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Science Fiction & Fantasy

Magic Lessons by Justine Larbalestier - In the second volume of Larbalestier's Magic trilogy, Reason Cansino has learned the painful truth: she must make the choice to use the magic that lives in her blood and die young or refuse to use the magic and lose her mind.

Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox - Laura Hame and her cousin Rose, 14, live in a recognizable early-20th-century society, realistically portrayed but for one thing: the Place, discovered about 20 years earlier by Lauras father. It lies outside geographical boundaries, and only select people are able to enter and experience dreams there. These dreamhunters then perform their received dreams for large theater audiences, and those in attendance go to sleep and experience them. At the time of this story, dreams have become big business and are embroiled in issues of social control (especially the control of prisoners) and power politics. When Lauras father disappears, the girl takes enormous risks first to try to find him, and then to complete his mission.

The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima - Before he knew about the Roses, 16-year-old Jack lived an unremarkable life in the small Ohio town of Trinity. Only the medicine he has to take daily and the thick scar above his heart set him apart from the other high-schoolers. Then one day Jack skips his medicine. Suddenly, he is stronger, fiercer, and more confident than ever before. And it feels great until he loses control of his own strength and nearly kills another player during soccer team tryouts. Soon, Jack learns the startling truth about himself: He is Weirlind; part of an underground society of magical people who live among us. At the head of this magical society sit the feuding houses of the Red Rose and the White Rose, whose power is determined by playing The Game a magical tournament in which each house sponsors a warrior to fight to the death. The winning house rules the Weir. As if his bizarre magical heritage isn’t enough, Jack finds out that he’s not just another member of Weirlind he’s one of the last of the warriors at a time when both houses are scouting for a player. Jack’s performance on the soccer field has alerted the entire magical community to the fact that he’s in Trinity. And until one of the houses is declared Jack’s official sponsor, they’ll stop at nothing to get Jack to fight for them.

The Tenth Power by Kate Constable - In the final book of the Chanters of Tremaris trilogy, the true Singer of All songs is revealed as a sickness infects the priestesses of Antaris. It is up to Calwyn to find a way to mend her broken world.

Small Eternities by Michael Lawrence - Four months ago in the snowy depths of winter, Alaric and Naia, two teenagers who'd never met, discovered they were living almost identical lives in different versions of Withern Rise, their riverside Victorian mansion. One day, they accidentally stranded themselves in the wrong realities. Now it's summer, and heavy rains have caused the river to overflow. Withern Rise's grounds are under water when Alaric and Naia find their separate ways into an earlier reality-a small eternity-and meet a boy called Aldous. Aldous Underwood. But who is this Aldous? Is he the old vagrant Naia has met in the present day, or an Aldous destined to die very soon, under mysterious circumstances? And will their meeting change Underwood history?

Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel - Former cabin boy Matt Cruse, now a student at the prestigious Airship Academy, is first to identify the Hyperion, the private airship of a reclusive and fabulously wealthy inventor that disappeared forty years ago with its owner. Armed with the Hyperion's coordinates, which only he possesses, Matt, heiress Kate de Vries, and a mysterious young gypsy board the Sagarmatha, an airship fitted with the new skybreaker engines that will allow them to reach the Hyperion, 20,000 feet above the earth's surface. Pursued by others who want the Hyperion and will stop at nothing to get it, and surrounded by dangerous high-altitude life forms, Matt and his companions are soon fighting not only for the Hyperion but for their very lives. In this thrilling sequel to Airborn, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book, Kenneth Oppel evokes the classic storytelling of Robert Louis Stevenson and Jules Verne, creating a world in which a new discovery can have unimagined consequences -- on earth and miles above it.

Will of the Empress by Tamora Pierce - "New York Times" bestselling author Pierce brings back four mages from the Winding Circle saga. Sandry, Daja, Tris, and Briar have all grown up and grown apart. But they come together when Sandry's cousin, the brutal Empress of Namorn, has set a cunning trap.

Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements - When fifteen-year-old Bobby wakes up and finds himself invisible, he and his parents and his new blind friend Alicia try to find out what caused his condition and how to reverse it.

Taylor Five by Ann Halem - This gripping, deeply moving adventure raises startling questions about what it means to be human. Halam tests readers' emotional limits in this dramatic story that examines the timely issue of cloning in an original way.

