The Dark is Rising by Susan cooper

It's a good series.  I think it's good for middle school.  I do like this series.  It is fine for a high school library too.  Think Lord of the Rings meets Harry Potter and visits The Lion and The Witch and The Wardrobe.  It's an adventure.  Enjoy and happy readings!

Septimus Heap: Flyte by Angie sage

I like this series.  It's balanced between good and evil, light and dark.  You read everyone's point of view of the the main characters.  It's fine for any middle school and high school library.  It's a good read.  Think Harry Potter goes back to the 1700's.  Enjoy.

Hunted by Meagan Spooner

Yeva is a young woman who trusts her intuition.  Her family has lost their fortune and she has an offer of marriage from a very handsome and financially healthy young man.  But she does not wish to marry him.  She keeps sending him to her sister.  She would rather hunt in the woods with her father.  Or reading.  She finds her father, dead in the woods and goes after a monster.  She enters the world of fairy tales.  Fine for any high school library.  Enjoy.

The Things you Kiss Goodbye by Leslie Connor

I liked this book because, it's about a teen girl who lives in a very controlling family.  She ends up with a controlling and abusive boyfriend.  She doesn't recognize that she is the victim of being bullied and abused by the boyfriend.  I am concerned about her attraction to an older man who is also vulnerable.  It's not an appropriate relationship.  It happens in real life sadly.  Would I buy it for my library.  Yes.  Maybe it will help teens who are in a bad situation.

The Lunar Chronicles Series: Wires and Nerve by Marissa Meyer

I enjoyed this graphic novel.  It's a good novel and graphics that will be fine for any library.  I plan on adding it to my high school collection.  Good strong solid hero characters.  If you are  a fan of the Lunar Chronicles then enjoy this book.  It's a good read.

The Dark is Rising Series: Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper

OMG this is a great story.  Even though I have high school, I'm getting a copy.  It's a great adventure set in Cornwall.  I'm so ready to visit Cornwall, especially after seeing PBS Poldark.  Enjoy

Falling Kingdoms: Obsidian Blade by Morgan Rhodes

It's a novella that blends the two series together.  I like that it is short but also the tension is tight.  If you are a fan of Morgan Rhodes,  you'll enjoy this short story.  I know I did.

A World Without You by Beth Revis

A brother and sister tell their tales.  Mental health affects everyone.  This story is a must in any high school library.  It's an important read.

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

It's Harry Potter meets a dystopian world, where talent and creativity and imagination must be destroyed.  There is some violence but the story is fine for middle school.  Enjoy.

Listen, Slowly, by Thanhha Lai

This is a beautiful book that has been so thoughtfully written.  Listening to the audio book is also recommended to hear the beauty of the language.  It's a good read and should be in all libraries.  Enjoy.

Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

I liked this book.  There is some sex and a few f*bombs and drinking but there is also facing truths and feelings.  I love the grandmotherly character in the story.  I feel the book is solid and would be fine for  a high school library.  Enjoy.

Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley

I liked this book. . It is well written.  The audio book is also well crafted.  It's a good book.  Perfect for any high school library.

House of Dark Shadows by Robert Liparulo

I must say you had me at the the very beginning.  It never ends, pages of mystery and terror.  Oh it's good and I am so buying this book for the library.  If the rest of the books are as good as this one, I'll get this series.  It's not uber scary but it's very engaging.  This book rocks to the very end.  Enjoy.

Bartimaeus: The Ring of Solomon By Jonathan Stroud

It's a very big book and each page is filled with humor, adventure and the life of a Djinn.  This is a good book.  I think it is my favorite in the series.  This is a prequel and a must in any library.  It is a riot.  Enjoy, it's a good read.

The Lost Books: Chosen by Ted Dekker

Excellent for any high school library.  Think Lord of the Rings, with out the wizard and young people training to be warriors.  It's a good read.  Enjoy.  I know I did.

Starflight novel: StarFall by Melissa Landers

This story has a great tempo.  Never a boring moment.  It's about loyalty and being brave.  Who can you really trust and facing dangers.  The story has snappy dialogue.  Think Gilmore Girls meets Guardians of the Galaxy.  I'm getting this for my library.  Enjoy.

