All Elements of Life are Somehow Connected

The Magician’s Apprentice by Kate Banks

Sixteen-year-old Baz, holds a realistic mix of fear and bravery, as he accepts an unknown visitor’s invitation to leave his village and become a weaver’s apprentice. However, the abusive weaving master to whom he is delivered trades Baz for a sword to a wandering magician, Tadis, who dispenses magic and wisdom with equal alacrity. “ ‘Intention does not come from the mind, though the mind thinks it does. Intention comes from here.’ Tadis pointed to his heart.” Traveling with Tadis and his cart of tricks, Baz embarks on a long physical and spiritual journey to find his true destiny. Set in an unnamed Middle Eastern land and filled with vivid descriptions of earthquakes and sandstorms, as well as physical discomforts and homesickness, the book gently traces Baz’s growing understanding of the universal truths Tadis imparts. Sís’s distinctive, diminutive line drawings appear throughout as spot illustrations, perfectly complementing the understated yet rich voice in which Baz’s story is told.

I loved this story because Baz takes on many roles in each of his apprenticeships, first to a weaver and then to a magician. He learns both crafts, but truly experiences his best apprenticeship when he learns what is important in life. “Poetry in prose” is the apt description of this thought-provoking and insightful story. Kate Banks has taken her own point of view about what is important in life and put it into words through her characters, Baz and a magician and a plethora of lesser characters they meet on their journey together. They all influence Baz’s journey to self-realization. Baz first begins his journey by leaving home to become apprenticed to a master rug weaver. His two brothers have already left home to meet their own destinies, and Baz knows he must go. Along his journey, he meets cruelty and compassion, confusion and clarity, and finally, peace and harmony.

After the magician trades a mysterious sword for Baz, they travel to the desert and then to the mountains. Baz meets people who help him learn life’s most important lessons and eventually works his way back home to his family, which he never spiritually left. The author seems to be saying that all elements of life are somehow interconnected, all chance meetings are deliberate in the whole scheme of things, and peace and knowledge can be attained just by opening our eyes to our life journey, to nature and to trials and tribulations along the way. Banks has created a masterpiece for readers who like to think about all possibilities, who are open to change, and readers will find a certain peace to carry with them after reading this book. The characters are believable, the plot is creative, and multiple life lessons are sure to soothe the souls of all who venture inside the pages of this book. This is a great book for teens who have pondered their role in life. Once immersed in the book, the reader can help but join Baz throughout his amazing and transformational journey.

My favorite quote from the Magician’s Apprentice – “You must let go of your resistance. What is the worst thing that can happen?”

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!

Mixed Up Names, Holidays & Love

I absolutely loved this little novella! I read it on my Galaxy! It was so cute, funny, sweet and definitely got me ready for the holidays. I thought it was very adorable that the two main characters had the same name only flipped around Ty McKenzie and Mackenzie Tyler . This brought me closer to the characters and helped me to see that they really had something in common. Ty was super awesome and would be the guy that I would want my daughter to date and fall in love with, sweet, thoughtful and pretty cute. Kenzie was great because she helped to heal a bond that had been broken between Ty and his mom and that meant everything in the world to both of them. I love the holidays, but sometimes I feel like I can bogged down in all of the commercialism. This story helped me to get excited about decorating, shopping, baking, and even ice skating. It was short, but I don't really have a whole lot of time to read, so I really loved that too! I'm going to see if I can read some more from the ALL I WANT anthology.




