English Romantic Poetry

English Romantic Poetry is edited by Stanley Appelbaum. A selection of English romantic poems by such fantastic poets as William Blake, John Keats, William Wordsworth, Lord Byron, Samuel Coleridge, and Percy Bysshe Shelley. A must read for all poetry lovers. 

Ratings: 9th grade - 9 out of 10.

Vampires in the Lemon Grove

Vampires in the Lemon Grove is by Karen Russell. A charmingly creepy book of fantasy short stories. A group of girls find themselves sold into slavery in a silk factory where they slowly turn into silk worms. A massage therapist discovers she has the power to heal when she manipulates the tattoo on the back of a soldier with PTSD. A group of boys discover a scarecrow which resembles a classmate they bullied and are plagued by guilt. And of course, the title story of two vampires in a lemon grove trying to slack their thirst for blood, and other spooky tales. 

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

Closer

Closer is by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams. The fourth book in the fantasy Tunnels series. While Chester and Martha have made it back to Topsoil, Will, Elliott, and his dad are stuck in the mysterious world at the center of the Earth. Unfortunately, the evil Rebecca twins are also there and are trying to retrieve the Dominion virus Will stole to continue their evil plans. 

Ratings: 8th grade - 7 out of 10 - V (violence) 

Freefall

Freefall is by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams. The third book in the fantasy Tunnels series. Will and Chester freefall into the Pore followed by the evil Rebecca twins who possess the Dominion virus. They reach the bottom and land on a spongy fungus with an injured Elliott. They must find a way to survive and prevent the Styxx from spreading the Dominion plague Topsoil. 

Ratings: 8th grade - 7 out of 10 - V (violence). 

The Emperor of Nihon-Ja

The Emperor of Nihon-Ja is by John Flanagan. The tenth installment in the fantasy Ranger's Apprentice series. Horace has traveled to Nihon-Ja to study their fighting skills and has befriended their Emperor who is trying hard to be an emperor for all his people not just the elite. When a coup is attempted and Horace saves the Emperor's life, he finds himself in the middle of a civil war. When word reaches Halt, Will, Evanlyn, and Alyss, all of his friends come to Horace's aid. 

Ratings: 7th grade - 8 out of 10. 

Carmilla

Carmilla: A Tragic Love Story is by J. Sheridan Le Fanu. A wonderfully creepy Gothic fantasy tale. Carmilla is a vampire who insinuates herself into the lives of various young girls and then kills them. The story begins when young Laura, living with her father in a desolate area of Austria, witnesses a carriage accident and is convinced to give shelter to Carmilla, the "daughter" of the woman who owned the carriage. Carmilla however, is not what she seems, and as strange deaths began to occur around the schloss, Laura and her father discover their house guest is not as harmless as she appears. An absolute must for scary Halloween tales. 

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

Camp Red Moon

Camp Red Moon is by R.L. Stine. A charming addition to the fantasy Goosebumps series. All the stories are set at Camp Red Moon, definitely not a camp I ever want to attend. All kinds of spooky things happen at this Camp, from ghosts seeking revenge to life forms that take over other people's lives, to robots seeking world domination. Kids will love these scary stories. 

Ratings: 5th grade - 6 out of 10.