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New Releases: 5/1/18

Happy New Release day! Here’s what went on sale today.

opens in a new windowA Dog’s Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron

Image Place holder  of - 87 Lucas Ray is shocked when an adorable puppy jumps out of an abandoned building and into his arms. Though the apartment he shares with his mother, a disabled veteran, doesn’t allow dogs, Lucas can’t resist taking Bella home.

Bella is inexplicably drawn to Lucas, even if she doesn’t understand the necessity of games like No Barks. As it becomes more difficult to hide her from the neighbors, Lucas begins to sneak Bella into the VA where he works. There, Bella brings joy and comfort where it is needed most.

opens in a new windowBan This Book by Alan Gratz

opens in a new windowImage Placeholder of - 42 In Ban This Book by Alan Gratz, a fourth grader fights back when From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg is challenged by a well-meaning parent and taken off the shelves of her school library. Amy Anne is shy and soft-spoken, but don’t mess with her when it comes to her favorite book in the whole world. Amy Anne and her lieutenants wage a battle for the books that will make you laugh and pump your fists as they start a secret banned books locker library, make up ridiculous reasons to ban every single book in the library to make a point, and take a stand against censorship.

opens in a new windowMedusa Uploaded by Emily Devenport

opens in a new windowPlaceholder of  -2 My name is Oichi Angelis, and I am a worm.

A generation starship can hide many secrets. When an Executive clan suspects Oichi of insurgency and discreetly shoves her out an airlock, one of those secrets finds and rescues her. Officially dead, Oichi begins to rebalance power one assassination at a time and uncovers the shocking truth behind the generation starship and the Executive clans.

opens in a new windowThe Military Science of Star Wars by George Beahm

opens in a new windowPoster Placeholder of - 3 The first ever in-depth analysis of the tactics and equipment used by the heroes and villains of the Star Wars universe has arrived! Spanning all of the films, this comprehensive book goes in to detail about the various guerrilla tactics of the Rebel Alliance and the awe-inspiring might of the Grand Army of the Republic and Darth Vader’s Empire.

Including detailed examples from Earth’s military history, bestselling author George Beahm illustrates how a merciless empire managed to subdue a galaxy with the application of overwhelming force and technology, and how a ragtag group of rebels could cobble together enough of a punch to topple a seemingly-unbeatable enemy.

 

NEW FROM TOR.COM

Black Helicopters by Caitlin R. Kiernan

Place holder  of - 46 Just as the Signalman stood and faced the void in Agents of Dreamland, so it falls to Ptolema, a chess piece in her agency’s world-spanning game, to unravel what has become tangled and unknowable.

Something strange is happening on the shores of New England. Something stranger still is happening to the world itself, chaos unleashed, rational explanation slipped loose from the moorings of the known.

NEW IN PAPERBACK

opens in a new windowAnd Into the Fire by Robert Gleason

Give Your Heart to the Hawks by Win Blevins

opens in a new windowGone to Dust by Matt Goldman

opens in a new windowKing Rat by China Mieville

opens in a new windowPawn by Timothy Zahn

opens in a new windowTiassa by Steven Brust

NEW IN MANGA

opens in a new windowArifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest (Light Novel) Vol. 2 Story by Ryo Shirakome; Art by Takaya-ki

opens in a new windowIf It’s for My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord Vol. 1 Story by Chirolu, Art by Hota

opens in a new windowLord Marksman and Vanadis Vol. 7 Story by Tsukasa Kawaguchi; Art by Nobuhiko Yanai

opens in a new windowMiss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid Vol. 6 Story and art by coolkyousinnjya

opens in a new windowNameless Asterism Vol. 2 Story and art by Kina Kobayashi

Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs Vol. 1 

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Books to Give the Teen and Young Readers On Your List

Welcome to the procrastinator’s club! If you’re one of those lucky or organized people who’ve already finished your shopping, that’s okay too–buy yourself a present as a reward for a job well done. The rest of us have no clue how you do it, because we’ve barely started. Luckily, we know the best last minute gift for nearly everyone: books. If you’re like us and looking for some last minute gifts, never fear–we’re here to help. Here are some recommendations for the teen and young readers in your life. And don’t forget to check out our Science Fiction and Fantasy lists as well!

opens in a new windowBan This Book by Alan Gratz

opens in a new windowImage Placeholder of - 73 Middle Grade, Ages 8-12

You’re never too young to fight censorship. Do you have a budding activist on your shopping list? Check out Ban This Book, the story of shy and soft-spoken Amy Anne, who finds herself standing up to her school administration when her favorite book is challenged and taken off the library shelves.

opens in a new windowAlcatraz vs the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson

opens in a new windowPoster Placeholder of - 95 Middle Grade, Ages 8-12

Are you shopping for a kid who loves Artemis Fowl? How about Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events? Look no further than #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson’s sharp, funny series of supernatural adventures about a boy whose superpower is breaking things. This is a great series for reluctant readers, who’ll desperately want to know if Alcatraz can do the impossible: defeat those evil librarians for good.

opens in a new windowStrikeout of the Bleacher Weenies by David Lubar

opens in a new windowPlaceholder of  -36 Middle Grade, Ages 9-12

Does the kid on your list like the spooky stuff? Are they a fan of R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps series? Then they’re going to love David Lubar’s Weenies series! Each book is a collection of short, twisty, sometimes chilling stories designed to scare you, make you laugh, or just see the world in a whole new way. Read these stories–if you dare!

