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Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Review
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PRE-ORDERS
BOUGHT
The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale
Princess Magnolia is having hot chocolate and scones with Duchess Wigtower when. . . .Brring! Brring! The monster alarm! A big blue monster is threatening the goats! Stopping monsters is no job for dainty Princess Magnolia. But luckily Princess Magnolia has a secret - she's also the Princess in Black, and stopping monsters is the perfect job for her! Can the princess sneak away, transform into her alter ego, and defeat the monster before the nosy duchess discovers her secret? From award-winning writing team of Shannon and Dean Hale and illustrator LeUyen Pham, here is the first in a humorous and action-packed chapter book series for young readers who like their princesses not only prim and perfect, but also dressed in black.
BOUGHT
The Ever-After Bird by Ann Rinaldi
Now that her father is dead, CeCe McGill is left to wonder why he risked his life for the ragged slaves who came to their door in the dead of night. When her uncle, an ornithologist, insists she accompany him to Georgia in an expedition in search of the rare scarlet ibis, Cece is surprised to learn there's a second reason for their journey: Along the way, Uncle Alex secretly points slaves north in the direction of the Underground Railroad.
Set against the backdrop of the tumultuous pre-Civil War South, The Ever-After Bird is the story of a young woman's education about the horrors of slavery and the realization about the kind of person she wants to become.
The Sorceress by Michael Scott
Nicholas Flamel's heart almost broke as he watched his beloved Paris crumble before him. The city was destroyed by Dee and Machiavelli, but Flamel played his own role in the destruction. Sophie and Josh Newman show every sign of being the twins of prophecy, and Flamel had to protect them and the pages from the Dark Elders.
But Nicholas grows weaker with each passing day. Perenelle is still trapped in Alcatraz, and now that Scatty has gone missing, the group is without protection. Except for Clarent - the twin sword to Excalibur. But Clarent's power is unthinkable, its evil making it nearly impossible to use without its darkness seeping into the soul of whoever wields it.
If he hopes to defeat Dee, Nicholas must find an Elder who can teach Josh and Sophie the third elemental magic - Water Magic. The problem? The only one who can do that is Gilgamesh, and he is quite, quite insane.
The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DuPrau
It's 50 years before the settlement of the city of Ember, and the world is in crisis. War looms on the horizon as 11-year-old Nickie and her aunt travel to the small town of Yonwood, North Carolina. There, one of the town's respected citizens has had a terrible vision of fire and destruction. Her garbled words are taken as prophetic instruction on how to avoid the coming disaster. If only they can be interpreted correctly. . . .
As the people of Yonwood scramble to make sense of the woman's mysterious utterances, Nickie explores the oddities she finds around town - her great-grandfather's peculiar journals and papers, a reclusive neighbor who studies the heavens, a strange boy who is fascinated with snakes - all while keeping an eye out for ways to help the world. Is this vision her chance? Or is it already too late to avoid a devastating war?
The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson
Annika is happy living in the servants' quarters of a house owned by three eccentric professors. She adores Ellie and Sigrid, the cook and housemaid who found her as a baby, abandoned on a church doorstep. In the eleven years since, they have taught her how to bake and clean to perfection. Then one day a glamorous stranger arrives, claiming to be Annika's mother. Annika is no servant, she learns, but an aristocrat whose true home is an ancient castle. But at crumbling Spittal, Annika discovers that all is not as it seems in the lives of her newfound family. . . .
Double or Die by Charlie Higson
Kidnapping. Explosions. Murder. This is no ordinary weekend. But then, James Bond is no ordinary boy. . . .In a north London cemetery, a professor is kidnapped at gunpoint. Then, a suspicious letter crammed with cryptic clues arrives at Eton. To decipher the deadly mystery, James Bond must take a series of dangerous gambles. Once the code is cracked, he has just forty-eight hours to save the professor from the dark forces that threaten to destroy them both. And if they can't escape, it's not only their future under threat. It's the rest of the world. . . .
Hurricane Gold by Charlie Higson
James Bond is on a much-needed vacation in Mexico at a home of ex-flying ace Jack Stone. But his holiday is cut short when a hurricane hits. As the storm ravages the community, a gang of thieves lies in ambush - they want Stone's safe, and will kill for its contents. Stone's children, Precious and JJ, are kidnapped, and James must embark on a perilous chase through the jungle to rescue them and retrieve the stolen items. The clues ultimately lead him to the island of Lagrimas Negras, a haven for deadly criminals, controlled by the ruthless El Hurican.
