TIM, Defender of the Earth! by Sam Enthoven (Razorbill, 2008; 288 pages) This story features TIM (an acronym for Tyrannosaurus: Improved Model), a YA protagonist, genetically engineered for military use in the United Kingdom. Though designed for exceptional size and strength, Tim is called into service very early in his development, in order to combat a plague of nanobots that threaten to destroy London. With an exciting plot, suspenseful action, poignant reflections on the need for companionship, the interesting juxtaposition of a truly old school hero versus technology's modern day dragon, and the complexities of boy/girl, parent/child, and dinosaur/ human relationships, this book is definitely one for readers to sink their teeth into. Find this title in our catalog: TIM: Defender of the Earth Recommended by: Booker T. "Bookzilla" Rex
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The Raven Cycle, Book 1: The Raven Boys; Book 2: The Dream Thieves; Book 3: Blue Lily, Lily Blue; Book 4: The Raven King (2016) by Maggie Stiefvater (Book 1: 2012, Scholastic; 468 pages; Book 2: 2013, Scholastic; 453 pages; Book 3: 2014, Scholastic; 405 pages; Book 4: 2016, Scholastic, 400 pages) The Raven Cycle is a series of four urban fantasy novels (book 4 is scheduled for publication in February, 2016) written by American author Maggie Stiefvater. The series centers around five teenagers from the fictional town of Henrietta, Virginia: Blue Sargent, Richard "Dick" Gansey, Adam Parrish, Ronan Lynch, and Noah Czerny. The teens, interested in the paranormal, are hunting to wake up a sleeping Welsh king by the name of Owain Glyndwr. The book gains its title from the four teen boys in the series, who attend the prestigious private school Aglionby; colloquially, the boys that attend the school are called the "Raven boys." Blue Sargent has always been warned away from the notorious "Raven boys," but when they form a friendship to search for ley lines in Virginia, she finds that they are her best allies. This is one of my favorite young adult series published in the last few years: a supernatural thriller with fantastic writing, great plot, and complex and rich characters, both female and male. The story’s central myth and lots of paranormal elements such as ghosts, spells, palmistry, tarot-card reading, and sorcery are a crucial part of the plot. This series would appeal to lovers of fantasy, romance, action-adventures, and paranormal mysteries. It is an utterly different and creative work of fiction. About the author: Maggie Stiefvater is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the novels Shiver, Linger, Forever, and The Scorpio Races. She is also the author of Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception, and Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie. She lives in Virginia with her husband and their two children. You can visit the author's Web site by clicking here Read more about the characters here and here And there is even a playlist! Find this series in our catalog: The Raven Cycle Recommended by: Maite THE APPRENTICE'S MASTERPIECE -- historical novel elegantly captures the insanity of the Inquisition9/14/2015 The Apprentice's Masterpiece: A Story of Medieval Spain by Melanie Little (2009, Annick Press; 310 pages) Fifteenth-century Spain is one of the most enlightened cultures on record - one in which Jews, Muslims, and Christians coexist within an atmosphere of respect. But then Queen Isabella enacts policies that put an abrupt end to the peace, and violence, mistrust and an intolerable intolerance shadow everyone as the Spanish Inquisition takes shape. Ramon Benveniste, a 15 year old, will have to hide a family secret in this fear-filled atmosphere. Ramon belongs to a family of conversos: Jews converted to Christianity. One day a young man is delivered to the door. Amir wears the robe and red patch of a Muslim. Soon, both Ramon and Amir are caught up in dramatic events they cannot escape. This is a historical fiction book written in an elegant free verse. The theme resonates deeply inside of me, and the story is memorable. The characters capture perfectly well the turbulence of one of the most politically complex and troubling times in human history. We can learn a lot from this book to analyze events happening in our own times. “The brief narrative poems are small gems of insight and emotion …and resonate with contemporary connections.” — VOYA, 06/08 To read more about the book, click here and here. Find this title in our catalog: The Apprentice's Masterpiece Recommended by: Maite I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN -- the N.Y. Times bestseller about first love, family, loss, and betrayal8/26/2015 I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson (2014, Dial Books; 384 pages) This, the second book by YA author Jandy Nelson was the Winner of the 2015 Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature. Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives, wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways ... until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else -- an even more unpredictable new force in her life. The early years are Noah's story to tell. The later years are Jude's. What the twins don't realize is that they each have only half of the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they'd have a chance to remake their world. This radiant novel from the acclaimed author of The Sky Is Everywhere will leave you breathless and teary and laughing -- often all at once. Art and wonder occupy this book from the very beginning. I love this paragraph written in The New York Times about the book: "Art -- its creation, its importance, its impact on identity and freedom -- is perhaps the central theme of I'll Give You the Sun. The book celebrates art's capacity to heal, but it also shows us how we excavate meaning from the art we cherish, and how we find reflections of ourselves within it. I've always loved this line from Stendahl: 'A novel is a mirror carried down a high road.' Done well, it shows us ourselves even as it moves us forward into new places and new understandings. I'll Give You the Sun is a dazzling mirror, and many grateful teenagers are sure to find themselves reflected in and learning from its pages." Find this title in our catalog: I'll Give You the Sun Recommended by: Maite The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (2007, Little, Brown Books For Young Readers; 259 pages) Alexie tells the story of Arnold Spirit, aka Junior, a budding cartoonist born with "water on the brain," growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Expecting disaster when he transfers from the reservation school to the rich, white school, Junior soon finds himself making friends with both geeky and popular students and starting on the basketball team. Meeting his old classmates on the court, Junior grapples with questions about what constitutes one's community, identity, and tribe. The daily struggles of reservation life and the tragic deaths of several in Junior's life would be all but unbearable without the humor and resilience of spirit with which he faces the world. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by Ellen Forney that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live. Find this title in our catalog: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Recommended by: Greg To access our Teen Reads blog, Bookshelf Envy, click the link below:
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