The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman
ISBN 0142405779 Puffin Paperback (9 to 12) 228 pgs WB Price: $11.95
Anthony, also known as "Antsy," is fascinated by "The Schwa Effect"--the fact that no one ever sees Calvin Schwa. Even when acting weird and dressed like a total freak, The Schwa is only barely noticed. The two boys form a partnership and get away with all kinds of mischief, from conducting experiments at school to confounding opponents on the basketball court. When The Schwa senses that even Antsy is beginning to lose sight of him, he vows to do something that will make him so visible, no one will ever forget him. Any kid who's ever felt unnoticed will identify with Schwa and Antsy and their quest for notoriety.  Awards Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards | Winner | Fiction & Poetry | 2005 

The Wave by Todd Strasser
ISBN 0440993717 EAN 9780440993711 Laurel Paperback (12 to 17) WB Price: $10.95
"The Wave" is based on a true incident that occured in a high school history class in Palo Alto, California, in 1969.The powerful forces of group pressure that pervaded many historic movements such as Nazism are recreated in the classroom when history teacher Burt Ross introduces a "new" system to his students. And before long "The Wave, " with its rules of "strength through discipline, community, and action, " sweeps from the classroom through the entire school. And as most of the students join the movement, Laurie Saunders and David Collins recognize the frightening momentum of "The Wave" and realize they must stop it before it's too late. 17 cms L x 11.8cms W (0.07 kgs) 144 pages 

Blood Red Horse by K.M Grant
ISBN 0802777341 EAN 9780802777348 Walker Paperback (10 to 14) WB Price: $15.95
This enchanting new adventure story, set in medieval England, is the tale of two brothers, called by King Richard to fight in the Crusades; the fair maiden they both love; and the small stallion that binds them together.You need three things to become a brave and noble knight: A warhorse. A fair maiden. A just cause.Will has a horse--a small chestnut stallion with a white blaze in his brow. Ellie is a fair maiden, but she's supposed to marry Will's older brother, Gavin. And as for the cause, King Richard is calling for a Crusade. The Knights of England must go to the Holy Land to fight.Will and Gavin will go. Blood will be shed. Lives will be taken. But through it all, two things will be constant--Ellie, and a blood-red horse called Hosanna. . . . 20.8 cms L x 17.3 cms W (0.29 kgs) 277 pages

Taking Sides by Gary Soto
ISBN 0152046941 EAN 9780152046941 Harcourt Paperback (8 to 13) WB Price: $10.50
Having moved from the barrio to the suburbs, Lincoln Mendoza is still loyal to his home team--even though he's playing basketball for another school now. When the two teams face each other, Lincoln learns something about winning, loyalty, change, and friendship.19.5 cms L x 13 cms W (0.15 kgs) 144 pages 

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
ISBN 0060531827 EAN 9780060531829 Eos Paperback (10 to 14) WB Price: $13.95
Matt Cruse is a cabin boy on the Aurora, a huge airship that sails hundreds of feet above the ocean, ferrying wealthy passengers from city to city. It is the life Matt's always wanted; convinced he's lighter than air, he imagines himself as buoyant as the hydrium gas that powers his ship. One night he meets a dying balloonist who speaks of beautiful creatures drifting through the skies. It is only after Matt meets the balloonist's granddaughter that he realizes that the man's ravings may, in fact, have been true, and that the creatures are completely real and utterly mysterious. In a swashbuckling adventure reminiscent of Jules Verne and Robert Louis Stevenson, Kenneth Oppel, author of the best-selling "Silverwing trilogy, creates an imagined world in which the air is populated by transcontinental voyagers, pirates, and beings never before dreamed of by the humans who sail the skies. Award: Michael L. Printz Award | Honor Book | Young Adult | 2005 ;17.17 cms L x 12.70 cms W (0.28 kgs) 544 pages

Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
ISBN 1416940286 EAN: 9781416940289 Aladdin Paperback (8 to 12) WB Price: $11.95
"Caddie Woodlawn," which has been captivating young readers since 1935, was awarded the John Newbery Medal for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. Now it is in a brand-new edition with lively illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman. In her new foreword, Carol Ryrie Brink lovingly recalls the real Caddie, who was her grandmother, and tells how she often "sat spellbound, listening, listening!" as Caddie told stories of her pioneer childhood. Children everywhere will love redheaded Caddie with her penchant for pranks. Scarcely out of one scrape before she is into another, she refuses to be a "lady, " preferring instead to run the woods with her brothers. Whether she is crossing the lake on a raft, visiting an Indian camp, or listening to the tales of the circuit rider, Caddie's adventures provide an exciting and authentic picture of life on the Wisconsin frontier in the 1860s. And readers will discover, as Caddie learns what growing up truly means, that it is not so very different today. 19.4 cms L x 13. cms W (0.19 kgs) 275 pages