James will have to use all of his instincts and cunning if he's going to outwit El Hurican and escape with his life. But the only way off the island is through a treacherous maze, "La Avenida de la Muerte" - the Avenue of Death.
On this terrifying trail of greed and betrayal, only danger is guaranteed. . . .survival is not.
The Tenth City by Patrick Carman
This is it; the final battle. On one side is the evil Victor Grindall and his horrific leader, the imprisoned Abaddon. On the other side is a girl named Alexa, who holds the fate of Elyon in her hands. If good is to win, Alexa must find a way to overcome the Lonely Sea, rescue her friend Yipes, and unlock the mystery of the Tenth City. Along the way, she will be attacked from above, betrayed by someone close, and guided toward a final gambit where everything will be put at stake - and great secrets will be revealed. This is the moment for Alexa to become a true hero. . . .and to discover her real fate.
Angel on the Square by Gloria Whelan
It is a golden time for the aristocracy of St. Petersburg in the fall of 1914. The daughter of a lady-in-waiting, Katya Ivanova is safe behind palace walls. She takes her vacations on the imperial yacht and her tea with the Tsar's daughters. The royal family feels like her own. But outside the palace, a devastating war sweeps through Europe, and deep unrest takes root in Russia. As the flame of revolution ignites in a country where the rich have always ruled, Katya's once-certain future dissolves.
The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
Called "A new Narnia for the tween set" by the New York Times and perfect for fans of the His Dark Materials series, The Emerald Atlas brims with humor and action as it charts Kate, Michael, and Emma's extraordinary adventures through an unforgettable, enchanted world.
These three siblings have been in one orphanage after another for the last ten years, passed along like lost baggage.
Yet these unwanted children are more remarkable than they could possibly imagine. Ripped from their parents as babies, they are being protected from a horrible evil of devastating power, an evil they know nothing about.
Until now.
Before long, Kate, Michael, and Emma are on a journey through time to dangerous and secret corners of the world. . . .a journey of allies and enemies, of magic and mayhem. And - if an ancient prophecy is correct - what they do can change history, and it is up to them to set things rights.
Gregor and the Code of Claw by Suzanne Collins
Everyone in the Underland has been taking great pains to keep The Prophecy of Time from Gregor. Gregor knows it must say something awful but he never imagined just how awful: It calls for the warrior's death. Now, with an army of rats approaching, and his mom and sister still in Regalia, Gregor the warrior must gather up his courage to help defend Regalia and get his family home safely. The entire existence of the Underland is in Gregor's hands, and time is running out. There is a code to be cracked, a mysterious new princess, Gregor's burgeoning dark side, and a war to end all wars.
Outcast by Erin Hunter
A secret prophecy shapes the lives of Firestar's grandchildren, but only one of the three knows about it. Jaypaw is captivated by the power it promises, and he believes the key to that power may lie buried in the distant past - with the ancient cats who once walked these woods and now prowl through his dreams. His search for answers leads him toward the mountains - the home of the Tribe of Rushing Water. Lionpaw and Hollypaw feel drawn to the mountains too, for different reasons.
But the mountains hide secrets as well as answers, and if the three cats find a way to get there, they may discover more than they ever expected.
Twilight by Erin Hunter
Before there is peace, blood will spill blood. . . .
New territory brings new troubles for the fierce cats of the warrior Clans, who are still uncovering the secrets of their new home around the lake. Dangers they have never faced before are lurking in the twilight shadows, and former allies are acting strangely hostile.
As divisions between the Clans grow deeper, Firestar's daughters face troubling decisions. One is torn between loyalty to her calling and a forbidden love, while the other struggles with her best friend's betrayal and the surprising perils of the forest. The choices they make now could affect ThunderClan for generations to come. . . .and with an unexpected enemy preparing to attack, their courage and strength will be needed more than ever if the Clan is to survive.
The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
Throughout the worlds, the forces of both heaven and hell are mustering to take part in Lord Asriel's audacious rebellion. Each player in this epic drama has a role to play - and a sacrifice to make. Witches, angels, spies, assassins, tempters, and pretenders, no one will remain unscathed.
Lyra and Will have the most dangerous task of all. They must journey to a gray-lit world where no living soul has ever gone and from which there is no escape.
