12 Things to Do Before You Crash and Burn by James Proimos

"The casket is closed."

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James "Hercules" Martino has until the end of the summer (a.k.a. two weeks) to accomplish the twelve tasks given to him by his Uncle Anthony. The tasks will take him to the far reaches of Baltimore, lead him to a Beautiful and Unattainable Woman, and change the way he sees his past, present, and future.

Roaring Brook Press; 121 pages

Stick by Andrew Smith

"They call me Stick."

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Thirteen-year-old Stark "Stick" McClellan's brother has always defended him against those who tease him for his thinness and facial deformity, so when Bosten, having admitted he is gay, must leave home and their abusive parents, Stick sets out to find him.

Feiwel and Friends; 292 pages

The Queen of Water by Laura Resau

"As a little girl, I did not know I was a descendant of the Inca, the most powerful ancient civilization of South America."

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A child in Ecuador is sent to be the servant of a rich mestizo family where she is mistreated. She teaches herself to read and write and escapes, but she is lost between two cultures. Based on a true story.

Delacorte Press; 352 pages

Sidekicks by Jack D. Ferraiolo

"I'm sitting on a filthy chimney, eighty stories above street level, watching from the shadows as one of my personal top five dumbest villains tries his best to wrap his mind around a hostage situation of his own creation."

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Batman has Robin, Wonder Woman has Wonder Girl, and Phantom Justice has Bright Boy, a.k.a. Scott Hutchinson, an ordinary schoolkid by day and a superfast, superstrong sidekick by night, fighting loyally next to his hero. But after an embarrassing incident involving his too-tight spandex costume, plus some signs that Phantom Justice may not be the good guy he pretends to be, Scott begins to question his role. With the help of a fellow sidekick, once his nemesis, Scott must decide if growing up means being loyal or stepping boldly to the center of things.

Amulet Books; 309 pages

Eli the Good by Silas House

"That was the summer of the bicentennial, when all these things happened: my sister, Josie, began to hate our country and slapped my mother's face; my wild aunt, Nell, moved in with us, bringing along all five thousand or so of her records and a green record player that ran on batteries; my father started going back to Vietnam in his dreams, and I saw him cry; my mother did the Twist in front of the whole town and nearly lost us all."

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Abstract: In the summer of 1976, ten-year-old Eli Book's excitement over Bicentennial celebrations is tempered by his father's flashbacks to the Vietnam War and other family problems, as well as concern about his tough but troubled best friend, Edie.

Publisher: Candlewick Press; 295 pages

I Am Scout - The Biography of Harper Lee by Charles J. Shields

"Get Offa him!" Nelle roared.

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Abstract: This biography tells the story of how Harper Lee struggled to become an author and created one of the most popular novels of the 20th century. Includes bibliographical references and index.

Henry Holt and Company; 245 pages