Saturday May 19

Posts Tagged ‘supernatural’

« Older Entries

A Librarian Reads Kamisama Kiss

Friday, February 17th, 2012

Kamisama Kiss by Julietta Suzuki

Nanami, a high school student, suddenly finds herself homeless after her father abandons her when he can longer pay his gambling debts. While lamenting her situation in a nearby park she comes to the aid of a man chased up a tree by a dog. He knows right away that she has no where to go and offers her a place to stay. He gives her directions, a note vouching for her, and strangely enough, a kiss on the forehead.

She follows his directions and discovers that she has been sent to an old shrine. She finds the stewards of the shrine but there are not people like you or me, but kami (spirits). And they welcome her as their new master.

They quickly tell her that the man she met was the tochigami of the shrine, but he passed on his responsibilities to her with his kiss. Now she is the new tochigami and is in charge of listening to petitioners prayers and making the shrine flourish. So, in essence, she is the new local deity!

But since Nanami doesn’t know how to be a god she gets into all sorts of trouble. Soon she finds herself needing protection, but the shrine’s protector, Tomoe (who is a fox demon), has left because he is no longer bound to the shrine once Nanami becomes tochigami.

How will she get Tomoe’s help? Will she ever succeed at being a god? And how can she get her homework done in her new life?

Kamisama Kiss is a fun lighthearted adventure with just a dash of romance. If you are fans of shojo manga you should give this one a try. Appropriate for ages 12 and up.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in A Librarian Reads | Comments Off

A Librarian Reads Akata Witch

Monday, May 16th, 2011

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

Sunny is a Nigerian American. She had lived in the United States until she was 9 when her parents quickly moved back to Nigeria. Now she is 13 and is growing up. She goes to school but is often picked on because of her skin color.

See, Sunny is an albino. She has pink eyes, and pale white skin even though she is from African descent. The kids in her class tease her and call her ‘akata witch’; a very offensive term that is used for African-Americans.

One day after a fight she befriends Orlu, a boy who stood up for her and tried to protect her. Orlu soon introduces Sunny to ChiChi, another girl in their neighborhood. Chichi doesn’t attend school and lives in a small unkempt house. Orlu and Chichi share a very special secret; they can practice juju, a kind of magic. They think Sunny can too.

Soon Sunny is initiated into the hidden world of magic. She begins to attend magic school and learns about her spirit face, juju knives, and masquerades that can summon dark spirits.  The three of them are soon joined by another boy named Sasha who is also from America. What the four of them do not know is that the magic elders plan for them to defeat an evil sorcerer who is murdering children in order to summon an evil spirit.

Can Sunny learn enough magic in time to help her friends? And if she does will she be brave enough? Sunny will have to truly know herself to do her best, but how do you do that when you are just a thirteen year old girl in a new magical and menacing new world?

Akata Witch is a beautiful book about magic, mysticism and discovering your family roots. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about other cultures or who loves magic and fantasy. It is appropriate for ages 12 and up.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in A Librarian Reads | Comments Off

A Librarian Reads The Sword

Monday, January 31st, 2011

The Sword by the Luna Brothers

Dara Brighton lost the use of her legs in a car accident when she was sixteen. Now she is an art student in college and has come to terms with her new life. Her family has always been supportive. Her sister helped her believe in herself, her mother taught her never to give up, and her father taught her kindness and perseverance. Dara and her family are about to sit down for the evening meal when everything comes to an screeching halt.

Three strangers appear at their door. They claim Dara’s father is a man named Demetrios and that he possesses a sword that rightfully belongs to them. When her father explains he doesn’t know what she is talking about the three strangers start killing each family member with supernatural powers. One controls the earth, another water. The last one, a woman, controls the air. Dara watches her mother and sister die. Then the strangers attack her father, yet he still claims he has no knowledge of a sword. Once he is dead they turn to Dara. But the house has caught fire in the melee. The roof collapses on Dara. Assuming she is dead, the strangers leave empty handed.

But Dara is alive. The collapsing roof fell through the floor and took her with it. She struggles away from the wreckage and finds herself in a crawl space under the house. She is injured and burned. But then she sees the sword. When she grabs it she is magically healed. She can even walk again. Soon she discovers that the sword gives her superpowers. She then decides to hunt down the three strangers and make them pay for murdering her family. But along the way she will discover harsh truths about her father and herself. Will she be able to kill? And if so will she be able to live with herself?

The Sword is an excellent graphic novel and is gathered in four volumes. The artwork is superb and the story is riveting. It is recommended for all comic book fans and is appropriate for ages 16 and up due to some violent scenes.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in A Librarian Reads | Comments Off

A Librarian Reads Zombies Vs Unicorns

Monday, December 13th, 2010

Zombies Vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier

This anthology easily became one of my favorite reads of  the year. It poses a simple question: which supernatural creature, zombie or unicorn, is better?  In order to find out the answer the editors gathered zombie and unicorn stories from some of the best young adult writers in the world.

The stories in the anthology rotate between zombie themed and unicorn themed. The interesting aspect of the anthology is that there is so many different aspects of both zombies and unicorns that ideas rarely get repeated. Each story feels fresh and original, as well as fun. There is definitely a tongue in cheek feeling to most of the stories in the anthology.

So if you are looking for a quick, fun, and engaging book for winter break then pick up Zombies Vs. Unicorns. I highly recommend it. It is appropriate for readers 16 and older due to some foul language and sexual innuendo in a small number of the stories.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in A Librarian Reads | Comments Off

A Librarian Reads Siren

Friday, November 26th, 2010

Siren by Tricia Rayburn

Vanessa has always felt lost in her older sister’s shadow, especially during the summer when their family vacations at their beach house. There are a pair of brothers who live next door to their summer home, Simon and Caleb. Vanessa’s sister, Justine, has always been adventurous and each year the four of them jump off a large cliff to the ocean below. Or at least Vanessa tries too. She can never really make it to the cliff’s edge.

Another summer ritual for Justine is hooking up with Caleb. They make eyes at each other, and kiss whenever they can steal a chance. Vanessa is used to boys fawning over Justine, and she just hopes Justine doesn’t break Caleb’s heart, but yet wishes she could be so adventurous in life and not so afraid of everything. Vanessa is comfortable in being the second stringer in the family. But unfortunately fate has other plans for her because this summer after a family fight Justine runs away. Later they find her body on the shore. She jumped from the cliff that night but never came back up and drowned.

Vanessa has a lost a sister and her world is crumbling around her and in her mourning she cannot get Justine’s voice out of her head. To make matters worse more bodies are being found everyday in this beach resort. All of them have drowned. All of them have a macabre grin stretched across their faces. Vanessa can’t help but think that perhaps her sister’s death wasn’t random but connected with the others. But why are people dying? Is it just the chaotic weather they have been having? It seems like the ocean itself  is angry and swallows anyone who swims too deep. But Vanessa might soon lose someone else who is close to her, her last link to Justine, Caleb. He has gone missing. Now, Vanessa and Simon must race to find him before the sea swallows him as well.

Siren was an enjoyable supernatural mystery with plenty of suspense and romance. On one hand it is a story of a young girl coping with loss, and on the other hand is the thrill of solving these seemingly unconnected deaths. Highly recommended for those who need a thrill, a dash of romance, or looking for the next book to satisfy that supernatural fix, and it is appropriate for ages 14 and up.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in A Librarian Reads | Comments Off

« Older Entries