If You Liked The Hunger Games

Feed by M. T. Anderson

In a future where most people have computer implants in their heads to control their environment, a boy meets an unusual girl who is in serious trouble.

Ender’s Game series by Orson Scott Card

Book 1 is Ender’s Game.  A veteran of years of simulated war games, Ender believes he is engaged in one more computer war game when in truth he is commanding the last fleet of Earth against an alien race seeking the complete destruction of Earth.

Graceling series by Kristin Cashore

Book 1 is Graceling.  In a world where some people are born with extreme and often-feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace, the Grace of killing, and teams up with another young fighter to save their land from a corrupt king.

Selection by Kiera Cass

America Singer is chosen to compete in the Selection–a contest to see which girl can win the heart of Illea’s prince–but all she really wants is a chance for a future with her secret love, Aspen, who is a caste below her.

Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

Book 1 is City of Bones.  Suddenly able to see demons and the Darkhunters who are dedicated to returning them to their own dimension, fifteen-year-old Clary Fray is drawn into this bizzare world when her mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a monster.

Matched series by Allyson Condie

Book 1 is Matched.  All her life, Cassia has never had a choice. The Society dictates everything: when and how to play, where to work, where to live, what to eat and wear, when to die, and most importantly to Cassia as she turns 17, whom to marry. When she is Matched with her best friend Xander, things couldn’t be more perfect. But why did her neighbor Ky’s face show up on her match disk as well?

After the First Death by Robert Cormier

Events of the hijacking of a bus of children by terrorists seeking the return of their homeland are described from the perspectives of a hostage, a terrorist, an Army general involved in the rescue operation, and his son, chosen as the go-between.

Maze Runner series by James Dashner

Book 1 is The Maze Runner.  Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

After being interrogated for days by the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco, California, seventeen-year-old Marcus, released into what is now a police state, decides to use his expertise in computer hacking to set things right.

Incarceron series by Catherine Fisher

Book 1 is Incarceron.  To free herself from an upcoming arranged marriage, Claudia, the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, a futuristic prison with a mind of its own, decides to help a young prisoner escape.

Beautiful Creatures series by Kami Garcia

Book 1 is Beautiful Creatures.  In a small South Carolina town, where it seems little has changed since the Civil War, sixteen-year-old Ethan is powerfully drawn to Lena, a new classmate with whom he shares a psychic connection and whose family hides a dark secret that may be revealed on her sixteenth birthday.

Eon series  by Allison Goodman

Book 1 is Eon.  Sixteen-year-old Eon hopes to become an apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune and learn to be its main interpreter, but to do so will require much, including keeping secret that she is a girl.

Gone series by Michael Grant

Book 1 is Gone.  In a small town on the coast of California, everyone over the age of fourteen suddenly disappears, setting up a battle between the remaining town residents and the students from a local private school, as well as those who have “The Power” and are able to perform supernatural feats and those who do not.

Among the Hidden series by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Book 1 is Among the Hidden.   In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family’s farm, until another “third” convinces him that the government is wrong.

The Enemy series by Charlie Higson

Book 1 is The Enemy.  After a disease turns everyone over sixteen into brainless, decomposing, flesh-eating creatures, a group of teenagers leave their shelter and set out of a harrowing journey across London to the safe haven of Buckingham Palace.

Brave New World by Alexander Huxley

The astonishing novel Brave New World, originally published in 1932, presents Aldous Huxley’s vision of the future-of a world utterly transformed. Through the most efficient scientific and psychological engineering, people are genetically designed to be passive and therefore consistently useful to the ruling class. This powerful work of speculative fiction sheds a blazing critical light on the present and is considered to be Huxley’s most enduring masterpiece. Following Brave New World is the nonfiction work Brave New World Revisited, first published in 1958. It is a fascinating work in which Huxley uses his tremendous knowledge of human relations to compare the modern-day world with the prophetic fantasy envisioned in Brave New World, including threats to humanity, such as overpopulation, propaganda, and chemical persuasion.

Homelanders series by Andrew Klavan

Book 1 is The Last Thing I Remember.  High school student Charlie West awakens bloody and bruised in a concrete bunker, only to discover that he has lost a year of his life and remembers nothing about escaping from prison after being convicted of murdering his former best friend, or why he is being pursued by both the law and a group of terrorists trying to bring down the government of the United States.

Epic series by Conor Kostick

Book 1 is Epic.  On New Earth, a world based on a video role-playing game, fourteen-year-old Erik pursuades his friends to aid him in some unusual gambits in order to save Erik’s father from exile and safeguard the futures of each of their families.

The Lorien Legacy series by Pittacus Lore

Book 1 is I Am Number Four.  On New Earth, a world based on a video role-playing game, fourteen-year-old Erik pursuades his friends to aid him in some unusual gambits in order to save Erik’s father from exile and safeguard the futures of each of their families.

