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The Jump / Brittney Morris / Book Review

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The Order is offering power. Power is exactly what Team Jericho needs. Team Jericho is a cut above the rest of their competition. How could they not be, with an elite crew like theirs? Perpetually in first on their cryptology forum, the challenges are fun but not, exactly, challenging. Until a new force enters the chat with a cryptic new puzzle--and a cryptic new prize as well. With "power" on the line, whatever that might mean, how can Yas, Han, Jax, and Spider say no? Especially with an oil refinery knocking on their doors (metaphorically, anyway), threatening to upend their lives and their neighborhoods as they know it. These kids are willing to do whatever it takes to keep their community intact. And if a series of complex puzzles will lead them to victory, so be it. 

Delicious Monsters / Liselle Sambury / Book Review

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The house: everything comes back to the house. That was all Daisy heard about growing up--her uncle's mansion, the one her mother was set to inherit one day. The one her mother has inherited. The house is their ticket to freedom--away from the bustle of Toronto, the (literal) ghosts that plague Daisy, and the poverty of single motherhood. The house is their way out. For Daisy, who sees dead people, a secluded mansion far from the nearest inhabited town seems like paradise. Except the house isn't what she thought.  A decade later, Brittney is desperate to escape her abusive mother's shadow. Her mother might claim to have seen the light after her stay at the "Miracle Mansion" (and the bestselling tell-all memoir about that experience that launched her career shortly afterward), but Brittney knows that's a lie. When Brittney gets the chance to explore the same "Miracle Mansion" herself as part of her popular Haunted web series, she jumps on it. Where be

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway / Ashley Schumacher / Book Review

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 Ever since she lost her mother, Madeline has kept meticulous notes of her life. She doesn't want to miss anything--not her father doing leatherwork, her best friend FaceTime session, or any of the everyday annoyances of working the Renaissance Faire circuit. That's why this summer is so important: it's a summer for noticing. Madeline doesn't want to forget any part of this summer, especially since they'll be back at the last faire her mom ever worked. Madeline is ready for a summer of contemplation, of remembering. Not a summer of change. But Arthur throws a wrench in her plans. Not only has the faire itself changed thanks to the new, wealthy owners who bought the ground--and just so happen to be Arthur's dads. Arthur isn't content just to let Madeline wallow in her note-taking. He recruits her to be Princess of the Faire instead, if a rather reluctant one. And the worst part is, she might just, kind of, be having fun...

Missing Clarissa / Ripley Jones / Book Review

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  Summer 1999: one recent high school graduate, cheerleader and golden girl Clarissa Campbell goes missing, never to be seen again. Twenty years later, two high school juniors take on the case. Best friends Blair and Cameron need a focus for their journalism project, and there's nothing people like talking about more than a missing white girl... or a dead one. Cameron is sure this subject will be a hit, especially when their podcast goes live. But even small towns can hold big secrets, and digging into the past--the jock boyfriend, the charismatic art teacher, the potential stalker--may not be the best move. Clarissa Campbell is long gone, but not everyone has moved on from this story. 

Hunterland / Dana Claire / Book Review

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Falkville Falls High is like every other small town high school: insular, full of cliques, and plagued by a string of teacher suicides. Actually, that last one isn't quite so typical. When these so-called suicides catch the attention of the Hunterland community, they send a local unit out to investigate. Enter Liam Hunter. Liam Hunter has been keeping vampires, ghosts, and wicked witches at bay since he was old enough to talk, but he's never been on a job quite like this one. Especially because local sheriff's daughter Olivia Davis keeps getting in his way--and on his nerves. Liam deals with monsters, not people. But Olivia has always protected her family, her father and her younger sister both. She might not know as much as Liam does--like about the existence of monsters, for example--but that won't stop her from doing whatever she can to keep her little family unit safe, even against a world she doesn't understand. 

Live Your Best Lie / Jessie Weaver / Book Review

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Instagram influencer Summer Cartwright has it all: millions of followers, the best boyfriend, the greatest friend group, and even an upcoming book deal. Nothing can bring her down. Until, of course, she is found dead at her own Halloween party. Summer's charmed life shattered, fingers start pointing to those closest to her. Especially when a scheduled post goes up on her Instagram calling her best friends out. The rumors start flying. Was it Laney, Summer's ex-roommate, closed off and sullen? Or Cora, Summer's biggest fan... and potential stalker? Her ex Adam is a good bet, because it's always the boyfriend, right? Or maybe Grace, Summer's best friend... who recently had a falling out with the social media star. Nobody looks good in this limelight. 

Lola at Last / J.C. Peterson / Book Review

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Lola Barnes is ready to get her old life back. Newly returned from boarding school--where she was sent because of an Incident, capital "I"--she wants her old friends, her old relationships, and her old hobbies all right back where they were when she left. But her twin sister has moved on to new friends. Her best friends are less than welcoming. And her old boyfriend (the only person she does not  want back in her life) is as present as ever. Plus, burning down her brother's boat for some attention never sets a girl's summer off on the right foot. In order to avoid jail time for light (very light) arson, Lola is given an option: the "transformative" summer program Hike Like a Girl. Which is definitely not a part of Lola's plan, but she doesn't really have a choice, right? And when everyone around her expects her to fail, shouldn't she at least try to rise to the challenge?