In My Mailbox - 2/6/10

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Here are my new books for this week:

The Boneshaker by Kate Milford

Thirteen year-old Natalie Minks loves machines, particularly automata--self operating mechanical devices, usually powered by clockwork. When Jake Limberleg and his traveling medicine show arrive in her small Missouri town with a mysterious vehicle under a tarp and an uncanny ability to make Natalie's half-built automaton move, she feels in her gut that something about this caravan of healers is a bit off. Her uneasiness leads her to investigate the intricate maze of the medicine show, where she discovers a horrible truth, and realizes that only she has the power to set things right.
Set in 1913, The Boneshaker is a gripping, richly textured novel about family, community, courage, and looking evil directly in the face in order to conquer it.


A Most Improper Magick by Stephanie Burgis

Twelve-year-old Kat Stephenson may be the despair of her social-climbing Stepmama, but she was born to be a magical Guardian and protector of Society--if she can ever find true acceptance in the secret Order that expelled her own mother. She’s ready to turn the hidebound Order of the Guardians inside-out, whether the older members like it or not. And in a society where magic is the greatest scandal of all, Kat is determined to use all her powers to help her three older siblings--saintly Elissa, practicing-witch Angeline, and hopelessly foolish Charles--find their own true loves, even if she has to turn highwayman and battle wild magic along the way!


Dear Canada: Exiles From the War by Jean Little

When a frightened girl and boy arrive on the Twiss family’s doorstep, to escape the Blitz, Charlotte wonders how she will keep her war guests from missing their parents back home, or from cowering every time a plane flies overhead. Though the war is being waged across the Atlantic, Charlotte begins to feel its danger, as her brother George defies their parents and enlists in the Navy. After months of receiving letters from overseas, suddenly there is no word from him — has the unthinkable happened and George's ship been sunk by a German submarine?
Charlotte Twiss’s diary shows her innermost feelings about her life on the Canadian homefront, as she helps her war guests "settle in" and wonders whether her brother is safe from harm.


Stolen Child by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

Stolen from her family by the Nazis, Nadia is a young girl who tries to make sense of her confusing memories and haunting dreams. Bit by bit she starts to uncover the truth — that the German family she grew up with, the woman who calls herself Nadia’s mother, are not who they say they are. Beyond her privileged German childhood, Nadia unearths memories of a woman singing her a lullaby, while the taste of gingersnap cookies brings her back to a strangely familiar, yet unknown, past. Piece by piece, Nadia comes to realize who her real family was. But where are they now? What became of them? And what is her real name?
This story of a Lebensborn girl — a child kidnapped for her “Aryan looks” by the Nazis in their frenzy to build a master race — reveals one child’s ierce determination to uncover her past against incredible odds.


The Princess and the Snowbird by Mett Ivie Harrison

From the author of The Princess and the Hound and The Princess and the Bear comes a companion novel that stands alone, filled with romance and captivating fantasy. Liva is the daughter of the hound and the bear, heir to all her royal parents’ magic and able to transform into any animal she wishes. Jens is an outcast, a boy without magic, determined to make his way in the forest. Though they are as different as night and day, from the time their paths first cross they are irresistibly drawn to each other.
But a terrible threat is stalking all who hold magic: the Hunter, bent on destruction. Aided by a magnificent snowbird, Liva and Jens must figure out how to save the humans and animals terrorized by the Hunter, as well as magic itself. If they fail, all will be lost—but if they succeed, they could finally be together at last.


Morning's Refrain by Tracie Peterson

When Phoebe Robbins learns her family will move to Sitka, Alaska, she is unsure what this wild, untamed land might offer her. But before she even sets foot on this new territory, she has an unexpected encounter with Dalton Lindquist.
Dalton is a man haunted by dark family secrets. When he decides to pursue answers to his past, he finds he must leave Sitka... and the lovely Phoebe. But Dalton is not the only one who has sought her attention. His best friend, Yuri, determines to claim her affection, as well.


The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig

After years abroad, Robert, Duke of Dovedale, has returned to England to avenge the murder of his mentor. To uncover the murderer's identity, he must infiltrate the infamous, secret Hellfire Club. But the Duke has no idea that an even more difficult challenge awaits him-in a mistaken, romantic-minded young lady.
Charlotte Lansdowne wistfully remembers the Robert of her childhood as a valiant hero among men. Too aware of his own flaws, Robert tries to dissuade Charlotte from her delusions, even as he finds himself drawn to her. When Charlotte takes up a bit of espionage-investigating a plot to kidnap the King-Robert soon realizes that she is more than the perfect partner in crime.
Caught in a dangerous game full of deadly spies and secret rites, Robert and Charlotte must work together to reveal the villain...and confront their true love.


Halo by Zizou Corder

Washed ashore as a baby in ancient Greece, Halo is discovered by a family of centaurs. Although her true identity remains a mystery, she is loved as one of their own. But when Halo is dragged away by fishermen, her wild adventure begins . . .
Halo soon realizes that if she is to survive then she must live in disguise – as a boy. A violent war is threatening to erupt and Halo is at the mercy of the mighty Spartan warriors. And as she battles to hide her secret, Halo never forgets her quest to find out who she is – and where she really came from.