The Giver series by Lois Lowry

Book 1 is The Giver.  Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives.

Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi

Ostracized or incarcerated her whole life, seventeen-year-old Juliette is freed on the condition that she use her horrific abilities in support of The Reestablishment, a postapocalyptic dictatorship, but Adam, the only person ever to show her affection, offers hope of a better future.

Legend series by Marie Lu

Book 1 is Legend.  June and Day make their way to Las Vegas where they join the rebel Patriot group and become involved in an assassination plot against the Elector in hopes of saving the Republic.

Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr

Book 1 is Wicked Lovely.  Seventeen-year-old Aislinn, who has the rare ability to see faeries, is drawn against her will into a centuries-old battle between the Summer King and Winter Queen, and the survival of her life, her love, and summer all hang in the balance.

Wake series by Lisa McMann

Book 1 is Wake.  Ever since she was eight years old, high school student Janie Hannagan has been uncontrollably drawn into other people’s dreams, but it is not until she befriends an elderly nursing home patient and becomes involved with an enigmatic fellow-student that she discovers her true power.

Acceleration by Graham McNamee

Stuck working in the Lost and Found of the Toronto Transit Authority for the summer, seventeen-year-old Duncan finds the diary of a serial killer and sets out to stop him.

Cinder by Melissa Meyer

As plague ravages the overcrowded Earth, observed by a ruthless lunar people, Cinder, a gifted mechanic and cyborg, becomes involved with handsome Prince Kai and must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect the world in this futuristic take on the Cinderella story.

Host by Stephenie Meyer

The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed. But Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. Wanderer, the invading “soul” who has been given Melanie’s body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn’t expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind. Melanie fills Wanderer’s thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves–Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body’s desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she’s never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.

Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness

Book 1 is The Knife of Never Letting Go.  Pursued by power-hungry Prentiss and mad minister Aaron, young Todd and Viola set out across New World searching for answers about his colony’s true past and seeking a way to warn the ship bringing hopeful settlers from Old World.

Birthmarked series by Caragh O’Brien

Book 1 is Birthmarked.  In a future world baked dry by the sun and divided into those who live inside the wall and those who live outside it, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone is forced into a difficult choice when her parents are arrested and taken into the city.

1984 by George Orwell

While the totalitarianism that provoked George Orwell into writing ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ seems to be passing into oblivion, his harrowing, cautionary tale of a man trapped in a political nightmare has had the opposite fate, and its relevance and power to disturb our complacency seem to grow decade by decade.

Maximum Ride series by James Patterson

Book 1 is The Angel Experiment.  After the mutant Erasers abduct the youngest member of their group, the “bird kids,” who are the result of genetic experimentation, take off in pursuit and find themselves struggling to understand their own origins and purpose.

Life as We Knew It series by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family’s struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

Delirium series by Lauren Oliver

Book 1 is Delirium.  Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love.

Across the Universe series by Beth Revis

Book 1 is Across the Universe.  Teenaged Amy, a cryogenically frozen passenger on the spaceship Godspeed, wakes up to discover that someone may have tried to murder her.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan

Book 1 is The Lightning Thief.  Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson learns he is a demigod, the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea.  His mother sends him to a summer camp for demigods where he and his new friends set out on a quest to prevent a war between the gods.

Under the Never Sky series by Veronica Rossi

Book 1 is Under the Never Sky.  Aria and Perry, two teens from radically different societies–one highly advanced, the other primitive–hate being dependent on one another until they overcome their prejudices and fall in love, knowing they can’t stay together.

Divergent series by Veronica Roth

Book 1 is Divergent.  In a future Chicago, sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomoly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth series by Carrie Ryan

Book 1 is The Forest of Hands and Teeth.  Through twists and turns of fate, orphaned Mary seeks knowledge of life, love, and especially what lies beyond her walled village and the surrounding forest, where dwell the unconsecrated, aggressive flesh-eating people who were once dead.

Unwind series by Neal Shusterman

In a future world where those between the ages of thirteen and eighteen can have their lives “unwound” and their body parts harvested for use by others, three teens go to extreme lengths to uphold their beliefs–and, perhaps, save their own lives.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Nineteen-year-old returning champion Sean Kendrick competes against Puck Connolly, the first girl ever to ride in the annual Scorpio Races, both trying to keep hold of their dangerous water horses long enough to make it to the finish line.

Raven Boys series by Maggie Stiefvater

Book 1 is The Raven Boys.  Though she is from a family of clairvoyants, Blue Sargent’s only gift seems to be that she makes other people’s talents stronger, and when she meets Gansey, one of the Raven Boys from the expensive Aglionby Academy, she discovers that he has talents of his own–and that together their talents are a dangerous mix.

Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld

Book 1 is The Uglies.  Just before their sixteenth birthdays, when they will be transformed into beauties whose only job is to have a great time, Tally’s best friend runs away and Tally must find her and turn her in, or never become pretty at all.

