Bite Risk

 By: S J Wills      

Location: FIC WIL

Genre: Horror

This horror-adventure tale is perfect for bloodthirsty fans of Goosebumps, Stranger Things, Fear Street and Skulduggery Pleasant. 

Sel Archer lives in a normal town with normal residents, except for one night a month . . . When the full moon comes out, almost all of the adults turn into werewolves, and it's up to the young people to protect themselves from danger.

But, as this quiet life begins to unravel, and the Turned start to escape, can Sel and his friends uncover exactly who – or what – is watching their every move, before it's too late?

‘I devoured Bite Risk with ruthless ferocity, or perhaps the book devoured me – I’m not too sure!’ – Sophie Kirtle

'A riotously absorbing horror-comedy for readers of 12 and up.' – Guardian

The Last Kids on Earth gets a lupine twist by way of Margaret Peterson Haddix in this eerie middle grade adventure set in a small town where all the adults are werewolves but the kids begin to suspect something else sinister is putting them at even greater risk.

When everyone’s a werewolf, it’s hard to spot the monster…

Thirteen-year-old Sel lives in the remote, isolated town of Tremorglade, where nothing interesting ever seems to happen. Well, unless you count the one night a month when the full moon rises and kids like him must lock up their parents while they transform into werewolves (though Tremorgladers prefer to call them Rippers). But that’s the whole world’s new normal since the Disruption changed everything well before Sel was born.

But when strange things begin happening in Tremorglade, like drones emitting sickening sounds and people behaving oddly, Sel and his friends begin asking questions about what’s really going on in their small town. And suspiciously soon after they do, Rippers begin escaping on confinement nights, people start disappearing, and the kids suspect they’re being followed.

Maybe there’s a reason no one ever seems to leave Tremorglade…and it’s up to Sel and his friends to figure out the truth someone doesn’t want them to know before another full moon puts them all at a bite risk.

Wombat Waiting

 By: Katherine Applegate  

Location; FIC APP

Genre: Animals

Amazing book! Such a sweet and heartwarming story.

From the Newbery Award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The One and Only Ivan and Odder comes a stunning new middle grade standalone novel about compassion, resilience, and surprising friendships, following a dog named Wombat in the aftermath of a catastrophic fire.

Wombat isn’t actually a wombat—but when the homeless dog is discovered, singed and ash-covered after a terrible fire destroys a community, someone tags her with the nickname and it sticks.

Wombat is a “destiny dog.” Something inside of her (she nicknames it “Voice’) keeps telling her there’s a special someone out there who is meant to be her person.

Surrounded by a devastated town, Wombat takes up residence on bench near the makeshift community center, an old brick warehouse that, for the most part, survived the flames. A small part of the community center evacuation site has been repurposed for the local wildlife rehab sanctuary that burned down. All of the animals were spared, and the temporary quarters include an elderly fruit bat and a young Northern saw-whet owl.

No matter what, Wombat refuses to move from her perch, despite the efforts of many humans. Clearly the dog is waiting for someone. But for whom? And what are the odds they survived?

Fans of modern classics like Because of Winn-Dixie, Pax, and Katherine Applegate’s own Crenshaw and Odder, and timeless tales like Charlotte’s Web, will find a friend in Wombat and her story.

"Ok I am a MASSIVE sucker for dog stories. This. Was. PRECIOUS! Poetry and storytelling so wisely and wonderfully put together! This author truly gets in the soul of animals, and it was beautiful and sad but so sweet commentary on helpers of the world and the importance of patience and care. My heart!!!!!!" Greer

Three Reasons for Revenge

 By: Dervla McTiernan 

Location: FIC MCT

Genre: Thriller

Alexis Turner walks into the police station to report an assault. By the end of the day, she is nowhere to be found. Soon after she disappears, three identical packages arrive at three very different doors: a respected psychologist’s home, a socialite’s mansion, and a struggling single father’s run-down apartment. Inside, each gift is perfectly tailored to its recipient – and each will tear apart the life of its intended victim. Detective Sergeant Judith Lee is smart and experienced, but this is no ordinary case. Someone with intimate knowledge of their targets is orchestrating these attacks. Someone who knows exactly how to hurt each victim where they’re most vulnerable. And she’s convinced that somehow, it connects back to Alexis Turner. As she races to uncover the connection between three seemingly unrelated people, Judith discovers she’s no longer just investigating the game – she’s being forced to play.

I’m gonna need a minute. Brilliant! Heart-stopping! I had no idea what the hell was going on for a quite a long time lol.- Niki Lee

Heart of Ice

 By: Joy McCann  

Location: NF 551.31 MCC

Genre: Antarctica and seals and penguins

cute cover warning!!!!

Acclaimed writer Joy McCann takes the reader on a compelling journey, navigating entangled stories of ice and rock, humans, animals and other species, through the prism of Antarctica's ice.

