Cinder

Author: Marissa Meyer

Once upon a time, there was a cyborg named Cinder. She had an evil step mother and one evil stepsister. She also had a nice stepsister that was her only human friend. Cinder is the best cyborg mechanic in New Beijing. Because of this, Prince Kai comes to her with something that is more important than he is letting on, and he needs it fixed before the annual ball. Then her sister becomes sick with the fatal plague that has been sweeping Earth for a decade and Cinder is blamed. Her stepmother volunteers her for plague research. It's  supposed to be an "honor" but no one has survived it. There is something odd about her though. She has something that others would kill for. I really liked this book. I found it a refreshing change from the normal. I like that she is a girl that doesn't need a guy to come and save her. I would suggest this to people who do like fairy tales but are bored of the overused stories.

For Parents: 12+

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Princess of Glass

Author: Jessica Day George

Princess Poppy is haunted with the memories of when she had to dance every night as the youngest of the twelve dancing princesses. She is part of the royal exchange program where the heirs of all of the countries switch to create good relationships. Poppy is sent to Breton where she plays cards instead of dancing. Also, where she makes friends with a prince who is also there. Then the maid Eleanora comes and decides that she likes him. Who will the prince choose? And who is Eleanora's 'benefactress' who has been providing her with dresses and jewels? Poppy can see that it has something to do with magic and she is just the person to deal with it. I loved this book! Of course I am a bit of a hopeless romantic so that might have something to do with it. I have read this book several times and that is saying something since I usually don't read a book more than once or twice.

For Parents: 11+

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The Woman Who Rides Like a Man

Author: Tamora Pierce

This is the third book in the Song of the Lioness series. In this book Alanna has just been knighted and she has told everyone that she is in fact a woman. Now she goes out to the Tortall desert to find adventure. She is forced to use her new found knight skills to prevent herself from being killed by the desert dwellers that have captured her. She is inducted into their tribe and becomes their first female shaman. She is changing their custom and some people are very opposed to the idea. She must fight to for all of the tribes and for all of Tortall. I really liked this book and I can't wait to read the next one. I find it interesting to watch as Alanna grows up and becomes her own person.

For Parents: There is some sexual things so I would say 12+ conservatively.

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The Little White Horse

Author: Elizabeth Goudge

When Maria Merryweather's father dies she is sent to live with her uncle, Sir Benjamin, at Moonacre Manor. The place where the house is, Moonacre Vally, holds many beauties, but also an ancient tragedy. Maria must fix what happened and renew the peace so that she can give the valley, and herself, a happy ending. But what can one little girl do? I actually saw the movie first and absolutely loved it so I decided to read the book that it was based on. The book and the movie are completely and I love them for different reasons.

For Parents: For any age.

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Down The Rabbit Hole

Author: Peter Abrahams

Ingrid leaves her soccer cleats at someone's house but she can't get them back because it is now the site of a murder. Slowly she starts to become involved in a mystery that she thought only happened to people like her idol Sherlock Holmes. Ingrid is already in over her head with everything that she is doing Alice in Echo Falls version of Alice in Wonderland, soccer and school. Suddenly, strange things start happening. Her director has a very serious strange accident on stage and the police seem very interested in everything about her. What can Ingrid do? How can she solve a mystery that just seems to be getting thicker by the minute? I loved this book. I do have a soft spot for a good mystery ever since I was young and started reading the Nancy Drew books. For this book I really just could not figure out "who dun it" till Peter Abrahams, the author, gave me the answer.

For Parents: 13+

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Wrapped

Author: Jennifer Bradbury

Agnes Wilkens is a seventeen-year-old girl living in London in 1815. She dreams of having adventures that take her out of the country and all around the world. Then she is thrown headfirst into an adventure that she didn't expect. One that starts with having the first cut into the wrappings of an ancient Egyptian mummy. Why is everyone paranoid about everything being returned that they found in the mummy? Why does she keep the little trinket that she found without anyone noticing? What is so special about it? I liked this book very much. It was interesting and throws you into a world where secrets lie in museums and things go bump in the night.

For Parents: 11+

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Author: J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter is an odd boy. He lives with his aunt, uncle, and cousin. They told him that his parents died in a car crash when he was a baby and that's how he got the lightning shape scar on his forehead. He had no reason to disbelieve them until he starts getting letters that he's not allowed to read and a giant comes and tells him that he is no ordinary boy; he is a wizard. Harry then goes to Hogwarts School of Wichcraft and Wizardry where he meets new friends and learns extrodinary things. He also finds out what really happened to his parents; how they were killed by the dark wizard Voldemort. Harry must face things that will threaten his life and will make several enemies. Will he make it out of his first year at Hogwarts? In this magical book, there are extordinary creatures and magical spells. You will be transported to a different world that you have only dreamed of that exists right under England's nose. I love this book so much. I grew up with the Harry Potter series and am sad that it is over. I have read this book at least fifty times and it still suprises me every time.

For Parents: For the whole family

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