Starflight by Melissa Landers

Great dialogue and great plot.  It's a fun read with adventure and space pirates.  Enjoy.  I'm buying this for my library.

The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Beautifully written.  Fine for any high school library.  It's about family, the one you are born with and the one you create.  It's about friendship and it's about grief.  Enjoy.  It's a good story.

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

The intensity of this story draws you immediately into the story.  Solid characters and plot make this story a page turner.  I should warn that there is violence and brutality.  It's a story that will fit in to a high school library.  A story that takes place in two different planets.  It's a good story.  Brutal but the story brings you in.  Also what works, is that the story is told in two different perspectives.  Cyra the princess of pain and Akos the farm boy who wants to protect his brother.

A Young Elite Novel: The Midnight Star By Marie Lu

This has been an interesting read, combining fantasy and those with X-Men type powers.  Facing prejudices and brutal abuse and finding power.  How Adelina yield that power after she has been treated with unkindness is an interesting study.  She's no angel.  The story moves at a good tempo.  It's fine for any library. Enjoy.  It would help to read the books in a row with no gaps.

Poison’s Kiss by Breeana Shields

This book is fine for any high school library.  It's the story of trust, betrayal and redemption.
It's a smart book and works well.  You never know who you can really trust.  It's part love story, part saving family and part learning the bitter truth about yourself.  It's a good story.  Enjoy.

The School for Good and Evil: A World Without Princes by Soman Chainani

Twists and Turns and even some sex changing magic, this is a really good story about loyalties and betrayals set in a fairytale world and a master of the pen that creates the story.  Fine for any high school.  I do recommend.  Becareful what you wish for.  Enjoy, it's a good read.

The School for Good & Evil by Soman Chainani

Oh this is a great story.  I'm looking forward to the next installment.  It's a smart and clever story.  I highly recommend this book for a good modern fairy tale.  There is a lot of darkness but it's fine for anyone who loves a good fairy tale.  Enjoy.

Howl’s Moving Castle: House of Many Ways by: Diana Wynne Jones

Oh this is so delightful.  I love that all Charmain wants to do is read a book.  She would love my house.    Charmain has lots of learning opportunities to learn magic and solve a few mysteries.  The house just keeps going and has magical qualities.  It's a enjoyable and funny read.  If you've seen the movie:  Howl's Moving Castle there are some variables to the movie.  The whole book series is just delightful.  Enjoy.  It's like a accidental Harry Potter.

Old Kingdom Series: Goldenhand by Garth Nix

I love this series and was able to get a few students get in to this series.  It's a good end to this story series.  Enjoy this fantasy filled with magic.

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

It has sex, violence, rape, suicide, drugs, drinking and lots of trouble as teens navigate through family dysfunction, self image and raw feelings.  The book is brilliant but the world is unvarnished.  People living dangerous lives.

When The Sea turned To Silver by Grace Lin

The magic of storytellers of classic old stories blend together to create a magical folktale.  It's a great story to read.  With lots of heros and folklore.  An enjoyable read.

Fall Out by Ellen Hopkins

Ellen Hopkins books are hard to read because they are so real.  They are important.  They do involve sex, drugs and troubled lives.  It's a tough story but it's an important story.  What would life be like if your family was involved in drug addiction?  Here's a glimpse.

Red Queen: King’s Cage by Victoria Aveyard

The series continues and there is a lot of violence.  Major war, think Xmen fighting Xmen.  But the story works.  Fine for any library.

No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale

First of all I did like the book in the sense that I like a good mystery.  Would I put it in the high school library. No.  It's listed as Young Adult.  I would say more for mature adult just because of the content.  I did say I liked the story, I should add mostly.  It's a quirky story. Think Fargo.  Better placed in Public Libraries.

A dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

If you have a special dog in your life, this is the book for you.  It's a dog's story told from the dog's perspective and how he/she learns life lessons and the special people and some not so special people in the life of this one dog.  Enjoy.

Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan

This book I enjoyed.  I think it would be fine any high school library.  It's a apocalyptic  medieval story.  The characters are strong, the story plot solid and the tempo of the story flows well.  Enjoy.

