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This week I read two interesting books, one directed more at teen readers, the other at young adults (ages 9-12).

Everlasting by Angie Frazier is a historical fiction novel for teens. The story follows Camille Rowen, a 17 year old girl who is going with her father on their very last sailing trip before her wedding. But disaster stikes in the high seas, and Camille loses the one person she loves the most. Fortunately, she’s not alone. Oscar, an attractive deckhand, survives and stays by hers side in their search for Camille’s mother.

The Suburb Beyond the Stars by M.T. Anderson is quite the opposite of Everlasting. It follows two boys, Brian and Greggory, as they search for Gregory’s missing cousin, Prudence. When they arrive in her neighborhood, they realize something strange and unearthly is going on. Not only is the once wooded area now completely covered in houses, but more than just Prudence is missing. Soon they find themselves in the middle of the deadly action.

Wow, this week I read some truly amazing teen books. It was a nice mix of horror, historical fiction and mystery.

Morpheus Road: The Light by D.J. MacHale (author of the Pendragon series) is an incredible teen horror book. It follows Marshall Seaver, a guy with exactly one friend, Coop. But when Coop’s parents send him to his cabin for the summer, Marshall doesn’t know what to do. That’s when strange things start happening: a three-ring pattern keeps appearing, he sees blood all over the walls, and worst of all, the supervillain he created comes to life. And he wants to kill Marshall! Marshall needs help. But with his dad away on a business trip, he’s all alone. He tries to get a hold of Coop, but he finds out that Coop has gone missing! Did he run away? Or is Coop somehow connected to the horrifying things that have been happening to Marshall?

Shadow by Jenny Moss is an invigorating historical fiction novel. It follows a girl known as Shadow, who’s one and only job is to be the queen’s shadow. But when the queen dies in her sleep, Shadow must escape the castle before she is accused of murder. She leaves with a handsome Knight named Sir Kenway and sparks start to fly. But their different status in society makes a relationship impossible.

Finally, The Sight: Premonitions and Disappearance by Judy Blundell is a two-book collection. The mystery follows Gracie, a teenager who gets premonitions. In the first book, her best friend goes missing and Gracie is sure she’s been kidnapped. In the second book, some local boys find a dead body just around the same time Gracie’s dad, who left when she was 2, arrives in town. Gracie uses her premonitions to investigate the crimes, and winds up in serious trouble.

Without a doubt, I recommend all three of these books, especially The Sight. It may not be a paranormal fiction book like everyone is reading nowadays, but it’s just as good.

This week had a nice mix of young adult magic and real teenage life. The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone and Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson were both exciting for different reasons.

The Sixty-Eight Rooms is a magical adventure for kids ages 8-12. The story follows best friends Ruthie and Jack as they discover the magic of the Thorne Rooms located in the Chicago Art Institute. The Thorne Rooms are small replicas of historical rooms built in the 1930′s. But when Ruthie and Jack find a magical key, they learn that there’s more to the Thorne Rooms than meets the eye.

Scarlett Fever is the sequel to Suite Scarlett. This story for teens follows 15 year old Scarlett as she lives her crazy life in Manhattan. She works for a demanding theatrical agent, her brother–an actor–gets his big break, she’s working with a new client whose brother is an utter pain in the behind, and she can’t seem to get over her sort-of-ex-boyfriend. Oh, and did I mention she lives in a hotel!

From new spins on classic tales to otherworldly magical adventures, this week’s books were fantastic. The Ever Breath by Julianna Baggott, and Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve both had that special quality that keeps you engaged and yearning for another piece of the story.

The Ever Breath follows twins Truman and Camille as they discover a secret about their family’s history. Their father was from another world known as the Breath World. And now he has returned to his homeland. But he’s in danger, and Truman and Camille travel to the Breath World to rescue him.

Here Lies Arthur is a new tale of King Arthur told through the eyes of a young apprentice named Gwyna. After her village was burned, Arthur’s bard, Myrddin, takes her in and disguises her as a boy so she can be his apprentice. But as she grows, its hard to keep her gender a secret. Soon Gwyna, a.k.a “Gwen,” will have to reveal her identity.

How’s everything going?

This was such a boring weekend. Well, most of my weekends are boring but, this one was just really dull. It’s nothing new to me but, I just wish I could change it. I know I can but, sometimes you’re just helpless, in some way. But, don’t worry, there’s always the Brightside to look at. Some day when I’m extremely busy I’ll most likely be wishing I had nothing to do and could just relax.

It’s my brother’s birthday, by the way. He turns 30. That’s old… I can’t believe we’ve all grown up so much. I can still remember how stupid my brothers use to be when they were younger. God… and the fights they use to have, man those were hilarious. There was this one time where my brothers got into a fight because one of them wouldn’t let the other one play Nintendo. So they first started arguing and calling each other names and then ended up punching and pushing each other. Now was just a normal thing in the house, it had to happen at least once a week. Anyway, so while they were fighting Sal headbutted Norman and he got a cut near his eyebrow. Norman, that very minute left the fight and ran to the bathroom to see if he was bleeding a lot or not. And then we heard him yelling from the bathroom “I will destroy your face if this leaves a mark”.