Peaches by Jodi Lynn Anderson
ISBN 0060733071 EAN 9780060733070 Harper Paperback (14 to 17) WB Price: $15.95
Murphy McGowen has bright green eyes, a reputation as the wildest girl in Bridgewater, and a way of getting out of all the trouble she gets into. But when she's caught stealing from the Darlington Orchard, she's forced to repay her debt picking peaches in the hot Georgia sun. Leeda Cawley-Smith has professionally whitened teeth and the softest skin her boyfriend has ever touched. Unfortunately, Leeda's parents aren't too keen on her being touched anymore. Now Leeda's country-club summer is out the window -- she'll be getting a serious sock tan working at her uncle's peach orchard instead. Birdie Darlington used to dance around her family's orchard picking peaches for fun. But now that her parents are getting divorced, Birdie would rather spend the summer in the A/C eating Thin Mints than pick another peach -- too bad she doesn't have a choice. Thrown together at Darlington Orchard, Murphy, Leeda, and Birdie discover what it means to find a real soul mate, and that sometimes cute boys know a lot about peach cider. And, of course, they learn the trick to picking a perfect peach. One thing's for sure -- it's going to be a juicy summer. 20 cms L x 13.4 cms W (0.27 kgs) 311 pages

Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith
ISBN 0142405957 Puffin Paperback (9 to 12) WB Price: $8.95
Henry loves chocolate so much, it practically flows through his veins. Chocolate cake, chocolate cereal, chocolate syrup, chocolate milk and chocolate cookies-and that's just breakfast! Still, it comes as a shock when he suddenly breaks out in chocolaty brown spots and is diagnosed with none other than . . . Chocolate Fever. Rather than be poked and prodded by doctors, Henry runs away, starting an adventure that puts him in the path of schoolyard bullies, on the road with truckers and up against dangerous thieves. But at the end of it all, the question remains: Is there a cure for Chocolate Fever? 19.7 cms L x 12.9 cms W (0.08 kgs) 93 pages 

All Alone in The Universe by Lynne Rae Perkins
ISBN 0380733021 EAN 9780380733026 Harper Paperback (10+) WB Price: $9.95
"Before last summer Maureen and I were best friends....At least I think we were. I don't know what happened exactly. As some people who get hit by trucks sometimes say, 'I didn't see anything coming."When her best friend since the third grade starts acting as though Debbie doesn't exist, Debbie finds out the hard way that life can be a lonesome place. But in the end the heroine of this wryly funny coming-of-age story--a girl who lives in a house covered with stuff that is supposed to look like bricks but is just a fake brick pattern--discovers that even the hourly tragedies of junior high school can have silver linings, just as a house covered with Insul-Brick can protect a real home. This first novel shines--fun, engrossing, bittersweet, and wonderfully unpredictable. Awards:Young Hoosier Book Award Masterlist (Gr 6-8), 2000 Notable Children's Books (ALA) ; 19 cms L x 13. cms W (0.10 kgs) 160 pages

Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins
ISBN 0060092726 EAN 9780060092726 Greenwillow Hardcover (10+) WB Price: $29.95
The author of the popular All Alone in the Universe returns with another character study involving those moments that occur in everyone's life–moments when a decision is made that sends a person along one path instead of another. Debbie, who wishes that something would happen so she'll be a different person, and Hector, who feels he is unfinished, narrate most of the novel. Both are 14 years old. Hector is a fabulous character with a wry humor and an appealing sense of self-awareness. A secondary story involving Debbie's locket that goes missing in the beginning of the tale and is passed around by a number of characters emphasizes the theme of the book. The descriptive, measured writing includes poems, prose, haiku, and question-and-answer formats. There is a great deal of humor in this gentle story about a group of childhood friends facing the crossroads of life and how they wish to live it. Young teens will certainly relate to the self-consciousnesses and uncertainty of all of the characters, each of whom is straining toward clarity and awareness. The book is profusely illustrated with Perkins's amusing drawings and some photographs. 21.18 cms L x 14.99 cms W 368 pages Award: 2006 Newbery Medal Winner

Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins
ISBN 0060092742 EAN: 9780060092740 Harper Paperback (10+) WB Price: $12.95
This winner of the 2006 Newbery Medal is a poignant coming-of-age story about a young girl and her friends whose paths cross--and stories criss cross--over one summer. Illustrated throughout with photos and illustrations by the author.Award: 2006 Newbery Medal Winner 19.35 cms L x 13.31 cms W (0.24 kgs) 368 pages

