Magical History: 12 Takes on Our Past + Magic for Teens

Here is the fourth in my series of lists collaborating with teen librarian Barb Dinan and intern Nick Rapson.  In case you missed the others, they are Modern Magic, Future Worlds, and Magical Quests. Magical History 2

The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh“In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, it’s also a safe haven after she’s forced to flee her life in Paris. But when a body is found, Celine is forced to battle her attraction for local Sébastien Saint Germain, and suspicions about his guilt, along with her own secrets.”

Cin’s Mark by Zetta Elliott “Taj would do anything to see his mother happy again so when he meets a strange woman, he carefully considers her curious offer: directions to a magical door that will let Taj and his mother escape this world’s misery. But can Taj reach the portal once a vengeful ghost’s wrath is unleashed upon the city?”

Dark and Deepest Red Anna-Marie McLemore “Summer, 1518. A strange sickness sweeps through Strasbourg: women dance in the streets, some until they fall down dead. As rumors of witchcraft spread, suspicion turns toward Lavinia and her family, and Lavinia may have to do the unimaginable to save herself and everyone she loves.”

Dread Nation and Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland. “Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania—derailing the War Between the States and changing the nation forever. In this new America, laws like the Native and Negro Education Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead.”

 “After the fall of Summerland, Jane McKeene hoped her life would get simpler: Get out of town, stay alive, and head west to California to find her mother. But nothing is easy when you’re a girl trained in putting down the restless dead, and a devastating loss on the road to a protected village called Nicodemus has Jane questioning everything she thought she knew about surviving in 1880s America.” 

Finishing School series by Gail Carriger. First book Etiquette and Espionage. “At Mademoiselle Geraldine’s, young ladies learn to finish…everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage–in the politest possible ways, of course. Fourteen-year-old Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year’s education.”

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee  “Henry “Monty” Montague doesn’t care that his roguish passions are far from suitable for the gentleman he was born to be. But as Monty embarks on his grand tour of Europe, his quests for pleasure and vice are in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi “To hunt down the ancient artifact the Order seeks, treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie calls upon a band of unlikely experts. Together, they will join Séverin as he explores the dark, glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the course of history–but only if they can stay alive.”

His Fair Assassin by Robin LaFevers. First book Grave Mercy.  “Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny: be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death.”

His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik. “Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors rise to Britain’s defense by taking to the skies . . . not aboard aircraft but atop the mighty backs of fighting dragons. When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes its precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Capt. Will Laurence into an uncertain future–and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature.”

How I Became a Ghost and When A Ghost Talks, Listenby Tim Tingle“Told in the words of Isaac, a Choctaw boy who does not survive the Trail of Tears, this is a tale of innocence and resilience in the face of tragedy. Isaac leads a remarkable foursome of Choctaw comrades: a tough-minded teenage girl, a shape-shifting panther boy, a lovable five-year-old ghost who only wants her mom and dad to be happy, and Isaac’s talking dog, Jumper.”

 “Ten-year-old Isaac, now a ghost, continues to follow his people as they walk the Choctaw Trail of Tears headed to Indian Territory in what will one day become Oklahoma. There have been surprises aplenty on their trek, but now Isaac and his three Choctaw comrades learn they can time travel.”

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows  “At sixteen, Lady Jane Grey is about to be married off to a stranger and caught up in a conspiracy to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But those trifling problems aren’t for Jane to worry about. Jane gets to be Queen of England…Like that could go wrong.”

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld “The Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet. Aleksandar Ferdinand, a Clanker, and Deryn Sharp, a Darwinist, are on opposite sides of the war. But their paths cross in the most unexpected way, taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure….One that will change both their lives forever.”

I was looking for this list specifically for historical fantasy set in our world – as always, if you have favorites that would fit with this list, please let me know!

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Teen Love: This is My Brain in Love, Secret of a Heart Note, and Don’t Date Rosa Santos

Here are three teen stories with romance at the center and satisfyingly sweet endings, though all of them have the good grace to be as much or more about our main character figuring out who she is and where she wants to go with her life as the romance itself.  Thanks to author Stacey Lee, who sent me both her own book and This is My Brain in Love. 

