Department 19 Imagine you are Jaime Carpenter- your dad was accused of being a terrorist and you have been on the move for the two years since your dad was gunned down in front of you. Then mom gets kidnapped and you are attacked by some crazed vampire. End of story? No way! Jaime meets Frankenstein's monster (in a suit no less) and learns what the descendants of Brom Stoker's book have really been doing all these years. It is a wild ride filled with somewhat gory details of vampire attacks as our heroes fight off the evil around them with swat team weapons and blind faith. Jaime must find his mom who has been taken by the second biggest bad guy vampire of all time. Will he make it? This is the first of a series that will be a sure fire hit with the guys and many of the girls as well. Very fast paced and loaded with action plus a few historical details that will fill in the missing pieces. Written for teens but younger kids will enjoy the action.
If you value your sleep and free time, do not read this book.
If you start this book, you will not be able to put it down.
You will find yourself totally immersed in the unique world Patrick Rothfuss has created. Kvothe is such an instantly likeable character you will immediately be emotionally attached to his plight. Getting to know this mysterious character and his origins, in his own words, on his terms, is entertaining to say the least. This is a great novel to get lost in. From first meeting Kvothe, to his parents and their traveling troupe of performers, to his burgeoning education with Abenthy. From his life living on the rough streets with a knack for putting himself into the sights of danger, to his determination to get into the University and continue his knack for keeping himself in the sights of trouble and danger. From his first meeting with the girl of his dreams to burning down a town. Rothfuss has created a complete world that will envelope you, and leave you craving more.
When Kvothe begins his tale , he says he needs three full days to tell it properly. The 672 pages here are only day one. Which leads us to the second problem, waiting for the next installments of the series.
I recently read this series and I would definitely recommend it to any fan of the Twilight series. It has vampires in it, albeit they don't play a huge part, but they are present. The book is about 15 year old Clary Fray and she is trying to find her place in the world when her mother suddenly disappears. Who is this new guy she's met, Jace Wayland and his friends?
This book has action, romance, vampires, werewolves, and the main species which is Shadowhunters. Great series, maybe a little bit more for the mid/older teens than the younger ones. 
PS: this book has 2 more, making it a trilogy. Easy reads, the level is not to difficult making it enjoyable.
Kate DiCamillo has done it again!
Peter, a young orphaned boy was taken in some years ago by an embittered soldier, who was his father's comrade. He has spent the last few years learning how to be a good soldier like his father, and although he wants to respect his dead father, his heart lies elsewhere. One day, a fortuneteller's tent pops up out of nowhere, and a force compels Peter to visit her and ask a question. Once he meets her, he doesn't even need to ask his question, but is told, "You must follow the elephant. She will lead you there." After all these years, he is faced with the hope that his little sister is still alive and that he will actually find her if he can just figure out this elephant of a riddle.
This captivating story unfolds with a dreamlike quality. The chain of events set up by the arrival of the fortuneteller constantly provokes us to ask ourselves "What if?" The beauty of this story lies in that single thought, and questioning the impossible. "What if?"...when the impossible proves not to be, one cannot help but be filled with hope.
This is a timeless fable that could definitely earn a Newbery, but more importantly inspire kids and adults in abundance. This book feels like Amelie-meets-children's-literature, and I can't wait to start recommending it.
Introducing Thursday Next, Jasper Fforde's no-nonsense, smart, funny, and loving heroine of his first series. We meet Thursday in an alternate mid-1980s Great Britain - one still fighting in the Crimea with Russia - and she is hot on the trail of forgers, Shakespeare impersonators, and book thieves. Everyone is mad for literature including Acheron Hades, the most wanted man in Britain, and it is Thursday's job to catch him once Jane Eyre is kidnapped from her book leaving the remaining pages of the beloved novel blank. Fforde's first novel is laugh-out-loud funny, including obscure literary in-jokes that even the most well-read bibliophile might miss, with a drop or two of sci-fi tech, and also quite terrifying when Thursday fights for her life atop the blazing Thornfield Hall. Fforde uses Thursday's world to comment on certain aspects of our own society including government interference by large corporations (signified by the hulking Goliath Corporation), over-commercialization, and the decline in literacy. Fforde's books suck you in, which is great because you'll want to follow Thursday through the rest of her books: Lost in a Good Book, The Well of Lost Plots, Something Rotten, Thursday Next, and one more Thursday novel due sometime in 2010 (or so Jasper says); Thursday learns about the Bookworld and Jurisfiction, apprentices with Miss Havisham, fights grammasites in the Well, tracks the Minotaur, takes the indecisive Dane of Denmark under her wing, and saves Pride and Prejudice from the degredation of reality TV (now I've really got you wondering...I guess you'll have to read all the books now 
) - it's all very accessibly, absurd, and fun to read. Once you've finished Thursday's published books, and need a tide-over until the next one, you can start on Fforde's Nursery Crime series (Big Over Easy and The Fourth Bear), following DCI Jack Spratt and his partner, Mary Mary, as they solve hard-boiled nursery rhyme crime in Reading, and his new series, Paint by Numbers, will debut in December 2008.
