Storms of the Greek Gods

Today is a dark and stormy day! I am reminded that the Greek gods and goddesses are a source of infinite wisdom. With this in mind, I would like to recommend the book Greece, Rome, Monsters by John Harris. In this great book, twenty mythical monsters are featured along with a supporting cast of gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines. The book begins with a  warning telling you that you are about to embark into the land of creepy creatures. There is the Basilisk and if you see him run for your life! Keep away from the Cyclops, he’s a very big and very mean guy. You’ll not want to look at Medusa because there’s that terrible option of turning to stone. The book does offer a few nice creatures such as, Pegasus the beautiful white horse with wings, and the fiery Phoenix who is reborn out of the ashes over and over again. Calef Brown’s artwork is fun and playful with shades of sour-apple green, turquoise blue, and terracotta orange.

Of course this brings on a surge of memories for me of The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan featuring the notorious yet amazing Percy Jackson. Our hero is a teenage boy who is quirky, clever, and determined always ends up having nasty creatures chase after him. Percy soon finds out that his life as he knew it is not really the truth of who he really is. He has been cloistered away from the world of gods and goddesses in which he knows nothing about. There just might be a surprise relative that Percy never even knew about, but I'm not going to give that away. As Percy learns how to deal with his newly found origin story, he decides to go on a quest to find out who stole  Zeus' lightning rod. This book is excellent and full of great surprises. You'll want to read this one and the entire Percy Jackson series to catch up on your Greek Mythology!

Until next time, Happy Reading!

Mrs. Librarian Lady

Introducing YA Book n Craft Mashup! Six of Crows

Hey everyone out there!  I have an interesting new idea to pair up YA fiction books with fun crafts and yummy recipes.  It's basically a mashup of craft ideas that go with the awesome YA books I read. I will pick a book and then give a description and then list all of the crafts and/or recipes that apply.  I think it will be fun to see how many of these I can come up with.  Let me know if there is a YA book that you would like me to pair up with a craft or recipe!

My first Book n Craft Mashup will be Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.  Six of Crows is a Teens' Top Ten winner for 2016.  In this awesome YA book, a team of convicts, runaways, and thieves set out to smuggle an imprisoned scientist from an impenetrable fortress.  With their mastermind thief Kaz and spy Inej on the forefront, will their plan work?  

"The Ice Court had been built to withstand an onslaught of armies, assassins, Grisha, and spies.  When Inej said as much to Kaz he simply replied, "But it hasn't been built to keep us out." Kez has been offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams... But he can't pull it off alone."

YA Book n Craft Mashup for Six of Crows:

Spy Party - Here's a great idea for a super sleuth party that may inspire teens.

Secret Decoder - All spies need a way to send secret messages. Use this printable decoder to send cryptic messages to your partners in crime.

Hollowed Out Book - Everyone needs a good place to hide their secrets.  This sneaky diversion could help you with your mastermind plan!

Operation Incognito - Disguises are important so here's an awesome Youtube tutorial on how to make an origami mustache!  

Fingerpaint Recipe - Teens can get their hands dirty with the cool recipe created in Rome by Ruth Shaw.  Time to get crafty and creative!

Tune in next time for another YA Book n Craft Mashup!

Mrs. Librarian Lady!

Look Out All You Fairy Tale Drop Outs!

This week Mrs. Librarian Lady is featuring the new release of Flunked: Fairy Tale Reform School by Jen Calonita!


WOULD YOU SEND A VILLAIN TO DO A HERO'S JOB?

Gilly wouldn't call herself wicked, exactly... but when you have five little brothers and sisters and live in a run-down boot, you have to get creative to make ends meet. Gilly's a pretty good thief(if she does say so herself).

Until she gets caught.

Gilly is sentenced to three months at Fairy Tale Reform School - where all of the teachers are former (super-scary) villains like the Big Bad Wolf, the Evil Queen, and Cinderella's Wicked Stepmother. Harsh. But when she meets fellow students Jax and Kayla, she learns there's more to this school than its heroic mission.

There's a battle brewing and Gilly has to wonder just how good these bad guys are.

Ok, so I bet you are pumped up now to find out about how this awesome twisted mash up of fairy tales plays out. I can tell you that Flunked is clever, cute and adventurous all in one! When Gilly gets busted for stealing a fancy hair clip her whole life goes haywire. She is sent to the Fairy Tale Reform School(FTRS, which seems to have a good mission, but as we get further into the story we find that maybe this reform school might have some major flaws. "Our mission: To turn wicked delinquents and former villains into future heroes." And then we meet Flora, the infamous and so called "formerly wicked stepmother" of Cinderella. Calonita's description of Flora is hilarious. She calls her "stepmonster" which sounds pretty scary to me! Although she does admit that she doesn't have "devil's horns poking out of her head," but rather that she is thin, pointy nosed, with two-tone colored hair.

