Friday Finds #43

Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading. Each Friday, you share the great books you heard about or discovered over the past week: "books you were told about, books you discovered while browsing blogs/bookstores online, or books that you actually purchased."




A Cool Moonlight
by Angela Johnson

Available as: hardcover, paperback
Pages: 144
Publisher: Dial
Publication date: September 29, 2003
Suggested tags: middle grade, fantasy



From Goodreads:

"With breathtaking lyricism, Angela Johnson shares the thoughts and dreams of an extraordinary girl named Lila. Born with an unusual and dangerous allergy to the sun, nine-year-old Lila can only be outside at night. She plays by the light of the moon, and her playmates are two mysterious girls who wear tutus and costume wings, and often show up when Lila is alone. Lila longs to feel the warmth of the sun on her skin, and with the help of her friends she is making a plan to do so.

Uniquely touching, A Cool Moonlight is that rare novel that wraps tightly around you and leaves you forever changed. A novel about courage and hope and the healing power of love."

Immortal Beloved
by Cate Tiernan

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 407
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: September 7, 2010
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal, romance



First in the Immortal Beloved series. From Goodreads:

"Nastasya has spent the last century living as a spoiled, drugged-out party girl. She feels nothing and cares for no one. But when she witnesses her best friend, a Dark Immortal, torture a human, she realizes something's got to change. She seeks refuge at a rehab for wayward immortals, where she meets the gorgeous, undeniably sexy Reyn, who seems inexplicably linked to her past.

Nastasya finally begins to deal with life, and even feels safe--until the night she learns that someone wants her dead.

Cate Tiernan, author of the popular Sweep series, returns with an engaging story of a timeless struggle and inescapable romance, the first book in a stunning new fantasy trilogy."

Mister Monday
by Garth Nix

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 361
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication date: July 1, 2003
Suggested tags: middle grade, fantasy



First in the The Keys to the Kingdom series. From Goodreads:

"On the first day, there was mystery.

Arthur Penhaligon is not supposed to be a hero. He is, in fact, supposed to die an early death. But then his life is saved by a key shaped like the minute hand of a clock.

Arthur is safe - but his world is not. Along with the key comes a plague brought by bizarre creatures from another realm. A stranger named Mister Monday, his avenging messengers with bloodstained wings, and an army of dog-faced Fetchers will stop at nothing to get the key back - even if it means destroying Arthur and everything around him.

Desperate, Arthur ventures into a mysterious house - a house that only he can see. It is in this house that Arthur must unravel the secrets of the key - and discover his true fate."

The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place
by E.L. Konigsburg

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 304
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date: February 1, 2004
Suggested tags: middle grade, realistic fiction



From Goodreads:

"I Prefer Not To....

That's Margaret Rose Kane's response to every activity she's asked to participate in at the summer camp to which she's been exiled while her parents are in Peru. So Margaret Rose is delighted when her beloved uncles rescue her from Camp Talequa, with its uptight camp director and cruel cabinmates, and bring her to stay with them at their wonderful house at 19 Schuyler Place.

But Margaret Rose soon discovers that something is terribly wrong at 19 Schuyler Place. People in their newly gentrified neighborhood want to get rid of the three magnificent towers the uncles have spent forty-five years lovingly constructing of scrap metal and shards of glass and porcelain. Margaret Rose is outraged, and determined to strike a blow for art, for history, and for individuality...and no one is more surprised than Margaret Rose at the allies she finds for her mission."

Friday Finds #42

Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading. Each Friday, you share the great books you heard about or discovered over the past week: "books you were told about, books you discovered while browsing blogs/bookstores online, or books that you actually purchased."




Endless
by Amanda Gray

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 384
Publisher: Month9Books
Publication date: September 10, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, time travel



From Goodreads:

"Jenny Kramer knows she isn't normal. After all, not everybody can see the past lives of people around them.

When she befriends Ben Daulton, resident new boy, the pair stumble on an old music box with instructions for “mesmerization” and discover they may have more in common than they thought. Like a past life.

Using the instructions in the music box, Ben and Jenny share a dream that transports them to Romanov Russia and leads them to believe they have been there together before. But they weren't alone. Nikolai, the mysterious young man Jenny has been seeing in her own dreams was there, too. When Nikolai appears next door, Jenny is forced to acknowledge that he has travelled through time and space to find her. Doing so means he has defied the laws of time, and the Order, an ominous organization tasked with keeping people in the correct time, is determined to send him back.

While Ben, Jenny and Nikolai race against the clock - and the Order - Jenny and Nikolai discover a link that joins them in life - and beyond death."