Beautiful Darkness Look for some excitement in teens! First ,the look of the teens department will be changing in October. It will be much easier for everyone to find a great new book based on the genre you are looking for. Fantasy/Adventure, Paranormal Romance and Teen Fiction signs will grace the teen shelves as well as sections that feature the very newest titles you love. Here is just a taste of some of the great sequels that are hot off the presses. Book number two in the great steampunk alternate history Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld - Behemoth. It takes us where Leviathan left off with Alek and Deryn working together to avoid World War I and keep Alek away from those who would like to see him disposed of. Will Deryn's secret remain a secret? Read and find out in this action packed thriller that includes some wonderful illustrations. One of my all time favorites last year was The Maze Runner by James Dashner. The sequel will take up where we left off with the kids escaping the compound but entering into what? This is a great pick for those teens who loved the Hunger Games. Last but not least is Kami Garcia's sequel to Beautiful Creatures- Beautiful Darkness. We left Ethan and his new witch girlfriend Lena in their small southern town jam packed with witches both good and bad.
Will their high school life get any easier? October is shaping up to be a great read !
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children This is one of those rare finds that is so original that it is hard to place it in any one genre. The actual photographs bring to mind a circus freak show and the story that accompanies them is classic fantasy like the works of Narnia or your favorite ghost story. Sixteen year old Jacob idolized his grandfather so when he is murdered in a gruesome manner and Jacob sees the monster that did it, he is traumatized. Jacob's parents (who never really bought all of the grandfather's stories) seek the help of a psychiatrist who agrees to have Jacob and his father go to the tiny part of Wales to seek answers of his grandfather's past. He soon finds the house (once an orphanage) in ruin but meets a curious group of children- never aging and caught in a time loop. Jacob manages to travel between this time and his own to help them get away from some really terrible monsters. Ransom Riggs first novel has created a world of misfits that we come to know and love and the addition of the real? photos draws us in even further. The story doesn't end here and I am eager to see the next installment. Adults and teens will love this as well as older kids who enjoy a good ghost/horror story.
I have always loved fantasy novels. Growing up I loved to spend time in Narnia, Middle Earth, and Redwall, and even now as somewhat of a grown up, some of my favorite haunts can be found between the covers of a fantasy novel, And maybe that is why I fell in love with The Magicians so quickly. I could really relate to Quentin Coldwater, who even though he is near the end of high school he is still in love with the books of Fillory (think Chronicles of Narnia) even though they are much to young for him. Of course he knows that magic isn't real, that is, until he finds himself in upstate New York at Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy.
This isn't just Harry Potter dressed in a new robe. Lev Grossman has created an original, engaging story that melds literary fiction with that of the fantasy genre while paying tribute to some of our favorite fantasy worlds. The narrative really zips along, and I found myself reading it at every opprotunity. Don't expect any "happily everafters" here though, as this one is certainly for the adult audience. Quentin and his friends often find themselves in darker and darker places, as growing up is never as clean and simple as we pretend it will be.
If you are looking for that next fantastic place to escape to, you can't go wrong with The Magicians.
Kafka on the Shore left me breathless.
After years of an unnamed but horrific abuse, 15-year-old Kafka Tamura deliberately plans an escape from his father, a man so evil that he steals souls. As Kafka seeks both his fortune and answers to his past in the seemingly random city of Takamatsu, he finds refuge in the stacks of a library, becoming close friends with the assistant and fantasizing that the head librarian is his lost mother.
Though the magic realism of this novel begins right away - and is at times complex and seemingly random - about a quarter of the way into the book the plot and characters burst into focus and harmony. The secondary plot (involving a mentally-damaged man who can talk to cats and is on his own quest) all of a sudden aligns with Kafka's life, and the entire story dramatically rises in a tornado of crazy events and emotions: murder, incest, and oedipal prophecy.
