Beheld

Beheld by Alex Flinn, 2015 Harper Teen

     Kendra is a witch - ever since her family died of the plague she wandered immortal from town to town and country to country. When general opinion becomes fear of other the witch trials spread from culture to culture.
     The young woman appears as a teen, even after her entire world has aged and become history. Kendra finds herself in Salem, Massachusetts in the late 1600s. There she works as a servant for a prosperous family and meets James. Kendra and James share a worldliness which comes from age greater than their appearances -- and Kendra finds herself falling for this warlock.
     Before they can follow where their friendship and attraction might go, the young daughter of the family Kendra works for accuses her of witchcraft. Thus the Salem Witch Trials begin. Kendra is arrested and only freed through James's efforts in a Red-Riding Hood retelling.
     Though her young man is to meet her in Boston their plans fall through. Kendra worries James was a victim of the trials until she runs across him again. The witch is in Europe when she hears of James's survival. A magic mirror allows Kendra to find her young man and check in on him through the ages.
     Kendra discovers the mirror while helping a young woman ina Rumplestiltskin-like series of events. The miller's daughter uses the magic mirror to seek Kendra's aid as she chases her happy ending in feudal Germany. But Kendra loses sight of James.
     During the great wars, Kendra finds her way to England and is caught in the Blitz of London. She meets a young woman who lives out the fairytale: East of the Sun, West of the Moon. Kendra's new friend and her husband lead a lonely Kendra back to James as she helps them recover from their encounter with trolls.
     In modern time, Kendra has returned to the new world. After a stint in New York City where she helps a boy discover there's more to life than appearances, she moves to Florida where Kendra continues to pose as a teen.
     Another new high school leads Kendra to meet two friends who have always been together and have been best friends for years. In high school, Amanda begins to blossom but Christopher remains less than impressive. Kendra watches their friendship and gives a magical nudge as the Ugly Duckling plays out between the longtime friends.
     Throughout her long journey Kendra pines for her missing love, but maintains her own path and allows the mortals she's helping to carry the spotlight. Beheld is about 'otherness' and finding inner strength rather than beauty. Later middle and high school readers will enjoy Flinn's modern retells.

Warrior Princess of Pennyroyal Academy

Warrior Princess of Pennyroyal Academy by M. A. Larson, 2017 G.P. Putnam

   Evie and her friends have undergone many trials and tribulations. Their number has dwindled as they face the challenges required to become Princesses capable of fighting witches,  though Maggie returns for this final adventure.

     Prophecy has dictated the great Warrior Princess will graduate from Evie's class--and many believe it will be Evie. The mystery of her mother's identity and why she was removed from the records drives the young girl even as she questions the assumption that she is the Warrior Princess. 

     Maggie and Evie are among the cadets trying to return home for their break when an army of witches attack the transport carriages. Trapped at the academy with dwindling supplies the princess cadets must find a way out--and to let help back in. 

     A magical harp once owned by Rumplestiltskin seems to be the solution: it will put the giants attacking the magical boundary to sleep. The quartet sneaks out and ventures across the lands overcoming the obstacles in their path only to go their separate ways at the peak of their adventures. Maggie, Basil, Demetra, and Evie meet back at the Academy just in time for the fight for their future. 

     The battle for Pennyroyal is the beginning of the great battle for their world. The aftermath finds the mystery surrounding the identity of the Warrior Princess resolved, but a more immediate question must be answered: how did the academy's security become compromised so easily? The answer solves questions Evie had carried since she came to Pennyroyal. 

     Larson creates a vivid story of young teens learning to believe in themselves and find purpose in the world beyond the familiar. The Warrior Princess of Pennyroyal Academy is intended for eleven- to thirteen-year-olds. Readers who enjoyed Princess Academy and Dragonslippers will find similar elements in this conclusion to the Pennyroyal trilogy. 

The Book Jumper

The Book Jumper by Mechthild Gläser, 2017 Feiwel & Friends

     Amy Lennox and her mother, Alexis, leave their home in Germany after her mother's boyfriend dumps her, and Amy's so-called friends humiliate her. They escape to Stormsay--a small island off the Scottish coast. It is where Alexis grew up, and allows Amy to meet her grandmother. Amy is introduced to a special talent only the Lennox and MacAlister clans share. 

     Both families guard a massive library hidden under the island itself and act as protectors of the world of literature. Amy is a Reader who, along with Will and Betsey MacAlister, can jump into literature and affect the story as they move about the edges of the stories. 