opens in a new windowThe Rains by Gregg Hurwitz

opens in a new windowImage Place holder  of - 84 Young Adult, Age 13+

For the teenage Walking Dead fan in your life, we recommend this terrifying read from acclaimed thriller writer Gregg Hurwitz. Everyone over the age of 18 in Creek’s Cause has suddenly turned into deadly inhuman beings, killing everyone they can. Chance and his brother Patrick must try to figure out how the adults got infected–before Patrick’s 18th birthday, which is only days away. A brilliant reimagining of the classic zombie novel for all the zombie fans out there.

opens in a new windowMetaltown by Kristen Simmons

opens in a new windowPlace holder  of - 23 Young Adult, Age 13+

If you’re shopping for a teen who loves to rebel, who loved Divergent and Under the Never Sky, then look no further than Kristen Simmons. In her most recent novel, Metaltown, the rules are simple: work hard, keep your head down, and watch your back. Looking out for yourself is the only way to survive…but Colin and Lena are sure there’s a better way. A story of friendship and rebellion, Metaltown is sure to capture any dystopia fan’s attention.

opens in a new windowSeriously Wicked by Tina Connolly

opens in a new window Young Adult, Age 13+

For the teen witch in your life, we recommend Tina Connolly’s hilarious series about reluctant teen witch Camellia. Cam’s adopted mother is determined to turn Cam into a first rate wicked witch, but all Cam wants is a normal life. But when the witch summons a demon that takes over a guy in Cam’s school, Cam doesn’t have much of a choice–she’d better figure out this magic thing, fast, before the demon destroys the guy’s soul.

opens in a new windowTruthwitch by Susan Dennard

opens in a new window Young Adult, Age 13+

Is the teen on your list basically surgically attached to her bestie? Are they constantly texting and Snapchatting even when they’re not together? Then Truthwitch is definitely the book for her–though if you want to win major points with the teen in your life, get a copy for her and a copy for her bestie! In Susan Dennard’s first Witchlands novel, all best friends Safiya and Iseult want is to be left alone to live their lives. Instead, they’re going to have to save the world–together.

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Ban This Book: Banned/Challenged Titles Mentioned in Ban This Book by Alan Gratz

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Today marks the first day of Banned Books Week, an annual celebration of the freedom to read. opens in a new windowBan This Book by Alan Gratz tells the story of a girl in fourth-grade who takes on her school when her favorite book is removed from the library. Over the years, many books have been challenged or banned in the U.S., most frequently for the given reasons of sexual content or explicit language. Here are eleven trouble-making books that made an appearance in Ban This Book.

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opens in a new windowAre You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume
This book about a girl in sixth grade struggling with questions of religion and her experience going through puberty has been banned and challenged in numerous school districts because the book is supposedly sexually offensive and amoral. Others have targeted it as anti-Christian or immoral.

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opens in a new windowScary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
This classic anthology of illustrated horror stories was banned in many schools in the 1990s as too scary or age inappropriate. One parent even compared one of the stories about a murderer to a real life serial killer: “right away I thought of Jeffrey Dahmer.”1

opens in a new windowPlace holder  of - 29 opens in a new windowMatilda by Roald Dahl
The beloved story of Matilda, a young girl who loves to read and learns she has telekinetic powers, has been challenged for its depiction of adults, including Matilda’s parents, being abusive and neglectful.

opens in a new windowHarriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
opens in a new windowPoster Placeholder of - 43This novel is about an eleven-year-old girl who spies on her classmates and inadvertently sets off a firestorm when her book of her brutally honest, and sometimes cruel, observations about her classmates is discovered. Parents challenged the book for supposedly setting a bad example for children, supposedly encouraging them to spy, lie, and swear.

opens in a new windowWait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn
opens in a new window A story about a girl who finds a ghost in her new house, Wait Till Helen Comes deals with heavy issues of death and suicide, but another parent objected to the book’s portrayal of the main character talking to the dead. “The act of talking to the dead is called spiritism and is condemned in the Bible Galation 5:19-21,” the father of a student wrote in his official complaint.2

opens in a new windowIt’s Perfectly Normal by Robie H. Harris
opens in a new window It’s Perfectly Normal is a book written for kids ages 10 and older to teach them about sexual health, relationships, and puberty. It’s been banned across the country for content that’s inappropriate for children, both for the frank discussion of sexuality and the inclusion of (non-graphic) illustrations of naked people. The book is intended as an educational resource for kids about a range of topics, including sexual orientation, gender identity, and abuse.

opens in a new windowFrom the Mixed-up Files of  Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
opens in a new window The removal of this book from her school library is what kicks off Ban This Book’s heroine’s act of protest. Complaints about From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler primarily object to the rest on the fear that children might imitate the heroine, who runs away from home to live inthe Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Indeed, over the years many children have actually written to the Met to profess their desire to live at the museum.

The opens in a new windowJunie B. Jones books by Barbara Park
opens in a new window The Junie B. Jones series is written in the voice of its five-year-old heroine – who doesn’t always use proper English. Some adults have protested that the book’s use of childish vernacular might inspire kids to use bad spelling and grammar. One complainant claimed that the series, which shows Junie sometimes acting out, “sends the message that… emotions such as hate are fine.”3

The opens in a new windowCaptain Underpants books by Dav Pilkey
opens in a new window The long-running series of Captain Underpants books has been targeted for being inappropriate or unsuited to the age group, usually due to its crude humor. Others have claimed that the series encourages children to disobey authority. More recently, the 12th book in the series attracted some attention when a character was revealed to be gay.

opens in a new windowThe Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
opens in a new window This Newberry Award-winning book about a group of children who create an imaginative game based on Ancient Egypt was challenged on religious grounds for depicting occult rituals involving Ancient Egyptian gods. The parent who challenged the book said: “I don’t believe any student should be subjected to anything that has to do with evil gods or black magic.” (Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Jan. 2010, p. 17.)

opens in a new windowGoosebumps by R. L. Stine
opens in a new window This beloved series of horror stories made the top twenty most-challenged books list between 1990 to 1999. Some parents feared the series was too frightening for kids, while others objected that the books contained Satanic themes or depictions of the occult.

