This Sunday's round-up of middle grade sci fi/fantasy posts from around the blogs

A rather short list today...I haven't had time to do much combing. So do let me know if there are posts I missed!!!!

The Reviews:

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, at Beyond Books

King of Ithaka, by Tracy Barrett, at Charlotte's Library

The Museum of Thieves, by Lian Tanner, at Charlotte's Library

Reckless, by Cornelia Funke, at Beyond Books

Scumble, by Ingrid Law, at Jean Little Library

The Search for WondLa, by Tony DiTerlizzi, at The Picnic Basket

Seven Sorcerers, by Caro King, at Beyond Books

The Time Keeper's Moon, by Joni Sensel, at Middle Grade Ninja (and Sensel is also interviewed by Middle Grade Ninja)

At Bookworming in the 21st Cenury, there's a post with short reviews of The Fairytale Detectives, by Michael Buckley, The Lost Hero, by Rick Riordan, The Tale of Emily Windsnap, by Liz Kessler, and Gregor the Overlander, by Suzanne Collins

Other Good Stuff:

Grace Lin has a fascinating post at the Enchanted Inkpot on using symbols when writing multicultural fantasy.

This week's Fairytale Reflections guest at Seven Miles of Steel Thistles is Leslie Wilson.

This year's Amelia Bloomer List is out, with some fine sff (the blurbs are from the list):

Kate Coombs. The Runaway Dragon. 2009. Princess Meg’s dragon escapes from the palace grounds. Meg and her scrappy band of friends set out to find the dragon and encounter many adventures along the way.

Eleanor Davis. The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook. 2009. When the Secret Science Alliance loses its notebook to a rival inventor, the team of science wiz kids springs into action to retrieve their notebook and protect a treasure.

Kathryn Lasky. Hawksmaid: The Untold Story of Robin Hood and Maid Marian. 2010. Maid Marian uses her unusual gift of communication with her falcons to conspire with Robin Hood and their band of friends to escape her captors and rescue a ransomed king.

Jewell Parker Rhodes. Ninth Ward. 2010. When Hurricane Katrina breaks New Orleans’ levees, 12-year old Lanesha’s dreams of becoming an engineer and a builder of bridges anchor her determination to survive the flood and inspire her to rescue others as well.

Gail Simone. Wonder Woman: Rise of the Olympian. Illus. by Bernard Chang, Aaron Lopresti, and Matt Ryan. 2009. Wonder Woman battles the supervillain Genocide to reclaim her lasso and her power.

Jane Yolen. Foiled. Illus. by Mike Cavallaro. 2010. Ace fencer Aliera bravely takes up the mantel of the world’s defender.

And the 2011 Waterstone's Childrens Book Prize shortlist has also been announced:

Janice Hardy, The Pain Merchants (The Shifter in the US)

Candy Gourlay, Tall Story

Anna Kempe, et al. Fantastic Frankie and the Brian-drain Machine

Jobling, Curtis, Rise of the Wolf

Stead, Rebecca, When You Reach Me

Mayhew, John, Mortlock

(the blurbs for these can be found via the link above)

And finally, you can watch A Wrinkle in Time in 90 Seconds, from James Kennedy (The Order of Odd-Fish). Along with the New York Public Library, Kennedy has created the 90-Second Newbery Video Contest!

King of Ithaka, by Tracy Barrett

King of Ithaka, by Tracy Barrett (Henry Holt, 2010, mg/ya, 261 pages)

On the small island of Ithaka, young Telemachos waits--for his beard to show up, for his father, Odyseus, to come home from Troy. There's nothing particularly urgent in his waiting (and there's nothing about his character that screams Hero), until it becomes clear that there are some on Ithaka who think that enough is enough, and that it is time for Telemachos' mother to accept a new husband, and for the little island kingdom to accept a new ruler.

So Telemachos, his best friend (a centaur, even thought they don't do so well in boats), and a stowaway (a plucky girl hoping to find a place in the world outside of Ithaka), head off to the mainland to seek news of Odysseus. It is a journey that broadens Telemachos' horizon, almost killing him in the process, as he travels to the court of Nestor at Pylos, and then on to Sparta, where bitter old Menelaus lives with his recaptured wife, Helen. It is a journey that Athena herself is watching closely--it is she who is responsible for pushing Telemachos into action. And when he comes home to Ithaka, Telemochos meets the greatest challenge of all--his father.

My gold standard for historical fiction about Bronze Age Greece is Mary Renault's retelling of the story of Theseus (The King Must Die), and it's a pretty darn high standard. Barrett manages to tell an engrossing story, but she never quite achieves Renault's extraordinarily rich recreation of an ancient world where the gods were real--that was a book that rocked my world, this was a book I found interesting, one that passed the time pleasantly without (except for toward the end) ever pulling me in emotionally. But it's not a fair comparison anyway, because, quite frankly, Telemachos' quest is rather small beans on the scale of epic mythological quests. He's more a footnote to a larger story. And unlike The King Must Die, The King of Ithaka is a book for younger readers--it's perfectly appropriate for seventh and eighth graders.

And as such, The King of Ithaka is, I think, an most excellent book to give a specific sort of fan of the Percy Jackson series. Not the sort who's looking for read-alikes, because, although there's a centaur and some monsters and some danger in this one, it is much more measured in its pacing, and less crammed with Adventure on Every Page. Rather, I'd give this one to the reader that wants more of the backstory, the reader whose interest in Greek mythology has been well and truly piqued (and that fact that mythological creatures are alive and well, and take an active role in the story, should add to its appeal).

That reader should, like me, enjoy Telemachos's journey across Greece, a journey that takes him from extremely naive (almost unlikable) boy to a worthy young man, tested and found true-hearted.

Here's another review at Manga Maniac Cafe.

The Museum of Thieves, by Lian Tanner

The Museum of Thieves, by Lian Tanner (Delacorte 2010 mg 312 pp)

In the city of Jewel, the children are Safe. There is no sickness or danger that can harm them. They are chained to their beds at night (so as not to be kidnapped) and chained to their parents whenever they venture outside (so they won't get lost or do anything dangerous), and the Blessed Guardians of the city work to keep all things under control.

But sometimes, even when they are as safe as can be, it's not possible to keep every child under control. When young Goldie gets the chance to be free of her chains years before she expected it, she escapes from the Guardians, and desperately tries to find somewhere to hide in the city. What she finds is a place she hadn't known existed--the Museum of Thieves--and there she finds her true home.