Whittington by Alan Armstrong
ISBN 0375828648 EAN 9780375828645 Random Hardcover (8 to 12) WB Price: $25.95
Bernie keeps a barn full of animals the rest of the world has no use for-two retired trotters, a rooster, some banty hens, and a Muscovy duck with clipped wings who calls herself The Lady. When the cat called Whittington shows up one day, it is to the Lady that he makes an appeal to secure a place in the barn. The Lady's a little hesitant at first, but when the cat claims to be a master ratter, that clinches it.Bernie's orphaned grandkids, Abby and Ben, come to the barn every day to help feed the animals. Abby shares her worry that Ben can't really read yet and that he refuses to go to Special Ed. Whittington and the Lady decide that Abby should give Ben reading lessons in the barn. It is a balm for Ben when, having toughed out the daily lesson, Whittington comes to tell, in tantalizing installments, the story handed down to him from his nameless forebearer, Dick Whittington's cat-the legend of the lad born into poverty in rural England during the Black Death, who runs away to London to seek his fortune. This is an unforgettable tale about how learning to read saves one little boy. It is about the healing, transcendent power of storytelling and how, if you have loved ones surrounding you and good stories to tell, to listen to, and to read, you have just about everything of value in this world. 22.00 cms L x 15.29 cms W 208 pages Award: 2006 Newbery Honor Book

Whittington by Alan Armstrong
EAN 9780375828652 ISBN 0375828656 Yearling Paperback (8 to 12) WB Price: $11.95
Whittington is a roughneck Tom who arrives one day at a barn full of rescued animals and asks for a place there. He spins for the animals--as well as for Ben and Abby, the kids whose grandfather does the rescuing--a yarn about his ancestor, the nameless cat who brought Dick Whittington to the heights of wealth and power in 16th-century England. This is an unforgettable tale about the healing, transcendent power of storytelling, and how learning to read saves one little boy.Award: 2006 Newbery Honor Book ; 19 cms L x 13.6 cms W (0.13 kgs) 191 pages

Trouble Don't Last by Shelley Pearsall
ISBN 0440418119 Dell Paperback (9 to 12) WB Price: $11.95
Eleven-year-old Samuel was born as Master Hackler's slave, and working the Kentucky farm is the only life he's ever known--until one dark night in 1859, that is. With no warning, cranky old Harrison, a fellow slave, pulls Samuel from his bed and, together, they run. The journey north seems much more frightening than Master Hackler ever was, and Samuel's not sure what freedom means aside from running, hiding, and starving. But as they move from one refuge to the next on the Underground Railroad, Samuel uncovers the secret of his own past--and future. And old Harrison begins to see past a whole lifetime of hurt to the promise of a new life--and a poignant reunion--in Canada. In a heartbreaking and hopeful first novel, Shelley Pearsall tells a suspenseful, emotionally charged story of freedom and family. "Trouble Don't Last includes a historical note and map. Awards: The 2003 Scott O' Dell Award for Historical Fiction;A "Booklist Top 10 First Novel ;A "Booklist Top Ten Historical Fiction for Youth 17.83 cms L x 14.78 cms W (0.17 kgs) 239 pages

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
ISBN 1582349908 EAN: 9781582349909 Bloomsbury Paperback (12+)  WB Price: $16.95
On her way to marry a prince she's never met, Princess Anidori is betrayed by her guards and her lady-in-waiting and must become a goose girl to survive until she can reveal her true identity and reclaim the crown that is rightfully hers. Awards: A New York Public Library "100 Titles for Reading and Sharing",A Texas Lone Star Reading List Book,A Josette Frank Award Winner,A Utah State Book Award Winner. 19.66 cms L x 13.4 cms W 383 pages

Enna Burning by Shannon Hale
ISBN 1582349061 EAN: 9781582349060 Bloomsbury Paperback (12+) WB Price: $15.95
Enna and Princess Isi became fast friends in The Goose Girl, but after Isi married Prince Geric, Enna returned to the forest. Enna's simple life changes forever when she learns to wield fire and burn anything at will. Enna is convinced that she can use her ability for good-to fight Tira, the kingdom threatening the Bayern borders-and goes on secret raids to set fire to the Tiran camps and villages. But as the power of the fire grows stronger, she is less able to control her need to burn. In her recklessness she is captured by the Tiran army and held captive by a handsome, manipulative young captain who drugs her to keep her under his influence. Can Isi and her old friends Finn and Razo rescue her without sacrificing themselves? And with the fire still consuming her, will Enna find a way to manage the gift that threatens to destroy her? 20.6 cms L x 14.17 cms W 336 pages 

