New releases of fantasy and science fiction for kids and teens--the first half of February, 2012, edition

Here are the new releases of fantasy and science fiction for kids and teens from the first half of Feb., 2012. My information comes, as always, from Teens Read Too, the blurbs from Amazon. I haven't read them all, so had to guess if some of these really are sff--I gave them the benefit of the doubt when it wasn't clear!

My most anticipated book on this list is The Crowfield Demon (it's been out in the UK for a while). I am pretty sure I am getting it as a Valentine's Day present...

Elementary/Middle Grade:

ABOVE WORLD by Jenn Reese "Thirteen-year-old Aluna has lived her entire life under the ocean with the Coral Kampii in the City of Shifting Tides. But after centuries spent hidden from the Above World, her colony's survival is at risk. The Kampii's breathing necklaces are failing, but the elders are unwilling to venture above water to seek answers. Only headstrong Aluna and her friend Hoku are stubborn and bold enough to face the terrors of land to search for way to save their people. But can Aluna's fierce determination and fighting skills and Hoku's tech-savvy keep them safe? Set in a world where overcrowding has led humans to adapt - growing tails to live under the ocean or wings to live on mountains - here is a ride through a future where greed and cruelty have gone unchecked, but the loyalty of friends remains true."

THE ADVENTURES OF BEANBOY by Lisa Harkrader "Never underestimate the power of the bean. Tucker MacBean has been drawing comic books almost as long as he’s been reading them. When his favorite comic has a contest for kids, he hopes he has finally found a way to fix his family—all he has to do is create the winning superhero sidekick . . . Introducing “Beanboy”—the first comic book character to truly harness the power of the bean for good. He is strong, he is relentless, he can double in size overnight (if given enough water).

With thoughtful characterizations and copious comic book illustrations, this laughout-loud novel will have readers rooting for a superhero with true heart."

THE BIG BEAST SALE: AN AWFULLY BEASTLY BUSINESS by The Beastly Boys "Ulf the werewolf is on his most dangerous adventure yet—to Capitol City, where the wicked Baron Marackai is plotting the return of the beast trade and the end of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Beasts (RSPCB). With the public calling for beasts to be banished from the city, or worse still, destroyed, it's up to Ulf to protect them and get to the bottom of the mysterious events. This time, the future of all beasts depends on it."

BEST FRIENDS FOREVER: YOU'RE INVITED TO A CREEPOVER by P.J. Night "Katie Walsh is majorly bummed when her BFF moves away. But her hopes soar when the new girl at school, Whitney, befriends her right away and invites her to spend the night at her house for a sleepover. Katie loved sleepovers with her old BFF, so she’s sure she will have a great time. But Katie doesn’t have a great time. Something is not quite right at Whitney’s house. Whitney seems really, really into her dolls…and later that night, Katie’s convinced that the dolls are threatening her.

The next morning, a freaked-out Katie decides that maybe she hasn’t found a new best friend, after all. Whitney, however, has made up her mind about Katie—they’re going to be best friends forever…no matter what. This too-close-for-comfort friendship tale is ranked a 5 on the Creep-o-Meter."

BLISS by Kathryn Littlewood "Rosemary Bliss’s family has a secret. It’s the Bliss Cookery Booke—an ancient, leather-bound volume of enchanted recipes like Stone Sleep Snickerdoodles and Singing Gingersnaps. Rose and her siblings are supposed to keep the Cookery Booke under lock and whisk-shaped key while their parents are out of town, but then a mysterious stranger shows up. “Aunt” Lily rides a motorcycle, wears purple sequins, and whips up exotic (but delicious) dishes for dinner. Soon boring, nonmagical recipes feel like life before Aunt Lily—a lot less fun.

So Rose and her siblings experi-ment with just a couple of recipes from the forbidden Cookery Booke. A few Love Muffins and a few dozen Cookies of Truth couldn’t cause too much trouble . . . could they?"

BONE: QUEST FOR THE SPARK BK. 2 by Tom Sniegoski "The Nacht, the evil dragon that threatens to destroy both the Dreaming and the Waking World, is growing stronger, and twelve-year-old Tom Elm is the champion the Dreaming has chosen to defeat it. Along with Roderick the raccoon, Percival Bone and his nephew and niece, Randolf, Lorimar, and the two stupid Rat Creatures, Tom must race to find the missing pieces of the Spark. This leg of the journey introduces him to a trio of scheming bears and takes him into the depths of a dangerous beehive. And, on top of everything else, a traitor might be among them. . . ."