The Museum of Thieves is no ordinary museum. It holds within its deceptive walls all those things that are deemed unsafe--the wars, the plagues, the strange creatures (including my favorite character, Broo the last Brizzlehound). But to keep the museum from imploding from the force of all it contains, it must be kept calmed and contained. Only those with tricksy minds (and dubious talents, like lurking and pickpocketing) are suited for this work--and what they have stole is all that the city of Jewel and its Blessed Guardians have rejected.

As one of the Museum Keepers puts it:

"....there are some things, child, that you should steal. That you must steal, if you have enough love and courage in your heart. You must snatch freedom from the hands of the tyrant. You must spirit away innocent lives before they are destroyed. You must hide secret and sacred places." (page 123)

Goldie is right at home here, and joins the museum's four keepers (one of whom, a boy her own age named Toadspit, isn't very glad to have her on board). But the Blessed Guardians are looking for her. When they realize that the Museum is not yet part of their Safe City, they try to bring it under their control--and its walls begin to weaken. All the danger it holds might be released in a flood of violence, unless the Guardians can be foiled.

And Goldie and Toadspit are right there, doing some very nice foiling!

I enjoyed this one lots, I liked the world building, and the concept of the museum in particular. Not only did I find it a fast, fun, read, but I appreciated the thought-provoking Message that freedom should not be surrendered for safety (not a subtle message, but a worthy one). Sometimes I am bothered by Messages in books, but in this case, the Museum that carried the message enchanted me sufficiently that I was not Bothered.

This first book in the series comes to a nice end, and is a complete story in and of itself, but I am looking forward to the sequel, City of Lies (September 2011) lots!

Here are some other reviews at Book Aunt, I'd Rather Be Reading, and TheHappyNappyBookseller

Timeless, by Alexandra Monir, for Timeslip Tuesday

Timeless, by Alexandra Monir (2011, Delacorte, YA, 304 pages) is a debut time-travel romance, with a dash of mystery, published today!

Michele's happy life as an ordinary high school student ends when her mother is killed in a car accident. Suddenly she finds herself in the palatial New York home of the grandparents she had never met before--they had disowned their mother when she ran off with Michele's father. Michele never knew her father either--and now she feels truly alone in the world...

But when she finds the golden key that belonged to her mother, Michele finds herself travelling back in time to 1910. There, in the world of gilded age luxury, she meets the young man she's been dreaming of for years. Philip, with his sapphire blue eyes, is one of the few people who can see her there in the past, and they fall in love. But time travel is a tricky thing. The past brings her not only Philip's love, but entanglement in the scandals of families for whom ambition and power mean more than happiness. When she learns that Philip's life might be ruined by his love for her, her travels back to the past take on a terrible urgency...

Timeless is heavy on the romance. Here's an example:

"The way he looked at her was so intimate it made Michele feel exhilarated and shy all at once. She glanced down at the piano keys, trying to calm her racing heart. And then she felt Philip's hand gently lift her chin, and she looked, mesmerized, into those sapphire eyes. Their faces slowly drew toward each other, and he softly brushed his lips against hers." (page 121).

This was not my cup of tea (sapphire eyes just don't do it for me). And I felt very doubtful about the book. (btw, for those who are concerned -- hot and heavy kissing is the extent of their relationship).

But happily for me, the story picked up its pace when Michele and Philip are separated, and her travels back to the past (the 1920s and the 1940s) involve a wider cast of characters. Not only must Michele find a way to give Philip a chance at a meaningful life, but it becomes clear that there is a time-travel mystery surrounding her long-lost father as well. And so the pages turned briskly...until I reached the fatal words "TO BE CONTINUED." Yoiks, I said to myself, now fully invested in the story. How vexing.

I found Monir's writing to be at times a bit stiff, and her various sub-plots not all entirely convincing. But those who are fond of fantastical romances should enjoy this one lots (and this seems to be born out in the reviews linked to below!)

A samply of other reactions: La Femme Readers, Just Another Book Blog, Flippin' Fabulous, and Only Sexy Books Allowed

Added bonus--music is an important part of the story, and a link to two songs, for which Michele wrote the words and Philip the music, can be found at the author's website.

(disclaimer: ARC received from the publisher)

One last quick post about the Newbery Award--its psychic SLJ reviewer!

Looking in my state's library catalogue for Moon Over Manifest (this year's Newbery Winner, just in case you don't know), I came across its School Library Journal Review: "This thoroughly enjoyable, unique page-turner is a definite winner," wrote Renee Steinberg. How right she was!

Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword wins the Sydney Taylor Award

Fantasy may have been shut out of the Newbery, but Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword, written and illustrated by Barry Deutsch, was the Sydney Taylor Award winner in the Older Readers Category, the first graphic novel to be so honored. How can one resit its tag-line: “Yet Another Troll-Fighting 11-Year-Old Orthodox Jewish Girl.”

But despite that, it is downstairs in my book pile even as I type, still unread but only a little overdue....sigh.

Will a Fantasy Book Win the Newbery? Answer: No.

Fantasy/sci fi has had pretty good luck with the Newbery Award recently, what with When You Reach Me and The Graveyard Book. Will it do it again?

The top contenders are Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes, and Keeper, by Kathi Appelt, both of which are books in which the fantasy elements are more "magical realism" -- the fantastical is important in each of them, but it's subtle; not dragony at all!

I'd be happy if Ninth Ward won--I love that book!

And we'll find out in just a few hours....

Edited to add:

It was very hard not being able to blog while at work today!!!! But I'm home again.

As most of you probably know, speculative fiction didn't do so well this year. No love from the Newbery committee. No love from the Batchelder committee (translated books), although Departure Time, by Matti is almost fantasy...And no love from Pura Belpre (best author and illustrator of Latina descent). Neither of the two sff books from the Morris list (YA debut) won.

There were a few little bright spots, though--The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex won the Odyssey Award (audiobook), and Ninth Ward won a Coretta Scott King author honor for Jewell Parker Rhodes.

And there were two very bright spots indeed. Terry Pratchet won the Margaret A. Edwards Award for his contribution to YA literature, and the winner of the Printz Award (YA) was Shipbreaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi.

You can find a very tidy complete set of lists over at Kids Lit (each award in its own post, so work your way down).

This week's round-up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy

Another Sunday, another round-up. (If you are new to these round-ups, here's how they work). Please let me know if I missed something either by leaving a comment or emailing me (charlotteslibrary at gmail dot com)!