Paranormalcy series by Kristen White

Book 1 is Paranormalcy.  When a dark prophecy begins to come true, sixteen-year-old Evie of the International Paranormal Containment Agency must not only try to stop it, she must also uncover its connection to herself and the alluring shapeshifter, Lend.

If you like the Cherub series by Muchamore

More books like the Cherub series

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genius—and, above all, a criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn’t know what he’s taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren’t the fairies of bedtime stories; these fairies are armed and dangerous. Artemis thinks he has them right where he wants them…but then they stop playing by the rules.

Jason Steed series by Mark Cooper

Jason Steed is looking for a place to call home. He finds what he’s looking for in the Sea Cadets-an elite group of British youngsters being groomed for lifelong service in the military. But when a routine training exercise goes awry, Jason finds himself in the middle of a secret mission. The future of the world hangs in the balance…and Jason might be the only one who can save it.

Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan

They have always scared him in the past—the Rangers, with their dark cloaksand shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger’s apprentice. What he doesn’t yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and        surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is    gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied. . . .

Gone series by Michael Grant

In a small town on the coast of California, everyone over the age of fourteen suddenly disappears, setting up a battle between the remaining town residents and the students from a local private school, as well as those who have “The Power” and are able to perform supernatural feats and those who do not.

The Dead series by Charlie Higson

As a disease turns everyone over sixteen into brainless, decomposing, flesh-eating creatures, a group of teenagers head to London. Ed, Jack, Bam and the other students at Rowhurst School learn more about the Disaster, and meet an adult who seems to be immune to the disease.

Young Bond series by Charlie Higson

Prequel to the adventures of James Bond, 007, introduces the young James when he is just starting boarding school in England and is about to become involved in his first adventure.

 Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz

After the death of the uncle who had been his guardian, fourteen-year-old Alex Rider is coerced to continue his uncle’s dangerous work for Britain’s intelligence agency, MI6.

The Power of Five series by Pittacus Lore

In rural Ohio, friendships and a beautiful girl prove distracting to a fifteen-year-old who has hidden on Earth for ten years waiting to develop the Legacies, or powers, he will need to rejoin the other six surviving Garde members and fight the Mogadorians who destroyed their planet, Lorien.

Tomorrow series by John Marsden

When Ellie and her friends go camping, they have no idea they’re leaving their old lives behind forever. Despite a less-than-tragic food shortage and a secret crush or two, everything goes as planned. But a week later, they return home to find their houses empty and their pets starving. Something has gone wrong–horribly wrong. Before long, they realize the country has been invaded, and the entire town has been captured–including their families and all their friends.  Ellie and the other survivors face an impossible decision: They can flee for the mountains or surrender. Or they can fight.

Boy Soldier by Andy McNab

Danny Watts’s grandfather, Fergus, was a traitor. One of the worst sort. An SAS explosives expert who betrayed his country and his regiment for money. Drug money. He was arrested and left to rot and die in a Columbian jail. At least, that’s what seventeen year-old Danny is told when his hopes of becoming a soldier are destroyed for ever. But he knows something the army doesn’t seem to know. Fergus Watts is alive and in the UK, living in secret under an assumed name – but where? Fergus is Danny’s only living relative. Burning with fury and desire for revenge, Danny sets out to track down his grandfather and expose him. In doing so he sets in train an explosive sequence of events which throw Danny and Fergus together on the run from the people who want Fergus, and now Danny, dead.

Confessions of a Murder Suspect by James Patterson

Tandy Angel is, along with her brothers, a suspect in their parents’ murder but having grown up under Malcolm and Maud Angel’s perfectionist demands, Tandy decides she must clear the family name no matter what.

Maximum Ride series by James Patterson

After the mutant Erasers abduct the youngest member of their group, the “bird kids,” who are the result of genetic experimentation, take off in pursuit and find themselves struggling to understand their own origins and purpose.

Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith

When fourteen-year-old Alex is framed for murder, he becomes an inmate in the Furnace Penitentiary, where brutal inmates and sadistic guards reign, boys who disappear in the middle of the night sometimes return weirdly altered, and escape might just be possible.

I.Q. series by Roland Smith

Thirteen-year-old Q and fifteen-year-old Angela expect their lives to become complicated when his mother and her father, wildly popular musicians, marry, but not that they will face spies and terrorists in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Jack’s Run by Roland Smith

Kidnapped by drug czar Alonzo Asnar and held hostage in Argentina, Jack and his sister Joanne attempt a daring escape while their parents, aided by some old friends, set out to rescue them.

