This document provides summaries for 12 young adult fiction books available through the Franklin Park Public Library District in 2011. The books cover a range of genres including fantasy, mystery and historical fiction. They involve themes of magic, dragons, adventures, mysteries and journeys.

1. Midsummer Book Bingo! Franklin Park Public Library District 2011 JA

2. Junior High Juvenile Fiction 2011 JA

3. The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander 2011 JA Taran yearns to go into battle like his hero, Prince Gwydion. He gets his chance and embarks on a dangerous mission when evil forces gather to take over his home, Prydain.

4. Murder at Midnight A plot to overthrow King Claudio is brewing. Mangus the Magician has been marked as an easy scapegoat for the traitor lurking within the king's court. Against all odds, his faithful servant boy Fabrizio sets out to solve the mystery and prove his master's innocence before the stroke of midnight in order to save him from a certain death! 2011 JA by Avi

5. Wings by E.D. Baker When Tamisin discovers real wings growing from her back she wants to know what is making her supposedly normal life so weird. But before she can piece together the facts, she is kidnapped by goblins and brought to the land of fairies, goblins and many other magical creatures… including her real mother, Titania, the fairy queen. 2011 JA

6. The Revenge of the Shadow King by Derek Benz & J.S. Lewis Max and his 3 best friends, Harley, Ernie, and Natalia--who form the secret club The Grey Griffins--seem to be the only people in their town to notice that strange things have started to happen. When creatures like goblins and fairies and unicorns, all characters from a card game the Grey Griffins play, begin to make appearances in Max's backyard, Max and his friends know something is terribly wrong. And it's up to them to stop the wicked creatures of the cards from destroying their town...and the world. 2011 JA

7. The Runaway Princess by Kate Coombs Princess Margaret is not your traditional princess. Meg firmly objects to her parents' giving her away, and she certainly has no intention of remaining in the tower where she is sequestered, while princes compete for her hand in marriage. Instead, Meg escapes from her tower and embarks on the wildest adventure of her life. 2011 JA

8. Stoneheart by Charlie Fletcher The city of London has many lives and layers. Not all the layers are underground, and not all the lives belong to the living. 12-year-old George Chapman is about to find this out the hard way. When, in a tiny act of rebellion, George breaks the head from a stone dragon outside a museum, he awakes an ancient power. This power has been dormant for centuries but the results are instant and terrifying. And this is just the beginning as other statues in London awaken. 2011 JA

9. Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George Many stories tell of damsels in distress, who are rescued from the clutches of fire-breathing dragons by knights in shining armor, and swept off to live happily ever after. Unfortunately, this is not one of those stories. True, when Creel's aunt suggests sacrificing her to the local dragon, it is with the hope that the knight will marry Creel and that everyone will benefit handsomely. Yet it's Creel who rescues herself from the dragon's clutches. And it's Creel who walks for days on end to seek her fortune in the king's city with only a bit of embroidery thread and a strange pair of slippers in her possession. Creel does not know it, but she possesses not just any pair of shoes, but a tool that could be used to save her kingdom or destroy it. 2011 JA

10. Knightley Academy by Violet Haberdasher In an alternate Victorian England, orphan Henry Grim, a servant at an exclusive school, begins a new life when he unexpectedly becomes the first commoner to be accepted at Knightley Academy, a prestigious boarding school for knights. 2011 JA

11. 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison 13-year-old Tanya has second sight and has been bedeviled her whole life by fairies only she can see. Blamed by her mother for the fairies' pranks, Tanya is shipped off to stay with her strict grandmother. The girl's annoyance turns to a combination of fascination and dread as she explores more deeply than she has in previous visits. Accompanied by the son of her mother's servant, Tanya broaches the woods, the underground tunnels, and secret rooms. 2011 JA

12. A Murder for Her Majesty by Beth Hilgartner Horrified at having witnessed her father's murder and fearing that the killers are agents of Queen Elizabeth I, 11-year-old Alice Tuckfield hides in the Yorkshire cathedral by disguising herself as one of the choirboys. 2011 JA

13. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin In the valley of Fruitless Mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. In the evenings, her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man on the Moon, who knows the answers to all of life's questions. Inspired by these stories, Minli sets off on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man on the Moon to ask him how she can change her family's fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest for the ultimate answer. 2011 JA

14. Magyk by Angie Sage In place of their presumed-dead seventh son, the “Magykally”-inclined Heap family raises a changeling Princess, a decision that culminates in an epic flight from various villains and the less-than-surprising unveiling of the not-so-dead-after-all Septimus. 2011 JA

15. Keeper of the Grail by Michael P. Spradlin 1191 A.D. The orphan Tristan has joined the Knights Templar as a squire, journeying with Richard the Lionheart on his crusade to free the Holy Land from the Saracens. As defeat looms near, Tristan is entrusted with the most sacred of Christian relics, the Holy Grail. He must return it safely to Britain, but he must also keep it a secret, because the Grail's power will drive men to madness, and even his fellow Knights Templar will kill for it. 2011 JA

16. Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley Bella's world suddenly collapses. First, her friend Julian betrays her. Then it is revealed that she is not the peasant she believed herself to be: She is Isabel, the daughter of a knight who abandoned her in infancy. Now he wants her back, so Bella is torn from her beloved foster family and sent to live with her deranged father and his resentful new wife. Soon Bella is caught up in a terrible plot that will change her life -- and the kingdom -- forever. With the help of her godmother and three enchanted gifts, she sets out on a journey in disguise that will lead her to a destiny far greater than any she could have imagined. 2011 JA

17. City of Fire by Laurence Yep When her older sister dies trying to prevent the theft of one of her people's great treasures, 12-year-old Scirye sets out to avenge her and recover the precious item. Helping her are Bayang, a dragon disguised as a Pinkerton agent; Leech, a boy with powers he has not yet discovered; and Leech's loyal companion Koko, who has a secret of his own. All have a grudge against the thieves who stole the treasure: the evil dragon Badik and the mysterious Mr. Roland. Scirye and her companions pursue the thieves to Houlani, a new Hawaiian island being created by magic. 2011 JA

18. The Dragon’s Boy: A Tale of Young King Arthur by Jane Yolen Artos, a 13-year-old orphan being raised by Sir Ectos, stumbles into the cave of a lonely dragon. When the dragon offers to teach him the game of wisdom, Artos accepts, and becomes the Pendragon--the son of the dragon. And with the dragon's guidance, Artos sets out on a journey to a destiny he never dreamed could be his own. 2011 JA