A Great and Terrible Beauty, by Libba Bray

A Great and Terrible Beauty, by Libba Bray. New York: Delacorte Press, 2003. ISBN-10: 0385730284; ISBN-13: 978-0385730280. 403 p.

Plot Summary
Gemma Doyle has been sent to the Spence Academy in London after her mother's mysterious death near their home in India. Gemma has a hard time getting to know the other girls at Spence, but she isn't completely along--she's been followed from India by a mysterious young man who warns her to close her mind to the visions she has seen since her 16th birthday. As she becomes more aware of her powers, she becomes entangled with both the popular girls at school and a shadowy group called the Order. Does her destiny with the Order's magical world?

Critical Evaluation
It's clear that Bray conducted fairly extensive research about life in Victorian England. Girls during this era were groomed to become rich men's wives, and their opinions generally weren't valued by society at large. Bray's large female cast reflects different attitudes and perspectives on Victorian female roles, and even if this were solely a historical novel it would be a great read. The fantasy element only improves the book by providing an avenue to explore gender roles in even more detail as well as advancing the story. The setting, characters, and background behind the novel make it very enjoyable.

Reader’s Annotation
Gemma Doyle was sent to the Spence Academy after the tragic death of her mother. As she makes her new home in Victorian England, she starts having visions of another world.

Author Information
Libba Bray grew up in Texas, the daughter of a Presbyterian minister. When she was 18, she was in a bad car accident and had 13 surgeries in 6 years to rebuild her face (she has an artificial left eye because of it). She says her three worst habits are "overeating, self-doubt, and the frequent use of the "f" word" and she hates donuts. When she doesn't write, she says she feels depressed and cranky and itchy, so she writes so everyone around her is happy that she's stopped complaining (source). Her most recent book was Going Bovine, which won the 2010 Printz Award. A complete biography can be found on her website at http://www.libbabray.com/LBAutobiography.html.


While A Great and Terrible Beauty is sometimes categorized as chick lit, Bray says she hates the term because it's demeaning. "By and large, the writing of men is not categorized and compartmentalized in this way beyond specific publishing genres, i.e., mystery, horror, science fiction. I have the same problem when movies are referred to as chick flicks. It's dismissive; it says that the themes that often show up in women's novels and films and the perspective of women artists are somehow less than....Now, that said, can we please, please move away from this recent spate of navel-gazing, whining, shopping-obsessed superficial novels in which guys are just accessories like the right shoes, and the deepest feelings encountered are a sort of self-absorbed sulkiness on the part of the heroine? Puh-leeeze" (source).  Her strong feminism and individualism is apparent in her work.

Genre
Gothic fantasy, historical fiction

Curriculum Ties
History: gender roles in Victorian England.

Booktalking Ideas
Evoke the setting by using the passage and description of the time Gemma first sees Spence.

Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 9-12.

Challenge Issues
Occult/magic issues.

Challenge Defense
Invite the challenger to read the book before making a value judgement.

I included this book because it was named a 2004 Best Book for Young Adults by YALSA. I also saw it at Target as I was browsing and it looked interesting.

The Demon's Lexicon, by Sarah Rees Brennan

The Demon's Lexicon, by Sarah Rees Brennan. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2009. ISBN-10: 1416963790; ISBN-13: 978-1416963790. 336 p.

Plot Summary
Demons are real--and 16-year-old Nick Ryves and his brother Alan have spent their lives on the run from them and the magicians who summon them. The demons are hunting the Ryves family to retrieve a charm their mother stole, one that keeps her alive. When a brother and sister come to them, asking for help to remove a demon's mark dooming one of them to death, Nick is reluctant to put his life in danger to help. Bug when Alan is also marked by a demon, Nick must kill one of the magicians who've been hunting them if he wants to save his brother.

Critical Evaluation
Nick, our protagonist, is disconcertingly emotionless at the beginning of the book, and speaking as a reader, it was off-putting. I could not understand why the author made the choice to have such a cold, distant narrator. But as the book progressed, and Nick's history and motivations became clear, the relationships between all the characters clicked into place. This book was a fascinating, engrossing look at what it means to be human and how the relationships we create on this earth are what really matters.

