The Alchemyst

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Scott, Michael. The Alchemyst. New York: Random House, 2007. Print. ISBN: 9780385736008. $8.99. 400 pages.

 

Awards & Honors:

 

Book Sense Summer Pick Teen Readers 2007

Rhode Island Teen Book 2009

 

Annotation:

Nicholas Flamel is alive, and the elixir of life that has been keeping him mortal since the 14th century is about to be stolen and used to destroy the world, unless Josh and Sophie Newman can fulfill a prophecy and save the world.  The Alchemyst is an adventure worth investing in and readers will love all of the historical and mythological characters that grace its pages.
 

Booktalk Technique: The Open End

What is the elixir of life? Nicholas Flamel has been using the exilir for centuries to keep him and his wife alive, but now Dr. John Dee has discovered them and plans to steal the exilir and destroy humankind.  Josh and Sophie Newman have no idea what is happening to them when they wind up fighting off mythological creatures with Flamel and learn their is a prophecy that has information about their future. Can Josh and Sophie find a way to save their new friend, The Alcheymst?

Find the NOOK version here.

Find the Kindle version here.

 

The Alchemyst is the first book in The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Series.  There are five other books that you can read about on Michael Scott's website.

 

 Watch the book trailer

 

Sabriel

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Nix, Garth. Sabriel. New York: HarperCollins, 1996. Print. ISBN: 9780061474354. $9.99. 336 pages.

 

Awards & Honors:

 

Aurealis Award for Best Young Adult Novel 1995

Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel 1995

Ditmar Award for Best Long Fiction, shortlisted 1996
ALA Best Books for Young Adults 1997
ALA Notable Children's Book 1997

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee 1997
ISFDB Top 100 Books-Critical List
ALA Popular Books for Young Adults 2003, 2009

Annotation:

Sabriel thought she knew what she wanted to do after her schooling ended, until she learned from the other side that her father, Abhorsen the necromancer, is trapped in death and needs her to come over to the other side and save him. Sabriel is a fantasy adventure that will keep readers biting their nails and cheering for a brilliant heroin.

 

Review:

 

Sabriel tells the story of a young girl, who must set out on a quest to save her father, Abhorsen, from the trappings of death. Sabriel, daughter to Abhorsen, is not a normal girl and neither is her father, who is a necromancer, binder of the dead to death. How can Sabriel find her father and free him from an enemy that she has never seen in a world in that she has never visited?

The first part of the book focuses on introducing readers to Sabriel and the Old Kingdom, where she must travel to find her father.  As the book progresses on, we meet incredible characters like Mogget and Touchstone, who help Sabriel on her quest.  Nix has created a world filled with fear, death, humor, and love, and Sabriel is an admirable heroin.

 

Find the NOOK version here.

Find the Kindle version here.

 

Sabriel is the first book in the Abhorsen Trilogy.  Lireal is the second installment and Abhorsen concludes the trilogy.

 

 

Watch this great book trailer

 

Divergent

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Roth, Veronica. Divergent. New York: HarperCollins, 2011. Print. ISBN: 97800620240394. $9.99. 576 pages.

Awards & Honors:

Goodreads Choice Awards Favorite Book 2011

Wyoming Soaring Eagle Nominee 2013

Annotation:

Tris is not your typical girl in trouble, as she is strong, smart, something else that no one is supposed to know about, Divergent, so when she is forced to choose a faction and leave her family behind, she choses Dauntless, because she knows that courage might be the only thing that keeps her alive.

Book Talk Technique: The Wrap Back to the Title

The world has changed, and people are not free to possess whatever personality they like. They can be only one of the five chosen factions in society, which are-

Dauntless - The brave

Abnegation- The selfless

Erudite- The intelligent

Amenity- The peaceful

Candour- The honest

When 16 year old, Beatrice (Tris) Prior learns that does not fit into one of the factions like everyone else and that she is divergent, she must hide the truth and find a way to pretend she is normal. But, when the factions begin a war with one another, Tris quickly realizes that this new world is a dangerous place for the Divergent.

Find the NOOK version here.

Find the Kindle version here.

Divergent is the first book in the Divergent Series. The second book, Insurgent, is available now, and the third book is due out in 2013.

Read about the series on Veronica Roth's blog.

Watch the book trailer

White Cat

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Black, Holly. White Cat. NY: Simon and Schuster, 2010.

ISBN:  9781416963974. 336 pages. $8.99

Awards & Honors:

Locus Recommended Reading for Young Adults 2010
Andre Norton Award Finalist 2010
ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults 2011
 

Annotation:

Cassel is a normal kid in a family of curse workers, but he begins to question his normalcy when he starts sleepwalking and dreaming about a white cat that wants to talk to him. White Cat is a completely original tale of a society where people can't even show their hands due to curse workers and their power, and Black tells it is an exquisite and humorous style.