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On the Road: Tor/Forge Author Events in September

Tor/Forge authors are on the road in September! See who is coming to a city near you this month.

Spencer Ellsworth, Starfire: A Red Peace

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Friday, September 1
The Book Bin
Salem, OR
7:00 PM

Saturday, September 16
Village Books
Bellingham, WA
7:00 PM

Sarah Gailey, Taste of Marrow

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Saturday, September 9
Borderlands Café
San Francisco, CA
5:00 PM
Also with Seanan McGuire.

Max Gladstone, The Ruin of Angels

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Tuesday, September 5
Pandemonium Books and Games
Cambridge, MA
7:00 PM

Monday, September 11
Powell’s Books
Beaverton, OR
7:00 PM
In conversation with Fonda Lee.

Saturday, September 16
Borderlands Café
San Francisco, CA
3:00 PM

Monday, September 18
The Last Bookstore
Los Angeles, CA
7:30 PM

Thursday, September 21
Harvard Book Store
Cambridge, MA
7:00 PM

Matt Goldman, Gone to Dust

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Sunday, September 10
Poisoned Pen
Scottsdale, AZ
2:00 PM

Wednesday, September 13
Montgomery Public Library
Montgomery, MN
7:00 PM

Thursday, September 14
Once Upon a Crime
Minneapolis, MN
7:00 PM

Alan Gratz, Ban This Book

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Sunday, September 24
Malaprops
Asheville, NC
2:00 PM

Monday, September 25
The Book Stall
Winnetka, IL
4:30 PM

Tuesday, September 26
Anderson’s Bookshop
Downers Grove, IL
7:00 PM

Wednesday, September 27
Avid Bookshop
Athens, GA
4:00 PM

Thursday, September 28
Let’s Play Books
Emmaus, PA
3:30 PM

Friday, September 29
Hooray for Books
Alexandria, VA
6:30 PM

Saturday, September 30
Chapel Hill Library
Chapel Hill, NC
2:00 PM

Rachel Howzell Hall, City of Saviors

Sunday, September 10
Poisoned Pen
Scottsdale, AZ
2:00 PM

Nancy Kress, Tomorrow’s Kin

Thursday, September 14
Third Place Books – Ravenna
Seattle, WA
7:00 PM

Annalee Newitz, Autonomous

Wednesday, September 20
Caveat
New York, NY
6:00 PM
In conversation with Rose Eveleth.

Thursday, September 21
Fountain Bookstore
Richmond, VA
6:30 PM

Friday, September 22
Flyleaf Books
Chapel Hill, NC
7:00 PM

Saturday, September 23
Bookfest St. Louis at The McPherson
St. Louis, MO
5:00 PM
Science Fiction Panel – also with Charlie Jane Anders, Mark Tiedemann, and Ann Leckie.

Sunday, September 24
Women and Children First
Chicago, IL
Also with Charlie Jane Anders.
4:00 PM

Thursday, September 28
Books Inc
Alameda, CA
7:00 PM

Saturday, September 30
Borderlands Café
San Francisco, CA
3:00 PM

Malka Older, Null States

Monday, September 18
Kinokuniya Bookstore
New York, NY
6:00 PM

Thursday, September 28
East City Bookshop
Washington, DC
6:30 PM

Sarah Porter, When I Cast Your Shadow

Thursday, September 14
The Astoria Bookshop
Astoria, NY

Linda Stasi, Book of Judas

Monday, September 18
Barnes & Noble – Upper West Side
New York, NY
7:00 PM
Also with Nelson DeMille

Thursday, September 28
Book Revue
Huntington, NY
7:00 PM

Sage Walker, The Man in the Tree

Saturday, September 16
Page One Bookstore
Albuquerque, NM
4:00 PM
Also with Jeffe Kennedy.

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New Releases: 8/29/17

Happy New Release Day! Here’s what went on sale today.

opens in a new windowAn Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors by Curtis Craddock

Image Placeholder of - 53 Born without the sorcery that is her birthright but with a perspicacious intellect, Isabelle believes her marriage will stave off disastrous conflict and bring her opportunity and influence. But the last two women betrothed to this prince were murdered, and a sorcerer-assassin is bent on making Isabelle the third. Aided and defended by her loyal musketeer, Jean-Claude, Isabelle plunges into a great maze of prophecy, intrigue, and betrayal, where everyone wears masks of glamour and lies. Step by dangerous step, she unravels the lies of her enemies and discovers a truth more perilous than any deception.

 

opens in a new windowBan This Book by Alan Gratz

opens in a new windowPlaceholder of  -89 It all started the day Amy Anne Ollinger tried to check out her favorite book in the whole world, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, from the school library. That’s when Mrs. Jones, the librarian, told her the bad news: her favorite book was banned! All because a classmate’s mom thought the book wasn’t appropriate for kids to read.

