City of Ships

City of Ships by Mary Hoffman, 2010 Bloomsbury

    Most of her friends have become withdrawn over the last few months when Isabel finds a small pouch of mosaic stones. The tesserae transport her into Classe, a coastal town in Talia. 

     Isabel befriends the prosperous merchant and secret Stravagante, Flavia. The kind woman helps Isabel find her feet and connect with other Stravagante both in Talia and at home in England. 

     As she's getting used to nightly adventures, Isabel discovers her beloved Classe is under threat from the Gate People and their fleet. While she is shadowed by her twin brother at home, in Classe she has purpose and feels important. She helps Flavia prepare for the coming invasion, but her plans are thrown out of sync when her brother, Charlie, takes her talisman and accidentally stravigates too. 

     Charlie is caught in the invasion and Isabel faces the chance that her plans in Classe will fail and her secret will be revealed putting her adventures on indefinite hold. But her new friends from school help Charlie see that Isabel and the people of Classe have much to do to save their beloved city from attack - both by land and sea. 

     Much like Italy's Ravenna, Classe has a deep connection with the art of mosaic. The beauty draws Isabel as the drama and political instability give her purpose. With one more member of their Stravagante club the teens begin to notice a pattern in who is chosen. The mystery of how and why remain unsolved, but their mission in Talia continues. 

     City of Ships is the fifth in the Stravaganza series following City of Secrets and preceding City of Swords. Classe has a new element: International trade; and the Di Chimi family have opened a door they cannot hope to close alone. Teen and young adult readers will enjoy this story independently or as an installment in the series. 

For a Few Demons More

For a Few Demons More by Kim Harrison, 2007 HarperVoyager

     After stealing back the Focus from her ex-boyfriend Nick and getting Jenks's son Jax to come home, Rachel Morgan must hide the artifact and hope it won't start an interspecies war. Enter David Hue, Rachel's werewolf Alpha (for insurance purposes only). The Focus is a curse which cannot stand being in the possession of anyone other than a were and Rachel asks for David's help in containing it and maintaining the balance.
    When a series of murders snakes through Cincinnati Rachel and Ivy are called in to investigate. All signs point to David attempting to tilt the balance. But Rachel, again, has bigger problems. Female demon Newt is back and causing chaos. When she somehow de-sanctifies the church Vampiric Charms calls home they no longer have that extra layer of security--a needed layer now that Piscary is back on the loose.
    Rachel can, somehow, twist demon curses and both Newt and Trent Kalamack want her help. Newt isn't sure what she's discovered in Rachel, but it triggers something through the insanity and Newt's remembers--what, she doesn't remember. But Newt is intent on finding her missing memory and manages to de-sanctify the church where Rachel lives with Ivy and Jenks.
     When the vampires join the fray and Piscary takes his revenge the Vampiric Charms staff is rocked. Not everyone makes it out, and the aftermath continues to follow Rachel.
     Rachel and Ivy fight to maintain their friendship and still help the other find their safe space. The drama surrounds the Focus and maintaining the balance between Interlanders. Newt and Al make appearances, but Rachel is generally kept from demonic society and politics.

Lady Friday

Lady Friday by Garth Nix, 2007 Scholastic Books

   The fifth Trustee of the House sends an invitation for Arthur, along with the other potential heirs, to take her place as leader of the Middle House. Meanwhile Lady Friday is on Earth in the hospital where Leaf and the rest of Arthur's friends and family are recovering from the toxic mind-control mold which takes over their town.
     Lady Friday, as a denizen of the house, cannot feel emotions. Instead Friday kidnapped at least a thousand humans and transported them to another world where she drained their emotions, Lady Friday drinks the emotions as a way to feel some of the human's feelings.
     Friday arranges a challenge which allows Arthur, the Piper, and Superior Saturday to battle for stewardship. Whoever reaches the fifth key first wins. Suzy Turquoise Blue and Fred Gold Numbers have been kidnapped by the Piper, when Friday sends the invitation they hijack its transport and meet Arthur at the bottom of Friday's terraced mountain .
     At the top of the mountain in Friday's Scriptorium lies a trap for the heir, the Piper is first and his minion is swallowed in the trap of Nothing. Arthur finds the Will and it exerts restraint on the rest and counters Lady Friday's rampant lust for emotion. Arthur uses the Keys to repair the hole of Nothing in the House, though it brings him closer to becoming a Denizen of the House. In discovering the trap Arthur manages to save his friend Leaf, but his mother is not among the people who return. When Suzy Turquoise Blue shows Arthur a letter from the Upper House it confirms his task is not complete.
     Arthur still doesn't want to inherit the House, but with his mother missing, the Keys give him the power to fight back. Readers of all ages can enjoy the fantasy of the House and Nix's action-adventure, the story is aimed at Middle School readers.

