Books for LDS Readers. Tips for LDS Writers.
Title: The Hoarders
Author: Jean Stringham
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Release Date: June 8, 2010
ISBN: 978-1599554075
Size: 224 pages, 5.5×8, paperback
Genre: Young Adult
While everything around him falls apart, Cheyenne can only count on two things: his little brother, Joaquin, and his precious food hoard. But when their situation goes from bad to worse, Cheyenne knows he and Joaquin will need to stick together and rely on the lessons they’ve learned to keep them alive.
Title: Princess of Glass
Author: Jessica Day George
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books
Release Date: May 25, 2010
ISBN: 978-1599904788
Size: 272 pages, hardcover
Genre: YA Fantasy
Hoping to escape the troubles in her kingdom, Princess Poppy reluctantly agrees to take part in a royal exchange program, whereby young princes and princesses travel to each other’s countries in the name of better political alliances—and potential marriages. It’s got the makings of a fairy tale—until a hapless servant named Eleanor is tricked by a vengeful fairy godmother into competing with Poppy for the eligible prince. Ballgowns, cinders, and enchanted glass slippers fly in this romantic and action-packed happily-ever-after quest from an author with a flair for embroidering tales in her own delightful way.
Title: Flecks of Gold
Author: Alicia Buck
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Release Date: May 8, 2010
ISBN: 978-1599553894
Size: 288 pages, 6×9, paperback
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
“Mary,” she gasped, I turned and saw Kelson gripping Mom’s arm fiercely. “Go! Get help,” she said. Kelson tried to reach past her to grab me, but Mom twisted, hampering his movements.
He grabbed her tightly about the waist, her armes locked to her sides. “Fine, one then. I’ll be back for you later, Mary Margaret.” There was a flash of blue pattern, then blinding light. I looked away, shielding my eyes. When I looked back, both Mom and Kelson were gone.
Mary’s life has always been pretty normal–aside from the fact that her mom cycles through relationsips like she’s changing channels on the TV. But when one more bad break-up forces them to start over in another new town, Mary realizes that maybe this place won’t be like all the others. There’s something different about one of her new classmates, and it’s not just the fact that he’s incredibly cute.
What Mary doesn’t know is that her attraction to Kelson isn’t exactly…natural. And when Kelson suddenly kidnaps Mary’s mom and takes her to his home world, Mary will have to rescue her by relying on something she never knew existed–magic.
Title: The Golden Spiral
Author: Lisa Mangum
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Release Date: May 10, 2010
ISBN: 978-1606416358
Size: 432 pages, hardcover
Genre: YA Fantasy Romance
Series: The Hourglass Door (#1)
His eyes. His touch. His kiss. Dante was unlike anyone Abby had ever met. Now he’s gone, and Abby will do anything to get him back . . .
The hourglass door has closed behind Dante, sending him back in time to hunt down Zo, Tony, and V. Abby knows that Dante, as a Master of Time, is the only one who can stop them from destroying time itself. She also knows that he will need her help. But almost immediately, things start to change, and Abby’s worst fears are realized when Zo begins targeting her past specifically.
As Abby’s world fractures around her, she must face a terrible truth: either Dante didn’t make it through the door, or he is lost forever. So with Dante’s blueprints in hand, she begins construction on a new door, a new time machine that will either save Dante or doom him.
With each new change that ripples into her present, Abby’s life continues to spiral out of control. Her relationships with Jason, Natalie, and even her family are threatened to the breaking point and beyond. Zo’s power is greater than Abby ever imagined, but as she struggles to free Dante, she receives help from an unexpected and unlikely ally. The bank is eroding. The barriers are thinning. And time is running out.
Title: My Double Life
Author: Janette Rallison
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Release Date: May 13, 2010
ISBN: 978-0399252624
Size: 272 pages, hardcover
Genre: YA
Her whole life, Alexia Garcia has been told that she looks just like pop star Kari Kingsley, and one day when Alexia’s photo filters through the Internet, she’s offered a job to be Kari’s double. This would seem like the opportunity of a lifetime, but Alexia’s mother has always warned her against celebrities.
Rebelliously, Alexia flies off to L.A. and gets immersed in a celebrity life. Not only does she have to get used to getting anything she wants, she romances the hottest lead singer on the charts, and finds out that her own father is a singing legend. Through it all, Alexia must stay true to herself, which is hard to do when you are pretending to be somebody else!
Title: Wolves, Boys and Other Things That Might Kill Me
Author: Kristen Chandler
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Release Date: May 13, 2010
ISBN: 978-0670011421
Size: 371 pages, hardcover
Genre: Young Adult
Read excerpt here.