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

Love, Laughter & Loss + Forgiveness = Real Life

The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker (named
after John Lennon), bookworm and band
geek, plays second clarinet and spends her
time tucked safely and happily in the shadow
of her fiery sister Bailey. But when Bailey
dies suddenly, Lennie is catapulted to center
stage of her own life—and, despite her
nonexistent history with boys, finds herself
struggling to balance two. Toby was
Bailey’s boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie’s
own. Joe is the new boy in town, a
transplant from Paris whose nearly magical
grin is matched only by his musical talent.
For Lennie, they’re the sun and the moon;
one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the
other comforts her in it. But just like their
celestial counterparts, they can’t collide
without the whole wide world exploding.
I can safely say The Sky is Everywhere
is one of my favorite books ever. I have never
finished a book and felt this emotional before,
last night when I turned the last page I felt like
crying, laughing, writing and running in a field
to nowhere in particular, and all at the same
time. It’s now been almost 12 hours and I can’t
stop thinking about this book!
I wasn’t really looking for a serious book I just
chose this one because it was sitting on the
shelf in the YA room looking a bit lonely. From
start to finish, my heart broke and got glued
back together more than once and I feel like
the cast of characters are now permanently
stuck to my life. The things from this book that
really stuck with me are how close Lennie and
her sister Bailey were, Joe’s eyelashes (bat,
bat, bat), Toby’s sad eyes and Gram’s
garden.

Beautifully written, The Sky is Everywhere
is about loss, grief, pain, healing, hoping and
love. The sudden death of Bailey a vibrant
nineteen-year-old is at the center of the story,
and her family’s struggle to cope is
heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same
time. Bailey and Lennie have been raised by
their grandmother and uncle, as their mother
abandoned them years before. The girls talk
about their mother as if she is on a journey
around the world and she’ll be back someday
to stay. The love stories in this book are
many and multi-layered. They include the
love between sisters, the mother-like love
between grandmother and granddaughter,
and breathtaking head-over-heels first love.
Music and poetry bring together the
instruments of healing for Lennie and her
family in this wonderful story about loss, love
and forgiveness.

Happy Reading To You!!!
Mrs. Librarian Lady

Teenage killing machines in Texas

Reboot (2013)
by Amy Tintera

Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional. The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return. Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen years old, she serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation).
This book caught my attention from the start! I loved the uniqueness of this story. The teens aren't zombies when they come back, but somehow they are similar to the walking dead. But, maybe a more sophisticated and high tech zombie type being would be a more accurate description.
Reboot is about a group of teens that come back to life after they have died. They receive their numbers after name by how many minutes they have been dead. Once they are rebooted they get taken to a facility and used as bounty hunters, assassins and military type force. The more minutes you were down before you rebooted the less human you are. Therefore, Wren 178 is a well oiled killing machine. When she gets paired up to train Callum 22 she doesn't realize how much this almost human boy will change her and her future.

In this strange world of the Republic of Texas only teens are rebooted and humans are taught to fear and hate the Reboots. Sadly, Reboots are created to be killing machines that are used and controlled. You might think that a Reboot killing machine might not be a great character to read about, but I absolutely loved Wren. She was a merciless, yet Callum was able to bring out her true emotions. Emotions that had been buried deep within her. Her feelings were so new to her that she basically had to come to terms with her past.

I was so happy that the book ended at a point that didn't leave me screaming and pulling out my hair in frustration! While I love a good devastating cliffhanger occasionally, my heart can't take it all the time (I'm talking about you Lauren Oliver 

As a debut, Reboot really does stand out as a great dystopian in a sea of average material. I definitely recommend Reboot to any fan of dystopian, action, or fantasy!

Happy Reading to You!

You Had Me at Delirious

I just finished Lauren Oliver’s Delirium trilogy! I love dystopian fiction and this trilogy has dystopian written all over it. I was definitely interested in this strange society where love is forbidden and teens grow up knowing that they will hae a medical procedure that will cut the capability to love out of their brains.

Lena, the main character, is actually looking forward to her procedure. She has always been afraid that the Delirium Nervosa would take a hold of her just like it did to her own mother. Upon a chance she meets a young man named Alex. She thinks Alex says he has been cured of the love disease and even has the scar to prove it. Suddenly Lena and Alex are spending all of their time together and feeling that woozy sweet feeling that comes with love. Lena finds herself caught between knowing what the laws says about love and how she feels internally.

This book is amazing! When I picked it up I had no idea it was the first in a series. Let’s just say that when I got to the end of the book I couldn't believe it! I couldn’t believe the ending it was heartbreaking and insane. Then I calmed down when I found out that there was a second book called Pandemonium and I was able to pick back up where Lena left off. This book is interesting because it alternates from Lena’s point of view of THEN, which is how she survives the past and NOW, which is how she is living each day just trying to survive in a world gone mad against love.

