Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal

Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal is a Jane Austen novel with a little bit of magic thrown in. I think it's marketed for adults, but its content is all appropriate for young adults. It's a great book for lovers of Jane Austen or to recommend to a younger reader in your life who you'd love to introduce to Jane Austen. Though Kowal follows a lot of the same conventions and style choices as Jane Austen, it's more accessible because the language is easier for modern readers.

Kowal started her career as a puppeteer and used her skills in a book trailer for Shades of Milk and Honey:

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Shades of Milk and Honey

by Mary Robinette Kowal

Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates

Year: 2011

Ages/Themes: Young Adult, Magic, Romance, Relationships, Fantasy, Books for Girls

Hattie and Hudson by Chris Van Dusen

Hattie and Hudson by Chris Van Dusen is the story of a young girl and her monster friend. She knows he's gentle and kind, but she has to convince the rest of the townspeople. It's a story reminiscent of tales of the Loch Ness Monster. The illustrations are vibrant and fun.

My 5 year old daughter sat and listened to it quietly and ended it with a small grin on her face. It's a great read aloud book and is long enough that a young reader would enjoy reading it too.

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Hattie and Hudson
by Chris Van Dusen
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Year: 2017
Ages/Themes: Picture Books, Young Children, Fantasy

A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel

My husband recently started working at a two-year college. While we toured the campus, there was a display outside the library advertising a class called The Graphic Novel as a Literary Form. I really want to take that class! But since, I can't do that, I did the next best thing. I got a library card (one of the perks of being a spouse of faculty member) and checked out the book that I absolutely had to read.

One of my favorite YA books of all time is A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. I haven't read very many graphic novels, and I think a book you're familiar with turned into a graphic novel is a great way to start. I already knew the story backwards and forwards (and could probably quote much of it). It was very interesting to see how the artist (Hope Larson) portrayed some non-dialogue portions of the book. The first scene in Camazotz was my favorite:

As I read the book my four-year-old sat next to me and wanted to know what was happening and what all the characters were saying. So though this book is listed for Middle Grade Readers, younger readers could certainly enjoy it too. Check out this awesome book trailer. And then check out the book. Or go buy it. It's going on my wishlist.





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A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel
By Madeleine L'Engle
Illustrations by Hope Larson
Publisher: Square Fish
Year: 2015
Ages/Themes: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Classics, Books Everyone Should Read, Newbery Books

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

This year I was introduced to Brandon Sanderson and have become a big fan, especially of Steelheart and the other books in the Reckoners series. My brother told me I had to read Mistborn next.

Let me clear up something that confused me: the first Mistborn novel is called The Final Empire. I was thrown off by the word "final" and thought that must be the last one in the series. The title makes sense in context of the novel, but the book marketer side of me just sees the confusion it can lead to.

On Brandon Sanderson's site this book is described as "a hybrid epic fantasy heist story." I couldn't have said it any better myself. In fact, I'm not sure how I would have described it by myself. Note the word epic, which means really long. I was a little daunted by the length, and it took me a while to get into the book. It's set in a world with completely different rules than ours, so it took a while for the author to establish those rules and for me to understand what was happening. But with a promise to my brother that I would read it, I pushed on.

And I'm glad I did. By the end I was immersed in the world and invested in the characters, which will make the other books in the series easier to get into. This is not a light read--you have to invest time and thought into it. But if you (or your kids) are into hybrid epic fantasy heist stories, it's a great read and a fun world to be a part of.

Have you ever read a book that would qualify as an epic fantasy? What was it?

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Mistborn: The Final Empire
By Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Tor
Year: 2006
Ages/Themes: Young Adult Books, Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Guest Review: A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine

Guest reviewer Katie is a fantasy writer, avid reader, violinist, and high school student who is happy to be on summer break so she has more time to read. Here she reviews A Tale of Two Castles by Newbery-winning author Gail Carson Levine.
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A Tale of Two Castles is written by Newbery Winning author Gail Carson Levine, who wrote Ella Enchanted. I’ve read many of her books and have loved them all. This one in particular is a favorite. The second time I read it I had forgotten the entire middle of the book so it was a familiar brand new story to me.

A young girl named Elodie decides to set out from home and go to the capital city where she hopes she can aspire to be a mansioner or an actress. Through a series of events instead of a mansioner, she becomes a dragon’s apprentice. Sent to spy for her Mastress, Elodie must figure out who is plotting against a shape-shifting ogre. Is it the greedy king, the giddy princess, the handsome cat trainer, or is it the dragon?

