School Is Nearly Out

School is nearly out for the summer.  Here's a few teen books for the last weeks of school . . .

The Miles Between by Mary Pearson
Seventeen-year-old Destiny keeps a painful childhood secret all to herself until she and three classmates from her exclusive boarding school take off on an unauthorized road trip in search of "one fair day."

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.

A Winter Night's Dream by Andrew Matthews
Casey, a high school freshman, and Stew, a senior, search for love separately, with the help of a favorite teacher, before meeting each other.

The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty
Class brain Bindy Mackenzie has alienated her entire high school but when she realizes someone is trying to kill her, she has to make friends in order to get help.

Rainy Reads

We are faced with a whole week filled with rain.  Here are some great rainy-weather reads for young children.

Tap Tap Boom Boom by Elizabeth Bluemle
As a thunderstorm sweeps into the city, the people of the neighborhood rush into the subway to wait out the wind and weather.

The Deep, Deep Puddle by Mary Jessie Parker
During an overnight rainstorm, a large and deep puddle forms across a city street, and the next day increasing numbers of creatures or things disappear into it, from one shaggy dog to nine robbers.

My Side of the Car by Kate Feiffer
Sadie and her father have been planning a trip to the zoo for a long time but something always gets in the way, so when they finally start out and her father sees some raindrops, Sadie insists there is no rain on her side of the car.

Cloudette by Tom Lichtenheld
Cloudette, the littlest cloud, finds a way to do something big and important like the other clouds.

Jolly Good Jousts

I love stories of knights and their daring deeds.  Here are some of my favorites . . .

Thomas and the Dragon Queen by Shutta Crum
When the princess is kidnapped by a dragon queen, thirteen-year-old Thomas, a new--and very small--squire-in-training boldly sets out on a quest to rescue her.

Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke
The daughter of two magicians, twelve-year-old Igraine wants nothing more than to be a knight, and when their castle is attacked by a treacherous neighbor bent on stealing their singing magic books, Igraine has an opportunity to demonstrate her bravery.

The Adventures of Sir Givret the Short by Gerald Morris
While not the most intrepid knight of the Round Table, Sir Givret the Short helps King Arthur and the other knights with his cunning and cleverness.

Double, Double, Toil and Trouble: Tales of Witches

The image of the witch standing over a cauldron and stirring a disgusting potion is an image that we are all familiar with.  Here are some stories that feature witches -- both good and evil.

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.

The Changeover by Margaret Mahy
When her baby brother seems to become possessed by an evil spirit, fourteen-year-old Laura seeks the help of the strangely compelling older boy at school who she is convinced has supernatural powers.

The Magic Circle by Donna Jo Napoli
After learning sorcery to become a healer, a good-hearted woman is turned into a witch by evil spirits and she fights their power until her encounter with Hansel and Gretel years later.

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
A young woman who has endured unspeakable cruelties is magically granted a safe haven apart from the real world and allowed to raise her two daughters in this alternate reality, until the barrier between her world and the real one begins to break down.

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day is coming up this weekend.  This week share some great mother and me stories with your child.

Bedtime for Mommy by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
In a reversal of the classic bedtime story, a child helps her mommy get ready for bed, enduring pleas for one more book, five more minutes of play time, and a glass of water before the lights go out.

Because Your Mommy Loves You by Andrew Clements
When challenges arise during a hiking and camping trip a mother could do a lot of things herself, such as carrying her son's heavy pack or putting up the tent by herself, but always finds a way to lovingly teach self-reliance.

 While Mama Had a Quick Little Chat by Amy Reichert
While Rose's mother has a "quick chat" on the telephone, Rose is supposed to get ready for bed but finds she is hosting a party instead.

Who Will Tuck Me In Tonight? by Carol Roth
Various farm animal mothers do their best to tuck Wooly the lamb into bed, but nothing is quite right until Mother Sheep arrives.

We're Not in Kansas Anymore . . .

I love The Wizard of Oz -- the fantastical setting, the frightening witch and her minions, the quest to find their way home.  Here are some more books that feature elements from The Wizard of Oz . . .

The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper
On his eleventh birthday Will Stanton discovers that he is the last of the Old Ones, destined to seek the six magical Signs that will enable the Old Ones to triumph over the evil forces of the Dark.

The Great Good Thing by Rod Townley
Twelve-year-old Princess Sylvie's storybook kingdom really is a storybook, where nothing ever changes, even the character's mad scramble to reach their places whenever the book is opened, until Sylvie discovers she can enter new worlds with the Reader, and find new adventures.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
A little girl falls down a rabbit hole and discovers a world of nonsensical and amusing characters.

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
When eleven-year-old Gregor and his two-year-old sister are pulled into a strange underground world, they trigger an epic battle involving humans, bats, rats, cockroaches, and spiders while on a quest foretold by ancient prophecy.

I'll Never Tell -- Characters with a Secret

The following books all feature characters with a secret . . .

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.

Revealers by Amanda Marrone
Seventeen-year-old Jules, a high school student by day and a witch who slays vampires and werewolves by night, discovers frightening secrets about her coven's inner circle.

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
Grace Divine, almost seventeen, learns a dark secret when her childhood friend--practically her brother--returns, upsetting her pastor-father and the rest of her family, around the time strange things are happening in and near their small Minnesota town.

 The Poison Diaries by Maryrose Wood
In late eighteenth-century Northumberland, England, sixteen-year-old Jessamine Luxton and the mysterious Weed uncover the horrible secrets of poisons growing in Thomas Luxton's apothecary garden.