Have you ever seen a dragon attack up close? Felt the heat from their flame on your skin and smelled the sulfur in the air? Most people run for cover as soon as one is spotted. It takes a special type of person to run toward one. You need bravery, training, agility, skill, and a touch of madness. But slayers aren't the only ones crazy enough to seek out a dragon. Their trusty bards are always close behind. Everyone in Trondheim has great hopes for Owen, the youngest in a long line of dragonslayers. But before he can fulfill his destiny, he and his bard must face a more fearsome foe: his algebra test.

This story is a cross between an epic dragon-slaying fantasy novel and a regular school story about a new student in town. There's plenty of action as well as great bits about Owen's family (he is raised by his aunt who is a famous retired dragon slayer and her wife who is a blacksmith) and his budding friendship with the story's narrator (who has musical talent and becomes his bard/tutor.) An all around great novel! 
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Erica's Picks
6th - 8th grade
​Tags: Adventure, Family Life, Fantasy, Friendship, LGBTQ, School Stories

Imagine a vampire outbreak occurs: what would you do? Hunt them down? Stock-pile canned goods? Or would you wall them all up in cities and turn them into fodder for reality TV? It's hard for the camera or the public to resist vampires' unnaturally good looks and outlandish antics. At first when vampires were revealed to society it was terrifying, but now people are used to them. Many are rabid fans of the live streams from cold towns where the vampires live. Tana knows more about the dangers of vampires than most of her peers: her mother was turned years ago and the disease caused her to attack her own daughter. Tana still bears the scars. But it isn't extra caution just pure, dumb luck that keeps Tana alive when she wakes up after a party to find all her friends slaughtered. She doesn't know how the vampires got in, but her ex-boyfriend is the only other person still alive, and he has been infected. She saves him with help from the most unlikely source and together they venture to the nearest cold town knowing they may never come back out again.

The characterization was great even for characters with minor roles. The way vampirism is handled in the novel is interesting from the way people turn to more philosophical questions of whether it changes a person's nature or simply exaggerates it. There's a lot of action and narrow escapes but the characters never lose their sense of humor. I'd give this to anyone looking for a new twist on vampire stories.

Erica's Picks
8th Grade
Tags: Character Driven, Horror, LGBTQ, Romance, Supernatural,

Grayson lives with his aunt and uncle, having become orphaned when he was in preschool.  For years he would look in the mirror and see himself as the girl he longs to be, a princess twirling in front of her castle.  As a sixth grader Grayson is well aware of the ridicule he would face if his secret that he is in the wrong gender’s body were to come out.  Hiding his true self has made Grayson isolated and unhappy  at school where is called “loser” and “freak.” New friends and trying out for and landing the female lead in the school play open the path to Grayson’s transition.   Grayson is an engaging character who will have you cheering for "him" to become "her". This is a touching book about identity, friendship, and the human spirit.  Don’t miss it.

As E.E. Cumming’s says “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”


 

Tags: Tessa's picks, LGBTQ, Contemporary fiction, 4th Grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, School stories, Family life.

​It is the summer of 1987 when Aristotle and Dante meet.  They are 15 years old and existing in “the universe between boys and men.” This is a coming of age story about two boys who meet at a pool and form an unlikely and intense friendship. Both come from Mexican–American families with loving and involved parents.  Ari is introverted and sensitive; he struggles with anger over losing his brother to unknown causes.  Dante is self-assured and outgoing, comfortable with being in touch with all aspects of his self including his growing awareness that he is gay.
This book will take you on a journey where watching these two boys grow and look into their own and each others souls will touch your heart and make you want to find your own authentic self.

Tessa's Picks
6th-8th grade
Contemporary fiction, LGBTQ, friendship

It all started with airplanes.  Astrid would send her love to every passing airplane: an outpouring without expecting anything back.  Then she started doing it all the time--with every person she met.  She thought that if she gave all her love away, no one could control it and she would be free.  But when she falls in love with a girl from work, her relationships with everyone in her life will be tested.

If you’re looking for a character-driven story set in a modern high school then this is the book for you.  The story is full of interesting, quirky characters and their changing loyalties and friendships make for a compelling story.  

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

Erica's Picks
8th Grade
Character Driven, Contemporary Fiction, Family Life, Friendship, LGBTQ, Romance, School Stories

Ash should have known better. Perhaps she would have if her mother had lived long enough to teach her the old ways. But her mother did not live and Ash did not hear her warnings,  so she spent nights by her mother’s graveside, attracting the attention of fairies. Fairies may be beautiful, but they can also be deadly. Ash doesn’t care though. When her father died soon after her mother, she was sent to live as a servant to her stepmother and stepsisters. When life is barely worth living, you don't mind a little danger. Then, Ash meets someone who makes her glad to be alive. She risks it all for one night of happiness, for a ball.

Reading Ash was like discovering the Cinderella story all over again. The world was similar to the classic fairy tale setting, but far richer. I'd give this to fans of fairy tales retold.

Ash by Malinda Lo

Erica's Picks
6th - 8th Grade
Tags: Character Driven, Fairy Tales, Fantasy, LGBTQ, People of Color, Retellings, Romance