Amy Anne decides to fight back by starting a secret banned books library out of her locker. Soon, she finds herself on the front line of an unexpected battle over book banning, censorship, and who has the right to decide what she and her fellow students can read.

opens in a new windowJudgment at Appomattox by Ralph Peters

Poster Placeholder of - 12 A great war nears its end. Robert E. Lee makes a desperate, dramatic gamble. It fails. Ulysses S. Grant moves. Veteran armies clash around Petersburg, Virginia, as Grant seeks to surround Lee and Lee makes a skillful withdrawal in the night. Richmond falls.

Each day brings new combat and more casualties, as Lee’s exhausted, hungry troops race to preserve the Confederacy. But Grant does not intend to let Lee escape…

opens in a new windowPlaying to the Gods by Melanie Rawn

Place holder  of - 14 The boys are at the top of their theatrical game. Their only real competition for the hearts and gold of the public are the Shadowshapers. Nevertheless, the past years of financial struggle, since their manager proved to have been embezzling, have taken a toll on the group’s creativity.

A shocking event brings all that to an end and brings Touchstone back together to create a play that will rattle the ceilings and shatter all the glass in palaces and theaters alike. An ancient conflict will come to a violent conclusion on stage, and all the gods will be watching.

opens in a new windowVicarious by Paula Stokes

opens in a new windowImage Place holder  of - 69 Winter Kim and her sister, Rose, have always been inseparable. Together the two of them survived growing up in a Korean orphanage and being trafficked into the United States. But they’ve escaped the past and started over in a new place where no one knows who they used to be.

NEW FROM TOR.COM:

opens in a new windowA Song for Quiet by Cassandra Khaw

Deacon James is a rambling bluesman straight from Georgia, a black man with troubles that he can’t escape, and music that won’t let him go. On a train to Arkham, he meets trouble — visions of nightmares, gaping mouths and grasping tendrils, and a madman who calls himself John Persons. According to the stranger, Deacon is carrying a seed in his head, a thing that will destroy the world if he lets it hatch.

NEW IN PAPERBACK:

The Memoirs of Wild Bill Hickok and Shadow on the Sun by Richard Matheson

Navigators of Dune by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson

Say No More by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Stranded by Bracken MacLeod

Sun Born by Kathleen O’Neal Gear & W. Michael Gear

NEW IN MANGA:

opens in a new windowA Certain Scientific Accelerator Vol. 6 Story by Kazuma Kamachi; Art by Yamaji Arata

opens in a new windowAbsolute Duo Vol. 1 Story by Takumi Hiiragiboshi; Art by Shinichirou Nariie

opens in a new windowAkashic Records of the Bastard Magical Instructor Vol. 1 Story by Tarou Hitsuji; art by Aosa Tsunemi

opens in a new windowDon’t Meddle With My Daughter Vol. 1 Story and art by Nozomu Tamaki

opens in a new windowMonster Musume Vol. 12 Story and art by OKAYADO

opens in a new windowPandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn Vol. 8 Story by Masamune Shirow; Art by Rikudou Koushi

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Sneak Peek: Ban This Book by Alan Gratz

opens in a new windowPlace holder  of amazon- 49 opens in a new windowPlaceholder of bn -9 opens in a new windowPoster Placeholder of booksamillion- 71 opens in a new windowibooks2 71 opens in a new windowindiebound-1 opens in a new windowpowells-1

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An inspiring tale of a fourth-grader who fights back when her favorite book is banned from the school library—by starting her own illegal locker library!

It all started the day Amy Anne Ollinger tried to check out her favorite book in the whole world, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, from the school library. That’s when Mrs. Jones, the librarian, told her the bad news: her favorite book was banned! All because a classmate’s mom thought the book wasn’t appropriate for kids to read.

Amy Anne decides to fight back by starting a secret banned books library out of her locker. Soon, she finds herself on the front line of an unexpected battle over book banning, censorship, and who has the right to decide what she and her fellow students can read.

opens in a new windowBan This Book will become available August 29th. Please enjoy this excerpt.

The Mystery of the Missing Book

It all started the day my favorite book went missing from the library.

I didn’t know it was missing. Not yet. In my mind, it was still sitting there all alone on the shelf like a kid in the cafeteria waiting for her one and only friend to come and find her. Waiting for me to find her. All I wanted to do was run to the library and check out my favorite book before homeroom, but Rebecca, my one and only real-life friend, was still talking about trademarking our names.

“Have you ever thought about registering AmyAnneOllinger.com?” Rebecca asked me.

“No, Rebecca, I have never thought about registering AmyAnneOllinger.com. I am nine years old. Why in the world would I bother to register a Web site with my name on it when my parents won’t even let me use Facebook yet?”

That’s what I thought about saying. What I said instead was, “No.”

“You should,” Rebecca told me. “You’ve got a unique name, but even so, somebody could register it, and then what would you do? RebeccaZimmerman.com is already gone! I’m ten years old, and already my future intellectual property is being snapped up! Jay Z and Beyoncé trademarked their baby’s name less than a month after she was born. You’d think my parents would have known enough to do the same.”

Rebecca’s parents were both lawyers, and she wanted to be one too when she grew up. I couldn’t imagine a more boring job.

Instead I said, “Yeah.”

I was still itching to get to the library and check out my favorite book. I opened my locker to stuff my backpack inside and gave my mailbox a quick look. Nobody knows how it got started, but everybody at Shelbourne Elementary has these cardboard boxes taped to the inside door of their lockers, just below the little vents they put on there in case you get stuffed in your locker by a bully. If you want to leave a note for somebody you just slip the piece of paper in the slot and it falls right into the little cardboard box. It’s such a tradition that Mr. Crutchfield, the custodian, just leaves the boxes in the lockers from year to year.