This is my Brain in Love by I.W. GregorioThis is my Brain in Love by I.W. Gregorio. Little, Brown 2020. ISBN 978-0316423823. Won in a giveaway.
Jocelyn “Jos” Wu has never really had time for dating between homework and working in her family’s restaurant, A-Plus Chinese Garden.  She and her best friend Priya are working on making a film together, and she’s finally feeling like upstate New York might be home when her parents say the restaurant is failing and they will likely need to move back to the city. But it took so much work to make this home that Jos isn’t ready to give up yet.  She decides it’s worth using her savings to hire someone to help promote the restaurant to see if they can make it profitable. 

Will Dominici wants to be a journalist, but it’s hard to gain traction even at the school paper when you have trouble talking to strangers in person.  He is feeling pressure from his doctor mother to get “gainful employment” for the summer, and finds the poster that Jos put up. 

Soon, they’re working together – and falling for each other.  But Jos’s traditionally-minded father doesn’t believe in teens dating, and maybe especially not his daughter dating a Black teen.  He makes them a deal – they can date if they can make the restaurant 30% more profitable.  But is that even possible?  And can Jos believe she’s worth it? 

In addition to the super sweet romance, and the look at first-generation American experiences (Will’s mother emigrated from Nigeria), this book takes a serious look at the two most common mental health issues that teens have today, anxiety and depression.  It’s so refreshing to see these being dealt with in a supportive, realistic, and hopeful way.  

secretofaheartnoteSecret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee. Katherine Tegen Books, 2016. ISBN 978-0062428325. Won in a giveaway.

I have been enjoying Stacey Lee’s historical fiction for years now, but had skipped over this contemporary book.  Not that contemporary is a bad thing, but I might have read it sooner if I had realized that it has a touch of fantasy as well. 

Fifteen-year-old Mimosa has just convinced her mother to let her try going to the local high school after being homeschooled up until this year.  Her mother has reservations – Mim still has to keep up with her primary job as an aromateur in training, helping to blend just the right perfumes that will open their clients up to love.  This job makes high school triply dangerous – not only does Mim struggle to find the time to keep up with her homework, but working with so many scents gives her a scent that’s powerfully attractive to boys, despite her thrift store clothes.  And if she falls in love herself, she’ll lose the powerful sense of smell that lets her be an aromateur.  

But when Mim is distracted and puts an elixir in the wrong coffee cup, she has to rely on Court, the school’s star soccer player, to help her put things to right.  And in the process, she gets to know him a whole lot better.  Even though it’s dangerous, Mim can’t seem to stop seeing him. 

A nice side plot involves Mim’s relationship with her best friend, Kali, and its ups and downs as Mim figures out what to do when Kali is blackmailed with a threat to publicly out her.  Mim knows the rules about her craft, but isn’t saving her best friend more important? 

Although Paladin’s Graceby T. Kingfisher is both much more explicit and darker, being written for adults, it’s the only other romance I’ve ever read that also involves the making of scents as Secret of a Heart Note does. 

dontdateRosaSantosDon’t Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno. Little, Brown, 2019. ISBN 978-1368039703. Listened to audiobook on Libby. 

This was recommended by our teen librarian for our Modern Magic booklist.  And I’ll just note that the Rosa on the cover looks a good deal paler than she’s described in the text.

Like Mim, Rosa Santos is not allowed to date.  Her family’s particular curse, though, has meant that both her father and grandfather drowned – her grandfather falling out of the little boat he and her Abuela were taking to flee Cuba.  Now she and her Abuela live in the tiny coastal town in Florida, avoiding the ocean, while her artist mother travels the country painting murals.  Rosa hasn’t really had much time to date, anyway, what with finishing high school and the first two years of community college at the same time.  She has her heart set on going to a college that will let her study in Cuba, so she can learn more about the former home her abuela won’t talk about. 

Then, a developer threatens to buy out the marina, which would put a stop both to the upcoming spring festival (and the local bookstore owner’s wedding at it) and much of the downtown businesses.  The town officials had applied for a grant that would support more sustainable use of the water, but the grant has run out of money.  Rosa, though, decides that if they can really promote their spring festival, they can raise enough money to bring the local university in to help anyway, even without the grant.  