The ending of this story was so beautiful that I couldn't read for a full day afterward from the emotional hangover. I can't wait to read more Murakami.
A few weeks ago I was browsing through new books coming out and had to do a double-take when I saw "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter". After rubbing my eyes and refreshing the screen I saw that the title was correct. I was intrigued to say the least and wanted to know more. After reading the synopsis I knew this was a book I wanted to read. Needless to say, I was eagerly waiting for this book to come out. On the day of it's release, I scooped up a copy and immediately found myself captivated.
Seth Grahame-Smith does it again with another unique twist after his best-seller "Pride And Prejudice And Zombies". Historians always speculated that there was a secret diary written by Abraham Lincoln, and they were right. The journal reveals a background of the man and history we never knew. Intertwined with actual historical events and characters, Seth Grahame-Smith takes the reader on a fast-paced riveting account of the life of Abraham Lincoln and his secret mission to rid the world of vampires who took his Mother and family members from him. Weaved in with actual historical accounts, we find another agenda and motive behind the man and his decisions.
This is a great, fun read. But be forewarned, it's difficult to put down once you start and definitely leaves you wondering "What if . . .?"
Halo by Alexandra Adornetto
In a teen market overcrowded with dark, brooding supernatural novels,
"Halo" stands out as something different. If the bright, liquid-gold light beckoning from the cover doesn't pull your eyes away from the black, angsty covers surrounding it, its premise will surely grab the attention of the reader looking for something "different." The novel initially caught my attention due to the fact that even though it was dealing with the supernatural theme of angels currently being made popular by smash hits such as Becca Fitzpatrick's "Hush, Hush" and Lauren Kate's "Fallen," the angels in "Halo" are still messengers of God.
The book revolves around Bethany, a young angel visiting Earth for the first time, her brother Gabriel, an Arch Angel, and sister Ivy, a seraphim. The three messengers have descended in human form in order to combat the forces of evil infiltrating mankind. It takes a lot of time for them to adjust to life as "humans," especially Bethany, who is experiencing everything anew. She is more "human" than the other angels and is able to share their emotions, which leads her into trouble when she falls for a mortal boy at her new school.
"Halo" is full of rich, vibrant detail that paints an image in the reader's mind. It's easy to envision the kind of world the angels came from and to see our own society through their eyes. The way Bethany viewed Earth felt very natural, like something an angel would think. Alexandra Adornetto masterfully wove words together to create such a cohesive point of view that never felt forced the way some other novels do.
Readers looking for a romantic focus with a lighter form of the supernatural thrown into the mix will find themselves intrigued by the latest novel to enter the teen market. It's different from anything out there and might very well pave the way for other such stories. It's also nice to see books coming out this fall where it is the female main character who is a supernatural being and that the male she winds up falling for is mortal and not necessarily a brooding bad boy, first with Sophie Jordan's "Firelight" and now with "Halo."
Grace was attacked by wolves when she was eleven years old. Given her young age and the traumatic nature of it, her memories of the event are sketchy. But she knows there was a single wolf who saved her life that day. What she has always remembered is this: his yellow eyes. I thought I'd never see them again.
The wolf has also never forgotten seeing members of his pack tearing the life out of her while she just held his gaze, letting the other wolves mutilate her. I thought she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen, a tiny, bloody angel in the snow, and they were going to destroy her. So he stopped it.
Six years have passed, and Grace still feels a connection with her wolf. She watches him at the edge of the woods every winter when the earth is bitter with cold. She spends her summers mourning his absence. However, this peaceful seasonal pattern is interrupted when the wolves attack and kill a human. The community now feels threatened and a hunt ensues. When Grace realizes this, she does everything she can to stop it, lest her harmless wolf be slaughtered. She knows she may too late, though, as she's already heard many shots fired followed by the painful howls of wolves. A police officer forces her to go home that evening, and she is shocked by what she finds on her deck: her wolf, twisted and bloody...and human.
Here's the part where I must curb my compulsion to tell you every heartrending detail of this book (and there are so many!). But I will say that what follows is an exquisitely written story of discovery, love, and loss. This fairy tale unfolds offering ethereal delights and shocking revelations not just about our newly inseparable duo, but also the peculiar events that have been transpiring around them.
