New Releases of Science Fiction and Fantasy for Children and Teens--the beginning of November edition

Here are the new releases of fantasy and science fiction of children and teens from the beginning of November. Actually, there's only one YA title in the lot...

I am particularly exited about the release of books three and four of the Keyholders series, so much so that I have already bought them. This is a great series for the eight or nine year old hesitant reader!

(My information comes from Teens Read Too, with help from Amazon).

CURLY AND THE FENT by Sally Morgan & Ambelin, Blaze, & Ezekiel Kwaymullina. "Curly gets in trouble enough already, but it really starts when he discovers a monster called a Fent (from Fent Land) that lives in the cupboard. Adults can’t see the Fent, so when it tickles Curly in the car until he shrieks and eats Dad’s new invention, there’s no one to blame but Curly! To make matters worse, Billy the school bully can see the Fent too, and he wants it for himself. What’s poor Curly to do?"

CURSE OF THE SPIDER KING: THE BERINFELL PROPHECIES by Wayne Thomas Batson & Christopher Hopper. "The Seven succeeding Elven Lords of Allyra were dead, lost in the Siege of Berinfell as babes. At least that's what everyone thought until tremors from a distant world known as Earth, revealed strange signs that Elven blood lived among its peoples. With a glimmer of hope in their hearts, sentinels are sent to see if the signs are true. But theirs is not a lone errand. The ruling warlord of Allyra, the Spider King, has sent his own scouts to hunt down the Seven and finish the job they failed to complete many ages ago. Now 13-year-olds on the brink of the Age of Reckoning when their Elven gifts will be manifest, discover the unthinkable truth that their adoptive families are not their only kin. With mysterious Sentinels revealing breathtaking secrets of the past, and dark strangers haunting their every move, will the young Elf Lords find the way back to the home of their birth? Worlds and races collide as the forces of good and evil battle. Will anyone escape the Curse of the Spider King?"

ERAGON'S GUIDE TO ALAGAESIA by Christopher Paolini. "From the creators of the bestselling books Dragonology, Egyptology, Piratelogy, and others, this is a never-before-seen glimpse into the world of Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance cycle. Alagaësia comes alive in a lush and detailed look at an unforgettable magical land. From elves, dwarves, Urgals, humans, and dragons, to the natural landscape and the magic it contains, Eragon himself offers the reader an unsurpassed tour. This oversized, full-color book provides 15 spreads chock full of spectacular artwork, engaging novelty elements, and fascinating insights into Eragon’s home. With gorgeous jewels adorning the cover and pages filled with envelopes, gatefolds, samples of dragon skin, and more, Eragon’s Guide to Alagaësia is sure to appeal to the legions of fans of Christopher Paolini’s bestselling Inheritance cycle."

HOOTCAT HILL by Lucy Coats. "Linnet Perry is a 13-year-old girl living in Wyrmesbury. Ordinary on the surface, she has hidden powers which she must be taught to use. When the ancient worldwyrm stirs, fear spreads throughout the town. People begin to disappear. Unless the wyrm is returned to sleep, there will be natural disasters and worse—too much old magic will leak into the world, disturbing the careful balance of modern life. Only Linnet has the rare combination of magics needed to embark on the dangerous quest through the natural and spiritual world to redress the imbalance and restore order. But is she strong enough—and willing enough—to confront her gifts, and use them—especially since all she has ever wanted was to fit in and be like everyone else?"

IN TOO DEEP: THE 39 CLUES by Jude Watson. "A hint from their parents’ past puts Amy and Dan on the trail of secrets their grandmother Grace would NEVER have wanted them to know. Awful memories begin to crowd in on Amy, just as her enemies circle closer. How far would she go to protect Dan? How much of a Cahill is she prepared to be? Perhaps Grace was right – some secrets are better left buried."

INSIDE THE MAGIC: KEYHOLDERS by Debbie Dadey & Marcia Thornton Jones. "Oh, no! Mr. Leery has been kidnapped by the evil Queen of the Boggarts. It’s up to the apprentice Keyholders Penny, Luke, and Natalie to rescue him. Together with their links, a unicorn named Kirin, a dragon named Dracula, and a rat named Buttercup, the three Keyholders cross the border to the land inside the magic—a place where anything can happen. Will they find Mr. Leery in time?"

KICKING AND SCREAMING: MEET THE KREEPS by Kiki Thorpe. "When Polly joins the soccer team, her strange stepmom, Veronica, becomes her biggest fan -- and the spookiest soccer mom Endsville has ever seen!"

THE MISSING KIN: THE CHRONICLES OF KRANGOR by Michael Pryor. "While Adalon and his friends Targesh and Simangee gather supporters at the Lost Castle, the mad Queen Tayesha and her ruthless general continue to wage war on the Seven Kingdoms of Krangor. It is only when Simangee finds a legend in an ancient text that the rebels begin to have renwed hope. Do the Missing Kin of the saur really exist? Can the three friends find the winged saur and convince them to join their cause before the war is lost?"

MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DON'T: CYBERIA by Chris Lynch. "Zane lives in a future in which everything is networked and microchipped. His bedroom talks to him, reads his temperature, and informs him when he will next need to go to the bathroom. His parents are wired, too—both are network broadcasters with studios at home—although Zane never sees them unless he makes an appointment. His best pal is his dog, Hugo, who wears a microchip installed by the family vet that allows him to talk when Zane wears a special earphone. But Hugo tells Zane things he isn't supposed to know—for example, that Dr. Gristle has been performing twisted techno-experiments on an entire lab full of animals, and that the boy is the only one who can rescue them." (from School Library Journal)

MY UNWILLING WITCH STARTS A GIRL BAND: RUMBLEWICK'S DIARY by Hiawyn Oram. "Witty Rumblewick the cat is back, writing about even more hilarious hijinx with his unwilling witch in Book 3 of the series. Rumblewick is Haggy Aggy's right-hand cat, contractually bound to shape her into the best witch she can be. The problem? Haggy Aggy is a most unwitchy witch, and she has no interest in boiling frogs--she wants to be a STAR! Now Haggy is dead-set on entering the Girl Bands Are Us contest and becoming a rockstar. But how is Rumblewick to stop her and avoid the wrath of the ruling witches if he can't stop his head from bopping along with the music? With hand-written text of varying sizes, doodles, and comical black-and-white illustrations throughout, it's easy to believe you're really reading a diary."

THE OK TEAM by Nick Place. "Hazy Retina was born out of focus. He’s all blurry around the edges. And when he’s nervous or embarrassed, he disappears completely. He’s always thought of himself as a freak, until he gets a visit from the Australian Federation of Hero Types. It turns out he’s an Entry Level Grade Two Superhero! Now he just has to find some equally low-grade heroes who are prepared to join his team—the OK team. This hilarious adventure story features newspaper articles, cartoons, collectors handwritten notes, photographs, transcripts, and graffiti."

PRINCESS GRACE AND THE GOLDEN NIGHTINGALE: THE TIARA CLUB by Vivian French. "Fairy G is taking the princesses to the Museum of Royal Life! Princess Grace can’t wait to hear the golden nightingale sing, but the horrible twins Diamonde and Gruella are determined to get her into trouble."

PRINCESS LUCY AND THE PRECIOUS PUPPY: THE TIARA CLUB by Vivian French. "Princess Lucy has a secret. She doesn’t like games—and it’s nearly Sports Day! But when Queen Molly asks her for a special favor, Lucy is in for a real surprise."

REWIND ASSASSIN: TIME RUNNERS by Justin Richards. "The man Jamie and Anna are looking for is no ordinary killer. Dressed in a modern business suit and with a high-powered sniper rifle, his sights are set on Will Shakespeare and changing history—if the Time Runners don't stop him. Their old enemy, Darkling Midnight, wants to form an alliance against the assassin. But can he be trusted? As the Spanish Armada, wrecked and defeated eight years previously, surfaces from the watery depths, and soldiers who should be long-dead leap ashore to invade England, Jamie and Anna realize that nothing is quite as it seems. It will take all their courage and ingenuity to defeat their sinister enemy."

THE UNUSUAL MIND OF VINCENT SHADOW by Tim Kehoe. "Vincent Shadow isn't particularly good at sports and is constantly being picked on by his classmates at Central Middle School. But it is Vincent's unusually creative mind that truly separates him from other kids his age. Vincent's top secret attic lab is crammed with toy prototypes --from Liquid Superballs to Bullz-I Basketballs and Sonic Snorkelz--and he has a sketch book filled with drawings of toys he still wants to build. So when a chance encounter with an eccentric toy inventor offers him the opportunity to go from unknown weird kid to toy inventor extraordinaire, Vincent realizes that playtime is over: it's time to get serious about toys."

THE WRONG SIDE OF MAGIC: KEYHOLDERS by Debbie Dadey & Marcia Thornton Jones. "When Penny, Luke, Natalie and their links return home after rescuing Mr. Leery from the clutches of the evil Queen of the Boggarts, they find a lot of changes in Morgantown. Mrs. Bender, the principal, has decided on longer school days with no recess. The cafeteria ladies are serving up some extremely yucky food (even more than usual). And their teacher, Mr. Crandle, is giving them twice as much homework. What is wrong with all the adults in town? Could it be another scheme from the Boggart Queen? It’s up to the apprentice Keyholders to find out."

And here's the one YA release:

FADE OUT: THE MORGANVILLE VAMPIRES by Rachel Caine. "Without the evil vampire Bishop ruling over the town of Morganville, the resident vampires have made major concessions to the human population. With their newfound freedoms, Claire Danvers and her friends are almost starting to feel comfortable again...Now Claire can actually concentrate on her studies, and her friend Eve joins the local theatre company. But when one of Eve's castmates goes missing after starting work on a short documentary, Eve suspects the worst. Claire and Eve soon realize that this film project, whose subject is the vampires themselves, is a whole lot bigger-and way more dangerous-than anyone suspected."