When KJ Carson is assigned to write a column for her school newspaper about the wolves in nearby Yellowstone National Park, she’s more interested in impressing Virgil Whitman, the new kid in school and the photographer assigned as her partner, than in investigative journalism. But before long, KJ has a face-to-face encounter with a wolf that changes her and the way she thinks about wolves. With her new found passion for protecting these controversial animals, KJ inadvertently ignites the fuse of the anti-wolf sentiment in the community. First Virgil is injured during a town parade, and then her father’s store is set on fire in retribution. To stop the escalating violence, KJ follows Virgil to the cattle ranch of the most outspoken anti-wolf activists in town, against her father’s will. What she discovers there threatens everything and everyone she cares about.
In KJ’s fierce and funny attempt to make peace between the wolves and the people that despise them, she must first face her own long-held fears. It’s terrifying, but then, finding yourself always is.
Title: Spells
Author: Aprilynne Pike
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: May 4, 2010
ISBN: 978-0061668067
Size: 368 pages, Hardcover
Genre: YA Fantasy
Series: Wings
“I can’t just storm in and proclaim my intentions. I cant ‘steal’ you away. I just have to wait and hope that, someday, you’ll ask,” Tamani said.
“And if I don’t?” Laurel said, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Then I guess I’ll be waiting forever.”
Six months have passed since Laurel saved the gateway to the faerie realm of Avalon. Now she must spend her summer there, honing her skills as a Fall faerie. But her human family and friends are still in mortal danger–and the gateway to Avalon is more compromised than ever.
When it comes time to protect those she loves, will she depend on David, her human boyfriend, for help? Or will she turn to Tamani, the electrifying faerie with whom her connection is undeniable?
Title: The Princess and the Snowbird
Author: Mette Ivie Harrison
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: May 4, 2010
ISBN: 978-0061553172
Size: 240 pages, hardcover
Genre: YA Fantasy
Series: The Princess and the Hound; The Princess and the Bear
She is the headstrong daughter of the hound and the bear, heir to all her royal parents’ magic and able to transform at will into any animal she wishes.
He is an outcast, a boy without magic, determined to make his way in the forest beholden to no one.
Though Liva and Jens are as different as night and day, from the time their paths first cross they are irresistibly drawn to one another. Each wrestles with demons: Liva with the responsibility that comes with the vast magic she’s inherited, Jens with the haunting memories he’s left behind. Separately, they keep a lookout for each other and for the immense snowbird whose appearances signify a dark event on the horizon.
When a terrible threat surfaces, Liva and Jens set out in an attempt to protect all they hold dear. Much is at stake—for while their failure could spell an end to all magic, their success could bring them together at last.
Title: Cameron Meets Madison Again
Author: Jack Weyland
Publisher: Granite Publishing
Release Date: May, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59936-054-6
Size: 122 pages, 5×8, softcover
Genre: YA
Have you ever had a day that was so good you wished it would, never end? Well, that is how Cameron felt, until that day. The day that would not end. The anything-but-humble Cameron, star quarterback of the Lincoln High School football team has a chance to live and relive his good day over and over again.
Cameron has every reason to look forward to the Monday victory rally after making the winning touchdown on Friday night in the game for the state championship. After the rally though, when he tries to exit the school, a mysterious force pushes him back inside, and he finds himself, once again, starting the same Monday all over again. With each new Monday, Madison, the only LDS student in school, is waiting at his locker to interview him for the school paper. As much as he wants to, he can’t seem to escape her influence for good. But will that be enough to help him see that his arrogance has blinded him to the worth of those around him?
Cameron is one of the funnest and most thought provoking plots best-selling author, Jack Weyland has ever written. If you liked the movie Groundhog Day, you will love Cameron.
Title: Penitence (book 2)
Author: Jennifer Laurens
Publisher: Grove Creek Publishing
Release Date: April 29, 2010
ISBN: 978-1933963839
Size: 322 pages, 6×9, softcover
Genre: YA Romantic Fantasy
Series: Heavenly
Title: Princess for Hire
Author: Lindsey Leavitt
Publisher: Hyperion Book
Release Date: March 16, 2010
ISBN:
Size: 256 pages, 6×8″, hardcover
Genre: Young Adult
When a flawlessly dressed woman steps out of an iridescent bubble and wants to know, like, now if you’d like to become a substitute princess, do you
a) run
b) faint
c) say Yes!
