Do You Fear the Undead?

This week, I am sharing some "undead" stories for teens featuring zombies, vampires, ghosts, and other undead monsters.  Here are a few of my favorites . . .

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Nobody Owens is a normal boy, except that he has been raised by ghosts and other denizens of the graveyard.

Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst
After sixteen-year-old vampire Pearl Sange is stabbed through the heart by a were-unicorn, she develops non-vampire-like traits that lead her to save her high school classmates from the Vampire King of New England.

Contagion by Erin Bowman
Responding to a distress call on the distant planet of Achlys, Thea Sadik and her search-and-rescue crew are confronted by a zombie-like outbreak that forces them to uncover a monstrous enemy.

A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge
Kate is an illegitimate daughter of the aristocratic Fellmotte family, and as such, she shares their unique hereditary gift: the capacity to be possessed by ghosts. Reluctant to accept her appointed destiny as vessel for a coterie of her ancestors, she escapes.


More "Undead" Stories --
Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
Croak by Gina Damico
The Dead by Charlie Higson
Die for Me by Amy Plum
Eat, Brains, Love by Jeff Hart
Enclave by Ann Aguirre
The End Games by T. Michael Martin
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever by Jeff Strand
The House of Dead Maids by Clare B. Dunkle 
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
Just Kill Me by Adam Selzer
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick
Peeps by Scott Westerfeld
Ruined: a Novel by Paula Morris
Suck It Up by Brian Meehl
This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
Zom-B by Darren Shan
Zombie Blondes by Brian James
Zombies vs. Unicorns by HollyBlack

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through March 29, 2019.

Once Upon a Time . . . Fairy Tales for Teens

I love to read re-imaginings of fairy tales -- whether it is a strict retelling with more character development or a fractured tale.  Here are some of my favorite fairy tales for teens . . . .

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
When Sunday Woodcutter, the youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week, kisses an enchanted frog, he transforms back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland--a man Sunday's family despises.

Snow in Summer by Jane Yolen
Recasts the tale of Snow White, setting it in West Virginia in the 1940s with a stepmother who is a snake-handler.

Zel by Donna Jo Napoli
Based on the fairy tale Rapunzel, the story is told in alternating chapters from the point of view of Zel, her mother, and the prince, and delves into the psychological motivations of the characters.

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George
A girl travels east of the sun and west of the moon to free her beloved prince from a magic spell.

Into the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst
Having escaped from the Wild and the preordained fairy tale plots it imposes, Rapunzel, along with her daughter Julie Marchen, tries to live a fairly normal life, but when the Wild breaks free and takes over their town, it is Julie who has to prevent everyone from being trapped in the events of a story.


More Fairy Tales for Teens --
Curse of the Thirteenth Fey by Jane Yolen
Dark Shimmer by Donna Jo Napoli
The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley
East by Edith Pattou
The Glass Casket by McCormick Templeman
Lies, Knives and Girls in Red Dresses by Ronald Koertge
Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell
Mira, Mirror by Mette Harrison
Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris
Rose & Thorn by Sarah Prineas
Roses by G.R. Mannering
The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde
The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman
Spindle's End by Robin McKinley
Toads & Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson
Towering by Alex Flinn
The Wrath & the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through December 30, 2016.