The Light Fantastic continues the adventures of Rincewind and Twoflowers that began in The Color of Magic. This time Discworld is threatened by a new red star that is growing larger everyday.

Readers may recall that Discworld is a flat world held aloft on the backs of 4 elephants who are themselves standing on a giant space voyaging turtle. This turtle seems to be heading for a disaster involving a collision with the aforementioned star. If the star consumes the turtle all of Discworld would be destroyed.

But the magical book known as the Octavo has other plans. Somewhere in Rincewind’s mind is the eighth ancient spell. It is up to Rincewind and Twoflower to bumble there way across Discworld (again) and this time everyone’s life depends on their ability to not do what people expect them to.

Recommended for anyone who loves a good laugh or enjoys fantasy. Appropriate for ages 14 and up.

Carmen Dula is back in books two and three in this excellent introduction to science fiction adventure.

In the first book, Marsbound, Carmen was a young teen whose family was a part of the colonization effort on Mars. Soon she meets a race of Martians only to discover that the Martians were placed on Mars by an ancient and powerful alien race. The Martians are used as an advanced warning system for developing civilizations, in this case humanity.

In Starbound Carmen and a small crew are sent on an interstellar voyage at near light speed to meet with the ancient race. The meeting however does not go well. And now Earth must face drastic consequences the ancient aliens’ tests.

In Earthbound Carmen’s adventures continue on the planet she used to call home. Earth has been decimated by the aliens and left a pre-19th century state where no electricity or advanced technology works. Now humanity is faced with it’s own worst enemy, themselves, as people fight and kill over scarce resources. The whole while the ancient aliens are watching how humanity behaves and judging if humans have the privilege to exist.

The Carmen Dula books are highly engaging, short, and most of all fun sci-fi series. I recommend the series to anyone who loves sci-fi or those who are new to the genre. The series is marketed at adults ( although has some YA appeal), so there are references to physical intimacy, and mild language. Therefore it is generally appropriate for ages 16 and up.

Fables is a great comic book series that is about all your favorite fairy tale characters, but with a twist. The characters are real and the live in New York.

The premise of the series is that an enemy who has not named has taken over all of the kingdoms where the fairy tale characters traditionally lived and so they escaped by moving to our world where they try to hide in plain sight. Most of the characters can get by posing as human but some, like the three little pigs, cannot. So there is a farm in the country that is a refuge for all the magical animals.

The first collection deals with the murder of Rose Red, Snow White’s lesser known sister. The Big Bad Wolf investigates the case and rounds up a list of suspects of very well known fairy tale characters. In the second collection the magical animals on the farm revolt and try to fight for their freedom as well as to reclaim their magical lands.

If you like fairy tales, or need a different kind of comic to read then Fables may be right for you. It is a bit violent at times, so I am recommending this for ages 14 and up.

Willa has a very loving family. She has her mother, her step-father, and two older step-sisters. On the surface everything seems to be great. But Willa has a secret. She cuts.

When she can no longer handle her stress she will get up late at night and find her secret place where she keeps razors, bandages, and antiseptic.

Willa doesn’t quite no why she cuts, only that afterwards she feels such a relief. Unfortunately cutting will be the least of Willa’s problems.

Her long forgotten biological father has committed a heinous crime. He has brutally slaughtered his new wife and their three daughters. Now he is on his way to pay Willa and her mother one final visit.

Willa will soon be looking at the past her mother life behind and discovering secrets that effect her existence to this day. Is Willa strong enough to overcome the hardships life has given her? Will she learn from the past’s secrets or is she doomed to a life of violence?

Blood Wounds is a gripping read and highly recommended for anyone looking for a book about growing up under harsh conditions. It is appropriate for ages 14 and up.

Shelby lives an upper class life. She has a nice car, house, and doesn’t worry about money. Her father is a photographer who shoots aspiring models  for their portfolio. His photography business has helped many famous stars get their first taste of success.

