If you can't stand the heat, don't walk into the fire.Danny knew his sophomore year would be stressful . . . but he didn’t expect his school to burn down on the first day. To make matters worse (and they were about to get a lot worse), he — and his three best friends — receive an email in their inboxes from the principal of their rival, King’s Academy, offering full-rides to attend the town's prestigious boarding school. Danny wants nothing to do with King’s Academy and says no. Of course his mother says yes. So off he goes to be bullied and picked on for not being part of the popular and rich "in crowd." From day one at King’s, Danny encounters hazing, mocking insults from girls at the "popular and pretty" table, and cafeteria food that, for such a prestigious school, tastes as if it were purchased from a military surplus supply warehouse. If he survives, Danny will have to overcome his fears of failure, rejection, and loneliness—all while standing strong in his beliefs and walking into the fire.

Blaze (Blaze Trilogy)

Teen & Young Adult

Bolinger, Hope

Literature & Fiction

Illuminate YA

She is a genius . . . who frequently forgets her own name. Raised to put science over self, V must link her brain with fifteen other people, making her one of the world's smartest humans. With this privilege comes a life dedicated to continual research inside a secluded facility, a life devoid of freedom. But V is losing her identity and unable to predict which face will peer back at her from the nearest mirror. Escaping this life will mean freedom to think for herself-and abandoning everything and everyone she's known and loved. When your thoughts and speech are no longer private, freedom comes at a price. But for V the price may be her life.

Mind of Mine

Black, C. F. E.

September: Sleepy Hollow, New York, The Daily Crawler Horrified law enforcement officials investigating the gruesome death of Candee Brenneman claim a wolf or some other large animal killed her. Brenneman, age 32, an avid jogger and fitness instructor, was found by an employee of RIP's Restaurant under a bridge in Rockefeller State Park. Brenneman's throat was savagely ripped apart. Large misshapen paw prints were found around the body. There were also bite marks on her hands, and arms. Some have suggested that her death, occurring during a full moon, indicates that a werewolf may be running loose in Sleepy Hollow. The investigation is on-going. In Sleepy Hollow, New York Nick Caden uncovers the clues surrounding the murder of Candee Brenneman ... and other deadly secrets But as the last full moon of the month rises over Raven Rock, Nick is about to learn that monsters are real. And the worst kind of monster is the one you never see coming. In Sleepy Hollow, New York Nick Caden uncovers the clues surrounding the murder of Candee Brenneman ... and other deadly secrets But as the last full moon of the month rises over Raven Rock, Nick is about to learn that monsters are real. And the worst kind of monster is the one you never saw coming. Awards for the Caden Chronicles Middle Grade Mystery Books series <ul> <li>Winner of the Selah award for Middle Grade Mystery Books </li> <li>INSPY Award nominee (runner up)</li> <li>Moonbeam Children's Book Award nominee (runner up -- tagged out at third: )</li> </ul> Readers Are Leaders - Buy a Boy a Book Praise for the Caden Chronicles series "This series has the same longevity and wholesome quality as The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew but the author writes for today's youth." review "I enjoyed reading this fun suspense adventure. Great book for middle school and older boys and girls will enjoy it, too " review "Overall the book was pretty good and I would think it would be for ages nine and up." review "I was guessing until the end of the book. I did not know who it was. I think even adults will enjoy this book." review The Caden Chronicles series contains no; sexual dialogue or situations, violence, or strong language. While this teen / young adult murder mystery series discusses things like ghosts, vampires, zombies and shapeshifting, it does so in a factual way. Enjoy the study questions at the end of books 1 and 2.

Rumor of a Werewolf (Caden Chronicles)

Jones, Eddie

Gwyn has always been focused on fitting in with the popular girls in her idyllic seaside town. But when a hooded stranger alerts her to her parents’ danger, survival becomes her goal. After finding her parents murdered in their own home, Gwyn and her brother scramble to escape the killer—the notorious Black Wizard. Desperate to break away from his father's scrutiny and criticism, the prince of Vickland—Heron Oakheart—escapes into the mysterious Zenia Wood. There, he meets Bromlin. The eccentric old man tells the prince a dark secret about his father and forces him to question everything he knows. Thrown together by chance, Heron and Gwyn begin to unravel the dark plots surrounding them. Facing dragons, witches, and dark magic, Gwyn and Heron have no choice but to cling to their courage if they are to survive. Can they outwit their cunning opponents and rescue Gwyn’s brother from a castle prison before it’s too late?