And of course that puts her in charge of  the project, together with suddenly-cute Alex, who with a beard and new tattoos is barely recognizable as the boy who sat in silence near her every day at lunch sophomore year.  They have just two weeks to save the town and plan a wedding together. And Rosa’s not allowed to crush on him, even when she discovers that he has crazy good baking skills.  

Even though Rosa’s abuela also does magical things with herbs for the neighbors, even though there seems to be a curse, the most unbelievable thing for me was that the bookstore owner, originally from Nigeria, would have planned a wedding with international guests and not have had all the details planned out a couple months earlier.  Still, I’m guessing most high schoolers haven’t planned weddings and would be less bothered by this detail than I was.  Alex is really sweet, and a rare example of an older teen for whom college is not working out.  Rosa’s family and friends were all well-developed characters, with loving but still prickly relationships.  This had a lot of the feel of The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya for a slightly older audience, but still with the focus on preserving a tightly knit Latinx community in Florida.

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Seventh Grade Switch: The First Rule of Punk and Roll with It

Here are two stories of two seventh-grade kids finding their way in new schools. The First Rule of Punk is a Pura Belpré honor book, and Roll with It is a 2019 Cybils finalist.  

firstruleofpunkThe First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez. Viking, 2017. ISBN 978-0425290408. Read ebook on Libby.
Malú (short for Maria Lúisa) is about to start seventh grade when her mother announces that they’ll be moving to Chicago for a couple of years.  Since her parents are divorced, this means leaving her dad and his record store as well as her friends.  

Malú loves punk music and making zines, so she’s not at all pleased with her mother’s frequent requests for her to “act like a señorita.”  

But for the first time in her life, she’s living somewhere that being Mexican-American is ordinary – but having a white father and not especially comfortable speaking Spanish, she’s accused of being a “coconut”.  Even if she doesn’t want to be “SuperMexican” like her Latin Studies professor mother, she loves the little Mexican cafe in their neighborhood.  She builds a group of kids to form a punk band for the school talent show – but will their audition meet the principal’s idea of wholesome entertainment?  Continue reading

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Modern Magic: 12 Tantalizing Tales for Teens

I know you’ve been waiting anxiously, dear readers, for this third list in my series of teen fantasy and science fiction lists. This was made in collaboration with our teen librarian, Barb Dinan, and the graphic and the blurbs are by our amazing intern Nick Rapson.  That means every book on this list (except for A Song Below Water, which I’m expecting to read very soon) comes recommended by one or both of us.  There is a lot of good reading here!

Modern Magic

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova “Rose Mortiz has brand new powers that she doesn’t understand, and her family is still trying to figure out how to function after her amnesiac father’s return home. Then, on the night of her Death Day party, Rose discovers her father’s memory loss has been a lie.”

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness “What if you aren’t the Chosen One? What if you’re like Mikey, who just wants to graduate and go to prom before someone goes and blows up the high school? Because sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life.”

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black “Jude was seven when she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the High Court of Faerie. But Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King, despises humans. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.”

Don’t Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno “Rosa Santos is cursed by the sea – at least, that’s what they say. Dating her is bad news, especially if you’re a boy with a boat. With her heart, her family, and her future on the line, can Rosa break a curse and find her place beyond the horizon?”

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee “The struggle to get into a top-tier college consumes sixteen-year-old Genie’s every waking thought. But when she discovers she’s a celestial spirit who’s powerful enough to bash through the gates of heaven with her fists, her perfectionist existence is shattered.”

Five Midnights by Ann Dávila Cardinal “If Lupe Dávila and Javier Utierre can survive each other’s company, together they can solve a series of grisly murders sweeping through Puerto Rico. But the clues lead them out of the real world and into the realm of myths and legends.”

Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse “If Nizhoni, Mac, and Davery can reach the House of the Sun, they will be outfitted with what they need to defeat the ancient monsters of Navajo legend Mr. Charles has unleashed. But it will take more than weapons for Nizhoni to become the hero she was destined to be . . .”