Pandemonium picks up right where Delirium left off. Although, Lena has a different set of problems, is living in New York and she can't seem to concentrate on the present. In Pandemonium we meet the young and handsome Julian. Lena’s feelings for Alex will always stay with her no matter what. But understandably she finds herself attracted to Julian because he is HOT! I too have a bit of a crush on Julian now. And then it happened again the ending floored me totally! I think I whipped my head around and said what?!?! at the ending of Pandemonium!

In the last novel in this trilogy I found myself not wanting to say goodbye to Lena and her friends. I did really like Requiem because it brings together all of the characters that I had grown so fond of during this trilogy. Requiem had a different point of view shift that goes back and forth between Lena fighting out in The Wilds, and Hana, her best friend from book 1 who has had the procedure and is about to get married to a psycho dude. In a lot of ways, this book just didn’t go exactly where I wanted it to go. At the end it had that Gone with the Wind feeling of "tomorrow is another day" I was disappointed because I really wanted more answers to many questions I had and I really wanted more Delirium - all together more!

”They say that the cure for Love will make me happy and safe forever. And I’ve always believed them. Until now. Now everything has changed. Now, I’d rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie." Lena - Delirium

Against All Odds Apocalyptic Kids Rock!

Monument 14: Sky on Fire: Emmy Laybourne



Book: Monument 14: Sky on Fire
Author: Emmy Laybourne
Pages: 224
Age Range: 13 and up

Monument 14: Sky on Fire is the sequel to Monument 14 in which a group of 14 kids end up trying to survive in large store complex after a chemical plant causes a catastrophic event to happen in their town.

Sky on Fire begins right where Monument 14 left off and alternates between perspectives of sixteen-year-old Dean and his thirteen-year-old brother Alex.

Alex, Nico, Josie and three younger kids are on the school bus that brought the kids to safety in the store in the first book. They're on a quest to travel 67 miles to Denver International Airport because their friend Brayden was injured and they have heard that are medical facilities in Denver and evacuations to Alaska as well. This trip turns out to be incredibly dangerous for the kids because they do not realize that there are awful people out just waiting to hurt them. Also, if they are exposed to the toxins in the air each one will have a side effect according to what their blood type is. The kids do have gas masks and several layers of clothing, but in times of despair this may not be enough to get them through their sixty mile trek.

Meanwhile, back in Monument at the store Dean has stayed behind with the girl of his dreams Astrid and three of the littler kids. Still missing in action is the all star football player Jake. Jake went off in search for help and did not return after several days and everyone fears he is dead. Right away, Dean and Astrid have to deal with outsiders trying to get into the store because there is food shelter there. Dean begins to pull together all of the potential weapons that he can find to secure their safety. His number one weapon is a chainsaw.

Although, it seems that bad things just keep on happening to these kids they just keep on going and never give up and I totally admire that. As Alex states in his letter to Dean, "things get really bad" These poor kids have to travel through a hostile post-apocalyptic landscape with creepy people lurking in the shadows. Some of these people are horrible and violent and some are not. There are some violent scenes in the book that could be considered somewhat disturbing.

Sky on Fire is compelling to read though and I actually couldn't put it down and read the entire book in one day! Laybourne uses the alternating narration to ratchet up the suspense. The kids on the bus receive information suggesting that there is nowhere safe to go now, and no one knows who to trust or what to believe. There are relationship tensions, between several characters, and strength and courage are highlighted throughout each characters personality.

There's also growth in the relationships between the kids. It becomes clear in Sky on Fire how much these kids have bonded and become a family. Maybe a strange family strung together with misfits and outcasts, but a family nevertheless that will fight for each other and always loyal to each other until the end.

Alex's voice is witty and intelligent with fun quips that make you want to laugh in the face of a world gone mad

"If we two were the two last people on earth--not, by the way, as statistically implausible as it was a month ago--she would still be rude to me and I would still pretend that it didn't bother me."

