Today the American Booksellers Association (ABA) released the annual ABC Best Books for Children catalog, featuring more than 200 titles based on bookseller recommendations.
Some of the most notable on the list:
Demonglass (Hex Hall series #2) by Rachel Hawkins
The second Hex Hall novel follows young demon Sophie Mercer to a huge, gorgeous English country estate with her powerful warlock father, where she can learn more about her heritage and decide whether to go through with her decision to remove her magical powers. Sophie is surrounded by handsome boys: her crush, demon-hunter Archer Cross, and the hunky but taciturn magical healer Cal. Narrator Sophie’s delivery is delightfully brash, and the many action scenes lend a cinematic feel.
For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Set initially in a future shanty town in America’s Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being dissembled for parts by a rag tag group of workers, we meet Nailer, a teenage boy working the light crew, searching for copper wiring to make quota and live another day. The harsh realities of this life, from his abusive father, to his hand to mouth existence, echo the worst poverty in the present day third world. When an accident leads Nailer to discover an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, and the lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl, Nailer finds himself at a crossroads. Should he strip the ship and live a life of relative wealth, or rescue the girl, Nita, at great risk to himself and hope she’ll lead him to a better life. This is a novel that illuminates a world where oil has been replaced by necessity, and where the gap between the haves and have-nots is now an abyss. Yet amidst the shadows of degradation, hope lies ahead.
For years, Jacob Reckless has enjoyed the Mirrorworld’s secrets and treasures. Not anymore. His younger brother has followed him. Now dark magic will turn the boy to beast, break the heart of the girl he loves, and destroy everything Jacob holds most dear. . . . Unless he can find a way to stop it.
The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
John Stephens’ aptly-titled new fantasy trilogy begins auspiciously with a nimble, fast-paced tale of three siblings. Kate, Michael, and Emma have suffered through ten years of odious orphanage “care”; now they have slipped into the care of the eccentric, disturbingly mysterious Dr. Pym. While exploring their new home, the children discover a magical green book. With that discovery, a decade of tedium dissolves into cascades of dangerous time travel adventures and struggles with a beautiful witch and decidedly less attractive zombielike Screechers. High early reader marks for strong characterization and battle scenes.
The Twilight Sage: The Official Illustrated Guide
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide is a spin-off encyclopedic reference book for the The Twilight Saga book series, written by Stephenie Meyer and was released on April 12, 2011. The Guide includes exclusive new material about the world Meyer created in Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn and The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, and nearly a hundred full-color illustrations by illustrator Young Kim, who previously illustrated Meyer’s #1 New York Times Best Seller Twilight: The Graphic Novel, and several other artists
See the complete list here.
Do any of these books interest you?