Graphic Novel: Life Sucks

If you're sick and tired of Stephenie Meyer's flawlessly beautiful and nauseatingly virtuous vampire stereotype, check out this clever graphic novel for the perfect antidote.

Our hero, Dave, is a poor vampire working the night shift at the local convenience store. He never wanted to become a vampire: he was suckered into it by his sleazy boss, who turned Dave into his undead night-clerk slave.

Dave's life....well, it sucks. He works the night shift, goes home to beat the deadly sunlight, then gets up at night to do it all again. The one bright spot in his dreary existence is Rosa, the hispanic goth princess who comes by the store now and then with her friends. But when Dave (amazingly) gets a date with the girl, he ends up competing against buff surfer-dude vampire Wes. Dave, who exists on expired blood bank serum so that he won't have to hurt people, doesn't stand a chance.

This dystopian, clerks-like book is full of clever irony and sarcastic humour. If you loved Twilight...stay away. If you like Seinfeld, Clerks, Office Space, Ghost World, etc...you'll love this book!

Graphic Novel

Grades 10 and up

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Horror: The Forest of Hands and Teeth

I suppose this book could theoretically be called Science Fiction, but it scared the pants off me, so i'm classing it as Horror.

Mary is waiting for a boy to declare for her. She's sure someone will; after all, her village needs every girl to marry and have children in order to replace those who are lost to the Unconsecrated. But Mary's preoccupation with love and the future is interrupted by the gruesome death of first her father, then her mother. They are both claimed by the Forest of Hands and Teeth, where the Returned bodies of their former neighbours roam in the gloom.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, this book is all about the Zombie apocalypse. If this concept scares you (like it does me) read NO FURTHER, because I can tell you, you will have nightmares.

Mary is forced into the arms of the Sisterhood, the religous group that guards the town from danger, and holds its own secrets about the past. No one but they know how their ancestors tinkered with the stuff of life in order to cheat death; no one but they know where the fenced paths through the woods go. Their secrets break free when the fences are breached, and the village attacked.

Mary, torn between her love for a forbidden boy and her desire to escape the village, is forced to flee with her family when the village is overrun by the dead. Could there be life in a world so full or horror and death? The ambiguous ending will leave you shaking in your sheets. A scary, scary read for halloween.

Horror (or possibly Sci Fi, if your'e brave)

Grades 10 and up

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Biography: Japan Ai: a tall girl's adventures in Japan

This true account of a trip to Japan was penned and illustrated by professional animator Aimee Major-Steinberger. Her cute, Manga style illustrations are annotated with notes about the amazing things she did and saw when she took a trip to Japan with her two best friends.

There's lots of humour and great art in this book, but the main appeal is the quirky inside information that readers will get about travel and life in Japan. Aimee takes us on a whirlwind tour of Japanese temples, art, fashion and shopping (!) and her cartoons give you a perfect sense of what it's like to travel as a visible minority in this amazing country.

Great for older teens, this book will appeal to both boys and girls who are interested in manga, travel, or a career in art. What's not to like!

Graphic Novel Biography

Grades 10-12

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Fantasy: Eon Dragoneye Reborn

Twelve year old Eon has been in training for years. His intensive study of Dragon Magic, based on East Asian astrology, involves two kinds of skills; sword work and magical aptitude. He and his master hope that he will be chosen as Dragoneye: an apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune.

But Eon has a dangerous secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen year old girl who has been masquerading as a boy for the chance to become a Dragoneye. Females are forbidden to use the dragon magic; if her ruse is discovered, her death is certain.

When Eon's secret comes to light, she and her allies are plunged into a deadly struggle for power, survival, and the imperial throne. Eon must find the inner power to battle those who want to take her magic... and her life.

This is a top notch high fantasy novel. Those who loved Eragon or inkheart will love this book.

Fantasy

Grades 9-12

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Fantasy: A Curse Dark As Gold

This book is a masterful retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale, where a maid bargains with a malicious spirit to save herself and her family from death.

Charlotte Miller is the last hope for the town of Stirwaters. Her father has died suddenly, leaving the mill in the hands of her and her sister, Rosellen. Charlotte is a strong heroine, and she would surely have been able to run the mill if not for the curse.

For generations, the Stirwater mill has carried a dark curse. Small things go wrong, the luck is always bad, and the mill never passes to a son; infant boys always die mysteriously. Charlotte is determined to break the curse, and she will need all of her courage and wits to do so.

This excellent book will appeal to fans of Robin McKinley or Tamora Pierce. It's certain to win awards over the next year or two.

Fantasy

Grades 9-12

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Romance: TheSummer I Turned Pretty

Jenny Han has written a light, sweet romance that's just perfect for summer beach reading. Belly has been going to the beach house her entire life. Her summers have always been one long expanse of sand, surf, family...and Conrad.

Belly has love Conrad forever, but he's always been too busy to pay any attention to her. He's either romping with his brother Jeremiah (Belly's special friend and first kiss) or helping Belly's brother Steven pick on her.

