Nonfiction. If you've always pictured scientists as working in labs with tubes and beakers, this book will show you why that's only part of the picture. From flying into the eye of a hurricane to perching up high in the canopies of redwoods to rappelling deep into glacial crevasses, Extreme Scientists profiles the fascinating settings in which a meteorologist, an ecologist, and a microbiologist do their exciting and important jobs. With lots of color photos and details about what each scientist studies, this book is a must-read for nature lovers and future scientists alike.

Fiction. In her 1st novel-length adventure, Emily the Strange has amnesia and finds herself in the town of Blackrock with nothing more than a slingshot, the clothes she's wearing (all black), a pencil, and a notebook with 11 pages torn out of it. She can't remember anything--for instance, is she a kid, or just very short? Is she a dog person or a cat person, or does she even think those are valid categories? And what's she doing in Blackrock? Fans of smart, snarky goth-girl Emily--who graces everything from t-shirts to skateboards to the pages of comics--will gleefully devour this dryly funny, unusual story tinged with menace and mystery.

Fiction. Eighth-grader Nikki Maxwell is a new student at "snobby prep school" Westchester Country Day because her father, an exterminator, is exchanging his services for her tuition. She's sure that she needs a cell phone in order to make friends and be popular--if that's possible after arriving on the first day in a van with a giant roach on its roof--but getting one isn't likely. Written in the form of Nikki's diary (which she illustrates with fun cartoons à la Diary of a Wimpy Kid), this novel tells the story of her clashes with mean girls, her crush on a hot boy, and her valiant efforts to find her place and be true to herself.

Dark Fantasy. Soon after their father dies under mysterious circumstances, orphaned twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe discover that an ancient prophecy has pitted them against one another in a mystical battle between good and evil. One of them will save the world--if she can prevent the other from bringing about its end--but which one? Set in a small town in upstate New York in the 19th century and written with a distinct Victorian air, this haunting novel features richly drawn characters, psychological nuances, spells, fallen angels, and murder most foul. Shiveringly delicious.

Adventure. Avid skateboarder Jimmy is en route to California with his little sister Julia and his two best friends when terrorists attempt to hijack their plane. Foiling the bad guys with the help of an elderly passenger's knitting needles, the boys soon discover that both pilots are dead and the plane is low on fuel. After the aircraft crashes in a Canadian forest, Jimmy and company are among the six survivors who must figure out how to stay alive in the wilderness--and how to build a wicked half-pipe from whatever they can find. Outrageous, action-packed, and funny despite its tragic setup, Getting Air is a rapid-fire and entertaining read.

Nonfiction. From vert (vertical) and downhill skating to street luge, stunts, and mountain boarding, this amply illustrated guide to skateboarding provides details about the popular sport's many different styles. In addition, it gives information about skater equipment, techniques, rules, and lingo and introduces skateboarding's reigning stars as well as competitive events like the X-Games.

Fiction. When David and his parents move to a new town with a huge storm drain that would be perfect for skateboarding, David is determined to try it out--even after some local kids tell him about a horrible accident that happened in the pipe and warn him to stay away. Unable to resist, David visits the drain pipe by himself...but he's not alone inside of it. Spooky, suspenseful, and a super-quick read, Trapped is illustrated by Shaun Tan, creator of the dramatic and wordless graphic novel The Arrival.

Nonfiction. Mastering skateboard tricks can be...well, tricky. This all-ages manual breaks basic, intermediate, and advanced tricks down into step-by-step instructions and illustrates each step with a photograph. Author Ben Powell also includes a short history of the sport in addition to descriptions of various kinds of safety equipment, tools, and different types of venues for skateboarding (concrete, wooden, indoor, outdoor, etc.). Read this book, put on a helmet, get on your board, and get some air!

Fantasy/Adventure. If you took Jumanji, made it more sinister and disorienting, and threw in some offbeat humor to relieve the tension, you'd have something like this madly entertaining, action-packed book from the author of Whales on Stilts. Best friends Brian and Gregory have accepted an invitation to spend their vacation at the dreary and isolated old mansion where Gregory's eccentric Uncle Max lives. But Uncle Max's invitation was just a cover for his plan to use the boys as pawns in a supernatural board game with rules they can only guess--and with actual trolls, ogres, and assorted other monsters as opponents!

Horror. Boarding school student Armie Katchatorian inherited strong intuition from his mother, a Shawnee Indian. Since he was a little kid, Armie's talent has made his classmates think he's weird, so he's become something of a loner and spends a lot of time roaming the woods that surround his school. When he finds a dark, eerie pond in the woods and notices that many sets of animal tracks lead to it, but none lead away from it, Armie knows that he's come across something evil. Readers who enjoyed Native American author Joseph Bruchac's Skeleton Man and other suspenseful tales that incorporate Native legends will want to dive into The Dark Pond.

Short Stories. In this collection of 35 tales, a town is overrun by threatening and unsmiling joggers, a girl finds her Halloween transformed by a special pair of gloves, a mummy pursues revenge, and a boy takes a shortcut to an unexpected place. Author David Lubar writes fun stories that range from strange to creepy to totally bizarre; some of them are too silly to be scary, but others are sure to give you a serious case of the willies. Mr. Lubar does something else interesting (especially for all of you up-and-coming writers out there): he explains how he got the idea for each story at the end of the book.

Short Stories. The scary things in these 13 tales of trauma and terror run the gamut from monsters in the woods to enormous spiders to ghosts, demons, and aliens. If you love getting a good shiver of fright but don't like long books, then this collection of spooky stories and the 1st volume of horror short stories by author Robert D. San Souci, Dare to Be Scared, are just right for you. Want even more scary short stories? Check out The Dark-Thirty by Patricia McKissack or Beware!, a collection of thrilling tales by various authors that was edited by none other than master of creepiness R.L. Stine.