books/Random House
ISBN-10: 0385730683
ISBN-13: 9780385730686
Ages 9-12
176 pages

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Brooklyn, 1875: Bird Mallon, who lives on Water Street, wants nothing more in life than to be brave enough to be a healer, like her mother Nory, to help her sister Annie find love, and to convince her brother Hughie to stop fighting for money with his street gang. And of course, she wishes that a girl would move into the empty apartment upstairs so she can have a new friend close by. But the new residents turn out to be Thomas Neary and his father. Thomas's dad spends each night at the Tavern down the street, and this lonely boy has a secret that only Bird suspects.

Follow-up to THE SECRET OF CASTLE CANT

ESCAPE FROM CASTLE CANT
K.P. Bath
Little, Brown and Company
ISBN-10: 031610857X
ISBN-13: 9780316108577
Ages 10-14
304 pages

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In this dazzling follow-up to THE SECRET OF CASTLE CANT, Pauline Esmeralda Simone-Thierry von Cant and Lucy Wickwright, who rescued her half-sister from Castle Cant, must flee the forces that would tear them apart. Bounty hunters abound in the war-torn Barony, and villainous Vladimir Orloff (Lucy's sworn enemy) lurks close on their heels. Can they escape the "land of out time" to the Outlands, where they might extinguish the corrupt gum trade that claimed Lord Cant's life?

Picture Books

THE CRIMSON COMET
written by Dean Morrissey and Stephen Krensky
illustrated by Dean Morrissey
HarperCollins
ISBN-10: 006008068X
ISBN-13: 9780060080686
Ages 5-9
32 pages

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On a night when Nora just can't get to sleep, she looks out at the moon and watches it turn dark. How could this happen? Together with her brother Jack, Nora sets off into the sky aboard Jack's rocket --- which lands on the moon! But will Nora and Jack be able to give the moon back its light before morning comes?

IS THERE REALLY A HUMAN RACE?
written by Jamie Lee Curtis
illustrated by Laura Cornel
Joanna Cotler Books/HarperCollins
ISBN-10: 0060753463
ISBN-13: 9780060753467
40 pages

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When the hero of Jamie Lee Curtis's new book asks, "Is there really a human race?" his imagination is off and running. He wonders, is the "race" an obstacle course or a relay? Does he get his own coach and his own lane? Did the "race" start on his birthday? This funny and touching fantasy is about the moment a child recognizes that there is a great big world to understand.

THE SECRET SCIENCE PROJECT THAT ALMOST ATE THE SCHOOL
written by Judy Sierra
illustrated by Stephen Gammell
Simon & Schuster
ISBN-10: 1416911758
ISBN-13: 9781416911753
Ages 6-9
32 pages

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An ad promises that Professor Swami's Super Slime is the "science project fully guaranteed to win first prize" in Miss Fidget's science fair. But when a box arrives, there's more to the slime than meets the eye. First it gets bigger, then it growls and blows off smoke. It continues to increase in size until it's bigger than the entire school! Is there any way to stop the slime? What can a third-grade girl do?

TEAMMATES
Tiki and Ronde Barber, with Robert Burleigh
Simon & Schuster
ISBN-10: 1416924892
ISBN-13: 9781416924890
Ages 6-10
32 pages

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Tiki and Ronde are brothers, best friends and teammates on the Cave Spring Vikings football team. It's the last preseason game against their arch-rival Knights --- and the football is suddenly knocked out of Tiki's grip. Inspired by Coach Mike, who tells Tiki, "You've gotta believe," Tiki begins secret practice sessions with Ronde in the morning on the way to school. Will it make a difference in the next big game against the Knights?

--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio

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