For Desi Bascomb, who’s been longing for a bit of glamour in her Idaho life, the choice is a definite C–that is, once she can stop pinching herself. As her new agent Meredith explains, Desi has a rare magical ability: when she applies the ancient Egyptian formula “Royal Rouge,” she can transform temporarily into the exact lookalike of any princess who needs her subbing services. Dream come true, right?
Well, Desi soon discovers that subbing involves a lot more than wearing a tiara and waving at cameras. Like, what do you do when a bullying older sister puts you on a heinous crash diet? Or when the tribal villagers gather to watch you perform a ceremonial dance you don’t know? Or when a princess’s conflicted sweetheart shows up to break things off–and you know she would want you to change his mind?
In this hilarious, winning debut, one girl’s dream of glamour transforms into something bigger: the desire to make a positive impact. And an impact Desi makes, one royal fiasco at a time.
Title: Summer in Paris
Author: Michele Ashman Bell
Publisher: Valor Publishing Group
Release Date: March 16, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-935546-17-7
Size: 210 pages, 6×9″, softcover
Genre: YA Coming of Age/Romance
Kenzie Williams feels like she has it all; wealth, friends, popularity and talent. But when her father tells her that he has declared bankruptcy, her whole world in New York City turns upside down. Her parents’ solution while they sort through their financial and marital problems is to send Kenzie to live with her relatives in Paris . . . Idaho!
Feeling like she’s been sentenced to three months in Hickville Prison, Kenzie arrives in Idaho feeling like a square peg, with name brand clothes, in a round, horribly podunk, hole.
Leaving everything she loves behind, Kenzie is forced to get up at the crack of dawn, do chores, and hang out with her cousin’s loser friends. She feels like she’s about to die until she meets Adam White, the town outcast, whose been accused of killing his best friend and is being blamed for some trouble that’s been happening around town.
Not only is Adam the best-looking guy she’s ever seen, but he’s also the most fascinating guy she’s ever met and Kenzie is determined to get to know him and find out his secret. But, the longer she stays in Paris, the more she realizes, Adam isn’t the only one keeping secrets.
Title: Sing Me to Sleep
Author: Angela Morrison
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: March 4, 2010
ISBN: 978-1595142757
Size: 320 pages, 6×9″, hardcover
Genre: Young Adult
THE TRANSFORMATION
Beth has always been “The Beast”—that’s what everyone at school calls her because of her awkward height, facial scars, and thick glasses. Beth’s only friend is geeky, golden-haired Scott. That is, until she’s selected to be her choir’s soprano soloist, and receives the makeover that will change her life forever.
THE LOVE AFFAIR
When Beth’s choir travels to Switzerland, she meets Derek: pale, brooding, totally dreamy. Derek’s untethered passion—for music, and for Beth—leaves her breathless. Because in Derek’s eyes? She’s not The Beast, she’s The Beauty.
THE IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE
When Beth comes home, Scott, her best friend in the world, makes a confession that leaves her completely torn. Should she stand by sweet, steady Scott or follow the dangerous, intense new feelings she has for Derek?
THE HEARTBREAK
The closer Beth gets to Derek, the further away he seems. Then Beth discovers that Derek’s been hiding a dark secret from her …one that could shatter everything.
Title: The Sapphire Flute (Book 1 of The Wolfchild Saga)
Author: Karen E. Hoover
Publisher: Valor Publishing Group
Release Date: March 16, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-935546-07-8
Size: 370 pages, hardcover
Genre: YA Fantasy
It has been 3,000 years since a white mage has been seen upon Rasann.
In the midst of a volcanic eruption miles outside of her village, Ember discovers she can see magic and change the appearance of things at will. Against her mother’s wishes, she leaves for the mage trials only to be kidnapped before arriving. In trying to escape, she discovers she has inherited her father’s secret–a secret that places her in direct conflict with her father’s greatest enemy.
At the same time, Kayla is given guardianship of the sapphire flute and told not to play it. The evil mage C’Tan has been searching for it for decades and the sound alone is enough to call her. For the flute to be truly safe, Kayla must find its birthplace in the mountains high above Javak. The girls’ paths are set on a collision course…a course that C’Tan is determined to prevent at all costs.
Title: My Ridiculous, Romantic Obsessions
Author: Becca Wilhite
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Release Date: February 18, 2010
ISBN: 978-1606415962
Size: 176 pages, 6×9, softcover
Genre: Young Adult
A perfect blend of wit, comedy, suspense, and, of course, romance.
This is NOT your typical romance novel.
Sarah Howard’s first year at the university is everything and nothing she expected—especially when a very cute boy named Ben in her Art History class starts to show interest in her.