River Secret by Shannon Hale
ISBN 1582349010 EAN 9781582349015 Bloomsbury Hardcover (12+) WB Price: $31.95
Razo has no idea why he was chosen to be a soldier. He can barely swing a sword, and his brothers are forever wrestling him to the ground. Razo is sure it's out of pity that his captain asks him to join an elite mission--escorting the ambassador into Tira, Bayern's great enemy. But when the Bayern arrive in the strange southern country, Razo discovers the first dead body. He befriends both the high and low born, people who can perhaps provide them with vital information. And Razo is the one who must embrace his own talents in order to get the Bayern soldiers home again, alive. Newbery-Honor winner Shannon Hale returns the reader to the intrigue and magic of Bayern, first introduced in her critically acclaimed novel, "The Goose Girl." Enter a world where even those with no special magical skills find in themselves something they never imagined.19.86 cms L x 13.8 cms W (0.40 kgs) 290 pages. 

River Secret by Shannon Hale
ISBN 1599902931 EAN: 9781599902937 Bloomsbury Paperback (12+) WB Price: $16.95
Razo has never been anything but ordinary. He's not very fast, or tall, or strong, so when he's invited to join an elite mission escorting the ambassador into Tira, Bayern's great enemy, he's sure it's only out of pity. But when they arrive in the strange southern country, it is Razo who finds the first dead body. As they try to learn more from the Tirans about the ever increasing murders, Razo is the only Bayern soldier able to befriend both the high and low born, including the beautiful Lady Dasha. And as Razo finds allies among the Tirans, he realizes that it may be up to him to get the Bayern army safely home again.

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
ISBN 0375831436 Knopf Hardcover (12+)  WB Price: $27.95
ISBN: 0440420474 EAN: 9780440420477 WB Price: $11.95
This summer the Penderwick sisters have a wonderful surprise: a holiday on the grounds of a beautiful estate called Arundel. Soon they are busy discovering the summertime magic of Arundel's sprawling gardens, treasure-filled attic, tame rabbits, and the cook who makes the best gingerbread in Massachusetts. But the best discovery of all is Jeffrey Tifton, son of Arundel's owner, who quickly proves to be the perfect companion for their adventures. The icy-hearted Mrs. Tifton is not as pleased with the Penderwicks as Jeffrey is, though, and warns the new friends to stay out of trouble. Which, of course, they will--won't they? One thing's for sure: it will be a summer the Penderwicks will never forget. Deliciously nostalgic and quaintly witty, this is a story as breezy and carefree as a summer day. Awards: Book Sense Book of the Year | Honor Book | Children's Literature | 2006 ; National Book Awards | Winner | Young People's Lit. | 2005 - 22 cms L x 14.83 cms W (0.44 kgs) 262 pages

By The Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman
ISBN 0316286125 EAN 9780316286121 Little Brown Paperback (9 to 12) WB Price: $11.95
The year is 1849. Young Jack Flagg sets out to recoup his Aunt Arabella's fortune on a ship bound from Boston to the California gold fields. Thus begin the wild, swashbuckling adventures of a determined 12-year-old and his intrepid butler.  19 cms L x 12.7 cms W (0.14 kgs) 193 pages

The Upstairs Room by Johanna Russ
ISBN 006440370X EAN 9780064403702 Harper Paperback (9 to 12) WB Price: $10.95
When the German army occupied Holland, Annie de Leeuw was eight years old. Because she was Jewish, the occupation put her in grave danger-she knew that to stay alive she would have to hide. Fortunately, a Gentile family, the Oostervelds, offered to help. For two years they hid Annie and her sister, Sini, in the cramped upstairs room of their farmhouse.Most people thought the war wouldn't last long. But for Annie and Sini -- separated from their family and confined to one tiny room -- the war seemed to go on forever. Author, Johanna Reiss's picture of the Oosterveld family with whom she lived, and of Annie and Sini, reflects a deep spirit of optimism, a faith in the ingenuity, backbone, and even humor with which ordinary human beings meet extraordinary challenges. In the steady, matter-of-fact, day-by-day courage they all showed lies a profound strength that transcends the horrors of the long and frightening war. Here is a memorable book, one that will be read and reread for years to come.Awards: 1973 Newbery Honor Book,Notable Children's Books of 1971– 1975 (ALA),Best Books of 1972 (SLJ),Outstanding Children's Books of 1972 (NYT),Children's Books of 1972 (Library of Congress) ; 19 cms L x 13 cms W (0.15 kgs) 208 pages