The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May

I got half way through the book and then just gave up.  I wasn't captivated at all.  The story line in this book is sluggish.  It's torture .... to read the book about torture.  The story line is fuzzy and just trudges on.  Not buying this book for my high school library.

Flavia de Luce: The Dead in their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley

Oh if you enjoy good writing, historic fiction and a good mystery and throw in some science then this is the series for you.  This one is particular touching as a little girl who was one years old when her mother left to serve her country and never returned is finally reunited with her mother.  Excellent story. Fine for any library.

The Season by Jonah Lisa Dyer & Stephen Dyer

I have read a lot of retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.  My favorite book/story ever.  I loved this modern retelling of the story.  It's a good story.  Would I buy the book for my high school library.  No because there are a few inferences to sex.  Would I buy it for me? yes.  It's a good retelling of a classic.  Enjoy.

Ravenspire Series: The Wish Granter by C. J. Redwine

This is an excellent retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin story.  The cast of characters in this story are fully developed and well thought out.  The plot really works.  Perfect story for any high school library or any personal library.  Lots of tension to move the story along.  Enjoy!

The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork

I loved this story.  It's beautifully written on a subject that is difficult.  It's a story that would be fine in any high school library.  It's a story filled with hope.

Adventures from The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer

This is hilarious!  Read this series.  Chris Colfer is a master of story telling for entertainment.  Enjoy the retelling of fairytales and their backstories.  Fine for any upper elementary and middle school libraries and for anyone of any age who loves a good fractured fairy tale.

The Secret Horses of Briar Hill by Megan Shepherd

This is a good book but it's a mix of historic genre, illness and fantasy.  It's an interesting story.  It is fine for any library.  You decide if the girl is seeing things or really seeing things.

Heist Society by Ally Carter

The story reminds me of the movie, The Thomas Crown Affair.  Good movie.  Good story for teen/YA libraries.  Yes, I would buy this book for my library.  I know want to keep reading this series.  It's  art, culture, Europe, romance, drama and suspense.  It's a good read.  Enjoy!

Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

Not my favorite story.  Father seems more interested in his own dating life and is there but not really there.  It's all about Megan and Adam.  The story has to many holes in it to make it a solid story.  I really wanted it to work but it didn't work.  Sigh.

Ptolemy’s Gate by Jonathan Stroud

Jonathan Stroud is a master of saga writing.  Humor and danger creates a magical story that transports one to another world.  Enjoy, perfect for any library.  It's a good read with a very detailed world.

Crank: Glass by Ellen Hopkins

This is a literary piece of work and the author knows what she's writing about.  The way I understand it, the story is inspired by her own daughter.  There is sex and drugs and teens out of control.  It is crafted well but I do think before you purchase this book, read it.  Again it's a good book, hard to read because it reads with great authority and it's hard to watch someone making bad choices in life.  It's a powerful story.

This Way Home By Wes Moore with Shawn Goodman

Overall it's fine and okay for the library.  I like that Elijah has a solid male role model that he is working for a few months.  The ending seemed a bit unrealistic.  It worked but it felt forced.  But it would be good for a guy read.  I chose this book to read because I heard Wes Moore speak at Town Hall in Fresno.  He's a good speaker.  I also read Shawn Goodman's book Kindness for Weakness, which is up for the California Young Reader's Medal for 2017.

Burned: Smoke by Ellen Hopkins

The story continues and oh my goodness it is intense.  Well crafted and a modern literary piece.  It's a poignant story.  You feel for the girls and what is scary is that it is all believable.  It's a good read.

Burned by Ellen Hopkins

An extreme modern day Romeo and Juliet story.  There is sex and drinking, anger and pain.  Abuse and family dysfunction.  Power plays and victims.  When escape to a healthy family member gives a young girl, nearly a woman an opportunity to find a safe haven, the world changes for better.  Then she is sent back to her family hell.  Tragedy is just a shadow away.  It is written so thoughtfully well and feels so real.  The story is raw and dangerous.  I would recommend it for mature audiences.   Family dynamics at it's worst.

Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan

It's a charming quirky story perfect for elementary grades.  Julia learns to be confident and accept her shortness.  It's a sweet story and fine for any library.  Enjoy.