Booklist: Fairy Tale Re-Tellings — For Older Teens

Fairy Tale Re-tellings

Both the darkness underlying in fairy tales and the romance at the heart of others come out in these re-tellings, featuring older teens and definitely for older audiences. All YA

 

Bunce, Elizabeth. A Curse as Dark as Gold
The gold thread promises Charlotte Miller a chance to save her family’s beloved woolen mill. It promises a future for her sister, jobs for her townsfolk, security against her grasping uncle — maybe even true love. To get the thread, Charlotte must strike a bargain with its maker, the mysterious Jack Spinner. But the gleam of gold conjures a shadowy past — secrets ensnaring generations of Millers. And Charlotte’s mill, her family, her love — what do those matter to a stranger who can spin straw into gold?

Dean, Pamela.  Tam Lin
In the ancient Scottish ballad “Tam Lin,” headstrong Janet defies Tam Lin to walk in her own land of Carterhaugh . . . and then must battle the Queen of Faery for possession of her lover’s body and soul. In this version of “Tam Lin,” masterfully crafted by Pamela Dean, Janet is a college student, “Carterhaugh” is Carter Hall at the university where her father teaches, and Tam Lin is a boy named Thomas Lane.

Dickerson, Melanie.  The Healer’s Apprentice
Rose has been appointed as a healer’s apprentice at Hagenheim Castle, a rare opportunity for a woodcutter’s daughter like her. While she often feels uneasy at the sight of blood, Rose is determined to prove herself capable. Failure will mean returning home to marry the aging bachelor her mother has chosen for her—a bloated, disgusting merchant who makes Rose feel ill. When Lord Hamlin, the future duke, is injured, it is Rose who must tend to him. As she works to heal his wound, she begins to understand emotions she’s never felt before and wonders if he feels the same. But falling in love is forbidden, as Lord Hamlin is betrothed to a mysterious young woman in hiding. As Rose’s life spins toward confusion, she must take the first steps on a journey to discover her own destiny.

Dixon, Heather.  Entwined
Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it’s taken away. All of it. The Keeper understands. He’s trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation. Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest. But there is a cost. The Keeper likes to keep things. Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

Flinn, Alix.  Beastly
Privileged, popular, and proud, high school student Kyle Kingsbury knows he can get away with virtually anything because of his good looks and his father’s money.  But Kyle goes too far when he sets out to humiliate a mysterious and unpopular girl at the school dance.  The girl turns out to be a witch who casts a spell on Kyle, turning him into a beast–who is now as ugly on the outside as he is on the inside. The only way for Kyle to break the curse is to fall in love with someone who will look past his appearance and love him in return. A modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

Flinn, Alix.  A Kiss in Time
Jack is on a European tour mandated by his parents when he breaks an ancient curse by kissing the slumbering Princess Talia. Instead of rejoicing, she and other awakened members of their magical kingdom are confused and perturbed to find themselves in the 21st century. In order to escape the wrath of her father, Talia flees with Jack to his home in Florida. While acclimating to the modern world-cell phones, television, and Jell-o shots, the princess manages to charm everyone she meets and help Jack sort out his life.

George, Jessica Day.  Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow
When a great white bear promises untold riches to her family, the Lass agrees to go away with him. But the bear is not what he seems, nor is his castle. To unravel the mystery, the Lass sets out on a windswept journey beyond the edge of the world. Based on the Nordic legend East of the Sun, West of the Moon, with romantic echoes of Beauty and the Beast, this re-imagined story will leave fans of fantasy and fairy tale enchanted.

Geras, Adele.  The Tower Room
Once upon a time, teenage Megan looks down from her tower room at a cloistered all-girls boarding school in England and observes the arrival of the new laboratory assistant, Simon Findlay. As soon as their eyes meet, their love blossoms–and Simon begins to scale the scaffolding into the tower room for clandestine trysts. But when Dorothy, the school’s science teacher and Megan’s guardian, discovers the young couple’s affair, Megan’s sheltered world is shattered forever.  Also read Watching the Roses and Pictures of the Night, the stories of Megan’s classmates.

Kantor, Melissa.  If I have a Wicked Stepmother, Where’s My Prince?
Transplanted from San Francisco to Long Island because of the marriage of her father, who continues to spend working weeks on the West Coast, Cinderella Lucy Norton grapples with a pseudo-family existence with her step-monster, and her magpie twin stepsisters. Negotiating that minefield of adolescence, high school,  Lucy enjoys her rapid ride on the social surf, featuring drinking parties, melt-away kisses, even the much-sought-after prom invite, but her home life is still difficult–her stepmother is trying to win some kind of bitch-of-the-year award. With two boys to choose from, what will Lucy do?

Lanagan, Margo.  Tender Morsels
Liga lives modestly in her own personal heaven, a world given to her in exchange for her earthly life. Her two daughters grow up in this soft place, protected from the violence that once harmed their mother. But the real world cannot be denied forever—magicked men and wild bears break down the borders of Liga’s refuge. Now, having known Heaven, how will these three women survive in a world where beauty and brutality lie side by side?

Lo, Malinda.  Ash
In the wake of her father’s death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, re-reading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she begins to believe that her wish may be granted. Entrancing and romantic, Ash is an empowering retelling of Cinderella about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.