As usual, my mailbox was empty. Which I’d expected. My one and only friend doesn’t believe in writing notes. “Never leave a paper trail,” Rebecca says. More advice from her lawyer parents.

“Did you hear about Morgan Freeman, the actor?” Rebecca asked. “Somebody who wasn’t named Morgan Freeman registered his name at morganfreeman.com, and he had to sue them to get it back! Now that’s an interesting case—”

“I can’t imagine anything less interesting, Rebecca! I don’t care anything about trademarks or registering domain names. I have to go check out my favorite book before somebody else does!”

That’s what I wanted to tell her. Instead I held up a handful of books like a shield and said, “I have to return these books to the library before class!” and backed away before she could tell me more about the court case. “I’ll see you in homeroom!” I called.

Normally I would already have my favorite book checked out and in my backpack, but our librarian, Mrs. Jones, has a rule that you can only renew a book two times in a row and then it has to sit on the shelf for five whole school days before you can check it out again. She says it’s to make sure other people get a chance to read it, but I think she made that rule up just to make me read other books, which I would have done anyway.

I dumped last night’s books in the book return and waved good morning to Mrs. Jones on the way to the fiction shelves.

“Amy Anne,” Mrs. Jones called. “Honey, wait—”

“Just let me grab my book,” I called back. I turned into the H–N shelves and hurried to where I knew my favorite book would be waiting for me.

Only it wasn’t there.

I looked again. It still wasn’t there. I looked behind the books, in case it had gotten pushed back and was hidden behind the others like they sometimes do, but no. It really wasn’t there. But my favorite book was always on the shelf. Could somebody else really have checked it out?

I was about to go and ask Mrs. Jones when she turned down the row. Mrs. Jones is a big white lady with short brown hair and rhinestone granny glasses that hang around her neck on a chain when she isn’t reading. Today she was wearing a red dress with white polka dots. Polka dots are her thing.

“Where’s my book?” I asked her.

“That’s what I was trying to tell you, honey,” Mrs. Jones said. “I knew you’d come in for it first thing.”

“It’s been five days,” I told her. “I marked it down on my calendar. I get to check it out again after five days. You said so. Did somebody—did somebody else check it out?”

“No, Amy Anne. I had to take it off the shelf.”

I frowned. Take it off the shelf? What did she mean take it off the shelf?

“Why?”

Mrs. Jones sighed and wrung her hands. She looked like she was about to tell me my dogs had died. “Because some parents got together and said they didn’t think it was appropriate for elementary school, and the school board agreed with them.”

“Wasn’t appropriate? What does that mean?”

“It means I can’t check it out to you, honey, or to anybody else. Not until I talk to the school board and get this nonsense overturned.

“It means, Amy Anne, that your favorite book was banned from the school library.”

Copyright © 2017 by Alan Gratz

Order Your Copy

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New Releases: 6/13/17

Happy New Release Day! Here’s what went on sale today.

opens in a new windowEndgame by Bill Pronzini

opens in a new windowImage Place holder  of - 8 The Nameless Detective has taken many cases over the years… and this is one for the books.

Or rather, two cases that will test his agency’s resources. Love is in the air…more to the point, love gone awry. One case involves a woman whose husband died accidentally in a remote cabin in the Sierras. The wife isn’t buying that her husband was alone, and is determined to find out his secret and get closure…in spite of any potential heartbreak.

opens in a new windowRoar by Cora Carmack

opens in a new windowPoster Placeholder of - 71 In a land ruled and shaped by violent magical storms, power lies with those who control them.

Aurora Pavan comes from one of the oldest Stormling families in existence. Long ago, the ungifted pledged fealty and service to her family in exchange for safe haven, and a kingdom was carved out from the wildlands and sustained by magic capable of repelling the world’s deadliest foes. As the sole heir of Pavan, Aurora’s been groomed to be the perfect queen. She’s intelligent and brave and honorable. But she’s yet to show any trace of the magic she’ll need to protect her people.

opens in a new windowSlaves of the Switchboard of Doom by Bradley W. Schenck

opens in a new windowPlace holder  of - 61 If Fritz Lang’s Metropolis somehow mated with Futurama, their mutant offspring might well be Slaves of the Switchboard of Doom. Inspired by the future imagined in the 1939 World Fair, this hilarious, beautifully illustrated adventure by writer and artist Bradley W. Schenck is utterly unlike anything else in science fiction: a gonzo, totally bonkers, gut-busting look at the World of Tomorrow, populated with dashing, bubble-helmeted heroes, faithful robot sidekicks, mad scientists, plucky rocket engineers, sassy switchboard operators, space pirates, and much, much more—enhanced throughout by two dozen astonishing illustrations.

opens in a new windowSoleri by Michael Johnston

opens in a new windowPlaceholder of  -29 The ruling family of the Soleri Empire has been in power longer than even the calendars that stretch back 2,826 years. Those records tell a history of conquest and domination by a people descended from gods, older than anything in the known world. No living person has seen them for centuries, yet their grip on their four subjugate kingdoms remains tighter than ever.

On the day of the annual eclipse, the Harkan king, Arko-Hark Wadi, sets off on a hunt and shirks his duty rather than bow to the emperor. Ren, his son and heir, is a prisoner in the capital, while his daughters struggle against their own chains. Merit, the eldest, has found a way to stand against imperial law and marry the man she desires, but needs her sister’s help, and Kepi has her own ideas.

