Rise of a hero

By Hilari Bell

THE RETURN OF SORAHB?  Legend has it that when Farsala most needs a warrior to lead it, Sorahb will be restored by the god Azura.  That time has come. After a devastating loss to the army of the Hrum, Farsala has all but fallen.  Only the walled city of Mazad and a few of the more uninhabitable regions remain free of Hrum rule, and they seem destined to fall as well.  Farsala needs a champion now.  Three young people are waging battle as best they can.  Soraya, Jiaan, and Kavi, their lives decimated by the Hrum, are each in a personal fight against their common enemy. Apart, their chances are slim, as none of them is Sorahb reborn.  United, perhaps they can succeed.  But only Time's Wheel can bring them together -- if it turns the right way.  If it doesn't, Farsala is surely doomed.  In the sequel to the critically acclaimed Fall of a Kingdom (formerly titled Flame), the first book of the Farsala Trilogy, Hilari Bell draws readers deeper into the mythical land of Farsala and weaves an epic tale of destiny and danger.

Forging the sword

By Hilari Bell

The spirit of the ancient champion, Sorahb was reborn into the body of a deghan youth, who raised an army of peasants to resist their Hrum conquerors.  Sorya, Kavi, and Jiann do everything they can to keep control of what little land remains free from Hrum rule. They have most of the peasantry, a small, untrained army, and the Suud helping them, but there is still one important piece missing: a sword that is able to withstand the Hrum's watersteel. Without it, Farsala will fall.  But what none of these young heroes can foresee is the growing desperation of the Hrum leaders.  It will lead them to break some of their own laws and sacred pacts.  It will also reveal truths about the nature of war, the nature of human beings, and -- most important -- themselves.  TitlePeek

Wish you were dead

By Todd Strasser

In the spirit of such stories as "I Know What You Did Last Summer," Strasser updates the teen thriller, delving into the world of blogging and social networking to create an exciting new page-turner.

Madison, a senior at a suburban New York high school, tries to uncover who is responsible for the disappearance of her friends, popular students mentioned in the posts of an anonymous blogger, while she, herself, is being stalked online and in-person.  TitlePeek

The last summer of the Death Warriors

By Francisco X. Stork

When Pancho arrives at St. Anthony’s Home for Boys, he knows his time there will be short.  If his plans succeed, he’ll soon be arrested for the murder of his sister’s killer. But then he’s assigned to be a companion to D. Q., whose brain cancer has slowed neither his spirit nor his mouth. D. Q. tells Pancho all about his "Death Warrior’s Manifesto", which will help him live out his last days fully--ideally, he says, with the love of the beautiful Marisol. As Pancho tracks down his sister’s murderer, he finds himself falling under the influence of D. Q. and Marisol, who is everything D. Q. said she would be; and he is inexorably drawn to a decision: to honor his sister and her death, or embrace the way of the Death Warrior and choose life.  Nuanced in its characters and surprising in its plot developments--both soulful and funny--The Last Summer of the Death Warriors is a "buddy novel" of the very best kind.

Quicksand: HIV/AIDS in our lives

By Anonymous

What is it like to be affected by HIV/AIDS? A moving first-person account offers insight — and basic facts. ONE DAY I FOUND OUT THAT SOMEONE I KNOW — MY BROTHER-IN-LAW, JAY — HAD HIV/AIDS. AT THE MOMENT I HEARD HIS DIAGNOSIS, I REALIZED THAT I HAD STEPPED INTO THE QUICKSAND OF A NEW AND TERRIBLE WORLD — AND I WAS SINKING FAST. Weaving together her own story with straightforward questions and answers, the author explains the real ways that HIV/AIDS can be transmitted and explores the common experiences and emotions that might be encountered by friends and family members of someone who has the virus. She also discusses why HIV/AIDS is often still kept a secret and the importance of treating this condition like any other. With up-to-date medical information that has been thoroughly vetted by experts, this first-person narrative offers an invaluable look at what it is like to watch someone you know battle HIV/AIDS.  TitlePeek