New Releases by Trent Reedy

A wildfire threatens to turn a fishing trip deadly for a group of friends in this high-stakes adventure set in the American wilderness. Things are tense for the middle schoolers in McCall, Idaho, so when Annette Willard suggests a fishing trip, Swann Siddiq, Kelton Fielding, and Hunter and Yumi Higgins all jump at the chance to get away from the drama. The group ventures out into the Idaho woods to Annette’s favorite river spot. But with the other four coupling off, Yumi quickly feels like she’s the only one catching fish, not feelings. Letting the others stay behind, Yumi makes her way home when she runs into Swann’s rival, McKenzie Crenner, and her friends—and instantly connects with professional fisher Mason Bridger. But when they spot smoke rising in the woods between town and their fishing spot, they realize there’s a forest fire raging—and closing in on them. The two friend groups must put aside their feud and work together if they’re going to get out of the forest alive.

Trent Reedy returns to McCall, Idaho, in this thrilling new wintry companion to Hunter’s Choice. Kelton Fielding has always felt out of place, never sure what to say to his peers who, truth be told, only tolerate him. When a snowmobile race is announced at McCall’s annual Winter Festival, Kelton sees his chance to impress his classmates. He’ll fix up his old sled and get it running, and he’s planned out a risky shortcut through the wilderness that he’s sure will win him the prize. But when the popular Swann Siddiq and Kelton’s nemesis, Hunter Higgins, follow him into the backcountry, Kelton quickly runs into trouble and realizes that the competition is the least of his worries. With bad weather closing in and the risk of avalanche on the mountain, Kelton and the others find themselves in real danger, relying on their wits and teamwork to survive.

In this dual-narrative tale, a teenage American army private and an Afghan boy living under the horrors of the Taliban, caught on separate sides of the world during the tumultuous times leading up to and following 9/11, come to discover how much more they have in common than they ever could have imagined.

This propulsive adventure takes readers on a first hunt in the American wilderness—and face to face with the choice to kill or not to kill. Twelve-year-old Hunter Higgins has been dreaming about his first hunting trip for as long as he can remember. He’s taken the classes, earned his license, and become one of the best marksmen in his family. Now he’s old enough to join his father, grandfather, and uncle at their cabin for the first weekend of hunting season. There’s only one problem: Hunter isn’t sure he can kill an animal. To make things more complicated, when they arrive at the cabin, his cousin Yumi is there with her friend Annette, who Hunter secretly has a crush on. Anxious about the hunt and the humiliation of possibly failing, Hunter grapples with what it means to have the power of life and death in his hands, and must decide what role he wishes to play in his relationship to nature and to wildlife.

In this timely and thrilling novel, Ender's Game meets Ready Player One and several terabytes of fast-paced video game action as five gamers are recruited into a tech giant's secret program. After Rogan Webber levels up yet again on his favorite video game, Laser Viper, the world-famous creator of the game invites him to join the five best players in the country for an exclusive tournament. The gamers are flown to the tech mogul's headquarters, where they stay in luxury dorms and test out cutting edge virtual-reality gaming equipment, doing digital battle as powerful fighting robots. It's the ultimate gaming experience.But as the contest continues, the missions become harder, losing gamers are eliminated, and the remaining contestants face the growing suspicion that the game may not be what it seems. Why do the soldiers and robots they fight in Laser Viper act so weird? What's behind the strange game glitches? And why does the game feel so... real?Rogan and his gamer rivals must come together, summoning the collective power of their Gamer Army to discover the truth and make things right... in a dangerous world where video games have invaded reality.

For a responsible sixteen-year-old, Michael Wilson has a lot of problems--his father was killed in Afghanistan in 2005, his overworked and overprotective mother will not talk about their situation, and does not want him playing football, and he has suddenly started to receive letters that his father wrote before his death.

Going into hiding after the federal invasion of Idaho, Danny and his friends join the second American civil war to fight for the state's freedom as more states secede, friends die and allies reveal their true natures. By the award-winning author of Words in the Dust. Simultaneous eBook.

Winner of the Christopher Medal and a "heart-wrenching" Al Roker's Book Club selection on the Today Show. Zulaikha hopes. She hopes for peace, now that the Taliban have been driven from Afghanistan; a good relationship with her hard stepmother; and one day even to go to school, or to have her cleft palate fixed. Zulaikha knows all will be provided for her--"Inshallah," God willing. Then she meets Meena, who offers to teach her the Afghan poetry she taught her late mother. And the Americans come to her village, promising not just new opportunities and dangers, but surgery to fix her face. These changes could mean a whole new life for Zulaikha--but can she dare to hope they'll come true?

You can't just ask for the chance to fly . . . When his dad announced they were moving to Iowa, Brian looked forward to making some new friends. But on his first day there he makes an enemy instead -- Frankie Heller, the meanest kid in town. Brian needs to hang out with someone cool to get back on track. . . .Alex has always been the coolest guy around, and good with money, just like his dad. But now the family is struggling, and he needs to make some cash to keep up appearances. Then an opportunity falls in his lap . . . .Max is a scientific genius, but his parents are always busy with their own work. Building an actual plane should get their attention -- if only he wasn't scared of heights . . . The answer to all three boys' problems starts with Max's secret flyer. But Frankie and the laws of popularity and physics stand in their way. Can they work together in time to get their plan AND their plane off the ground?