You'll also love the Happily Ever After Scrolls that frequent the pages of this book. One of my favorites is "Why We Fear Apples: Meet FRTRS's Psychologist, Professor Harlow" which features Harlow the (formerly) evil queen from Snow White and how she has changed and oh yes how she loves fashion and "doesn't terrorize people" anymore. You might also like to know that she like being pretty and extremely dislikes rudeness. And LOL she doesn't have a love life because she is too busy looking at herself in the mirror. Seriously, this is some funny stuff!

I love Gilly because she is such a spirited character and it's so much fun to follow her on her journey in a school of fairy tale misfits. FTRS shows how strong bonds can become when friendships are made, and how sometimes a band of misfits can result in a team working together for the greater good. Enough said, I don't want to give away the ending, which you will never guess who ends up being the most notorious delinquent of all.

Happy reading! I hope you enjoy Flunked by Jen Calonita!

I See Dead People - Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Name of the Star: Shades of London series by Maureen Johnson

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

Ok, so I’ve been hanging out in London lately, well not really in London, but in my mind London for a whole entire month while reading the Shades of London series by Maureen Johnson. I am completely hooked on this series and I feel like Rory Deveaux is a character that I could totally be friends with. She's very brave, is funny in her own right of mind, she talks a lot and has great stories that I could just hear over and over and she has good values and can tell what is right and what is wrong.

Rory's life is by far anything but normal, she moved to London to attend an elite school called Wexford and upon chance ends up having to deal with a new found gift called “the sight” that allows her to see other beings that most people can’t see. If you like ghosts and secret ghost hunting societies that form a special bond with each other you will love Name of the Star. I first decided to read this book because it totally name drops Jack the Ripper in the summary, but after getting into the story I found that there is much more going on here than on a reality t.v. show!! Rory becomes friends with Stephen, Callum and Boo a dynamic trio with special ghost hunting operational forces. Facing new missions and mysteries around all kinds of ghosts, the four grow together and form an unbeatable team. I love this kind of teamwork especially since it deals with the paranormal and the dark and dangerous streets of London.

This is more than just a ghostly read, this is definitely an intriguing mystery that taps into the paranormal and beyond. The dialogue is perfect, the scenery described wonderfully, and the plot captivating. The ending is just enough of a tease that you'll immediately want to read the second book in the series The Madness Underneath (which is exactly what I did!). But... If you love this series as much as I do, I’m sorry to say that you’ll have to wait patiently for the third book The Shadow Cabinet to come out in February 2015!

"Fear can't hurt you. When it washes over you, give it no power. It's a snake with no venom. Remember that. That knowledge can save you." Jo ~World War II ghost lady

Happy Holidays & Happy Reading!

Parkour & murder just how I like it

What We Saw At Night by Jacqueline Mitchard

They sleep during the day, avoiding their greatest enemy: sunlight. When the sun sets and darkness falls, they hit the town. The nighttime world belongs to them. They are Children of Darkness. No, this isn't another young adult novel featuring pointy toothed, blood-sucking teen vampires. Jacquelyn Mitchard's novel What We Saw at Night is about a group of teenagers who suffer from the real world genetic disorder Xeroderma Pigmentosum. XP is a fatal allergy to sunlight. Allie Kim, along with her best friends Rob and Juliet, live in a parallel universe compared to "daytimers," the name they've given to people who don't suffer from XP. Allie wakes up when most people are getting home from school or work. She eats dinner as her breakfast and does her school work from home in the wee hours. And she's in bed by sunrise.
Of course, suffering from XP doesn't mean that Allie and her friends don't go through the same growing pains and angst that other teens their age experience. Allie has had a crush on Rob for as long as she can remember. But Allie can also see that Rob only has eyes for Juliet. Unfortunately for Rob, Juliet clearly couldn't be less interested in him. This creates a typical love triangle among very atypical teens. Then everything changes when Juliet introduces Allie and Rob to Parkour, also known as Freerunning, a stunt-sport that features running and climbing off forest cliffs and tall buildings. It's during one of these nighttime Parkour stunts that Allie stumbles upon what looks like a murder. Or at least that's what she tries to convince Rob and Juliet, who didn't see anything. Did she imagine it? XP can sometimes lead to hallucinations in its more degenerative stages. Could Allie be losing her mind?

As Allie delves deeper into what she saw, she uncovers what might be a larger conspiracy, involving a member of the Tabor family. That's the family of doctors that founded and operate the Tabor Clinic. The clinic is the leading research and treatment center for patients with XP. It is the reason Allie, Rob and Juliet's families all moved to Iron Harbor and it's their best hope for finding a cure to the disease. Not only that, Allie begins to suspect that one of her best friends might be involved in the crime. This revelation could lead to Allie, Juliet and Rob to being in serious danger. What We Saw at Night is an engaging blend of real-world drama involving a life-and-death illness and a whodunit thriller. Imagine John Green's recent "The Fault in Our Stars" in a mashup with a Nancy Drew mystery. plus some amazingmroof jumping and wall scaling.

