To Drink Coffee with a Ghost

To Drink Coffee with a Ghost is by Amanda Lovelace. A charming book of poetry that deals with family issues in a profound and moving way. Is it possible to love and hate someone at the same time? How do you move past your childhood trauma and into a healthy future? If you liked Milk & Honey, you will love these poems. 

Ratings: 11th grade - 8 out of 10 - AC (mature thematic content). 

Legendary

Legendary is by Stephanie Garber. The second book in the fantasy Caraval series. Scarlett Dragna has won Caraval; her sister Donatella must now take her turn at playing this deadly game. She wants to find her mother and she needs to pay a debt she owes to the mysterious benefactor who helped her get Scarlett into Caraval in the first place. Now Caraval is being played to celebrate Elantine's Day, the birthday of the Empress. Tella must win the game to learn Legend's real name to pay her debt and rescue her mother, but if she wins Legend and Caraval may be destroyed forever. What price is Tella willing to pay to achieve her goals? Will it cost her everything she holds dear? A fabulous sequel, can't wait to read the next installment in the series. 

Ratings: 10th grade - 9 out of 10 - V (violence) - AC (some mature thematic content). 

Lethal White

Lethal White is by Robert Galbraith. The fourth installment in the realistic fiction Cormoran Strike series. Cormoran and Robin are back together after Robin's wedding and promotion to partner. Things are rocky between them, and between Robin and her new husband. When Billy, a mentally unstable young man, appears in Stirke's office and claims to have seen the murder of a child; Coromoran can't let it go. What if Billy is not as unstable as he appears? What if he did see a child murdered? As he and Robin try to discover the truth of Billy's visions, they find themselves involved in a sinister game of murder and family dysfunction. Fans of this series will love this installment. 

Ratings: Adult - 9 out of 10 - P (profanity) - V (violence) - AC (mature thematic content). 

Chime

Chime is by Franny Billingsley. Set in rural England, this fantasy novel mixes early 20th century England and the world of ancient legend and myth. Briony is a witch, she can see and hear the Old Ones who live in the swamp near her home. She is responsible for the death of her stepmother and the injury sustained by her sister which leaves Rose mentally disabled. When Eldric arrives in the village, Briony discovers she might be capable of love after all. But everything is not as it seems in this thoroughly creepy and mysterious fantasy. 

Ratings: 11th grade - 8 out of 10 - V (violence). 

Gatekeepers

Gatekeepers is by Robert Liparulo. The third book in the fantasy Dreamhouse Kings series. After their father is taken away by the police, Xander, David, and their younger sister are left alone in their creepy house. They still have to find their mother, who has been kidnapped, and taken to another time. They also need to avoid Taksidian who wants their home, the evil monsters who emerge from the door, and what's up with the elderly man who has just appeared and offered to help them? Fans of the series will enjoy this installment. 

Ratings: 6th grade - 6 out of 10 - V (violence). 

Beautiful Redemption

Beautiful Redemption is by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. The final book in the fantasy Beautiful Creatures series. Ethan is dead, sort of, and he must find his way back from the Otherworld to the real world so he can be with Lena. Once he discovers the truth about his death, he finds his return may not be impossible after all. Fans of the series will enjoy this action-packed finale. 

Ratings: 9th grade - 8 out of 10. 

An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good

An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good is by Helene Tursten. A charming realistic fiction book of short stories about an 88-year-old serial killer. Maud is an elderly Swedish lady with no family or friends. She also has no problem killing anyone she feels deserves to die. If you are a bossy neighbor, an abusive husband, a gold digging girlfriend, or anyone else who annoys Maud - watch out. These stories are hilarious and utterly enjoyable to read. I LOVE Maud, even if she is a killer. I might be Maud when I grow up, you never know. 

Ratings: 10th grade - 10 out of 10 - V (violence). 

The Well of Lost Plots

The Well of Lost Plots is by Jasper Fforde. The third book in the fantasy Thursday Next series. Thursday has moved to the Well of Lost Plots as part of the Character Exchange Program, she is trying to remember Landon, defeat Aornis, become an official Jurisfiction agent, and discover who is trying to kill her and why - just another day in the life of Thursday Next. Fans of the series will thoroughly enjoy this new installment. 

Ratings: 10th grade - 8 out of 10. 

Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun

Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun is by Guillermo del Toro and Cornelia Funke. A fantasy based on the movie by del Toro. Set during the Spanish Civil War, Ofelia and her mother travel into the forest to live with her new stepfather, an evil sadistic fascist named Vidal. The story alternates between Vidal tracking rebels, her mother's pregnancy, and Ofelia's adventures in the forest where she meets a faun and discovers she is really the princess of the Underworld and must perform three tasks before she can return to her home there. The story is also interspersed with stories which link the characters of the main story to past events. A wonderful book!

Ratings: 11th grade - 10 out of 10 - V (Violence) - AC (mature thematic content). 

The Grave's a Fine and Private Place

The Grave's a Fine and Private Place is by Alan Bradley. The ninth installment in the realistic fiction mystery Flavia de Luce series. After the death of her father, Flavia and her sisters go on a boat trip with Dogger. While dragging her hand in the river, Flavia feels something and grabs on; when she looks down she finds her hand hooked in the mouth of a corpse. Flavia, Dogger, and her sisters all team up to solve this mystery, which will lead to a new future for the de Luce family. Another charming installment in this wonderful series. 

Ratings: 9th grade - 9 out of 10. 

