A-Z Recommendation G: Gone

Our book recommendation for the letter G for YA is... Gone

Gone is one of those books that keeps you on the edge of your seat and is full of secrets.

One day everyone over the age of 15 years disappears and no one knows why, now all the kids of a small coastal town must band together to survive. How will they eat? where will they get the food from? Who will make these decisions? And where have the parents all gone?

Just as the town starts to band together there town is shaken by the arrival of the prep school kids from the school on the outskirts of town and they are not looking at following the cheap kids rules ! 

If all this wasn't enough, strange things are happening to kids in the town and not the usual kind of strange the uncontrollable super powers kind of strange...

A-Z Recommendation F: Fire of Invention

Our book recommendation for the letter F is... Fire of Invention

J Scott Savage  YA Fiction  Available as a book and eBook 

Cove is a city hidden within a mountain.  It was founded after the outside world was destroyed.  In this new city, powered by massive engines, creativity and invention is forbidden, all things must remain the same.  The belief is that everything worth inventing has already been invented and nothing should or can ever change.  It is against the law to invent anything! 

Trenton Coleman is sent to check out the machine and finds a strange item jammed in it.  He retrieves it and tries to work out what it is.  He meets Kallista Babbage, whose father was an inventor who died in a mysterious explosion.  Kallista recognizes that this has been left by her father so that she can find it and it leads them on a strange journey. 

Kallista and Trenton set out to unravel the truth about Cove and the death of Kallista’s father. Along the way they may perhaps be able to save their world from the threat of destruction by the forces of their enemy. 

This is the first book in the ‘Mysteries of Cove’ series, and you may like to check out the YouTube Book trailer, it’s great. 

An interesting fact about the characters in this book.  In history a man called Charles Babbage (1791 – 1871) is considered to be the ‘Father of the computer’.  He was a mathematician and mechanical engineer who was believed to have invented the first mechanical computer.  Do you think the author has used this historical figure in his book? 

A-Z Recommendation F: Furyborn

Our book recommendation for the letter F for YA is... Furyborn

YA Fiction – Available in book and eBook format 

In Celderia there is a legend of two Queens who will be born; one with the power to save the world (The Sun Queen) and one with the power to destroy it (The Blood Queen). 

This story spans a thousand years, two worlds and the elemental magical abilities displayed by two very powerful young women. 

Rielle takes the stage first in this book, when she tries to save the life of her friend Crown Prince Audric (who she also loves).  To help him she must reveal the special powers she has and as a result she must endure the seven magic trials to find out if she is the Sun or the Blood Queen. 

A thousand years later Eliana appears, by which time the story of Rielle has become the thing of legend.  Eliana lives in Orline, across the sea from Celderia.  She is a bounty hunter and joins forces with The Wolf in order to solve the mystery of the women who are disappearing (including her own mother).  Eliana’s mother was a mercenary and taught her well.  Eliana turns to violence to find her mother and keep her family alive. 

The lives and stories of Rielle and Eliana are inexplicably intertwined over the centuries in this book and continue to be so in the following books.  Which of them is the Sun Queen and which the Blood Queen who brings death and destruction to the world? 

A-Z Recommendation E: Escape from Mr Lemoncello's Library

Our book recommendation for the letter E... Escape from Mr Lemoncello's Library

Escape from Mr Lemoncello’s Library – Chris Grabenstein – Senior Fiction – Book and eBook

Luigi Lemoncello, creative gamemaker, is the genius behind the development of the new super-library that’s just been built in town. 

Before the library opens to the public, a group of twelve children, winners of an essay competition, are invited to stay overnight in the library.  They are promised fun, games and heaps of food.  Or perhaps not!

When morning comes, the doors don’t open and the kids can’t get out.  In order to escape, they must solve puzzles, find secret clues, and more importantly, work as a team.

This is the first book in the Mr Lemoncello series.

A-Z Recommendation E: Eragon

Our book recommendation for the letter E for YA is... Eragon

Eragon  - Book one of the Inheritance Cycle – By Christopher Paolini  - YA Fiction 

Available as a book, eAudiobook, and eBook 

In the world of Alagaesia, a 15 year old boy called Eragon finds a mysterious blue stone in the mountainous area near his home.  His family are very poor so he thinks he could sell the stone to buy food for them. 

He soon realises that it is not simply a stone, but is a dragon egg.  Dragons are supposed to be extinct, so this is a puzzle.  Eragon takes the stone to the forest to care for it in secret until it hatches.  The stone hatches to become a female dragon who he calls Saphira. 

In times past the land was protected from danger by The Dragon Riders, who were the peace keepers but they were all killed by Galbatorix, a former dragon rider himself. 

Galbatorix is now King and rules with fear and violence, and the assistance of the Ra’zac. 

The Ra’zac come into town looking for the dragon’s egg and they kill Eragon’s Uncle Garrow.  

Eragon realises that he must become a Dragon Rider and defeat Galbatorix in order to bring peace back to the world. 

Follow the adventures of Eragon and his friends in their perilous quest.  

The main point to take from this book is, if you remain true to yourself and believe in yourself, you can do anything! 