Mrs. Librarian Lady is a cool cat who loves to read YA books!

Steelheart: taking dystopia to another level!

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson is a fast-paced novel, and the first installment in his Reckoners series.

“The superheroes came, but they weren’t exactly what everyone thought they’d be. The Epics, as they’re called, have incredible powers, but with great power comes great corruptibility.
Soon, the Epics takes over the world. They fight against each other, gaining territory and ruling the humans as their subjects. Some are smart and set up cities in their honor, a place where they can control the population and get them to do their bidding.
Such is life in Newcago under Steeheart’s reign. It’s all David has known for the past 10 years. But while most people just try to survive in a world that is literally made of steel, David has other plans. He wants to join the Reckoners and avenge his father, whom Steelheart killed the day he came into town.
The Reckoners are a group of humans led by the mysterious Prof. Their goal is to kill as many Epics as possible. And David is about to show them what he’s got. He knows something no one else does. Because no matter what Steelheart says, he’s not completely invincible.
David’s seen Steelheart bleed, and he intends to see it again.”
Steelheart is a fast-paced, suspenseful page-turner. With cliffhangers at the end of every chapter, it will be hard to put this book down long enough to eat and sleep, never mind doing responsible things like going to work or school.
Set in a world that is vivid and complex, this is not a book that seems overwhelming or overly detailed. Sanderson does an excellent job of feeding you information that is necessary in the moment, rather than overloading you right from the beginning.
The humor in this book is well placed, as well. In a novel that could take itself too seriously but doesn’t, the purposefully terrible metaphors will have you laughing every time you think of them.
With a quickly escalating plot and a few twists and turns, this is definitely a book you’ll want on your to-be-read list. And while it does answer many of the questions raised throughout the book, enough is left unanswered to cause you to want to read the next installation, Firefight, like, right now. Sadly, we’ll have to wait until 2014 for that one.

“Incredible cosmic powers do not equate with high IQ.” David, Steelheart

Happy Reading to You!
Mrs. Librarian Lady

Wishes do explode... I mean come true

Spell Check by Julie Wright


I am so excited I finished this ebook on Halloween and I have to say that I loved it! It starts with a group of cheerleaders and their infamous leader Lisa Snoddy who you find to be an excellent “mean girl” are planning a prank on Allyson on her birthday, which just happens to be a few days before Halloween. Ally has no idea that the prank involves her hanging from a tree, and that Lisa and her clique are going to leave her there high and dry in the middle of the night all alone. She will soon find out though that every time she makes a wish something funny happens. Her wishes are awesome! Her best friend Kristin and Jake the hottest guy in school and the one who has stolen Allyson’s heart since 7th grade show up to rescue her. Later on, her Swedish grandmother shows up at her doorstep and tells her she has a magical family, LOL surprise! Allyson finally figures out what's been going on. After some totally hilarious situations arise she realizes that she has to get her head straight or she might spin out of control. My favorite part is at the end when she finally gets the wish she's always wanted to come true. Ooooooh Jake and Allyson possible love connection? I'll never tell. You'll just have to read Spell Check to find out!

What's Behind the Zombie Phenomenom

A recent article in the Tween Tribune called, "In hard times, zombies make us feel better" it was noted that zombies seem to be everywhere these days. I just posted on Facebook about the amazing and terrifying movie trailer I saw last night for the upcoming World War Z movie based on the ever famous book by Max Brooks and also starring the one and only Brad Pitt! Zombies are also hitting hard on the popular TV series "The Walking Dead," where every week humans have to try and escape from a pack of hungry flesh eating zombies! The article also talked about "prank alerts that have warned of a zombie apocalypse on radio stations in a handful of states and across the country, zombie wannabes in tattered clothes occasionally fill local parks, gurgling moans of the undead." Whoa that sounds pretty crazy all right.

I've got a question for you - do you think that these types of strange events are created by people that just happen to have unhealthy obsessions with the dead and the decayed? According to professor Sarah Lauro, "the phenomenon isn't harmful or a random fad, but part of a historical trend that mirrors a level of cultural dissatisfaction and economic upheaval. We are more interested in the zombie at times when as a culture we feel disempowered, and watching a show like 'Walking Dead' provides a great variety of outlets for people."

Lauro talks a lot about the idea of having a "zombie walk," where a mass wannabe zombies get together dressed up in tattered clothes and zombiesque makeup with the traditional marks of the undead and then drag their feet around and try to do the zombie dance."

