An Now For Something Completely Different

Sometimes you're just in the mood for something new . . . something different.  So this week, I'm sharing some teen stories that are quirky and different.  Here are a few of my favorites . . . .

The Year of the Beasts by Cecil Castelucci
Tessa tries to be happy when her crush, Charlie, falls for her younger sister, Lulu, and it becomes easier after she begins a secret relationship with Jasper, a social outcast who lives next door to Tessa's best friend. Alternate chapters are in graphic novel form.

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 .

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
Seventeen-year-old Cullen's summer in Lily, Arkansas, is marked by his cousin's death by overdose, an alleged spotting of a woodpecker thought to be extinct, failed romances, and his younger brother's sudden disappearance.

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
The best friend of a kid with superhuman qualities endeavors to have a life of his own that is both normal and extraordinary in the face of constant world-shaking challenges, threats against his school, and an elusive pretty girl.


More Books --
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
As You Wish by Chelsea Sedoti
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schrieber
Away We Go by Emil Ostrovski
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Going Bovine by Libba Bray
The Golden Day by Ursula Dubosarsky
Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Paper Towns by John Green
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
Spontaneous by Aaron Starmer
Stranger Than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer
There Is No Dog by Meg Rosoff
Wax by Gina Damico
We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan
William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope by Ian Doescher


Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through December 20, 2019.

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

Once again the indie kids are battling an apocalyptic event.  The Immortals are trying to enter and take over our world.  They're fighting to save not just their lives, but the entire world.

But that isn't this story.

This is the story of the regular kids -- the kids just hoping to make it to graduation before the high school is blown up  . . . again.




This is a great book for a reader of almost any genre.  While it is mainly a story of friendship and family, it also includes elements of the supernatural, romance, and mystery.  It's the story of the apocalypse told through those are not the "Chosen One".

I would also highly recommend listening to the audio version of the book.

2016 Summer Reading List for Teens

Every year, the Arnold Branch comes up with a summer reading list for teens.  These are a mix of classic teen books along with new teen books that highly reviewed.  Here is this year's summer reading list for teens . . . .

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
The best friend of a kid with superhuman qualities endeavors to have a life of his own that is both normal and extraordinary in the face of constant world-shaking challenges, threats against his school, and an elusive pretty girl.

Deadline by Chris Crutcher
Given the medical diagnosis of one year to live, high school senior Ben Wolf decides to fulfill his greatest fantasies, ponders his life's purpose and legacy, and converses through dreams with a spiritual guide known as "Hey-Soos."

Emily's Dress and Other Missing Things by Kathryn Burak
A new girl in Amherst, Massachusetts, comes to terms with her mother's suicide and her best friend's disappearance with the help of Emily Dickinson's poetry--and her dress.

Star Crossed by Elizabeth Bunce
In a kingdom dominated by religious intolerance, sixteen-year-old Digger, a street thief, has always avoided attention, but when she learns that her friends are plotting against the throne she must decide whether to join them or turn them in.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Cath struggles to survive on her own in her first year of college while avoiding a surly roommate, bonding with a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words, and worrying about her fragile father.


More Teen Books --
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
The Alex Crow by Andrew Smith
Character, Driven by David Lubar
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
The Emperor of Any Place by Tim Wynne-Jones
Far Far Away by Tom McNeal
Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
The Head of the Saint by Socorro Acioli
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz
The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older
A Song for Ella Grey by David Almond
The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma
The Wolf by Steven Herrick
The Year of the Beast by Cecil Castelucci & Nate Powell

Check out these books on display at the Arnold Branch through July 22, 2016.

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

The Chosen One --
It's always one of the indie kids.  They chosen to save the world from the vampire hordes, the gods intent on taking over the world, or any of the other apocalypses that come about like clockwork.  They fight to save everybody.

Then There Are the Rest of Us --
These are the kids that are just trying to live their lives.  They just want to make it to graduation so they can leave their small town and get on with their lives.

This is their story!  This is the story of the regular kids.


This was a wonderful story that subtly mocks all of the heroes and stories of apocalypses just averted in time.  Yet, it also shows that sometimes it is the "regular" kids that truly are special.  I would recommend this book to all teens!