A-Z Recommendation D: Dragon Prophecy (Wings of Fire #1)

Our book recommendation for the letter D is... Dragon Prophecy (Wings of Fire #1)

Wings of Fire is one of our most highly read series at the library so I had to add it into this countdown and I have recently been told by another librarian, that the Author also worked on the Warriors series.

Okay onto the book... Lots and lots to keep you entertained in this series. We start with 5 dragons raised in isolation to fulfill a prophecy none of them choose to follow.  What could go wrong with that well laid plan? Oh yeah, the participants might want to live their own lives. (Shocker). All five dragons plan there escape to see what the outside world is like, but what about the prophecy ... well who's to say running away isn't exactly what needs to happen? 

A-Z Recommendation D: Defy the Stars

Our book recommendation for the letter D for YA is... Defy the Stars

Hello Sci-Fi! Even though this book wasn't published this year I think that this year is going to be full of Sci-Fi releases, so perfect timing to go back and look at some you might have missed!

This book gives me Alita Battle Angel feels, we have two main characters - a human girl Noemi and an android boy Abel (If you have seen the Alita movie you will know where I'm coming from).  Abel has been floating in space for years waiting.  One day he is found by Noemi a warrior in the mist of a war.  She is on a journey, one that could change the outcome of this war and with a bit of coercing Noemi convinces Abel to join her (even if it is nuts he's been floating in space for years anything would seen better then that)

As their adventure continues Abel starts to develop thoughts and feelings - not somethings his coding should allow, so why now?

A-Z Recommendation C: Changeling

Our book recommendation for the letter B for YA is... Changeling

Magic time! Welcome to Miss Castwell's Institute for the Magical Instruction of Young Ladies!

 Here we meet Cassandra Reed ... or should I say Sarah Smith.    Sarah is living under the name of Cassandra at Miss Castwell's school because she was born a "Snipes" (non-magical people) Sarah was previously serving a magical family until one day she manages to levitate a vase much to her disbelief, Snipes aren't meant to be perform magic and if word got out about Sarah's new powers she would be in great danger, so to figure out whats happening with her she decides to hide in plan sight as a regular magic student. Will she be able to stay hidden long enough to figure out how to use her new magic?

A-Z Recommendation C: Charlotte's Web

Our book recommendation for the letter C is... Charlotte's Web

Charlotte's Web is an absolute classic, if you haven't read Charlotte's Web you will know someone who has, not just because it was first published in 1952 but because its one of those must read books!

Wilbur is a common farm pig, and on most farms, pigs are food not pets, but Wilbur is special and his friend Charlotte, a barn spider knows it, so decide shes going to do everything in her power to show everyone how special Wilbur is and stop him from being part of Christmas dinner! 

A-Z Recommendation B: Black City

Our book recommendation for the letter B for YA is... Black City

Black City - A young adult book by Elizabeth Richards

This is the first title in the Black City series

It is set in the burning ruins of the Black City, where in the aftermath of a bloody war humans and Darklings live divided by a high wall and where a half-blood Darkling and the daughter of the Sentry Emissary who hate Darklings, struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other.

This series which follow the lives of Ash and Natalie, after a terrible race war between the humans and the Darklings.

A-Z Recommendation B: Bullseye Bella

Our book recommendation for the letter B is ... Bullseye Bella

Bullseye Bella- A senior fiction book by James T Guthrie

(Currently being adapted for film)

Bella plays darts, an unusual sport for a young girl.

When Bella's family needs money to pay for her brother's special school, she decides to enter a darts competition at the local pub to win the money they need.

Bella and her brother (commonly known as Blackbeard) are spending their evenings at the pub, and they need to stop their mum from finding out. Bella needs to win the competition, but the other dart players want to stop Bella from qualifying for the nationals!

A-Z Book Recommendations of what to read next!

A-Z Recommendation A: Arctic Zoo

Our book recommendation for the letter A for YA is... Arctic Zoo

Arctic Zoo is a new novel by Robert Muchamore. It follows the life of two teens Georgia and Julius who we first meet in the story in a metal health care unit in the UK but we are are then taken back into both character pasts to see what made these two characters end up in a metal care facility.

Georgia is a straight A students who loves school and studying, flies competitive racing drones for  her Dad and Uncles racing team and does quite well she also plans to follow in her older sisters footsteps and become a doctor.

Julius lives in Nigeria were he lives a very comfortable life in a poor city because his Uncle has been the Governor for the past decade.

If you couldn't already tell both characters life drastically change , what happens? Well that's for you to read and find out but some keywords about this story would be - death, questioned sexuality, heartrending and thought provoking

If you were looking for a light read I would suggest starting with a different book but if you are wanting a hard hitting gripping book than jump on this train.

A-Z Recommendations A: All is Lost

Our book recommendation for the letter A is... All is Lost

All is Lost is book four in The Dragon Defenders Series. The series follows two brothers Flynn and Paddy who live on a remote island that they share with dragons ! When a group of evil men arrive on the island determined to kill a dragon and take its egg to trap it in their bosses private zoo, the boys take it upon themselves to defend the dragons on their island.  With the help of their animals, Clapper their horse, lighting their Falcon and Coco their Dog they hone their archery skills and take off into the wilderness.

This series reminds me of the How To Train A Dragon movies series with the team of kids taking on the bad guys to save their friends (their dragons) this book is great for kids who like adventure survival stories and stories with great animal sidekicks.