Fantasy: Manifest (A Mystyx Novel)

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Arthur, Artist. Manifest: A Mystyx Novel. New York: Kimani Press, 2010.

Does walking and talking with a beautiful young man who happens to be a ghost but who makes you laugh and listens to your secrets compose a relationship?

Manifest, the first in the Mystyx Series, introduces us to Krystal Bentley who struggles with her abilities as a ghost-whisperer. She is new to Lincoln, Connecticut, and is immediately pressed into service by the ghost of a high school boy who was killed the year before. A persistent boy. A boy who knows her name.

"Help me, Krystal".
I open my eyes, not that I mean to, it just happens I guess. I look toward the window seat where all the stupid stuffed animals Janet thought would cheer me up are arrayed like a pastel-colored army.
I don't know what I'm looking for. Whatever it is, I hope I don't find it. But there he is- a black boy, kind of tall and skinny. He's wearing jeans, the baggy kind like all the guys in school wear, and a white T-shirt three sizes too big, hanging to his knees like a nightgown. His boots look new, Timberlands with the laces only halfway up, the huge tongue sticking out from the sagging denim hem of his jeans. He's wearing a watch on one wrist and a bracelet- I think it's silver- on the other. His hair is kind of curly on top, cut low on the sides with some lines or design or something.
I suppose he's kind of cute.
But he's kind of transparent.

In this story, we get to know what's it's like to interact with the dead, be scared by the living, be badgered by both, and fall in love a little. We also get the picture of what it's like to be a girl in a clique filled high school whose parents have divorced and who's not sure what her place will be in this new 'burb. A suburb where the school cafeteria itself is like a suburban Tower of Babel where student's seem unable to understand one another or to communicate.

Will Krystal be able to hone her skills to find out what really happened to Ricky? To make peace at home? And to find her place at Settlemans High? Read Manifest to find out how Krystal's new life turns out in the end.

Magic, Mystery, Adventure: The Prince of Mist

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Zafón, Carlos Ruiz. The Prince of Mist. New York: Little Brown and Company, 1993. English translation copyright 2010 by Lucia Graves.

Sunken ships and moveable statues are background for this mystery set in a small coastal village town in 1943. Forced to move from the city when the winds of war nip at their heels, the Carver family may find more danger in what looks like a peaceful town full of ornate Victorian houses. The clock is ticking in the Carver's new house as reality becomes an illusion and the Prince of Mist calls to collect an old debt.

When Max Carver leaves the city to live in a small coastal village, he begins a chapter in his life that will test him both physically and mentally. With perceptions clouded by changing emotions and shifting loyalties and stones in a garden, Max works behind the scenes to help save his family and thier new friend Roland.

Could the answers he's seeking be found in the old film reels left to rot by the house's previous owners?

"Max waited until he heard the door to Alicia's room close, then he sat in the armchair next to the projector. From there he could hear the murmer of his parents speaking in low voices. The rest of the house sank slowly into the silence of night, disturbed only by the sound of the waves breaking on the beach. Suddenly Max felt a presence right behind him. He turned around. Someone was looking at him from the foot of the stairs. The shining, yellow eyes of Irina's cat observed him from the gloom.
"Get out," Max spat.
The cat kept his eyes on Max for a few seconds longer. They were lifeless and cold, like doll's eyes. Max stood and faced the beast.
"I said out."
The cat appeared to smile, if such a thing were possible, then slowly withdrew into the shadows. What a time for Irina to bring that thing into their home..."

In this book, you'll go on an adventure with three friends as they explore suken ships, old men's stories, and the ever lurking Prince of Mist.

Historical: "Revolver"

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Sedgwick, Marcus. Revolver. New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2009.

1899 in the Arctic frontier was a time of hope, greed, steadfastness, and despair. In this wild north one family is caught between their faith and their years of desperation. All this while in the company of their constant silent companion, the Colt revolver.