COLD CEREAL by Adam Rex

"Cold Cereal Facts Serving size 1 chapter Number of servings 40
Primary human characters 3
Scottish Play Doe, aka Scottpossible changeling Erno Utz genius Emily Utz supergenius Magical creatures at least 3
Mick Leprechaun (or Clurichaun)
Harvey Pooka (rabbit-man)
Biggs indeterminate origin (hairy, large)
Evil organizations 1
Goodco Cereal CompanyPurveyor of breakfast foods aspiring to world domination Adventure 75%
Diabolical Schemes 40%
Danger 57%
Legend 20%
Magic 68%
Humor 93%
Puzzles 35%
Mystery 49%

Not a significant source of vampires. May contain nuts. Daily values based on individual interest. Reader's estimation of value may be higher or lower, depending on your tolerance for this sort of thing."

THE CROWFIELD DEMON by Pat Walsh "In THE CROWFIELD CURSE, young monks' apprentice Will learned he was gifted with the Sight: able to see beyond this mortal coil into the spirit realms of Old Magic. Protected by the warrior fay Shadlok -- and befriended by the wry, wary hobgoblin called Brother Walter -- the boy is just coming into his strange powers.

But now, from its very foundations, Crowfield Abbey has begun to crumble. As Will slaves to salvage the chapel, he discovers something truly terrifying. A heathen creature from a pagan past is creeping up through the rubble -- avowed to unleash havoc on holy ground!"

FAIRY LIES by E. D. Baker "In this delightful sequel to Fairy Wings (originally titled Wings) the fairy princess Tamisin has been kidnapped from her home in the human world by Oberon, king of the fairies, who thinks he’s her father. When Tamisin’s boyfriend Jak finds out, he sets off to rescue her. In this funny and heartwarming romp through a land of fairies, goblins, sphinxes, unicorns, and many more, Tamisin and Jak try to regain their romance even as they find their way back to the human world."

ELLIOT AND THE LAST UNDERWORLD WAR: THE UNDERWORLD CHRONICLES by Jennifer A. Nielsen "As King of the Brownies, Elliot has battled Goblins, tricked Pixies, and trapped a Demon. But now, that Demon has escaped and he's ready for revenge. Elliot will face a challenge unlike anything he's seen before. The Last Underworld War is about to begin. "

FIRST HERO: THE CHRONICLES OF AVANTIA by Adam Blade "At the age of seven, Tanner's father was killed in front of him by the evil warlord Derthsin. But his father's death was not in vain and Derthsin was carried away to his doom by a good Beast, Firepos the Flame Bird. Now, eight years later, another evil army is wreaking havoc across Avantia. But Tanner has been training with Firepos, waiting to avenge his father's death. There is something familiar about this new menace, who rides with a Beast of his own. The evil army is after the pieces of the Mask of Death--which allows whoever wears it to control all Beasts. Tanner sets off on a journey to stop them. Along the way, he encouters twins Gwen and Geffen, who hold the map to finding the remaining pieces."

GHOST PIRATE TREASURE: CREEPELLA VON CACKLEFUR by Geronimo Stilton "Breakout star Creepella von Cacklefur is back in another fur-raising adventure!

Oh, no! Billy Squeakspeare has a big problem, and he needs Creepella's help. Someone's been digging holes around Squeakspeare Mansion at night, and Billy wants to find out who it is. The dangerous, legendary pirate Morgan Darkwhisker is said to have buried his long-lost treasure near Squeakspeare Mansion years ago -- could he be hunting for his hidden riches? It's up to Billy and Creepella to find the treasure first!"

ISLAND OF SHADOWS: SEEKERS, RETURN TO THE WILD by Erin Hunter "Toklo, Kallik, and Lusa survived the perilous mission that brought them together, and now it’s time for them to find their way home. Kallik and Lusa are ready to be among their own kinds again, but Toklo, devastated by the loss of their companion Ujurak, feels hopeless and afraid of what’s to come.

When the group reaches a shadowy island covered in mountains and ice, Kallik is sure they’re almost back to the Frozen Sea. But a terrifying accident leads them into a maze of abandoned tunnels, unlike anything they’ve ever seen before—making them question their path once again.

The bears grow desperate for a sign to guide them, and when they meet a cub who has lost his whole family, Toklo believes the cub has been sent by Ujurak. But the others are unsure. Can they trust their new companion? Or could he be hiding something that will endanger them all?"

