Where the Lilies Bloom is about a family of five who are just getting by, moneywise. The main character and narrator of this story is Mary Call. Even though she is fourteen years old and the second child, (the oldest, Devola, is eighteen)she is the head of the household. The four children's father, Roy Luther, has been sick for some time, and the author never reveals what happened to the children's mother. In the first one hundred pages, Roy Luther dies. Just pages prior to his death, Mary Call had gone to their land-owner (Kiser)'s home to negotiate, for she knew Roy Luther was near the end even then. Walking into Kiser's house, finding him sprawled on the floor in a catatonic state, Mary Call finds this to be a strategy in her favor. She agrees to nurse Kiser back to health if he signs a document, giving the Luthers ownership of their land. A week later, Kiser shows up to ask for the eldest daughter, Devola's, hand in marriage. This is a matter Kiser has been pursuing for s  ome time. Just prior to her father's death, Mary Call had to promise Roy Luther that she would not let Kiser marry Devola, no matter what. With Roy Luther dead, the four children are forced to "lay low" form social services and become wildcroppers to earn a living. I read this book for school and it is one of my favorite books I've read this year. I think any kid would enjoy it just for the struggle this family goes through.

~CC from Union Twp. Branch

Penny Lane (daughter of hard-core Beatles fans) is crushed when Nate, her childhood-friend-turned-boyfriend, cheats on her, so she starts a Lonely Hearts Club at school, for all the girls who are tired of boys and the drama involved with dating. The club is a huge hit, but some people—namely, the boys at school, as well as the principal—aren’t happy about it.         

To further complicate matters, Nate is desperate to win Penny back, and Penny’s fighting feelings for Ryan, a close friend’s ex. Penny slowly comes to realize that not all guys are jerks, and the important thing is not necessarily banning boyfriends, but staying true to your friends. In the end, she realizes that though Nate really is a creep, Ryan’s a great guy, and she can enjoy both close friends and dating.

Yet another title that might help if you are suffering from the inevitable Twilight withdraw.

Need is an action packed tale of supernatural proportaions. Romance, adventure and suspense vie for room in this great title.

Zara White is dead inside. Every since her father, her step-father really, died she has been stuck in the same loop of terrible despair; none of the things she used to love, running, Amnesty International, learning new phobias can help. Trying to get her to react to anything, Zara's mother sends her to live with her grandmother Betty in Maine (not a single Betty White joke in the whole book!) Zara doesn't know what's worse; the snow, the cold or being sent away. 

A new car and a new school start to perk Zara up, as does the 'hunky' yet mysterious Nick who keeps showing up to help her. But things quickly go from new-school-stressful to down right horrible when Zara notices a dark stranger following her from Charleston to Maine and all around town; A stranger that leaves behind no footprints and a trail of gold dust. At the same time young boys are disappearing one by one from the area. With the help of her quirky new friends and hot new crush, Zara is determined to figure what strange and terrible things are happening in her new small town. Never in a million years would Zara have predicted that their research would lead to the supernatural. Faced with the existence of pixies, weres and other things she's never believed in before, Zara is determined to stop the abductions at all costs.

Zara's adventure continue in her second book, Captivate.

Nimira, a trouser girl is brought to the Hollin Parry’s estate to perform alongside his automaton. Right away Nimira feels the sinister secrets surrounding the sorcerer.  While performing with the automaton, she learns that there is a fairy prince trapped inside the machine. She begins to find a way to free him but at what cost? As Nimira quickly evolves into a strong heroine, her feelings for the prince become obvious. Dolamore has set the stage for a world of intriguing fairy and mortal politics that endanger those who try to change it for the better. There is a thread of similarity between the Bronte’s Jane Eyre and Magic under Glass.  This is a dark fantasy that will engage readers from the beginning and a sequel is sure to follow. This is a must for fans of Tiffany Trent’s Hallowmere series

Hannah’s story starts in the late nineteenth century Boston. She resides at an orphanage with no memories of her past. As she grows into adolescence, she begins to change. She innately knows that she possesses certain abilities that will emerge later.  She is pushed out into the world to find her way and after a near fatal trip to Kansas, she realizes she has to live by the sea. Upon her return to Boston, she gains employment as a scullery maid to a wealthy family. The truth of her metamorphosis is accelerated once a notable painter arrives to the family’s home. Kathryn Lasky has introduced a series that gives a new take on the Little Mermaid. Hannah starts off living as a human and gradually the pull of the sea becomes too strong to ignore. She is torn with the love that she has found on land and the possibility of knowing what the sea holds for her. The hierarchy of the characters is consistent with 19th century America. Lasky also suggests a strong connection between Lila Hawley and her cat Jade that is never fully revealed. This was an enjoyable fantasy and it will be interesting to see how the series progresses."

