Tera Lynn Childs

This post is dedicated to Tera Lynn Childs.

In her series Forgive My Fins Lily is not an ordinary teen.  She is part mermaid!  She does not tell anyone at her school this because that would threaten her merfamily.  She is actually the princess.  But when her annoying neighbor Quince, kisses her, her secret has to come out. They are bonded and he will turn into a merman soon. But Lily does not want this to happen because she cannot stand him!!  Since her father will not unbind them she goes to great lengths to prove that they are not suited, only to fall head over heals for him.  This is fine but in the rest of the series, this bond proves something difficult at Lily is tied to her community under the sea, and she has a crafty cousin Dosinia that just might ruin it all!!  Perfect read for the high school crowd!!


In her series  Sweet Venom Grace, Gretchen, and Greer find out that they are triplet descendants of Medusa. They see and smell the evil beings that are haunting the human world.  But none of them are prepared for the amount of crazy beings that are unleashed as they fulfill an ancient prophecy.  They must find a way to work together, and Gretchen must find a way to train Grace and Greer in the art of hunting before it is to late. But along the way they find some unexpected allies that will help them solve their problems.  This series will continue with a third book soon.  Again a perfect high school read!

Throne of Glass

Throne of Glass By: Sarah J. Maas


Celaena Sardothien is an assassin who has been spending her time imprisoned in a death camp.  She is surprised to find out that she is being released by the Crown Prince to compete to be his father's the King Champion.  This will be a fierce battle, but if she wins she will gain her freedom after four years of service to the king.  The only problem is that she has to win, when she reaches the castle, the line between trained assassin and noble lady become blurred and she finds herself with the admiration of two men.  But she must fight to stay alive and unlock the mystery of the events in the castle that are leading to the death of the other assassins. 

This has got to be one of my favorite books.  It was so captivating that I had trouble putting it down.  I loved the storyline about the girl, who just had to make her way in life and struggled to survive at all times.  Celaena is a quick witted character that you cannot help but fall in love with, and neither can the men in this story.  I really just loved it, and the story will continue in August of 2013, and I cannot wait. But, there are also some prequel eBooks available.

I borrowed this from the public library
ISBN:  978-1-59990-695-9

Enchanted

Enchanted By: Alethea Kontis

Sunday Woodcutter knows that she has to have a happy life. That is what the poem says of her, and living in an enchanted forest with a family of people with fae blood she knows that she must accept her fate, she also knows that words are powerful and whatever she writes will come true in some form, so she only writes about the past.  Her diary is the story of her life, but with a large family she often  feels alone, until she meets Grumble a talking frog, who wants to become a man again.  They become friends and Sunday begins to fall in love with him, and wants to help him, but she doesn't realize that the frog she kisses becomes the man her family does not like the most. The Prince that took her brother away.  But Rumbold is determined to win her heart and tries his best to tell her the truth.  But her family is put into danger when the families come together at a ball.  Will her heart win?

I thought this was  a cleverly crafted mash up of fairy tales. It seems that every loved fairy tale was represented in some way in this terrific story.  The enchanting tales were woven together skillfully and kept you guessing at what story you were actually in.  I loved how all the stories blended together to create a new story of love and trickery.  Very good read that is perfect for high school and up!!

I borrowed this from the public library
ISBN:  978-0-547-64570-4

Sapphire Blue

Sapphire Blue: The Ruby Red Trilogy By: Kerstin Gier


The story of Gwen Shepard continues in this story.  We find Gwen still frustrated at not knowing all she wants to learn about her new time traveling ability and the reasons for the quests that she and Gideon de Villiers are sent on.  She is frustrated with her feelings too.  She does not know what to do with them as she is told not to trust anyone and is finding herself falling for Gideon but cannot quite figure out what he really thinks of her.  And now everyone is untrusting of her because they believe that she is the one that has helped Lucy and Paul escape and hide what they are looking for.

Wonderful continuation of a great story.  You HAVE to read the first book in the series,  Ruby Red,  before you can fully understand the theme and storyline in this book. If you like suspense and a doomed love story this is the book for you!! I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the fact that without a doubt Gwen trusts her heart even when it hurts her.  Perfect read for high school and up.

I borrowed this from the public library.
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9266-0

How To Babysit A Grandpa

How To Babysit A Grandpa By: Jean Reagan  Illustrated By: Lee Wildish


This is an instructional book for kids on how to babysit Grandpa.  It gives directions for what types of snacks to have for Grandpa, "ice cream topped with cookies", how to play with Grandpa "build a pirate cave", how to wake Grandpa up, and much more.

I love this book!!  It is one of the best picture books I have seen.  I love the illustrations and the way it shows just how much fun grandpas are.  I know that my dad is a lot of fun for my kids and does crazy things like in this book.  And I remember my grandpas being silly and just not following the regular rules. Perfect gift for any grandpa!

I borrowed this from the public library
ISBN: 978-0-375-96713-9

The Treachery of Beautiful Things

The Treachery of Beautiful Things By: Ruth Frances Long

Jenny and her brother Tom are good friends who spend a lot of time together, until Tom is taken by the woods.  Now seven years later she is in search of him in the forest.  Jenny enters the woods and is whisked away into a mysterious world where Jack of the Forest tries to help her. But he also puts her in danger. She must find a way to get to her brother before something gets her.  But what if her brother does not want to come back?  And how can she let the feelings of Jack go, even though she knows that he has given her away.

I loved this book.  It had me hooked from the beginning.  Jenny was the best sister, she wanted so badly to find her brother and take him home where he belonged.  She had to fight the entire book, and never let her dream go, even when things did not turn out like she wanted them to. I love the character Jack, who loved her so, but was unable to do more than what he was told to do by the king.  I wish the story went on and on, as I wanted so much  to continue reading about the characters that I loved. Perfect high school and up read.

I borrowed this from the public library
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3580-4

Claws

Claws By: Mike and Rachel Grinti

Emma and her family have just moved from their home to a trailer park full of strange creatures.  They are leaving the world of humans to live with the crags because her father is intent on finding her sister Helena, who disappeared.  Emma finds it hard to live with the crags especially when she goes back to school and her best friend will not talk to her because she says she cannot due to where Emma lives.  Lucky for Emma she meets Jack, a dirty cat who tells her that he can help her find her sister.  He makes her the Pride Heart of the cat clan and tells her his plan to rescue her sister.  But being part cat also comes with some problems.

This was an interesting story of a girl who just wants her family to go back to normal. It was full of action and adventure and some strange creatures.  I admit when I first began to read this book I was a little confused and couldn’t follow what was happening, but as I got into the book I thought it was quite interesting.  Perfect for any fourth through sixth grade reader!

I was given this from the Scholastic Book Fair.
ISBN: 978-0-545-50871-1