Library

City of the Beasts by Isabel Allende

When fifteen-year-old Alexander Cold accompanies his individualistic grandmother on an expedition to find a humanoid Beast in the Amazon, he experiences ancient wonders and a supernatural world as he tries to avert disaster for the Indians.

Heaven Eyes by David Almond

Erin Law and her friends are Damaged Children. At least that is the label given to them by Maureen, the woman who runs the orphanage that they live in. Damaged, Beyond Repair because they have no parents to take care of them. Sometimes there is nothing left but to run away, to run for freedom. And that is what Erin and two friends do, run away one night downriver on a raft. What they find on their journey is stranger than you can imagine, maybe, and you might not think it's true.

Skellig by David Almond

Unhappy about his baby sister's illness and the chaos of moving into a dilapidated old house, Michael retreats to the garage and finds a mysterious stranger who is something like a bird and something like an angel.

Tree Girl by T. A. Barron

Nine-year-old Rowanna is drawn to the forest and a huge tree, despite the warnings of the old man with whom she has always lived at the edge of the sea--especially after she befriends a bear who is much more than he seems.

Sign of the Qin by L.G. Bass

This book, a multistranded opener to a trilogy, is teeming with monsters, dragons, deities, tricksters, and demons-drawn largely but not exclusively from Chinese myth-plus an array of larger-than-life heroes and villains of both sexes. Young Prince Zong, born bearing a birthmark that presages a glittering destiny, grows with magical speed in the care of whiny, capricious Monkey, as his mother, Silver Lotus, flees into exile under a sentence of death. She travels with General Calabash, a monk covered in mobile, prophetic tattoos, and Yamu dispatches a lurid corps of demonic minions to prepare the way for a cataclysmic invasion.

The Goblin Wood by Hilari Bell

When young hedgewitch Makenna witnesses the murder of her mother by their neighbors, she flees to the forest and forms an unexpected alliance with an army of goblins and leads an attack on the humans--who are now their common enemy.

The Wish List by Eoin Colfer

Meg Finn is in trouble. Cast out of her home by her stepfather after her mom's death, Meg is a wanderer, a troublemaker. But after her latest stunt, finding a place to sleep is the least of her worries. After an accidental explosion, Meg's spirit is flung into limbo, and a race begins between the demonic and the divine to win Meg's soul.

Eva by Peter Dickinson

The picnic on the beach is Eva's last memory. She lies in the hospital bed while her mother explains about the accident and the coma, Eva senses there is something they are not telling her--a price she must pay to be alive.

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

In a future where humans despise clones, Matt enjoys special status as the young clone of El Patron, the 142-year-old leader of a corrupt drug empire nestled between Mexico and the United States.

The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer

A new adventure set in A.D. 793 in the land of the Vikings, where two children are soon swept up in a quest on which they encounter a dragon, a giant spider, and trolls.

Dr. Franklin's Island by Ann Halam

When their plane crashes over the Pacific Ocean, three science students are left stranded on a tropical island and then imprisoned by a doctor who is performing horrifying experiments on humans involving the transfer of animal genes.

Indigo by Alice Hoffman

When her mother dies, Martha is so unhappy living in the dried-up town of Oak Grove, that she convinces two unusual brothers who long to return to the ocean to run away with her.

Troll Fell by Katherine Langrish

A secret kingdom of trolls, and their legendary gold, lies in the mysterious shadows of Troll Fell. It is to this eerie and dangerous place that Peer must go after his father's sudden death, to live with his greedy uncles, Baldur and Grim, at their mill. Their story will become part of the legends and lore that fill this extraordinary land by the sea.

Gifts by Ursula LeGuin

A darkly compelling fantasy about a world in which each person has a magical, dangerous "gift." The people of the Uplands have unusual and potentially dangerous abilities that can involve the killing or maiming of others.

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
by Terry Pratchett

A talking cat, intelligent rats, and a strange boy cooperate in a Pied Piper scam until they try to con the wrong town and are confronted by a deadly evil rat king.

A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett

Tiffany Aching, a young witch-in-training, learns about magic and responsibility as she battles a disembodied monster with the assistance of the six-inch-high Wee Free Men and Mistress Weatherwax, the greatest witch in the world.

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

A young witch-to-be named Tiffany teams up with the Wee Free Men, a clan of six-inch-high blue men, to rescue her baby brother and ward off a sinister invasion from Fairyland.

The Safe-Keeper's Secret by Sharon Shinn

Damiana is a Safe-Keeper, whose job is to listen to the secrets people confide in her and then to keep them to herself. Before she dies, Damiana shares a secret with her daughter Fiona that she pledges to keep secret until the time she knows it is right to tell. Fiona takes on the role of Safe-Keeper but finds that this is not her true calling.