Sarah feels like she’s an average, normal, everyday girl. So, when Ben (to whom she secretly refers as Adonis because she thinks he could be a Greek god) begins to take interest in her, Sarah is in denial. For one thing, last year she was deeply crushed and humiliated by “Jesse James”—a guy who she thought liked her. She’s determined not to get burned again. But in her heart of hearts, what she really wants is a Jane Austen kind of romance.
Ridiculous, right? That kind of romance doesn’t exist anymore . . . or does it? Sarah is smart and fun to be around and even pretty, despite her Medusa-like red curls. She even plays the guitar. (So does Ben!) Yes, Sarah is everything Ben has wanted. He’s crazy for her, but Sarah is just not getting it. She’s playing hard to get, and if she’s not careful, she’s going to lose a real “hot” gentleman—her 21st-century Mr. Darcy.
Title: Pickerel Lake
Author: Gary Blackburn
Publisher: PublishAmerica
Release Date: February 12, 2010
ISBN: 978-1448949717
Size: 220 pages, 6×9, paperback
Genre: Young Adult Suspense
It was supposed to be another lackluster summer for Justin Sanders, until it got up close and personal with the mystery fish out there in Pickerel Lake. Then, a desperate phone call from cousin Randy, concerning death threats and secret fish photos, has Justin racing to his assistance, unable to stop the tragedy.
Pursuing evidence about his cousin’s death, Justin and best friend Eric make a startling discovery on a perilous excursion to the dark water lair of the mysterious fish. Encountering something so unexpected, it all could unlock deep secrets, solving his cousin’s murder, while placing them both in moral danger.
Disentangling a complex labyrinth of clues, Justin is forced to meet the possible killer, in the woods, to exchange cash for information on Randy’s murder, where Justin will struggle to survive one final life and death confrontation.
Title: Tombs of Terror
Author: T Lynn Adams
Publisher: Bonneville Books (CFI)
Release Date: February 8, 2010
ISBN: 978-1599553269
Size: 208 pages, 6×9, softcover
Genre: YA Mystery
When Jonathon Bradford gets lost in an ancient cavern while sightseeing in Peru, he discovers the secret behind the legendary disappearance of the ancient Inca people.
In Tombs of Terror, the gripping debut from T. Lynn Adams, Jonathon is catapulted into an epic struggle between greed and honor. Now he must prove his loyalty and bravery as he battles lethal traps, starvation, kidnapping, and his own fear—all while holding the precarious fate of an entire civilization in his hands.
Title: Taming the Wind
Author: Michelle Thompson
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Release Date: January 8, 2010
ISBN: 978-1599553795
Size: 176 pages, 6×9, softcover
Genre: Young Adult
At fifteen, Claire’s too young to deal with anything more than school, soccer, and friends. But when a horrific car accident takes the lives of her parents and siblings, Claire feels like it’s all her fault. Still injured physically and emotionally, she’s forced to move in with her estranged grandparents and begin a new life in their small Colorado farm town.
There she meets Jesse, a handsome neighbor she can’t help falling for. But just as she begins to find happiness again, Claire realizes she’ll have to face the demons in her past before she can ever hope to truly move on.
This poignant debut novel from Michelle Thompson tells of one girl’s struggle to find meaning in the midst of tragedy and will draw you in from the very first page. Join Claire as she learns to embrace the winds of change and find love,
faith, and hope for the future.
Title: Being Sixteen
Author: Allyson Braithwaite Condie
Publisher: Deseret Book
Release Date: January 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1606412336
Size: 248 pages, 6×9, softcover
Genre: Young Adult
The night of my sixteenth birthday, I didn’t even bother to make a wish when I blew out the candles on the cake. It was my sixteenth birthday, after all. My wishes had already come true. When you turn sixteen, you can start dating. And driving. And living. I counted the candles on my cake as the flames flickered in the summer breeze. I heard the cheers of my friends and family, and as I tasted cake and summer and the promise of good times to come, I thought, This is going to be a good year. Maybe the best year of my life. I had no idea.
Juliet Kendall has been looking forward to her sixteenth birthday for what feels like forever. At first, it seems like being sixteen will be as perfect as she dreamed—she has great friends, a cute almost-boyfriend, a spot on the varsity girls’ basketball team, and even a car of her own. But, as the year goes on, she discovers that her sister Carly is hiding a secret and realizes that, in fact, being sixteen may be her hardest year yet.
Being Sixteen is a coming-of-age story about two sisters and their different struggles. It addresses what it means to have a testimony, what it means to be a friend and a sister, and what’s involved in dealing with and overcoming an eating disorder.