Shiver is easily the best Teen Fiction book released so far this year. A bold statement, I know, but I genuinely believe it. A must-read, especially for the Twilight-obsessed reader, any lover of paranormal romance, and those who just enjoy a well-written book.
It will make you shiver.
I hated the main character of this book when I started it. Samantha Kingston is one of the most popular people in her school, but she is spoiled and mean and I didn't think I could read chapter after chapter about how awful she was to her classmates and family. But...then she died and that's when I realized this was not your normal story about a stuck up high school girl.
Sam ends up reliving the last day of her life seven times as she tries to figure out what happened and why. Lauren Oliver writes a beautiful and heart-breaking story (or, stories). I was worried that each time Sam woke up on 12 February I would be bored by the same details of her day as she went through it, but even if some things didn't change, Oliver made it seem new. I ended up finishing this novel in a fervor as I just had to get through Sam's last few tries along with her. Like her, I desperately wanted to figure out the mystery surrounding her death and began to see the beauty she was missing in her life.Before I Fall touches on many different emotions and has depth that is not always seen in teen novels.
A long loved adult author has made her way into teen fiction with the recent Darkest Powers series. Kelley Armstrong (Women of the Otherworld series), shows she can impact all age groups with heroine Chloe Saunders.
The Darkest Powers series, The Summoning, The Awakening, and the newest installment The Reckoning, follows a group of supernatural teens as they battle to survive. Armstrong incorporates several supernatural elements including werewolves, witches, sorcerers, and necromancers.
It is a great follow-up series to anyone who is having difficulty finding something to read after finishing the addicting Twilight series (you know what I mean!). It features exciting characters with twists and turns all the way through.
The Summoning (Darkest Powers Series #1)
The Awakening (Darkest Powers Series #2)
The Reckoning (Darkest Powers Series #3)
It's hard to believe Sesame Street is now 40 years old. When the show had its debut on NET (a predecessor to PBS) in the fall of 1969, it was a bold new experiment no one was quite sure would work. Over a generation later, it's an indelible part of America's cultural landscape. Veteran TV Guide scribe Michael Davis takes readers not just behind the scenes of this children's TV mainstay, but back to the beginning. He traces the roots of the show's core creative team — Joan Ganz Cooney, Jon Stone, Sam Gibbon, Dave Connell, and of course Jim Henson — as well as the evolution of educational children's TV, from Howdy Doody to Ding Dong School to Captain Kangaroo. The show's debut doesn't even occur until halfway through the book, but by taking this approach, the audience gets a clearer understanding of where Sesame Street came from, and the disparate paths that brought its creators together.
The show's early years are tumultuous, with numerous cast changes and character tweaks (in the first year, Big Bird was quite literally stupid, and Oscar was a sort of rusty orange color) as they fine-tune the format, not to mention behind-the-scenes battles to maintain the show's federal and corporate funding. Later years are marked by numerous departures, including the heartbreaking loss of Will Lee (Mr. Hooper), the painful downward spiral of Northern Calloway (David), and the untimely deaths of Jim Henson, songwriter Joe Raposo, and Muppet performer Richard Hunt. And then, there's Elmo. While I still can't stand the character, Street Gang certainly gave me a greater appreciation for his performer, Kevin Clash, who has taken up Henson's mantle as one of the guiding creative forces behind the show today.
Davis' love for his subject manages to seep from every page without the book coming across as fawning or a puff piece. He certainly doesn't shy away from things unpleasant (as his material on Northern Calloway clearly shows). Street Gang is a fast, entertaining read, and one that will deepen your appreciation for the show which made education fun.
(A chapter on actor Roscoe Orman, the third and longest-running Gordon, is available on the book's website, and will be included in the upcoming trade paperback edition of Street Gang.)
This Dark Endeavor In his new novel for young adults, Kenneth Oppel gives us a glimpse into the teenage years of the twin Frankenstein boys, their cousin Elizabeth (who they are both in love with of course!) and their geeky bookworm friend. The discovery of a secret lab and ancient alchemy texts in the family castle's basement ignite the curiosity of the teens and they go about finding the elixir of everlasting life to cure Konrad's mysterious blood disease. There are some scary moments when the kids battle unusual creatures and one creepy alchemist but overall it is a great historical thriller and a great choice for younger readers as well as teens.
