Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve

Fever Crumb is a prequel of Reeve's series.  This is a steam punk genre and it wild.  The girl with one brown eye and one blue, living with Engineers where emotion is not logical is sent to help an another scientist with a dig.  But when memories pop into her mind that happen when before she was born, questions arise as to who is she or what is she.  Secrets that will have reveal themselves in due time if at all.  The war that happened at her birth have a separation between species of humans. It's a new world out there and how does she fit in? My take on the book was that it was great and look forward to reading more of the series.  A future world based in London with relics of the world of technology and people belong to a religious sect that chant, " Hari Potter" is fun for the reader to see the world as we know set in the future.

A countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson

What a great story.  This was a fun romantic story to read.  The characters were really fun to read about.  I couldn't wait to get home to finish reading this book. The Tsar and his family has been shot and  things are not good in Russia.  For Anna and her brother and mother it is time to make it in a new world.  Anna learns to be a maid in a house hold.  It was highly entertaining.  Hope you also enjoy the story.

Mister Monday by Garth Nix

Arthur should have died that day, but the Will had other plans.  Now he is the heir to the keys and must dispose of Mister Monday as well as save his own world from a dreadful sleeping sickness.  He must enter the mysterious House which is a whole different world.  Meets Suzy one of the Piper Children and a bossy frog.

Grim Tuesday by Garth Nix

Book two in the Keys to the Kingdom.  Arthur should be dead from the first book but he isn't.  He survived to face the iron maker of Grim Tuesday.  Arthur goes into the House once again and steal a sunship, and find the key and the will.  Read the first book to understand this wild imaginative world.

Drowning Wednesday by Garth Nix

I love reading books by Garth Nix
this one is book three of the Keys to the Kingdom
Garth Nix creates a fantasy world that collides with our normal world.  Arthur Penhaligon is called upon to save Wednesday, with his broken leg and all.  Using magic with a crab cast around his leg, he battles pirates to save Drowned Wednesday an enormous whale that is cursed with constantly eating.  I really recommend that you read all books in order to understand the new world that you will be entering into.  Great read.  You really go down the rabbit hole with this one.

Beastly by Alex Flinn

I love the original Beauty and the Beast tale.  A student got me to read Beastly a contemporary adaptation of the story.  The story is told in the beast's point of view.  He's a awful teen boy who is rich and privileged. Kyle Kingsbury has no heart and is not very nice either.  When a curse is put on him to turn him into a monster, he lives in isolation with a blind teacher and a housemaid for companions.  Will the curse ever be lifted.  Seemingly impossible. 
A great read.  I look forward to reading more of her books.

The Wild Man by Mark Barratt

Joe Rat is a poor orphan boy who sweeps the sidewalk for rich people.  Followed by his only companion, a little dog, he dodges trouble as much as he can.  Actually he's a magnet for trouble.  There is a second boy in this story, Alec Harvey who is the son of a rich man.  Alec can never make his father happy and is highly jealous of his little sister.  Alec is sinister and manipulates Joe.  But Joe is able to impress Alec's father.  So much so that he hunts Joe's father down in the wilds of Canada as a trapper and perilously ill.  Mr. Harvey arranges for the father to sail across the seas and receive medical attention.  Can we trust this strange man, can we trust Mr. Harvey and how bad is Alec anyway?

Cuba 15 by Nancy Osa

Set in current Chicago, Violet Paz has just turned fifteen.  Her grandmother from Cuba who now lives in Florida would like for her to have a Quineranero.  A special turning fifteen party with fancy dresses and dances.  Violet is half Cuban and half Polish, and finally agrees to have the party.  She learns about her Cuban roots, goes out for the debate team and learns what it is to become a young woman.

Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble

Set in two time frames and two worlds.  One contemporary and in California the other in a fantasy world of the Russian Witch Baba Yaga.  Anastasia, the young princess who was killed in a basement in Siberia was perhaps rescued by this witch.  Meanwhile in a current setting Anne has unsettling dreams about the murdered princess and has a mysterious young and very good looking boy following her.  Will not be disappointed.

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

One of my students told me about this book and so I had to read it.
Sophie finds out that she is a witch.  Her mother is a mortal and fell in love with a warlock.  Only she didn't know he was a warlock and as soon as she found out, she broke off the relationship.  However she was already pregnant with Sophie.  Sophie's magic tends to backfire and now that she is a teenager, things are just getting worse.  So Sophie is sent to a special magic school and her roommate is a vampire.  When witches end updying and have puncture marks on their necks, it looks like her room mate is guilty.  Can Sophie solve the mystery?  This was a fun read.  I look forward to the sequel.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

If you have seen the movie, there will be some differences.  This is a great story about a young wizard and an enchanted eldest daughter.
Howl has no soul and Sophia has been turned into an old woman.  Having no home to turn to, Sophia enters into a magical castle that is always moving.  She makes a deal with Calcifer the fire demon.  If she can help him then he will help her return to her proper self.

House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones

House of many ways is book two to Howl's Moving Castle.  Howl, Sophia and Calcifer are back but the star of the story is Charmain Baker who has agreed to take care of her ailing great-uncle's house.  Her great-uncle is a wizard and his home is very magical.  Charmain ends up also becoming the librarian for the king.  This becomes a good thing because the king's gold is all missing and she is asked to help solve the mystery.  The adventure begins as soon as she agrees to take the job of housesitting for her great-uncle.

Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones

This is a companion to Howl's Moving Castle.  The third book in the series.
The story takes place in an Arabian type setting.  Our very polite businessman who dreams of other lives, spends most of his time selling carpets in a desert town.  Abdullah comes in contact with a magical carpet that takes him on the adventure of a lifetime.  Meeting beautiful princess in night gardens to far away places and yes rescuing princesses in a castle in the air that a djinn has comand of.

Seeing Red by Frank Beddor

This is book two of the series.  Aunt Redd who was once the evil queen of wonderland is back and badder then ever.  Challenging Queen Alyse with more mayhem.  However if that weren't enough the neighboring country has also declared war on her.  Read this incredible fantasy book. It is a blend of fantasy and technology and a whole lot of imagination

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

Way cool fantasy book.  A fresh take on the whole Wonderland story.  Alyse is a young princess who loses both her royal parents to her evil aunt Redd.  Politics and fantasy has been blended in a very fascinating world.  Aunt Redd is the perfect evil foil that Alyse has to run from in to Victorian England through her escape of the Pool of Tears.  Years later when Alyse does come back as a grown young woman to reclaim her birthright and septor she has matured into furture queen that she should be.

As Simple as Snow By Gregory Galloway

Teen Fiction: Contemporary setting.
In a small town remote from anywhere, Anastasia and her family moves in.  She's an puzzle.  Dressed as a Goth but full of mystery.  She leaves cryptic notes and clues to her boyfriend and best friend.  Listens to ham radio and writes obituarys for the whole town.  But before Valentines Day, she disapears mysteriously and leaves no clues to find her... or does she?

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Looking for a great novel in steam punk genre?  This is it!  The Archduke has been assassinated and his son flees for his life.  Meanwhile Dylan wants to be a soldier and airman on Leviathan.  The only problem is she needs to keep it a secret that she is a girl posing as a boy.  Steam Punk blends the past with a future type technology.  It's the clash of World War I but also the clash between Darwinism fabricated creatures vs iron technology.  Great read!