Graceling by Kristin Cashore

In Katsa's world, some people are born with an extreme skill, called a grace. Some graces are helpful, such as a grace for cooking or archery, others are useless, such as the abilty to talk backwards. Katsa's grace is for killing. All gracelings are easily recognized by their unmatched eyes, and all are feared and misunderstood. Gracelings are at the mercy of their king, and Katsa more than most. Her killing grace is very useful to her uncle, King Randa, and he uses her to do his dirty work throught the kingdom. Katsa is wracked with guilt and anger. She slowly begins to form an alliance with others who share her desire to help those in danger, without the king's knowledge. It is on a mission for this council that she meets Po, another graceling fighter with secrets of his own. Together Katsa and Po learn new things about their own graces, and terrible secrets from other lands that threaten to destroy them all.

Katsa is a strong, but vulnerable, female protagonist, and Po is a very appealing counterpart. They quickly develop a close friendship, then a deeper bond, but don't expect the usual happily-ever-after. This book provides a fresh perspective on the fantasy novel, a definite page-turner. It will appeal to older fantasy readers who want a little more depth to their story. It's a first novel for Cashore, but others in the series are in the works.

How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

In New Avalon, almost everyone has their own personal fairy to help with one aspect of their life. Charlie has a parking fairy. She’s fourteen, she can’t drive, and she hates cars. Worse, people are always trying to make her go places with them just so they can score a great parking space. Why can’t Charlie have an awesome shopping fairy like her friend, Rochelle, or an all-the-boys-like-you fairy like stuck up Fiorenze, or even a loose change fairy. No fairy at all would be better than the parking fairy. Charlie has had enough. She wants a new fairy, but first she has to get rid of the one she has and she’s willing to take extreme measures to do it. Of course, there’s a boy involved, as well as an enemy who might actually be a friend.

Recommended grade levels: 7-12

Chiggers (graphic novel) by Hope Larson

Abby heads off to her usual summer camp, but this year nothing is the same. Her friend, Rose, is now a cabin assistant and doesn't have much time for Abby. Beth has gotten new piercings, is starting a band, and is a little too cool. Only Shasta, the new girl, really seems to want to hang out with Abby. Unfortunately, the other girls don't like Shasta. A mysterious illness prevents her from participating in camp activities, she claims to have a boyfriend who's a senior, and she tells crazy stories about her life that nobody believes. The only good thing happening to Abby this summer is meeting a new boy who actually might like her.

Abby is a likeable character that adolescent girls will relate well to. This is a quick, easy graphic novel that will appeal to many girls, especially those new to the genre.

Recommended grade levels 7-10.

Brooklyn Bridge by Karen Hesse

Beautifully written historical fiction about 14 yr. old Joe Michtom, child of Russian immigrants set in turn of the century Brooklyn. The family has invented the “teddy bear” inspired by Roosevelt and turned their small candy store into a bear factory. Immigrant family life is well represented as the extended family lives either within their block in Brooklyn or just over the Bridge.
Joe longs to visit exciting Coney Island, the new amusement park but always seems to have to work on bears, even the family has taken a back seat to these bears.
Joe falls in love, out of love, experiences loss, anger and frustration but is building his fine character all the while.
An unusual side story of orphan children that live underneath the Brooklyn Bridge parallels Joe’s story. It takes some reflection and thought to bring the two ideas together but the orphans strengthen the readers knowledge of the emotions and societal events of the time period.

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt

1- A shape shifting 1000+ year old snake imprisoned in a clay jar far beneath the earth imagining finding her missing daughter when she is released.
2- A bitter, scarred man set out to kill a giant alligator.
3- A gentle make-shift family of a chained hound dog and a mama cat and her kittens who live carefully underneath the man’s ramshackle house.

Three wildly different stories are artfully woven together like a tapestry to tell a gothic Southern tale about what love can do for the human spirit.

This is an animal tale at heart that tugs at your heartstrings. The fantasy elements blend in as though your grandmother was exaggerating one of her favorite tales from long ago.

In the beginning the chapters of each character are so short it’s difficult to keep the reader interested. However, as the mystery begins to unravel, the reader begins to imagine how each story could possibly be connected. Patience is a virtue while reading this yarn.

Houdini by Jason Lutes & Nick Bertozzi

Graphic novel which is easy to read and has simple illustrations. Was anyone else as surprised as I was to learn of Bess' deception in helping her husband escape from the lock when he plunged into the Charles River?

Marvelous introduction by Glen David Gold and the panel discussions in the back of the book are wonderful stepping stones to several (future) mini lessons.

Whole page on cartooning....how to begin and how to obtain information.

Walking on Glass

by Alma Fullerton
Published by Harper Tempest
ISBN: 978-0-06-077851-4
$15.99 131 pgs. FIC POP FUL

A touching account of a young man's struggle with the attempted suicide of his mother and the decisions he has to face in the following months. Fullerton doesn't actually describe what happens until page 122, so you can accurately imagine the confusion and loneliness (apparent through journal entries written as free verse) that the young man experiences as his father spirals into a deep depression, his best friend Jack becomes a substance abusing monster, and a new girl Alissa tries to enter his life. His personal torture is over when he makes that life and death decision that nobody should have to make about their own parent.

Recommended grades 9th-12th