As war rages and Dust drains from the sky, the fate of the living - and the dead - depend on Lyra and Will.
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
Matteo Alactran was not born; he was harvested. His DNA came from El Patron, lord of a country called Opium; a strip of poppy fields lying between the United States and what was once called Mexico. Matteo's first cell split and divided inside a petri dish. Then he was placed in the womb of a cow, where he continued the miraculous journey from embryo to fetus to baby. He is a boy now, but most consider him a monster; except for El Patron. El Patron loves Matt as he loves himself, because Matt is himself.
As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by a sinister cast of characters, including El Patron's power-hungry family, and he is surrounded by a dangerous army of bodyguards. Escape is the only chance Matt has to survive. But escape from Alactran Estate is no guarantee of freedom, because Matt is marked by his difference in ways he doesn't even suspect.
Cleopatra Confesses by Carolyn Meyer
It is the first century B.C. Cleopatra, the third of the pharaoh's six children, is the one that her father has chosen to be the next queen of Egypt. But when King Ptolemy is forced into exile, Cleopatra is left alone to fend for herself in a palace rife with intrigue and murder. Smart, courageous, ambitious and sensuously beautiful, she possesses the charm to cause two of history's most famous leaders to fall in love with her. But as her cruel sisters plot to steal the throne, Cleopatra realizes there is only one person on whom she can rely - herself.
Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz
He always know he was different. First there were the dreams. Then the deaths began.
When Matt Freeman gets into trouble with the police, he's sent to be fostered in Yorkshire. It's not long before he senses there's something wrong with his guardian; with the whole village.
Then Matt learns about the Old Ones and begins to understand just how he is different. But no one will believe him; no one can help.
There is no proof. There is no logic. There is just the Gate.
Into the Dark by Peter Abrahams
In Echo Falls, secrets buried in the past don't always stay there. An idyllic day of snowshoeing on Grampy's land with Joey Strade turns out to be less than idyllic when thirteen-year-old super sleuth Ingrid Levin-Hill stumbles upon a body lying in the snow. This discovery sends the town of Echo Falls into a tailspin in which secrets long hidden are revealed and Grampy gets sent to jail. While Ingrid works to clear Grampy's name and uncover what really happened to the man in the snow, she discovers even more secrets she wishes she never knew. Just like the character Gretel, whom Ingrid is playing in the Prescott Players' production of Hansel and Gretel, Ingrid must go deep into the darkness to find the truth.
Dragonsdale by Salamanda Drake
Imagine a stable full of dragons. A place where a group of young girls is busy grooming their beautiful beasts and getting them ready for competition - with all the ups and downs, all the drama, that inevitably result Dragonsdale is such a place. The stable is run by Cara's father, but, after a tragic dragon accident in which her mother lost her life, Cara herself is strictly forbidden to ride. Yet she cannot resist the lure of the magical fire-breathing creatures. In secret she trains Skydancer, her rare, wild Goldenbrow dragon, and dreams of the day when she, too, can take flight.
Rumors by Anna Godbersen
As rumors continue about the untimely demise of Elizabeth Holland, an outwardly stricken Penelope Hayes determines to use any means necessary to claim her friend's pre-eminent place in 1899 Manhattan society and to get and keep the attentions of Elizabeth's former fiance, the wealthy Henry Schoonmaker.
Dark Whispers by Bruce Coville
This is a tale of two quests: Cara Diana Hunter's search for an ancient story that may unravel the secret of the long enmity between the unicorns and the delvers, and her father's journey to free Cara's mother from the Rainbow Prison. Cara's journey leads her through the strange underground world of the delvers to the county of the centaur king, while her father must travel from mysterious India to the depths of the Rainbow Prison itself.
The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood
Widge, our hero, is a young orphan indentured to a cold, unscrupulous master because the young boy has a special talent - the ability to write a secret shorthand. The master is bent on getting hold of the script of Hamlet at any cost, so it becomes Widge's task to transcribe it - or else. This picaresque tale follows Widge as he hightails his way into the very heart of the Globe Theatre and Shakespeare's company of players. As full of twists as a London alleyway, this entertaining novel is rich in period details, colorful characters, villainy, drama, and chuckles. Swordplay and wordplay share the stage with pure fun, all of which will keep readers rapt to the final scene.
