Dreamin' Sun series by Ichigo Takano

When Shimura Kameko runs away, she stumbles upon a strange man in the park.  He offers her a place to live on three conditions.

1.  Tell him the reason she ran away.
2.  Find his house key.
3.  Have a dream and fall in love.

Kameko quickly agrees to these terms and moves into a house that immediately feels like home.



This is a great manga series for those who enjoy plucky heroines who find their own way.  It reminded me of Kamisama Kiss or Fruits Baskets without the supernatural elements.  It's a fun, quick read great for teen girls.

Truly, Madly in Love

As Valentine's Day is coming up, I thought this week I would share some of my favorite teen romances . . .

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith
Sparks fly when sixteen-year-old Lucy Patterson and seventeen-year-old Owen Buckley meet on an elevator rendered useless by a New York City blackout. Soon after, the two teenagers leave the city, but as they travel farther away from each other geographically, they stay connected emotionally, in this story set over the course of one year.

Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey
As seventeen-year-old Jill Jekel and classmate Tristen Hyde work together on a chemistry project, hoping to win a scholarship for her and a cure for his curse, they also uncover family secrets and a chemistry of their own.

Psyche in a Dress by Francesca Lia Block
A young woman, Psyche, searches for her lost love and questions her true self in a modern retelling of Greek myths.

Things I Know About Love by Kate Le Vann
Seventeen-year-old Livia Stowe travels from England to Princeton, New Jersey, to visit her brother who is studying there and to celebrate her recovery from a year-long struggle with leukemia, and while she is there she writes a blog about her experiences, which include falling in love.


More Teen Romances --
After the Moment by Garrett Freymann-Weyr
Bright Lights, Dark Nights by Stephen Emond
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert
A Little in Love by Susan E. Fletcher
Love by the Morning Star by Laura L. Sullivan
The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich
The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia
The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr
Openly Straight by Ben Konigsberg
Ronit & Jamil by Pamela L. Laskin
September Girls by Bennett Madison
Sirena by Donna Jo Napoli
Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti
Suffer Love by Ashley Herring Blake
That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. Johnston
Through to You by Emily Hainsworth
Unlovely by Celeste Conway
The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore


Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through March 2, 2018.

K-I-S-S-I-N-G! Tales of Love

I love a good romance story.  Whether the traditional boy meets girl and falls in love to those tales of star-crossed lovers, I can always read a good romance.  Here are some great teen romances . . .

Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman
Seventeen-year-old Vince's life is constantly complicated by the fact that he is the son of a powerful Mafia boss, a relationship that threatens to destroy his romance with the daughter of an FBI agent.

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt
When Lord Death comes to claim sixteen-year-old Keturah while she is lost in the King's Forest, she charms him with her story and is granted a twenty-four hour reprieve in which to seek her one true love.

Wait for Me by An Na
As her senior year in high school approaches, Mina yearns to find her own path in life but working at the family business, taking care of her little sister, and dealing with her mother's impossible expectations are as stifling as the southern California heat, until she falls in love with a man who offers a way out.

Lips Touch, Three Times by Laini Taylor
Contains three short stores of supernatural love, each focusing on a kiss that has consequences for the kissers' souls.

There Is No Dog by Meg Rosoff
When the beautiful Lucy prays to fall in love, God, an irresponsible youth named Bob, chooses to answer her prayer personally, to the dismay of this assistant, Mr. B who must try to clean up the resulting catastrophes.

Accidental Love by Gary Soto
After unexpectedly falling in love with a "nerdy" boy, fourteen-year-old Marisa works to change her life by transferring to another school, altering some of her behavior, and losing weight.


More Romances for Teens --
A Winter Night's Dream by Andrew Matthews
Time Between  Us by Tamara Ireland Stone
This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith
Things I Know About Love by Kate Le Vann
Taken by Storm by Angela Morrison
Street Love by Walter Dean Myers
Something Like Normal by Trish Doller
Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
Muchacho: A Novel by Louanne Johnson
Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo
Heartsinger by Karlijn Stoffels
Gone, Gone, Gone by Hannah Moskowitz
Flavor of the Week by Tucker Shaw
Fancy White Trash by Marjetta Geerling
Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst

Happy Valentine's Day, Part 2

A lot of teen books include a romance story line.  For Valentine's Day, here are some of my favorite teen romances . . .

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Hadley and Oliver fall in love on the flight from New York to London, but after a cinematic kiss they lose track of each other at the airport until fate brings them back together on a very momentous day.

My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins & Fenway Park by Steve Kluger
Three teenagers in Boston narrate their experiences of a year of new friendships, first loves, and coming into their own.

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt
When Lord Death comes to claim sixteen-year-old Keturah while she is lost in the King's Forest, she charms him with her story and is granted a twenty-four hour reprieve in which to seek her one true love.

The Simple Gift by Steven Herrick
A coming of age novel in verse about sixteen-year-old Billy who runs away from his alcoholic father, lives in an abandoned freight train, falls in love with a rich girl, and ultimately learns the meaning of family.