The Magical World of Unicorns

What could be more magical than unicorns?  Enjoy one of these great unicorn stories . . . .

Punycorn by Andi Watson

Carbuncle is a land of endless rainbows and sugar-sprinkled doughnuts--until the vile Sir Ogre unleashes his evil army on the happy kingdom. Who can stop his outsized appetite for destruction? Punycorn! Who? Punycorn. The smallest, clumsiest, and, yes, puniest of all the unicorns. Punycorn may not look like a hero, but aided by a fireless dragon, a feisty dung beetle, and a magic sword with a hidden secret, he might just be Carbuncle's only hope!

The Rescue of the Unicorn by Deborah Lerme Goodman

You make the journey across the ocean to Scotland, and vow to protect your unicorn from danger in these new, strange lands. Will the unicorn's magic reach those who need it most, or will it be stolen by the greedy and violent people who know its full power?  One you can decide how the story ends.

Bad Unicorn by Platte F. Clark

Max Spencer is an underachiever but when a carnivorous unicorn, Princess the Destroyer, and an evil wizard, Rezormoor, bring him, the only one who can read the legendary Codex of Infinite Knowability, to their magical realm, he must find the courage to save himself, his friends, and the entire human race.

More Unicorn Books --

Even and Odd by Sarah Beth Durst

Gotta Warn the Unicorns by Nancy Krulik

How to Save a Unicorn by Meg Cannistra

Leona the Unicorn Fairy by Daisy Meadows

The Order of the Unicorn by Suzanne Selfors

Phoebe and Her Unicorn series by Dana Simpson

A Plague of Unicorns by Jane Yolen

Save the Unicorns by Helen Perelman

Unicorn Boy by Dave Roman

Tangled Magic by Kamilla Benko

The Unicorn's Spell by Cort Lane

Strong & Independent: Female Characters in Teen Books

This March, read one of these teen books featuring strong and independent female characters in honor of Women's History Month . . . .

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Eldest of three sisters in a land where it is considered to be a misfortune, Sophie is resigned to her fate as a hat shop apprentice until a witch turns her into an old woman and she finds herself in the castle of the greatly feared wizard Howl.

Terrier by Tamora Pierce

When sixteen-year-old Beka becomes "Puppy" to a pair of "Dogs," as the Provost's Guards are called, she uses her police training, natural abilities, and a touch of magic to help them solve the case of a murdered baby in Tortall's Lower City.

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
An aristocratic girl who is a member of a warmongering and enslaving empire purchases a slave, an act that sets in motion a rebellion that might overthrow her world as well as her heart.


More Books --

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Damsel by Elana K. Arnold

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Fire by Kristin Cashore

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadano

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Maximum Ride by James Patterson

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

Silly Stories for Young Readers

We love books that make us laugh!  They tend to be some of our favorite books.  Check out these silly picture books . . . .

Cowlick! by Christin Ditchfield

A fanciful account of how two boys get cowlicks in their hair as they sleep. She comes in the middle of the night, when everyone is sleeping. When she sees a smooth little head on a pillow, she can't resist giving it a cow kiss--sluuurrrp! Cowlick!

Hello Hot Dog! by Lily Murray

Hot Dog is having a good day until he realizes it is time for lunch.

The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak

You might think a book with no pictures seems boring and serious. Except . . . here's how books work. Everything written on the page has to be said by the person reading it aloud. Even if the words say . . . BLORK. Or BLUURF. Even if the words are a preposterous song about eating ants for breakfast, or just a list of astonishingly goofy sounds like BLAGGITY BLAGGITY and GLIBBITY GLOBBITY.

My Rhinoceros by Jon Agee

A rhinoceros does only two things: pop balloons and poke holes in kites. But rhinoceroses can really do more--so much more--than that!

More Silly Books --

Bark, George! by Jules Feiffer

Chicken Cheeks by Michael Ian Black

The Cows Are Going to Paris by David Kirby

Dandy by Ame Dyckman

Did You Take the B From My _ook? by Beck Stanton

Don't Feed the Coos by Jonathan Stutzman

Dragons Eat Noodles on Tuesdays by Jon Stahl

Ducks Don't Wear Socks by John Nedwidek

Fall Is Not Easy by Marty Kelley

Falling for Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox

Frog on a Log by Kes Gray 

I Can Only Draw Worms by Will Mabbitt

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

Is Everyone Ready for Fun? by Jan Thomas

Mail Harry to the Moon! by Robie H. Harris

Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos

Norman, the Slug With a Silly Shell by Sue Hendra

People Don't Bite People by Lisa Wheeler

Silly Tilly by Eileen Spinelli

Squids Will Be Squids by Jon Scieszka

What Does an Anteater Eat? by Ross Collins

What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night? by Amy and Refe Tuma

Zombie in Love by Kelly DiPucchio

Game On! Sports Stories for Teens

Check out some of these great sports stories for teens.  Here are a few of our favorites . . . .

Check, Please! series by Ngozi Ukazo
Eric Bittle, an ex-junior figure skating champion turned college hockey player learns to cope with the contact sport--and his feelings towards Jack, his attractive team captain.

