Guardians ​of the Whills

Tom Angleberger - Return ​of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side!
Acclaimed, ​New York Times best-selling author Tom Angleberger delivers a captivating retelling of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi like you've never experienced before, infusing the iconic, classic tale of good versus evil with a unique perspective and narrative style that will speak directly to today's young readers while enhancing the Star Wars experience for core fans of the saga.

Madeleine L'Engle - Many ​Waters
andy ​and Dennys have always been the normal, run-of-the-mill ones in the extraodinary Murry family. They garden, make an occasional A in school, and play baseball. Nothing especially interesting has happened to the twins until they accidentally interrupt their father's experiment. Then the two boys are thrown across time and space. They find themselves alone in the desert, where, if they believe in unicorns, they can find unicorns, and whether they believe or not, mammoths and manticores will find them. The twins are rescued by Japheth, a man from the nearby oasis, but before he can bring them to safety, Dennys gets lost. Each boy is quickly embroiled in the conflicts of this time and place, whose populations includes winged seraphim, a few stray mythic beasts, perilous and beautiful nephilim, and small, long lived humans who consider Sandy and Dennys giants. The boys find they have more to do in the oasis than simply getting themselves home--they have to reunite an estranged father and son, but it won't be easy, especially when the son is named Noah and he's about to start building a boat in the desert.

Robert A. Heinlein - The ​Rolling Stones
When ​the Stone twins made up their minds to leave Lunar City in a secondhand spaceship, they hadn't planned on having their whole family accompany them. But the Stones were not your ordinary Lunar family - no way! - and their voyage through the solar system sure proved it. What began as a simple business expedition to Mars soon mushroomed into a dangerous situation when Grandma Stone was lost in space. Then, just when everything seemed to be getting better, a Martian flatcat came aboard and fouled up the works. But the real trouble didn't get underway until the Stones headed for the asteroid belt to take up a mining proposition they, somehow, couldn't refuse...

Lois Lowry - The ​Giver
In ​the "ideal" world into which Jonas was born, everybody has sensibly agreed that well-matched married couples will raise exactly two offspring, one boy and one girl. These children's adolescent sexual impulses will be stifled with specially prescribed drugs; at age 12 they will receive an appropriate career assignment, sensibly chosen by the community's Elders. This is a world in which the old live in group homes and are "released"--to great celebration--at the proper time; the few infants who do not develop according to schedule are also "released," but with no fanfare. Lowry's development of this civilization is so deft that her readers, like the community's citizens, will be easily seduced by the chimera of this ordered, pain-free society. Until the time that Jonas begins training for his job assignment--the rigorous and prestigious position of Receiver of Memory--he, too, is a complacent model citizen. But as his near-mystical training progresses, and he is weighed down and enriched with society's collective memories of a world as stimulating as it was flawed, Jonas grows increasingly aware of the hypocrisy that rules his world. With a storyline that hints at Christian allegory and an eerie futuristic setting, this intriguing novel calls to mind John Christopher's Tripods trilogy and Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl. Lowry is once again in top form--raising many questions while answering few, and unwinding a tale fit for the most adventurous readers. Ages 12-14.

Ransom Riggs - Hollow ​City
Miss ​Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children was the surprise best seller of 2011—an unprecedented mix of YA fantasy and vintage photography that enthralled readers and critics alike. Publishers Weekly called it “an enjoyable, eccentric read, distinguished by well-developed characters, a believable Welsh setting, and some very creepy monsters.” This second novel begins in 1940, immediately after the first book ended. Having escaped Miss Peregrine’s island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. Along the way, they encounter new allies, a menagerie of peculiar animals, and other unexpected surprises. Complete with dozens of newly discovered (and thoroughly mesmerizing) vintage photographs, this new adventure will delight readers of all ages. RANSOM RIGGS is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California film school and is a writer for mentalfloss.com. He lives in Los Angeles.