Reader’s Annotation
Nick and Alan have spent their lives fleeing from the demons and magicians who are tracking them. When Alan is marked by a demon, they must kill a magician to keep themselves safe.

Author Information

Sarah Rees Brennan grew up in Ireland, where her teachers did their best to make her fluent in the Irish language. Mostly, she chose to read books under her desk instead. Some of her favorites included Jane Austen, Anthony Trollope, Robin McKinley, and Diana Wynne Jones, and she still loves these authors today.

After college, she lived in New York for a while, but returned to the British Isles to work on a Creative Writing MA and work in a library in Surrey, England. She wrote The Demon's Lexicon while in Surrey, and has since made Ireland her permanent home base. Her website can be seen at http://www.sarahreesbrennan.com, and she blogs at http://sarahtales.livejournal.com/. She has also guest posted for the author Justine Larbalestier (found here), and several interviews are also available online (such as here and here)

Genre
Fantasy

Curriculum Ties
English: mythology and folk tales

Booktalking Ideas
-Share the scene where Nick and Alan learn that Jamie and Mae (the brother-sister pair who come to them for help) need help because Jamie has a demon's mark. It's a good scene to introduce the sense of suspense that permeates the rest of the book.

Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 9+

Challenge Issues
Magic and the occult. Any occult magic is as innocuous as in Harry Potter, but some parents still will have a problem with it.

Challenge Defense
Ask if the challenger has ever read the book. By the end of the book, there's an uplifting message about family and friends.

I included this book because it was nominated for a Cybil Award in 2010, and it looked interesting.

Evermore, by Alyson Noel

Evermore, by Alyson Noel. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2009. ISBN-10: 031253275X; ISBN-13: 978-0312532758. 320 p.

Plot Summary
After the car crash that killed her entire family and nearly killed her, Ever Bloom is able to read people's thoughts, see their auras, and know their whole life story just by touching them. She works hard to avoid other people and suppress her abilities, but when she meets Damen, everything changes. He has no aura, and his mind is a blank to her. As Ever grows closer to Damen, she finds she has more questions than answers about Damen's strange abilities.

Critical Evaluation
Evermore seems highly derivative of the Twilight phenomenon. Damen, like the vampire Edward, affects Ever strongly, and his touch is like no one else's. Damen has lightning-fast reflexes and has to deal with an unnaturally prolonged life, and it seems unclear why Ever affects him so strongly. But Noel's book succeeds in developing strong relationships between Ever and the people in her life, and it's refreshing to read a paranormal romance where the love interest isn't the sole focus of the protagonist's life (although it is still what the book spends the majority of its time on, sadly). While it will never be mistaken for an intellectual novel, Evermore will appeal to readers who loved Twilight and can't get enough of paranormal romance. Additional reader reviews can be found at goodreads.com.

Reader’s Annotation
Ever is a mind-reader who lost her family in a terrible accident. Although she isolates herself to suppress her powers, she can't hide herself enough to keep from falling in love with Damen. But Damen isn't a normal boy...he's an Immortal.

Author Information

Alyson Noel was born and raised in Orange County, CA. After high school she wanted to get away from suburbia, so she moved to Mykonos, Greece, where she lived for several years. She wrote her debut novel while she was a flight attendant, during long layovers and weather delays that kept her from home. She and her husband live in Newport Beach, CA. More information about Alyson and her books can be found at http://www.alysonnoel.com/.

What gave Noel the idea for her Immortals series? She says, "Grief. Pure and simple. I’d lost three people I loved in five months, and shortly after that I nearly lost my husband to leukemia (he’s in full remission now!). Experiencing that sort of intense grief and fear got me thinking a lot about life and death, mortality and immortality, the bonds that tie us even after a loved one is gone, and how our youth loving culture sort of seeks physical immortality by trying to remain youthful looking for as long as we can—and yet, what would happen if we really could achieve it? What would it mean for us, our loved ones, society in general? And since I’ve been interested in all things paranormal since I was a kid, Ever and Damen’s story seemed like the perfect vehicle to explore all of those themes."

Genre
Fantasy; paranormal romance

Curriculum Ties
None.

Booktalking Ideas
-Compare it to Twilight
-Ever's sadness at losing her family

Reading Level/Interest Age
High school.