The Reviews:

Behemoth, by Scott Westerfeld, at The Book Zone (for boys)

The Coming of the Dragon, by Rebecca Barnhouse, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.

The Dragon Games (Books of Umber 2) P. W. Catanese, at Book Talk

The End of the World Club, by J & P Voelkel, at Charlotte's Library

Fairies and the Quest for Neverland, by Gail Carson Levine, at Shannon Whitney Messenger

Fever Crumb, by Philip Reeve, at Fantasy Literature

Forgive My Fins, by Tera Lynn Childs, at Small Review

The Grimm Legacy, by Polly Shulman, at Biblio File.

The Hawk and His Boy, by Christopher Bunn, at Rita's World.

The Invisible Order: Rise of the Darklings, by Paul Crilley, at Beyond Books.

The Lost Hero, by Rick Riordan, at Ex Libris

The Nine Pound Hammer (The Clockwork Dark 1), by John Claude Bemis, at Middle Grade Ninja

Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings, by Hélène Boudreau, at Manga Manica Cafe and One Book at a Time

The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic, by Jennifer Trafton, at BookKids

Season of Secrets, by Sally Nicholls, at Kids Lit (possibly this isn't fantasy...but I want to read it!)

The Shadows (The Books of Elsewhere 1), by Jacqueline West, at Beyond Books.

The Thirteenth Princess, by Diane Zahler, at Madigan Reads

Trail of Fate, by Michael P. Spradlin, at Fantasy Literature

A Whole Nother Story, by Dr. Cuthbert Soup, at Wandering Librarians

The Wide-Awake Princess, by E.D. Baker, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile

Windblowne, by Stephen Messer, at Fuse #8

A two for one post at Finding Wonderland--The Magic Thief: Found, by Sarah Prineas, and Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus, by R.L. LaFevers

Authors interviewed and guest posting:

Hilari Bell (most recently The Trickster's Girl, which is YA, but also the mg Goblin Gate) at The Enchanted Inkpot

John Claude Bemis (The Clockwork Dark Series) at Middle Grade Ninja.

Hélène Boudreau (Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings) at Manga Maniac Cafe.

Janice Hardy (Blue Fire, book 2 of the Healing Wars) at Cynsations

Dr. Cuthbert Soup (Another Whole Nother Story) at TC&TBC

Jennifer Trafton (The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic) at The Rabbit Room

Other Things of Interest:

The sad news this week was the passing of Dick King Smith...His book, The Sheep-Pig (1983), became Babe, one of my favorite movies ever.

This week's Fairytale Reflections guest at Seven Miles of Steel Thistles is Gillian Philip, talking about Tam Lin.

Author N.R. Williams is blog touring to promote her new book, The Treasures of Carmelidrium; the full schedule can be found here.

And finally, here is a steampunk wedding cake, found at Ciara Knight's Steampunk Saturday:

The End of the World Club, by J & P Voelkel

Those looking for reading material to offer readers pining for next Rick Riordan book should consider turning to the Jaguar Stone series by J & P Voelkel. The two books available thus far, Middleworld (my review) and The End of the World Club, offer a similar combination of adventure mixed with mythology--in this case, two brave kids plunged into a conflict with some of the more unpleasant deities of the Mayan pantheon...

In The End of the World Club (Egmont, December 2010, middle grade, 368 pages), Max, the son of two Mayan archaeologists who had to rescue his parents from the Lords of Death in book 1, is back home from the jungles of Central America. But to save his parents, he cut a deal with the gods...and they aren't going to let it slide. He has ten days to bring the Yellow Jaguar stone to Xibalba, the Mayan underworld, or else.

The Yellow Jaguar was taken to Spain by a conquistador, so Max and Lola, the Mayan girl who was central to the events of Book 1, head off to find it, along with an ancient Mayan king and his mother, whose spirits are currently housed in the bodies of howler monkeys (sounds odd, but it works for them!). But someone else wants the stone--Ah Puku, the God of Violent and Unnatural Death, the god who's about to take control when the new celestial cycle begins next year. Not a nice god at all, and he's throwing just about everything he's got against the two kids.

From one danger to the next, Max and Lola (and the howler monkeys) ricochet around Spain, facing ghosts, murder chargers, human sacrifice, an hideously unnatural wedding (in which Lola has been cast as the bride), and much more! Fortunately, they make it through the obstacles in their way, due mainly to Lola's smarts, and the bravery of the Howler monkey royals (Max means well, and does his best, but he can't really compare to Lola).

Like Middleworld, The End of the World Club is jam packed with scary and exciting adventures. Part of the fun of the first book was watching as Max and Lola became friends under difficult circumstances; in this book, the authors try to add similar character development by introducing the first glimmerings of young love (Max is jealous of a Spanish guy who's fallen for Lola). It felt a bit forced to me. Max also got a lot more screen time in this book than Lola, which was a disappointment--I find her a much more interesting (and intelligent) character! So from a character-development point of view, I prefer the first book.

That being said, the trials and tribulations of Max and Lola's death-filled journey around Spain make for exciting reading, and I'm looking forward to the next book (especially if there's more Lola!)

(arc received for review)

Bad Greek god and goddess puns

Even though I have lots of reviews that I need to write, I'm not going to. Instead, I am going to share the bad puns that my husband and I came up with on our morning commute. We like, from time to time, to take a subject, like "the elements in the periodic table," and see how far we can get with puns (what do you call an email from Nigeria offering you thousands of dollars? Silicon).

Today's subject was Greek Gods and Goddesses.

What Greek god is so hot you could fry an egg on him?

Pan.

Why did the number of parking tickets spike when Persephone was carried off to the underworld?

Demeter wasn't working.

What Greek goddess are you most likely to find at the Rhode Island School of Design?

Artemis (Arty Miss).

Oh the hilarity.

A bit late...but here are my Christmas present books!

Loveliness. And I got two more for my birthday this week--another Ann Lawrence, and the new Patricia McKillip. Now all I need is time...and I really need to stop diverting myself during breaks at work by visiting the library on-line and requesting far too many books.

And here are the books my husband got:


The cider book was a hopeful surprise purchase...and happily it was his favorite book of the lot. We have eight young apple trees, and hopes of making our own cider some year. He also got the fiftieth aniversy edition of the Weirdstone of Brisingamen, by Alan Garner, a lovely book that arrived to late to be in the pile.