Marillier, Juliet.  Wildwood Dancing
High in the Transylvanian woods, five girls live with their doting father. It’s an idyllic life for Jena, who spends her time exploring the forest with her pet frog. Every Full Moon, the sisters pass into the enchanted world of the Other Kingdom. There they dance through the night with the fey creatures of a magical realm.  When Father falls ill and must away to recover, cousin Cezar Drakul arrives. Though he’s there to help the girls survive the brutal winter, Jena suspects he has darker motives in store. Meanwhile, Jena’s sister has fallen in love with a dangerous creature of the Other Kingdom–an impossible union it’s up to Jena to stop. To save her world, Jena will be tested in ways she can’t imagine–tests of trust, strength, and true love.

McKinley, Robin.  Rose Daughter
Once upon a time an enchanting young woman named Beauty nurtured a rose garden in barren soil. Her gift for cultivating such rare flowers was truly magical and her roses adorned homes throughout the village, bringing joy and love to all who chanced upon their exotic scent. But one summer, Beauty’s roses did not blossom. Without their presence her family and neighbors became ill-tempered and nature itself lost the light and warmth of the season. Even more heartbreaking, the roses no longer protect Beauty from her nightmares of a monstrous Beast—a Beast it is her destiny to meet and whose heart and soul she must nurture with love…

Meyer,  Marissa.  Cinder
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .  Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Napoli, Donna Jo.  Bound
Xing Xing spends her days taking care of her half sister, Wei Ping, who cannot walk because of her foot bindings, the painful tradition for girls who are fit to be married. Even so, Xing Xing is content to practice her gift for poetry and calligraphy, and to dream of a life unbound by the laws of family and society.  But all of this is about to change as Stepmother, who has spent nearly all of the family’s money, grows desperate to find a husband for Wei Ping. Xing Xing soon realizes that this greed and desperation may threaten not only her memories of the past, but also her dreams for the future.  Try some of Napoli’s other adaptations of fairy tales:  Beast, Crazy Jack, Hush, The Magic Circle, Sirena, Spinners, The Wager, and Zel.

Pearce, Jackson.  Sisters Red
Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris–the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She’s determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.  Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable.  Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls’ bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett’s only friend–but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they’ve worked for?

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These books are definitely not for young readers!  In some ways though, these titles are truer to the spirit of the original fairy tales, collected by the Brothers Grimm and intended to teach listeners a lesson about the world and its dangers.  Intended for upper middle school and high school readers, if you’re a fan of danger, romance and don’t mind some uncomfortable realities with your fantasy, you’ll enjoy these tales.

Only one more Fairy Tale Re-telling list to go!  Short story collections!

::Kelly::

If You Like Sarah Dessen

Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti

Peaches series by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

One Whole and Perfect Day by Judith Clarke

If I Stay by Gayle Forman and the sequel Where She Went

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

The Summer I Turned Pretty series by Jenny Han

An Off Year by Claire Zulkey

How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt

Undercover by Beth Kepahrt

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

The Indigo Notebook by Laura Resau

The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman

Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick

Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

Jessica Darling Series by Megan McCafferty

Dairy Queen series by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger

If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson

What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell and the sequel Strings Attached

If you liked Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever

Guess what came out today?  Cabin Fever!  And if you’re a fan of the Wimpy Kid books, you’ve been waiting for this one (book six) for awhile.

Kinney, Jeff.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever
Greg Heffley is in big trouble. School property has been damaged, and Greg is the prime suspect. But the crazy thing is, he’s innocent. Or at least sort of.  The authorities are closing in, but when a surprise blizzard hits, the Heffley family is trapped indoors. Greg knows that when the snow melts he’s going to have to face the music, but could any punishment be worse than being stuck inside with your family for the holidays?

We have three copies, so reserve yours today!

And if you like The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, try some of these new titles. They have a similar format, and are just as crazy.  Also, look at our post from last spring for other recommendations!

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Collins, Tim.  Notes from a Totally Lame Vampire: Because the Undead Have Feelings Too!   and   Prince of Dorkness: More Notes from a Totally Lame Vampire
Nigel is your average teenage boy next door. He spends most of his time worrying about getting a girlfriend, fitting in, and dealing with acne. He’s also a vampire…although not anything like the vampires in books.  When Nigel falls head over heels for the new girl in school, he spends his time plotting ways to get Chloe to notice he’s “alive” while writing pathetic poetry declaring his love. You think you have problems? Wait until you see what Nigel has to face!

Griffiths, Andy.  Killer Koalas from Outer Space: and Lots of Other Very Bad Stuff That Will Make Your Brain Explode!
Surprise, absurdity, and laugh-out-loud humor are the hallmarks of this collection of ridiculous short stories featuring zombie kittens, rocket stealing ants, and of course, killer koalas from outer space.  Some stories are cartoons, some are text, but all are funny!