Fence: Striking Distance by Sarah Rees Brennan

The boys of Kings Row are assigned a course of team building exercises to deepen their bonds. It takes a shoplifting scandal, a couple of moonlit forest strolls, and a whole lot of introspection for the team to realize they are stronger together than they could ever be apart.

Out of Our League: 16 Stories of Girls in Sports edited by Dahlia Adler & Jennifer Iacopelli

A YA anthology from editors Dahlia Adler and Jennifer Iacopelli about the trials and triumphs of girls in sports.

More Books --

Brawler by Neil Connelly

Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli

Call Me By My Name by John Ed Bradley

Game Change by Joseph Monninger

Game On edited by Laura Silverman

Gut Check by Eric Kester

Gutless by Carl Deuker

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler

Kneel by Candace Buford

Swagger by Carl Deuker

Won't You Be My Valentine?

 Get in the mood for Valentine's Day with one of these chapter book stories . . . .

Babymouse: Heartbreaker by Jennifer Holm

Valentine's Day is Babymouse's favorite holiday, but this year there's going to be a dance and Babymouse is desperate to find a date for it.

Goblin Market by Diane Zahler

In this story inspired by Polish folklore, two sisters face a goblin prince in the dark forest.

Noah Frye Gets Crushed by Maggie Horne

Noah Frye comes up with a foolproof plan to teach herself how to have a crush on a boy to fit in better with her friends--only to discover she's been looking in the wrong place, and her crush was right beside her all along.

More Books --

Aphrodite the Beauty by Joan Holub

Captain Awesome Gets Crushed by Stan Kirby

Heart-to-Heart with Mallory by Laurie B. Friedman

Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentine by Barbara Park

The Malted Falcon by Bruce Hale

Valentine's Day From the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler

Worst Love Spell Ever by Wanda Coven

The Dead Parents Society

This week, we're sharing teen books featuring orphans.  Here's a few of our favorites . . . .

 

Fruits Basket series by Natsuki Takaya
After a family tragedy turns her life upside down, high schooler Tohru Honda takes matters into her own hands and moves out ... into a tent! Unfortunately for her, she pitches her new home on private land belonging to the mysterious Sohma clan, and it isn't long before the owners discover her secret. But, as Tohru quickly finds out when the family offers to take her in, the Sohmas have a secret of their own -- when touched by the opposite sex, they turn into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac!

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
After the death of the uncle who had been his guardian, fourteen-year-old Alex Rider is coerced to continue his uncle's dangerous work for Britain's intelligence agency, MI6.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place-he's the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians' time as well as their ghostly teachings-such as the ability to Fade so mere mortals cannot see him. Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead?


More Books --
The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World by Amy Reed
Burden Falls by Kat Ellis
Forbidden by Eve Bunting
The Girl I Used to Be by April Henry
If the Witness Lied by Caroline B. Cooney
The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James
My Life With the Walter Boys by Ali Novak
Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom
The Orphan's Wish by Melanie Dickerson
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Promised Neverland series by Kaiu Shirai
The Reader by Traci Chee
Snow and Poison by Melissa de la Cruz

Animal Books Aren't Just for Little Kids

Do you love animals?  Want a good animal story to read?  Try one of these teen books featuring animals . . . .

Creepy Cat, v.1 by Cotton Valent

Flora moves into a mysterious mansion and finds it inhabited by a strange creature -- Creepy Cat! Thus begins her strange and sometimes dangerous life with a feline roommate.

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

Bored with her proper, circumscribed life as a princess, Cimorene runs away to join a powerful, fascinating dragon named Kazul and encounters a host of adventures along the way.

Gather by Kenneth M. Cadow

Ian Gray isn't supposed to have a dog, but a lot of things that shouldn't happen end up happening anyway. And Gather, Ian's adopted pup, is good company now that Ian has to quit the basketball team, find a job, and take care of his mom as she tries to overcome her opioid addiction. 

More Books --

Ash's Cabin by Jen Wang

Cat + Gamer series by Wataru Nadatani

Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe

The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold

Herding Cats by Sarah Andersen

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Me and Mr. Cigar by Gibby Haynes

What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold

Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce

Time Travel Tales

Start the new year off with a bang!  Read one of these tales about traveling through time.  Here's a few of our favorites . . . .

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix

When thirteen-year-olds Jonah and Chip, who are both adopted, learn they were discovered on a plane that appeared out of nowhere, full of babies with no adults on board, they realize that they have uncovered a mystery involving time travel and two opposing forces, each trying to repair the fabric of time.

The Homeward Bounders by Diana Wynne Jones

Once he becomes a pawn in a game played by a powerful group he calls "Them," twelve-year-old Jamie is repeatedly catapulted through space and time.

More Books --

The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams by Mindy Thompson

The Doll in the Garden by Mary Downing Hahn

Finn and Ezra's Bar Mitzvah Time Loop by Joshua Levy

The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove

Joplin Wishing by Diane Stanley

Larklight by Philip Reeve

The Lincoln Project by Dan Gutman

The Mona Lisa Key by Liesl Shurtliff

Stealing the Sword by Wendy Mass

The T.Rex Attack by Rex Stone

This Again by Adam Borba

The Time Travel Twins by James Patterson