The Dreamwalker's Child by Steve Voake - Fifteen-year-old Sam Palmer’s life is dull—until a bizarre bicycle accident leaves him in a coma. Sam awakens in Aurobon, a world eerily similar to his own, only to discover that his “accident” was part of an elaborate abduction by a ruler with a deadly agenda. Now Sam must team up with a fearless girl pilot to outwit the enemy. Otherwise, dark forces will invade his own world on insects the size of fighter jets. But that’s if the terrifying marsh dogs don’t kill him first.

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld - One year ago, Cal Thompson was a college freshman more interested in meeting girls and partying in New York City than in attending his biology classes. Now, after a fateful encounter with a mysterious woman named Morgan, biology has become, literally, Cal’s life. Cal was infected by a parasite that has a truly horrifying effect on its host. Cal himself is a carrier, unchanged by the parasite, but he’s infected the girlfriends he’s had since Morgan—and all have turned into the ravening ghouls Cal calls peeps. The rest of us know them as vampires. And it’s Cal’s job to hunt them down before they can create even more of their kind. . . . Bursting with the sharp intelligence and sly humor that are fast becoming his trademark, Scott Westerfeld’s new novel is an utterly original take on an archetype of horror.

The Goodness Gene by Sonia Levitin - From the author of "The Cure" comes another futuristic fable that raises fascinating questions about whether human behavior is determined by DNA, by upbringing, or by a higher power.

Poison by Chris Wooding - In this spirited anti-fairy tale, Poison seeks out the Phaerie Lord in order to rescue her sister. Finding him isn't easy, and the quest leads Poison into a murderous world of intrigue, danger, and deadly storytelling.

Widow and the King by John Dickinson - When the hooded prince of the evil "undercraft" is released from a magical prison, young Ambrose, the last descendant of a great king, flees for his life, not knowing who his friends or enemies are.

The Naming by Alison Croggon - A manuscript from the lost civilization of Edil-Amarandah chronicles the experiences of sixteen-year-old Maerad, an orphan gifted in the magic and power of the Bards, as she escapes from slavery and begins to learn how to use her Gift to stave off the evil Darkness that threatens to consume her world.

Shapeshifter's Quest by Dena Landon - To atone for the misdeed of an ancestor, teen-aged Syanthe, a shape-shifter, journeys outside the safety of the forest where she has always lived to learn the secret of the evil king's magic.

Dusk by Susan Gates - Sharing both human and hawk genes, a young girl escapes from her cage at a top secret laboratory where she was conceived by military scientists in a botched experiment designed to create stronger soldiers.

Siberia By Ann Halam - When Sloe was tiny, her Papa disappeared and she and her mama went to live in a prison camp in the snowy north, in a time and place when there are no more wild animals. Mama’s crime: teaching science, and her dedication to the hope that the lost animal species can be reborn. To Sloe, Mama’s secret work is magic, as enchanting as Mama’s tales of a bright city across the ice where they will be free.
Years later, Sloe is sent to a prison school, and Mama disappears. At 13, Sloe escapes, pursued by a mysterious man. With only hope to keep her going, Sloe sets out on a solitary 1000-mile journey. But she is not truly alone for Mama left Sloe a gift: the seeds of five missing species and the knowledge to bring them to life.

The Diary of Pelly D by L.J. Adlington - When Toni V, a construction worker on a futuristic colony, finds the diary of a teenage girl whose life has been turned upside-down by holocaust-like events, he begins to question his own beliefs.

Stravaganza: City of Flowers by Mary Hoffman - In the much-anticipated third story in the Stravaganza series, Sky, a new Stravagante, is whisked away from his dreary life in London to Giglia, the Talian version of Florence. There, he finds that in the City of Flowers, much of what seems beautiful is in fact poisonous.

The New World Order by Ben Jeapes - The civil war between King Charles I and Parliament that has torn England apart is nearing its bloody conclusion - and in the English countryside, a stranger seeks his old love and finds there is a son whom he has never seen...You would be excused, perhaps, for thinking that this is the introduction to a thrilling historical novel. And you'd be dead right. Yet this is not the history you know, for the world has turned on to a new and deadly path.With breathtaking imagination, Ben Jeapes has wrenched the familiar flow of English history out of its course and made it into something else, something entirely other. There is a third force, an alien force - the Holekhor - who have martial powers of their own, religious leaders who command mysterious and strange forces, and who bring with them technology that should not have been seen in England for another three hundred years... Prepare to be astounded. History will never be the same again.

The Witch's Boy by Michael Gruber - A grotesque foundling turns against the witch who sacrificed almost everything to raise him when he becomes consumed by the desire for money and revenge against those who have hurt him, but he eventually finds his true heart's desire.

