Category Archives: 8/13 Staff Dev
The Coldest Girl in Cold Town – Holly Black
Gone are the days when vampires were mere rumors or legends. Vampires have gone public thanks to a rogue vampire that went on a biting spree. Now vampires are corralled into large fortress type cities. Those infected and expected to … Continue reading
Frozen – Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston
Extreme pollution depicted by trashbergs, think icebergs but made of garbage, in the ocean coupled with the ice age environment and harsh society lead the daring to seek a rumored Blue somewhere in the ocean. Nat escapes from prison using … Continue reading
Scarlet – A.C. Gaughen
This is a rousing tale of Robin Hood featuring one of his merry “men”, Will Scarlet, who disguises herself as male and keeps her painful past hidden. Complete with the traditional cast of characters in Robin Hood tales, Scarlet stands … Continue reading
Anna Dressed in Blood – Kendare Blake
Cas leads a difficult life. He is the son of a ghost killer; ghosts that refuse to go quietly into the night but keep on killing. When his father is killed at the hand of a particularly nasty evil entity, … Continue reading
Thrice Told Tales: Three Mice Full of Writing Advice
How many ways can the Three Blind Mice nursery rhyme be retold and embellished? A lot! The mice take over this story and teach literary devices such as point of view, cause and effect, and ambiguity. It doesn’t seem like … Continue reading
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock – Matthew Quick
Leonard Peacock is a kind, highly intelligent, high school junior. So why does he wake up on his birthday, intent on taking a gun to school to kill a former friend and then take his own life? Told in Leonard’s … Continue reading
The Unfortunate Son – Constance Leeds
A powerful and cruel nobleman throws out his newborn son because he was born with only one ear. The nursemaid raises the child as her own and calls him Luc. Hated by the man Luc thinks is his father, he … Continue reading
Rose Under Fire – Elizabeth Wein
Humanity is stripped to the basic levels of good and evil in this brilliant historical fiction novel that relates the horrors of Ravensbruck – a Nazi concentration camp. During WWII, women pilots flew fighting planes to airfields. The intent was … Continue reading
A Moment Comes – Jennifer Bradbury
Before the British pulled out of India, they were tasked with creating the borders for Pakistan. Religions that used to live in harmony within India had grown intolerant of each other. It was decided that a separate Muslim nation be … Continue reading
Another Little Piece – Kate Karyus Quinn
Annaliese thinks she has amnesia. She’s alone and far away from where she was reported missing by her parents. As she puts together the mystery of her past, the truth is rather horrific. At first I thought Annaliese had lived … Continue reading
Parallel – Lauren Miller
When parallel worlds collide, Abby is thrust from one world to another. The story opens when her plans for college and a journalism career take a wrong turn after she enrolls in a drama class her senior year that leads … Continue reading
Invisibility – David Levithan and Andrea Cremer
Stephen was born invisible. This was not an unexpected surprise for his parents. His mother was cursed by his evil cursecasting grandfather. His invisibility was too much for his father to bear so he left his wife and young son, … Continue reading
Poison – Bridget Zinn
Kyra is a potions master who also has a bit of a witch’s Seer abilities. She has mastered the art of potions or poisons and can be a deadly assassin. Earlier in her youth, she became best friends with the … Continue reading
Navigating Early – Clare Vanderpool
This story within a story is set in Maine at the close of World War II. Jack was raised in Kansas by a loving mother while his military father was away from home serving in the war. His mother dies … Continue reading
The False Prince – Jennifer Nielsen
Only those closest to the crown know that the royal family has been murdered. There will be a civil war unless the lost prince is found to claim the thrown. Four years before, the young prince was on a boat … Continue reading
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