What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
Murder and intrigue surround a girl in this mystery set in America in the aftermath of WWII.
When Evie's father returned home from World War II, the family fell back into its normal life pretty quickly. But Joe Spooner brought more back with him than just good war stories. When movie-star handsome Peter Coleridge, a young ex-GI who served in Joe's company in postwar Austria, shows up, Evie is suddenly caught in a complicated web of lies that she only slowly recognizes. She finds herself falling for Peter, ignoring the secrets that surround him. . . .until a tragedy occurs that shatters her family and breaks her life in two.
Once Upon a Curse by E. D. Baker
Many years ago a slighted fairy placed a curse on a beautiful young princess - a curse that caused her and all her female descendants to turn into mean, ugly witches if they ever touched a flower after turning sixteen. Now, Princess Emma, who is about to turn sixteen herself, is determined to break the spell once and for all. Emma travels back in time to the day the curse was placed on her ancestors in the hope of preventing the curse from being cast. Unfortunately she isn't successful in her efforts, but she does learn how to break it. Armed with this knowledge, Emma returns to her own time full of hope. But disaster ensues and Emma is about to give up completely - until true love shows itself in the most unexpected place of all.
Snow in Summer by Jane Yolen
With her black hair, red lips, and lily-white skin, Summer is as beautiful as her father's garden. And her life in the mountains of West Virginia seems like a fairy tale; her parents sing and dance with her, Cousin Nancy dotes on her, and she is about to get a new baby brother. But when the baby dies soon after he's born, taking Summer's mama with him, Summer's fairy-tale life turns grim. Things get even worse when her father marries a woman who brings poisons and magical mirrors into Summer's world. Stepmama puts up a pretty face, but Summer suspects she's up to no good - and is afraid he's powerless to stop her.
Egg & Spoon by Gregory Maguire
A fantasy set in Tsarist Russia.
Elena Rudina lives in the impoverished Russian countryside. Her father has been dead for years. One of her brothers has been conscripted into the Tsar's army, the other taken as a servant in the house of the local landowner. Her mother is dying, slowly, in their tiny cabin. And there is no food. But then a train arrives in the village, a train carrying untold wealth, a cornucopia of food, and a noble family destined to visit the Tsar in Saint Petersburg - a family that includes Ekaterina, a girl of Elena's age. When the two girls' lives collide, an adventure is set in motion, an escapade that includes mistaken identity, a monk locked in a tower, a prince traveling incognito, and - in a starring role only Gregory Maguire could have conjured - Baba Yaga, witch of Russian folklore, in her ambulatory house perched on chicken legs.
A Blind Spot for Boys by Justina Chen
Shana has always had a blind spot for boys. Can she trust the one who's right in front of her?
Sixteen-year-old Shana Wilde is officially on Boy Moratorium. After a devastating breakup, she decides it's time to end the plague of Mr. Wrong, Wrong, and More Wrong.
Enter Quattro, the undeniably cute lacrosse player who slams into Shana one morning in Seattle. Sparks don't just fly; they ignite. And so does Shana's interest. Right as she's about to rethink her ban on boys, she receives crushing news: Her dad is going blind. Quattro is quickly forgotten, and Shana and her parents vow to make the most of the time her father has left to see. So they travel to Machu Picchu, and as they begin their trek, they run into none other than Quattro himself. But even as the trip unites them, Quattro pulls away mysteriously. . . .Love and loss, humor and heartbreak collide in this new novel from acclaimed author Justina Chen.
The Taking by Kimberly Derting
A flash of white light. . . .and then. . . .nothing.
When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at at the Gas 'n' Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of deja vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed. . . .yet she hasn't aged a day.
Everything else about Kyra's old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men.
Confused and lost, Kyra isn't sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin's annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra's father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others like her who have been taken. . . .and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?
Girl on a Wire by Gwenda Bond
A ballerina, twirling on a wire high above the crowd. Horses, prancing like salsa dancers. Trapeze artists, flying like somersaulting falcons. And magic crackling through the air. Welcome to the Cirque American!
Sixteen-year-old Jules Maroni's dream is to follow in her father's footsteps as a high-wire walker. When her family is offered a prestigious role in the new Cirque American, it seems that Jules and the Amazing Maronis will finally get the spotlight they deserve. But the presence of the Flying Garcias may derail her plans. For decades, the two rival families have avoided each other as sworn enemies.
