New Fiction



All The Right Stuff by Walter Dean Myers

The summer after his absentee father is killed in a random shooting, Paul volunteers at a Harlem soup kitchen where he listens to lessons about "the social contract" from an elderly African American man, and mentors a seventeen-year-old unwed mother who wants to make it to college on a basketball scholarship.–Summary.

Echo by Alyson Noel

Soul Seekers; Book Two

“There’s still so much Daire Santos has to learn about being the last Soul Seeker…and about herself. As her magical training becomes more intense, so does her relationship with Dace. But when she learns that this connection to the evil Richter family goes far deeper than she ever imagined, she begins to question if love can really conquer all. Dace is painfully aware that he wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the Richter’s dark magic – and now his father Cade is determined to use his love for Daire against him. Dace is willing to sacrifice anything to protect the girl he loves – including his own life. But will Daire allow it? And what if defeating Cade costs not only his life but his soul too?”–Jacket.

Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick

When soldiers arrive at his Cambodian hometown, Arn Chorn-Pond is just a kid. But his life is changed forever when the soldiers relocate his entire hometown and Arn is assigned to a labour camp. Separated from his family Arn watches as other children, weak from hunger and disease, frequently die in the camp. He also witnesses the actions of the sadistic Khmer Rouge. One day, when the soldiers ask the children if they can play an instrument, Arn, who has never played a note in his life, volunteers. The decision ultimately saves his life while pulling him into the center of what is commonly known as the Killing Fields. And, as the country is about to be liberated, Arn is handed a gun and forced to become a child soldier.–Summary.

Promised by Caragh M. O’Brien

Birthmarked; Book Three

“After defying the ruthless enclave, surviving the wasteland, and overthrowing Sylum, Gaia Stone now faces her greatest challenge yet – to lead the people of Sylum back to the Enclave and persuade the Protectorate to grant them refuge. But in Gaia’s absence, the Enclave has become even more ruthless.... Babies with the right genes are now a priceless commodity with the potential to reshape life inside the wall and redefine humanity. The key to it all comes back to one fearless, young midwife. As a leader, a woman, and an idealist in love, Gaia must decide if she can sacrifice what – or whom – she values.”–Jacket.

Reached by Ally Condie

Matched Trilogy; Book Three

"Cassia's journey began with an error, a momentary glitch in the otherwise perfect façade of the Society. After crossing canyons to break free, she waits, silk and paper smuggled against her skin, ready for the final chapter. The wait is over. One young woman has raged against those who threaten to keep away what matters most – family, love, choice. Her quiet revolution is about to explode into full-scale rebellion.”–Jacket.

Ru by Kim Thuy

Kim Thuy's Governor General's Literary Award-winning Ru is a lullaby for Vietnam and a love letter to a new homeland. In vignettes of exquisite clarity, sharp observation and sly wit, we are carried along on an unforgettable journey from a palatial residence in Saigon to a crowded and muddy Malaysian refugee camp, and onward to a new life in Quebec. –Summary.

The Emperor of Paris by C. S. Richardson

“Like his father before him, Octavio runs the Notre-Dame bakery, and knows the secret recipe for the perfect Parisian baguette. But, also like his father, Octavio has never mastered the art of reading and his only knowledge of the world beyond the bakery door comes from his own imagination. Just a few streets away, Isabeau works out of sight in the basement of the Louvre, trying to forget her disfigured beauty by losing herself in the paintings she restores and the stories she reads. The two might never have met, but for a curious chain of coincidences involving a mysterious traveller, an impoverished painter, a jaded bookseller, and a book of fairytales."–Publisher.

The Final Four by Paul Volponi

"Malcolm wants to get into the NBA ASAP. Roko wants to be the pride of his native Croatia. Crispin wants the girl of his dreams. M.J. just wants a chance. They have one thing in common: the will to win. Four guys met on the court in a key game in the Final Four, college basketball’s answer to the NBA playoffs."–Jacket.

The Imposter Bride by Nancy Richler

"When a young, enigmatic woman arrives in post-war Montreal, it is immediately clear that she is not who she claims to be. Her attempt to live out her life as Lily Azerov shatters as she disappears, leaving a new husband and baby daughter, and a host of unanswered questions. Who is she really and what happened to the young woman whose identity she has stolen? It is left to the daughter she abandoned to find the answers to these questions as she searches for the mother she may never find or really know."–Publisher.

The Sweet Girl by Annabel Lyon

"Pythias is her father's daughter; with eyes his exact shade of unlovely, intelligent grey. A slave to his own curiosity and intellect, Aristotle has never been able to resist wit in another – even in a girl child who should be content with the kitchen, the loom and a life dictated by the womb. And oh his little Pytho is smart, able to best his own students in debate and match wits with a roomful of Athenian philosophers. Is she a freak or a harbinger of what women can really be? Pythias must suffer that argument, but she is also (mostly) secure in her father's regard. But then Alexander dies a thousand miles from Athens, and sentiment turns against anyone associated with him, most especially his famous Macedonian-born teacher. Aristotle and his family are forced to flee to Chalcis, a garrison town. Ailing, mourning and broken in spirit, Aristotle soon dies. And his orphaned daughter, only 16, finds out that the world is a place of superstition, not logic, and that a girl can be played upon by gods and goddesses, as much as by grown men and women. To safely journey to a place in which she can be everything she truly is, Aristotle's daughter will need every ounce of wit she possesses, but also grace and the capacity to love."–Jacket.

The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

After being punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift, Father Time returns to Earth along with a magical hourglass and a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time. –Summary.