Dean has a more thoughtful voice

"Was it wrong to feel a heart-spike of happiness in the middle of the Apocalypse?" and "We deserve a happy ending. All of us do."

I'm not usually a fan of alternating point of views in a book, but this one totally works. I would have not wanted it any other way. It was really awesome at the end when both Alex and Dean's stories were almost weaving together!

My only complaint about this book is that it was too short. But then I always want to read more and more. However, it's suspenseful with an emotional impact and many loose ends are tied up. I am eager for the next book in the series! I'd say this book is totally LEGIT.

Happy Reading to You!

17 & Gone by Nova Ren Suma

Seventeen-year-old Lauren is having visions of girls who have gone missing. And all these girls have just one thing in common—they are 17 and
gone without a trace. As Lauren struggles to shake these waking nightmares, impossible questions demand urgent answers: Why are the
girls speaking to Lauren? How can she help them? And… is she next? As Lauren searches for clues, everything begins to unravel, and when a brush with death lands her in the hospital, a shocking truth emerges, changing everything.


I LOVED this book! The writing reminded me a lot of Nova’s other book, Imaginary Girls. Mysterious, beautiful, lyrical writing that sometimes seems more like poetry than what you would find in a young adult novel, and
honestly the writing itself is much more mature than you will find in many YA novels these days. The main character in the story is Lauren a teen
who is seemingly normal on the outside. However, she has some serious issues brewing within her. She doesn’t really know if she likes her friends, and she has a boyfriend but she keeps a lot from him because she doesn’t think that he will understand what she is going
through, which of course causes him to pull away.

The biggest issue that Lauren deals with in this book is that she sees girls that other people don’t see – she sees the lost girls, girls who have
disappeared without a trace, all at the age of 17. She sees them in her house, in her car, and even meets them in her dreams in a strange and creepy house filled with smoke.

As you are reading, the stories of many missing girls are told. The missing
person’s notices are listed in the book and as you read them you realize that there are so many young people out there on the streets missing just like these characters that Suma has made up. Lauren is especially trying to unravel the mystery of what happened to one of the missing girls named Abby Sinclair. Lauren does some investigation on her own, breaking into the summer camp where Abby worked where she disappeared, visiting Abby's old boyfriend and even her grandparents who are states away. Lauren gets into quite a bit of trouble from doing all of this investigating, but really it’s what’s going on inside Lauren’s head that
is giving her the most trouble.

In 17 & Gone, nothing is as it seems. The book is filled to the brim with mystery – not just about the lost girls, but about Lauren herself, and through reading the book we get to know Lauren just as she grows into
knowing herself, and it is a wild, surprising, and totally unpredictable story about growing up, and growing into who you are when you turn out to be something completely different from what you ever expected.

I don’t want to say anything else and spoil the book for you, but I will say this is the best YA novel I have read so far this year.

Happy Reading to You!!

The Hunt is On!

This book is totally amazing! You can't help but love Jasper Dent in his plight to not become a serial killer just like his father. Jasper or Jazz as his friends call him has a keen sense of what makes a serial killer tick because his father taught him everything he knows. However, Jazz likes to mix things up by instead trying to catch a serial killer in his own home town. As things heat up, Jazz realizes that this sneaky new serial killer is actually copying his own father's nasty work. Jazz and his friend Howie work together as a well oiled machine to try and stop the horrible chain of events from unfolding. Barry Lyga has created a whole world that I never even thought existed in this incredibly exciting story of a young man struggling to find his self and break free from his father's cruel hold on him. You must read this book to find out what happens!

What I Just Finished Reading!