I Am Mordred: A Tale from Camelot by Nancy Springer

Mordred, the bad seed, the son of King Arthur and his sister, spends his youth learning who he is and then trying to deal with the prophecy made by Merlin that he will kill his father. When Mordred learns the identity of his father, he struggles with feelings of hatred, but also fights the fate that determines that he kill the good and gracious king.

I Am Morgan Le Fay: A Tale from Camelot
by Nancy Springer

Once there was a girl named Morgan, a girl of magic! She saw her father killed and her mother stolen by a king named Pendragon. But the king was not long to live, and now--with an entire country at war and no one to claim the throne--there are many who want this girl dead. And out of the way. But this girl of magic is powerful. She is about to change the course of history. She is about to become Morgan le Fay. Read it and take a glimpse into the dark beginnings of Camelot.

Shadowmancer by G.P. Taylor

Accidentally drawn into a war between good and evil, three young people are brought face to face with the powers of darkness in an epic battle.

Double Helix by Nancy Werlin

Eighteen-year-old Eli Samuels, whose once-vibrant mother is losing her long battle with the ravages of Huntington's disease, is hired at the Wyatt Transgenics Lab. Shortly after starting work, the teen meets Kayla Matheson, a beautiful girl who eerily reminds him of a photo of his mother when she was young. Slowly, Eli uncovers one layer after another of the shocking truth about Dr. Wyatt's genetic-engineering experiments and their connection to his parents, Kayla, and himself.

Rats by Paul Zindel

When mutant rats threaten to take over Staten Island, which has become a huge landfill, fourteen-year-old Sarah and her younger brother Mike try to figure out how to stop them.

Enna Burning by Shannon Hale

Enna hopes that her new knowledge of how to wield fire will help protect her good friend Isi--the Princess Anidori--and all of Bayern against their enemies, but the need to burn is uncontrollable and puts Enna and her loved ones in grave danger. A companion to Hale's The Goose Girl.

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Basing her story on the Grimms' fairy tale, Hale's Princess Ani, the shy, sensitive, first-born daughter to the king and queen of Kildenree, embarks on an adventure-filled journey to learn the many lessons that will make her a true queen.

Mira, Mirror by Mette Ivie Harrison

Two sisters. One a witch and a queen. The other transformed by her sister's touch into a mirror--a mirror with voice and memory and magic, but no power to transform herself back to the girl she once was. And then, mysteriously, the queen disappears and another girl finds the mirror. This girl has troubles of her own, but she is also a means to escape and soon the girl and the mirror are on their way to find the magic that will bring both pain and hope to both of them.

Aquamarine by Alice Hoffman

A love-struck mermaid named Aquamarine supplies adventure and insights to two twelve-year-old girls, life-long friends who are spending their last summer together before one of them moves away.

Spindle's End by Robin McKinley

All the creatures of the forest knew the infant was special. She was the princess, spirited away from the evil fairy Pernicia on her name day. But the curse was cast: sometime in the future Rosie would prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into a poisoned sleep from which no one could rouse her. Katriona, the young fairy that whisked Rosie away as an infant, and her aunt raise the princess as if she's their own in order to protect her. No other human, not even Rosie herself, knows her true identity. But Pernicia is looking for Rosie, and her powers are strong. She is so intent on revenge that even the fairies and animals that love Rosie may not be able to save her.

An Earthly Knight by Janet Elizabeth McNaughton

Love and religious and political intrigue abound in this retelling of the legend of Tam Lin set in 12th-century Scotland. When her older sister, Isabel, disgraces the family, it is up to 16-year-old Jenny to save her father's reputation and prosperity.

Beast by Donna Jo Napoli

Who was Beast, before Beauty found him? Orasmyn is a young Persian prince with all the privileges and responsibilities his royal position holds. But when he falters and makes a single wrong decision, his pride angers a pari -- a fairy -- who sets an ancient curse into motion, crucially changing his life on the worst day possible, and forcing him to leave his beloved Persia and his precious family in order to escape death at his father's unwitting hands. Orasmyn makes his way to India and back, across Europe to France, in search of redemption and forgiveness. Beast is his story.

Crazy Jack by Donna Jo Napoli

In this version of the traditional tale of the young boy who climbs a beanstalk, Jack searches for his father, falls in love with Flora, and learns the value of real treasure.

Zel by Donna Jo Napoli

Based on the fairy tale Rapunzel, the story is told in alternating chapters from the point of view of Zel, her mother, and the nobleman who pursues her, and delves into the psychological motivations of each of the characters.

Flame by Hilari Bell

In this first volume of The Book of Sorahb, Bell introduces readers to a world of honor, danger, and magic in a spellbinding tale of self-discovery of three young people who watch as their world is torn apart.

Rise of a Hero by Hilari Bell

(Coming in May 2005!)

