New teen books have arrived! Here are a few of my personal recommendations from the past month.

The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry by Ransom Riggs

Leopold is seeing strange things, glowing trapdoors, raccoons with their tails on fire and people popping teeth into the parking meters. All these strange hallucinations are straight out of a 1990’s cheesy TV show called Max’s Adventures in Sunderworld. Here is where everything goes wrong for Leopold. He found this show after his mother’s death and lost himself within Sunderworld to avoid grieving the loss of his mother and being a disappointment to his father. Soon after he sees these hallucinations he realizes that Sunderworld is a real place and that he is chosen for greatness but things do not always go to plan. This fast paced book keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

Not For the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher

Mariel is the granddaughter of the legendary Robin Hood and has a lot to live up to as a captain of the Merry Men. Clem is a healer, who is sought after due to her well known cures. The Merry Men kidnap Clem as retribution for helping the Sherriff of Nottingham, but soon nothing goes to plan as Mariel’s father is kidnapped by the Sherriff. Mariel is set on rescuing her father and make a name for herself but not all goes to plan, especially with Clem as a hostage. This fun twist on the Robin Hood story makes for a pleasant weekend read.

The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig

Drawing on the Grimm’s Brothers’ dark fairytale “Godfather Deather” comes the story of Hazel Trepas. Hazel isn’t like her siblings, she is the thirteenth child and is promised to the god Merrick, the Dreaded End. Merrick finally arrives for her, laying out her future as a great healer and gives her a gift, the ability to find the cure needed to treat the sick. All gifts come with a price, and soon Hazel is haunted by the ghosts of those she couldn’t save. Word travels of her skill and she is brought to court to save the life of the King, who is marked for death. Hazel knows what she should but what if she goes against the will of Death. Erin Craig’s newest novel is imaginative fairy tale that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Song of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout

1943 – When Emma Bergsma witnesses Jewish families being deported to concentrations camps, she finds herself joining the Dutch Resistance. Soon she is working with printing presses, counterfeiters and helping as many people as possible.

2011 – Teenager Annick’s world is about to change while helping her Oma find a bone marrow donor. They learn she was secretly adopted as a child and the only clue to finding her family are a series of art prints signed Emma B. Tracking down where these prints come from will help solve her Oma’s secret past. These storylines overlap in a beautifully illustrated graphic novel, using historical photos, letters and the authors own illustrations to tell this story.

By Amanda Pierce

Teen Services Coordinator