Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

Simon, Baz, Penelope, and Agatha have returned to England after their adventures in America.  Each of them has to decide what they're going to do next.  Simon has to decide whether to leave the magic world or not.  Baz is bouncing between two family crises.  Penelope is searching for a way to save a Normal from a demon's curse.  And Agatha is just done with it all.

This is the third and final book in the Simon Snow series.  I have loved this series since the first book.  It was a great read with its turning of a "Chosen One" prophecy on its head.  This book is a great ending to the series.  The story is interesting and the character development is well done.  I would definitely recommend this book to those who enjoyed the first book in the series and I would recommend the whole series to those who enjoy fantasy stories and relationships.

Road Trip by Gary Paulsen

 

Ben has just been informed he's going on a road trip with his father -- a road trip he's not sure he wants to go on.  

He wants to rescue the dog there travelling to save.  But he doesn't want to spend any time with his dad.  

So invites along his thuggish friend Theo.  

Then they're joined by a cranky mechanic who lends them his school bus for the trip.  

Next they're joined by a waitress who reads aura.  

This is going to be one memorable road trip.

This is a fun and interesting book to read (or listen to on audio).  The characters draw you into the story -- especially Atticus, their current dog, who narrates his observations at the end of each chapter.  I would definitely recommend this book to all readers.

Boo! Ghost Stories for Kids

 This week, I'm sharing chapter book ghost stories.  Here a few of my favorites . . . .

Christina's Ghost by Betty Ren Wright

Christina's summer in a spooky, isolated Victorian house with her grumpy uncle turns into a ghostly adventure.

Ghost Knight by Cornelia Funke

Eleven-year-old Jon Whitcroft and new friend Ella summon the ghost of Sir William Longspee, who may be able to protect Jon from a group of ghosts that threatens him harm from the day he arrives at Salisbury Cathedral's boarding school. 

The Time of the Ghost by Diana Wynne Jones

A ghost, uncertain of her identity, watches the four Melford sisters hatch a plan to get their parents' attention and slowly becomes aware of the danger from a supernatural power unleashed by the girls and their friends from the boys boarding school run by the Melfords.

Dial-A-Ghost by Eva Ibbotson

A family of nice ghosts protects a British orphan from the diabolical plans of his evil guardians. 

More Ghost Stories --

A Festival of Ghosts by William Alexander

Ghost and Bone by Andrew Prentice

The Ghost Collector by Allison Mills

Ghost Dog Secrets by Peg Kehret

The Ghost in the Glass House by Carey Wallace

The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn

Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega

Ghost: Thirteen Haunting Tales to Tell by various authors
Ghosted by Michael Fry
Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost by Cornelia Funke

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through November 5, 2021.

Dare to Be Scared: Horror Stories for Teens

This week, we're getting in the Halloween mood with some great horror novels for teens . . . .

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
For three years, seventeen-year-old Cas Lowood has carried on his father's work of dispatching the murderous dead, traveling with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat, but everything changes when he meets Anna, a girl unlike any ghost he has faced before.

Lord Loss by Darren Shan

Presumably the only witness to the horrific and bloody murder of his entire family, a teenage boy must outwit not only the mental health professionals determined to cure his delusion, but also the demonic forces only he can see.

Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis

Lola Nox is sent to live with her estranged maternal grandmother in the mining town where her horror movie director father's most iconic film was set, when paranormal incidents and whispers of a century-old monster make her question if she'll make it out alive.

The Sacrifice Box by Martin J. Stewart

Five former friends must discover which of them broke the rules when objects they sealed in an ancient stone box come to life in twisted forms and dead things reanimate.

More Horror Stories --

#MurderTrending by Gretchen McNeil

As I Descended by Robin Talley

Blood Countess by Lana Popovic

Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power

Burning by Danielle Rollins

Daemon Hall by Andrew Nance

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

Dreaming Darkly by Caitlin Kittredge

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco

The Haunted by Danielle Vega

His Hideous Heart: Thirteen of Edgar Allan Poe's Most Unsettling Tales Reimangined

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky

Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo

The Wrong Train by Jeremy de Quidt

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through October 30, 2021.

Can You Solve the Mystery?

 This week, I'm sharing chapter book mysteries.  Here are a few of my favorites . . . .

Charlie & Frog: A Mystery by Karen Kane
While staying with his grandparents in Castle-on-the-Hudson, Charlie stumbles upon a mystery but must learn American Sign Language to keep up with Frog, a deaf girl who wants to help solve it.