Warped, by Maurissa Guibord, for Timeslip Tuesday

Warped, by Maurissa Guibord (Delacorte Press, January 11, 2011, YA, 352 pages), for Timeslip Tuesday.

When I was young, back in the 1980s (sigh) there weren't any romantic time-travel books specifically for teenagers (I think). However, that seems to be changing...and so a new sub-sub-genre emerges, the Romance Time Travel, of which Warped is a fine example (other recent examples being Prada and Prejudice, and Along the River, and I have two more in my tbr pile that I think will qualify).

This is one of those books that is impossible to review without spoilers... So, if you would like a fun time-travel fantasy romance, that keeps the reader entertained, but stretches credulity somewhat, you could just stop reading now and get the book (when it comes out next week).

Or you could keep reading.

Tessa Brody wasn't enjoying spending her evening attending an auction with her book-seller father...but the last lot of books included a unicorn tapestry that seemed to call to her. Pre-empting her father, she makes the high bid...and the tapestry is hers. It will change her life.

When Tessa touches the threads, she finds herself living the life of a Renaissance peasant girl--not just any girl, but the virgin who is to be the bait to lure a unicorn. But the unicorn is really a handsome nobleman, William de Chaucy, enchanted by a wicked witch who has torn the thread of life from him, and from six others as well. Once the unicorn is captured, he will be woven into the place of honor at the center of her tapestry--and his life force will be used by the witch to keep herself young forever.

But back in the present, Tessa is the new owner of the enchanted tapestry. When she plucks a loose thread from it, she releases William...and now she has an ex-unicorn Renaissance lord in her bedroom, with an evil witch determined to get him back. To make matters worse, the Norns (the goddesses of in charge of the threads of life and the fate of ever human ever born) are furious at the disruption the witch has caused to their weaving, and they think Tessa is responsible. And the Fates don't take kindly to meddlers.. Everything, and every one (including William) who Tessa loves could be doomed unless she returns the seven stolen threads of life from the tapestry to the Norns. Which the witch, of course, is dead set against...

It might seem like a complicated plot, but Guibord keeps things moving briskly and reasonably. Many questions arise for which Tessa (and the reader) have no answers for, but all (mostly) becomes clear, and Guibord strikes a nice balance between rushing toward explanations and keeping the reader in suspense. Her characterization of Tessa appealed to me lots (artistic, insecure, sometimes sarcastic), and my favorite parts of the book were those set in real life, with Tessa and her best friend Opal trying to figure out what the heck was happening, with lots of snappy dialogue. My one real issue, plot-wise, was with the Norns--for Powerful Goddesses of Fate they were surprisingly ineffective, and downright wrong viz identifying the culprit behind the lost threads. I wasn't convinced by them.

Within the action and danger of the swirling plot, the romance between Tessa and William flowers. It's a relationship strained both by the issue of looming mortal peril, but also by Tessa's role in the unicorn hunt. William isn't sure he can trust her, and makes this clear...but the overwhelming power of their mutual attraction triumphs in the end. It's more than a bit fairy-tale like, but that's part of the fun, except that I would have liked William better if, instead of getting all huffy and distrustful periodically, he had clarified his issues and given Tessa a chance to tell her side of the story. So not my personal favorite teen romance, although I grant him a certain hotness (and I think teen readers will find him even hotter!).

In short, despite my two issues (the Norns and lack of trust business), I enjoyed this one, and the pages turned briskly. Guibord took an interesting and entertaining premise, and delivered a fun read. This is her first novel--I'll be looking forward to more from her.

Time travel-wise--William is a time traveller from the Renaissance to our present, and although his experience as such isn't central to the plot, it does enliven things, in the fairly standard delighted-wonder-of-person-from-the-past way (pizza! electricity! asphalt!). Tessa's brief dream-like travel to the past doesn't really count as real time travel--she was living someone else's life. I think this will appeal more directly to those who want fantasy romance, rather than hard-core aficionados of Time Travel, which is just fine.

(disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher)

Out of the Shadows wins Costa Book Award

It was announced this evening that Out of Shadows, by Jason Wallace has won the Costa Book Award for best children's book. Here's the blurb lifted from the awards website:

"Zimbabwe, 1980s. The fighting has stopped, independence has been won and Robert Mugabe has come to power offering hope, land and freedom to black Africans. It is the end of the Old Way and the start of a promising new era.

For Robert Jacklin, it's all new - new continent, new country, new school. And very quickly he is forced to understand a new way of thinking, because for some of his classmates the sound of guns is still loud, and their battles rage on.....white boys who want their old country back, not this new black African government. Boys like Ivan. Clever, cunning Ivan. For him, there is still one last battle to fight, and he's taking it right to the very top."

It sounds fascinating...

Welcome to the first Non-Fiction Monday Round-up of 2011

Thanks for stopping by for this first Non-Fiction Monday of the year!

My own contribution is The Dark Game: True Spy Stories, by Paul S. Janeczko (YA, Candlewick, 256 pages).

I turn to the Cybils Non-fiction shortlists as a tried and true source of great books for my kids (and me). Happily, I had one of the shortlisted titles already on hand--I'd gotten Janeczko's book out of the library a few weeks ago on the strength of the many positive reviews I'd been seeing of it. And it did not disappoint!

With stories of spies ranging from the Revolutionary War to today's cyber spying, Janeczko offers in depth looks at particular men and women and their espionage careers. He's not aiming for a comprehensive history of spying--rather, his focus is on stories that exemplify particular historical periods. And so there was a very personal element to this book--it's full of strong characters (both men and women) who keep the attention of the reader fixed on their adventures.

Many of the stories, what with the concomitant risks of being a spy, and the high military and political stakes involved, were full of suspense and kept me at the edge of my seat! And I kept looking up from the book to share things I'd learned with my family. I didn't know, for instance, that one of the key spies of the Revolution was an unnamed woman from New York. I didn't know that there was a group of Choctaw code talkers in World War One, or that a tunnel was dug under East Berlin to allow the West to tap into the Soviet phone lines. In short, I was both educated and entertained. And my ten year old son likewise--I'm reading it out loud to him, and he is enjoying it lots too.

A fine shortlist choice!

Please leave your non-fiction links in the comments, and I'll post them as the day progresses!

Speaking of the Cybils, several of the Non-Fiction Panelists share their shortlists--you can find them at Simply Science, Check It Out, and Picture Book of the Day.

At Great Kid Books you can find You and Me Together--Moms, Dads, and Kids Around the World, by Barbara Kerley, and One World, One Day, also by Barbary Kerley.

