There are a lot of books coming out from Random House in Fall ’09! We can’t wait! Here are just a few to look forward to:
Arizona’s own Robin Brande, Fat Cat, October 2009: You are what you eat. . . . Cat smart, sassy, and funny—but thin, she’s not. Until her class science project. That’s when she winds up doing an experiment—on herself. Before she knows it, Cat is living—and eating—like the hominids, our earliest human ancestors. True, no chips or TV is a bummer and no car is a pain, but healthful eating and walking everywhere do have their benefits. As the pounds drop off, the guys pile on. All this newfound male attention is enough to drive a girl crazy! If only she weren’t too busy hating Matt McKinney to notice. . . . This funny and thoughtful novel explores how girls feel about their bodies, and the ways they can best take care of their most precious resource: themselves.
Matt De La Pena, We Were Here, October 2009: The story of one boy and his journey to find himself. When it happened, Miguel was sent to Juvi. The judge gave 
him a year in a group home—said he had to write in a journal so some counselor could try to figure out how he thinks. The judge had no idea that he actually did Miguel a favor. Ever since it happened, his mom can’t even look at him in the face. Any home besides his would be a better place to live. But Miguel didn’t bet on meeting Rondell or Mong or on any of what happened after they broke out. He only thought about Mexico and getting to the border to where he could start over. Forget his mom. Forget his brother. Forget himself. Life usually doesn’t work out how you think it will, though. And most of the time, running away is the quickest path right back to what you’re running from.
Julie Ann Peters, RAGE: A Love Story, September 2009: A National Book Award Finalist offers an intense portrait of an abusive relationship. Johanna is steadfast, patient, reliable; the go-to girl, the one everyone can count on. But always being there for others can’t give Johanna everything she needs—it can’t give her Reeve Hartt. Reeve is fierce, beautiful, wounded, elusive; a flame that draws Johanna’s fluttering moth. Johanna is determined to get her, against all advice, and to help her, against all reason. But love isn’t always reasonable, right? In the precarious place where attraction and need collide, a teenager experiences the dark side of a first love, and struggles to find her way into a new light.
Louanne Johnson, Muchacho, September 2009: An inspiring YA debut from the author of Dangerous Minds. Eddie Corazon is angry. He’s also 
very smart. But he’s working pretty hard at being a juvenile delinquent. He blows off school, even though he’s a secret reader. He hangs with his cousins, who will always back him up—when they aren’t in jail. Then along comes Lupe, who makes his blood race. She sees something in Eddie he doesn’t even see in himself. A heart, and a mind, and something more: a poet. But in Eddie’s world, it’s a thin line between tragedy and glory. And what goes down is entirely in Eddie’s hands. Gripping, thought-provoking, and hopeful, Muchacho is a rare and inspiring story about one teen’s determination to fight his circumstances and shape his own destiny.
James Dashner, The Maze Runner, December 2009: When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.
Laura Joy Rennert & Marc Brown, Buying, Training, and Caring for Your Dinosaur, October 2009: Dogs are delightful. Cats are cute. And fish are fun. But the best pet of all is . . . a DINOSAUR! But how do you pick the dino that’s right for you? Spiky? Armored? Humongous? Pea-brained? Plant-eater? How do you take care of him once he’s (gulp!) home? How do you feed him, exercise him, take him to the vet, and give him a bath?! Not to mention train him, since he might like to chew on—er, swallow—Mom’s new shoes. Full of little-known info and sage advice, this definitive guide to dino ownership is sure to thrill and delight kids everywhere!
Other great RH Fall 09 titles:
- The Indigo Notebook, Laura Resau, October 2009
- The Fairy Godmother Academy, Birdie’s Book, Jan Bozarth, August 2009
- Babymouse: Dragonslayer, Jennifer Holm, August 2009
- War Games, Audrey Couloumbis, October 2009
- The Fiend and the Forge (Book Three of The Tapestry), Henry H. Neff, September 2009
- Change-Up, John Feinstein, August 2009
- Princess Hyacinth (The Surprising Take of a Girl Who Floated), Florence Parry Heide, September 2009
- Resurrection Fields (The Promises of Dr. Sigmundus, Book 3), Brian Keaney, November 2009
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