Silver on the Tree

Silver on the Tree by Susan Cooper, 1977 Atheneum Books

     Will Stanton is still waiting for the days the Dark and Light will clash in their final battle. He accepts the invitation of his aunt and uncle to return to Wales and the Old Magic found there. His companions from previous adventures reappear and meet, a good thing too, because Will is going to need all the help he can find.
     Simon, Jane, and Barnabas Drew are on holiday with their parents when they follow the sound of a hunting horn to the top of a hillside to find Will. Will has brought Bran along. When they first meet Bran puts the Drew Children on edge - something about the young man is eerily different.
     Bran doesn't appear to understand why the three Drews should come along on their adventure. His quest is all-consuming and only Will's temperance keeps Bran from thriving the three allies from their place in the quest.
     With the Dark steadily gaining strength--Will, Bran, Simon, Jane, and Barney search to solve the ancient riddle found in Over Sea, Under Stone. At the completion of their search will be the last great battle between Light and Dark. Between the Welsh hills mortals and Old Ones alike muddle through the most ancient myths and stories of the British Isles.
     In the conclusion to Cooper's saga the parts of the tale become whole. Arthurian legends meld with ancient Rome in a clash of histories where men decide the end of the day. Readers who enjoyed Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydian and Madeleine L'Engle's young adult fiction will find similarities in Cooper's work.

The Secret of Shadow Ranch

The Secret of Shadow Ranch by Carolyn Keene, 1965 Grosset & Dunlap

     Nancy is called to Shadow Ranch, a horse ranch in Arizona, to help discover the truth of a ghost horse that's been appearing throughout the valley. She follows her friends Bess Marvin and George Fayne to help their cousin Alice discover the mystery of her amnesiac father.
     When the girls arrive they search for the treasure left by an outlaw who was one of the original residents, they help Bess and George's aunt run the dude ranch, and they look into the mysterious horse. Nancy and her friends enjoy the mountainous Arizona wilderness and the western lifestyle away from River Heights.
     Life at Shadow Ranch is not without the danger which seems to follow Nancy, but the four young women manage to survive their journey and even enjoy the mysteries they encounter. Nancy Drew's story is appropriate for readers of all ages.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix by J.K. Rowling, 2003 Scholastic