Ransom Riggs - Miss ​Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
A ​mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children who once lived here – one of whom was his own grandfather – were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow – impossible though it seems – they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

Madeleine L'Engle - A ​Wrinkle in Time
A ​scientist has vanished. Now an eerie midnight visitor leads three children in search of him - through a wrinkle in time, to the deadly unknown terrors beyond the tesseract! Chilling science fiction!

Robert A. Heinlein - The ​Star Beast
John ​Thomas Stuart finds out that the ideas of his unusual pet, Lummox, about their relationship are quite different from his own.

Tony DiTerlizzi - The ​Search for WondLa
Now ​in paperback, Tony DiTerlizzi’s New York Times bestselling, richly illustrated modern classic. When a marauder destroys the underground sanctuary that Eva Nine was raised in by the robot Muthr, the twelve-year-year-old girl is forced to flee aboveground. Eva Nine is searching for anyone else like her: She knows that other humans exist because of an item she treasures—a scrap of cardboard on which is depicted a young girl, an adult, and a robot, with the strange word, “WondLa.” Breathtaking two-color illustrations throughout display another dimension of the tale, and readers with webcams can also view Augmented Reality that reveals additional information about Eva Nine’s world. Tony DiTerlizzi honors traditional children’s literature in this totally original space-age adventure—one that is as complex as an alien planet, but as simple as a child’s wish for a place to belong.

Cecil Castellucci - Jason Fry - Moving ​Target
Princess ​Leia returns for an all-new adventure in this thrilling upper middle grade novel. Set between Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi, the story follows the warrior princess as she leads a ragtag group of rebels on a dangerous mission against the evil Galactic Empire. Hidden in the story are also hints and clues about the upcoming film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, making this a must-read for fans old and new!

Brandon Mull - Wild ​Born
Four ​children separated by vast distances all undergo the same ritual, watched by cloaked strangers. Four flashes of light erupt, and from them emerge the unmistakable shapes of incredible beasts - a wolf, a leopard, a panda, a falcon. Suddenly the paths of these children - and the world - have been changed for ever. Enter the world of Erdas, where every child who comes of age must discover if they have a spirit animal, a rare bond between human and beast that bestows great powers to both. A dark force has risen from distant and long-forgotten lands, and has begun an onslaught that will ravage the world. Now the fate of Erdas has fallen on the shoulders of four young strangers ...and on you.

Orson Scott Card - The ​Ships of Earth
The ​City of Basilica has fallen. Now Wetchik, Nafai, and all their family must brave the desert wastes, and cross the wide continents to where Harmony's hidden spaceport lies silent, abandoned, waiting for the command to make the great interstellar ships ready for flight again. But of these sixteen people, only a few have chosen their exile. The others, Rasa's spiteful daughters and their husbands; Wetchik's oldest son, Elemak, have been forced against their will. Their anger and hatreds will make the difficult journey harder.

Mike Shelton - The ​Dragon Orb
The ​fate of a kingdom rests on the shoulders of three young wizards who couldn't be more different. Bakari is a brilliant scholar wizard who's more at home in a library than a battlefield. Alli is a beautiful young battle wizard whose grace in battle is both enchanting and deadly. Roland is a counselor wizard with a seemingly limitless depth of untapped power -- and the ego to match it. As the magical barrier protecting the kingdom of Alaris from dangerous outsiders begins to fail, and a fomenting rebellion threatens to divide the country in a civil war, the three wizards are thrust into the middle of a power struggle. When the barrier comes down, the truth comes out. Was everything they were taught about their kingdom based on a lie? Will they all choose to fight on the same side, or end up enemies in the battle over who should rule Alaris?

Mike Shelton - The ​Dragon King
Evil ​is spreading across the Western Continent. One by one, kingdom, king, and wizard are falling under its influence. Dragon King Bakari, Battlemaster Alli, and High Wizard Roland are now powerful leaders in their own right. Differing missions and responsibilities have separated them; Bakari flies north to find the last Dragon Rider, Alli goes south to find the source of the evil, and Roland, leader of the Citadel, finds himself stuck in the magic stream without his body. The Dragon King and his riders always emerge in times of great need – but will their powers be enough? Or will they succumb to the temptations of evil? Each wizard and Rider will be tested – not all of them will pass.