Patterson, James.  Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
Rafe Khatchadorian has an ace plan for the best year ever, if only he can pull it off: With his best friend Leonardo the Silent awarding him points, Rafe tries to break every rule in his school’s oppressive Code of Conduct. But when Rafe’s game starts to catch up with him, he’ll have to decide if winning is all that matters, or if he’s finally ready to face the rules, bullies, and truths he’s been avoiding.  Is middle school always this bad?

Seegert, Scott.  Vordak the Incomprehensible: How to Grow Up and Rule the World    and   Vordak the Incomprehensible: Rule the School
It’s not easy being an evil genius!  Evil mastermind Vordak the Incomprehensible shares his “evilosity” with aspiring supervillains. His comical narration features over-the-top self-congratulation matched by supreme contempt for readers and everyone else.  Pop-culture references and varied elements of grossness are sprinkled in regularly, along with 15 “commandments of incomprehensibility” and repeated references to “diabolically clever yet slow-acting death traps,” which get funnier each time. So does the ironic fact that despite his egotistical rants, Vordak is actually a completely unsuccessful supervillain.

Tashjian, Janet.  My Life as a Book    and   My Life as a Stuntboy
Derek Fallon is looking forward to a summer of fun, pelting the UPS truck with water balloons, climbing onto the garage roof, and conducting silly investigations. But when his parents decide to send him to Learning Camp, Derek’s dreams stutter.  As Derek forges unexpected friendships and uncovers a family secret involving himself (in diapers! no less), he realizes that adventures and surprises are around the corner, complete with curve balls.

Zelnick, Aldo.  Cahoots
As summer draws to a close, Aldo Zelnick ends up on a farm. Aldo’s mom is eager for him to experience her favorite childhood pastimes such as shucking  corn, milking cows, gathering eggs–and enjoying fresh air and living off the land. But Aldo suspects that farm life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and his worst fears are confirmed. The rooster wakes him at dawn, the chores exhaust him, and the cousins—identical twin pranksters—are in cahoots against him. Even the creepy old portrait of his great-grandfather seems to be watching these shenanigans from the frame on the wall. Aldo must endure all this without the consolation of TV or computers, because the farm is (gasp!) technology free.

* * *

So, if you like your books with some cartoon illustration and a dash (a REALLY BIG dash) of humor, try one of these titles.

::Kelly::

Booklist: Unusual and Innovative Books for Kids & Teens

If You Liked Hugo Cabret:
Unusual and Innovative Books for Kids & Teens

Bosch, Pseudonymous.  The Name of This Book is Secret
This is the story about a secret. but it also contains a secret story. When adventurous detectives Cass and Max-Ernest discover the Symphony of Smells–a box filled with smelly vials of colorful ingredients–they accidentally stumble upon a mystery. What do  a dead magician’s diary and the hunt for immortality have in common?  Filled with word games and anagrams (and featuring a mysterious narrator)  this is a book that won’t stay secret for long.

Coman, Carolyn.  The Memory Bank
Hope and Honey Scroggins have parents SO horrible that one day, Honey is banished and  Hope is told that she must forget her. Hope knows that she HAS to find her sister again, before her memories fade. But before she can even begin to look, she’s whisked away to the World Wide Memory Bank where dreams and memories are kept safe. She learns that a group of misfits called the Clean Slate Gang want to destroy the Memory Bank, and Honey may be with them. But Hope is determined to rescue her sister–there’s no other option!

Noyce, Pendred.  Lost in Lexicon
When cousins Ivan and Daphne go on a treasure hunt in the rain one day, they never expect to stumble into a world where words and numbers run wild.  After the cousins outwit a plague of punctuation, grateful villagers beg them to find their missing children. As they encounter unusual characters and situations, their peril deepens. Kidnapped, imprisoned, and mesmerized—with time running out—will Ivan and Daphne find a way to restore the lost children of Lexicon to their homes?

 Oliver, Lauren.  Liesl and Po
Liesl lives in a tiny bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice—until one night a ghost. Po, appears from the darkness on the Other Side. Together they are less alone. That same night Will,  alchemist’s apprentice, bungles an important delivery; accidentally switching a box with the most powerful magic in the world with something much less remarkable.   Will’s mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and the three are drawn together on an extraordinary journey.

Riggs, Ransom.  Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous; quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.  Definitely YA, and very interesting.

Selznick, Brian.  Wonderstruck
Ben and Rose secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known. Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his mother’s  room and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out alone on separate, desperate quests to find what they are missing. A wonderful companion to The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

Singer, Marilyn.  Mirror, Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse
This ingenious book of reversos, or poems which have one meaning when read down the page and perhaps an altogether different meaning when read up the page, toys with and reinvents oh-so-familiar stories and characters, from Cinderella to the Ugly Duckling.  Each page is poetry, a story and a puzzle all featured with a short text and a fun illustration.  A quirky and interesting book that’s also a quick read for all ages.

