Yellow Bird

 Title: Conversion
                                   # of Pages: 420

                                   Author: Katherine Howe
                                   Previous Work: 
                                                         The Penguin Book of Witches

                                                          The House of Velvet and Glass

                                                          The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

                                   Summary: "Are there any questions?" Father Molloy said,
                                   folding his arms over his chest and looking at us. I inclined 
                                   my head over to Emma, about to ask if she had any idea 
                                   what he meant, but she didn't seem to be listening. She was 
                                   staring at the front corner of the room, her cheeks flushed a 
                                   splotchy pink, and gripping her pen so hard, her knuckles
                                   were turning white. My gaze swiveled, following Emma's 
                                   stare over the heads of my classmates to the hallowed corner 
                                   where Clara Rutherford sat, her desk practically bearing a 
                                   little reserved card written in calligraphy. And that was the 
                                   first time that I saw Clara Rutherford twitch.

                                  After the Salem witch trials Ann Putman finally prepares to
                                  give her confession to the new reverend, as to her role in the
                                  events. In modern times an epidemic breaks out at Colleen's
                                  school with no apparent cause. As she investigates the events
                                  surrounding he strange illness Colleen discovers something
                                  startling. Her town is located where Salem used to be. Could
                                  the Salem witch trials be repeating themselves?

                                  Rating: This book is a 3.5.
                                  Awards: 

                                  2015 Young Adult Massachusetts Book Award

                                  Opinion: I really enjoyed the way the book effortlessly changed
                                  between present day and the past.  Anne's story was just as
                                  engaging as Colleen's. That being said, the stories seemed to
                                  reach a climax where they should have become intertwined, and
                                  instead, Anne's story and character arch seemed unresolved.
                                  Colleen's situation was left up to the reader to decide, but at
                                  least it felt finished. Overall, the story had a great presence with
                                  an eerie feeling, and enough history and suspense to keep the
                                  plot interesting.

A Happy Holiday Whodunit

 Title: Greenglass House
                                      # of Pages: 373
                                      Author: Kate Milford
                                      Illustrator: Jaime Zollars
                                      Previous Work: (For the author)

                                      Bluecrowne (Companion to Greenglass House)

                                      The Boneshaker

                                      The Broken Lands

                                      The Kairos Mechanism

                                      Summary: Milo was looking forward to an event free
                                      Christmas vacation at his adoptive parents' smuggler hotel,
                                      filled with holiday traditions, not guests. Unfortunately for
                                      Milo, luck was not on his side and the hotel filled with odd
                                      guests with strange habits and even stranger motives. As
                                      Milo and the cook's daughter Meddy set off to investigate a
                                      map one of the guests dropped, they became their alter-egos:
                                      Negret and Sirin. Could they figure out the mystery of the
                                      hotel? Or were they left out in the cold?

                                      Rating: I'd give this a 4.
                                      Awards:

                                     2014 Agatha Award Nominee for Best Children's/ YA Novel

                                     2014 National Book Award Nominee for Young People's
                                     Literature Longlist

                                     2014 Kirkus The Best Children's Books

                                     2015 Edgar Award for Best Juvenile

                                     2016 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Nominee

                                     Opinion: Greenglass House is the companion to Bluecrowne,
                                     but you can definitely read it by itself. That's what I did.
                                     Bluecrowne is about the ancestors of some of the characters in
                                     this book, so while it might provide some interesting
                                     connections, it isn't necessary.  Greenglass House draws you
                                     in from the very beginning. The author is very good at giving
                                     you a clear picture of what is going on. At times, I saw a vivid,
                                     beautiful movie in my head. I really hope this book is made
                                     into a movie at some point. The story is riddled with folktales
                                     that relate to the main story, as well as ones that are
                                     mentioned but not told. In my opinion those were almost
                                     better than the book, and I wished I could have read the ones
                                     that weren't written. The story was complex and realistic with
                                     a hint of whimsy. It was amazing. However, there's a reason I
                                     only gave this book a four. The first issue with the book was
                                     the illustrations. They're small and don't really add anything
                                     to the book. Not to mention, that while beautiful, they are
                                     actually kind of jarring. Some of them don't quite fit the
                                     descriptions in the book and I didn't like how the characters
                                     looked. The other issue was the end of the book. I won't give
                                     anything away, but the ending became seemingly more
                                     juvenile and less realistic. It almost seemed like a cop-out. If
                                     it weren't for the end, I could love this book without
                                     hesitation.