But now a few of his former models have gone missing. Shelby’s father is investigated and dark secrets start to emerge. Apparently he ran a scam where he would recruit girls from malls and overcharge them for head shots and promises of show business. Except he never talked to them again; just took their money and ran.

Then the first missing model shows up dead. Now Shelby’s father is not just a scam artist but a possible murderer. What is worse is that Shelby is getting strange anonymous emails on her cellphone that predict the horrible crimes her father has done.

Shelby knows her father isn’t a murderer and so she tries to help uncover the truth with the help of a college reporter. And then she gets a new email that says she will be killed last. There is a murderer on the loose and Shelby must solve the mystery before her or another model dies.

Kill You Last is another thriller from Todd Strasser. While not as good as the previous two entries in his “thrill-ology”, it is still an edgy, fast paced read. If you need a good mystery, or something exciting you can’t go wrong with Strasser’s thrillers. This book is appropriate for ages 14 and up due to references to alcohol.

Lucky Linderman is anything but lucky. His parents ignore him and each other, even when Lucky is repeatedly bullied at school by a kid named Nader. No one seems to care what happens to Lucky except for his grandfather who Lucky visits constantly. The only problem is that Lucky’s grandfather went missing in action during the Vietnam War.

Whenever things get bad Lucky dozes off and finds himself in the jungles of Laos. There he always finds his grandfather, who is being held prisoner, and attempts to rescue him. Lucky has tried many times to save his grandfather but has always failed. Afterwards he usually wakes up in cold sweats.

In real life Lucky is a nobody, but in his dreams Lucky is a hero and one of these days he will save his grandfather and everything will be right with the world. But happy endings aren’t ever that easy. This last year Nader has been bullying Lucky more than usual. Nader showed Lucky something that scared Lucky to his bones. Depressed, Lucky thinks about suicide, but usually escapes to visit his grandfather in his dreams.

To make matters worse Nader recently savagely beat Lucky, scraping Lucky’s face raw against a concrete floor. Now half his face has a horrible scab. His parents are at wit’s end and turn on each other. Lucky is whisked away to Arizona by his mom to spend a few weeks with his uncle and aunt. Will a new location mean a new start for Lucky? What happens when he finds a beautiful girl who isn’t like anyone he has ever met? Life has a few more curve balls for Lucky. But will Lucky be willing to leave his dreams in order to learn the lessons he need to thrive in the real world?

Everybody Sees The Ants is a great book about how life feels when you are constantly beat down and it doesn’t look worth living. I would highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in topics such as depression, bullying, abuse, and neglect. Due to some content it is appropriate for ages 14 and up.

Baxter Green had an accident when he was young that caused him to have a photographic memory. He remembers everything from facts to conversations as if he had just heard them moments before. This has caused him to be the odd child at school since he can answer any question and recall any lecture at will. And people have used him for is gifts as well. His mother’s boyfriend, Dink, used him to steal credit card numbers. Baxter even had to testify to put Dink in prison.

Now years later Baxter is going to start high school, but he and his mother have been forced to move. Dink has been released from jail early and Baxter is scared that Dink will seek retribution. So Baxter had his mother close her eyes and pick a random place on the map to move to. Except he moved the map while she wasn’t looking. Baxter wants to move to a particular place, where the girl he liked in kindergarten, Halle,  had moved to long ago.

This also gives Baxter the opportunity to reinvent himself. He promises himself he won’t be a know-it-all. So when he gets a C- on his first quiz he gets sent to at tutor who happens to be Halle. He can tell she doesn’t remember him and so he keeps their history s secret. But he desperately wants her to like him because he still has feelings for her. But will Baxter’s new identity land him the girl of his dreams? And then there is Dink. He hasn’t forgotten about Baxter. Can Baxter’s new identity protect him from an ex-con?

Unforgettable is recommended for those who like coming of age stories with plenty of romance, humor and just the right amount of excitement. Appropriate for all ages.