At NC Teacher Stuff, there's Beco's Big Year: A Baby Elephant Turns One, by Linda Stanek.

Shelf-employed offers up two books in the Food is CATegorical series, books "featuring the main food groups and healthy living."

Wendie's Wanderings looks at What's in a ...Hole? by Tracy Nelson Maurer.

At AAKidsBooksTalks you will find Simeon's Story: An Eyewitness Account of the Kidnapping of Emmett Till, by Simeon Wright.

At Chicken Spaghetti there's Saving the Baghdad Zoo

Wild About Nature blog has a review of Arctic Lights Arctic Nights by Debbie S. Miller.

Abby the Librarian shares Come See the Earth Turn, by Lori Mortensen.

The Children's War features Remember D-Day: the Plan, the Invasion, Survivor Stories by Ronald J. Drez

The Cath in the Hat has I Can Sculpt, a how-to book on sculpting for young artists ages 4 to 7.

At Wrapped in Foil there's another Cybils shortlisted book--Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot

A favorite of mine, A Seed is Sleepy, can be found over at Jean Little Library.

And Pink Me has one for us grown-ups (on paper at least)--Print Workshop: Hand-printing techniques + truly original projects by Christine Schmidt.

Stacy Loscalzo looks at Just One Bite: 11 Animals and Their Bites at Life Size.

At Bookish Blather there's The Girl in the Song (the women who inspired 50 rock songs)

Thank you all for all the lovely links! Now I go back to stripping paint off cupboards...but I'll be checking back in.

Two more have joined:

Lori Calabrese looks at Justin Bieber: First Step 2 Forever.

And at TheHappyNappyBookseller you can find Come See the Earth Turn- The Story of Leon Foucault.

And a third--Beowulf: a Tale of Blood, Heat, and Ashes, by Nicky Raven, illustrated by John Howe, at All About the Books with Janet Squires.

(I stripped the cupboard. While I was stripping that cupboard, however, a mouse became trapped in another cupboard, and ripped the fresh contact paper to shreds. Sigh. Our cat is the worst mouser ever. I have caught more mice than she has).

And one final contribution: At Rasco from RIF you can find The Native Trees of Canada.

Thank you all for joining in!!!

This Sunday's Round-Up of Middle Grade Science Fiction and Fantasy

Happy New Year, all readers and writers of middle grade science fiction and fantasy, and welcome to the first mgsff round-up of 2011. If I missed your post, or that of your best friend, or anything you happened to see, please let me know! And thank you, all of you in the past year who have mentioned on your own blogs that I am doing these round-ups--I appreciate it, and you are welcome to do it again, not because I want the visitors qua visitors so much, but for the Sake of the Books, because the whole point of these round-ups is to bring attention to them.

What mg sff book are you most looking forward to in 2011? I, myself, am having trouble immagining a world beyond January, so I'll go with Small Persons With Wings, by Ellen Booraem.

First, the big/already probably old news:



What do these books have in common?
A. I like them all lots
B. Little pink was used in the cover art, and as far as I know, there are no sparkles*
C. Good writing and tons of kid appeal
D. They all include vampire yetis
E. All of the above

*I haven't seen the finished cover of the Shadows. Are there sparkles???

Answer: (mostly) E. They are the finalists in the Elementary Middle Grade Science Fiction/Fantasy category of the Cybils Awards (for which I was a panelist), and they show beautifully the range of mg sff today. They include horror, humor, reimagined fairy tales, tragedy, wondrous inventions, ghosts, evil, magic...They are girl books and boy books, books perfect for younger readers, and books perfect for grown-ups! I wish we could have shortlisted more books--there are several I'm still very wistful about...

I think my favorite cover is The Dead Boys--the Evil Tree tickles my fancy lots. But I can't decide which is my favorite book, and I pity the judges of the next round who have to pick just one winner!

This week's reviews:

Beauty, by Robin McKinley, at Nayu's Reading Corner. If I were to pick just one book to give to an eleven year old girl, this would be it. Beauty, incidentally, just got a very new and sharp looking cover over in the UK, shown on the far right. My own version, read in the 1980s, looking very 1980s indeed, leads the parade:







Behemoth, by Scott Westerfeld, at Boys Rule Boys Read

The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau, at Reading Vacation

The Good Little Devil, by Ann Lawrence, at Charlotte's Library

Johnny Mackintosh and the Spirit of London, by Keith Mansfield, at Charlotte's Library

The Jumper Chronicles--Quest for Merlin's Map, by W.C. Peever, at Eating Y.A. Books

A Matter of Magic, by Patricia C. Wrede, at The Book Smugglers

Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes, at books4yourkids

Shadow, by Jenny Moss, at Reading Vacation

The Shadow Hunt, by Katherine Langrish, at Eva's Book Addiction

Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus, by R.L. Lafevers, at TheHappyNappyBookseller

Melina at Reading Vaction takes a look at the Suddenly Supernatural series -- Book 2--Scaredy Kat, and Book 3--Unhappy Medium

and Gregory Breen takes a look at the Artemis Fowl series at Suite 101.

Interviews:

Greg Van Eekhout (Kid vs Squid) at Spookycyn

Susan Fletcher (Ancient, Strange, and Lovely--Book 4 of the Dragon Chronicles) at Euphoria

Other Stuff:

I thought it would be but the work of minutes to pull together a list of all the mg and ya dragon books published in 2010. It wasn't. You can find the long long list that resulted here!

The Nebula Awards have a category (the Andre Norton Awards) for YA books, and now the Hugo Award folks are thinking of doing the same, with an award for YA books including "those for younger children" (read more at Cheryl's Mewsings)

And finally, for the little bon mote I like to offer at the end of these round-ups, here is a selection of "Ancient Robots and Victorian Androids" at Dark Roasted Blend. Really cool stuff! I am something of a fan of Marie Rutkoski's books (The Cabinet of Wonders and The Celestial Globe), and so was immensely tickled to learn that John Dee, Elizabethan Alchemist, devised a wooden beetle that could fly:

New releases of sci fi and fantasy for kids and teens--the first half of January, 2011

I, for one, don't actually need any new releases--I have on hand enough books from 2010 to survive weeks of being snowed in...and I am still convinced that I will find the time to read them all.