 Valente, Catherynne.  The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland
September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life  until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn’t, the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. On her dangerous  journey, September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday…

 Van Allsburgh, Chris.  The Chronicles of Harris Burdick
An inspired collection of short stories based on the thought-provoking illustrations in The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.  For twenty-five years, people have been wondering… now,  some popular authors for children and teens have written down their versions. An incredible compendium of stories: mysterious, funny, creepy, and poignant, these are tales you won’t soon forget. This inspired collection features many remarkable, best-selling authors in the worlds of both adult and children’s literature.  Most of the stories are appropriate for all ages.

Weston, Robert.  Zorgamazoo
Are You a Believer in Fanciful Things? In Pirates and Dragons and Creatures and Kings? Then sit yourself down in a comfortable seat, with maybe some cocoa and something to eat, and I’ll spin you the tale of Katrina Katrell, a girl full of courage (and daring, as well!), who down in the subway, under the ground, saw something fantastical roaming around . . .  What was it she saw? I’d rather not say. (Who’s ever heard of a Zorgle, anyway?)  But if you are curious, clever and brave, if intrepid adventure is something you crave, then open this book and I’ll leave it to you to uncover the secret of ZORGAMAZOO!  Join Morty the Zorgle and Katrina on a fantastically illustrated, sophisticated rhyming adventure for kids of all ages!

So try something different!  See what you think.

::Kelly::

If You Liked Maximum Ride

If you liked the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson, you may enjoy these other fast paced young adult reads..

Dangerous Days of Daniel X series by James Patterson

Fifteen-year-old Daniel has followed in his parents’ footsteps as the Alien Hunter, exterminating beings on The List of Alien Outlaws on Terra Firma, but when he faces his first of the top ten outlaws, the very existence Earth and another planet are at stake.

Witch and Wizard series by James Patterson

The story of Wisty and Whit Allgood, a sister and brother who were torn from their family in the middle of the night, slammed into prison, and accused of being a witch and a wizard.

Hidden Talents by David Lubar

When thirteen-year-old Martin arrives at an alternative school for misfits and problem students, he falls in with a group of boys with psychic powers and discovers something surprising about himself.

Enemy series by Charlie Higson

After a disease turns everyone over sixteen into brainless, decomposing, flesh-eating creatures, a group of teenagers leave their shelter and set out of a harrowing journey across London to the safe haven of Buckingham Palace.

Virals series by Kathy Reichs

Tory Brennan is the leader of a band of teenage ‘sci-philes’ who live on an island off the coast of South Carolina and when the group rescues a dog caged for medical testing, they are exposed to an experimental strain of canine parvovirus that changes their lives forever.

Six of Hearts series by Jack Heath

When Agent Six, a member of The Deck, a group fighting against their corrupt society, discovers that he is the product of an illegal experiment by the evil Lab, he takes dangerous steps to discover the truth about himself.

Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld

Just before their sixteenth birthdays, when they will will be transformed into beauties whose only job is to have a great time, Tally’s best friend runs away and Tally must find her and turn her in, or never become pretty at all.

Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore

In rural Ohio, friendships and a beautiful girl prove distracting to a fifteen-year-old who has hidden on Earth for ten years waiting to develop the Legacies, or powers, he will need to rejoin the other six surviving Garde members and fight the Mogadorians who destroyed their planet, Lorien.

Homelanders series by Andrew Klavan

High school student Charlie West awakens bloody and bruised in a concrete bunker, only to discover that he has lost a year of his life and remembers nothing about escaping from prison after being convicted of murdering his former best friend, or why he is being pursued by both the law and a group of terrorists trying to bring down the government of the United States.

The Secrets of Immortal Nicholas Flammel series by Michael Scott

While working at pleasant but mundane summer jobs in San Francisco, fifteen-year-old twins, Sophie and Josh, suddenly find themselves caught up in the deadly, centuries-old struggle between rival alchemists, Nicholas Flamel
and John Dee, over the possession of an ancient and powerful book holding the secret formulas for alchemy and everlasting life.

Shadow Project series by Herbie Brennan

A young English thief stumbles on, and subsequently is recruited for, a super-secret operation that trains teenagers in remote viewing and astral projection techniques in order to engage in spying.

Steel Trapp series by Ridley Pearson

On a two-day train trip to enter his invention in the National Science Competition in Washington, D.C., fourteen-year-old Steven “Steel” Trapp, possessor of a remarkable photographic memory, becomes embroiled in an international plot of kidnapping and bribery that may have links to terrorists.

Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss’s skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister’s place.

If you like Sarah Dessen

You might enjoy books by these authors.  They all write contemporary, realistic fiction, which often have girl main characters.   Enjoy!