The Zenia Wood

Stephens, Carrie Looper

Thea Fenton's life looks picture-perfect, but inside, she is falling apart. Wracked by anxiety no one seems to understand or care about, she resorts to self-harm to deflect the pain inside. When a local teen commits suicide, Thea's anxiety skyrockets. Unexplainable things happen, leaving her feeling trapped within her own chaotic mind. The lines between reality and another world start to blur, and her previously mundane issues seem more daunting and insurmountable than ever. Then she meets Khi, a mysterious new boy from the coffee shop who seems to know her better than she knows herself-and doesn't think she's crazy. His quiet confidence and unfounded familiarity draw her into an unconventional friendship. Khi journeys with her through grief, fear, and confusion to arrive at compassion for the one person Thea never thought she could love. A deeply transformational novel from an authentic new voice in Christian young adult fiction.

Fade to White

Ross, Tara K.

Danny Belte barely survived his sophomore year at King’s Academy, having to deal with horrible initiation practices, stomach-churning cafeteria food, and the constant threat of arson. His junior year doesn’t start off much better. Facing a series of mysterious suicide attempts that begin on day one—and a disturbing pattern that appears to connect them—Danny has a feeling something far more sinister is at play. He tries to narrow down a list of suspects as those closest to him disappear, one by one. Can he protect his friends from a possible murderer on the loose? Or will he find himself trapped in a fate worse than a lions’ den?

DEN: If You Don't Want to Die, Don't Sleep with Lions (Blaze Trilogy)

To survive, they must choose to trust each other. Seventeen-year-old Jamison Jones is concerned about one thing: survival. Not just his survival, but the survival of his drug-addicted mother. He has to take care of her, to make sure that she makes it back to their dingy motel room, or remind her to eat. Until one day when a knock at the door changes everything. For seventeen-year-old Ellie Presley, she has no choice but to run. She's running from her past. She's running from those who seek to hurt her. Unfortunately, her past isn't so easy to escape. Both find themselves on a Greyhound bus. When danger threatens them, they are forced together to beat the odds. But they must learn to trust each other if they're going to make it out alive.

The Road Back Home from Here: A Novel

Broyles, Janice

If you want to stay sane, don't remember. After Danny Belte ends up with a gunshot wound to the head, he's shipped off to a local psychiatric center under the assumption he'd attempted suicide. Knowing that a classmate had tried to kill him, and having a photographic memory to prove it, keeps him sane. After meeting the fun and playfully rebellious members of his ward, he suspects that some underlying connection ties them all together. Haunted by revealing visions, he may have a chance at discovering one conflict of interest that will buy their ticket out of the ward. But memories are dangerous things. He may just make as many enemies as friends. Enemies who want his memories erased. Or worse, want him dead. The Blaze Trilogy answers the question, what would the book of Daniel look like if it was set in a modern high school? Vision brings the adventures of Danny Belte to a satisfying conclusion.

Vision: If you want to stay sane, don't remember (Blaze Trilogy)

Fifteen-year-old Adriana Nicu lives in the sheltered world of Bucharest, Romania, in the year 1987. Under the rule of Communist president Nicolae Ceau&#537;escu, citizens of Bucharest live with the eyes and ears of the government ever present. Adriana's future, which will involve becoming an engineer, is locked in against her will. During a visit to her aunt's apartment, Adriana walks through a wardrobe into a hidden room filled with stacks of forbidden novels. Stories bring light into the darkest of circumstances as her family begins to unravel and her life strangely parallels those of her novels' heroines. Adriana's childhood loyalties and her belief that God doesn't exist are called into question as her circumstances force her to rethink things she once believed were certain.

One Degree of Freedom

Children's Books

Hutchison, Taryn R.

The Stars in April

Product Description 
Based on the True Story of Twelve-Year-Old Titanic Survivor, Ruth Becker 
"Sometimes we have to go a long way to find out who we are." 
The year is 1912. When doctors in India are unable to treat her baby brother’s illness, Ruth’s missionary parents decide there is one solution: move her mother and the children across the world—to Michigan. 
But India is the only home Ruth knows. In a matter of days, she must leave Papa and all she loves behind, abandon her dream of one day playing violin in the Calcutta Orchestra, and embark on a rollicking, four-week journey across the Arabian and Mediterranean Seas, followed by the voyage to New York aboard the luxurious, ill-fated RMS Titanic. 
Ruth’s story is one of courage and self-sacrifice as she earns her sea legs and faces the unknown, culminating in a desperate, tragic night she will never forget. 
"I feel as though I’m sitting in Ruth’s apartment and she is sharing her life story with me … so very well-written … one can hardly stop reading.”—Floyd Andrick, former Titanic Historical Society member and personal friend of Ruth Becker 
 Review 
"This historical novel moves quickly and shares a little slice of the ever-fascinating subject of the Titanic. A winner." -- 
School Library Journal, March 2021 
 About the Author 
Peggy Wirgau loves true stories from the past and writes through the eyes of ordinary people in history who faced extraordinary challenges and became heroes. Like Ruth s family in The Stars in April, Peggy hails from Michigan. She and her husband have two adult children and split their time between Michigan and Florida.

Wirgau, Peggy

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