Here's the question that the Tween Tribune asked: "Do you agree with the author’s belief, that zombies make us feel better in hard times?" Well, I'm not sure but I sure do have a few zombie themed books that I can recommend to cure the zombie brain drain.

Here are my suggestions:

Rot & Ruin by Jonathon Maberry


The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan


Enclave by Ann Aguirre


Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter


Check these out and let me know if you think they equal up to the vim and vigor of Max Brooks' World War Z!

Happy Reading to you!

All my best, Mrs. Librarian Lady

- article Posted on Tween Tribune on March 11, 2013

A Lovely Island Teeming with Evil Water Horses!

The fourth book that I have read from the YALSA Teens' Top Ten nominees is "The Scorpio Races" by Maggie Stiefvater. Here's my little review of it - Every November in Thisby there is a tradition called the Scorpio Races, a dangerous and sometimes de adly race where riders attempt to keep their evil, blood-thirsty water horses under control long enough to make it to the finish line. With four wins to his name, 19 year-old Sean Kendrick is sure to win on his bosses water horse named Corr. However, enter Puck aka Kate Connolly, who is desperate to win the race to save her family home. Not only is she the first girl to ever enter the race, but she intends to ride her own horse Dove, who is not an evil water horse. Things heat up in this epic tale of mythical creatures versus humans as Puck and Sean get to know each other and find a common bond. The Scorpio Races is beautifully written by Stiefvater. Told from the point of view of Sean and Puck in alternating chapters, there is an understanding of what winning the race means for both of them. The water horses come to life, and are both deadly and mesmerizing at the same time. I almost forgot to add that the main character Sean Kendrick is really awesome! He loves his horse so much that he's willing to let him go to be free in the ocean if he never returns to him. But the horse loves him too so you have to read this book to find out what happens with Sean and his water horse Corr!! It's the best part of the book!!!!! Happy Reading! ♥ Mrs. Librarian Lady

Going BZRK for Michael Grant

I am a huge fan of Michael Grant! I think the Gone series was so mesmerizing and I am thrilled to be hooked on another series by Grant. Here's what is going on in BZRK! These are no ordinary soldiers. This is no ordinary war. Welcome to the nano, where the only battle is for sanity. Losing is not an option when a world of madness is at stake. Time is running out for the good guys. But what happens when you don't know who the good guys really are? Noah and Sadie: newly initiated to an underground cell so covert that they don't even know each other's names. Here they will learn what it means to fight on a nano level. Soon they will become the deadliest warriors the world has ever seen. Vincent: feels nothing, cares for no one; fighting his own personal battle with Bug Man, the greatest nano warrior alive. The Armstrong Twins: wealthy, privileged, and fanatical. Are they the saviours of mankind or authors of the darkest conspiracy the world has ever seen? The nano is uncharted territory. A terrifying world of discovery. And everything is to play for... It's true, I definitely think that BZRK will have your mind reeling! BZRK is very intense and you don't find that in most of the YA books out right now. It captures that insane futuristic reality that no one wants to really ever think about. The Book Zone reviewed BZRK and noted that Grant's diabolical writing "deals with issues such as: identity; control; what it is that makes us independent humans with independent thoughts; and - scariest of all in this book - madness. It is a book where you question the actions of everyone, both good and bad, and find yourself asking whether the good guys are actually just slightly less bad than the villains. For both sides, it is very much a case of the end justifies the means, and in BZRK the means are pretty damn deplorable sometimes. And what makes things even worse is that to many of the bad guys, what they are up to is just a game, albeit infinitely bigger and more extreme than anything produced for your average games console. There is one speech, by a character called Bug Man, that really does leave a bad taste in your mouth.... just as Michael Grant intended, I do suspect." I agree wholeheartedly with The Book Zone and feel that this book would be great for reluctant readers as well as boys and girls who love adventure, sci-fi, apocalyptic dystopic novels, and just plain mind games and action. Grant has a way of drawing the reader in and making sure that they don't put the book down until they are finished. And... his books really keep you thinking long after you are done reading them. The creepiness of Gone still haunts me to this day! Happy Reading to you All!! Mrs. Librarian Lady

This Guy Is Definitely Not Lost

The Lost Hero is an incredible story! Rick Riordan always comes through with awesome characters that you can't help but love and a storyline that is gripping and adventurous. I have to say that Riordan is very very hot right now. This book had an excellent weaving of Greek and Roman mythology which made for quite an interesting tale. It even inspired me to check out a book on Roman mythology in order to see the differences between the Greek and Roman god and goddesses. I loved the characters Piper, Leo, and Jason. They were all well developed and proved to be incredible progtagonists all in their own special way. I especially loved Leo Valdez and his quick comebacks, funny disposition, and mesmerizing fire and mechanical abilities. Keep on writing books Riordan because you got it going on dude!