Rose, Ella, Marta and Carla. In another life we might have all been friends together. But this was Birchwood. As fourteen-year-old Ella begins her first day at work she steps into a world of silks, seams, scissors, pins, hems and trimmings. She is a dressmaker, but this is no ordinary sewing workshop. Hers are no … Continue reading THE RED RIBBON, by Lucy Adlington, Candlewick Press
ARC REVIEW
UNCHARTED, by Erin Cashman, Page Street Publishing/Canadian Manda Group
Seventeen-year-old Annabeth prefers the fantasy of her books and paintings to reality—because in reality, her mom is dead, and it was all her fault. When she accompanies her father to the funeral of some family friends who drowned, she’s surprised to find her grief reflected in the face of Griffin Bradford, the son of the … Continue reading UNCHARTED, by Erin Cashman, Page Street Publishing/Canadian Manda Group
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THE HOUSE OF ONE THOUSAND EYES, by Michelle Barker, Annick Press
Who can Lena trust to help her find out the truth? Life in East Germany in the early 1980s is not easy for most people, but for Lena, it’s particularly hard. After the death of her parents in a factory explosion and time spent in a psychiatric hospital recovering from the trauma, she is sent … Continue reading THE HOUSE OF ONE THOUSAND EYES, by Michelle Barker, Annick Press
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THE BIRD AND THE BLADE, by Megan Bannen, Balzer & Bray/HarperCollinsPublishers
As a slave in the Kipchak Khanate, Jinghua has lost everything: her home, her family, her freedom … until the kingdom is conquered by enemy forces and she finds herself an unlikely conspirator in the escape of Prince Khalaf and his irascible father across the vast Mongol Empire. On the run, with adversaries on all … Continue reading THE BIRD AND THE BLADE, by Megan Bannen, Balzer & Bray/HarperCollinsPublishers
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BORN SCARED, by Kevin Brooks, Candlewick Press
Elliot has lived his first thirteen years confined to his home, incapacitated by fear. Now he's out of pills, snow is falling, and his only safe person is missing. A terrifying thriller from Carnegie Medalist Kevin Brooks. From the moment of his birth, Elliot's life has been governed by fear of almost everything, even of … Continue reading BORN SCARED, by Kevin Brooks, Candlewick Press
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THE ACCIDENTAL GUARDIAN, by Mary Connealy, Bethany House
She's the only witness to a wagon train attack. Keeping her safe, though, means his world is about to be turned upside down. When Trace Riley finds the smoldering ruins of a small wagon train, he recognizes an attack by the same group who left him as sole survivor years ago. Living off the wilderness … Continue reading THE ACCIDENTAL GUARDIAN, by Mary Connealy, Bethany House
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THE DOLLAR KIDS, By Jennifer Richard Jacobson, Illustrated by Ryan Andrews, Candlewick Press
When a family buys a house in a struggling town for just one dollar, they’re hoping to start over — but have they traded one set of problems for another? Twelve-year-old Lowen Grover, a budding comic-book artist, is still reeling from the shooting death of his friend Abe when he stumbles across an article about … Continue reading THE DOLLAR KIDS, By Jennifer Richard Jacobson, Illustrated by Ryan Andrews, Candlewick Press
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THE GOOD DEMON, by Jimmy Cajoleas, Amulet Books/Abrams
True Detective meets The Exorcist in this gripping YA mystery debut about one girl’s exorcism—and her desperate quest to reunite with her demon Clare has been miserable since her exorcism. The preacher that rid her of evil didn’t understand that her demon—simply known as Her—was like a sister to Clare. Now, Clare will do almost anything to get … Continue reading THE GOOD DEMON, by Jimmy Cajoleas, Amulet Books/Abrams
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A BIG SHIP AT THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE, by Alex White, Orbit Books/
Boots Elsworth was a famous treasure hunter in another life, but now she’s washed up. She makes her meager living faking salvage legends and selling them to the highest bidder, but this time she might have stumbled on something real–the story of the Harrow, a famous warship, capable of untold destruction. Nilah Brio is … Continue reading A BIG SHIP AT THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE, by Alex White, Orbit Books/
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ACTS OF INFIDELITY, by Lena Anderson, Pan Macmillan
A new novel from August-Prize winning Lena Andersson, author of Wilful Disregard. When Ester Nillson meets actor Olof Sten, she quickly recognises that they have an extraordinary connection, and falls madly in love. Olof makes no secret of being married, but he and Ester nevertheless start to meet regularly and begin to conduct a strange … Continue reading ACTS OF INFIDELITY, by Lena Anderson, Pan Macmillan
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