Fairy Tale Romances

Looking for some fairy-tale romance this Valentine's Day? While you're waiting for your prince (or princess) to come, read some of these great fairy tale retellings!

Cinder 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. The first book in the Lunar Chronicles offers a futuristic take on the Cinderella story.

Beastly by Alex Flinn
Beastly is a modern retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" told from the point of view of the Beast, a vain Manhattan private school student. Kyle Kingsbury has enjoyed being the most popular guy at school with the meanest and most egotistical attitude; however, he is punished by a witch in his English class and turned into a beast. Kyle now must find his true love and make her accept him as he is in order to break the curse and return him to being the man he once was. Also read Cloaked by Flinn. Cloaked is a modern romantic adventure with elements of The Shoemaker and the Elves and The Frog Prince. 

Toads and Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson
A retelling of the French fairy tale set in pre-colonial India, Diribani meets a goddess at the village well and is granted a remarkable gift: flowers and precious jewels drop from her lips whenever she speaks. It seems only right to Tana that the goddess judged her kind, lovely stepsister worthy of such riches. And when Tana encounters the goddess, she is not surprised to find herself speaking snakes and toads as a reward. Blessings and curses are never so clear as they might seem, however. Diribani's newfound wealth brings her a prince--and an attempt on her life. Tana is chased out of the village because the province's governor fears snakes, yet thousands are dying of a plague spread by rats. As the sisters' fates hang in the balance, each struggles to understand her gift. Will it bring her wisdom, good fortune, love . . . or death?

Ash by Malinda Lo
In this variation on the Cinderella story, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother in the wake of her father's death. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted. The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt. Kaisa reawakens Ash's capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.

The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson
In this story loosely based on Sleeping Beauty, Rose has been appointed as a healer's apprentice at Hagenheim Castle, a rare opportunity for a woodcutter's daughter. While she often feels uneasy at the sight of blood, Rose is determined to prove herself capable. Failure will mean returning home to marry the aging, disgusting bachelor her mother has chosen for her. When Lord Hamlin, the future duke, is injured, it is Rose who must tend to him. As she works to heal his wound, she begins to understand emotions she's never felt before and wonders if he feels the same. But falling in love is forbidden, as Lord Hamlin is betrothed to a mysterious young woman in hiding. Also by Dickerson: The Merchant's Daughter based on Beauty and the Beast.

Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright
The body of a young girl is discovered in a field of wheat. Her flesh mutilated by telltale claw marks. The Wolf has broken the peace. When Valerie learns that her sister has been killed by the legendary creature, she finds herself at the center of a dark mystery, one that has plagued her village for generations. It is revealed that the werewolf lives among them, and everyone in the village immediately becomes a suspect. Could her secret love Peter be behind the attacks on her town? Is it her betrothed, Henry? Or someone even closer to her? As the men in the village hunt for the beast, Valerie turns to her grandmother for help. She gives Valerie a handmade red riding cloak, and guides her through the web of lies and deception that has held her town together for so long. Will Valerie discover the werewolf's identity before the town is ripped apart?

Beauty by Robin McKinley
Beauty has never liked her nickname. She is thin and awkward; it is her two sisters who are the beautiful ones. But what she lacks in looks, she can perhaps make up for in courage. When her father comes home with the tale of an enchanted castle in the forest and the terrible promise he had to make to the Beast who lives there, Beauty knows she must go to the castle, a prisoner of her own free will. Her father protests that he will not let her go, but she answers, "Cannot a Beast be tamed?" Also check out Spindle's End for McKinley's adaption of Sleeping Beauty.

Kimberly

2012 Printz Award Winner

The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.The award winner was announced today and Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley won!

Witty, sardonic Cullen Witter agonizes over the disappearance of his beloved brother, Gabriel, while everyone else in his stiflingly dull Arkansas town thrills to the apparent return of a long-extinct woodpecker. Kidnapping, arcane religious texts, and ornithology collide in this ground-breaking coming-of-age tale.

“Straightforward, yet increasingly complex, this novel masterfully weaves together themes of brotherhood, friendship, loss and religious obsession,” said Printz Award Committee Chair Erin Helmrich.

I read Where Things Come Back this past summer and it was definitely one of the best YA books I read last year. I recommend it if you enjoy quirky, introspective stories. There are also lots of indie music references. In fact, the book was inspired by the Sufjan Stevens' (who I'm in love with btw) song Lord God Bird.