     While exploring her chosen novel: The Jungle Book Amy notices something wrong in the book world. Someone is stealing key ideas from the great classics. Amy teams with Woeful Werner to explore and investigate the thefts. When Will's best friend, Sherlock Holmes, is found in the normal world murdered, Will refuses to jump back into books. He agrees to help Amy and Werner from outside literature, but they aren't making any progress. Amy convinces Will to return to the land of literature and their friendship grows stronger as they learn more and more. 

     Amy discovers some characters from a mysteriously missing, possibly destroyed, story have been closely entwined with both her family's and Will's family's history. When new characters are discovered and seem to be propelling the thefts of literary elements even close friends are suspect. 

     The Book Jumperhas elements fo the great classics and scenes of Alice in Wonderland, Metamorphosis, The Hounds of the Baskervilles, and various characters from across the literary spectrum. Amy discovers her past is much more complicated than she thought and her newfound ability to jump into stories is directly linked to those complications. 

     Gläser's novel is aimed at older teen readers, starring a seventeen-year-old dealing with typical teenaged anxiety and stresses in a novel manner. The Book Jumper is translated from German and followed by The Forgotten Book, also translated. 

Cybele's Secret

Cybele's Secret by Juliet Marillier, 2008 Knopf Books

     The beautiful daughters of a country scholar-merchant were trapped by circumstances in the Wildwood near their home. After breaking the spell-like circumstances forcing the girls to take solace with the Night People they return to the lives set before them. Paula is the fourth daughter and accompanies her father on a trip to Istanbul searching for an ancient pagan artifact.
     Her father believes it necessary for Paula to be accompanied by a bodyguard in the foreign city. Soyan is a young man of honor and feels that a trip he made while in the employ of her father's friend left him vulnerable and resulted in the man's death and Stoyan now feels he can repay the debt to her father by protecting Paula. Paula highers the overly-honest man to be her protector. She shares her mission in Istanbul with Stoyan who knows of the statue of Cybele through his work for her father's friend.
     Paula seeks the statue of an ancient goddess through new and influential friends in the city. The leading female scholar in Istanbul allows Paula to examine her library. Manuscripts lead the young woman to a secret society centered around Cybele (said Ke-beh-leh). The cult has already killed one member of the rare books community--Stoyan's previous employer, the friend Paula's father traveled to Istanbul to meet. The search for Cybele's statue becomes more and more dangerous as Paula discovers this mission isn't only a task from her father. Paula and the search for the Cybele statue are tied by a quest set by the Night People.
     When her new acquaintances prove to be more dangerous and untrustworthy than she expected Paula's father is threatened, and Paula and Stoyan try to stay a step ahead of Cybele's cult as they search for a statue to change the world.
     Young adult readers who enjoyed Wildwood Dancing and Anna of Byzantium will find similarities in Cybele's Secret. The Byzantine influence on European characters blends old-world with new-world mythology. The story of a goddess misunderstood and sought for multiple reasons will interest readers who enjoy strong female characters while the connection between Paula and Stoyan adds a romantic overtone for young adult and teen readers.

Lost Boy

Lost Boy by Chanda Hahn, 2017

   Peter returned Wendy to her adoptive family after she panned and forgot everything - their adventures, her family, even the nightmare of Neverland. After her third death, Wendy is terrified fo this world without memories.
     She relies on her brother John and their parents to remind her of the basics. But Wendy dreams of a green-eyed boy and flying. She meets the boy when things go seriously wrong at school and she ends up on a date with the playboy football player.
     Jeremy is insistent that Wendy go on a date with him and Wendy convinces John to double with them, along with his new friend Isabelle. At the movies, Peter shows up and things start to get freaky. First Jeremy won't respect Wendy's boundaries, then Peter and he get into it, finally when she's had enough and leaves the theater the shadows follow Wendy and kidnap Jeremy.
     Even though she doesn't like him, neither Wendy nor Peter is willing to just let Jeremy be taken to an unknown fate. Both try to rescue the football player and Wendy discovers an affinity for the shadows has its own offensive abilities.
     Neverland and Hook's Red Skulls put pressure on the Lost Boys and endanger Wendy's normal family. This pushes her back into the Lost Boys' hidey-hole where they're delighted in their rediscovered sister. When Neverland and its spies follow them home, Peter and the boys are lucky to escape with their lives.

     When Wendy is in danger of internal betrayal Peter risks his life to save her from capture. He is caught and only kept alive by the Red Skulls' technology. Peter catches a glimpse of what the lost boys will face before Hook allows one of his new recruits, Jeremy, revenge. 

     When Peter's shadow reappears Wendy knows Peter has panned again and hopes she can help the boys escape. In the second tale of Neverwood, the survivors flee and stakes grow even more dire. Readers who enjoy the traditional romance will follow the teen angst and drama of Wendy and Peter's story as they find and lose each other again.