Heat by Mike Lupica

Michael Arroyo has a pitching arm that throws serious heat. But his firepower is nothing compared to the heat Michael faces in his day-to-day life. Newly orphaned after his father led the family’s escape from Cuba, Michael’s only family is his seventeen-yearold brother Carlos. If Social Services hears of their situation, they will be separated in the foster-care system --- or worse, sent back to Cuba. Together, the boys carry on alone, dodging bills and anyone who asks too many questions.

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The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Young Lyra Belacqua journeys to the far North to save her best friend and other kidnapped children from terrible experiments by evil scientists.

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The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman

Lyra journeys to the shimmering, haunted otherworld called Cittagazze, where she meets Will Parry. Together they travel from world to world and discover an object of extraordinary power and uncover the truth of their own destiny.

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The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

Lyra and Will are in unspeakable danger. With help from Iorek Byrnison the armored bear and two tiny Gallivespian spies, they must journey to a dank and gray-lit world where no living soul has ever gone.  THE AMBER SPYGLASS brings Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials to an astonishing conclusion.

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The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

From the unique combination of the timelessness of an old and seemingly forgotten world deftly mixed with the futuristic reality of a brave new world comes a chilling tale of ethics and mortality that is thought provoking and macabre, and yet strangly fascinating...Is this the way of the future? Matt is six years old when he discovers that he is different from other children, from other people. To most people Matt isn't a boy, but a beast, dirty and disgusting. But to El Patron, lord of a country called Opium, Matt is the guarantee of eternal life.

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Eragon: Inheritance, Book I by Christopher Paolini

Fifteen-year-old Eragon believes that he is merely a poor farm boy --- until his destiny as a Dragon Rider is revealed. Gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now his choices could save --- or destroy --- the Empire.
 

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Eldest: Inheritance, Book II by Christopher Paolini

Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesmera, land of the elves, for further training in the skills of the Dragon Rider: magic and swordsmanship. Soon he is on the journey of a lifetime, his eyes open to awe-inspring new places and people, his days filled with fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and nothing is what it seems. Before long, Eragon doesn’t know whom he can trust.

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Brisingr: Inheritance, Book III by Christopher Paolini

It's been only months since Eragon first uttered "brisingr," the ancient language term for fire. Since then, he's not only learned to create magic with words --- he's been challenged to his very core. Following the colossal battle against the Empire's warriors on the Burning Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have narrowly escaped with their lives. Still, there is more adventure at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep.

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Inheritance, Book IV by Christopher Paolini

Not so very long ago, Eragon --- Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider --- was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.

Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chances.

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Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

One cruel night, Meggie's father reads aloud from a book called INKHEART --- and an evil ruler escapes the boundaries of fiction and lands in their living room. Suddenly, Meggie is smack in the middle of the kind of adventure she has only read about in books. Meggie must learn to harness the magic that has conjured this nightmare. For only she can change the course of the story that has changed her life forever.
This is INKHEART --- a timeless tale about books, about imagination, about life. Dare to read it aloud.

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