Category Archives: Young Adult/Teen 12-18

Review: Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

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Where Things Come Back by John Corey WhaleyWhere Things Come Back
John Corey Whaley
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published May 3, 2011

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The summer before his senior year, Cullen Witter’s sleepy Arkansas hometown implodes with changes. His cousin dies of a drug overdose. An extinct woodpecker is spotted by a smarmy nature enthusiast. And Cullen’s sensitive, insightful younger brother goes missing.

Woven through this summer tale of loss and love is another seemingly unrelated story about a missionary just returned from Ethiopia, his jaded college roommate and a girl who returns to Cullen’s town following a … Continue reading →

Review: The Thickety: A Path Begins by J. A. White

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Thickety: A Path BeginsThe Thickety: A Path Begins
J A White
Katherine Tegen Books
Published May 6, 2014

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On the day of her brother’s birth, six year-old Kara witnesses her mother’s sentencing and execution as a witch. Branded as outcasts, Kara and her sickly younger brother struggle to scratch a living out of their failing farmland. Then the forbidden forest known as the Thickety begins calling to Kara. Hidden in the dark soil beneath the trees, Kara finds a powerful book of magic.

Though she’s determined to be a good girl, Kara soon finds herself caught in the pull of … Continue reading →

Review: The Amaranth Enchantment

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Amaranth Enchantment by Julie BerryThe Amaranth Enchantment
Julie Berry
Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Published

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After the unexpected deaths of her parents, young Lucinda is thrown on the kindness of her uncle and his second wife. She spends her days as a servant in their jewel shop, ducking her aunt’s wrath and dreaming of a different future.

Three visitors to the shop change the course of her life: a prince, a wealthy woman rumored to be a witch, and an overconfident young thief. In different ways the visits inspire Lucinda to try to reclaim her lost family home. She will need help from all three … Continue reading →

Cover Reveal: Draven’s Light by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

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Author Anne Elisabeth Stengl is ready to reveal the cover of the eighth novel in the Tales of Goldstone Wood series. Here it is, along with the intriguing back cover copy:

Draven's Light Cover

In the Darkness of the Pit

The Light Shines Brightest

Drums summon the chieftain’s powerful son to slay a man in cold blood and thereby earn his place among the warriors. But instead of glory, he earns the name Draven, “Coward.” When the men of his tribe march off to war, Draven remains behind with the women and his shame. Only fearless but crippled Ita values her brother’s honor.

The warriors return from battle victorious yet trailing a curse in their wake. One by … Continue reading →

Review: The Princess Spy by Melanie Dickerson

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The Princess Spy by Melanie DickersonThe Princess Spy
Melanie Dickerson
Zonderkids
Published November 4, 2014

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Despite her romantic dreams and wishes, Margaretha is determined to wed a man who will secure her family’s future as well as her own. When a handsome though bedraggled stranger warns her that Lord Claybrook, her latest beau, is a fraud, Margaretha at first thinks him delusioned by fever.

Gradually she comes to accept and respect Colin, the English stranger and even volunteers to spy on Lord Claybrook for him. When Claybrook’s men seize her castle at Hagenheim and threaten the lives of her family members, it’s up to Margaretha and Colin to stop … Continue reading →

Top Ten Tuesday: 2014 Releases I Meant to Read

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This is in participation with a weekly meme from The Broke and the Bookish.

Under the Egg

Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald

“When Theodora Tenpenny spills a bottle of rubbing alcohol on her late grandfather’s painting, she discovers what seems to be an old Renaissance masterpiece underneath. That’s great news for Theo, who’s struggling to hang onto her family’s two-hundred-year-old townhouse and support her unstable mother on her grandfather’s legacy of $463. There’s just one problem: Theo’s grandfather was a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and she worries the painting may be stolen.

With the help of some unusual new friends, Theo’s search for answers takes her … Continue reading →