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Aliens have attacked Earth twice and almost destroyed the human species. To make sure humans win the next encounter, the world government has taken to breeding military geniuses -- and then training them in the arts of war... The early training, not surprisingly, takes the form of 'games'... Ender Wiggin is a genius among geniuses; he wins all the games... He is smart enough to know that time is running out. But is he smart enough to save the planet?

Others in the Enders' Game Series:
Ender's Shadow
Speaker for the Dead
Xenocide
Children of the Mind
Shadow of the Hegemon

Seeing Stone by Kevin Crossley-Holland

In late twelfth-century England, a thirteen-year-old boy named Arthur recounts how Merlin gives him a magical seeing stone which shows him images of the legendary King Arthur, the events of whose life seem to have many parallels to his own.

At the Crossing Places by Kevin Crossley-Holland

In late twelfth-century England, the thirteen-year-old Arthur goes to begin his new life as squire to Lord Stephen at Holt, where crusaders ready themselves.

King of the Middle March by Kevin Crossley-Holland

Arthur de Caldicot, on his way to becoming a man, witnesses the horrors of the Fourth Crusade in Venice and Zara, as well as the downfall of King Arthur's court, in his seeing stone.

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

Built as an underground refuge for the human race, the city of Ember begins to deteriorate as its lights start to flicker. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she's sure it holds a secret that will save the city. She and her friend Doon must decipher the message before the lights go out on Ember forever.

The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau

The sequel to the critically acclaimed "The City of Ember" continues the story of Lina and Doon, who have emerged from the underground city to the exciting new world above. When anonymous acts of vandalism push them toward violence, it's up to Lina and Doon to discover who's behind the vandalism and why.

The Shamer's Daughter by by Lene Kaabebol

Dina has unwillingly inherited her mother's gift: the ability to elicit shamed confessions simply by looking into someone's eyes. To Dina, however, these powers are a curse. When her mother is called to Dunark Castle to uncover the truth about a bloody triple murder, Dina must come to terms with her Shamer's eyes. The first in the Shamer Chronicles series.

Merchant of Death by D. J. MacHale

Bobby Pendragon is a seemingly normal fourteen-year-old boy. He has a family, a home, and even Marley, his beloved dog. But there is something very special about Bobby. He is going to save the world. And not just Earth as we know it. Bobby is slowly starting to realize that life in the cosmos isn't quite what he thought it was. And before he can object, he is swept off to an alternate dimension known as Denduron, a territory inhabited by strange beings, ruled by a magical tyrant, and plagued by dangerous revolution. If Bobby wants to see his family again, he's going to have to accept his role as savior, and accept it wholeheartedly. Because, as he is about to discover, Denduron is only the beginning....

The Lost City of Faar by D. J. MacHale

In the second installment of this adventure series, Bobby Pendragon and his Uncle Press--a Traveler--are on the water world of Cloral. Something has happened to the underwater farmland and the crops are poisoned. The only hope is for Bobby to locate the legendary lost city of Faar, which may hold the key to Cloral's survival.

The Never War by D. J. MacHale

Now Bobby once again finds himself thrust beyond the boundaries of time and space into a place that seems somewhat familiar: First Earth. Bobby and the Traveler from Cloral -- Spader -- have flumed to New York City, 1937. Against a backdrop of gangsters, swing music, and the distant sound of a brewing war, the two must uncover the evil Saint Dane's newest plot.

The Reality Bug by D. J. MacHale

The territory of Veelox has achieved perfect harmony. Fifteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon arrives on this territory in pursuit of the evil Saint Dane, but all is peaceful on Veelox -- because it's deserted. Bobby is confident that they can defeat whatever Saint Dane has planned for this world.

Black Water by D. J. MacHale

Just when fifteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon thinks he understands his purpose as a Traveler -- to protect the territories of Halla from the evil Saint Dane -- he is faced with an impossible choice.

Lirael, Daughter of the Clayr by Garth Nix (Book One)

Lirael has never felt like a true daughter of the Clayr. Abandoned by her mother, ignorant of her father's identity, Lirael resembles no one else in her large extended family living in the Clayr's Glacier. It is Lirael in whose hands the fate of the Old Kingdom lies. She must undertake a desperate mission under the growing shadow of an ancient evil.

Sabriel by Garth Nix (Book Two)

Ever since she was a tiny child, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the random power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who won't stay dead. But now her father, the Mage Abhorsen, is missing, and to find him Sabriel must cross back into the world. With threats on all sides and only each other to trust, the three must travel deep into the Old Kingdom, toward a battle that will pit them against the true forces of life and death-and bring Sabriel face-to-face with her own hidden destiny.

