Read this book, fast as lightning!

Today’s Book: The Lightning Thief, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1


The plot: Perseus Jackson, troubled New York kid who gets kicked out of school regularly, finds out that he’s actually a demigod, and that all the Greek gods and goddesses are real (and lots of them are related to him!) In this first book, he’s accused of stealing Zeus’ original lightning bolt, and sent on a dangerous quest with his best friend Grover (a satyr who’s searching for the god Pan) and Annabeth (a demigod daughter of Athena, the goddess of wisdom) to retrieve it and prove himself innocent.

Why You’ll Love It: As epic as Harry Potter, but with a little more real world, and a lot more attitude. Riordan creates a world alongside ours that makes a lot of sense (the entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles, and the entrance to Mount Olympus is at the top of the Empire State Building), all the while including chunks of Greek myth; Percy meets Medusa, who sells garden statuary out of the people she turns to stone. And Percy, while a hero very much like the wizard Potter, is a little less tragic, and little more sarcastic. Part of the fun is reading his reactions to all of the new things his new world has to offer.

Who Will/Should Read It: While the Percy books are classified as juvenile/children's, readers of all ages can find delight in his stories. Chapters are short (only about ten pages each), so it makes for a great read-before-bed book. Read if you loved Harry or Charlie Bone, and especially if you have an interest in Greek mythology.

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Also available as an e-audio book!

Outside of a Dog, #44

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx.

Last week, we looked at some great titles about faeries for young adults. This week, we’ll take a peek into some kids’ books about the fanciful flying fae.

The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide – Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi

A series of five short books for younger readers, The Spiderwick Chronicles follow twin boys Jared and Simon, and their older sister Mallory as they move to a new house after their parents divorce. They find their ancestors’ house to be filled with fairies of all shapes, sizes, and stories, and the woods beyond, as well. There’s an element of danger, though, because there’s a reason why the fairies are tailing the Grace children…

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The Fairy Painting – Stacey DuFord

An easy-reader book with hand-painted pictures by local writer DuFord, inspired in part by the Flat Stanley books.

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The Fairy Rebel – Lynne Reid Banks

While Lynne Reid Banks is more well-known for her “Indian in the Cupboard” trilogy, this is a childhood favorite. Jan and Charlie, a young married couple, wish for a child, and fairy Tiki makes it happen; unfortunately, helping out humans with fairy magic is against the rules of the cruel Fairy Queen. Find out what happens to Jan, Charlie, Tiki, and the Queen when rules are broken.

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The Moorchild – Eloise McGraw

Changelings are children who are “swapped” with fairies and taken away to live among the “Folk.” This story tells of a young girl discovering she’s a changeling, and how she tries to find the human child she was switched with.

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There’s also the Fairy Realm series, the Disney Fairies series, and the Rainbow Magic series.

Next week: Faerie books for adults!

Take this book to the Graveyard with you!

Today’s Book: The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman


The plot: Bod, or Nobody Owens, was only a baby when he stealthily escaped from his crib and went crawling the streets of London. As luck would have it, he also barely escaped being killed with the rest of his family. He manages to get across the street, to a graveyard, where the ghostly Mistress and Mr. Owens decide to care for him, and give him the Freedom of the Graveyard – meaning he can come and go where only the dead usually are allowed. As Nobody grows up between the worlds of the living, the dead and the not-exactly-dead, he finds out why he's only safe in the graveyard.

Why You’ll Love It: Gaiman is a master storyteller, there’s no doubt about that. In this children’s book, released September 30 of this year, he visits a graveyard he once lived near, where his son liked to play, and plays, himself, with what might have been behind those gates. If you’d like to stretch your imagination to the spooky (but not-too-spooky), try this book!

Who Will/Should Read It: Gaiman enthusiasts (it’s no surprise that the writers of this blog are big fans!), kids who like a good spooky story, and even adults reading to kids (or to themselves) should pick up The Graveyard Book!

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