Jules ignores the drama and focuses on the wire, skyrocketing to fame as the girl in a red tutu who dances across the wire at death-defying heights. But when she discovers a peacock feather - an infamous object of bad luck - planted on her costume, Jules nearly loses her footing. She has no choice but to seek help from the unlikeliest of people: Remy Garcia, son of the Garcia clan matriarch and the best trapeze artist in the Cirque.
As more mysterious talismans believed to possess unlucky magic appear, Jules and Remy unite to fine the culprit. And if they don't figure out what's going on soon, Jules may be the first Maroni to do the unthinkable: fall.
Exquisite Captive by Heather Demetrios
Forced to obey her master.
Compelled to help her enemy.
Determined to free herself.
Nalia is a jinni of tremendous ancient power, the only survivor of a coup that killed nearly everyone she loved. Stuffed into a bottle and sold by a slave trader, she's now in hiding on the dark caravan, the lucrative jinni slave trade between Arjinna and Earth, where jinn are forced to grant wishes and obey their human masters' every command. She'd give almost anything to be free of the golden shackles that bind her to Malek, her handsome, cruel master, and his lavish Hollywood lifestyle.
Enter Raif, the enigmatic leader of Arjinna's revolution and Nalia's sworn enemy. He promises to free Nalia from her master so that she can return to her ravaged homeland and free her imprisoned brother - all for an unbearably high price. Nalia's not sure she can trust him, but Raif's her only hope of escape. With her enemies on the hunt, Earth has become more perilous than ever for Nalia. There's just one catch: for Raif's unbinding magic to work, Nalia must gain possession of her bottle. . . .and convince the dangerously persuasive Malek that she truly loves him. Battling a dark past and harboring a terrible secret, Nalia soon realizes her freedom may come at a price too terrible to pay: but how far is she willing to go for it?
Inspired by Arabian Nights, Exquisite Captive brings to life a deliciously seductive world where a wish can be a curse and shadows are sometimes safer than the light.
The Fall by Bethany Griffin
Madeline Usher is doomed.
She has spent her life fighting fate, and she thought she was succeeding. Until she woke up in a coffin.
Ushers die young. Ushers are cursed. Ushers can never leave their house, a house that haunts and is haunted, a house that almost seems to have a mind of its own. Madeline's life - revealed through short bursts of memory - has hinged around her desperate plan to escape, to save herself and her brother. Her only chance lies in destroying the house.
In the end, can Madeline keep her own sanity and bring the house down? The Fall is a literary psychological thriller, reimagining Edgar Allan Poe's classic The Fall of the House of Usher.
Stray by Elissa Sussman
"I am grateful for my father, who keeps me good and sweet. I am grateful for my mother, who keeps her own heart guarded and safe. I am grateful for my adviser, who keeps me protected. I am grateful for the Path, which keeps me pure. Ever after."
Princess Aislynn has long dreamed about attending her Introduction Ball, about dancing with the handsome suitors her adviser has chosen for her, about meeting her true love and starting her happily ever after.
When the night of the ball finally arrives and Nerine Academy is awash with roses and royalty, Aislynn wants nothing more than to dance the night away, dutifully following the Path that has been laid out for her. She does not intend to stray.
But try as she might, Aislynn has never quite managed to control the magic that burns within her - magic brought on by wicked, terrible desires that threaten the Path she has vowed to take.
After all, it is wrong to want what you do not need. Isn't it?
This Week, On The Reading Hedgehog..........
October 6, 2014 - Monday
October 7, 2014 - Tuesday
October 8, 2014 - Wednesday
October 9, 2014 - Thursday
October 10, 2014 - Friday
October 11, 2014 - Saturday
Next Week, On The Reading Hedgehog..............
October 13, 2014 - Monday
Review: The Assassin's Blade - Sarah J. Maas
October 14, 2014 - Tuesday
Top Ten Tuesday #61: Top 10 Places Books Have Made Me Want to Visit
Teaser Tuesday #22
October 15, 2014 - Wednesday
Waiting on Wednesday #63 + WWW Wednesday #33
October 16, 2014 - Thursday
Review: The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender - Leslye Walton
October 17, 2014 - Friday
Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J. K. Rowling
October 18, 2014 - Saturday
Hedgehog Life: October 2014
I love fun mixes of genres. Makes life interesting. :)
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