Fablehaven
by Brandon Mull

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 351
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Publication date: August 15, 2006
Suggested tags: middle grade, fantasy



First in the Fablehaven series. From Goodreads:

"For centuries, mystical creatures of all description were gathered to a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic in a cynical world. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite ... Kendra and her brother Seth have no idea their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws give relative order among greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken, an arcane evil is unleashed, forcing Kendra and Seth to face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save her family, Fablehaven, and perhaps the world, Kendra must find the courage to do what she fears most."

Half Lives
by Sara Grant

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: July 9, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, dystopia



From Goodreads:

"I learned that surviving isn't all it's cracked up to be. If you survive, you've got to live with the guilt, and that's more difficult than looking someone in the eye and pulling the trigger. Trust me. I've done both. Killing takes a twitch of the finger. Absolution takes several lifetimes.

Seventeen-year-old Icie's parents have given her $10,000 in cash, a map of a top-secret bunker, and instructions to get there by any means necessary. They have news of an imminent viral attack and know that the bunker is Icie's only hope for survival. Along with three other teens, she lives locked away for months, not knowing what's happening in the outside world or who has survived. And are they safe in the bunker after all?

Generations in the future, a mysterious cult worships the very mountain where Icie's secret bunker was built. They never leave the mountain, they're ruled by a teenager...and they have surprising ties to Icie.

This high-stakes, original, and thought-provoking adventure from Sara Grant follows two unlikely heroes, hundreds of years apart, as they fight to survive."

A Question of Magic
by E.D. Baker

Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 272
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Publication date: October 1, 2013
Suggested tags: middle grade, fairy tales, retellings



From Goodreads:

"Serafina was living the normal life of a village girl, when she gets a mysterious letter--her first letter ever, in fact--from a great aunt she's never heard of in another village. Little does 'Fina know, her great aunt is actually a Baba Yaga, a magical witch who lives in an even more magical cottage.

Summoned to the cottage, Serafina's life takes an amazing turn as she finds herself becoming the new Baba Yaga. But leaving behind home and the boy she loves isn't easy, and as Serafina grows into her new and magical role answering the first question any stranger might ask her with the truth, she also learns about the person she's meant to be, and that telling the future doesn't always mean knowing the right answers.

In her inimitable and bestselling way, ED Baker has crafted a funny and romantic story that combines some fabulous details from the original Slavic tale, with an all new spin!"

Friday Finds #41

Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading. Each Friday, you share the great books you heard about or discovered over the past week: "books you were told about, books you discovered while browsing blogs/bookstores online, or books that you actually purchased."




Death and the Arrow: A Gripping Tale of Murder and Revenge
by Chris Priestley

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 230
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication date: May 13, 2003
Suggested tags: middle grade, historical fiction, mystery



First in the Tom Marlowe Adventures. From Goodreads:

"Fifteen-year-old Tom lives in the murky city of London where he helps his father run a print shop. Among the customers is wise old Dr. Harker, a retired physician and seafarer, whose patient demeanor and fascinating tales endear him to Tom. Both Tom and Harker become intrigued by a murder in the city where the victim is pierced by an arrow and left holding an illustrated card of "Death and the Arrow." The mystery deepens after more "Death and the Arrow" victims are discovered, and Tom cannot rest until he has uncovered the truth behind the murders. This atmospheric venture into the 18th-century will fascinate young adult readers."

Love in the Time of Global Warming
by Francesca Lia Block

Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 240
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date: August 27, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, dystopia



From Goodreads:

"Seventeen-year-old Penelope (Pen) has lost everything—her home, her parents, and her ten-year-old brother. Like a female Odysseus in search of home, she navigates a dark world full of strange creatures, gathers companions and loses them, finds love and loses it, and faces her mortal enemy.

In her signature style, Francesca Lia Block has created a world that is beautiful in its destruction and as frightening as it is lovely. At the helm is Pen, a strong heroine who holds hope and love in her hands and refuses to be defeated."

More Than This
by Patrick Ness

Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 480
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication date: September 10, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, dystopia



From Goodreads:

"From two-time Carnegie Medal winner Patrick Ness comes an enthralling and provocative new novel chronicling the life — or perhaps afterlife — of a teen trapped in a crumbling, abandoned world.

A boy named Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America. But the neighborhood around his old house is overgrown, covered in dust, and completely abandoned. What’s going on? And why is it that whenever he closes his eyes, he falls prey to vivid, agonizing memories that seem more real than the world around him? Seth begins a search for answers, hoping that he might not be alone, that this might not be the hell he fears it to be, that there might be more than just this. . . ."