But new years, and new releases, happen, and this First Half of January list is an especially appealing one. My top pick is Season of Secrets, by Sally Nicholls--it sounds so good that I will graciously forgive her for how much she made me cry with her first book (Ways to Live for Ever). I also have the two YA timeslip books on hand to review on forthcoming Tuesdays, which makes me happy!

(As usual my information comes from Teens Read Too, with blurbs from the publishers. Feel free to point out any errors or omissions!)

MIDDLE GRADE

ALIEN ENCOUNTER: ALIEN AGENT by Pamela F. Service "Zack's back at work again, as an Alien Agent. His assignment: find an alien kid who hijacked a spaceship to Roswell, New Mexico. Sound easy? Not quite. Because Zack's dad is going too. And he's being chased by a man with a serious grudge against aliens. Can Zack find the missing alien and keep the truth from his dad while escaping the clutches of one Major Garrett? It's all in a day's work for Earth's Alien Agent."

A BOY AND HIS BOT by Daniel H. Wilson "When young Code falls down a hole while following a mysterious robotic insect, he lands in a world that defies all imagination. Everything in Mekhos is made from metal and circuitry, including the citizens-who happen to be robots. To find his way home, Code must first cross Mekhos's bizarre and dangerous landscape to reach the Beam Stalk. There, an artifact known as the Robonomicon is being guarded by an evil ruler who has plans to destroy Mekhos. Can Code free the Robonomicon, save the robots of Mekhos from impending doom, and still get himself back to Earth in time to catch the school bus? With its dazzling array of robots and futuristic gadgetry, this rollicking story will hold special appeal for boys and budding sci-fi lovers everywhere."

BUBBLE IN THE BATHTUB: DOCTOR PROCTOR'S FART POWDER by Jo Nesbo (I wasn't able to find a blurb for this sequel to Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder...)

THE DEADLY CONCH: TARA TRILOGY by Mahtab Narsimhan "After the conclusion of The Silver Anklet, Tara’s triumphant return to Morni is short-lived. Tara’s deceased former stepmother, Kali, seeks revenge through her daughter, Layla. And so begins a series of carefully orchestrated events to cast suspicion on Tara: a dead dog in the village temple, contaminated well water, and whispers that Tara is still possessed. Layla fuels the villagers’ blind superstitions and fears. Soon all of Morni is against Tara, even her own family. Death seems to be the only way to stop her evil stepsister. Tara turns to Lord Yama and his deadly conch for help. He takes her to the Underworld to seek advice, but when she returns, she has only 24 hours to prove her innocence and to save the village before she must go back to the World of the Dead. Forever. Can Tara believe in herself once more to defeat Layla, or will Lord Yama and his deadly conch claim their next victim? The harrowing conclusion to the thrilling Tara Trilogy answers these questions and more."

ENTER THE ZOMBIE: NATHAN ABERCROMBIE, ACCIDENTAL ZOMBIE by David Lubar "When Mr. Murphy finds out that evil organization RABID is using a student academic and athletic competition to recruit agents, he asks Nathan, Abigail, and Mookie to form a team and enter the contest. Things go terribly wrong when Nathan’s nemesis, Rodney the bully, forms his own team to go up against Nathan. Soon Rodney and his pals start to notice some very odd things about Nathan. Will they discover Nathan’s secret and expose his zombie identity to the entire world?"

FREEDOM STONE by Jeffrey Kluger. "Lillie's papa believed in freedom--for him, his family, and all the slaves on the Greenfog plantation. So when the Confederate Army promised freedom to the family of every slave who served in the Civil War--whether they came home or not--Lillie's papa decided he had to take the chance.

But when Lillie's family got the news that her papa was killed, they weren't freed. The army claimed that Lillie's papa was a thief. Lillie knew that couldn't be true! Even worse, the master started making plans to sell off Lillie's little brother, Plato. With the help of an old slave, Bett, who bakes bread that bends time, Lillie travels to the battle during which her father died to find out the true story. Using a little magic of her own, Lillie rights a few wrongs and buys her family their freedom."

MAGIC HEARTS: CANDY FAIRIES by Helen Perelman
"It's Heart Day in the Candy Fairies series"

THE MISSING MAGIC: B MAGICAL by Lexi Connor. "An enchanting new series about an eleven-year-old witch, Beatrix, will cast a S-P-E-L-L on readers! Eleven-year-old Beatrix just wants to be able to cast spells the way all the other witches can. But when B discovers that magic happens when she spells out a word, the C-H-A-O-S begins!"

RESCUE ON TANKIUM3: MISSILE MOUSE by Jake Parker "Missile Mouse is back in action for an amazing new adventure!

The daring agent Missile Mouse must help free a planet forced into slavery by evil King Bognarsh. But things get dicey when Bognarsh hires the Blazing Bat to take Missile Mouse out before he can shut the operation down."

SEASON OF SECRETS by Sally Nicholls "Molly and Hannah have just lost their mother, and while Dad "figures things out", they're sent to stay with their grandparents in a quiet country town. Everything is different: there are only ten kids in their entire school; they have to walk home by themselves every day; and a phone call from Dad just isn't the same as a hug. In fact, they're not even sure when, or if, their dad will be back for them.

One night Hannah decides to run away, and Molly follows her out into the storm. Suddenly, Molly is surrounded by dogs and strange men on horseback, and they're all chasing a man in the road. Molly rushes to find someone to help him, but when she returns, he's nowhere to be seen. She finds him again the next day, and he's badly injured. As he heals, Molly befriends him and realizes that there's something magical about him. He can make a flower blossom in the palm of his hand; he can make a sapling grow in the dead of winter. Molly wants desperately to figure out who he is and just how much power he has. If he can make the trees come to life again, is there still hope for Molly's mother?"

THE TROUBLE WITH SECRETS: B MAGICAL by Lexi Connor "An enchanting new series about an eleven-year-old witch, Beatrix, will cast a S-P-E-L-L on readers!

Eleven-year-old Beatrix is thrilled -- she can finally cast spells just like the rest of her family. When her non-magical best friend George finds out her secret, however, the result is T-R-O-U-B-L-E!"

YOUNG ADULT

XVI by Julia Karr. "Nina Oberon's life is pretty normal: she hangs out with her best friend, Sandy, and their crew, goes to school, plays with her little sister, Dee. But Nina is 15. And like all girls she'll receive a Governing Council-ordered tattoo on her 16th birthday. XVI. Those three letters will be branded on her wrist, announcing to all the world - even the most predatory of men - that she is ready for sex. Considered easy prey by some, portrayed by the Media as sluts who ask for attacks, becoming a "sex-teen" is Nina's worst fear. That is, until right before her birthday, when Nina's mom is brutally attacked. With her dying breaths, she reveals to Nina a shocking truth about her past - one that destroys everything Nina thought she knew. Now, alone but for her sister, Nina must try to discover who she really is, all the while staying one step ahead of her mother's killer."

