The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman

A queen goes on a quest.  She has heard that the neighboring kingdom across the mountains has fallen asleep.  First it was just the castle.  But now it's creeping through the kingdom, a few miles every day, causing everyone to fall asleep.  She sets out with three dwarfs to discover the cause of the sleeping and to break the curse.

This is a great little retelling of Sleeping Beauty for teens.  It has enough familiar details and twists to make it interesting.   This is also available as a full-cast audio for listening.

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

The villain Blackheart is surprised when one day a young man appears at his door claiming to be his new sidekick.  Turns out its a shapeshifter -- Nimona.

Nimona wants to help Blackheart get revenge against his nemesis Goldenloin and the Institute of Law Inforcement and Heroics.  Together they finally be able to defeat them.


This was a great graphic novel on heroism, villainy and what they both mean.  The twists and turns are unexpected and fun to read.  Nimona is a great book for all teens!

Pennyroyal Academy by M.A. Larson

Seeking bold, courageous youths to become tomorrow's princesses and knights . . .

Come One, Come All!

A girl from the forest, with no name and no idea why she is there, finds herself in a world at war with witches.  She enrolls at Pennyroyal Academy where princess are trained to fight witches and knights are trained to fight dragons.  The girl, now named "Evie", must endure harsh training exercises while navigating a world of friends and enemies.

As Evie learns what it truly means to be a princess, she realizes that she is more closely ensnared in this war than she could have ever thought.  Surprises about her past and her family reveal just how much a part of this war she really is.


This is a great new take on the princess story.  These princesses are meek girls waiting to be rescued.  They are brave, strong girls training to fight evil.  They are the only defense against the witches wanting to destroy the world.

A Winter Wonderland of Reading

This past weekend saw our first snowfall of the season.  While the snow didn't last but an hour or two, it did bring back fond memories of some of my favorite children's books that take place during the winter . . .

The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper
On his eleventh birthday Will Stanton discovers that he is the last of the Old Ones, destined to seek the six magical Signs that will enable the Old Ones to triumph over the evil forces of the Dark.

The Leanin' Dog by K.A. Nuzum
In wintry Colorado during the 1930s, eleven-year-old Dessa Dean mourns the death of her beloved mother, but the arrival of an injured dog and the friendship they form is just what they need to change their lives forever.

North by Donna Jo Napoli
Tired of his mother's overprotectiveness and intrigued by the life of African American explorer Matthew Henson, twelve-year-old Alvin travels north and spends a season with a trapper near the Arctic Circle.

Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library by Eth Clifford
Two girls spend an adventurous night trapped inside the public library during a terrible blizzard.

Twelve Kinds of Ice by Ellen Bryan Obed
From the first ice, a thin skin on a bucket of water, through thickly-iced fields, streams, and gardens, a girl, her family, and friends anticipate and enjoy a winter of skating, ending with an ice show complete with costumes, refreshments, and clowns.


More Winter Stories --
Blackwater Ben by William Durbin
The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin
The Snow Spider by Jenny Nimmo
The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Winter According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birtney
The Winter Pony by Iain Lawrence

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Simon Snow is the "Chosen One".  He is the magician that will save the world of magic from the Insidious Humdrum who is draining magic and leaving dead spots all over England.

Only one problem . . . he's not a very good magician.

Yes, he has power!  Lots of power!  But he doesn't have control over that power.  In fact, his main defense against the Humdrum is to "go off" and explode.

Baz, his arch nemesis and roommate at school, mocks him continuously about this.  Baz who is a vampire although no one seems to know except Simon.  Baz who didn't even bother to show up to school this year.



Rainbow Rowell previously wrote the novel Fan Girl about a character that was obsessed over a fantasy book series about Simon Snow.  This is the final story in that fictional series.  Even though it is a parody of fantasy books for teens, it is actually a great fantasy story for teens.

I would recommend this book to any fans of Rainbow Rowell's books and to those fantasy fans of Harry Potter, Charlie Bone and more.