Book Talk Technique:  The Index Card Trick

• Curses
• Crime
• The Mob
• Murder
• Dreams
• Nightmares
• Cats
• Family
• Brothers
• Jail
• Fear
• Love
• School
• Secrets

White Cat is the first book in the Curse Worker's Series.  If you like it, you should also read Red Glove and Black Heart.

Find the NOOK version here.

Find the Kindle version here.

Read Holly Black's journal or visit her website.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

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Taylor, Laini. Daughter of Smoke and Bone. New York: Little Brown and Company, 2011. Print.

ISBN: 9780316134026. $18.99. 432 pages.

Awards & Honors:

Andre Norton Award Finalist 2011
ALA Reading List Fantasy Shortlist 2012

Annotation:

Everyone thinks that Karou is creative, smart, and talented, but what they fail to realize is that the creatures she loves to draw are real and she's not even certain that she really knows who she is.  Daughter of Smoke and Bone is an amazing story that Laini Taylor tells through a twising narrative of chaos, war, love, and fantasy.

Book Review

Karou lives in Prague.  She has blue hair that grows that way on its own.  She speaks a ton of languages, some of which may be otherworldly.  She disappears for periods of time and drawing is her passion.  People don't understand her, but they would really be surprised if they learned that her drawings are of real creatures, and in the world she comes from monsters will do anything to have their wishes fulfilled.  When black handprints start showing up on doors all over Prague, and Karou is faced with a terrifying angel in a dark alley, she realizes it may be time to learn more about her world of origin. 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is the best fantasy book I have read in a long time.  Laini Taylor is incredibly gifted with words and has the abilty to make common themes, such as good versus evil and star-crossed love seem utterly original.  The second installment cannot come out soon enough.

 

Find the Kindle version here.

Find the NOOK version here.

Join the Daughter of Smoke and Bone Facebook page.

Laini Taylor's blog is really fun, because she shares tons of pictures of her house and family plus talks all about her books.

Watch this interview with author Laini Taylor.

Watch this short clip about the book.

Twilight

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Meyer, Stephenie. Twilight. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2005. Print. ISBN: 9780316015844. $10.99. 513 pages.

Awards:

One of Publishers Weekly’s “Best Children’s Books of 2005″One of School Library Journal’s “Best Books of 2005″

Annotation: Bella Swan knows there is something dangerous about Edward, but she can't stop herself from loving him, even if it means he won't be able to keep himself from drinking her blood.  Twilight is a perfect teen romance novel, with just the right amount of fantasy and fear mixed in. 

Booktalk Technique: "Wrap Back to the Title"

"There are three things that Bella knows.

1. Edward is a vampire

2. There's a part of him—how big a part, she isn't sure—that truly thirsts for her blood

3. She is unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him."

Bella is clumsy and awkward.  Edward is perfect, but dangerous.  Together they are magnetic and cannot be torn apart. Bella knows that being in love with a vampire is dangerous. She worries that she could die and wonders if she even wants to (at least mortally). She fears that she is putting everyone she knows at risk, but what Isabella doesn't realize is that Edward and his family aren't the only vampires in town and nothing will ever be the same after Twilight?

Find the NOOK version here.

Find the Kindle version here.

Like the Twilight page on Facebook.

 

 

Watch the film version of the book.

 

If you like Twilight, read the rest of the series.  New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn are available in paperback at bookstores. 

The Hunger Games

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Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games.  New York: Scholastic, 2008.  Print.  ISBN: 0439023483.  $17.99. 387 pages.

Awards:

Publisher's Weekly Best Books of the Year 2008

California Young Reader Medal 2011

ALA Top 10 Best Books for Young Adults

New York Times Notable Children's Book of 2008

Kirkus Best Young Adult Book 2008

2008 Cybil Award – Fantasy and Science Fiction

School Library Journal Best Books of 2008

 

Annotation:  In Panem, every year twenty-four tributes are chosen to fight to death in an arena made by the dominating capitol and this year Katniss Everdeen will learn just how strong she really is by going into the arena with a mission of coming back out alive.  The Hunger Games is one of my favorite books this year and readers will love Katniss and her fighting personality.

Booktalk Technique: Wrap Back to the Title

What would it feel like to have your life determined by random drawing? War and famine have led the people of Panem to be divided into 12 districts.  Each year, one boy and one girl from each district are chosen at random from a drawing to take part in the Hunger Games. Imagine being forced to watch boys and girls battle to the death, leaving only one survivor. This year, 16 year old Katniss Everdeen is the female champion from District 12 and must compete for her life.  Can she survive The Hunger Games?

Find the NOOK version here.

Find the Kindle version here.

The Hunger Games is the first book in a trilogy about Katniss and Panem.  The other books in the series are Catching Fire and Mockingjay.

Read more about the series on Suzanne Collins website. 

Watch the book trailer

 

The film version of The Hunger Games was released in 2012 to great success. 

 Watch the film preview.