Here's what I found interesting in the new catalog:

ALEXANDER HAMILTON: THE OUTSIDER by Jean Fritz. Hamilton doesn't get nearly enough attention compared to all the other Founding Fathers - mostly because Aaron Burr killed him in a duel and he never became President (he was born in the West Indies). Plus, Secretary of the Treasury is about as boring as it gets in terms of cabinet positions. (Important? Yes. But thrilling? No.) Fritz is awesome at making history come alive and keeping her bios grounded in language that make old subjects interesting to modern readers. For MG readers, it should solidly fit with all of her other books on the period.

A NATION'S HOPE: THE STORY OF BOXING LEGEND JOE LOUIS by Matt de la Pena, Illus by Kadir Nelson. Wow - Louis as written by de la Pena and illustrated by Nelson? Who brought them together? Great American story (albeit tragic) that really REALLY needs to be told. It's a perfect literary choice for older reluctant readers as well - Nelson's illustrations will be enjoyed by any teen, even though it's written for the picture book crowd. Can't wait to see this one.

NO PASSENGERS BEYOND THIS POINT by Gennifer Choldenko. Labeled "an unexpected reality bender" I like the looks of this MG fantasy. First, there's not a vamp or werewolf in sight (thank you). You've got three siblings who get 48 hours notice to leave the house for their uncle's in CO. (Dad seems to be out of the picture and Mom is elsewhere - the house gets foreclosed.) When they show up there is no Uncle Red but a strange driver who has never heard of him. Apparently this is not the CO they were expecting and things take a fantastical turn (Oz is mentioned) There is action and adventure and "high stakes"! Let's see how it does, shall we?

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis. Ladies and gentlemen, hold on tight - looks like we have ourselves a SF story with a teen girl protagonist! Amy is 17 and on the spaceship Godspeed along with her parents enroute to a new planet. They are supposed to remain frozen for 300 years until they show up in the new locale. Amy wakes up 50 years early however with a "spaceship that lives by its own rules". In due time she discovers that she was awakened on purpose and that someone (or ones) onboard want to kill her and her parents might be next. So what we have here is a YA novel, set in space, that involves a murder mystery. I can't possibly be more excited about this one.

BACK WHEN YOU WERE EASIER TO LOVE by Emily Wing Smith. I was gobsmacked by Smith's debut novel, HOW HE LIVED so when I saw her name in the catalog, I was immediately interested. EASIER TO LOVE is about Joy whose boyfriend Zan has left town early for college without even a goodbye. Was she dumped? She doesn't know, so she heads for CA with his best friend to find out just what has happened. That's a short, simple plot with a lot of room for characters to develop in all sorts of ways. She excels at this sort of thing and I'm eager to see what she does with Joy & Zan (and the best friend, Noah).

THE WILDER LIFE: MY ADVENTURES IN THE LOST WORLD OF LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE by Wendy McClure. I don't think this is exactly a stunt book but I'm always puzzled by how people decide to do something like walk in the footsteps of their favorite author and stop in all the places where all of her books are set. McClure puts her feet in Plum Creek and looks for the Big Woods in Wisconsin and everything else Laura fans would expect. I'm sure she comes to conclusions about herself and the Ingalls family and America itself. I see all kinds of gift giving potential in this one (especially women of a certain age who grew up with the books and tv show).

Want to know how a book cover should look after it has been chose for a movie? Please see TRUE GRIT by Charles Portis. No big actor face on there, just a nice smooth mention of the Coen Brothers. Not that I would mind seeing Jeff Bridges on there, but still - very classy and hopefully a new trend.

Joan Bauer has a new one out: CLOSE TO FAMOUS. I don't think she's written a bad book and I can remember a certain time in my life when her titles were really something special. I see her as a younger version of Judy Blume, very much in touch with teen girls. Here's the lowdown: Foster McKee wants to have her own cooking show, her mother wants to be a headliner instead of a backup singer and Miss Charleena wants to "triumphantly return to Hollywood". Nobody is as famous as they want to be in Culpepper but then some events shake up the town and, well, if you've read Bauer then you know lots of things happen and it's all very heartwarming. Comfort food in the best possible way, I'm sure.

WE ARE NOT EATEN BY YAKS: AN ACCIDENTAL ADVENTURE by C Alexander London. More of the Snicket trend for MG readers but sounds fun and who can get enough of this stuff? Twins Oliver and Celia live "on the 4-1/2 floor of the Explorers Club with their father". Okay, does that have you right now? It had me. Mom is missing, word arrives that she might be in Tibet so Dad and the kids head off to find her and uncover a major plot, find an evil leader, and...well you know what is going to happen. Lots of fun I'm sure.

Finally, this one seems to have Guys Lit Wire written all over it - DEPARTMENT 19 by William Hill. It's billed as "Alex Rider meets Dracula in the explosive new series about a secret agency of vampire hunters". For ages 14 and up, it sounds creepy and violent and action packed. Perfect for teen boys, don't ya think?