New YA Books

The Black Book of Secrets - F.E. Higgins
When Ludlow Fitch runs away from his thieving parents in the City, he meets up with the mysterious Joe Zabbidou, who calls himself a secret pawnbroker, and who takes Ludlow as an apprentice to record the confessions of the townspeople of Pagus Parvus, where resentments are many and trust is scarce.

Iron Thunder: The Battle Between the Monitor and the Merrimac - Avi
Tom's job as an assistant to Captain John Ericsson, the inventor of the Monitor, makes him a target of Confederate spies.

Igraine the Brave - Cornelia Funke
The daughter of two magicians, twelve-year-old Igraine wants nothing more than to be a knight, and when their castle is attacked by a treacherous neighbor bent on stealing their singing magic books, Igraine has an opportunity to demonstrate her bravery.

Cassandra's Sister: Growing Up Jane Austen - Veronica Bennett
A fictionalized biography of Jane Austen focusing on her early life growing up with her sister Cassandra in a large country parsonage family in southern England, and the experiences and people which may have inspired the plots and characters of her famous novels.

Who Was First? Discovering the Americas - Russell Freedman
Examines the evidence that indicates others may have traveled to the Americas before Columbus in 1492 including Viking ruins, Mayan stonework, and other mysterious objects found in New England that date before Columbus.