Only Ever Always
by Penni Russon

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 176
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication date: July 9, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, fantasy



From Goodreads:

"Have you ever woken from a dream feeling it was more real than your world? Could there be someone exactly like you living another life? Claire lives in an ordinary world where everything is whole. But now she feels broken into pieces as her world is suddenly shattered with grief. The silvery notes of her music box help her escape from her pain into a dream world, into Clara's world. Clara's world has always been broken. Her fragmented life revolves around scavenging and swapping objects to survive. She is determined to face the sinister side of her cracked reality to save the only family she has ever known. But the cost may be more than she bargained for. Though Claire and Clara live in different worlds, their paths are set to collide when the people they love most are faced with death. But which world is the dream? Who is the dreamer? Penni Russon has written a spellbinding tale that stretches the imagination about what is possible."

Friday Finds #40

Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading. Each Friday, you share the great books you heard about or discovered over the past week: "books you were told about, books you discovered while browsing blogs/bookstores online, or books that you actually purchased."




The Candymakers
by Wendy Mass

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 453
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: October 5, 2010
Suggested tags: middle grade, mystery



From Goodreads:

"Four children have been chosen to compete in a national competition to find the tastiest confection in the country. Who will invent a candy more delicious than the Oozing Crunchorama or the Neon Lightning Chew?

Logan, the Candymaker's son, who can detect the color of chocolate by touch alone?

Miles, the boy who is allergic to merry-go-rounds and the color pink?

Daisy, the cheerful girl who can lift a fifty-pound lump of taffy like it's a feather?

Or Philip, the suit-and-tie wearing boy who's always scribbling in a secret notebook?

This sweet, charming, and cleverly crafted story, told from each contestant's perspective, is filled with mystery, friendship, and juicy revelations."

Falling In
by Frances O'Roark Dowell

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 256
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date: March 2, 2010
Suggested tags: middle grade, fantasy



From Goodreads:

"B z z z z z z z

The buzzing sound?

Do you hear that?

There it is again.

B z z z z z z z

No? Well, I really shouldn't have asked. Most people can't hear it, anyway. But, if you could, you'd think it sounds like you're teetering on the edge of the universe. That's what Isabelle Bean thinks...and she's not that far from the truth.

B z z z z z z z

You really don't hear that?

Well, it's actually not that great to have a buzzing in your ear. It's distracting for one thing. And when Isabelle starts listening to the buzz instead of, say, her boring teacher, strange things happen. She gets sent to the principal's office (that's not so strange), but then while awaiting her punishment, she tumbles into an adventure—into another world that's a little bit different, a little bit Hansel & Gretel-y, a little bit like a fairy tale, which would be great, but...did I mention that Isabelle is an unusual dresser? When she shows up in fairy-tale land wearing her favorite high, pointy boots, the fairy-tale people start thinking that Isabelle is a witch -- and not just any witch, but the witch!

From Edgar Award-winning author Frances O'Roark Dowell comes the unlikely story of Isabelle Bean—an ultimate misfit, an outsider extraordinaire, and not a witch!"

Touch Blue
by Cynthia Lord

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 186
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication date: August 1, 2010
Suggested tags: middle grade, realistic fiction



From Goodreads:

"The state of Maine plans to shut down her island’s schoolhouse, which would force Tess’s family to move to the mainland--and Tess to leave the only home she has ever known. Fortunately, the islanders have a plan too: increase the numbers of students by having several families take in foster children. So now Tess and her family are taking a chance on Aaron, a thirteen-year-old trumpet player who has been bounced from home to home. And Tess needs a plan of her own--and all the luck she can muster. Will Tess’s wish come true or will her luck run out?

Newbery Honor author Cynthia Lord offers a warm-hearted, humorous, and thoughtful look at what it means to belong--and how lucky we feel when we do. Touch Blue, sure as certain, will touch your heart."

The Unidentified
by Rae Mariz

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 296
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication date: October 5, 2010
Suggested tags: young adult, dystopia, science fiction



From Goodreads:

"Fifteen-year-old Katey (aka Kid) goes to school in the Game—a mall converted into a “school” run by corporate sponsors. As the students play their way through the levels, they are also creating products and being used for market research by the sponsors, who are watching them 24/7 on video cameras.

Kid has a vague sense of unease but doesn’t question this existence until one day she witnesses a shocking anticorporate prank. She follows the clues to uncover the identities of the people behind it and discovers an anonymous group that calls itself the Unidentified. Intrigued by their counterculture ideas and enigmatic leader, Kid is drawn into the group. But when the Unidentified’s pranks and even Kid’s own identity are co-opted by the sponsors, Kid decides to do something bigger—something that could change the Game forever.