Inheritance is the conclusion of the Inheritance Cycle that began with Eragon. This series of books is set in a world where dragons and their riders once kept the peace until they were betrayed by one of their own. Now the world’s hope rests in a young boy and a newly hatched dragon. Over the course of their adventures they find many allies. In this final book Eragon, the dragon Saphira, Roran and the Varden are continuing their quest to overthrow the mad King Galbatorix.

I don’t wish to spoil the book for anyone so I just give my general response about the book.

My first question I had when I began reading is could Paolini pull off a satisfying conclusion when he has built up Galbatorix as an unbeatable bad guy over the last three books. In my opinion Poalini succeeds. I think Poalini has definitely matured as a writer and this latest book shows off his skills very gracefully. The battles are epic, the heroes heroic, and Eragon is powerful yet vulnerable. The book was a very satisfying read, and I will admit I stayed up most of the night to finish it.

So if you are fans of the series I think you will love it. If you haven’t read the series yet but love fantasy I recommend you give it a try. The series, and this book, is appropriate for ages 12 and up.

Ginny always loved visiting her Aunt Peg in New York when she was younger. Aunt Peg was an artist and would take Ginny on different adventures that would expose her to all the different types of art in the city. Aunt Peg was also the opposite of her sister, Ginny’s mom. So Ginny didn’t grow up in an adventurous home. Ginny was expected to be normal, study hard, and go to college.

But Ginny’s sheltered life is thrown out the window when she gets 13 little blue envelopes from Aunt Peg. Unfortunately these letters are all she has left of her aunt, who died suddenly. Upon opening the first letter Ginny discovers that Aunt Peg has set up one last trip to New York. Upon completing the task in each letter she can open the next. Once in New York she discovers that Aunt Peg plans for her to visit London. Now Ginny is on one last adventure with her Aunt Peg. An adventure that will lead her on a whirlwind tour of Europe and make her question her studious, stodgy life. She may even find a cute boy too!

13 Little Blue Envelopes is a quick, fun read that shows how, sometimes, being pushed out of your comfort zone is okay, and even exciting. Recommended for readers who need a bit of adventure and whimsy. Appropriate for ages 14 and up.

Deanna has been labeled the school slut since eighth grade. Unfortunately the rumors spread about her are based on truth. When she was thirteen  she had a year long fling with a seventeen year old boy named Tommy. It only ended when her father caught them in an act of intimacy. Since then she has lost all but two of her friends and is constantly bullied at school. Even adults in her small town know what happened and look down on her.

Now she is sixteen and summer is about to begin. Her family life is in shambles. Her father hasn’t said one nice word to her since he caught her and Tommy. He also lost his job of nineteen years and is now forced to work a job that doesn’t pay well. Deanna’s mom also works but still tries to get dinner ready for everyone. To make Deanna’s home life even more tense her older brother, his girlfriend and their newborn live in the basement. Deanna’s father is constantly arguing with everyone and telling them they are doing a poor job at making good decisions.

Deanna decides to get a job and daydreams about moving out with her brother’s family and away from her parents. Unfortunately she gets a job at a pizza place where Tommy works. Since it is the only place that will hire her she reluctantly agrees. Deanna tries to hang out with her friends Jason and Lee, who are dating, but always feels like a third wheel. She also harbors a secret crush on Jason that makes fer feel guilty whenever she is around Lee.

Deanna has been hurting for a long time. But this summer is when everything breaks open: her brother’s girlfriend leaves, Lee goes on a ten day vacation leaving Jason and Deanna alone, and to make it even worse Tommy is there hitting on her and calling her names. Will a bad decision define her whole life? How can Deanna begin to untangle all the emotional hurt she has placed on herself, and her family? What does it feel like to be utterly alone and where everyone shuns you? How do you become more than the story people tell about you?

Story of a Girl is an excellent and quick read about a girl who made some bad choices, who is in a bad place but who wants to be better. It is highly recommended for those who enjoy realistic fiction or who are interested in the effects of rumors and bullying. The novel is appropriate for ages 14 and up due to some of the subject matter.