Mike Shelton - The ​Dragon Rider
The ​barrier is down, war is brewing and dragons fill the skies once more. Bakari is the first dragon rider in centuries but he alone cannot subdue the growing tensions among the kingdoms around Alaris. He begins a quest to find more dragon riders -- the only way to secure peace in the fractured lands around him. In this second book of the Alaris Chronicles everyone is forced to choose sides in the battle for the governance of Alaris. Roland Tyre seizes control of the Citadel and carefully plays both sides -- but his immense charm and considerable wizard powers may prove useless against a deadly and hidden enemy. Battle Wizard Alli Stenos is in the thick of every fight she can find and only wants to secure an end to the violence. The three young wizards, Bakari, Roland and Alli have become more powerful than many of their elders. But will that be enough to keep Alaris, and the surrounding kingdoms, from descending into all out war?

Robert A. Heinlein - The ​Red Planet
Willis ​doesn't look like an alien with a price on his head. He is round and furry and is always being mistaken for young Jim Marlowe's pet. Yet he is worth sixty thousand credits to any Earth zoo-keeper. Jim and his friend Frank know it's time for both them and Willis to go on the run.

Mike Shelton - The ​Path Of Destiny
A ​powerful sword, wizards, magic, lost love, and revenge against nobility. These are just a few of the struggles Darius faces in the first book of The Cremelino Prophecy. A prophecy that could be about him. "Forgotten lines of ancient magic and the power of the throne. One will make them both his own if his heart sees the true power. . . " so begins The Cremelino Prophecy In this new Young Adult/Teen sword and sorcery fantasy series, Darius San Williams, son of one of King Edward's councilors, cares little for his father's politics and vows to leave the city of Anikari to protect and bring glory to the Realm. But when a new-found and ancient power emerges from within him, he and his friends Christine and Kelln are faced with decisions that could shatter or fulfill the prophecy and the lives of all those they know. Wizards and magic have long been looked down upon in the Realm, but Darius learns that no matter where he goes, prophecy and destiny are waiting to find him.

Jeffrey Brown - Jedi ​Academy - Return of the Padawan
Author/illustrator ​Jeffrey Brown returns in the highly anticipated sequel to the NY Times Bestseller Star Wars: Jedi Academy! It's time to return to middle school in a galaxy far, far away. . . . After surviving his first year at Jedi Academy, Roan Novachez thought his second year would be a breeze. He couldn't have been more wrong. Roan feels like he's drifting apart from his friends, and it's only made worse when Roan discovers he's not the amazing pilot he thought he'd be. When the school bullies take him under their wing, he decides they aren't so bad after all--or are they? This year, Roan will have to face alien poetry tests, menacing robots, food fights, flight simulation class, online bullies, more lightsaber duels, and worst of all . . . a girl who is mad at him. This incredible, original story captures all of the humor, awkwardness, fun, and frustrations of middle school--all told through one boy's comics, journal entries, letters, sketches, e-mails, and more.

Pierce Brown - Golden ​Son
With ​shades of The Hunger Games, Ender’s Game, and Game of Thrones, debut author Pierce Brown’s genre-defying epic Red Rising hit the ground running and wasted no time becoming a sensation. Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded among the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down Society from within. A life-or-death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart, Golden Son guarantees Pierce Brown’s continuing status as one of fiction’s most exciting new voices.

Robert A. Heinlein - Between ​Planets
The ​message had seemed simple, yet it was more complex than Don could have imagined. He was being called from Earth to an alien world for reasons unknown -- save only that his life depended on it. But setting out for Mars and getting there in good shape turned out to be a lot more complicated than Don ever would have guessed possible. It was trouble enough being inexplicably hounded by Earth's secret police. But when he was hijacked by Venusian rebels, Don suddenly realized that he was trapped in the center of a war between worlds that could change the fate of the Solar System forever!