     The youngest wizard to win the Triiumbvirate??? Wizarding Cup, Harry Potter returns in his fifth adventure. Cedric Diggory is dead and Voldemort has returned in the flesh--and this time the magic that has protected Harry since his mother's death is part of Voldemort too.
     Harry has returned to the Dursleys's and is making his way home one night when a group of dementors attack him and his cousin Dudley. He performs magic to defend both himself and his cousin and is whisked away from the Dursleys by several friends, before the Ministry of Magic can have him taken away for performing magic in front of a muggle. The group takes him to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place--his godfather's home. Reunited with Sirius and his friends, Harry begins to enjoy his unexpected summer.
     But things are as they haven't been since Voldemort's demise fourteen years before. Gimmauld Place is the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, a resistance lead by Dumbledore himself. They are forced to act outside the Ministry because Cornelius Fudge (Minister of Magic) refuses to acknowledge Voldemort's return and therefore give the Order legitimacy.
     After a disciplinary hearing Harry is allowed to return to Hogwarts. Once there he, Ron and Hermione discover that Dolores Umbridge, one of Fudge's employees, has been assigned the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. An unusual warning from the Sorting Hat cautions the students from becoming too divided while the world around them doesn't want to believe Voldemort's return. Harry becomes the target of much ridicule as the Ministry finds it easier to attack him and label him an attention-seeking child rather than give credence to his claims.
     As the danger outside Hogwarts' walls increases the students become more and more frustrated when Umbridge refuses to teach them any defensive skills. Harry and several friends form a club that will self-educate in defensive magic. The club names themselves Dumbledore's Army, the D.A. for short, and after Umbridge is appointed High Inquisitor over all Hogwarts's teachers and students they must act in secret.
     Umbridge actively dislikes Harry and frequently singles him out for punishment. She even bans him from playing on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. In protest, Ron's twin brothers Fred and George Weasley storm out of Hogwarts in a great spectacle designed to cause Umbridge as much strife as possible.
     Harry has dreams about a corridor deep in the Ministry of Magic, walking down the corridor in the dark of night. When he dreams that a giant snake attacks Mr. Weasley, Harry's dreams become a danger to him and the Order of the Phoenix. Dumbledore sends him to Professor Snape, Harry's nemesis before Umbridge, to learn to protect his mind from the invasions. Harry's attempts show little progress and Snape is not a pleasant tutor, they begin to go longer and longer between lessons until they no longer meet at all.
     The D.A., however, continues to meet regularly until Umbridge discovers their club. Dumbledore takes responsibility for the formation and continued meetings, he resigns as headmaster and Umbridge takes his place. The school falls into a gloom and the fifth-years begin taking their O.W.L.s.
     Harry's dreams continue, yet he dreams that Voldemort has captured Sirius and is intent on rescuing him. Hermione warns against believing everything he dreams, but when Harry flees to London she and Ron join him. They discover nothing is as it seems, yet the friendships they have cultivated throughout the years will support them through the darkness.
     Rowling's fifth installment of the Harry Potter Series is a dark and gloomy tale of dangers we all experience in one way or another; that teacher whose treatment seems unwarranted and is unfair, the friendships lost because of general perception, and fear of losing resulting in a loss. As the stories become darker Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is no longer appropriate for younger readers. Readers as young as mid-teens will understand the story, yet the nuances are more appropriate for more mature readers.

A Ring of Endless Light

A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L'Engle, 1980 Farrar, Straus & Giroux

     Vicky Austin and her family are spending the summer with her grandfather on Seven Bay Island at his home. Grandfather Eaton is dying of leukemia and the Austins are spending as much time with him as they can. At the beginning of their visit, though, Commander Rodney of the Coast Guard--a family friend--dies saving a kid who went sailing during a summer storm.
     After the funeral she discovers Zachary, her boyfriend from the previous summer, was the kid Commander Rodney saved and indirectly caused his death. Zachary was attempting to kill himself, and Vicky begins to see death everywhere from the publicity of the newspaper to the privacy of her family. Zachary wants Vicky to help him keep his grip on reality, to center and anchor him as the world sways around him.
     Commander Rodney's son, Leo, tries to get over his father's death by immersing himself in his friendship with Vicky. At first his friendship is easily acceptable, a continuation of their childhood camaraderie. But as time goes on Leo wants more than Vicky can give.
     Leo and Zachary aren't the only young men vying for Vicky's attention, her new acquaintance is an intern at the research lab on Seven Bay Island. Adam Eddington worked with Commander Rodney on his dolphin project. When Vicky meets his dolphin companions she is stunned at their joyful personalities and the relationships they develop with Adam and each other.
     As the summer progresses Vicky wavers between the three young men and how they each influence her. Death seems to surround her, and though life presents its distractions there is nothing to stop the darkness from swallowing her. When she does fall into the darkness it isn't Leo's friendship or Zachary's flair that bring her out of the depths. Adam's persistence, wholesome concern, and understanding of what makes Vicky tick bring her back from the darkness.
     In A Ring of Endless Light readers get to know and understand Vicky as she learns more about herself, what she wants from a relationship, and the frustrations of mortality. L'Engle deals with one of the biggest difficulties of growing up in a manner appropriate for teens and older children. The book is targeted at teens but has elements that appeal to readers of all ages.