That’s how stupid and dumb their fights use to be. Its funny time passes by so quickly.

So, on that note. I’m going to stop typing. Here’s a picture of a Christmas tree I made out of paper a few days ago (if i havent already uploaded it). Take care everybody.

If you’re one of those kids who likes to read HUGE books–big, juicy books that are so thick, they’re almost hard to hold–then you should check out Freefall by Roderick Gordon & Brian Williams, and The Chestnut King by N.D. Wilson.

I’m all for a long book, but sometimes there’s such a thing as TOO long. If a book has a solid, fast-paced plot without too much unnecessary description and down time, then bring on 600 pages! The Inkheart series is a good example of long books that never grow boring. But I didn’t have as much luck with this week’s selection.

Freefall, the 3rd book in the Tunnels series, would have been a great read if it wasn’t so long. I’ve said this about every book in the series: the length is unnecessary. The books could have been cut down by 200 pages each and told the same story. But behind all the extra words, the story is very unique. It follows Will Burrows and his friends Chester and Elliot after they fall down the “Pore” (a deep hole leading closer and closer to the Earth’s core). It’s warm down there, and gravity is moon-like. They’re searching for a way out, but escape seems impossible.

The Chestnut King, book 2 in the 100 Cupboards series, is a different cup of tea. It isn’t as long as Freefall but I found it harder to get through. Parts of the story were captivating, and I couldn’t book the book down. But other parts were bizarre and it left me a little confused. The confusion may not have been the author’s fault. After all, I didn’t read the first two books in the series. In the book, Henry and his family must find the Chestnut King, and ask for his help in defeating the evil Nimiane. Meanwhile, Nimiane and her team of fingerlings are after Henry and his family.

This week I read Dark Whispers (Book three in the Unicorn Chronicles) and Eye of the Forest (Book five in the Children of the Lamp series). Both books appeal to a young adult reader who loves a good magical adventure.

Dark Whispers follows Cara on another adventure through Luster, the Land of Unicorns. But this time, we also get to experience Cara’s father’s journey to the Rainbow Prison where he attempts to rescue his wife.

In Eye of the Forest, djinn twins Philippa and John, their Uncle Nimrod and a few other quirky characters travel to the Amazon jungle in search of an ancient doorway known as the Eye of the Forest. Along the way they encounter vicious warriors and tons of enormous insects.

I love fantasy. And I don’t mind the occasional horror. But when you mix the two genres, something goes haywire. The combination creates a crazy, hazy, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind kind of story. The Resurrection Fields by Brian Keaney (#3 in the Promises of Dr. Sigmundus series) was that type of book. It left me questioning, did I love this or did I hate this?

The story follows a few different characters: Dante, who has projected his spirit into the body of a bird to protect himself from an evil being that is possessing his body; Bea, Dante’s friend, who finds herself in the heart of the madness; and Nyro, who seems to be the only one who remembers that his missing friend Luther ever existed. Now that Dr. Sigmundus is dead, the evil spirit, Orobas, is using Dante’s body to reign over the land and build a bridge to the resurrection fields.

Dragon books are hit or miss. But The Fire Eternal by Chris D’Lacey is a definite hit. The story is unique to the world of dragon literature, as these dragons are made from clay. It follows the Pennykettle family, their clay dragons, and their borders, Zanna and Alexa Rain. Zanna’s husband, David, has been gone for five years. He died in the Arctic, or so they think. Lucy Pennykettle still holds onto hope that David is alive. She sends a journalist to get information out of Zanna and investigate his disappearance.

This week I read four books: Alcatraz versus the Scrivener’s Bone (book 2) and Alcatraz versus the Knights of Crystallia (book 3) by Brandon Sanderson, as well as Cyberia (book 1) and Cyberia: Monkey See, Monkey Don’t by Chris Lynch. What can I say? Both authors are amazing.

The Cyberia series follows Zane, a boy who lives in a world of techonology, high-tech computers and talking animals. But you see, Zane is the only one who can hear the animals, courtesy of his trusty ear-noodle. He discovers that the evil Vetrinarian, Dr. Gristle, is developing chips that, when inserted into animals, allow him to control them. Zane can hear the animals’ pleads for help. But how can a boy match up against a powerful, influential pet doctor?

Alcatraz took my breath away. The cover wasn’t appealing, and I naturally judge books based on that. But once again, I was wrong. Alcatraz Smedry is a 13-year-old boy who has recently discovered that the world we call home is actually run by evil Librarians. He’s part of a famous family, whose home is located in a place called Nalhalla. The story claims to be a memoir of Alcratraz’s real life experinces. He begins almost every chapter with funny, random topics that have absolutely nothing to do with the story. They let you see how quirky and hilarious Alcatraz really is. And he’ll have you laughing your pants off.

The thing that makes both these series’ so special is that they’re hilarious. The narrators are quirky and clever, and they actually make you laugh out loud. They both look and sound a little sci-fi-ish, but don’t worry. The characters are completely normal, except that they have a better sense of humor than just about anyone you’ve ever met. Please give these books a read, especially Alcatraz.