                                       

Magnificent Monsters

 Title: The Foundling's Tale/ Monster Blood Tattoo Series

                                                  Foundling

                                                  Lamplighter

                                                  Factotum

                                      Author/Illustrator: D.M. Cornish
                                      Previous Work: None

                                      Summary: Rossamünd is an orphan boy with a girl's name and 
                                      some unusual quirks. He lives in the Half Continent where 
                                      everymen and untermen (humans and monsters) live locked in 
                                      constant battle. The monsters kill humans and the humans, in 
                                      turn, kill the monsters and make a tattoo from their blood called a 
                                     cruorpuxnis. As Rossamünd goes on a journey to start his new life,
                                      he begins to suspect not all monsters are evil. But to think such a
                                      thing is a great crime, and could put Rossamünd's very life in
                                      danger.

                                     Rating: A 4.5 because the series feels unfinished.
                                    Awards:
                                    (For Foundling)
  
                                    2007 Aurealis Award Winner

                                    (For Lamplighter)

                                    2009 Aurealis Award Nominee

                                    2009 Locus Awards Top 15

                                    2009 Andre Norton Award Finalist

                                    (For Factotum)
                                    2011 Locus Awards Top 15

                                    Opinion: These books were interesting because I didn't feel like I 
                                    was reading about a made up world or fake people. The author has 
                                    a way of transporting people there, as if he lives there and wants to 
                                    tell you about it. I understood the struggles of the people, and 
                                    while it was a fantastical world, it didn't seem so perfect it couldn't
                                    be real. He even included a glossary and gorgeous illustrations (as
                                    shown below) to increase the reality of the land. However, the 
                                    author did one thing that really annoyed me. You would get 
                                    attached to characters and then they would just disappear. 
                                    Rossamünd would get a letter from them once in a while and 
                                    wonder about them constantly. My favorite character, Threnody, 
                                    was a victim of this method. She appeared in the second book then
                                    disappeared except for one letter in the third book. The author
                                    ended the series making a character disappear; the finale was                   
                                    very unsatisfying. Other than that issue, the books were great.

From Left to Right- Europe the Branden Rose, Rossamünd, and Threnody

Lightning Girl

Title: 1-800/ Vanished:

           When Lightning Strikes      OR   Vanished
                                                                  Volume 1
           Code Name Cassandra
                                                                  Vanished
           Safe House                                     Volume 2

           Sanctuary        

           Missing You                                                                                                  

                                        Author: Meg Cabot

      Previous Work: 
                                         
                                          All-American Girl Series

                                          Allie Finkle Series

                                          Avalon High Series

                                          Princess Diaries Series

                                          And many, many more!

                                          Summary: What would you do if you got struck by
                                          lightning and woke up the next day able to locate missing
                                          people just by seeing their picture? What if the FBI wanted
                                          to use you for your powers? And a totally cute guy broke
                                          you out of their facility? Welcome to Jessica Mastriani's life.
                                          How does she want to use her new abilities? Does she even
                                          have a choice?

                                          Rating: I'd give it a 4.5 because there was a little too much
                                          swearing for my taste.

                                          Awards: 
                                                 Basis for television show Missing

                                          Opinion: This book series is laugh out loud hilarious! The
                                          characters seem realistic, even if the effect the lightning had
                                          on Jess was not. I love the tension between Jess and Rob,
                                          the fact that the "bad guys" weren't who you'd think they'd
                                          be. The rivalry at the school was kind of like a warped
                                          Montague vs Capulet kind of situation. I loved this series
                                          sooo much- especially the ending. Yes that's right! A
                                          conclusion that actually makes sense. I'd recommend these
                                          books to almost anyone.

For International Readers Part 2

 Title: Ruby Red (Rubirot in German)
                                   # of Pages: 330
                                   Author: Kerstin Gier
                                   Translator: Anthea Bell
                                   Country: Germany
                                   Previous Work: 
                                                             The Ruby Red Trilogy 
                                                             (The other two books are not yet fully translated
                                                              to English.)
                                                             Many books for adults with German names
                               
                                   Summary: Gwyneth Shepherd has known her whole life her
                                   cousin Charlotte is going to travel through time. So when she
                                   does, she is taken completely by surprise. Soon her life is a
                                   whirlwind. She's time traveling every day, and taking turns
                                   being annoyed by and crushing on, the handsome Gideon.
                                   There's lots to think about. Why did her Mom lie about her
                                   birthday? How did she hide it? And much more.
                                   Rating: I give this book a 5.
                                   Awards: 
                                   International Bestseller
                                   Opinion: This book was full of mystery. You don't know who
                                   the "bad guys" are, and she finds out that her Mom has been
                                   hiding something from her, for her whole life. This book is
                                   definitely a must read!