Challenge Issues
Minimal. While Damen would like to have sex with Ever, she stops his advances before they go too far, and there are no other language or violence issues.

I included this book because it was included on YALSA's list of 2009 Teens' Top Ten Nominations. I wouldn't have picked it up otherwise. I can see why teens like it, but it definitely wasn't my cup of tea.

Graceling, by Kristin Cashore

Graceling, by Kristin Cashore. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc., 2008. ISBN-10: 015206396X; ISBN-13: 978-0152063962. 480 p.

Plot Summary
In a land where some are born with extreme talents, or Graces,  Katsa is more feared--and exploited--than any other Graceling.  Cursed with a Grace for killing, she lives her life under the thumb of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, with the expectation that she will torture or kill those who displease him. When she meets Prince Po, another Graced fighter, she never expects to learn terrible secrets that may destroy the seven kingdoms.  Can she fight her destiny and save her homeland?

Critical Evaluation
In her debut novel, Cashore excels and making Katsa a sympathetic protagonist, despite the terrible things she has done. She is a strong role model, especially as she is forced into adulthood before she is ready to handle the challenges to come. Teen readers will find it easy to identify with this tale of a girl who must face insurmountable odds to save those she cares about before they are destroyed.

Reader’s Annotation
Katsa is cursed with the Grace of killing. Once she meets the handsome prince Po, she discovers an evil plot that threatens her homeland. Can she use her gift to save the lifes and freedom of those she loves before it's too late?

Author Information

Kristin Cashore grew up in a village in northeastern Pennsylvania, reading as much as she could and daydreaming when she couldn't. She graduated from Williams College and got a M.A. from the Center for the Study of Children's Literature at Simmons College. She hasn't stopped writing since. Kristin currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and blogs at http://kristincashore.blogspot.com/.

When she was asked about the origin of the idea of "Graces", Cashore says she can't really point to a specific point at which the idea started. She says, "It was with me from the beginning—from the very start, Katsa had an unusual power that alienated her terribly from others. As I fine-tuned the concept of Graces, it seemed right to me that every Grace should be an extreme version of skills that people in our world actually do have. So, for example, there are people in our world who can run really, really fast; the corresponding Grace would be the ability to run even faster — inhumanly fast. There are people in our world who rarely get sick, so why not a Graceling who’s incapable of getting sick? There are unusually perceptive people in our world; the corresponding Grace might be some form of mind reading. There are people with an unusually deep connection to the earth and nature; the corresponding Grace might be an ability to predict weather. And so on. I tried to avoid Graces that had too much of a sci-fi feel — for example, I don’t think teleportation would be a believable Grace in the world of Graceling. Maybe I’m wrong; basicallly, I try to avoid inconsistencies, and hope for the best!"

Genre
Fantasy, Coming of Age.

Curriculum Ties
None.

Booktalking Ideas
-Read a passage from the first time Po and Katsa fight each other.
-What would you do if you could kill someonee with a single blow? How would your life have to change?

Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 9-12.

Challenge Issues
Violence.

Challenge Defense
Become familiar with book reviews, which rate this book highly.

I included this book because I really enjoyed it when I read it last summer, and I wanted to read it again. It reminds me of The Hunger Games, which is a great thing.

Lips Touch: Three Times, by Laini Taylor

Lips Touch: Three Times, by Laini Taylor, illustrated by Jim di Bartolo. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2009. ISBN-10: 0545055857; ISBN-13: 978-0545055857. 272p.

Plot Summary
A collection of three short stories about kissing, with elements of the supernatural playing a role. In "Goblin Fruit," goblins crave the souls of young girls who dream endlessly of being pretty and of waking up as someone else. Kizzy, from an active gypsy family, wishes her family could just be normal; the goblin's want her soul more than anyone's. Was the handsome new boy in school sent by them? In "Spicy Little Curses Such as These," a child is cursed that her voice will kill anyone who hears it. She has been silent since the curse was placed. Now that she is in love, can she continue to hold her tongue? In "Hatchling," another girls discovers that she and her mother lead a transient life because she belongs to another world entirely. What will happen when she goes back?