Balthazar

Balthazar by Claudia Gray, 2012 HarperTeen

     After rescuing Bianca from Evernight Academy, Skye Tierney starts to have visions of death. Each time she encounters the scene of a violent death, whether it was a murder, suicide, or something as painful as a heart attack, Skye witnesses the event through the eyes of the victim. She reaches out to friends from Evernight with the hopes that her problems will be solved. However, the vampire sent to help her discovers there is more going on with Skye than anyone realized.

     It appears that Skye’s psychic abilities have given her blood unique properties: she can allow vampires to experience life again. When Lorenzo, one of Balthazar’s former companions, has a taste he brings Balthazar’s sire to the scene. Redgrave will stop at nothing to get Skye’s agreement, and if it hurts Balthazar in the process, so much the better.

     Balthazar finds a position at Skye’s school to be a nearby bodyguard. But when the drama in her life rises to the surface, vampires are not the only thing Balthazar wants to protect her from. When their relationship heats up, Skye’s so-called friend spreads a rumor that Skye is sleeping with her History teacher (a technically true rumor). In that unguarded moment Redgrave kidnaps Skye and Balthazar is forced to rely on some unlikely allies to save her.

     In the end, Skye faces the prospect of her hometown becoming the battleground for vampires fighting over her blood. With little left to chose from, Skye manages to embrace her new psychic abilities and hope for a future with the only man she’s truly loved.

     Balthazar has beaten himself raw over the centuries with guilt for his sister’s death, and the death of his first love. When Skye captures his attention and heart, he doesn’t know how to deal with the imbalance between his desires and what he should do. It takes her near-death to make him see that there is more to his undead life than the guilt at his death.

     Unlike the Evernight books, Balthazar deals with Skye and Balthazar’s journey, their relationship, and the aftermath of Lucas and Bianca’s happily-ever-after. Skye has been changed by her experience and Balthazar is learning to live again. Each has emotional trauma they work together to get through, while facing incredible odds. Their story is about overcoming fear, fighting for what you believe in, and survival even when you want to give up. The book is meant for high schoolers, with some intense sexual tension and implied amorous activities.

Hunted

Hunted by Kristin and P.C. Cast, 2009 St. Martin's Publishing

     After Stevie Rae is shot to free Kalona from the earth, Zoey and her friends try to heal their fallen friend. Zoey and Stevie Rae reconcile and Zoey introduces the rest of the "Nerd Herd" to some of the red fledglings. Aphrodite allows Stevie Rae to feed from her, causing an imprint but also bringing Stevie Rae back from the edge.
     Erik, Zoey's ex-boyfriend, follows her back to her room and kisses her in an attempt to rekindle their relationship. But the kiss frightens Zoey, as does his possessiveness, and while they do get back together she is unsure how to deal with him. The newly re-formed Kalona makes his way into Zoey's dreams in an attempt to seduce her back to him, he calls her Ay-a and offers her the world.
     In the world of red fledglings Kramisha's poems are revealed as prophecy and Zoey gives her the title "Poet Laureate" in recognition. One of Kramisha's poems give the friends a clue to defeating Kalona: Neferet and Kalona will be defeated when Night, Humanity, Blood, Spirit and Earth come together. The problem is Zoey doesn't know who will be each of the elements.
     The group relocates its anti-Neferet efforts to the abandoned depot and its underground tunnels where the red fledglings reside. Another of Zoey's ex-boyfriends, Heath, comes to reconcile with her and she leaves the depot to talk to him, much to Erik's displeasure. While they talk a Raven-Mocker attacks Zoey and nearly kills her. To heal herself, she drinks from Heath and they form another imprint, but she isn't completely healed. Kramisha almost loses control when she sees Heath and Zoey realizes that there are severe differences between the normal fledglings and the red fledglings.
     When the Warrior of Erebus Darius tells Zoey she needs to be around more adult vampires she is forced to move back to the House of Night. There she is under Neferet's control and discovers the fledglings have followed Neferet to turn their backs on Nyx. Darius gets in a fight with one of Kalona's Raven-Mockers and is scarred when Kalona intervenes, angering Aphrodite.
     Zoey felt guilty that Stark died in her arms and when she convinces him to turn back to Nyx the red fledgling becomes the second red vampyre. He pledges his Warrior's Oath to Zoey and she accepts. She confides in the horse mistress, Lenobia, allowing her to focus on Kramisha's prophecy. She realizes that the elements are embodied in Zoey herself, Stevie Rae, Aphrodite, Sister Mary Angela from the Benedictine Abbey, and Zoey's Grandma Redbird.
     The friends rush the Abbey to create their circle and banish Neferet and Kalona. Zoey realizes that Ay-a is a part of her, but not the part that will determine what she does, she rejects Kalona and Neferet orders Stark to kill her. Stark uses his strange affinity for archery to shoot the arrow at himself, but before it can kill him Zoey knocks him out and knocks the arrow aside with the elements. Zoey and her companions manage to complete the circle and banish Neferet and Kalona, but they know it is not the end of the battle.
     Nyx shows her pleasure in Zoey's actions when she expands Zoey's Mark to cover her scars. The friends regroup to plan their next steps.
      In Hunted Zoey deals with the temptations of giving in to peer pressure and the sexual pressure of several men in her life. She must accept that there is a part of her that desires what Kalona can give her, but also she realizes that part is not strong enough to overrule her own personal wants and desires. She realizes she can choose to be who she wants and her choice to give over her life to Nyx is Zoey's way of reclaiming her future. Hunted is targeted at older readers: high school aged or older, with violence and complicated romantic entanglements.