This funny, sharp, and thought-provoking novel heralds the arrival of a stunning new voice in teen fiction."

Friday Finds #39

Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading. Each Friday, you share the great books you heard about or discovered over the past week: "books you were told about, books you discovered while browsing blogs/bookstores online, or books that you actually purchased."



Another Faust
by Daniel Nayeri & Dina Nayeri

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 387
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication date: August 25, 2009
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal, retellings



First in The Marlowe School series. From Goodreads:

"A devilish debut by a brother-sister team invites us into the world of the elite Marlowe School, where some gifted students are having a hell of a year.

One night, in cities all across Europe, five children vanish — only to appear, years later, at an exclusive New York party with a strange and elegant governess. Rumor and mystery follow the Faust teenagers to the city’s most prestigious high school, where they soar to suspicious heights with the help of their benefactor’s extraordinary "gifts." But as the students claw their way up — reading minds, erasing scenes, stopping time, stealing power, seducing with artificial beauty — they start to suffer the sideeffects of their own addictions. And as they make further deals with the devil, they uncover secrets more shocking than their most unforgivable sins. At once chilling and wickedly satirical, this contemporary reimagining of the Faustian bargain is a compelling tale of ambition, consequences, and ultimate redemption."

Dream Factory
by Brad Barkley & Heather Hepler

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 256
Publisher: Speak
Publication date: May 17, 2007
Suggested tags: young adult, realistic fiction, contemporary



From Goodreads:

"When the Disney World character actors go on strike, teens are hired as replacements. Ella is assigned the role of Cinderella simply because the shoes fit. And every afternoon at three o'clock she gets married to Prince Charming. A perfect dream come true-except Ella doesn't believe in dreams anymore. Meanwhile, Luke is one of the fur characters (Dale, the chipmunk), and his girlfriend, Cassie, plays his counterpart, Chip. Cassie is perfect in every way, so why does Luke want to be with Cinderella? Then Luke and Ella are brought together during a scavenger hunt, and as they uncover the Magic Kingdom?s hidden treasures, they discover an undeniable magic between them. Perhaps dreams really can come true after all?"

Gilda Joyce: Psychic Investigator
by Jennifer Allison

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 336
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Publication date: July 28, 2005
Suggested tags: middle grade, mystery, paranormal



First in the Gilda Joyce series. From Goodreads:

"Ever since her father died, kooky Gilda Joyce has been working hard to sharpen her psychic skills. She's determined to communicate with spirits from the Other Side and become a crack investigator of spooky, twisted mysteries. After wrangling an invitation to visit San Francisco relatives, Gilda discovers just how much her dreary, tight-lipped uncle and his strange, delicate daughter need her help to uncover the terrible family secret that has a tortured ghost stalking their home.

From poignant to hair-raising and hilarious, this is a behind-the-scenes, tell-all account of the very first case in the illustrious career of Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator."

Newes from the Dead
by Mary Hooper

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 272
Publisher: Square Fish
Publication date: April 29, 2008
Suggested tags: young adult, historical fiction, 17th century



From Goodreads:

"WRONGED. HANGED. ALIVE? (AND TRUE!) Anne can't move a muscle, can't open her eyes, can't scream. She lies immobile in the darkness, unsure if she'd dead, terrified she's buried alive, haunted by her final memory—of being hanged. A maidservant falsely accused of infanticide in 1650 England and sent to the scaffold, Anne Green is trapped with her racing thoughts, her burning need to revisit the events—and the man—that led her to the gallows. Meanwhile, a shy 18-year-old medical student attends his first dissection and notices something strange as the doctors prepare their tools . . . Did her eyelids just flutter? Could this corpse be alive? Beautifully written, impossible to put down, and meticulously researched, Newes from the Dead is based on the true story of the real Anne Green, a servant who survived a hanging to awaken on the dissection table. Newes from the Dead concludes with scans of the original 1651 document that recounts this chilling medical phenomenon."

Friday Finds #38

Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading. Each Friday, you share the great books you heard about or discovered over the past week: "books you were told about, books you discovered while browsing blogs/bookstores online, or books that you actually purchased."




All We Know of Heaven
by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 320
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: April 29, 2008
Suggested tags: young adult, realistic fiction, contemporary



From Goodreads:

"Bridget Flannery and Maureen O'Malley have been BFFs since forever. Then a brief moment of inattention on an icy road leaves one girl dead and the other in a coma, battered beyond recognition. Family and friends mourn one friend's loss and pray for the other's recovery. Then the doctors discover they have made a terrible mistake. The girl who lived is the one who everyone thought had died.