Maximum Ride by James Patterson - Get ready for the maximum thrill ride from #1 New York Times bestselling author James Patterson. Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, Angel, and Maximum: Six kids who are pretty normal in most ways--except that they’re 98% human and 2% bird. Riding the wind, their wings are an amazing gift...and yet, their world can morph into a nightmare in a single instant. For when the bloodthirsty Erasers--half men, half-wolves genetically engineered by sick and sinister scientists--kidnap little Angel, the Flock embarks on a rescue mission that will change them forever. From Death Valley, California, to the bowels of the New York City subway system, 14-year-old Max leads her five feisty "family" members on a journey full of nonstop action, adventure, and soul-seeking--not to mention a little bit of saving the world on the side.

The Secret Under my Skin by Janet McNaughton - This award-winning futuristic tale--a bestseller in Canada--captures a chilling vision of an environmentally scarred Earth in the year 2368, and tells the story of an orphaned teen girl who's chosen for a special mission by a guardian of the environment.

Now You See It by Vivian Vande Velde - With Wendy's new glasses, she begins to see cheerful corpses, old crones disguised as teeny-boppers, and portals to another world--a place where everyone knows of the glasses' powers and will do anything they can to get them.

Abarat by Clive Barker - Once upon a world, where time is place,a journey beyond imagination is about to unfold.... It begins in the most boring place in the world: Chickentown, U.S.A. Candy Quackenbush lives in Chickentown, her heart bursting for some clue as to what her future might hold. When the answer comes, it's not one she expects. Out of nowhere comes a wave, and Candy, led by a man called John Mischief (whose brothers live on the horns on his head), leaps into the surging waters and is carried away. Where? To the ABARAT: a vast archipelago where every island is a different hour of the day, from the Great Head that sits in the mysterious twilight waters of Eight in the Evening, to the sunlit wonders of Three in the Afternoon, where dragons roam, to the dark terrors of Gorgossium, the island of Midnight, ruled over by the Prince of Midnight himself, Christopher Carrion. As Candy journeys from one amazing place to another, making fast friends and encountering treacherous foes -- mechanical bugs and giant moths, miraculous cats and men made of mud, a murderous wizard and his terrified slave-she begins to realize something. She has been here before. Candy has a place in this extraordinary world: she is here to help save the Abarat from the dark forces that are stirring at its heart. Forces older than Time itself, and more evil than anything Candy has ever encountered. She's a strange heroine, she knows. But this is a strange world. And in the Abarat, all things are possible. The sequel: Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War.

The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer - In futuristic Satellite City, fourteen-year-old Cosmo Hill escapes from his abusive orphanage and teams up with three other people who share his unusual ability to see supernatural creatures, and together they determine the nature and purpose of the swarming blue Parasites that are invisible to most humans.

Basilisk by N.M. Brown - Two teens who discover they are sharing the same dream of dragons fight to stop the evil dictator from bringing their dreams to life in the form of a terrible basilisk with the power to literally scare people to death.

New Magics: An Anthology of Today's Fantasy - Whether it's a tale of a wizard developing his powers or a breakneck chase through New York City in search of the Grail, the best fantasy is all about coming face-to-face with reality -- with boundaries -- and saying, What if? It's about stepping across the threshold of what is and what must be into a world of maybes and why-nots. Most of all, it's a great deal of fun.It's for today's generation of young readers that Patrick Nielsen Hayden -- winner of the World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology -- has selected these stories from the thousands published by contemporary fantasy writers over the past two decades, for those readers who keep asking questions but are never completely satisfied with the answers -- only the journey.

Faerie Wars by Herbie Brennan - When Henry Atherton arrives at the house of eccentric old Mr. Fogarty, he comes upon crown prince Pyrgus Malvae, who has escaped the Faerie realm, where the Faeries of the Night want to kill him. Mr. Fogarty and Henry decide to help the prince return home. It's a complex situation, involving an evil demon, two avaricious glue factory owners, and Lord Hairstreak, leader of the Faeries of the Night, each with a personal agenda that will lead to taking over the realm. The Sequel is now available: The Purple Emperor.

Giver by Lois Lowry - This 1994 Newbery Medal winner tells the spellbinding story of a seemingly utopian lifestyle in a futuristic world where there are no choices. When Jonas turns 12, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver--who alone holds memories of pain and pleasure in life. Now there can be no turning back from the truth.

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry - Kira, an orphan with a lame leg, lives in a world where the weak are cast aside. She is spared by the Council of Guardians, who recognize her gift as a weaver. But Kira soon realizes she is surrounded by secrets.