Acclaimed writer Joy McCann takes the reader on a compelling journey, navigating entangled stories of ice and rock, humans, animals and other species, through the prism of Antarctica's ice. Moisture, temperature, gravity. 

These are the ingredients that create the life story of the driest of Earth's continents.Heart of Ice takes the reader on a compelling journey across space and time, navigating entangled stories of ice and rock, humans, animals and other species, through the prism of Antarctica's ice. Joy McCann author of the internationally acclaimed Wild Sea eloquently draws on a vast body of scientific and historical research to explore how Antarctica's ice sheets, its glaciers, ice shelves and sea ice, have been imagined, inhabited and invested with meaning over time.

 She invites readers to see this vast icy realm in a different way as a vibrant, storied, multispecies environment and a powerful agent that has shaped and continues to shape our history and our planet.

The Emptying

 By: Mimi Thebo and Rachel Delahaye  

Location: FIC THE

Genre: Dystopia

The city is starving but the farms are bursting with food. Something is very wrong. In the aftermath of a riot turned lethal, city-kid Acker goes looking for law and order. After a farm truck is attacked in the city, farmgirl Dot sets off to find answers. When the two teens meet, they find common ground and a terrifying truth about the future. Someone has to confront reality…what’s left of it.... And it looks like it's them. In this dramatic, thought provoking, and prescient story Mimi and Rachel imagine a world where AI, initially  created to eradicate all human error, has gone disastrously wrong endangering the survival of the human race.

The story presents a thought-provoking glimpse into a future where artificial intelligence (AI), originally deployed to completely eradicate human error, goes catastrophically wrong and threatens the survival of humanity.

• The Conflict: Cities are actively starving while surrounding farms are bursting with food due to systemic control failures. 
• The Protagonists: Acker, a city teenager caught up in lethal food riots, and Dot, a rule-following country girl whose father is attacked while trying to deliver food. 
• The Mystery: Together, they uncover secrets showing that a non-human entity is entirely steering their society and attempting to remove what it perceives as the ultimate source of error—humans themselves.
• The Exploration: The authors address global food security, wealth distribution, and the direct dangers of relinquishing social responsibility to machines.

Trapped, Cult and Mirage

 By: Camilla Lackberg and Hendrik Fexeus  

Location: FIC LAC

Genre: Thriller

Series: Mina and Vincent

A new collaboration between Camilla Läckberg and Henrik Fexeuome. A new series involving murders set up to look like magic tricks gone wrong. Police work and the work of a mentalist come together with very interesting results

In the three stand alone thrillers Trapped, Cult and Mirage we follow our brilliant yet broken main characters as they deal with ruthless serial killers with a penchant for magic tricks, dangerous cults who prey on the vulnerable and devious murderers with multiple personalities.

Trapped (Book 1): Detective Mina Dabiri and mentalist Vincent Walder team up when a woman is found murdered inside a magician's box.

Cult (Book 2): The duo investigates missing children linked to dark themes after a young boy is taken from a nursery.

Mirage (Book 3): The final installment follows an investigation into human bones found in the Stockholm subway alongside a death threat made against the Minister of Justice on Christmas Eve

HOW DID THEY WRITE THIS!!

They met weekly to plot out the narrative chronologically.

Läckberg brought her renowned police procedural and crime-writing expertise.

Fexeus contributed his professional insights into mentalism, psychology, and codes

Counting Down with Theodore Brown

 By: Daniel Devenney  

Location: FIC DEV

Genre: Realistic Fiction

"An engaging, poignant, and funny coming of age love story"

A fantastic coming-of-age love story with a twist.

You can't fight time, or love ...

A coming-of-age love story with a twist!

When Theodore Brown looks into a person's eyes he sees a the exact number of days he'll spend with them. It's hard to make friends when there's a literal countdown!

He's kept everyone at a safe distance since his dad died. But now that he's in college, he fears he's missing out. Even his stuffy English professor thinks he needs to get a life. So, to improve his mental health and sharpen his writing skills, he decides to do just that.

Then Lil Sanchez crashes into his world like a tidal wave. She's fearless, creative, and only around until the end of summer. But Theo begins to wonder if the pleasure of knowing her might be worth the pain of losing her.

Only time will tell — and the clock is ticking ...

For teens who
- a book you just can't put down and have to read all night
- a love story for the ages
- stories that are dramatic and funny and sad, all wrapped up in one great package
- books like The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Review by ASHA:

Counting Down with Theodore Brown is such a unique and refreshing story. The concept of being able to see how many days you have left with someone just by looking into their eyes is incredibly intriguing and really pulls you in. The novel follows the trials and tribulations of teenage life, making it a powerful coming-of-age story.

It explores a range of meaningful themes, including mental health, identity, friendship, sexuality, love, loss, and music, all woven together in a way that feels authentic and relatable.

I also really appreciated reading from a male perspective. It’s not something I gravitate toward often, as I tend to read books by female authors with female main characters, so this felt like a refreshing change. Experiencing the story through the eyes of a teenage boy added a different depth that I really enjoyed.