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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!

Ban This Book by Alan Gratz

Place holder  of - 81 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.

Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson

Image Place holder  of - 42 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.

Strikeout of the Bleacher Weenies by David Lubar

Placeholder of  -23 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!

The Rains by Gregg Hurwitz

Poster Placeholder of - 89 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.

Metaltown by Kristen Simmons

Image Placeholder of - 60 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.

Seriously Wicked by Tina Connolly

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.

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

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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New Releases: 9/12/17

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

Iraq + 100 by Hassan Blasim

Place holder  of - 81 In a calm and serene world, one has the luxury of imagining what the future might look like. Now try to imagine that future when your way of life has been devastated by forces beyond your control.

Iraq + 100 poses a question to Iraqi writers (those who still live in that nation, and those who have joined the worldwide diaspora): What might your home country look like in the year 2103, a century after a disastrous foreign invasion?

The Man in the Tree by Sage Walker

Placeholder of  -41 Humanity’s last hope of survival lies in space…but will a random death doom the venture?

Our planet is dying and the world’s remaining nations have pooled their resources to build a seed ship that will carry colonists on a multi-generational journey to a distant planet.

Everything is set for a bright adventure…and then someone is found hanging dead just weeks before the launch. Fear and paranoia spread as the death begins to look more and more like a murder.

When I Cast Your Shadow by Sarah Porter

Poster Placeholder of - 46 A teenage girl calls her beloved older brother back from the grave, with disastrous consequences….

Haunted by her dead brother, unable to let him go, Ruby must figure out whether his nightly appearances in her dreams are the answer to her prayers—or a nightmare come true.

NEW IN PAPERBACK

Everfair by Nisi Shawl

Image Place holder  of - 39 What if the African natives developed steam power ahead of their colonial oppressors? What might have come of Belgium’s disastrous colonization of the Congo if the native populations had learned about steam technology a bit earlier?

Fabian Socialists from Great Britain join forces with African-American missionaries to purchase land from the Belgian Congo’s “owner,” King Leopold II. This land, named Everfair, is set aside as a safe haven, an imaginary Utopia for native populations of the Congo as well as escaped slaves returning from America and other places where African natives were being mistreated.

Strikeout of the Bleacher Weenies by David Lubar

Image Placeholder of - 57 Welcome to the Weenie Zone! Here are thirty hilarious and harrowing stories that will scare you, make you laugh, or get you to see the world in a whole new way. Find out where the author got the idea for each story at the end of the book.

 

Thessaly by Jo Walton

The goddess Athena thought she was creating a utopia. Populate the island of Thera with extraordinary men, women, and children from throughout history, and watch as the mortals forge a harmonious society based on the tenets of Plato’s Republic.

Meanwhile, following his famous spurning by a nymph, Athena’s ever-curious brother Apollo has decided to live a mortal human life on the island, in an effort to gain a better understanding of humanity.

Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter

When Vassa’s stepsister sends her out to buy lightbulbs in the middle of the night, she knows it could easily become a suicide mission. Babs Yagg, the owner of the local convenience store, has a policy of beheading shoplifters—and sometimes innocent shoppers as well.

But Vassa has a bit of luck hidden in her pocket, a gift from her dead mother. Erg is a tough-talking wooden doll with sticky fingers, a bottomless stomach, and ferocious cunning. With Erg’s help, Vassa just might be able to break the witch’s curse and free her Brooklyn neighborhood. But Babs won’t be playing fair…

NEW IN MANGA

Kase-San and Shortcake Story and art by Hiromi Takashima

Non Non Biyori Vol. 8 Story and art by Atto

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On the Road: Tor/Forge Author Events for October

tor-Everfair-2 forge-Stripped-Bare Stranded by Bracken MacLeod

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

Shannon Baker, Stripped Bare

Monday, October 3
Mysterious Galaxy
San Diego, CA
7:00 PM
Also with William Kent Krueger

Tuesday, October 4
Book Carnival
Orange, CA
7:30 PM
Also with William Kent Krueger

Thursday, October 13
Poisoned Pen
Scottsdale, AZ
7:00 PM
Also with Kevin Wolf

Blake Charlton, Spellbreaker

Saturday, October 1
Borderlands Books
San Francisco, CA
3:00 PM

Todd Fahnestock, The Wishing World

Saturday, October 29
Tattered Cover
Littleton, CO
6:00 PM

David Lubar, Strikeout of the Bleacher Weenies

Saturday, October 22
Let’s Play Books
Emmaus, PA
4:00 PM

Bracken MacLeod Stranded

Tuesday, October 4
Barnes & Noble
Framingham, MA
7:00 PM

Friday, October 7
Jabberwocky Bookshop
Newburyport, MA
7:00 PM

Wednesday, October 12
Mysterious Bookshop
New York, NY
6:30 PM

Hank Phillippi Ryan, Say No More

Saturday, October 29
Turn the Page Bookstore
Boonsboro, MD
12:00 PM
Also with Nora Roberts

Nisi Shawl, Everfair

Sunday, October 2
Borderlands Books
San Francisco, CA
2:00 PM

Monday, October 3
Cellar Door Bookstore
Riverside, CA
6:00 PM
Also with Nalo Hopkinson

Kristen Simmons, Metaltown

Tuesday, October 4
Books and Company
Beavercreek, OH
7:00 PM

Simone Zelitch, Judenstaat

Tuesday, October 18
Penn Book Center
Philadelphia, PA
6:30 PM

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New Releases: 9/13/16

Here’s what went on sale today!