Abhorsen by Garth Nix (Book Three)

The long-awaited confrontation between the evil necromancer Hedge and Abhorsen-in-Waiting Lirael and her nephew Sameth finally takes place in this conclusion to Nix's trilogy. All the characters from the previous books are here, but Lirael and Sam dominate the action. Lirael is destined to travel into death to find out how Orannis was defeated before and to try to find out how to defeat him once again.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Eragon, 15, is hunting for wild game when he witnesses a mysterious explosion. At the center of the blast radius he finds a polished blue stone marked with white veins. Brom, the village storyteller, has shown interest in it, so it is to him that Eragon turns when it starts squeaking, then wobbling, and then hatches into a majestic sapphire blue dragon. "Eragon" is the first installment in an epic fantasy trilogy about a 15-year-old farm boy who discovers his destiny as a Dragon Rider.

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

(Coming in August 2005!)

Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce

This new Tortall adventure is the first of two books featuring, Alianne, the teenage daughter of Alanna, the first lady knight of Tortall, who follows the quieter footsteps of her father, delighting in the art of spying.

Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce

Aly fails to foresee the dangers that await as she uses her magic to safeguard Dova and her younger siblings, despite knowing that her thirteen-year-old charge might be queen of the Copper Isles when the colonial rulers are defeated.

Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

Becoming a legend is not easy, as young Alanna of Trebond discovers when she disguises herself as a boy and begins training to be a knight. Alanna's skills and stubborness help her befriend Prince Jonathan and alienate his evil uncle, Duke Roger. Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, this book is a rousing introduction to the intensely satisfying story of Alanna.

In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce

Disguised as a boy, Alanna of Trebond becomes a squire -- to none other than the prince of the realm. But Prince Jonathan is much more to Alanna; he is her ally, her best friend, and one of the few who knows that she's really a girl. Now it will take all of Alanna's awesome skill, strength, and growing magical powers to protect him from the mysterious evil sorcerer who is bent on his destruction--and hers!

The Woman Who Rides Like a Man by Tamora Pierce

A knight at last, Alanna of Trebond heads out to seek adventure in the desert of Tortall. Captured by desert tribesmen, she is forced to prove herself in a magical duel to the death. But her real challenge doesn't come until after she wins.

Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce

Alanna of Trebond must win the Dominion Jewel, a legendary gem with enormous power for good--and the one thing that can save her war-torn nation. But her archenemy returns from the dead to disrupt her exalted destiny.

Mortal Engines by Phillip Reeve

The Great Traction City London Is on the move again. It has been lying low, skulking in the hills to avoid the bigger, faster, hungrier cities loose in the Great Hunting Ground. But now, as its great mountain of metal lumbers along in hot pursuit of its quarry, the sinister plans it has harbored for years can finally start to unfold behind its soaring walls.

Predator's Gold by Phillip Reeve

The intrepid survivors of Mortal Engines find themselves in another thrilling, action-packed adventure. In this "town-eat-town" futuristic world, cities on wheels continue to overpower and devour smaller or weaker cities.

Rowan Hood, Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest
by Nancy Springer

In her quest to connect with Robin Hood, the father she has never met, thirteen-year-old Rosemary disguises herself as a boy, befriends a half-wolf, half-dog, a runaway princess, and an overgrown boy whose singing is hypnotic, and makes peace with her elfin heritage.

Lionclaw: A Tale of Rowan Hood by Nancy Springer

Young Lionel, minstrel in the outlaw band of Rowan Hood, daughter of Robin, tries to find his courage when she is abducted from Sherwood Forest.

Wild Boy: A Tale of Rowan Hood by Nancy Springer

Determined to avenge the death of his swineherd father at the hands of the Sheriff of Nottingham, Rook finally gets his chance when the Sheriff's son is captured by Robin Hood.

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

Set in modern-day London, this first book in a gripping new trilogy introduces young magician's apprentice Nathaniel. Humiliated by a hotshot wizard, Nathaniel summons the not-so-tame djinni, Bartimaeus, and sends him to steal the Amulet of Samarkand.

The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud

The second adventure in the Bartimaeus trilogy finds our young apprentice magician Nathaniel working his way up the ranks of the government, when crisis hits.

Sorcery and Cecelia, or, The Enchanted Chocolate Pot: Being the Correspondence of Two Young Ladies of Quality Regarding Various Magical Scandals in London and the Country by Patricia Wrede

A great deal is happening in London this season. For starters, there's the witch who tried to poison Kate at Sir Hilary's induction into the Royal College of Wizards. The girls might think it all a magical nightmare--if only they weren't having so much fun.

The Grand Tour: Being a Revelation of Matters of High Confidentiality and Greatest Importance, Including Extracts from the Intimate Diary of a Noblewoman and the Sworn Testimony of a Lady of Quality by Patricia Wrede

Kate and Cecy from Sorcery and Cecelia, or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot, now proper married ladies, are off on a Grand Tour of the Continent with their adoring husbands and orders from Wellington himself to thwart a magical plot to take over Europe.