Based on a true case of mistaken identity, All We Know of Heaven is a universal story that no one can read unmoved: a drama of ordinary people caught up in an unimaginable tragedy and of the healing power of hope and love."

Gift of the Unmage
by Alma Alexander

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 389
Publisher: Eos
Publication date: March 1, 2008
Suggested tags: young adult, fantasy



First in the Worldweavers series. From Goodreads:

"Thus says Cheveyo: mage, teacher, the first person in Thea's life to remain unimpressed by her lineage as Double Seventh, the seventh child of two seventh children. From birth, great things were expected of Thea, gradually replaced by puzzled disappointment as it became evident her magical abilities are, at most, minimal. Now, with Cheveyo, Thea has begun to weave herself a new magical identity, infused with elements of the original worlds where Cheveyo and others like him walk. But back home, she attends the Academy, the one school on earth for those who, like her, can't do magic. It is at the Academy that Thea realizes she will indeed have to fight, since her enemies are hungrier and more dangerous than she thought. What's more, her greatest strength may be the very powerlessness she has resisted for so long. Alma Alexander has woven a richly invented fantasy out of elements from many cultures, both real and imagined, and a memorable cast of characters."

Hitch
by Jeanette Ingold

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 288
Publisher: Graphia
Publication date: June 28, 2005
Suggested tags: young adult, historical fiction, 20th century



From Goodreads:

"Teenager Moss Trawnley is in desperate need of work, and so he decides to head out west as a member of Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps to help protect Montana’s wildlife from devastating erosion and wildfires. Despite the grueling work, Moss has time to play baseball, make lifelong friends, and rediscover what he almost lost in the Great Depression: himself. Bringing an important era of U.S. history to life, this riveting coming-of-age story will appeal to any teen who has dreamed of adventure and survival in the great outdoors."

Without Tess
by Marcella Pixley

Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 288
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publication date: October 11, 2011
Suggested tags: young adult, realistic fiction, contemporary



From Goodreads:

"Tess and Lizzie are sisters, sisters as close as can be, who share a secret world filled with selkies, flying horses, and a girl who can transform into a wolf in the middle of the night. But when Lizzie is ready to grow up, Tess clings to their fantasies. As Tess sinks deeper and deeper into her delusions, she decides that she can't live in the real world any longer and leaves Lizzie and her family forever. Now, years later, Lizzie is in high school and struggling to understand what happened to her sister. With the help of a school psychologist and Tess's battered journal, Lizzie searches for a way to finally let Tess go."

Friday Finds #37

Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading. Each Friday, you share the great books you heard about or discovered over the past week: "books you were told about, books you discovered while browsing blogs/bookstores online, or books that you actually purchased."




Faking Faith
by Josie Bloss

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 231
Publisher: Flux
Publication date: November 8, 2011
Suggested tags: young adult, realistic fiction, contemporary



From Goodreads:

"Dylan Mahoney is living one big unholy lie.

Thanks to a humiliating and painfully public sexting incident, Dylan has become the social pariah at her suburban Chicago high school. She's ignored by everyone--when she's not being taunted--and estranged from her two best friends. So when Dylan discovers the blogs of homeschooled fundamentalist Christian girls, she's immediately drawn into their fascinating world of hope chests, chaperoned courtships, and wifely submission.

Blogging as Faith, her devout and wholesome alter ego, Dylan befriends Abigail, the online group's queen bee. After staying with Abigail and her family for a few days, Dylan begins to grow closer to Abigail (and her intriguingly complicated older brother). Soon, Dylan is forced to choose: keep living a lie . . . or come clean and face the consequences."

The Glass Maker's Daughter
by V. Briceland

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 325
Publisher: Flux
Publication date: April 8, 2009
Suggested tags: young adult, fantasy



First in The Cassaforte Chronicles. From Goodreads:

"Magic lies at the heart of Cassaforte, medieval city of bewitchments and intrigue. Cassaforte is home to sixteen-year-old Risa Divetri, whose fate is about to be decided by the gods.

Risa has led the sheltered life of a nobleman's daughter, but soon she plans to leave home to study the family craft-creating enchanted glass objects. When the gods are consulted to determine which school she will attend, the impossible happens: Risa remains unchosen. The rejection sends Risa into a spiral of shame, anger, and confusion. If she's not meant to be a glass maker, what will she do?

But when Cassaforte's age-old magic begins to unravel and dark forces threaten the kingdom, Risa's fiery spirit and untapped powers take her on a perilous journey--one that will lead her to her true destiny."

