Waiting On Wednesday: Simon & Schuster Summer 2012 Catalog

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking The Spine in which an upcoming, eagerly anticipated release is highlighted on the blog.

This week, I've chosen to feature a few picks from the Simon & Schuster Summer 2012 Catalog:

The Unnaturalists
Date: August 14, 2012

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In an alternate London where magical creatures are preserved in a museum, two teens find themselves caught in a web of intrigue, deception, and danger.
Vespa Nyx wants nothing more than to spend the rest of her life cataloging Unnatural creatures in her father’s museum, but as she gets older, the requirement to become a lady and find a husband is looming large. Syrus Reed’s Tinker family has always served and revered the Unnaturals from afar, but when his family is captured to be refinery slaves, he finds that his fate may be bound up with Vespa’s—and with the Unnaturals.
As the danger grows, Vespa and Syrus find themselves in a tightening web of deception and intrigue. At stake may be the fate of New London—and the world.

Steampunk is one of those genres that gets books automatically on to my TBR. I find that I just love the concept of steampunk so much that it often translates into a good, entertaining read and I expect The Unnaturalists will be no exception.

The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand
Date: August 28, 2012

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Victoria hates nonsense. There is no need for it when your life is perfect. The only smudge on her pristine life is her best friend Lawrence. He is a disaster—lazy and dreamy, shirt always untucked, obsessed with his silly piano. Victoria often wonders why she ever bothered being his friend. (Lawrence does, too.)
But then Lawrence goes missing. And he’s not the only one. Victoria soon discovers that Mrs. Cavendish’s children’s home is not what it appears to be. Kids go in but come out . . . different, or they don’t come out at all.
If anyone can sort this out, it’s Victoria, even if it means getting a little messy.

The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls sounds exactly like the kind of middle grade reads that I love: whimsical and fantastical, with a cute title and a good mystery. I am very excited for this one!

Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst
Date: September 11, 2012

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In a desert land where serpents made of unbreakable glass fly through the sky and wolves made of only sand hunt within storms, Liyana is destined to be a vessel, to sacrifice herself so that her clan’s goddess can inhabit her body... but her goddess never comes.

The synopsis for Vessel is - at the moment, anyway - quite short and cryptic, but that doesn't mean it isn't one of the most intriguing blurbs I've ever read for a book. Flying glass serpents and wolves made out of sand? Vessel is High Fantasy at its utmost.

Burn For Burn by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian
Date: September 18, 2012

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BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY...
THEY GET EVEN.
Lillia has never had any problems dealing with boys who like her. Not until this summer, when one went too far. No way will she let the same thing happen to her little sister.
Kat is tired of the rumours, the insults, the cruel jokes. It all goes back to one person– her ex-best friend– and she's ready to make her pay.
Four years ago, May left Jar Island because of a boy. But she's not the same girl anymore. And she's ready to prove it to him.
Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet, sweet revenge. And they won't stop until they each had a taste.

Okay, so I'm not always such a fan of these catty, mean girl novels, but I have to say that Burn For Burn sounds like it would be quite engrossing. Plus, I always hear great things about Jenny Han's Summer Trilogy.


How about you? Are you waiting on any of these Simon & Schuster Summer 2012 reads? Are there any upcoming books from the Simon & Schuster Summer 2012 Catalog that I didn't include here that you feel I should add to my list?