I loved how unique the tale is and the different personalities of each character. I think that this book would be great for girls in middle school and older.

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A Tale of Two Castles

By Gail Carson Levine

Publisher: HarperCollins Publisher

Year: 2011

Ages: Middle Grade Books, Young Adult Books, Fantasy, Fairy Tales

Newbery Books Worth Reading: The Graveyard Books

One of my favorite Newbery winning books is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. If you know anything about Neil Gaiman, you know that his books are often strange and a little bit dark. But if you like that kind of thing, Neil Gaiman is the very best. And this is the very best of Neil Gaiman.

It's about a boy who's the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised and taught by its ghostly residents, the boy eventually has to face one of the terrors of the real world. It's surprising and magical and enchantingly different than most middle grade books out there.

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The Graveyard Book
By Neil Gaiman
Publisher: HarperCollins
Year: 2008
Ages/Themes: Middle Grade Books, Newbery Winners, Newbery Books Worth Reading

Newbery Books Worth Reading: Princess Academy

I'm sure you've heard that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover (though as every book marketer and seller will tell you, people do it all the time). Well, I sometimes judge a book by its title. And that's why it took me a few years to give Princess Academy by Shannon Hale a chance.

I actually love fairy tales and their many retellings, but for some reason having the word princess in the title kept me from reading this book. But I changed my mind after reading it. It's certainly not for everyone, but middle grade girls will likely love the story, and lovers of young adult and middle grade books (like me) will likely enjoy this book as well. I don't think it's Shannon Hale's best, but it's still a good one. (Book of a Thousand Days is her best if you're wondering.)

Are you a Shannon Hale fan? Which book of hers is your favorite?
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Princess Academy
By Shannon Hale
Publisher: Bloomsbury Books for Children
Year: 2005
Ages/Themes: Middle, YA, Fairy Tales, Fantasy

Firefight by Brandon Sanderson

For a few years I happily read and followed along with many of the most popular YA trilogies. I read the Hunger Games, Divergent, and Matched trilogies. But over time, I got really sick of trilogies. I've started some YA series and not moved on to the second book, because I'm weary of the books never ending. I really got sick of it with the Maze Runner series. I found the first book entertaining, but I think that the second book could have told the story in a couple of chapters and been part of the third book. It seems that authors have this great idea for a longer story and they know the ending, but since trilogies are a thing now, they have to come up with something for the middle.

Well, Brandon Sanderson has broken that stereotype for me. I really enjoyed Steelheart, so I was eager to read the second book, Firefight, despite my misgivings about trilogies (and the second book in particular). Firefight continues the story of the Reckoners, but it stands alone as a good story, and has a complete ending along with anticipation for the conclusion. It had important plot developments and character growth. I really can't wait to read the conclusion, but the second book's conclusion left me with a sense of completion that so many second books just don't do anymore.

So, the point of my long rant about trilogies and second books comes to this: read Firefight. It's just as good as Steelheart. It has adventure and humor and great storytelling.

What is your favorite trilogy? Is there one you think could have skipped the second book?

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Firefight
By Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Year: 2015
Ages/Themes: Young Adult Books, Middle Grade Books, Fantasy, Adventure, Science Fiction, Series

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

I came late to reading all the Harry Potter books, and so am just now getting around to reading the companion book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I love Harry Potter, but I don't think I would have read this book if it weren't for the movie version coming out in November.

The book is small and as a pretend text book, it would read a bit dry if it weren't for the bits of humor added throughout, both by the "author" and by the pretend notes written in it by Harry and his friends.

This book is definitely for Harry Potter fans, and would make a good gift for a child who already had all the Harry Potter books. The movie trailer looks really good and I'm interested to see the plot they attach to a book with no plot at all.

What about you? Are you a Harry Potter fan? What level of obsessed are you?

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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
By Newt Scamander (aka J.K. Rowling)
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Year: 2001
Ages: Early Reader, Middle Grade Books

Steelheart (The Reckoners) by Brandon Sanderson

Superhero movies and books are abundant these days. There are even superheroes with dark sides. But what if there were people who gained superhero powers, but none of them were good? What if the world was filled with super villains but there were no good guys with super powers to stop them?

I was in the middle of reading two other books when I started reading Steelheart, the first book in The Reckoners series by Brandon Sanderson. I abandoned those and finished this book as quickly as I could. The premise is intriguing, the story was fast-paced and fun, and its full of twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I'll probably reread it someday to see if there's foreshadowing that I missed. The good news is it's part of a series, so there's more to read.

