Author Michael Buckley, of Sisters Grimm fame, describes his new series NERDS. (Long-time customers may recall meeting Michael at Spellbound a few years ago when he was promoting Sisters Grimm #3: Problem Child!)

NERDS has been chosen one of the Best Books for Children  2009 by the Association of Booksellers for Children. NERDS, Book One is available now for $14.95. Suggested for ages 8-12.

14-year-old Will shares a passion for archaeological excavation with his eccentric father. When Dad mysteriously vanishes, Will is compelled to dig up the truth and unearths a secret subterranean society ruled by a cultlike overclass, the Styx. Before he can find his father, Will is their prisoner.  $7.99 paperback (Sequel: Deeper, $18.99 hardcover)

Kate Thompson is the author of one of my favorite YA novels of the last few years, The New Policeman. Now she’s brought her substantial gift for atmospheric and almost lyrical storytelling to a middle grade novel featuring a rascally but loveable street urchin, a legendary highwayman, and the outlaw’s equally legendary horse Black Bess. As the young narrator’s story unfolds we are irresistibly caught up in his tale of how he came to be in possession of this fine mare and his ensuing adventure… but is he telling the truth? By the end of the story, most readers won’t care–they’ll just want to go back and read it again!

The publisher recommendation for this book is for ages 10 and up, but many kids 8 and up will be able to read it on their own, and it would make a great read-aloud for those not quite ready to tackle it alone. The ample illustrations help to plunge the reader into the world of our young unnamed narrator and are well worth poring over by themselves. Duddle’s style is jaunty and whimsical but still rich with detail, showing a wonderful depth of expression on the faces of Thompson’s characters. Coming in at well under 200 pages, this gem is a reminder that good things still come in small packages.

Saturday, September 5 at 1:00pm *
Book Signing with Suzanne Kline and Cosmo the Dog
Cosmo is a trained therapy dog and the star of his very own picture book, The Case of the Whatever Blues. Written by Cosmo’s human, Suzanne Kline, and illustrated by Daryl Slaton, it’s the first in a planned series.

Free reading with signing to follow. 10% of proceeds go to Paws with a Purpose. Suggested for ages 4 to 9.

* Please note new date–rescheduled from Aug. 15

August 29th 2-3 pm

Susan Runholt, author of the popular Mystery of the Third Lucretia (newly available in paperback) presents a brand new adventure, Rescuing Seneca Crane, featuring teen sleuths Kari and Lucas. Reading with signing to follow. Both books suggested for ages 10 and up.

 
Rescuing Seneca Crane

When Kari and Lucas first see Seneca Crane up on stage, playing the piano in front of hundreds of people, they are in awe. She is beautiful. She is amazingly talented. And she is only thirteen! But then they get to know her at the Edinburgh Arts Festival and realize that she envies them. Soon the three are becoming friends –until Seneca disappears. There’s no stopping Kari and Lucas from jumping on the trail and tracking her down. Even when it leads to the heart of the Scottish highlands!

Following in the spine-tingling tracks of The Mystery of the Third Lucretia, Susan Runholt’s second book featuring super sleuths Kari and Lucas is just as smart and fast-paced as the first!

All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of victory are grim. Kronos’s army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan’s power only grows.

While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it’s up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time. In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy’s sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.

$17.99 hardcover. Publishes May 5, 2009

Click on the book cover below to see a video trailer.

The third and newest entry in The 39 Clues, a groundbreaking, multi-platform series that combines reading, online gaming, and card collecting.

The series centers around the Cahills—the most powerful family the world has ever known. But the source of the family’s power has been lost. Grace Cahill, the last matriarch of the Cahills, changed her will minutes before she died, leaving her descendants an impossible decision: receive a million dollars or a clue. The first Cahill to assemble all 39 clues hidden around the world will discover what makes the family so powerful—a reward beyond measure. It’s Cahill versus Cahill in a race to the finish, with readers hot on the heels of the main characters, fourteen-year-old Amy Cahill and her eleven-year-old brother, Dan.

After researching the life of Ben Franklin, then traveling to Vienna to follow Mozart’s trail, in The Sword Thief Amy and Dan seem to be tracking the life of one of the most powerful fighters the world has ever known. Where will their search take them next?