Enter the World of the Iron Fey

When most girls turn 16, they look forward to having a big party, a new boyfriend, maybe a car. Not Meghan Chase - she has a destiny she could never have imagined. A stranger is stalking her and it turns out that her dad is a Faerie King and she is a pawn in a deadly war. Meghan's story begins in The Iron King by Julie Kagawa. You can read an excerpt of The Iron King here

The world of faerie is the stuff of dreams: powers unimaginable, love, magic, quests - and often romance. There are a wide variety of good faerie books out there for you to read. Although, if I were you, I would never trust a faerie.

For other books about the world of Faerie try . . .

The Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr

#1 Wicked Lovely

#2 Ink Exchange

#3 Fragile Eternity

#4 Radiant Shadows

#5 Darkest Mercy

The Need series by Carrie Jones

#1 Need

#2 Captivate

#3 Entice Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin

The Faierie Path series by Frewin Jones

The Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer

Who Killed Wesley Payne?

Prom and Prejudice

How early do you start thinking about prom? There are a number of great prom reads out there to help get you in the spirit, and it may just help with those winter blahs.

Coming soon (as in already on order) is Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg. And here is a fun trailer for it . . .



Other great prom reads include












Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson

Ashley Hannigan does. not. care. about. prom. At all. But everyone else does - including her best friend Natalia, who is head of the committee. But when the faculty advisor steals all of the prom money, Ashley suddenly finds herself helping to put a dance together with almost nothing. Anderson is one of my favorite teen authors and I heartily recommend this book.

Zombie Queen of Newbury High by Amanda Ashby

Look, I love a good zombie book. And what can be better than an unpopular girl who is trying to protect her boyfriend from the clutches of the cheerleading captain inflicting a zombie virus on the entire school? Nothing. Nothing is better. Quite a fun read.

Top 10 Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress by Tina Ferraro

When you get stood up for the prom, what do you do with the dress? Nicolette is forced to answer this and other questions while she tries to manage her own feelings and help her parents navigate through their divorce. Touching and funny.

Prom Anonymous by Blake Nelson

Chloe Thomas is going to the prom. Of course, she doesn’t have a date, she needs a dress, and she's the last person anyone expects to see there. Why on earth did she agree to do this?

Prom Dates from Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore (a part of the Maggie Quinn: Girl vs. Evil series)

When her classmates start falling prey to bizarre accidents, the intrepid reporter Maggie Quinn can't ignore the story. In the end Maggie will end up throwing down with a demon at her senior prom. That probably won't happen at yours, but it sure is fun reading about the Nancy Drew wannabe with a supernatural twist Maggie Quinn.

The 2011 Michael L. Printz Award Winners

The 2011 Michael L. Printz award winner for best Teen Fiction is Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi. Set in a bleak future, 17 year-old Nailer's job is to scavenge ship wrecks for profit. When he stumbles across a girl who is barely hanging on to life, he must decide if he should slit her throat and sell her for parts or take a chance and help her. Fans of Sci Fi like The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins will enjoy this book.

Honor books include . . .

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

The rugged Australian outback becomes Gemma’s prison after she is drugged and abducted by a handsome, obsessed stranger in a first novel filled with searing imagery and archetypal characters.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

Vera Dietz wants to be ignored, but the ghost of her ex-best friend won’t leave her alone in this dark comedy that examines relationships, identity, grief and flowcharts.

Revolver written by Marcus Sedgwick

In Sedgwick’s grim, chilling story set in the Arctic Circle, Sig finds his father’s frozen corpse as human predator Wolff arrives seeking retribution and a hidden Gold Rush treasure.

Nothing written by Janne Teller

Pierre Anthon’s nihilism causes his classmates to begin a search for life’s meaning in this bold, unsettling parable translated from Danish.

Hush Little Baby Don't Say a Word, Momma's Gonna Buy You a Mockingbird

Some schools have honor codes.
Others have handbooks.
Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.

When Alex wakes up in bed next to a guy whose name she can not remember, the evidence suggests one thing - she has been date raped. Her friends urge her to see out the help of the mockingbirds, a secret society which puts the students to trial for their crimes. If you are found guilty, you must give up the thing you love most. If you are found innocent, then your accuser must give up the thing that they love most.

The author, Daisy Whitney, was a victim of date rape in college. That is the reason that the after affects of the rape feel so real. Alex goes out of her way to avoid even a chance encounter with her rapist. She stops going to the cafeteria to eat. She maps out elaborate routes so she doesn't run in to him on the campus. She lives in fear as the details of that night slowly come back to her.

An interesting part of the story is the backstory of how The Mockingbirds came in to existence. They are based on the theory of justice and inspired by the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. And there are people involved that will surprise Alex.

Mockingbirds is a stunning, realistic read. From the very first sentence we are plunged into Alex's nightmare. Because of the subject matter, this book is recommended for older teens.

Teen Read Week 2010 and Zombies

Last week was Teen Read Week and I want to say thanks for all the teens who participated.

There was lots of zombie fun - and zombie reading.

Some of you even read some zombie books, and just in time for Halloween.

Just as we were getting ready for Zombie Read and Rock, a new zombie book crossed my desk - Zombies vs. Unicorns. This is a collection of short stories which argues the age old question of which is better, zombies or unicorns. Each short story is written by a different author. If you are a fan of either (or both), you should check it out.

Zombie fans will also want to check out Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry. In this world, zombie hunter is a totally recognized profession. And everyone must have a job by the age of 15 or else they will lose their food rations. So zombie hunter seems like a good idea, right? But what does it truly mean to be human?

Teens' Top Ten 2010

Every year YALSA (an organization of librarians who serve teens just like you) lets teens vote on their favorite books of the year. Yesterday they announced the Teens' Top Ten for 2010. This is a list of the best books for teens voted on by teens.

The Teens' Top Ten 2010 is:

#1 Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
Heist Society by Ally Carter
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Fire by Kristin Cashore
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

There are a lot of great reads on this list, but my vote for #1 would definitely be If I Stay by Gayle Forman.

Follow this link to view a video of WWE Diva Eve Torress announcing this year's winners!