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer - To most people around him, Matt is not a boy, but a beast. A room full of chicken litter with roaches for friends and old chicken bones for toys is considered good enough for him. But for El Patrón, lord of a country called Opium -- a strip of poppy fields lying between the U.S. and what was once called Mexico -- Matt is a guarantee of eternal life. El Patrón loves Matt as he loves himself for Matt is himself. They share identical DNA.

Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black - Briskly paced and teeming with angst-ridden teens and capricious fairy folk, this intricate and chilling modern-day fantasy--complete with peer rivalries, sinister seductions, dashing dark heroes, and romance--will keep readers enthralled until the very last page.

Golden Compass (His Dark Materials Trilogy) by Philip Pullman - Lyra Belacqua is content to run wild among the scholars of Jordan College with her daemon familiar, Pantalaimon, always by her side. When her uncle returns from the North with tales of mystery and danger, his visit sets off a chain of events that draws Lyra into the heart of a terrible struggle.

Spindle's End by Robin McKinley - The infant princess Briar Rose is cursed on her name day by Pernicia, an evil fairy, and then whisked away by a young fairy to be raised in a remote part of a magical country. But the curse was cast: Sometime in the future Rosie would prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into a poisoned sleep.

Night Flying by Rita Murphy - All the women in Georgia Hansen's family fly, and do so at night so no one discovers their secret. Georgia will soon turn 16 and make her first solo flight, but her anticipation is disrupted by rebellious Aunt Carmen, who was banished from the family for breaking the strict code of flying enacted by Georgia's grandmother. Carmen then reveals the true price of the family's gift.

Interstellar Pig by William Sleator - Barney, 16, is drawn into a board game with strangers who have moved into the house next door; only when he is fully controlled by the three does he find out that the game is real, and losing means the destruction of Earth.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini - Gifted with only an ancient sword, a blue dragon, and advice from an ancient storyteller, Eragon must follow his destiny as he flees a tyrannical king.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - Once again, the Earth is under attack. Alien "buggers" are poised for a final assault. The survival of the human species depends on a military genius who can defeat the buggers. But who? Ender Wiggin. Brilliant. Ruthless. Cunning. A tactical and strategic master. And a child. Recruited for military training by the world government, Ender's childhood ends the moment he enters his new home: Battleschool. Among the elite recruits Ender proves himself to be a genius among geniuses. In simulated war games he excels. But is the pressure and loneliness taking its toll on Ender? Simulations are one thing. How will Ender perform in real combat conditions? After all, Battleschool is just a game. Right?

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - Join Douglas Adams's hapless hero Arthur Dent as he travels the galaxy with his intrepid pal Ford Prefect, getting into horrible messes and generally wreaking hilarious havoc. Dent is grabbed from Earth moments before a cosmic construction team obliterates the planet to build a freeway. You'll never read funnier science fiction; Adams is a master of intelligent satire, barbed wit, and comedic dialogue.

Shade's Children by Garth Nix - A complex, suspenseful, absorbing tale of the future by the author of "Sabriel". In the brutal world of the future, an unspeakable fate awaits the human children of the Dormitories when they turn 14. Hunted ceaselessly by savage mutant creatures, Shade's Children--Ella, Drum, Gold Eye, and Ninde--join forces to form a resistance movement.

The Mortal Engines by Philip Reeves - The Great Traction City London is on the move again. It has been lying low, skulking in the hills to avoid the bigger, faster, hungrier cities loose in the Great Hunting Ground. But now, as its great mountain of metal lumbers along in hot pursuit of its quarry, the sinister plans it has harbored for years can finally start to unfold behind its soaring walls...Thaddeus Valentine, London's Head Historian and most famous archaeologist, and his daughter, Katherine, are down in The Gut when the young assassin with the black scarf strikes. Only the quick intervention of Tom, a lowly third-class apprentice, prevents Valentine from being stabbed in the heart. Madly racing after the fleeing girl, Tom suddenly glimpses her hideous face: scarred from forehead to jaw, nose a smashed stump, a single eye glaring back at him. "Look at what your Valentine did to me!" she screams. "Ask him! Ask him what he did to Hester Shaw!" And with that she jumps down the waste chute to her death. Minutes later Tom finds himself tumbling down the same chute and stranded in the Out-Country, a sea of mud scored by the huge caterpillar tracks of cities like the one now steaming off over the horizon.In a stunning literary debut, Philip Reeve has created an unforgettable adventure story set in a dark and utterly original world fueled by Municipal Darwinism -- and betrayal. Sequel - Predators Gold

Singing the Dogstar Blues by Allison Goodman - Daughter of a sperm donor and a mother who is a famous newscaster, Joss is a wild, fun-loving girl who plays the harmonica. She's also a student of time travel at the Centre for Neo-Historical Studies. Her life turns upside down when Mavkel, the first Chorian to visit Earth, comes to study time travel and selects Joss to be his roommate and study partner. The partnership puts a crimp in Joss' usual freewheeling lifestyle, but she finds plenty of excitement and danger with Mavkel, including meeting an assassin and a confrontation with an anti-alien lobby group.

Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathon Stroud - Set in modern-day London, this first book in a gripping new trilogy introduces young magician's apprentice Nathaniel. Humiliated by a hotshot wizard, Nathaniel summons the not-so-tame djinni, Bartimaeus, and sends him to steal the Amulet of Samarkand. Look for the second in the trilogy, The Golem's Eye.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke - Meggie lives a quiet life with her father, a bookbinder. But her father has a deep secret--he possesses an extraordinary magical power. When a mysterious stranger arrives, Meggie is plunged into intrigue as her father's life is put in danger. The Sequel is now Available: Inkspell.

East by Edith Pattou - Rose has always felt out of place in her family, a wanderer in a bunch of homebodies. So when an enormous white bear mysteriously shows up and asks her to come away with him--in exchange for health and prosperity for her ailing family--she readily agrees. The bear takes Rose to a distant castle, where each night she is confronted with a mystery. In solving that mystery, she loses her heart, discovers her purpose, and realizes her travels have only just begun. As familiar and moving as "Beauty and the Beast" and yet as fresh and original as only the best fantasy can be, East is a novel retelling of the classic tale "East of the Sun, West of the Moon," a sweeping romantic epic in the tradition of Robin McKinley and Gail Carson Levine.

Joust by Mercedes Lackey - Hunger, anger, and hatred are constants for young Vetch, rendered a brutally mistreated and overworked serf by the Tian conquest of his homeland. But everything improves when a Tian jouster requisitions Vetch to become the first serf ever to be a dragon boy. His training is intense, and his duty clear-cut: to tend his jouster, Ari, and his dragon, Kashet. He discovers that, because Ari himself had hatched Kashet, the dragon is different from others that have been captured live in the wild and must be drugged to be made tractable. Vetch finds he really likes and understands dragons, and soon he becomes the best dragon boy of all. He still harbors anger, however, toward the Tian invasion. Could he, perhaps, hatch a dragon, and then escape to help his people?

So You Want To Be A Wizard by Diane Duane - Something stopped Nita's hand as it ran along the bookshelf. She looked and found that one of the books had a loose thread at the top of its spine. It was one of those So You Want to Be a ... books, a series on careers. So You Want to Be a Pilot, and a Scientist ... a Writer. But this one said, So You Want to Be a Wizard. I don't believe this, Nita thought. She shut the book and stood there, holding it in her hand, confused, amazed, suspicious -- and delighted. If it was a joke, it was a great one. If it wasn't ...? Just the first in this popular series, Young Wizards.

Tricksters Choice by Tamora Pierce - This new Tortall adventure is the first of two books featuring, Alianne, the teenage daughter of Alanna, the first lady knight of Tortall, who follows the quieter footsteps of her father, delighting in the art of spying. The Second is Trickster's Queen.

Firebirds edited by Sharyn November - This special anthology contains 16 original stories that showcase some of the genre's most admired authors, including multiple award-winners Diana Wynne Jones, Garth Nix, Lloyd Alexander, and Patricia A. McKillip. Illustrations.

Feed by M.T. Anderson - From the author of "Burger Wuss" comes a book filled with identity crises, consumerism, and star-crossed teenage love in a futuristic society where people connect to the Internet via feeds implanted in their brains.

The Ear, the Eye, the Arm by Nancy Farmer - In 2194 in Zimbabwe, General Matsika's three children are kidnapped and put to work in a plastic mine while three mutant detectives use their special powers to search for them.

Science Fiction & Fantasy Series

Shadow Children sequence by Margaret Peterson Haddix
His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
Sandman Library by Neil Gaiman
Fire-Us Trilogy by Jennifer Armstrong and Nancy Butcher

~Young Adult Librarian ~
Kristin Lade
klade@west-bendlibrary.org
262.335.5151 x128

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Updated October 25, 2006

"Organized education gives us information, but there are things we have to learn ourselves" ~ Lauryn Hill