Mockingjay was the perfect end to a near perfect series. Even though I was slightly disappointed by the end of Catching Fire, I was pleasantly surprised at how Mockingjay addressed all the questions left up in the air at the end of Book 2. There was a point about 100 pages into Mockingjay, where I asked: How is Collins going to wrap up everything with so little time and space remaining? But she did, and she did it amazingly. Throughout Mockingjay, I was in a state of shocked awe at the risky, unique, intriguing concepts presented by Collins, like a camera crew following Katniss and crew into "action." Gale made his first real lengthy appearance in Katniss' life, and I followed their interactions on the edge of my seat, especially as Katniss and Gale's relationship related to Katniss' up and down relationship with Peeta.
I promise I won't give away the ending, but I have to say: I approve. I truly believe it was masterfully written, as there is a war going on and in that sense there cannot not be casualties. Collins puts Katniss, Peeta, Gale, their army unit and camera crew into a no-going-back, kill-or-be-killed situation; it's heart-breaking but necessary. There are two distinct enemies and in the end Katniss has to face them both down, decide who's telling the truth and who isn't and in an unrelated but ultimately very important matter, decide who to spend the rest of her life with. I believe Collins achieves everything wonderfully, and I was left extremely satisfied. This is one of the best teen series published over the last decade (at least in my book) and is a must-read for anyone who loves teen and/or science fiction. Enjoy!
Imagine the unthinkable: some sort of virus has swept the globe, causing massive numbers of previously dead humans to walk the earth in an unending search for brains, brains, and more brains. If you're the man (or woman) in the White House, sitting by the red phone when that fateful day occurs, what actions do you take? Seal the borders? Dispatch the military? Encourage civilians to stay home, congregate in evacuation centers, or flee? Bomb other countries suffering from zombie outbreaks back to the Stone Age?
Firelight by Sophie Jordan
What would you do if the guy you fell in love with came from a family that wanted to kill you? Sophie Jordan’s Firelight explores this concept, bringing a new type of fantasy to the currently packed supernatural star-crossed romance tables. Instead of vampires or werewolves or fallen angels, we’re introduced to draki, a being descended from the dragons who is able to take on a human form and live among us undetected.
One of the best things about Firelight is the fact that it’s the female main character, Jacinda, who is the mythical being. Lately, it’s pretty much guaranteed that the supernatural being is male, while the female is mortal. In this case, however, even Will, the guy Jacinda falls in love with, is more than he appears. He comes from a family of hunters intent on killing the draki, though he has more of a conscious and hates what he is.
The star-crossed duo find themselves falling in love at first sight once Jacinda moves away from her brethren and enrolls at the local high school. At first, our heroine tries to stay away from Will, knowing who and what he is, but finds the task impossible, especially since being near him means remaining in tune with the draki within. One of the reasons she had to move away was because of an incident that happened that nearly exposed the pride. They have a terrible future in store for her, and to protect her, Jacinda’s mother moved everyone into the desert, hoping to kill the draki part of her daughter.
I don’t want to spoil much about the plot, but I will say that if you pick this up, expect to wait for a sequel. This book isn’t a stand-alone, and ends on a note that had me pulling at my hair. Firelight sucked me in right from the start. The imagery and detail is vivid, especially when Jacinda manifests from human to draki. It was also interesting to read about the plight of Jacinda’s twin sister, Tamra, who was never able to transform. In this new world of high school, it is she who is special and stands-out, not her sister, the last fire-breather in the pride.
If you’re sick of supernatural romances with the same over-used plot and cliché characters, Firelight is a refreshing change of pace. It’s still full of fantasy, but manages to add a new type of character to the mix. It’s a compelling read that will instantly have readers begging for more, and guaranteed to have knock-offs nipping at its heels if it takes off with readers looking for something a little bit different these days.
Between Shades of Gray Ruta Sepety's novel is a work of fiction, but based in fact. It is housed with teen books, but speaks to teens and adults. Most of all, it will move you in a way you haven't been moved since "The Book Thief". It is hard to fit all of the horror, sadness, hope and compassion in 335 pages but the author does just that. The story starts out with "Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth? That morning, my brother's was worth a pocket watch." Lina finds her self in a situation we have read many times with one basic difference- this is not Nazi Germany. It is Lithuania during Stalin's bloody reign and he is doing a little ethnic cleansing of his own by rounding up subversives (teachers, activists etc) and their families and shipping them off to work camps in Siberia and beyond. The absolute horror that Lina and her fellow travelers go through is intense and will have you finishing this book in one sitting- be prepared! Highly recommended reading for older kids (due to the graphic images ), teens and adults.
