Monthly Archives: January 2020

Artemis Fowl

By Eoin Colfer

Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genuis, and, above all, a criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn’t know what he’s taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren’t the fairies of bedtime stories; they’re dangerous! Full of unexpected twists and turns, Artemis Fowl is a riveting, magical adventure.

Keeper of the Lost Cities

By Shannon Messenger

Twelve-year-old Sophie has never quite fit into her life. She’s skipped multiple grades and doesn’t really connect with the older kids at school, but she’s not comfortable with her family, either. The reason? Sophie’s a Telepath, someone who can read minds. No one knows her secret—at least, that’s what she thinks, until she meets the mysterious (and adorable) Fitz, who reveals a shocking truth. Forced to leave behind her family for a new life in a place vastly different from what she has ever known, Sophie still has secrets. Finding the truth could mean life or death – and time is running out.

The Magisterium

By Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial. Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail. All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him. So he tries his best to do his worst — and fails at failing. Now the Magisterium awaits him. It’s a place that’s both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future.

The Last Apprentice

By Joseph Delaney

For years, Old Gregory has been the Spook for the county, ridding the local villages of evil. Now his time is coming to an end. But who will take over for him? Twenty-nine apprentices have tried—some floundered, some fled, some failed to stay alive. Only Thomas Ward is left. He’s the last hope, the last apprentice.

The Lunar Chronicles

By Marissa Meyer

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Elemental Masters 

by Mercedes Lackey

the series largely focuses on Elemental Masters, people who have magical control over air, water, fire, or earth. Each elemental master has power over elementals, as well. Each book in the series is loosely based on a fairy tale.

Simon Snow

By Rainbow Rowell

Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who’s ever been chosen. That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right. Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he starts something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around, wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here–it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.

The Legend of Greg an epic series of failures

By Chris Rylander

Risk-averse Greg Belmont is content with being ordinary. He’s got a friend–that’s right, just one–at his fancy prep school, and a pretty cool dad (even if he is obsessed with organic soaps that smell like a mix of salted pork and Icelandic bog). The problem is, Greg isn’t ordinary . . . he’s actually an honest-to-goodness, fantastical Dwarf! With the help of new friends, Greg learns the history of the Dwarves, marked with epic failures since the beginning of time. The return of the magic they once wielded means big changes are afoot, escalating tensions with the Dwarves’ sworn enemy: the Elves.

The Grisha Trilogy

By Leigh Bardugo

Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Orphaned and expendable, Alina Starkov is a soldier who knows she may not survive her first trek across the Shadow Fold—a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters. But when her regiment is attacked, Alina unleashes dormant magic not even she knew she possessed. Now Alina will enter a lavish world of royalty and intrigue as she trains with the Grisha, her country’s magical military elite. As the threat to the kingdom mounts and Alina unlocks the secrets of her past, she will make a dangerous discovery that could threaten all she loves and the very future of a nation.

The Keys to the Kingdom

By Garth Nix

Arthur Penhaligon is not supposed to be a hero. He is, in fact, supposed to die an early death. But then his life is saved by a key shaped like the minute hand of a clock. Arthur is safe, but his world is not. Along with the key comes a plague brought by bizarre creatures from another realm. A stranger named Mister Monday, his avenging messengers with bloodstained wings, and an army of dog-faced Fetchers will stop at nothing to get the key back, even if it means destroying Arthur and everything around him.

-Mallory Thompson, Librarian

When people ask me what my favorite book is, I draw a blank. I cannot think of a single title, author or even genre! But when I take a minute to reflect, I can think of hundreds of titles, authors, and genres that have stayed with me over the years and newer ones that have more recently touched my heart.

What defines a “favorite” book? Is it by a beloved author? Is it one that a friend or loved one recommended long ago? Is it a story that I could really relate to at the time I was reading it? Does the main character remind me of someone? There are just too many aspects of what makes a “good” book to even make it possible for me to pick a favorite! So I have learned to adapt; what are one or three books that make me smile when I think about them?

One classic title that has long been a “favorite” of mine is definitely Anne of Green Gables and its sequels by L.M. Montgomery. I relate to Anne in so many ways; we both have overactive imaginations, we both would rather be daydreaming, and we both love the people in our lives with a fierce passion. Anne and I both have tempers, we both tend to act before we think, and we both find that people are naturally drawn to us. 

One new “favorite” that I stumbled upon this past year was Ohio author Margaret Rogerson’s An Enchantment of Ravens. I’ve long been a fan of Holly Black’s modern faerie tales, but this story, while similar, also took the reader back in time, which was appealing to me as a fan of historical fiction. The story was, in a word, cool. As in, “Wow, that’s so cool!” I can’t give too many details without spoiling too much of the story, but I can say that it was an unexpected pleasure to read. I chose it on a whim after reading the author’s other book, Sorcery of Thorns, which I also really enjoyed. Enchantment was so different yet so similar to anything else I have read. I truly was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. I am so glad it struck me though, because I know I will be reading it again!

-Julie, Library Assistant