NEW IN PAPERBACK

opens in a new windowThe Monster War by Alan Gratz

opens in a new windowImage Placeholder of - 63 Having discovered the monstrous secret of his origins, Archie Dent is no longer certain that he is worthy to be a member of the League of Seven. But with new enemies to face, he realizes that he may not have the luxury of questioning his destiny.

Wielding the Dragon Lantern, the maniacal Philomena Moffett has turned her back on the Septemberist Society, creating her own Shadow League and unleashing a monster army on the American continent. Archie and his friends must race to find the last two members of their league in time to thwart Moffett’s plan and rescue humanity once more.

opens in a new windowWild Cards VII: Dead Man’s Hand by George R.R. Martin and John Jos. Miller

opens in a new window Chrysalis, the glass-skinned queen of the Joker underworld, has been found brutally murdered in her popular restaurant, the Crystal Palace. New two men are out to find her killer: Jay Ackroyd, the Ace private investigator who discovered her ruined body, and the vigilante archer known as the Yeoman, who has been framed for the crime.

Their quest leads them on a nightmare odyssey of madness, violence, passion, and political intrigue that will forever alter the fates of Aces and Jokers everywhere.

NEW FROM TOR.COM

opens in a new windowDown Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

opens in a new windowTwin sisters Jack and Jill were seventeen when they found their way home and were packed off to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children.

This is the story of what happened first…

 

NEW IN MANGA

opens in a new windowDragonar Academy Vol. 12 Story by Shiki Mizuchi; Art by Ran

opens in a new windowMasamune-kun’s Revenge Vol. 5 Story by Takeoka Hazuki; Art by Tiv

opens in a new windowRed Riding Hood and the Big Sad Wolf Vol. 1 Story and art by Hachijou Shin

opens in a new windowSpecies Domain Vol. 2 Story and art by Noro Shunsuke

opens in a new windowTales of Zestiria Vol. 1 Story and art by Shiramine

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New Releases: 7/12/16

Here’s what went on sale today!

opens in a new windowArabella of Mars by David D. Levine

Arabella of Mars by David D. LevineWhen William III of England commissioned Capt. William Kidd to command the first expedition to Mars in the late 1600s, he proved that space travel was both possible and profitable. Now, one century later, a plantation in a flourishing British colony on Mars is home to Arabella Ashby, a young woman who is perfectly content growing up in the untamed frontier. But days spent working on complex automata with her father or stalking her brother Michael with her Martian nanny is not the proper behavior of an English lady. That is something her mother plans to remedy with a move to an exotic world Arabella has never seen: London, England.

However, when events transpire that threaten her home on Mars, Arabella decides that sometimes doing the right thing is far more important than behaving as expected. She disguises herself as a boy and joins the crew of the Diana. Now Arabella just has to weather the naval war currently raging between Britain and France, learn how to sail, and deal with a mutinous crew…if she hopes to save her family remaining on Mars.

opens in a new windowClear to Lift by Anne A. Wilson

Clear to Lift by Anne A. WilsonNavy helicopter pilot Lt. Alison Malone has been assigned to a search and rescue team based at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, near the rugged peaks of the Sierra Nevada, and far from her former elite H-60 squadron. Alison is desperate to be transferred out of the boonies, where careers stagnate, and back to her life and fiancé in San Diego. Alison’s defenses start to slip when she meets mountain guide Will Cavanaugh during a particularly dicey mission. Will introduces her to a wild, beautiful world of adventure that she has never known before. Stranded on a mountain during a sudden dangerous blizzard, Alison questions every truth she thought she knew about herself. When Will braves the storm to save her life, she must confront the fact that she has been living a lie. But is it too late to change course?

opens in a new windowThe Monster War by Alan Gratz

The Monster War by Alan GratzThe Monster War is the third book in the action-packed, steampunk League of Seven series by acclaimed author Alan Gratz. Having discovered the monstrous secret of his origins, Archie Dent is no longer certain that he is worthy to be a member of the League of Seven. But with new enemies to face, he realizes that he may not have the luxury of questioning his destiny. Wielding the Dragon Lantern, the maniacal Philomena Moffett has turned her back on the Septemberist Society, creating her own Shadow League and unleashing a monster army on the American continent. Archie and his friends must race to find the last two members of their league in time to thwart Moffett’s plan and rescue humanity once more.

opens in a new windowNecessity by Jo Walton

Necessity by Jo WaltonMore than sixty-five years ago, Pallas Athena founded the Just City on an island in the eastern Mediterranean, placing it centuries before the Trojan WarAmong the City’s children was Pytheas, secretly the god Apollo in human form. Sixty years ago, the Just City schismed into five cities, each devoted to a different version of the original vision. Forty years ago, the five cities managed to bring their squabbles to a close. But in consequence of their struggle, their existence finally came to the attention of Zeus, who can’t allow them to remain in deep antiquity, changing the course of human history. Convinced by Apollo to spare the Cities, Zeus instead moved everything on the island to the planet Plato, circling its own distant sun. Now, more than a generation has passed.