Critical Evaluation 
Laini Taylor's tales are evocative of the hidden magics and terrible curses of the fairy tales of the Grimm Brothers. Her stories effectively draw the reader in, and, though the stories are short, she is able to create finely-drawn characters with believable motivations and histories. This book was a Cybil nominee in 2009, and the award was richly deserved. It was also a finalist for the National Book Award and a YALSA Top Ten Book for Young Adults pick. I loved this book.

Reader’s Annotation
This collection of stories about first kisses blends fairy tales and supernatural themes with real characters--a girl living in the shadows, who is suddenly being pursued by the handsome new boy. A girl who can't speak, being loved for who she is anyway. And a girl who learns her mom hasn't been entirely honest with her. 

Author Information 
Laini Taylor graduated from U.C. Berkeley and also attended the California College of Art. She has written three young adult novels that have earned starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, and Publisher's Weekly. She spends her time making stuff (including products for her gift and stationary collection) and making stuff up (stories). She lives with her husband, artist Jim di Bartolo, in Portland, Oregon. She blogs regularly at http://growwings.blogspot.com/. 

Genre
Fantasy

Curriculum Ties 
English: Fairy Tale Tropes

Booktalking Ideas
-the magic of first kisses
-read passage from "Goblin Fruit" describing how Kizzy feels when she's with the new boy 

Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 9-12

Challenge Issues 
None

Beautiful Creatures, by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Creatures, by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. New York: Little, Brown & Co., 2009. ISBN-10: 0316042676; ISBN-13: 978-0316042673. 563 p.

Plot Summary
Ethan Wate is counting down the days until he can leave the Southern town of Gatlin (two years and eight months). Lena Duchannes is the new girl in town, and she's unlike anyone Gatlin has ever seen. She's struggling to conceal her magic powers and the curse that's been on her family for generations: all Duchannes teens will either become Dark or Light on their sixteenth birthday. Ethan is drawn to Lena and wants to discover the connection between them. But this secret is too big for the two of them to handle. Will she be chosen by Light or Dark?

Critical Evaluation
Garcia and Stohl excel at creating a rich atmosphere of dread and tension as they draw the story of Lena's coming of age as a witch. The Southern setting makes an excellent background for issues of free will vs. fate, as well as how teens deal with the loss of loved family members. While Ethan's complete devotion to Lena may seem a bit unbelievable to more adult readers, it is refreshing to read a paranormal romance from the male perspective. Some plot ties remain open for resolution in the second book in the series. Recommended for Twilight fans looking for their next obsession. This title was a finalist for the ALA's William C. Morris YA Debut Award in 2010.

Reader’s Annotation
Lena Duchannes is a witch and will have to face a big choice on her sixteenth birthday. Can Lena and Ethan work together to break the curse before it's too late?

Author Information
Margaret studied American Literature at Amherst and Yale and earned a MA in English from Stanford.  She was a video game designer/writer for 10 years.  Kami grew up with four generations of Southern women outside of Washington, D.C. She has a MA in education and taught in the DC area.When discussing the influence the American South had on her writing, she said "The South seems like a place where magic and mystery really coexist, so everything we write springs from that profound sense of place. It helped that our families come from tiny towns and casserole counties, and we also spent time in and around Charleston where the book is set."


Kami is a Reading Specialist and continues to teach and lead book groups for children and teens.  She feels that "in some sense, all romances feel supernatural. They don’t feel natural—because each one is so special and unique. A supernatural romance takes those feelings and magnifies them, and allows us to explore them."

Kami and Margaret both live in the Los Angeles area.  More information about Kami and Margaret's work can be found at http://beautifulcreaturesthebook.com.

Genre
Fantasy, paranormal romance.

Curriculum Ties
History: Civil War, Antebellum South
Geography: The American South

Booktalking Ideas
What if your girlfriend were a powerful witch?
Don't judge a book by its cover

Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 8-12. Anyone old enough to enjoy Twilight is old enough to enjoy this book.

Challenge Issues
Magic/Witchcraft.

Challenge Defense Ideas
Get reviews from teens who have read it
Point to reviews (universally positive) and awards from ALA as criteria for inclusion in a collection.

I included this book because it was the teen book club pick for March at my local library. Since I volunteer with the teens, I read it so I could keep up with the book discussion.