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis "Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules. Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone--one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship--tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming."

ALL JUST GLASS by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. "Sarah Vida has given up everything for love. From a legendary family of vampire-hunting witches, Sarah was raised to never trust a vampire, to never let her guard down, and to avoid all tricky attachments of the heart. But now Sarah IS a vampire—changed by the boy she thought she loved. Her family has forsaken her, and Sarah herself is disgusted by her appetite for blood. Aida Vida is Sarah's older sister, the good, reliable sibling who always does her family proud. But when Aida's mother insists that Sarah be found and killed, Aida is given the one assignment that she may not be able to carry out.
Taking place over just twenty-four hours, ALL JUST GLASS tells the story of a game-changing battle that will forever change the world of the Den of Shadows. And at its center is the story of two sisters who must choose between love and duty."

AWAKENED: HOUSE OF NIGHT by P.C & Kristin Cast "Exonerated by the Vampyre High Council and returned to her position of High Priestess at Tulsa’s House of Night, Neferet has sworn vengeance on Zoey. Dominion over Kalona is only one of the weapons she plans to use against Z. But Zoey has found sanctuary on the Isle of Skye and is being groomed by Queen Sgiach to take over for her there. Being Queen would be cool, wouldn’t it? Why should she return to Tulsa? After losing her human consort, Heath, she will never be the same – and her relationship with her super-hot-warrior, Stark, may never be the same either…And what about Stevie Rae and Rephaim? The Raven Mocker refuses to be used against Stevie Rae, but what choice does he have when no one in the entire world, including Zoey, would be okay with their relationship? Does he betray his father or his heart?

In the pulse-pounding 8th book in the bestselling House of Night series, how far will the bonds of friendship stretch and how strong are the ties that bind one girl’s heart?"

THE FAEMAN QUEST: THE FAERIE WARS CHRONICLES by Herbie Brennan "....with The Faeman Quest, Brennan returns to the world of Faerie to introduce a new character - Mella, the daughter of King Consort Henry and Queen Holly Blue. When Mella accidentally travels to the country of Haleklind, she discovers rebel forces preparing an invasion using a terrifying new magical weapon. This novel features old favorites-Brimstone, Pyrgus, and Lord Hairstreak's head-but readers will identify immediately with Mella, whose stubborn streak and fiesty daring must save the Faerie realm from mass destruction."

HEART OF GOLD: THE LAWS OF MAGIC by Michael Pryor At a loss after finishing their end-of-year exams, Aubrey and George travel to the Gallian capital, Lutetia, where it so happens that the lovely Caroline is studying natural history. Aubrey wants to pursue a cure for his condition—though his family has other ideas, and he's soon burdened with a royal mystery to solve, old letters to procure, a missing ornithologist to locate, and a spot of diplomatic espionage. These tasks should keep Aubrey occupied—but that would be underestimating his sense of curiosity and uncanny knack of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Someone is stealing people's souls and turning them into mindless monsters, and the country's magical lifeline, the Heart of Gold, has been stolen, leaving the city in chaos. Aubrey, George, and a somewhat reluctant Caroline are on the case in this engaging read.

HEXBOUND: DARK ELITE by Chloe Neill Lily Parker is new to St. Sophia's School for Girls, but she's already learned that magic can be your best friend-or your worst enemy. That's why Lily has to learn how to control her newly discovered paranormal abilities while fighting the good fight with her best friend Scout as they take on Chicago's nastiest nightlife-including the tainted magic users known as Reapers...

INVASION: A CHAOS NOVEL by Jon S. Lewis Colt McAlister is drawn into a war against things he thought only existed in comic books. After a car wreck takes the lives of his parents, Colt moves to Arizona to stay with his grandfather. There, an informant tells him that his parents were actually murdered because his mom, a journalist, was getting ready to write a story exposing Trident Industries. Along with Oz and Danielle, his new comrades at Chandler High, Colt vows to uncover the truth. But the more they learn, the more bizarre reality becomes. Mind control, jet packs, and flying motorcycles only scratch the surface of what they discover. Colt is recruited by a secret organization called the Central Headquarters Against the Occult and Supernatural. But the battle isn't just against an out-of-control giant corporation. A gateway to another world is opening, and the invasion has already begun.

THE JUDAS CODE: MONSTER REPUBLIC by Ben Horton. "The explosion at the Prime Minister's visit to Long Harbour means the cover of the Monster Republic is blown, and they are forced deep into hiding. Lazarus Fry turns his tactics to infiltration, and is confident of their swift crushing. Plus his new pets, the Blood Hawks, are hungry to get their talons into some fresh kill...But Fry hasn't counted on this band of rebel kids' awesome will for survival. When your back is against the wall, the only option is to come out fighting..."

THE LEGACY by Gemma Malley When a Pincent Pharmaceutical van is ambushed by the rebel group known as the Underground, its contents come as a huge surprise-not drugs, but corpses in a horrible state. It appears that the pharmaceutical company's top drug, Longevity-which is supposed to eradicate disease and ensure eternal life-isn't living up to its promises. Now a virus is sweeping the country, killing hundreds in its wake, and Longevity is powerless to fight it. But when the unscrupulous head of Pincent claims that the Underground is responsible for releasing the virus, it's up to Peter, Anna, and their friends to alert the world to the terrifying truth behind Longevity before it's too late.

THE LEGEND OF WARAWA: CHOSEN BY DESTINY TO FIGHT THE EVILS OF THE EXTREMES
by Robert C. Powers (couldn't find a blurb, but I guess it could be fantasy...)

MAD LOVE by Suzanne Selfors "When you're the daughter of the bestselling Queen of Romance, life should be pretty good. But 16-year-old Alice Amorous has been living a lie ever since her mother was secretly hospitalized for mental illness. After putting on a brave front for months, time is running out. The next book is overdue, and the Queen can't write it. Alice needs a story for her mother-and she needs one fast.

That's when she meets Errol, a strange boy who claims to be Cupid, who insists that Alice write about the greatest love story in history: his tragic relationship with Psyche. As Alice begins to hear Errol's voice in her head and see things she can't explain, she must face the truth-that she's either inherited her mother's madness, or Errol is for real."