And here are the Printz 2012 Honor Books:

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
In this beautiful piece of bookmaking, heartbroken movie obsessive Min Green dumps a box of relationship ephemera on ex-love Ed Slaterton’s porch, each item attached to a raging, loving, insecure and regretful letter explaining how each memento contributed to their breakup.

The Returning by Christine Hinwood
A large cast of characters from two fictional kingdoms recover from a drawn-out, brutal war in a portrait both sweeping and specific as it explores the ramifications of the conflict on Cam, the only one who lives to return to his village.

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
Spurred by the mysterious death of a schoolmate, Charlie confronts racism and his fears as he learns about family, friendship and love in the oppressive heat of small-town 1960s Australia. Silvey weaves themes of freedom and loyalty with moments of humor in this wrenching novel.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
A bloody, intoxicating horse race on the Island of Thisby is the backdrop for this atmospheric novel. The heart-pounding story pits two teens against death – to win is to survive.

Kimberly

Now Playing: Stoner & Spaz II by Ron Koertge

Considering that close to a decade has passed between Ron Koertge’s Stoner & Spaz and its sequel, the recently released NowPlaying: Stoner & Spaz II, I was surprised that the sequel picked up where the first book left off. I thought the novel might find the characters crossing paths again several years later, but instead the novel resumes shortly after Ben, a film junkie with cerebral palsy, shows his documentary at a Hollywood art gallery. Colleen, a different kind of junkie who wants to clean up her act, progresses from acquaintance to the status of almost girlfriend in Stoner & Spaz. However, at the end of the book she ditches Ben at the art gallery in favor of another bad seed type of guy.

While Colleen disappears, Ben meets a girl named A.J., another aspiring filmmaker who seems interested in both Ben and his filmmaking skills. She’s also a driven girl from a wealthy family, two things Ben’s controlling and occasionally judgmental grandmother approves of. Much of Koertge’s new book is taken up with Ben trying to choose between Colleen and A.J. He also struggles to figure out if either of them is interested in dating him or if they think of him as more of a friend.

Other conflicts arise. Part of the way through the book, Colleen finds out where Ben’s mom is living and the two of them take a road trip to see her. Ben also grapples with whether the documentary films he’s making are exploiting the people they are about. He considers making a film about Colleen and later in the book A.J. wants Ben to make a film about seeing his mother for the first time since he was four.

I don’t know if all the story lines come together that neatly in Now Playing: Stoner & Spaz II, but since this novel and its predecessor are driven first and foremost by dynamic characters, I was okay with the story meandering at times. I just hope that if Koertge writes a third installment about Ben and Colleen that it doesn’t take as long to come out.

John

Best Adult Books for Teens

All of the following books you'll find in our Adult Fiction & Sci Fi collections but they're good reads for teens too!

Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch
Jaffy leaves behind his life on the streets of 19th century London for an adventure to the Pacific Islands aboard a whaling ship in search of a mythical - yet far too real - dragon in this enormously satisfying novel of friendship, survival, and redemption.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Imagine if Willie Wonka had been a video-game designer. Now imagine a world in which most people spend their time as avatars in a virtual reality. The founder of this virtual reality leaves his fortune to the first to win a contest, comprised of puzzles and tasks based on 1980s popular culture. Three teens compete to win against an evil conglomerate.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Alternate chapters weave Victoria's past as a foster child and her present as a semi-homeless 18-year-old. Victoria finds her first job in a florist shop, putting to use the language of flowers she first learned from her only real family, the foster mother she lost 10 years earlier.

The Magician King by Lev Grossman
Fillory is a magical utopia. With little for a monarch to do, Quentin goes on a quest. Alternating chapters relate his old friend Julia's backstory. While the king enjoys life at Brakebills, Julia learns magic on the streets. Her journey is powerful and horrifying in this followup to The Magicians.

Alice Bliss by Laura Harrington
Alice's idyllic small-town life is interrupted when her father's army reserve unit is called up for active duty in Iraq. After he is declared missing in action, she turns to her best friend, the boy next door, for support.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Le Cirque des Rêves appears without warning on the outskirts of cities around the world. Only open at night, it is filled with magic and theater, each tent a sensory experience, manipulated and sustained by two young people locked in a mysterious competition.

Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
Mere months after their mother dies, the Bigtree family's alligator-wrestling theme park and cafe, Swamplandia!, goes out of business, sending the abandoned siblings on individual perilous journeys away from home in this dazzling, affecting, funny novel.

Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson
In this artificial intelligence blockbuster, the heroic actions of a handful of characters are told in the form of briefing reports recovered after the Robot Wars that nearly exterminated humanity. This format with its emphasis on survival in battle and full-throttle action will appeal particularly to those who enjoy science-gone-wrong thrillers.



Kimberly

From School Library Journal

Stoner & Spaz by Ron Koertge

I recently reread this book after discovering that Ron Koertge had just released a sequel called Now Playing: Stoner & Spaz II. Since Stoner & Spaz first came out in 2002, I knew I’d have to reread it before tackling the sequel.

Stoner & Spaz tells the story of sixteen-year-old Ben Bancroft, a loner with cerebral palsy who lives with his grandmother and finds solace losing himself in movies. During one of his frequent trips to a quirky movie theater that specializes in classics like Bride of Frankenstein, he runs into Colleen Minou, a beautiful and charismatic stoner. Her initial interest in Ben seems to stem from her altered state at the time, but the two soon form a friendship that, much to the surprise of everyone at their school, sometimes even seems like something more.

Yes, I know the opposites attract theme has been played to death, but Stoner & Spaz truly is worth checking out. Spurred on by Colleen and an arty neighbor named Marcie, Ben slowly comes out of his shell and progresses from watching movies incessantly to making a documentary about the students at his high school. Colleen’s progress stops and starts as she seems to know that she should ditch Ed, her drug dealer boyfriend, but seems less sure about what to do next. I enjoyed Stoner & Spaz immensely both of the times I read it and hope the sequel will be as good if not better.

John

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

The first in the Chemical Garden Trilogy, Wither is the story of Rhine Ellery, a 16-year-old girl caught in a nightmare. The world is no longer as we know it due to a series of genetic mutations that took place many years ago. Now, girls only live until they are twenty and boys until they are twenty-five. Kidnappers called Gatherers force young girls into marrying rich men in order to reproduce. Ellery unwillingly marries Linden, the son of a wealthy doctor. Linden himself is caught up in his own turmoil, but his father is determined to come up with a cure for the world's problems and will stop at nothing to do so. The only bright spot in Ellery's life is Gabriel, a house servant that she befriends. Both Rhine & Gabriel suspect that bad things are happening in the mansion and that they are in great danger. But is it possible for them to escape?

Karen

Great Books for Middle Schoolers

Notes from a Totally Lame Vampire by Tim Collins

Nigel seems to be a typical fifteen year old boy, worrying about fitting in, getting a girlfriend, and dealing with acne.  However, life is more complicated for him than it seems.  Nigel is a vampire, and not a good-looking popular vampire like Edward or Emmett Cullen.  Read his collection of notes.   

Pies and Prejudice by Heather Vogle Frederick

Four girls, and their mothers, continue their mother-daughter book club via videoconference between Massachusetts and England, reading Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice," and try to put friendship before romance. From the Mother-Daughter Book Club series.

Anne Frank: the Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography by Sidney Jacobson

This full-color graphic biography of Anne Frank goes beyond her diary. Starting with her father Otto’s birth, it also recounts Anne’s birth and the Frank family’s life hiding, their betrayal and arrest. This graphic biography will give the reader a new appreciation for Anne’s short life. 

Hero by Mike Lupica

Join fourteen year old Zach Harriman in this high-adventure thriller.  When his father’s plane mysteriously crashes, Zach finds out that his father was living a very different life—that of a superhero.  Now Zach is finding out he has the same superhero powers, and the people who wanted his father killed are now after Zach!

After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick.

After Ever After is the sequel to Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie, but you don't have to read that one first to understand this one. The book is about an eighth grade boy named Jeffery Alper whose cancer is in remission. But, life doesn’t just go on perfectly, he still has to deal with the after effect. There is real humor and perspective in this book. 

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

Did you enjoy the movie and/or book Soul Surfer? The Running Dream captures every great aspect of that story, but also takes you on an outstanding journey of a girl named Jessica that you would not expect! Jessica is a record-breaking track runner who finds herself in the hospital after losing her leg in an accident. Jessica finds the courage to defeat her obstacles while encouraging others along the way. Her story will make you cry, laugh, and cheer her on! 

Kimberly