Snow in Summer
by Jane Yolen

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 256
Publisher: Philomel
Publication date: November 10, 2011
Suggested tags: middle grade, fairy tales, retellings



From Goodreads:

"With her black hair, red lips, and lily-white skin, Summer is as beautiful as her father's garden. And her life in the mountains of West Virginia seems like a fairy tale; her parents sing and dance with her, Cousin Nancy dotes on her, and she is about to get a new baby brother. But when the baby dies soon after he's born, taking Summer's mama with him, Summer's fairy-tale life turns grim. Things get even worse when her father marries a woman who brings poisons and magical mirrors into Summer's world. Stepmama puts up a pretty face, but Summer suspects she's up to no good - and is afraid she's powerless to stop her.

This Snow White tale filled with magic and intrigue during the early twentieth century in Appalachia will be hard to forget."

Then I Met My Sister
by Christine Hurley Deriso

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 288
Publisher: Flux
Publication date: April 8, 2011
Suggested tags: young adult, realistic fiction, contemporary



From Goodreads:

"It's not exactly easy living in a shrine to your dead sister. Since birth, I've known that everyone loved Shannon. She was perfect--beautiful, smart, talented. And me? Not so much. My parents always expected me to live up to her greatness. But I could never measure up to her, so why even try?

This summer, I've started reading the journal Shannon kept just before she died . . . and suddenly nothing is what I thought it was. The more secrets I learn about Shannon and our family, the more everything changes. And as it turns out, facing the truth is no cakewalk, either."

Friday Finds #36

Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading. Each Friday, you share the great books you heard about or discovered over the past week: "books you were told about, books you discovered while browsing blogs/bookstores online, or books that you actually purchased."




Dr. Frankenstein's Daughters
by Suzanne Weyn

Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 250
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication date: January 1, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, historical fiction, horror



From Amazon:

"A new generation is creating a monster....

When Doctor Victor Frankenstein died, he left behind a legacy of horror...as well as two unacknowledged, beautiful twin daughters. Now these girls are seventeen, and they've come to Frankenstein's castle to claim it as their inheritance.

Giselle and Ingrid are twins, but they couldn't be more different. Giselle is a glamorous social climber who plans on turning Frankenstein's castle into a center of high society. Ingrid, meanwhile, is quiet and studious, drawn to the mysterious notebooks her father left behind...and the experiments he went mad trying to perfect.

As Giselle prepares for lavish parties and Ingrid finds herself falling for the sullen, wounded naval officer next door, a sinister force begins to take hold in the castle. Nobody's safe as Frankenstein's legacy leads to a twisted, macabre journey of romance and horror."

Forty Days
by Stephanie Parent

Available as: Kindle edition
Pages: 123
Publisher: Stephanie Parent
Publication date: February 10, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, historical fiction, romance



First in the Neima's Ark series. From Goodreads:

"The entire village knows Neima’s grandfather is a madman. For years the old man has prophesied that a great flood is coming, a flood disastrous enough to blot out the entire earth. He’s even built an enormous ark that he claims will allow his family to survive the deluge. But no one believes the ravings of a lunatic…

…until the rain starts. And doesn’t stop. Soon sixteen-year-old Neima finds her entire world transformed, her life and those of the people she loves in peril. Trapped on the ark with her grandfather Noah, the rest of her family, and a noisy, filthy, and hungry assortment of wild animals, will Neima find a way to survive?

With lions, tigers, and bears oh my, elephants and flamingos too, along with rivalries and betrayals, a mysterious stowaway, and perhaps even an unexpected romance, FORTY DAYS is not your grandfather’s Noah’s Ark story.

... Readers looking for a traditional, religiously oriented version of the Noah’s Ark story should be warned that FORTY DAYS may not appeal to them. The novel will, however, appeal to lovers of apocalyptic fiction, historical fiction, and romance, as well as anyone who’s ever dreamed of having a baby elephant as a pet."

This Journal Belongs to Ratchet
by Nancy J. Cavanaugh

Available as: hardcover
Pages: 320
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Publication date: April 2, 2013
Suggested tags: middle grade, realistic fiction



From Amazon:

"Meet Ratchet, an 11-year-old girl who knows more about spark plugs than sleepovers. Homeschooled by her mechanic-environmentalist dad, and with her mother long dead, Ratchet only wants one thing: to belong.

This is Ratchet's journal and in its pages are Ratchet's writings, her poems, and her drawings. Together, they tell Ratchet's story. It's a story about trying to make friends, about fighting to save a park, about the memories of her mother, and about her unlikely friendship with a boy. This journal is her sanctuary. And it's always there for Ratchet when no one else will listen."