My Sister, the Serial Killer

My Sister, the Serial Killer is by Oyinkan Braithwaite. A fine realistic fiction novel set in Nigeria. Korede is a nurse in a local hospital, her sister is a serial killer. Every time she kills her latest boyfriend she calls Korede to help her cover up her crime and dispose of the body. But when a doctor that Korede has a crush on begins to date her sister, Korede must face some hard truths about herself and her family. An amazing novel by a promising new author. 

Ratings: 11th grade - 8 out of 10 - V (violence). 

A Study in Charlotte

A Study in Charlotte is by Brittany Cavallaro. The first book in the realistic fiction Charlotte Holmes series. An interesting re-working of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote stories, but Holmes and Watson were real people. Their descendants find themselves in a boarding school in America, where a student is murdered in a way similar to a Holmes mystery and Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes are being framed for the murder. Fans of Holmes and Watson should enjoy this more modern re-telling. 

Ratings: 10th grade - 7 out of 10 - AC (some mature thematic content). 

Invision

Invision is by Sherrilyn Kenyon. The seventh installment in the fantasy Chronicles of Nick series. Nick just can't catch a break. All he wants is to get into a good college and spend time with his girlfriend; but unfortunately he's the Malachai - a demon destined to end the world. His friends seem to be missing and the Eye of Ananke is giving him visions of the further that don't make sense. All he can do is try to rescue his friends and figure out how not to end the world. Another day in the life of a young Cajun. Fans of this series will love this book as well. 

Ratings: 9th grade - 8 out of 10 - V (violence). 

Hexed

Hexed is by Kevin Hearne. The second book in the fantasy Iron Druid series. Atticus is trying to get his life back in order after his big battle in the Superstitions. He is trying to make things right with his lawyers, his new apprentice, and whats left of the Polish witch coven - not to mention the gods he has offended in some way. Little does he know that an evil witch coven is moving into the East Valley, a band of Bacchants are coming to Scottsdale, and a fallen angel is eating students in Apache Junction; and he will be hard pressed to find a spare moment. An action-packed addition to a fun series. 

Ratings: 10th grade - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity) - V (violence) - AC (some mature content). 

Sourdough

Sourdough is by Robin Sloan. A charming fantasy novel that is almost more magical realism than anything else. Lois works for a robotics company writing code so robot arms can perform more like human limbs. She is stressed by her job and doesn't eat or sleep as well as she should. Then she discovers two brothers who run a delivery service, serving the best spicy soup and bread she has ever eaten. She orders from them daily; until the day they show up on her doorstep. Their visas have been revoked and they are leaving the country. They gift Lois with their "special" sourdough starter, and Lois learns the joy of baking - and the joy of finding other pleasures in life. A strange, but charming tale of seeking and finding your life's purpose. 

Ratings: 10th grade - 8 out of 10. 

Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd

Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd is by Alan Bradley. The eighth novel in the historical fiction Flavia de Luce mystery series. Flavia has returned from her failed boarding school experience in Canada to find her father seriously ill in the hospital. Trying to kill time until she is allowed to visit, she agrees to deliver a letter from the vicar's wife to an old woodworker, only to find him hanging upside down from his bedroom door - dead. Flavia decides to solve the mystery, if only to keep her mind off her father's illness. Another excellent installment in this charming series. 

Ratings: 9th grade - 8 out of 10. 

A Man Called Ove

A Man Called Ove is by Fredrik Backman. A wonderfully written realistic fiction novel. Ove is an elderly man who just wants to kill himself so he can join his beloved wife, who has already passed on. He has planned things out and is about to hang himself when he is interrupted by his new neighbors, "the Lanky One," "the Pregnant One," and their children; who announce their arrival by running their U-Haul into Ove's mailbox. The new arrivals upset Ove's well-ordered world and force him to interact with people again. The grumpy old man next door discovers his life has more meaning then he believed and his neighbors discover first impressions can be very deceiving. 

Ratings: 11th grade - 10 out of 10 - AC (some mature thematic content). 

Storm of Locusts

Storm of Locusts is by Rebecca Roanhorse. The second in the dystopian fantasy Sixth World series. Kai Arviso and Caleb Goodacre have been kidnapped by a strange doomsday cult led by a figure called the White Locust. When the Goodacre twins show up at Maggie's door and elicit her aid in tracking down their brother and Kai, Maggie does not realize she will have to leave Dine and venture beyond the Wall to find her friends. Filled with Native American mythology in a dystopian setting, this series is a fun and unique adventure. The violence makes it problematic for younger fantasy lovers, but it is a fast-paced, action-packed series. 

Ratings: 11th grade - 8 out of 10 - V (violence) - AC (some mature thematic content). 

Blameless

Blameless is by Gail Carriger. The third novel in the fantasy Parasol Protectorate series. Alexia has been cast out by her husband Lord Maccon, as well as by her own family. Queen Victoria has also removed her from the Shadow Council. She decides to travel to Italy to discover proof that she can wave in her husband's face that it is possible for her to carry his child. The Vampires want her dead, the Templars want her studied and used as a weapon, and she is being attacked by mechanical ladybugs. A fun romp of a series, and this installment is no exception. 

Ratings: 11th grade - 8 out of 10 - AC (some mature thematic content). 

A Visit from the Good Squad

A Visit from the Goon Squad is by Jennifer Egan. A strange realistic fiction offering centering around a variety of personalities and their lives. Bennie Salazar is a once famous record executive and Sasha is his assistant. The entire novel circles around these two individuals and others who move in and out of their orbit. The book does not really have a "plot" and is not written in a linear fashion. It is interesting in its ability to link various people and their impact on the lives of others. 

Ratings: 6 out of 10 - Adult - AC (mature thematic content) - P (profanity).