The Cities are flourishing on Plato, and even trading with multiple alien species. Then, on the same day, two things happen. Pytheas dies as a human, returning immediately as Apollo in his full glory. And there’s suddenly a human ship in orbit around Plato–a ship from Earth.

opens in a new windowRebellion by J. A. Souders

Rebellion by J. A. SoudersIn this conclusion to J. A. Souders’s thrilling, twist-filled Elysium Chronicles series, Evie Winters and Gavin Hunter return to the isolated, dangerous underwater city that they fought so hard to escape. Back in Elysium at last, Evie has finally found her true self hidden under layers and layers of false memories implanted by the woman she knew as Mother. Thanks to the intervention of her father, she knows the horrible truth about Mother and her insidious plans for the city. With the help of the love of her life, Gavin, and her best friend, Asher St. James, Evie is determined to free her people from the cruel dictatorship of Mother’s laws. But how do you free people who don’t know they need rescuing?

opens in a new windowThe Stars Askew by Rjurik Davidson

The Stars Askew by Rjurik DavidsonThe Stars Askew is the highly anticipated sequel to the New Weird adventure begun by talented young author Rjurik Davidson. With the seditionists in power, Caeli-Amur has begun a new age. Or has it? The escaped House officials no longer send food, and the city is starving. When the moderate leader Aceline is murdered, the trail leads Kata to a mysterious book that explains how to control the fabled Prism of Alerion. But when the last person to possess the book is found dead, it becomes clear that a conspiracy is afoot. At its center is former House Officiate Armand, who has hidden the Prism. Meanwhile, Maximilian is sharing his mind with another being: the joker-god Aya.

It seems the seditionists’ hopes for a new age of peace and prosperity in Caeli-Amur have come to naught, and every attempt to improve the situation makes it worse. The question now is not just whether Kata, Max, and Armand can do anything to stop the bloody battle in the city, but if they can escape with their lives.

opens in a new windowTime Siege by Wesley Chu

Time Siege by Wesley ChuHaving been haunted by the past and enslaved by the present, James Griffin-Mars is taking control of the future. Earth is a toxic, sparsely inhabited wasteland–the perfect hiding place for a fugitive ex-chronman to hide from the authorities. James has allies, scientists he rescued from previous centuries, as well as the Elfreth, a population of downtrodden humans who want desperately to believe that James and his friends will heal their ailing home world. James also has enemies. They include the full military might of benighted solar system ruled by corporate greed and a desperate fear of what James will do next. At the forefront of their efforts to stop him is Kuo, the ruthless security head, who wants James’s head on a pike and will stop at nothing to obtain it.

NEW FROM TOR.COM:

opens in a new windowThe Ghoul King by Guy Haley

The Ghoul King by Guy HaleyQuinn returns in The Ghoul King, another story of the Dreaming Cities by Guy Haley. The Knight, Quinn, is down on his luck, and he travels to the very edge of the civilized world – whatever that means, any more – to restock his small but essential inventory. After fighting a series of gladiatorial bouts against the dead, he finds himself in the employ of a woman on a quest to find the secret to repairing her semi-functional robot. But the technological secret it guards may be one truth too many…

NOW IN PAPERBACK:

opens in a new windowThe Iron Assassin by Ed Greenwood

opens in a new windowThe Nightmare Charade by Mindee Arnett

opens in a new windowRevelations by J. A. Souders

NEW IN MANGA:

opens in a new windowMagical Girl Apocalypse Vol. 8 by Kentaro Sato

opens in a new windowMonster Musume: I Heart Monster Girls Vol. 2 by OKAYADO

opens in a new windowPandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn Vol. 5 by Masamune Shirow

opens in a new windowSee upcoming releases.

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New Releases: 7/5/16

Here’s what went on sale today!

opens in a new windowThe Dinosaur Knights by Victor Milán

The Dinosaur Knights by Victor MilanParadise is a sprawling, diverse, often cruel world where humans reside but dinosaurs predominate: wildlife, monsters, beasts of burden, and of war. Armored knights ride dinosaurs to battle legions of war-trained Triceratops and their upstart peasant crews. Karyl Bogomirsky is one such knight who has chosen to rally those who seek a way from the path of war and madness. The fact that the Empire has announced a religious crusade against this peaceful kingdom, the people who just wish to live in peace anathema, and they all are to be converted or destroyed doesn’t help him one bit. Things really turn to mud when the dreaded Grey Angels, fabled ancient weapons of the Gods who created Paradise in the first place come on the scene after almost a millennia. Everyone thought that they were fables used to scare children. They are very much real.

And they have come to rid the world of sin…including all the humans who manifest those vices.

opens in a new windowPanacea by F. Paul Wilson

Panacea by F. Paul WilsonMedical examiner Laura Hanning has two charred corpses and no answers. Both bear a mysterious tattoo but exhibit no known cause of death. Their only connection to one another is a string of puzzling miracle cures. Her preliminary investigation points to a cult in the possession of the fabled panacea–the substance that can cure all ills–but that’s impossible.

A reclusive, terminally ill billionaire hires Laura to research the possibility of the panacea. The billionaire’s own body guard, Rick Hayden, a mercenary who isn’t who he pretends to be, has to keep her alive as they race to find the legendary panacea before the agents of 536 can destroy it.

NOW IN PAPERBACK:

opens in a new windowThe Dragon Lantern by Alan Gratz

The Dragon Lantern by Alan GratzThe Dragon Lantern is the second book in the League of Seven series! Archie Dent is convinced that he and his friends Hachi and Fergus are the first three members of a new League of Seven: a group of heroes who come together to fight the Mangleborn whenever the monsters arise to destroy humanity. His belief is put to the test when they are forced to undertake separate missions. Archie and his faithful Tik-Tok servant Mr. Rivets pursue a shapeshifting girl who has stolen the Dragon Lantern, an ancient artifact with mysterious powers. And Hachi and Fergus travel to New Orleans to find Madame Blavatsky, the only person who knows the circumstances surrounding the death of Hachi’s father.