The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back
by Sariah Wilson

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition
Pages: 224
Publisher: Fire & Ice Books
Publication date: February 10, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, fairy tales, retellings



From Goodreads:

"Everyone knows how all those fairy tales go. The princess gets beautiful, nabs her prince, falls instantly in love, lives happily ever after and leaves her evil stepsisters in the dust.

But what happens when you're the ugly stepsister and your obnoxiously perfect--read pretty, smart, and, worst of all, sickeningly nice--stepsister is dating the charming, tall, devastatingly handsome guy you've had a thing for since you were nine years old?

Quirky, artistic and snarky Mattie Lowe does not lead a charmed life. Her mother is constantly belittling her on Skype. Mercedes, the school mean girl, has made it her personal mission to torment Mattie. But worst of all? Her stepsister Ella is the most beautiful, popular girl in school and is dating Mattie's secret longtime crush, Jake Kingston.

Tired of being left out and done with waiting for her own stupid fairy godmother to show up, Mattie decides to change her life. She'll start by running for senior class president against wildly popular Jake.

Ella can keep her Prince Annoying. Mattie's going to rule the school.

And no one, not even a cute and suddenly flirty Jake, is going to stop her."

Friday Finds #35

Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading. Each Friday, you share the great books you heard about or discovered over the past week: "books you were told about, books you discovered while browsing blogs/bookstores online, or books that you actually purchased."




The Reece Malcolm List
by Amy Spalding

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 352
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publication date: February 5, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, realistic fiction, contemporary



From Goodreads:

"Things I know about Reece Malcolm:

1. She graduated from New York University.
2. She lives in or near Los Angeles.
3. Since her first novel was released, she’s been on the New York Times bestseller list every week.
4. She likes strong coffee and bourbon.
5. She’s my mother.

Devan knows very little about Reece Malcolm, until the day her father dies and she’s shipped off to live with the mother she’s never met. All she has is a list of notebook entries that doesn’t add up to much.

L.A. offers a whole new world to Devan—a performing arts school allows her to pursue her passion for show choir and musicals, a new circle of friends helps to draw her out of her shell, and an intriguing boy opens up possibilities for her first love.

But then the Reece Malcolm list gets a surprising new entry. Now that Devan is so close to having it all, can she handle the possibility of losing everything?"

Shrapnel
by Stephanie Lawton

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 212
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Publication date: January 18, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal, ghosts



From Goodreads:

"It’s been six years since Dylanie and her family visited a Civil War site and the place came alive with cannon fire. Problem was, no one could hear it but her.

Now she’s sixteen, her dad’s moved out, her mom’s come out of the closet and Dylan’s got a spot on Paranormal Teen, a reality TV show filming at historic Oakleigh Mansion. She’ll spend a weekend with two other psychic teens—Jake and Ashley—learning how to control her abilities.

None of them realized how much their emotional baggage would put them at the mercy of Oakleigh’s resident spirits, or that they’d find themselves pawns in the 150-year-old battle for the South’s legendary Confederate gold. Each must conquer their personal ghosts to face down Jackson, a seductive spirit who will do anything to protect the gold’s current location and avenge a heinous attack that destroyed his family."

Unremembered
by Jessica Brody

Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 320
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
Publication date: March 5, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, science fiction, romance



First in the Unremembered series. From Goodreads:

"When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.

Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.

Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.

Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?

From popular young adult author Jessica Brody comes a compelling and suspenseful new sci-fi series, set in a world where science knows no boundaries, memories are manipulated, and true love can never be forgotten."

What Lies Beneath
by Richard Denney

Available as: paperback
Pages: 172
Publisher: CreateSpace
Publication date: March 26, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, mystery, thriller



From Goodreads:

"When Blair Lewis is left for dead in a freezing lake, she can't get over the fact that her boyfriend tried to kill her. And when she begins to receive disturbing gifts and letters from her supposed dead boyfriend, she attempts to figure out what is going on before the darkness consumes her. Nothing is as it seems and the startling truth is going to rip Blair right out of this world. Is Blair simply losing her mind? Or is something vicious and dark after her sanity and soul?"

Friday Finds #34

Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading. Each Friday, you share the great books you heard about or discovered over the past week: "books you were told about, books you discovered while browsing blogs/bookstores online, or books that you actually purchased."



Freaks
by Kieran Larwood

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 256
Publisher: Chicken House
Publication date: April 5, 2012
Suggested tags: middle grade, paranormal, steampunk



From Goodreads:

"Weirdest. Crime Fighters. Ever.