When Sig's father is found dead, frozen on the ice within a mile of their cabin, Sig must assume responsibility for his sister Anna and his stepmother Nadya. He sends them for help and he elects to stay with the dead body of his father which is laid out on the table. This brave gesture leaves him alone with only stifled tears when the knock comes at the door.

There at the door stands a giant of a man, a man with a face not, "stroked into creation by God's loving hand, but battered into shape by the Devil's hammer." This man would send Sig's world crashing down on him as he accuses Sig's father of stealing a horde of gold ten years ago in Nome. Wolff's story makes Sig question everything he knew about his father while at the same time remembering everything his father taught him.

As he is tested and terrified by the stranger, he also remembers his dead mothers quiet whisper, "have faith." All the while thinking about the colt revolver hidden in the box. Does Sig dare to use the gun? Are his mother's children murderers? Will Wolffe use the gun he's brought?Read this story to find out which will rule the hour, Sig, the murderer, or the Revolver.

Science Fiction: "Gateway"

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Shinn, Sharon. Gateway. New York: Viking, 2009.

Chinese American, Daiyu, is drawn into another world, an alternate version of the city she is from. As she passes through the Arch in St. Louis she finds herself at the center of a swirling mix of mystery, adventure, and romance.

When Daiyu leaves behind the city of St. Louis she finds herself in another version of the Gateway to the West. In this version almost everyone is Chinese like herself. She has been recruited to help stop a dangerous politician who threatens the very fabric of Shenglang. Daiyu must first get close to Chenglei which means she must attend the annual Presentation Ball. Thrown into a crash course of manners and dress and formal dances, Daiyu also finds herself in a crash course of love. As she partners with Kalen to learn the patterns of the traditional tiaowu dance she finds herself in a dizzying spin of emotions. When they are separated so that she can go to live with the woman convinced to take her in as her "niece", Daiyu finds ways to go behind Xiang's back and meet Kalen at the aviary where he works. As she draws close to Kalen she finds her old life may be slipping away. In a playful moment, Kalen laughed as he ask her to stay in Shenglang with him.

"There's a thought! You could stay in Shenglang. Then you wouldn't have to worry about me being lonely after all.

"Daiyu laughed. "I like the idea of staying in Shenglang with you, but I don't think I could stand to keep living with Xiang," she said. Belatedly she added, "Besides I couldn't leave my parents like that! They'd be so worried about me and I'd miss them too much."

As she said the words, it occurred to her with a sort of buried horror that she hadn't missed her parents at all in the last couple of days...She had been warned that her mind would not be able to retain memories of Shenglang once she returned to her own time and place. Maybe she could not retain memories of St. Louis if she was in Shenglang too long. The thought was terrifying."

In Diayu's story we learn learn about trust and power and the price a young girl must pay when she steps through a Gateway Arch into a world of intrigue and intense romance.

Saint Fiction: "Poisoned Honey"

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Gormley, Beatrice. Poisoned Honey. New York: Knopf, 2010.

This novel chronicles the teenage years of Mary Magdalene as she struggles to find strength in the turbulent years before Christ.

Who was Mary Magdalene? A Saint? A Sinner? This haunting novel rooted in the hazy days of her teenage years is the story of Mary's personal transformation. A transformation from a girl who believes she is being tormented by seven demons to a woman healed by Jesus and destined to become one of his closest disciples.

Set in Magdala, Mari grows up on the shore of the Sea of Galilee (Lake Gennesaret) where she is tethered by the customs of her time. As she resigns herself to the customary arranged marriage, she is hopeful that her father will choose someone she might grow to love. But when disease sweeps through their town and her father dies, she is abandoned to the whims and greed of her uncle and brother.

Married off to an old man she finds herself in a household without friendship. It is then that she seeks the advice of an Egyptian wisewoman who introduces her to the spiritual world. At first the demons seem like friendly spirits seeking only to help her, but as her domestic situation worsens, she finds herself in the grip of seven demons seeking to harm not only her enemies, but also the few she holds close.