Prince Caspian

Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis, 1951 Geoffrey Bles

     After their first trip into Narnia, Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter Pevensie find themselves back in the magical land when they are jerked away from their railway station as they travel to school for the year. In their absence, Telemarines have invaded Narnia and driven the Old Narnians into hiding.
     The Pevensies find themselves at the ruins of Cair Paravel, their former home. It has been centuries since they were last in Narnia and the castle has fallen beyond repair.
     Prince Caspian, the rightful king of Telmarine, has escaped from his Uncle Miraz's home at the birth of his new cousin. The king no longer has need for Caspian with an heir of his own, realizing this, Caspian flees into Narnia, is discovered and taken to the Old Narnians, the talking Animals and mythical creatures of Classic Narnia.
     When Miraz and his army appear nearby, Caspian and his companions flee to Aslan's How where they stage their defense, but are nearly defeated. At a pause in the battle the Narnians debate whether to use Queen Susan's horn to call for help, but are unsure where help will arrive. They send Pattertwig, a Squirrel, to Lantern Waste where the Pevensies first appeared in Narnia, and Trumpkin the dwarf to Cair Paravel where he is captured by the Telmarines and rescued by the Pevensies.
     The group travels to meet Caspian at Alsan's How, but lose their way. Lucy sees Aslan, but is ignored until He comes to her in a dream telling her to wake the others and follow him. Eventually she convinces her sister and brothers and they see first Aslan's shadow, then Aslan himself. Aslan sends Trumpkin, Peter, and Edmund ahead to deal with treachery afoot while He, Susan, and Lucy watch the woods come alive at Aslan's return.
     Peter, Edmund, and Trumpkin arrive at the How as a black dwarf, hag, and wer-wolf try to convince Caspian to resurrect the White Witch to save Narnia and in the resulting struggle the three are killed. Peter then challenges Miraz to single combat. Goaded by his advisers, Miraz agrees and falls during the battle. His advisers shout that the Narnians cheated and order the army to attack, then stab Miraz in the back. The army is thrown back when the Living Wood comes alive and are blocked from retreat by the Great River where their bridge has been destroyed by the Narnian forces.
     At their surrender, Aslan offers the Telmarines the option of staying in Narnia under Caspian, or returning to Earth, where they came from. After some of the Telmarines travel through Aslan's magic door, the Pevensies return to Earth where their story began, just in time to catch their train to school.
     The Pevensie children are growing older; Peter and Susan discover they are too old to return to Narnia, and their faith is Aslan is challenged through the journey. The childlike joy with which they began their ventures into Narnia has faded into a more confident and more adult assurance allowing the children to take on the new roles facing them. Aslan still acts as a god-like figure appearing when times are at their worst and lifting the spirits of his followers, inspiring them to greater deeds. This story has some graphic violence, but was written for a third grade or older audience. Each new reading brings a different take on an old and familiar story.