Sheba, the fur-faced Wolfgirl, can sniff out a threat from miles away. Monkeyboy clambers up buildings in the blink of an eye -- then drops deadly stink bombs of his own making (yes, THAT kind)! Sister Moon sees in the dark, and moves at the speed of light. Born with weird abnormalities that make them misfits, these FREAKS spend their nights on public display, trapped in a traveling Victorian sideshow. But during the day, they put their strange talents to use: They solve the most sinister crimes. And in a dank, desperate world of crooks and child-snatchers, they're determined to defend London's most innocent victims: the street urchins disappearing from the city's streets."

The Gypsy Thief
by Kellie Bellamy Tayer

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 342
Publisher: Vagabond Press
Publication date: November 27, 2012
Suggested tags: young adult, romance, contemporary



First in the Talisman Trilogy. From Goodreads:

"The Gypsy Thief is set in modern day Rhode Island and is the story of Laura Calder and her love for two boys: Andrew Easton, a descendant of King George the First, and Miguel Dos Santos, a mysterious gypsy who has royal ties of his own. More than 300 years previously, a dying Portuguese princess named Gabriela cast a gypsy curse on King George the First who issued a royal decree to counteract that curse. In the spring of 2012, the time has come for the decree to be fulfilled: Miguel Dos Santos must die by the hand of Tristan Easton, the eldest son of the Duke of Easton. But when a tragic accident befalls Tristan, it is up to his younger brother Andrew to carry out the decree, a situation complicated by the fact that Miguel once saved Andrew's life. Andrew's father, the Duke of Easton, aware of Miguel's act of bravery, decides to let him live, but not without cost. He forces Laura into an impossible situation in order to save Miguel and her family. She must make a life-changing, heart-breaking decision, even as she tries to understand the messages from the mysterious disk she wears as a talisman around her neck, a talisman she must protect from the duke, as it is now her only tie to Miguel. Ultimately, The Gypsy Thief is a story of family honor and the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love, a story to be continued in its sequel, The Dark Prince, and concluded in The Shadow King."

Instant Preplay
by Karl Fields

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 206
Publisher: Axe Publishing
Publication date: March 13, 2013
Suggested tags: middle grade, paranormal



From Goodreads:

"What if your TV could "tune in" tomorrow?

Thirteen-year-old Logan Styles had visions of Park Avenue in his head when his show business father landed a job in New York. Instead, Logan ended up in suburban L.A. with his grandmother, where boredom and new-kid obscurity pose a hazard to his health…until he discovers the DVR attached to his television records shows before they air.

Suddenly able to “predict” the scores of ballgames, the outcome of reality shows and even the weather, Logan becomes a breakout hit among Sunset Ridge Middle School’s most popular crowd. But his digital ESP comes with a burden. As he learns the DVR’s downside, Logan will have to decide whether having all the answers all the time is everything it’s cracked up to be?"

Light as a Feather, Stiff As a Board
by Zoe Aarsen

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 389
Publisher: Lovestruck Literary
Publication date: February 5, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal



First in the Weeping Willow High series. From Goodreads:

"McKenna Brady thinks her junior year of high school is going to be the best ever when she’s welcomed into the elite group of popular girls at Weeping Willow High School led by blond, gorgeous Olivia Richmond.

Prior to junior year, McKenna was known in her small town as the girl whose twin sister died in a tragic house fire, and she’s overjoyed at the prospect of redefining her identity. She has a date to the Homecoming dance with Olivia’s handsome older brother, and a good chance of being elected to student council. For the first time since McKenna’s parents divorced, things are looking up.

But everything changes the night of Olivia’s Sweet Sixteen sleepover birthday party. Hannah, the shy, mysterious new girl in town, suggests that the girls play a scary game called Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board, during which Hannah makes up elaborate stories about the future ways in which beautiful Olivia, brassy Candace, and athletic Mischa will die. The game unsettles McKenna because she’s already escaped death once in her life, but she doesn’t want to ruin her friends’ fun. It’s only a game, she reminds herself.

But it doesn’t seem like a harmless game a week later when Olivia dies unexpectedly in a violent car crash, exactly as Hannah predicted. And something begins haunting McKenna’s bedroom at night, leaving her clues that all seem to point to Hannah. McKenna enlists the help of her cute next-door neighbor Trey in finding out exactly what kind of curse Hannah has put on all of the popular girls in the junior class.

As Hannah rises to popularity and seemingly steps into the life Olivia left unfinished, McKenna and Trey know they only have a limited amount of time to bring an end to Hannah’s game before more lives are lost."