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Hush, Hush book trailer

Nineteen-year-olds Jane and Scarlett move from Santa Barbara to L.A., for an internship and college, respectively. A producer offers to cast them in his new reality show, and next thing they know, they’re famous, and living the “good life.” However, fame always comes with a price, and Jane, who’s the most popular star on the show, has trouble with both relationships and professional rivalries, culminating in a co-star sending in compromising photos of her to a gossip magazine, attempting to ruin her relationship and her image. Conrad ends the novel cliffhanger-style, setting the stage for the next book in the series—the jealous co-star, Madison, has taken Jane to Mexico, under the guise of helping her “get away from it all” for a few days. Scarlett panics…readers stay tuned…

Lost without the Twilight Saga?

We understand. There’s a huge gaping hole in your reading schedule that you don’t know how to fill. What comes next now that there are no more Twilight books? Don’t worry there are plenty of other series that will pull you in just as fast!

The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare is just what you need.

City of Bones introduces us to Clary. She always thought she was normal… or at least as normal as a 15 year old artist and geek can be. At least that is until she tries to stop a murder in a trendy New York Club committed by people only she can see. Invisible people= not normal! Things get even stranger when Clary’s mother goes missing, and Clary is dragged headlong into a world she never bothered to imagine was real by a boy beyond any she has met before. Fallen angels, demons, vampires, fairies and werewolves surround her, but no one else can see them for what they really are. Clary must choose between the life she had with the boy who has always loved her or the exciting tattooed strangers who can help her solve the mystery of her past.

Clare weaves a beautiful and exciting story full of adventure, danger, fantasy and love that leaves the reader begging for the next book. Do yourself a favor and order the sequels City of Ashes and City of Glass before you take City of Bones home!

Do you like Star Wars? Buffy? Anime? MMORPGs? Duct tape? Comics? Musicals?  Zombies?

Are you a Trekker? A loner? A gamer? An awesome secret ninja?

 

Chances are if you answered yes to more than two of those questions someone somewhere has called you a dork, a geek or even a nerd.  It might have been your friends, your mom, even yourself.

To that we say, rock on you Nerd of Über-Epicness, here is a book for you.

 

In a compilation of short stories, running the gamut from hilarious, to moving and back to just hilarious, interspersed with comic instructions of how to live your life to its full geek potential, self-proclaimed nerds Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci bring together the brightest and the best of today’s Young Adult authors in this book of short stories that embraces the geek within us all. M.T. Anderson, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, John Green, Tracy Lynn, Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Barry Lyga, Wendy Mass, Garth Nix, Scott Westerfield, Lisa Yee, and Sara Zarr all have one thing in common, and it’s more common than you think. If you’re a dork there is a story for you in Geektastic, and if you’re not, well there is still hope that someday you might just see the light…. saber that is.

 

Four more Lemony Snicket books are on the way thanks to a new deal. Read more.

Haven't read a Lemony Snicket book yet? Wait no more; check one out today.

Are you a fan of HP Lovecraft's works? Get a giggle from Lil Cthulhu.

By Rachel Caine

Book Review: Cheers! A good vampire story. Boils your blood with the intense bullying dished out at Claire, and keeps you on your toes with the local vampires and Michael's condition.

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Elizabeth, 14

By Frieda Wishinsky

Book Review: Though this book was incredibly short, it proved to me that a good story doesn't have to be long. A good story about a girl defending herself and Mother.

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Elizabeth, 14

By Lisa Papademetriou & Chris Tebbetts

Book Review: Cheers! Brilliant. Truly shows that if you want someone to know something or vice versa, speaking in codes and subtleties isn't the way to go. Just be straight forward and come out with it and you can avoid the mess Marcus and Frannie got themselves into.

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Elizabeth, 14

by Valerie Tripp

3 stars

Book Review: It was ok.

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Laurel, age 14

by Lauren Myracle

5 stars

Book review: Ttyl is such a fun book for those who love IM syled books.

Emily, age 17

by Carolyn Keene

5 stars

Book review: It was a very good book with an unexpected twist.

Christine, age 12