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older “Sierra Santiago was looking forward to a fun summer around Brooklyn. But then a weird zombie guy crashes the first party of the season. And when the graffiti murals in Bed-Stuy start to weep….something stranger than the usual New York mayhem is going on.”

Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow “In a society determined to keep her under lock and key, Tavia must hide her siren powers. Meanwhile, Effie is fighting her own family struggles, pitted against literal demons from her past. Together, these best friends must navigate through the perils of high school’s junior year.”

Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno “Georgina Fernweh waits with growing impatience for the tingle of magic in her fingers—magic that has been passed down through every woman in her family. But with her eighteenth birthday looming at the end of this summer, Georgina fears her gift will never come.”

Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson “When best friend Riley and two Fairmont Academy mean girls die under suspicious circumstances, Mila refuses to believe everyone’s explanation that her BFF was involved in a suicide pact. Instead, Mila does the unthinkable to uncover the truth: she brings the girls back to life.”

Wicked Fox by Kat Cho “Eighteen-year-old Gu Miyoung has a secret – she’s a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox who must devour the energy of men in order to survive. Because so few believe in the old tales anymore, and with so many evil men no one will miss, the modern city of Seoul is the perfect place to hide and hunt.”

Also consider Slay by Brittney Morris, which is realistic to sci-fi with a fantasy feel and Legendborn by Tracy Deonn, which definitely fits and is coming out in September.  

What books would you add to this list? 

 

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Aftermath: Children of Virtue and Vengeance and Wayward Son

Here are two more sequels, these teen books where characters must deal with the consequences of the magical cataclysm of the first books.

childrenofvirtueandvengeanceChildren of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi. Henry Holt, 2019. ISBN 978-1250170995. Read from purchased copy.
There is really no way to write about the plot of this second book in the Orïsha series (following Children of Blood and Bonewithout spoiling large amounts.  Here, in brief, is what is going on with our main characters: Zélie is hurting from having sacrificed her father and been betrayed by Prince Inan, whom she then killed.  Amari believes that as princess, her duty is to take over the kingdom and try to work for harmony between her traditional overlord class and the oppressed magical minority, the maji.  Once as close as sisters, so close I wanted them to be the book’s romantic pairing, Zélie and Amari are now at odds with each other.   Continue reading

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Sequels: The Jumbie God’s Revenge and Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe

The next round of the Generations Book Club from the Brown Bookshelf is live!  I had already read the middle grade title and realized that I’d never reviewed it, so here you go!  With bonus, the next Sal and Gabi adventure from Carlos Hernandez.  I’m hoping for my order of the teen book from the Generations Book Club, A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow to come in soon, too. 

The Jumbie God's Revenge by Tracey BaptisteThe Jumbie God’s Revenge by Tracey Baptiste. Algonquin, 2019. 9781616208912. Read from library copy. 

Corrine is still trying to make peace with her life on the island after the tumultuous events of the last few books – revealing that one is part jumbie is pretty much guaranteed not to improve one’s social life.  Then, storms come.  Bad storms that threaten to tear apart the entire island.  They turn out to be the actions of a jumbie that both Mama D’Leau and Papa Bois fear: Huracan.  It seems that some of Corrine’s past actions have angered him – can she find a way to calm him down and fix his past mistakes?  

This is another exciting adventure based on the legends of the author’s native Trinidad.  Though I’ve read and enjoyed the first two books in this series, The Jumbies and Rise of the Jumbies, I think I could have benefitted from a reread – while the adventure parts were appropriately exciting, I had trouble keeping her friends and their various personalities straight.  I’d definitely suggest reading or rereading the first two as necessary!  Though the stakes never seemed low in those books, they are definitely raised here – Corrine is pushed to discover depths of herself she never had to before. This is a fitting end to the trilogy, and one I’d definitely recommend to especially to kids looking for scary fantasy adventures.  

salandgabifixtheuniverse
Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe
by Carlos Hernandez. Read by Anthony Rey Perez. Disney/Rick Riordan Presents and Listening Library 2020. ISBN  978-1368022835 ASIN B085T8FBD7. Listened on Libby. 