QUEST FOR THE SECRET KEEPER: ORACLES OF DELPHI KEEP by Victoria Laurie "Delphi Keep is awash in activity, and for Ian, Theo, and Carl, their safe haven might be nearing its end. The Royal Navy has taken the keep to use as a hospital and the tunnels running under the keep and the castle are ideal to set up a central communications outpost for the approaching war. The earl is happy to help the effort, but now the keep is no longer safe for the orphans and they must be evacuated to his winter residence.
Ian, Theo, and Carl know that if they're sent away, they'll no longer be protected. But more important than their safety is deciphering the third prophecy. All clues point to a quest. The orphans don't know where they must go, but they know they must rescue the Secret Keeper.
To do that, however, they need to work out who this Secret Keeper is. And what, exactly are the secrets he's keeping?"

RAPUNZEL, THE ONE WITH ALL THE HAIR: TWICE UPON A TIME by Wendy Mass "The girl's stuck in a tower. The boy's stuck in a castle. There are two sides to every story...
Rapunzel is having the ultimate bad day. She's been stolen by a witch, may have a ghost for a roommate, and doesn't even have a decent brush for her hair. Prince Benjamin's got it pretty tough, too. His father wants him to be more kingly, his mother wants him to never leave her sight, and his cousin wants to get him into as much trouble as possible (possibly with a troll).

Both Rapunzel and Prince Benjamin are trapped--in very different ways. Once their paths cross, well, that's when things get really strange. Journey back to the days when fairy tales were true with this fun and fresh spin on a timeless tale!"

THE SECRET OF ASHONA: EREC REX by Kaza Kingsley "Erec Rex might still become king—but the closer he gets, the more dangerous his tasks become. Given his romance brewing with Bethany, the discovery that his siblings are secretly king and queen of the Fairy world, and the knowledge that the Stain brothers are growing more and more underhanded, Erec Rex isn’t exactly in an ideal state of mind to face his next two tasks. He will need to lean on his friends more than ever to complete what could be the most terrifying challenge he has ever faced…."

THE VISITORS: CLONE CODES by The McKissacks "There is a wicked system of operation inside the Topas Corporation, where clones are produced. Only authorized Topas officials are allowed inside. Only they, along with the clones themselves, know what happens within the walls of the world’s largest and most powerful cloning company. This final book of The Clone Codes plunges readers into this strange reality. At the same time, The World Federation of Nations has issued an urgent decree to the masses--find Houston Ye, a cyborg, and Leanna Deberry, a clone, both fugitives! There is a $1 million bounty on each of their heads if captured alive. Once again, the McKissacks blend a futuristic world with events from world history to create a gripping sci-fi adventure."

THE WHISPER: THE ROAR by Emma Clayton "Telepathic twins Mika and Ellie at last are reunited. But if they're ever to free the brainwashed, microchipped child soldiers, they must pretend to play along with the tyrant Mal Gorman's maniacal plan, even as they mind-read his every evil thought. Members of an elite squadron of mutants, the brother and sister have specialized skills that will enable them to steal the top-secret formula for an age-reversing drug developed by rebel scientists on the wild side of The Wall. Juiced by these potent pills, the cadaver-like Gorman foresees a future in which he'll be forever young - released from the machinery that now supports him.

Unless, that is, Ellie and Mika have a master plan of their own: to bring the all-powerful Gorman to his knees, and face-to-face with his greatest fear."


Young Adult (these are covered fairly well on other blogs, which is why I don't include the blurbs)

ARCADIA AWAKENS by Kai Meyer
ALMOST EVERYTHING: A VAMPIRE PRINCESS NOVEL by Tate Hallaway
ANGELINA'S SECRET by Lisa J. Rogers
ARTICLE 5 by Kristen Simmons
BEWITCHING: THE KENDRA CHRONICLES by Alex Flinn
BORN WICKED: THE CAHILL WITCH CHRONICLES by Jessica Spotswood
DIABOLICAL: TANTALIZE by Cynthia Leitich Smith
THE GALAHAD LEGACY by Dom Testa
GREEN HEART by Alice Hoffman
HARBINGER by Sara Wilson Etienne
THE JADE NOTEBOOK by Laura Resau
THE MASKED WITCHES: BROTHERHOOD OF THE GRIFFON by Richard Lee Byers
THE NIGHTMARE GARDEN: THE IRON CODEX by Caitlin Kittredge
PURE by Julianna Baggott
SCARLET by A.C. Gaughen
SEKTION 20 by Paul Dowswell
SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE by Katie Dale
THIEF'S COVENANT: A WIDDERSHINS ADVENTURE by Ari Marmell
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: THE LYING GAME by Sara Shepard
VAMPLAYERS by Rusty Fischer
THE VANISHING GAME by Kate Kae Myers
WINGS OF THE WICKED: AN ANGELFIRE NOVEL by Courtney Allison Moulton
THE WOOD QUEEN: AN IRON WITCH NOVEL by Karen Mahoney