Pure is Sci-fi fantasy, Dystopian, and Poetic Post-Apocalyptic

"Pure" is an engaging and exciting post-apocalyptic saga. The main characters are young enough that this could have been categorized as a young adult novel. First we have Pressia who is a deep thinking risk taking sixteen year old girl who has lived with the outcome of the Detonations that went off when she was a little girl. She has witnessed horrors upon horrors and has somehow still survived. The worst part of the world she lives in is that the Detonations didn't actually kill everyone, they either burned them or fused them to other beings, animals, and/or even structures and the earth. There was a dome built that housed many people and when the bombs went off those in the dome survived with no harm. Because of this, those in the dome are called Pure. Pressia comes in contact with Bradwell, who is a renegade young man trying to start a revolution, but not having much luck on his own. Partridge lives in the dome but he is seeking something else in his life. His overbearing and sadistic father keeps a tight rule over those in the dome. This story comes to life as Partridege finds a way out of the dome and these three young people come together. The three have to come up with a plan to stay alive in a world where you don't really know who your enemies are. And you never know what dark horror might be lurking around the corner. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was happy to find that there were additional characters that turned out to be heroes too.

Enjoy the Intensity in Historical Fiction

All I can say is that reading "Code Name Verity" takes you back in time to World War II and it is an emotional and intense ride from the start. You get to read the story through written pages and notes. One side of the story is of Queenie the British spy who has been captured by the Nazi's in Nazi occupied France in 1943 after she made the crucial mistake of looking the wrong way while crossing a busy street in the town of Ormaie, France. The Gestapo orders Queenie to unravel the tale of how she met her best friend Maddie and how they went down in the plane Maddie was flying over France. Queenie manages to stay alive in prison as long as she's writing what the Gestapo approves of. Otherwise, she is horribly tortured. The second half is the story of Maddie and how she has to hide and survive in France after crashing the plane. The two stories woven together are totally compelling and the courage that these two young women possessed was amazing. I felt as if these were real people and I was reading about their lives as if it really happened all those year ago. "Code Name Verity" is definitely a tribute to women and has resonant themes of friendship and courage throughout the book.

Nominated for the YALSA Teens Top Ten Award for 2013

Sweetest Thing Indeed

The Sweetest Thing
by Christina Mandeleski
336 Pages
May 2011

The Sweetest Thing is an adorable story about a teenage girl Sheridan who loves to bake. Her nickname is Cake Girl and all she wants is to make cakes and have a boyfriend like any normal high school girl. Then her dad gets a new gig as a television chef star and her whole world bursts into chaos. On the other hand, she has been searching for her mom who left her several years before. She's just about to find her mom, but who knows what will happen if and when they see each other again? Will Sheridan find her mom? Will she find that perfect boyfriend who likes her for who she is? Read this book to find out!

Happy Reading to You!

Mrs. Librarian Lady

Passion Beyond the Grave

I just finished "Such Wicked Intent" the second book in the Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein and it was just as good as the first book! I highly recommend these books if you like secrets, mysterious creatures, and love triangles.

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

Looks A Lot Like Love :)

Source: bleubirdvintage.typepad.com via Michael on Pinterest

Love Stinks - Mrs. Librarian Lady's top twenty Anti Love Songs

Madness - Muse
I knew you were trouble - Taylor Swift
Try - Pink
One more night - Maroon 5
We are never getting back together - Taylor Swift
Not over you - Gavin DeGraw
Love & Memories - OAR
Jar of hearts - Christina Perri
When i was your Man - Bruno Mars
I cry - Flo Rida
Part of me - Katy Perry
Catch my breath - Kelly Clarkson
Numb - Usher
50 Ways - Train
More than this - One Direction
Hard to love - Lee Brice
Somebody that i used to know - Goyte
Wide Awake - Katy Perry
Feel again - One Republic
Caught myself - Paramore

Best Anti-Love Movies According to Mrs. Librarian Lady

Best Anti-Love Movies - These movies will be sure to have you running away from love for sure!

Teen Tech Week 2013 Check In @ Your Library!

I made this video today in honor of the upcoming Teen Tech Week 2013 which will be during the week of March 10th-17th. I love making videos!!

What Kind of Book Reader Are You? A Diagnostics Guide - Entertainment - The Atlantic Wire

What Kind of Book Reader Are You? A Diagnostics Guide - Entertainment - The Atlantic Wire

Here's a fun way to see what kind of reader you are.  I fall into the Bookophile, the Cross-Under and definitely the Book-Buster, Oh I just want to hug those books!!