Sal and Gabi are back!  Sal’s father is worried about the holes in the universe that Sal made in the first book, accidentally and on purpose pulling things like his mother from other universes.  Now his machine to repair the tears is almost ready.  But when he turns it on for the first time, Sal feels a brief but sharp pain.  Shortly thereafter, he meets a Gabi who is clearly not his Gabi, and this strange Gabi claims that Papi is evil and his machine will destroy the universe.  What’s a kid to do?  

This is as always a madcap journey featuring strong characters (including here multiple Gabis!), lots of snarky AIs including a new, intelligent toilet, delicious Cuban-American food and culture, and a kid trying to fix the universe while keeping his blood sugar stable.  There’s even more exploration into Gabi’s many dads and the life of former bully Yazmany.  Throw in an arts school throwing themselves into a full-scale Alice in Wonderland production and you have – well, one fun, crazy adventure.  Again, you’ll want to read Sal and Gabi Break the Universe first, but this is highly recommended.

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Desk Tales: Front Desk and From the Desk of Zoe Washington

Two kids deal with friendships and take stands for social justice in these stories that draw from real-life problems.  

Front Desk by Kelly YangFront Desk by Kelly Yang. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2018. ISBN 978-1338157796. Read ebook on Libby.
In a story based on the author’s own experiences growing up in the 1990s, Mia Tang is a young Chinese immigrant who hopes that they’ll finally be able to stop travelling and make a home at the hotel where her parents have found a job as manager.  But even though the owner is Chinese-American, he makes the Tangs sign an exploitative contract – only paying them for occupied rooms, and saying they’re responsible for cleaning and anything that breaks in the hotel.   Continue reading

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Future Worlds: 13 Riveting Speculative Fiction Books for Teens

Whether the future is scientific or magical, on our planet or in space, there are so many options for good storytelling!  This week’s list for is once again in collaboration with our teen librarian Ms. D – she read and suggested some of the ones I have not, though I’ve also included some I want to read.  Thanks also to our intern Nick for his help with covers and copy (which is here adapted from official copy rather than purely my own as usual, though links still go to my own reviews where available.)  And as always, if I missed your favorite book that would fit this list, please let me know!

Future Worlds

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Ebook and audiobook on Libby.
Told in separate voices, eighteen-year-old Tyler Jones, top graduate of Aurora Academy, and a group of misfits and troublemakers embark on their first mission with Auri, a stowaway from the distant past.

A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney. Ebook and audiobook on Libby, audiobook on Hoopla. 
The first time a Nightmare came, Alice nearly lost her life. Now, with magic weapons and hard-core fighting skills, she battles these monstrous creatures in the dream realm known as Wonderland.

The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante. Ebook and audiobook on Libby.
Seventeen-year-old Marisol never pictured fleeing her home in El Salvador under threat of death and stealing across the US border as “an illegal”. With truly no options remaining, Marisol jumps at an unusual opportunity to stay in the United States by participating in an experimental study.

The Lunar Chronicles by Marisa Meyer. First book Cinder. Ebook and audiobook on Libby, audiobook on Hoopla.
In the first of this series of futuristic fairy tale retellings, a teenage cyborg named Cinder deals with her wicked stepmother, learns secrets about herself, and starts a rebellion against the evil Queen Levana.  

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline. Ebook and audiobook on Libby.
 In a world ravaged by global warming, white people have lost the ability to dream, which has led to widespread madness. Only 16-year Frenchie and Indigenous people like him are still able to dream – and they are being hunted for their marrow as the cure for the rest of the world. 

Mirage by Somaiya Daud. Ebook and audiobook on Libby, audiobook on Hoopla.
In a world dominated by the brutal Vathek empire, eighteen-year-old Amani dreams of having an adventure and traveling beyond her isolated home. But when adventure comes, it is not what she expects: she is kidnapped by the regime and taken to become a body double for the cruel and hated half-Vathek Princess Maram.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman. Ebook on Libby, audiobook on Hoopla.
In a world where disease has been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed (‘gleaned’) by professional reapers (‘scythes’). Two teens must compete with each other to become a scythe–a position neither of them wants. The one who becomes a scythe must kill the one who doesn’t.