I recommend this book for anyone who likes superheroes, adventures, or alternate worlds (I hesitate to call it a dystopia, but the world is certainly a grimmer place with villains controlling everything). This would be a great book for teenage boys.

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Steelheart
By Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Year: 2013
Ages: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Books for Boys

You can buy this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent library).

Newbery Books Worth Reading: The Blue Sword

Robin McKinley was one of my favorite authors growing up. She writes retellings of classic fairy tales, including two different versions of Beauty and the Beast. And she writes some original fantasy books. The Blue Sword is one of them and it was a Newbery Honor book in 1983. 

McKinley wrote strong female leads before there was so much emphasis on making sure girls read books with strong female leads. In The Blue Sword a young orphaned girl is destined to wield a legendary sword and become the king's rider. I loved reading it as a young girl and I still love it. It's a great book for girls, but there's plenty of action and adventure for boys to enjoy too. And it's definitely a Newbery book worth reading.

You can buy this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent book store.
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The Blue Sword
By Robin McKinley
Publisher: Greenwillow
Year: 1982
Ages: Middle Grade, Young Adult
Themes: Newbery Honor, Fantasy

The Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill

I think I heard about The Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill through Indiebound's list of recommendations from independent booksellers.

I've tried to describe the story, but I keep coming up short. I loved this book instantly and have recommended it to anyone who likes books that are a little different, a little dark, a little mystical. It's full of magic, unexpected heroes, tragedies, triumphs, family secrets, fantasy, and adventure. It's like reading a fairy tale--not a sparkly princess fairy tale, but a real fairy tale.

This book is great for middle grade readers, but I recommend it for young adults and adults too.
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The Witch's Boy
By Kelly Barnhill
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Year: 2014
Ages: Middle Grade, Young Adult

You can buy this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent bookstore.

Alcatraz versus the Scrivener's Bones by Brandon Sanderson

I recently reviewed the first book in this series, Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson. I wasn't going to review this one too because they are very similar. The plot is different, but many of the characters are the same, the writing style is fun, and it's a little bit ridiculous but funny.

I was an English Lit major and so I don't think of myself as a prude when it comes to what I read, but I do want to be careful about what my kids read and what I recommend to other people. I used to rely on Young Adult literature to be free of sex, drugs, and language. But more and more this is not the case.

I read Alcatraz versus the Scrivener's Bones right after I started and had to stop reading four different young adult books because of content. So I really appreciated this book, knowing that it was clean, and that I could recommend it to anyone to read. Alcatraz might not be for everyone, but I can recommend it to anyone.

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Alcatraz versus the Scrivener's Bones
By Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Scholastic
Year: 2009
Ages: Middle Grade, Young Adult Books, Books for Boys

You can find this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent bookstore.

Guest Review: The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

I've had this book on hold at the library for weeks, and finally got it today. I'm excited to start reading it, especially after hearing about how great the series is from Katie*, who wrote this review:

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New York Times Bestseller, The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen, is my current favorite book. I read it within a week and then had to read the second, followed by the third. The Ascendance Trilogy is filled with action, lies, friendship, and a hint of romance.

The first book features four orphaned boys who are collected by a man named Conner. His plan is to install one boy on the throne to impersonate the long lost prince of Carthya. Forced to go along with his plan of treason, the boys each must decide whether to lie or to face death.

All three of the books have nice short chapters that help the story move along quickly without dragging it out. I would recommend this thrilling series of books for middle school aged kids and up.

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The False Prince

By Jennifer A. Nielsen

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Year: 2012

Ages: Middle School and older

*Katie is a fantasy writer, avid reader, violinist, and high school student.

Find this series on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent bookstore.

Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson

Alcatraz has a talent for breaking things. It's part of the reason why he moves from foster home to foster home so often. Then one day he finds out that the world he knows is a lie. The world is run by a group of evil librarians--they control all the information after all. He teams up with others like him (with talents like always being late and speaking gibberish) to retrieve his stolen inheritance. Oh, and there are miniature, talking, British dinosaurs.

Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians is a fun and funny book that would be appropriate for ages 10 and up. The protagonist speaks directly to the reader, sometimes even about the writing itself. It reminded me of the style of the Series of Unfortunate Events books, so someone who likes those books would probably enjoy this one.

After reading this book I wished that my tendency to drop things could be construed to be a talent, but I just haven't found it to be yet.
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Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians
By Brandon Sanderson
Published by Scholastic
Year: 2007
Ages: Middle Grade, YA
Themes: fantasy, adventure