Eternity’s Mind by Kevin J. Anderson

Eternity’s Mind by Kevin J. AndersonTwo decades after the devastating Elemental War, which nearly destroyed the cosmos, the new Confederation restored peace and profitable commerce among the peoples and worlds of the Spiral Arm. The ambitious, innovative Roamers went back to their traditional business of harvesting the vital stardrive fuel ekti from the clouds of gas giant planets, and the telepathic green priests of Theroc provided instantaneous galaxy-wide communication via their connection to the powerful and sentient worldtrees. The alien Ildiran Empire rebuilt their grand Prism Palace under the light of their seven suns, and their Mage-Imperator declared a new age of expansion and discover.

An Irish Doctor in Love and at Sea by Patrick Taylor

An Irish Doctor in Love and at Sea by Patrick TaylorLong before Dr. Fingal Flahertie O’Reilly came to the colourful Irish village of Ballybucklebo, young Surgeon-lieutenant O’Reilly answered the call of duty to serve in World War II. Fingal just wants to marry his beloved Deirdre and live happily ever after. First he must hone his skills at a British naval hospital before reporting back to the HMS Warspite, where, as a ship’s doctor, he faces danger upon the high seas. With German bombers a constant threat, the future has never been more uncertain, but Fingal and Deirdre are determined to make a life together . . . no matter what may lie ahead.

Navigators of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Navigators of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. AndersonBrian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson’s Navigators of Dune is the climactic finale of the Great Schools of Dune trilogy, set 10,000 years before Frank Herbert’s classic Dune.

The story line tells the origins of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood and its breeding program, the human-computer Mentats, and the Navigators (the Spacing Guild), as well as a crucial battle for the future of the human race, in which reason faces off against fanaticism. These events have far-reaching consequences that will set the stage for Dune, millennia later.

Strikeout of the Bleacher Weenies by David Lubar

Strikeout of the Bleacher Weenies by David LubarStrikeout of the Bleacher Weenies is the eighth collection of spooky short stories for ages 8 to 12 by the beloved author of the Nathan Abercrombie series, David Lubar. This is the perfect pick for reluctant young readers who like a few chills and a lot of laughs.

The appearance of a mysterious new girl in school stops her classmates cold. Black Friday shopping gets out of control for a mother and daughter. And stands full of screaming and shouting Bleacher Weenies are about to make the ultimate sacrifice.

NEW FROM TOR.COM:

Cold-Forged Flame by Marie Brennan

Cold-Forged Flame by Marie BrennanAt the beginning—no—at the end—she appears, full of fury and bound by chains of prophecy.

Setting off on an unexplained quest from which she is compelled to complete, and facing unnatural challenges in a land that doesn’t seem to exist, she will discover the secrets of herself, or die trying. But along the way, the obstacles will grow to a seemingly insurmountable point, and the final choice will be the biggest sacrifice yet.

NOW IN PAPERBACK:

Luna: New Moon by Ian McDonald

Luna: New Moon by Ian McDonaldThe Moon wants to kill you.

Maybe it will kill you when the per diem for your allotted food, water, and air runs out, just before you hit paydirt. Maybe it will kill you when you are trapped between the reigning corporations-the Five Dragons-in a foolish gamble against a futuristic feudal society. On the Moon, you must fight for every inch you want to gain. And that is just what Adriana Corta did.

Updraft by Fran Wilde

Updraft by Fran WildeWelcome to a world of wind and bone, songs and silence, betrayal and courage.

Kirit Densira cannot wait to pass her wingtest and begin flying as a trader by her mother’s side, being in service to her beloved home tower and exploring the skies beyond. When Kirit inadvertently breaks Tower Law, the city’s secretive governing body, the Singers, demand that she become one of them instead. In an attempt to save her family from greater censure, Kirit must give up her dreams to throw herself into the dangerous training at the Spire, the tallest, most forbidding tower, deep at the heart of the City.

NEW IN MANGA:

Lord Marksman and Vanadis Vol. 1 Story by Tsukasa Kawaguchi; Art by Nobuhiko Yanai

The Other Side of Secret Vol. 2 by Yoshikawa Hideaki

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