Shuri: A Black Panther Novel by Nic Stone. Ebook could be on Libby, audiobook on Hoopla.
An original series starring the break-out character from the Black Panther comics and films: T’Challa’s younger sister, Shuri! Shuri is a skilled martial artist, a genius, and a master of science and technology. But, she’s also a teenager. And a princess. This story follows Shuri as she sets out on a quest to save her homeland of Wakanda.

Stranger by Rachel Manija Brown and Sherwood Smith. Ebook could be on Libby, audiobook on Hoopla. 
Generations after an unknown Change eliminated electricity and gave people unusual powers, the Southern Californian town of Las Anclas must deal with the consequences when a teenage prospector comes to stay

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi – Ebook and audiobook on Libby.
In a near-future society that claims to have gotten rid of all monstrous people, a creature emerges from a painting seventeen-year-old Jam’s mother created, a hunter from another world seeking a real-life monster.

Want by Cindy Pon. Ebook and audiobook on Libby.
Jason Zhou is trying to survive in Taipei, a city plagued by pollution and viruses, but when he discovers the elite are using their wealth to evade the deadly effects, he knows he must do whatever is necessary to fight the corruption and save his city.

War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi.  Ebook and audiobook on Libby.
In 2172, when much of the world is unlivable, sisters Onyii and Ify dream of escaping war-torn Nigeria and finding a better future together but are, instead, torn apart.

Wilder Girls by Rory Power. Ebook on Libby.
Friends Hetty, Byatt, and Reece go to extremes trying to uncover the dark truth about the mysterious disease that has had them quarantined at their boarding school on a Maine island.

 

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In the Dakotas: Apple in the Middle and Prairie Lotus

Here are two stories of girls growing up in the Dakotas – one modern and one in the past.
Apple in the Middle by Dawn QuigleyApple in the Middle by Dawn Quigley. NDSU, 2018. 9781946163073. Read from library copy.

Dawn Quigley would have been one of our keynote speakers at KidLitCon, and I am finally reviewing her book that I read in the midst of planning for it.  

Apple is a lonely rich girl with designer clothes but no friends who tries to stay out of the sun to keep her skin pale so that she doesn’t stick out so much at her mostly white school.  She dislikes her stepbrother and is afraid to go to cemeteries, blaming herself for her mother’s death at her birth. And she talks way too much, in the way of a kid who hasn’t been listened to enough.  (I found this immensely appealing, probably because it reminded me of myself at that age.)   Continue reading

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Magical Quests in YA Books

Buckle up, friends – my teen librarian Ms. D. asked for help coming up with more specific lists for teen speculative fiction.  We’ve been brainstorming book titles together and came up with four lists worth.  This one has a fair amount of overlap with my last list, which is why it’s coming first.  Meanwhile, if you have any ideas of books to fit the themes “Modern Magic” or “Magical History” where I want books set in real earth history but with magic by own voices authors, please let me know!

Magical Quests

Magical Quests

Avatar: the Last Airbender: the Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee – ebook on Hoopla and Libby

Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi. Ebook and audiobook on Libby.

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco. Ebook and audiobook on Libby; ebook on Hoopla, audiobook also for later books in the series. 

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. Read by Euan Morton. 2 book series. Ebook and audiobook on Libby; audiobook on Hoopla. 

Ember in the Ashes by Saaba Tahir. Ebook and audiobook on Libby.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore.  Ebook and audiobook on Libby and Hoopla; later books in trilogy only on Libby. 

Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron. Ebook and audiobook on Hoopla; can recommend for Libby. 

Legacy of Orïsha by Tomi Adeyemi. First book Children of Blood and Bone. Ebook and audiobook on Libby, audiobook on Hoopla. 

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko (out in August)

Serpentine by Cindy Pon. Ebook on Hoopla.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Ebook on Libby. Audiobook in German on Hoopla (really??)  

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi. Ebook on Libby.

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal.  Ebook and audiobook on Libby; audiobook on Hoopla.

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Adieh. Ebook and audiobook on Libby.

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