The Haunted Serpent by Dora M. Mitchell
New kid in school Spaulding Meriwether teams with cool kid Marietta, her euphonium-playing sister Lucy, and popular jock Kenny to investigate a mysterious boa constrictor that lives next door to Spaulding that may have eaten its owner.

The Uncanny Express by Kara LaReau
When their Aunt Shallot, aka Magique, Queen of Magic, goes missing on the Uncanny Express, Jaundice, Kale, and the famous detective Hugo Frommage seek to solve the mystery and rescue the magician.

The Real McCoys by Matthew Swanson

Elementary school detective Moxie McCoy looks for a missing school mascot and a new best friend, with the help of her annoying little brother.

More Mysteries --
Ernestine, Catastrophe Queen by Merrill Wyatt

The Guggenheim Mystery by Robin Stevens

The Harlem Charade by Natasha Tarpley

Kazu Jones and the Denver Dognappers by Shauna M. Holyoak

Mystery in the Mansion by Lauren Magaziner

Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Room One: A Mystery or Two by Andrew Clements

Strike Three, You're Dead by Josh Berk

Under Locker and Key by Allison K. Hymas

The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair by Amy Makechnie

The Unknowns: A Mystery by Benedict Carey

Who Killed Darius Drake? by Rodman Philbrick

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through October 1, 2021.

I Don't Remember: Stories of Memory Loss & Amnesia for Teens

It's always fun to read a book and try to discover the hidden secrets.  And there is nothing more secretive than lost memories.  So this week, I'm sharing teen stories about amnesia and memory loss.  Here are a few of my favorites . . . .

The Leaving by Tara Altebrando
Years after six kindergarteners go missing, five return as teens and struggle to reacclimate to life with their families in spite of trauma and an inability to remember about their experiences. None of them remember the sixth victim, Max, the only one who hasn't come back. Which leaves Max's sister, Avery, wanting answers and is determined to find her brother.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape.

The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron
Canaan is a quiet city on an idyllic world, hemmed in by high walls, but every twelve years the town breaks out in a chaos of bloody violence, after which all the people undergo the Forgetting, in which they are left without any trace of memory of themselves, their families, or their lives--but somehow seventeen-year-old Nadia has never forgotten, and she is determined to find out what causes it and how to put a stop to the Forgetting forever.

Stolen by Vivian Vande Velde
A girl finds herself running through the forest at the edge of a village with no memory of anything, even her own name, and later learns that she might be twelve-year-old Isabelle, believed to be stolen by a witch six years before.


More Stories --
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf
Damsel by Elana K. Arnold
The Dead I Know by Scot Gardner
Destroy All Monsters by Sam J. Miller
Forgotten: A Novel by Cat Patrick
Grown: A Novel by Tiffany D. Jackson
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
The Last Thing I Remember by Andrew Klavan
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
Mind Games by Shana Silver
The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr
Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley
Reverie by Ryan La Sala
Remember Me Always by Renee Collins
The Ruinous Sweep by Tim Wynne-Jones
Shadow State by Elyse Brayden
Surface Tension by Mike Mullin
With Malice by Eileen Cook

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through September 24, 2021.

Horse Tales

 This week, I'm sharing chapter book stories about horses . . . .

Astra by Chris Platt
Forbidden to ride after her mother's death in a riding accident, thirteen-year-old Lily nurses her mother's beloved horse, Astra, back to health, hoping that someday Astra will win the Tevis Cup endurance race.

Rescue by Jessie Haas

When Chess moves near Joni, their differing opinions have Joni defending her family's farm, and she must find the courage to stand up to Chess when she decides to "rescue" the minature horses from a nearby farm.

Libby of High Hopes by Elisa Primavera

When ten-year-old Libby Thump stumbles upon High Hopes Horse Farm and finds her dream horse, Princess, a prize-winning jumping horse that has been put out to pasture, Libby tries to convince her parents to give her riding lessons.

Dream of Night by Heather Henson

Told from their different points of view, twelve-year-old Shiloh, a troubled foster child, Dream of Night, an abused former racehorse, and Jess, a woman who cares for both, find healing by helping one another through their pain.

More Horse Stories --

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
The Blue Roan Child by Jamieson Findlay
Chauncy of the Maury River by Gigi Amateau

The Devil in Ol' Rosie by Louise Moeri
A Horse Called Hero by Sam Angus

A Hundred Horses by Sarah Lean

The Island Horse by Susan Hughes

King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry

Mary Margaret Meets Her Match by Christine Kole MacLean

Mending Horses by M.P. Barker

My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara

No Small Thing by Natale Ghent

Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan

Wild Girl by Patricia Reilly Giff

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through September 10, 2021.