In the course of their adventures the three heroes meet potential candidates to join their League. At the same time, they learn deep-rooted secrets that could destroy the League forever. . . .

opens in a new windowUnbreakable by W. C. Bauers

Unbreakable by W. C. BauersThe colonists of the planet Montana are accustomed to being ignored. Situated in the buffer zone between two rival human empires, their world is a backwater: remote, provincial, independently minded. Even as a provisional member of the Republic of Aligned Worlds, Montana merits little consideration—until it becomes the flashpoint in an impending interstellar war.

NEW IN MANGA:

opens in a new windowBattle Rabbits Vol. 1 Story by Amemiya Yuki; Art by Ichihara Yukino

opens in a new windowA Centaur’s Life Vol. 9 Story & Art by Kei Murayama

opens in a new windowSee upcoming releases.

 

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On the Road: Tor/Forge Author Events for April

opens in a new windowA Shadow All of Light by Fred Chappell opens in a new windowA Voice from the Field by Neal Griffin opens in a new windowEvery Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

opens in a new windowTor/Forge authors are on the road in April! Here is the info on all of our upcoming author events. See who is coming to a city near you!

Charlie Jane Anders, opens in a new windowAll the Birds in the Sky

Wednesday, April 13
opens in a new windowThe Delancey – Writers With Drinks NYC
New York, NY
7:00 PM

Friday, April 22
Copperfield’s Books
Petaluma, CA
7:00 PM

R.S. Belcher, opens in a new windowThe Brotherhood of the Wheel

Saturday, April 2
Barnes & Noble
Norfolk, VA
2:00 PM

Saturday, April 9
College of William and Mary Bookstore
Williamsburg, VA
12:00 PM

Marie Brennan, opens in a new windowIn the Labyrinth of Drakes

Saturday, April 9
Borderlands Cafe
San Francisco, CA
3:00 PM

Tuesday, April 12
University Bookstore
Seattle, WA
7:00 PM
Also with Todd Lockwood.

Fred Chappell, opens in a new windowA Shadow All of Light

Tuesday, April 12
St. David’s School – Performing Arts Center
Raleigh, NC
7:00 PM
Books provided by Quail Ridge Books.

Friday, April 15
Malaprops
Asheville, NC
7:00 PM

Tuesday, April 19
Regulator Bookshop and Cafe
Durham, NC
7:00 PM

Saturday, April 23
McIntyre’s Books
Pittsboro, NC
2:00 PM

Thursday, April 28
Greensboro Central Library
Greensboro, NC
7:00 PM

Alan Gratz, opens in a new windowThe Dragon Lantern

Thursday, April 21
opens in a new windowMurder by the Book
Houston, TX
6:30 PM
Tor Teen Night: Also with P.J. Hoover and David Lubar.

Neal Griffin, opens in a new windowA Voice from the Field

Friday, April 15
Readers’ Realm
Montello, WI
1:00 PM

Friday, April 15
The Volume One Gallery
Eau Claire, WI
7:00 PM

Saturday, April 16
Mystery to Me Bookstore
Madison, WI
7:00 PM

Sunday, April 17
Arcadia Books
Spring Green, WI
2:00 PM

Wednesday, April 20
Neenah Public Library
Neenah, WI
2:00 PM
Fox Cities Book Festival

Thursday, April 21
The Reader’s Loft
Green Bay, WI
6:00 PM
Also with Patricia Skalka.

Leanna Renee Hieber, opens in a new windowStrangely Beautiful

Sunday, April 24
Word Bookstores
Brooklyn, NY
2:00 PM
Also with Sunil Patel and Keffy Kehrli.

Tuesday, April 26
Barnes & Noble
West Chester, OH
7:00 PM

Wednesday, April 30
Morris-Jumel Mansion
New York, NY
5:30 PM

Glen Hirshberg, opens in a new windowGood Girls

Saturday, April 2
Dark Delicacies
Burbank, CA
2:00 PM
Also with Joe R. Lansdale.

P.J. Hoover, Tut: The Story of My Immortal Life

Thursday, April 21
opens in a new windowMurder by the Book
Houston, TX
6:30 PM
Tor Teen Night: Also with Alan Gratz and David Lubar.

David Lubar, opens in a new windowCharacter, Driven

Thursday, April 21
opens in a new windowMurder by the Book
Houston, TX
6:30 PM
Tor Teen Night: Also with Alan Gratz and P.J. Hoover.

Seanan McGuire, opens in a new windowEvery Heart a Doorway

Monday, April 4
opens in a new windowBooksmith
San Francisco, CA
7:30 PM

Saturday, April 23
opens in a new windowBorderlands Cafe
San Francisco, CA
6:00 PM

Renee Patrick, opens in a new windowDesign for Dying

Saturday, April 23
opens in a new windowSeattle Mystery Bookshop
Seattle, WA
12:00 PM

Sunday, April 24
opens in a new windowEagle Harbor Book Co
Bainbridge Island, WA
3:00 PM

David C. Taylor, opens in a new windowNight Work

Monday, April 11
opens in a new windowBook People
Austin, TX
7:00 PM
Also with Stuart Woods.

Tuesday, April 12
opens in a new windowPoisoned Pen
Scottsdale, AZ
7:00 PM

Tuesday, April 19
opens in a new windowBrookline Booksmith
Brookline, MA
7:00 PM

Dan Wells, opens in a new windowThe Devil’s Only Friend

Friday, April 8
opens in a new windowThird Place Books – Ravenna
Seattle, WA
7:00 PM

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