But this summer, Belly's 15 and something's changed. Not only do Jeremiah and Conrad both pay attention to her, but she meets her first boyfriend at the yearly bonfire, and discovers what it's like to grow into herself. There's love, fighting, forgiveness, sadness and the joy of moving on, all packed into this quick read.

Romance

Grades 8-11

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Realistic Fiction: Marcelo and the Real World

Marcelo is unique. He hears music that nobody else can hear; he lives in his own treehouse; he is deeply fascinated by religions, and he already has a job lined up for the summer, caring for the horses at his special school.

Marcelo has an aspergers-like condition that makes it hard for him to make small talk, to read what people are feeling, and to communicate with others. He's not stupid- far from it! Marcelo is just different, and his school helps him make the most of his strengths.

But when Marcelo's dad decides that Marcelo needs to work in the real world for the summer - in his high-powered law firm - Marcelo is forced to agree. The deal is that Marcelo will give it his best shot, and in return, he can attend his special school in the fall, instead of the public high school. Marcelo and his dad both know that the summer will be difficult; Marcelo just wants to survive, and his dad want Marcelo to prove that he can be "normal".

But nobody could have predicted the consequences when Marcelo uncovers scandal, deception and intrigue right in the heart of his father's firm. Marcelo has tough decisions to make, and he has to make them on his own. At it's heart, this is a book about growing up, and taking a stand for what's right. Marcelo, with his crystal clear vision of human contradictions, is the perfect person to narrate this story. Marcello appears initially as flawed, but we come to realize that he, or all the people in the book, understands the nature of morality and goodness.

This book is a great read for anyone, but I particularly recommend it for those who have experience with Aspergers or Autism. A challenging and uplifting book. I loved it.

Realistic Fiction

Grades 10-12

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Fantasy/Mystery: Terrier

Well known fantasy author Tamora Pierce has written an unusual series. The Beka Cooper series focuses on the eponymous heroine. Beka is a lowborn gutter rat who was rescued from poverty by a lord as a child. She lives with her siblings in his manor as a servant, where she is well treated.

But Beka wants something more. She joins the City Guard at 16, and begins her training as a "puppy", or novice guard. Born into the slums, Beka has a driving need to see justice done. Paired with two of the city's best Dogs (guards), Beka uses her natural wit and her innate magic to bring down the city's most wanted criminals, thus earning her nickname of "terrier".

The book is set in a vaguely mediaeval world, where lords and ladies live a very different life than Beka. Tamora Pierce has broken the mold by making her heroine a debilitatingly shy gutter rat, with no great beauty or intelligence. Instead, Beka is doggedly persistent, with a keen sense of justice. The book is written in diary format, which brings readers right into Beka's rich and colourful life. A wonderful read, with a strong mystery element. Also recommended is the sequel, "Bloodhound".

Fantasy/Mystery

Grades 9-12

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Graphic Novel: Rapunzel's Revenge

The Rapunzel in this story is quite a different girl than the one you might find in traditional fairy tales. The story of the girl who waits for a prince to rescue her from a tower is turned on its head in this snappy graphic novel.

This Rapunzel is a redhead who defies her adoptive mother when she realizes that she was stolen away as a child. The witch Mother Gothel has been using growth magic to drain the land of life, and keep its peoples under her green thumb.

Locked up in a treetop prison for four years, Rapunzel has plenty of time to nurse her anger, and to practice using her growing braids as deadly weapons! The early lasso training she received from her bodyguard allows her to develop into a braid-snapping crack shot.

When she finally breaks out of prison, Rapunzel is determined to get revenge, and to rescue her real mother from the witch's mines. Told with an untraditional Western twist, this full colour graphic novel has appealing illustrations that draw the reader into an old tale made new. Nominated for a YALSA quick pick award, this book is sure to please those who love fantasy and strong heroines. Funny and smart!

Graphic Novel

Grades 9-12

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Fantasy: City of Glass

This book is the third in Cassandra Clare's "The Mortal Instruments" series. It's a darkly convoluted trilogy that follows Clary as she learns that there is a world the rest of us can't see...one that she belongs to by right of birth.

In previous books, Clary discovers that she and her mother are anything but ordinary. They are part of a race called Shadowhunters, fierce beings who can call down magic using drawn runes. Almost immediately, Clary's mother is attacked by demons, and Clary joins forces with a group of New York Shadowhunters to fight against them.

Slowly, Clary finds herself falling in love with Jace, a fellow Shadowhunter. Jace is the quintessential bad boy, as he is the son of the ultimately evil Valentine. Despite Jace's suspect past, he and Clary are well on the way towards romance when the two discover that they are, in fact, siblings.

I won't give any more details away, but the books are filled with battles against evil, and more than a little romance. This series is sure to be popular with those who loved Twilight, or books by authors Holly Black and Melissa Marr.

Fantasy

Grades 10 and up

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