As you come to understand Mari, you will also know more about faith and forgiveness and the personal transformation that is possible when Mari is cherished by the man who would inspire a movement which resonates with many to this day.

Fantasy: "Magic Under Glass"

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Dolamore, Jaclyn. Magic Under Glass. New York: Bloomsbury, 2010.

When Nimira leaves her music-hall job for a position at Mr. Parry's estate, she finds illusions abound and reality may be hidden in the closed off upper stories of Vestenveld. Add to this a piano-playing automation who may or may not be human and you have the story of a young lady with the voice of an angel and the courage of a tiger.

When Hollin Parry discovers Nimiri singing in a music hall and asks her to sing with his piano playing automation, it is not a difficult decision for Nimiri. Leave behind the brown bread, and bland vegetables, and pennies thrown at her feet? For the glittering world of the Vestenveld estate? This would be a big step up for a trouser girl from Tiansher.

But perhaps it would be more than just a step up, perhaps it would be the beginning of a great love story. A love story about a young woman and a man who loves her and a man she cannot have. All in a place where a madwomen roams the the upper floors and the magical world swirls like a mist through the corridors of Vestenveld.

That night I heard a girl scream. I shot up in bed, throwing back the covers. Bare feet slapped down the hall, closer and closer. I rushed to the door. Linza? Sleep blurred my eyes. I flung open the door, and a caped figure barreled toward me, trailed by dim orbs of light that floated after her like fireflies. Her desperate cries filled my ears. Not Linza...

In this story, we learn about the strength, courage, and determination of not only Nimiri, but also of a mechanical man who may or may not be human.

Supernatural: "hush, hush"

Fitzpatrick, Becca. hush,hush. New York: Simon & Schuster BFYR, 2009.

In the Old Testament a group of angels are thrown down from heaven because they lusted after mortal women. Is one of these fallen angels attending Nora Grey's high school in Coldwater, Maine?

Nora Grey lives on the outskirts of town with a mother who is rarely home. Their centuries old farmhouse is lit from the inside with memories of a father who was killed by a random act of violence. Outside fog swirls and the number of terrifying encounters is on the rise.

As an internal struggle over who trust becomes an external struggle to stay alive, Nora finds herself in the midst of an ancient battle between those who have fallen and one who is immortal. She will need strength. She will need endurance. Most of all she will need to shield her thoughts from those who would take them and use them against her.

As the stakes are raised and the players begin to reveal themselves, will Nora be able to stay one step ahead? Or will she be silenced forever by the one who beckons her with a hush, hush?

Supernatural: "Lips Touch Three Times"

Taylor, Laini. Lips Touch Three Times. New York: Scholastic, 2009.

When lips touch caution vanishes in a shimmer of whispered secrets leaving Kizzy, Anamique, and Esmé to find out that a kiss may have astonishing consequences.

Kizzy's not an It girl she's a Not It girl, so when the new boy, a beautiful poet of a boy, pursues her she can almost forget... Almost, but not quite forget, that she comes from a family that believes in things; "in vampires and the evil eye, in witch soldiers, and curses and even talking foxes... And of course they believed in goblins."

Oh yes, she can't quite forget, but will she cease to care?

Anamique's life begins with a bassinet and a curse by the old woman Estrella, "I curse this child with the most beautiful voice ever to slip from human lips. But take care that you never hear it. Anyone who does shall fall down dead on the spot. From this moment forward, any sound this child utters will kill."

And so the little child stays silent believing in the curse until a young man determines to lead her out from the shadow of superstition. But is it superstition?

Esmé comes from a mother who was raised as a pet and who's night terrors keep her daughter awake. When her mother cuts her long persimmon red hair and forces them to flee, Esmé wonders if they can outrun the wolves in the city. Taken to a fortress of stone and incredible beauty where kittens are thrown to the beasts that line the drawbridge- is that any place for a young girls first kiss?

Finalist for the National Book Award for Young Peoples Literature