 

Jodi Lynn Anderson

Jay Asher

Laurie Halse Anderson

Joan Bauer

Ann Brashares

Deb Caletti

Eva Ibbotson

E. Lockhart

Megan McCafferty

Lauren Oliver

Dana Reinhardt

Elizabeth Scott

Sonya Sones

Natalie Standiford

Ellen Wittlinger

Sara Zarr

If You Liked Wicked Lovely or want other Fairy Novels

 

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
Seventeen-year-old Aislinn, who has the rare ability to see faeries, is drawn against her will into a centuries-old battle between the Summer King and Winter Queen, and the survival of her life, her love, and summer all hang in the balance.

Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston
When seventeen-year-old actress Kelley Winslow meets Sonny Flannery, she discovers he is a changeling and guardian of the gate between the faerie Otherworld and the mortal realm.  She also learns that her mother had otherworldly powers that she has passed on to Kelley.

Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black
Sixteen-year-old Kaye, who has been visited by faeries since childhood, discovers that she herself is a magical faerie creature with a special destiny.

Glimmerglass by Jenna Black
16-year-old Dana runs away to find her father in Avalon:  the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the captivating, magical world of Faerie intersect.  It turns out she isn’t just an ordinary teenage girl*she’s a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and the only person who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman
When Tristan Thorpe leaves his ancient English town in order to retrieve a falling star and win the heart of his lady he enters a new world of faerie and more.

The Faerie Path by Frewin Jones
Anita, an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl, is transported from modern-day London to the realm of Faerie where she discovers that she is Princess Tania, the long-lost daughter of King Oberon and Queen Titania.

Chronicles of Faerie by O.R. Melling
Book one is The Hunters Moon.  Two teenage cousins, one Irish, the other from the United States, set out to find a magic doorway to the Faraway Country, where humans must bow to the little people.

Faerie Wars by Herbie Brennan
Troubled by family problems, Henry finds his life taking a whole new dimension when he and his friend, old Mr. Fogarty, become involved with Prince Pyrgus Malvae who has been sent from the faerie world in order to escape the treacherous Faeries of the Night.

The Fairy King by Julie Kagawa
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan’s life but she could never have guessed the truth– that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she’ll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face… and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart

If you like Royal Reads

A Great and Terrible Beauty Series by Libba Bray
After the suspicious death of her mother in 1895, sixteen-year-old Gemma returns to England, after many years in India, to attend a finishing school where she becomes aware of her magical powers and ability to see into the spirit world.

Luxe Series by Anna Godbersen
In Manhattan in 1899, five teens of different social classes lead dangerously scandalous lives, despite the strict rules of society and the best-laid plans of parents and others.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Elizabeth Bennett deals with family life, romance, and marriage while growing up aristocratic society of early 19th century England.

Reluctant Heiress by Eva Ibbotson
In 1920s Austria, no one in the Viennese opera company knows that their wardrobe mistress Tessa is really a princess. But when the dashing self-made millionaire Guy Farne arrives at the opera, Tessa realizes that there may be more to life–and love–than just music.

Cotillion by Georgette Heyer
Young Kitty Charing stands to inherit a vast fortune from her irascible great-uncle Matthew–provided she marries one of her cousins. Kitty is not wholly adverse to the plan, if the right nephew proposes.

The Season by Sarah MacLean
Showing no interest in the sumptuous balls, lavish dinner parties, and country weekends enjoyed by the rest of early nineteenth-century London society, seventeen-year-old Lady Alexandra Stafford seeks adventure as she investigates the puzzling murder of the Earl of Blackmoor, father of devilishly handsome Gavin

La Petite Four by Regina Scott
In London in 1815, sixteen-year-old Lady Emily Southwell, who aspires to be an artist, enlists the aid of her three best friends from the Barnsley School for Young Ladies, in helping her out of an unwanted betrothal to a man she suspects of evil intentions, even as she is drawn to a mysterious stranger.

The King’s Rose by Alyssa Libby
Catharine Howard recounts the events in her life that led to her being groomed for marriage at the age of fifteen to King Henry VIII, her failure to produce an heir to the throne, and her quick execution.

A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper
On her sixteenth birthday in 1936, Sophia begins a diary of life in a fictional island country off the coast of Spain, where she is among the last descendants of an impoverished royal family trying to hold their nation together on the eve of the second World War.

The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner
In the late eighteenth-century, Sido, the twelve-year-old daughter of a self-indulgent marquis, and Yann, a fourteen-year-old Gypsy orphan raised to perform in a magic show, face a common enemy at the start of the French Revolution.

Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors
Seventeen-year-old Mimi Wallingford’s stage fright and fight with her mother on the closing night of Romeo and Juliet are nothing compared to the troubles she faces when she and her leading man are transported to Shakespeare’s Verona, where she decides to give the real Juliet a happy ending.

Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle
In 1837, as seventeen-year-old twins, Persephone and Penelope, are starting their first London Season they find that their beloved governess, who has taught them everything they know about magic, has disappeared.