Chapter One with HPL

"It's 1963, and things are changing for Jezebel Turner. Her beloved grandmother has just passed away. The local police deputy won't stop harassing her family. With school integration arriving in South Carolina, Jez and her twin brother, Jay, are about to begin the school year with a bunch of new kids. But the biggest change comes when Jez and Jay turn eleven and their uncle, Doc, tells them he's going to train them in rootwork. Jez and Jay have always been fascinated by the African American folk magic that has been the legacy of their family for generations--especially the curious potions and powders Doc and Gran would make for the people on their island. But Jez soon finds out that her family's true power goes far beyond small charms and elixirs... and not a moment too soon"-- Provided by publisher.

This title is intended for tweens and is suitable for most audiences. Recorded with permission of Walden Pond Press, an imprint of HarperCollins. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.

"To discover the truth behind her mother's mysterious death, a teen girl infiltrates a magical secret society claiming to be the descendants of King Arthur and his knights"-- Provided by publisher.

This title is intended for teens, however, it may contain language or themes that some readers may find offensive. Recorded with permission of Margaraet K. McElderry, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.

"Twelve-year-old Tad navigates a year filled with girl problems, school antics, and the worst summer job in history, all told in the form of hilarious, illustrated blog entries"-- Provided by publisher.

This title is intended for tweens and is suitable for most audiences. Recorded with permission of HarperCollins. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.

"On a hot day in July 1919, five black youths went swimming in Lake Michigan, unintentionally floating close to the "white" beach. An angry white man began throwing stones at the boys, striking and killing one. Racial conflict on the beach erupted into days of urban violence that shook the city of Chicago to its foundations. This mesmerizing narrative draws on contemporary accounts as it traces the roots of the explosion that had been building for decades in race relations, politics, business, and clashes of culture."

This title is intended for teens, however, it may contain language or themes that some readers may find offensive. Recorded with permission of Clarion, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.

After receiving a wooden puzzle box at a town festival, twelve-year-old Kallie figures out how to open the box and finds that her fate seems to be connected to a young bone carver from another time. This title is intended for tweens and is suitable for most audiences. Recorded with permission of Square Fish, an imprint of Macmillan.

Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.

"Elliot North fights to save her family's land and her own heart in this post-apocalyptic reimaging of Jane Austen's PERSUASION"-- Provided by publisher. This title is intended for teens, however, it may contain language or themes that some readers may find offensive. Recorded with permission of Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.

Told from three viewpoints, Audrey, Grace, and Harlow come together at their annual town carnival to heal and reconnect after a tragedy. This title is intended for tweens and is suitable for most audiences. Recorded with permission of Aladdin Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.

Irreverent, foul-mouthed, seventeen-year-old Cricket Cherpin, living under the watchful eye of Mother Mary at a Catholic boys' home in Maine, has such bleak prospects he is considering suicide when Wynona Bidaban steps into his world. This title is intended for teens, however, it may contain language or themes that some readers may find offensive. Recorded with permission of HMH Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.

When petty thief Gilly, who lives with five younger brothers and sisters in a run-down boot, gets caught stealing, she is sentenced to three months at Fairy Tale Reform School, where all of the teachers are former villains, including the Big Bad Wolf, the Evil Queen, and Cinderella's Wicked Stepmother. This title is intended for tweens and is suitable for most audiences. Recorded with permission of HarperCollins. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.

For Sophie, small-town life has never felt small. With her four best friends, she can weather any storm. But when Sophie's beloved Acadia High School marching band is selected to march in the upcoming Rose Parade, it's her job to get them all the way to LA. Her plan? To persuade country singer Megan Pleasant, their Midwestern town's only claim to fame, to come back to Acadia to headline a fundraising festival. The only problem is that Megan has very publicly sworn never to return. What ensues is a journey filled with long-kept secrets, hidden heartbreaks, and revelations that could change everything along with a possible fifth best friend: a new guy with a magnetic smile and secrets of his own. This title is intended for teens, however, it may contain language or themes that some readers may find offensive. Recorded with permission of Macmillan. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.