THE NASCENZA CONSPIRACY: THE CASSAFORTE CHRONICLES by V. Briceland . "Petro Divetri—younger brother of famed sorceress Risa Divetri—just wants to be left alone. His status as one of the seven ruling families in Cassaforte has saddled him with unwanted attention, from bullies as well as from those seeking favors. So when Petro and his best friend Adrio are sent to far-off Nascenza for the Midsummer High Rites, they swap identities. Their prank goes awry when Adrio, mistaken for Petro, is kidnapped by rebels determined to overthrow the king. With the help of Emilia, a palace guard who wants to prove her worth, Petro must rescue his friend and defeat a political plot that threatens to wipe out all of Cassaforte."

NIGHT SCHOOL: BLOOD COVEN by Mari Mancusi "After their parents' shocking revelation about their fae heritage and an attack on their lives, the McDonald twins are forced to hide out deep in the Swiss Alps at Riverdale Academy, a secret vampire slayer training facility. And with no way to contact their vampire boyfriends for rescue, they're going to have to play nice with the locals. But when Sunny starts acting strange, Rayne realizes that there's more to fear at Riverdale than getting staked by the student body-leading to a showdown in Fairyland that may cost the twins their lives"

SHADOWSPELL: FAERIEWALKER by Jenna Black "On top of spending most of her time in a bunkerlike safe house and having her dates hijacked by a formidable Fae bodyguard, Faeriewalker Dana Hathaway is in for some more bad news: the Erlking and his pack of murderous minions known as the Wild Hunt have descended upon Avalon. With his homicidal appetite and immortal powers, the Erlking has long been the nightmare of the Fae realm. A fragile treaty with the Faerie Queen, sealed with a mysterious spell, is the one thing that keeps him from hunting unchecked in Avalon, the only place on Earth where humans and Fae live together. Which means Dana’s in trouble, since it’s common knowledge that the Faerie Queen wants her – and her rare Faeriewalker powers – dead. The smoldering, sexy Erlking’s got his sights set on Dana, but does he only seek to kill her, or does he have something much darker in mind?"

SHANTORIAN: TRACKERS by Patrick Carman "In the 21st century landscape of bits and bytes, everyone leaves a digital footprint ... even the most advanced cyber criminals. And that's where the Trackers come in. Four tech-savvy kids armed with high-tech video cameras and esoteric coding skills, the Trackers can find almost anyone, anywhere. Told through a collage of videos, text, and websites, Trackers #1 follows Adam, Finn, Lewis, and Emily as they become entangled in a high-tech, high-stakes game of cat and mouse with Shantorian, the world's most dangerous hacker. At least, that's who they think they're tracking....

As the four dig deeper into the shadowy world of online crime, they soon learn that things aren't always as they seem."

TIMELESS by Alexandra Monir "When tragedy strikes Michele Windsor’s world, she is forced to uproot her life and move across the country to New York City, to live with the wealthy, aristocratic grandparents she’s never met. In their old Fifth Avenue mansion filled with a century’s worth of family secrets, Michele discovers a diary that hurtles her back in time to the year 1910. There, in the midst of the glamorous Gilded Age, Michele meets the young man with striking blue eyes who has haunted her dreams all her life – a man she always wished was real, but never imagined could actually exist. And she finds herself falling for him, into an otherworldly, time-crossed romance.

Michele is soon leading a double life, struggling to balance her contemporary high school world with her escapes into the past. But when she stumbles upon a terrible discovery, she is propelled on a race through history to save the boy she loves – a quest that will determine the fate of both of their lives."

TRICKSTER'S GIRL by Hilari Bell "In the year 2098 America isn't so different from the USA of today. But, in a post-9/11 security-obssessed world, "secured" doesn't just refer to borders between countries, it also refer to borders between states. Teenagers still think they know everything, but there is no cure for cancer, as Kelsa knows first-hand from watching her father die. The night Kelsa buries her father, a boy appears. He claims magic is responsible for the health of Earth, but human damage disrupts its flow. The planet is dying. Kelsa has the power to reverse the damage, but first she must accept that magic exists and see beyond her own pain in order to heal the planet."

UNEARTHLY by Cynthia Hand "Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy. Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?"

WARPED by Maurissa Guibord "Tessa doesn't believe in magic. Or Fate. But there's something weird about the dusty unicorn tapestry she discovers in a box of old books. She finds the creature woven within it compelling and frightening. After the tapestry comes into her possession, Tessa experiences dreams of the past and scenes from a brutal hunt that she herself participated in. When she accidentally pulls a thread from the tapestry, Tessa releases a terrible centuries old secret. She also meets William de Chaucy, an irresistible 16th-century nobleman. His fate is as inextricably tied to the tapestry as Tessa's own. Together, they must correct the wrongs of the past. But then the Fates step in, making a tangled mess of Tessa's life. Now everyone she loves will be destroyed unless Tessa does their bidding and defeats a cruel and crafty ancient enemy."

THE WATER WARS by Cameron Stracher "Welcome to a future where water is more precious than oil or gold...Hundreds of millions of people have already died, and millions more will soon fall-victims of disease, hunger, and dehydration. It is a time of drought and war. The rivers have dried up, the polar caps have melted, and drinkable water is now in the hands of the powerful few. There are fines for wasting it and prison sentences for exceeding the quotas.

But Kai didn't seem to care about any of this. He stood in the open road drinking water from a plastic cup, then spilled the remaining drops into the dirt. He didn't go to school, and he traveled with armed guards. Kai claimed he knew a secret-something the government is keeping from us... And then he was gone. Vanished in the middle of the night. Was he kidnapped? Did he flee? Is he alive or dead? There are no clues, only questions. And no one can guess the lengths to which they will go to keep him silent. We have to find him-and the truth-before it is too late for all of us."

WISHFUL THINKING by Alexandra Bullen "If you could wish for a different life, would you? What if that life changed everything you thought was real? Adopted as a baby, Hazel Snow has always been alone. She's never belonged anywhere--and has always yearned to know the truth about where she comes from. So when she receives three stunning, enchanted dresses--each with the power to grant one wish--Hazel wishes to know her mother. Transported to a time and place she couldn't have imagined, Hazel finds herself living an alternate life--a life with the mother she never knew.

Over the course of one amazing, miraculous summer, Hazel finds her home, falls in love, and forms an unexpected friendship. But will her search to uncover her past forever alter her future?"