Cool New Books for August

August's roundup of Cool New Books includes VANISHING ACT, an exciting new sports mystery from John Feinstein that takes place at the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament in New York; MERCY WATSON FIGHTS CRIME, Kate DiCamillo's third rollicking adventure featuring the irresistible pig who this time must prevent a cowboy-wannabe crook from stealing her beloved toaster; FRAMED, in which Frank Cottrell Boyce (author of the award-winning bestseller MILLIONS) tells the story of a boy who reminds an entire town of the power of art; and THE PALACE OF LAUGHTER, the first book in a trilogy by debut novelist Jon Berkeley that takes readers on a spectacular journey to a place where laughter can be dangerous.

Stand-Alone Chapter Books/Middle Grade Novels

FRAMED
Frank Cottrell Boyce
HarperCollins
ISBN-10: 0060734027
ISBN-13: 9780060734022
Ages 8-up
320 pages

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Here's a few things you should know about Dylan. He's the only boy in his entire town, which means he can't play soccer. His best friends are two pet chickens, and his family owns the world's only gas station/coffee house --- the food is great, but profits are awful. Criminal instincts run in his family; his sister is a mastermind-in-training, and the tax men are after his father for questioning. And one more small thing about nine-year-old Dylan --- the crime of the century has just fallen into his lap.

IN THE COMPANY OF CRAZIES
Nora Raleigh Baskin
HarperCollins
ISBN-10: 0060596074
ISBN-13: 9780060596071
Ages 10-up
176 pages

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Thirteen-year-old Mia Singer thought she had it all under control, even though her grades were slipping and she couldn't explain her occasional compulsion to shoplift. The sudden death of a classmate affects Mia in a way she can't quite define, but then she goes one step too far. Her mother and father place her in an "alternative" boarding school. Away from her parents and surrounded by trees, space and students whose problems she can't completely understand, Mia has no choice but to learn about herself.

VANISHING ACT: Mystery at the U.S. Open
John Feinstein
Knopf
ISBN-10: 037583592X
ISBN-13: 9780375835926
Ages 10-up
288 pages

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Aspiring sports reporters Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson have kept in touch after their wild time at the Final Four. So when Susan Carol manages to score a press pass to cover the first week of the US Open Tennis Tournament in New York, Stevie works out a way to be there as well. But the disappearance of a young Russian phenom right before her second-round match overshadows all the fun and games. Was she kidnapped? Did she run? Is she even still alive? The rumors are growing wilder by the hour, though they don't even come close to the shocking truth.

WEREWOLF RISING
R. L. LaFevers
Dutton Children's Books
ISBN-10: 0525476652
ISBN-13: 9780525476658
Ages 8-12
176 pages

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On the eve of Luc's 13th birthday, a man called Ranger offers him a horrifying, enticing truth: Luc is a shapeshifter, a werewolf. It's time to come home to his pack --- and to make his first change into wolf form. Luc is thrilled by his new powers and loves the community of the pack. But Luc's uncle wants to see the shapeshifters destroyed. How can Luc save his new family from the danger he has brought them?

Series Books

Mercy Watson

MERCY WATSON FIGHTS CRIME
Kate DiCamillo
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 0763625906
Ages 6-8
80 pages

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Leroy Ninker wants to be a cowboy, but right now he's just a thief. In fact, he's robbing the Watsons' kitchen right now! As he drags the toaster across the counter and drops it into his bag, he doesn't realize that a certain large pig who loves toast with a great deal of butter is stirring from sleep. And never could he have guessed that a comedy of errors (not to mention the buttery sweets in his pocket) will soon lead this little man on the wild and raucous rodeo ride he's always dreamed of.

The Wednesday Tales

THE PALACE OF LAUGHTER: The Wednesday Tales No. 1
Jon Berkeley
Julie Andrews Collection/HarperCollins
ISBN-10: 0060755075
ISBN-13: 9780060755072
Ages 8-12
448 pages

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Orphaned 11-year-old Miles Wednesday and his companion, an unusual little girl with wings named Little, are helped by a talking tiger as they set off to find a missing Storm Angel and Miles's beloved stuffed bear, ending up in a peculiar circus where the audience can't stop laughing. This stunning debut novel from Jon Berkeley --- a richly rendered journey through a unique landscape filled with peril, beauty and (of course) laughter --- marks the beginning of the Wednesday Tales trilogy.

Pure Dead

PURE DEAD BATTY
Debi Gliori
Knopf
ISBN-10: 0375833161
ISBN-13: 9780375833168
Ages 10-up
304 pages

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Autumn has come to StregaSchloss, and as the days grow dark, an even darker depression has come over the Strega-Borgia family. Ever since the disappearance of their beloved nanny, Mrs. McLachlan, nothing has been the same. To make matters worse, Luciano has been wrongfully charged with her murder and thrown into prison. Never has the family needed Mrs. McLachlan so badly! But with the help of a magical camera and a mysterious silver thread, there still may be hope...

Golden & Grey

GOLDEN & GREY: THE NIGHTMARES THAT GHOSTS HAVE
Louise Arnold
Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster
ISBN-10: 068987586X
ISBN-13: 9780689875861
Ages 8-12
304 pages

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When you have a ghost as an Invisible Friend, like Tom Golden does, you quickly learn the benefits. But just as Tom is settling into a comfortable routine, his world is turned upside down once again when Grey Arthur starts a school for Invisible Friends -- drawing ghosts from near and far who are looking to learn the newest job in the ghost world. Meanwhile, ghosts are mysteriously disappearing. When some of their closest friends go missing, Tom, Grey and the Invisible Friends in training jump into action to discover what's going on.

Nonfiction

THE AMERICAN STORY: 100 True Tales from American History
Jennifer Armstrong
illustrated by Roger Roth
Knopf
ISBN-10: 0375812563
ISBN-13: 9780375812569
Ages 6-up
368 pages

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This magnificent treasury tells the story of America through 100 true tales. Some are tales of triumph --- the midnight ride of Paul Revere, Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon. Some are tales of tragedy --- the great fire in Chicago, the eruption of Mt. Saint Helens. There are stories of inventors and athletes, and stories about struggling for freedom. With full-color illustrations on nearly every page and short, exciting stories, this book is perfect for browsing by the entire family.

ESCAPE! The Story of the Great Houdini
Sid Fleischman
Greenwillow
ISBN-10: 0060850949
ISBN-13: 9780060850944
Ages 9-up
224 pages

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In this fascinating biography you'll meet the astonishing Harry Houdini --- magician, ghost chaser, daredevil, pioneer aviator, and king of escape artists. Did Houdini really pick the jailhouse lock to let a fellow circus performer escape? Were his secrets really buried with him? Former professional magician Sid Fleischman enriches this book with insider information, unmasking rare photographs never before seen by the general reader!

--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio

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