Weekend Book Give-Away: Dust Girl

I like books with big surprises in them.  And that is just what Callie gets in Book One in The American Fairy Trilogy:  Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel.

On the day in 1935 when her mother vanishes during the worst dust storm ever recorded in Kansas, Callie learns that she is not actually a human being.  

That is a pretty big shocker, no?  For a chance to win this book tell me this:  if you were a character in what seemed like a historical fiction book who learned you were not human...where and when would your book take place, and if not human, just what are you?

Winner will be selected with Random Number Generator on Thursday September 6, 2012. Be sure to leave a name with your entry, and check back to see if you won. To win you must be a teen (6th-12th grade, or 12-18) who uses a Sno-Isle Library. 

Fantasy Fiction Meets the Western

I am a big fan of Fantasy Fiction....when it is done right. Although I freely admit there is a lot of dreck out there. I think that just makes you appreciate the good stuff all the more.

Joe Abercrombie is a relatively new author to the genre but he has made a big splash with each of his novels.

I like his books because of the brutally realistic way he portrays his world. Don't look for Elves, poetry, fair maidens, or even noble heroes in his books. The word most commonly used to describe his style is "gritty".  His world is bloody. His characters talk like real people and nobody is all good or all bad. Best of all his books are fun to read.
Each of his books has been better than the last which has me very excited for his latest, Red Country.

For this book he is writing a fantasy novel set in the usual pseudo-medieval world but is using themes and plot devices usually associated with Westerns.

Fans of Abercrombie are very excited because the book trailer seems to hint that Logen Ninefingers is going to make an appearance. The Bloody Nine is one of my favorite characters.


 I can't wait!

Trailer Tuesday: Lost Voices Trilogy by Sarah Porter

Last year's Lost Voices by Sarah Porter has a sequel in the recently published Waking Storms.

Here's what the publisher had to say about the first one:
"Assaulted and left on the cliffs outside of her grim Alaskan fishing village by her abusive, alcoholic uncle, fourteen-year-old Luce expects to die when she tumbles into the icy waters below, but when she instead transforms into a mermaid she is faced with struggles and choices she could never have imagined. "



And what they have to say about the second in the eventual trilogy:
"After parting ways with her troubled mermaid tribe, Luce just wants to live peacefullyon her own. But her tranquility doesn’t last long: she receives news that the tribe ison the verge of collapse and desperately needs her leadership. The tribe’s cruel queen wants Luce dead. Dorian, the boy Luce broke mermaid law to save, is determined to make her pay for her part in the murder of his family. And while the mermaids cling to the idea that humans never suspect their existence, there are suddenly ominous signs to the contrary."

Weekend Book Give-Away: Between the Lines

Do you ever wish you could meet the characters in a book you were reading? Just sink right into the story, or maybe have it pop out of the page? In this week's book is Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer, a girl gets to do just that.

Told in their separate voices, sixteen-year-old Prince Oliver, who wants to break free of his fairy tale existence, and fifteen-year-old Delilah, a loner obsessed with Prince Oliver and the book in which he exists, work together to seek his freedom. 


For a chance to win this book, tell me what character from a book you would like to meet, why you want to meet them, and what you would do or say.

Winner will be selected with Random Number Generator on Thursday September 6, 2012. Be sure to leave a name with your entry, and check back to see if you won. To win you must be a teen (6th-12th grade, or 12-18) who uses a Sno-Isle Library.

We Have Our Winners

Drum roll please...

It is that time you have all been waiting for, when we announce the winners of the Teen Summer Reading Contest!

For our Grand Prize of an iPad, drawn from 3670 entries we have Madison McA from Marysville!  Madison is a student at 10th Street Middle School and wrote some great reviews this summer.

For the coveted Librarians' Choice Award we have Carly B, a homeschooler from Lake Stevens.  The librarians loved that she brought back an old school book and breathed fresh life into in.

The Princess and the Goblin By George MacDonald 

Description: Goblins live and miners dig under Princess Irene's castle. One night goblins see Irene. They make plans to kidnap her and forcibly marry her to the cruel goblin prince. A noble miner boy, Curdie, is determined to help Irene. Meanwhile, Irene has found her mysterious great-great grandmother. Will Curdie and the woman be enough to save the princes? 

 My Thoughts: This is an old book, written in 1872, so occasional language is outdated--but that just adds to the charm of this lovely tale. The reader will come to realize that no matter one's lowly birth, one can be a prince or princess by one's noble, truthful actions. I admired Irene's truthfulness, even when no one would believe her. 

Recommendation: fantasy, princess, and fairy-tale fans 

Congratulations to all our readers, for being such awesome readers and reviewers.  We are really loved reading all your reviews and are so glad you shared the fun of reading with everyone this summer.

And special thanks to our very generous Sno-Isle Libraries Foundation, without whom we would not be able to offer such fabulous prizes!

Trailer Tuesday: TeenBoat! by Dave Roman and John Green

I'm going to be completely honest with you guys about TeenBoat! by Dave Roman and John Green (no, not THAT John Green). I totally do not GET this graphic novel. Like, really? His superpower is turning into a boat? I think it's intentionally ludicrous, but I just... can't get on the boat wagon.



Have you read it? Check it out, and let me know what you think in the comments. Or review it here!

Girls' Nightmare Out: Meet three of your favorite paranormal YA authors

The Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park will be hosting a Girls' Nightmare Out event with three highly popular paranormal YA authors on August 23 from 7:00-8:00pm.  Come out, ask

Lisa Desrochers, author of the Personal Demons series, came onto the YA scene in 2010 and has since taken it by storm.  The first book in the series starts with Frannie Cavanaugh being pursued by a demon (Luc) from hell and protected by an angel (Gabriel). It isn't long before Luc and Gabriel are fighting for more than Frannie's soul. Last Rite, the much-anticipated finale to the series, will be available August 8, 2012.


Kendare Blake amazed us all with her debut novel Anna Dressed in Blood in which Cas, a young ghost-hunter, comes across a very unique ghost and is doubly intrigued when she spares his life.  The sequel, Girl of Nightmares, brings Cas and Anna together once again and will be out on bookstore shelves August 7, 2012.



Marta Acosta's Dark Companion is a one of a kind gothic fairytale, written as a homage to Jane Eyre. This book tells the tale of Jane, a young orphan who manages to win a scholarship to the exclusive Birch Grove Academy.  However, Jane quickly begins to realize that things are not all they seem at the academy.