Title: Calamity Jack
Author: Shannon Hale and Dean Hale
Illustrator: Nathan Hale
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books
Release Date: January 5, 2010
ISBN: 978-1599900766
Size: 144 pages, 8×11, hardcover
Genre: YA; Graphic Novel
Series: Rapunzel’s Revenge
This book is not eligible for a Whitney Award.
Jack likes to think of himself as a criminal mastermind…with an unfortunate amount of bad luck. A schemer, plotter, planner, trickster, swindler…maybe even thief? One fine day Jack picks a target a little more giant than the usual, and one little bean turns into a great big building-destroying beanstalk.
With help from Rapunzel (and her trusty braids), a pixie from Jack’s past, and a man with inventions from the future, they just might out-swindle the evil giants and put his beloved city back in the hands of good people ….while catapulting themselves and readers into another fantastical adventure.
Title: The Dark Divine
Author: Bree Despain
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Release Date: December 22, 2009
ISBN: 978-1606840573
Size: 384 pages, hardcover
Genre: YA Paranormal
Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared–the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in his own blood–but she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night held.
The memories her family has tried to bury resurface when Daniel returns, three years later, and enrolls in Grace and Jude’s high school. Despite promising Jude she’ll stay away, Grace cannot deny her attraction to Daniel’s shocking artistic abilities, his way of getting her to look at the world from new angles, and the strange, hungry glint in his eyes.
The closer Grace gets to Daniel, the more she jeopardizes her life, as her actions stir resentment in Jude and drive him to embrace the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind the boy’s dark secret…and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it–her soul.
Title: The Shadow Dragons (Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica)
Author: James A. Owen
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
Release Date: October 27, 2009
ISBN: 978-1416958976
Size: 432 pages, Hardcover
Genre: YA Fantasy
Series: Here There Be Dragons (v. 1), The Search for the Red Dragon (v. 2), The Indigo King (v. 3)
World War II has been raging for three years, but a more terrible evil is just over the horizon. The last stones are falling from the Keep of Time, and the Imperial Cartological Society, led by Richard Burton, has collected doors and is building a new tower at the request of an old enemy: the Winter King’s shadow. He has a terrible weapon — the Spear of Destiny — that can be used to command the shadows of anyone it touches.
The Shadow King uses the Spear of Destiny to enlist an unstoppable army of Dragon shadows. And after the Archipelago falls, the Shadow King intends to use the turmoil of World War II to take over both worlds.
All the legendary Caretakers, past and present, come together to save two worlds, and their only hope lies with a small group of companions who are on the quest for the broken sword Caliburn: the Grail Child, Rose Dyson; her clockwork companion, the owl Archie; a dead professor of ancient literature; and the mythical knight Don Quixote.
Title: Briana, My Brother, and the Blog
Author: Jack Weyland
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Release Date: October, 2009
ISBN:
Size: softcover
Genre: YA
Brianna needs a friend, someone to keep her from being lonely while she’s waiting for her missionary, Robbie, to come home. And who better for the job than Robbie’s brother, Austin? He can keep the other men at bay while giving Brianna guy-type help, like hauling her harp around on weekends to play at wedding receptions.
Austin needs a friend, too. And Brianna is the perfect choice since there’s no romantic involvement — of course not, how could there be, she’s waiting for his brother, after all. As a friendship develops between Austin and Brianna, Austin is free to learn what it means to be “true and faithful friends” with a girl.
He begins posting his findings in blog entries that quickly gather a following of interested readers. But what will happen to his friendship with Brianna when she finds out who the real author of the blog is? Because the truth is, Austin isn’t looking for just a friend anymore, but something more. Will he have the courage to tell Brianna the truth — before Robbie comes home?
Title: The Pirate Slayers: Ghost Waves
Author: W. Everett Prusso
Publisher: WiDo Publishing
Release Date: October 20, 2009
ISBN: 978-0979607028
Size: 288 pages, 6×9 Hardcover
Genre: YA
In the winter of 1846, 238 pioneers leave New York City for a voyage that would take them twenty-six thousand miles around South America to Honolulu, and to their final destination, San Francisco. On a warm, sultry, moonless night, off the coast of Brazil, four teenage passengers inadvertently fall overboard. Thomas, Elizabeth, Nicole and their Australian sailor friend, Matthew, find themselves stranded in dangerous waters. The Caribbean Sea and South Pacific are the backdrops for this adventure that pits the foursome in desperate contests with pirates, profiteers and scoundrels as they swash-buckle their way to California.