The Lighting Thief

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Riordan, Rick. The Lightning Thief. New York: Disney-Hyperion, 2005.

Annotation: Percy discovers he is a child of a mortal woman and the Greek god Poseidon, and then he and his friends go on an adventure to prevent a war between Greek gods.

Book talk:

You probably thought that Greek myths were just that – myths. That is what Percy thought, too. But while on a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with a school he is trying not to get kicked out of, he find finds out the myths are real because he has to fight a winged hag, who also was his teacher. However, Percy founds out not only that the myths real, but he is a demigod, a child of a mortal woman and the god Poseidon. On top of that, he finds out that Zeus thinks that Percy has stolen his master lightning bolt and will start a war if it is not returned. So Percy starts a journey to find who stole the real bolt, fighting with Medusa and going to Hades along the way, but also discovering that he has special abilities. All of this just to prove he is not a lightning thief.

Book Trailer posted by highcrazyloony on You Tube:

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Teen Recommended:

Hunter, 12, recommends books about Percy Jackson in his favorite genre of fantasy.

Awards:

• A Best Book of 2005, School Library Journal
• A New York Times Notable Book of 2005
• A Best Book of 2005, Child Magazine
• Bluebonnet Award Nominee 2006, Texas Library Association
• Askews Torchlight Award (UK) Winner, 2006
• Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book List, 2005
• VOYA Top Shelf Fiction List for 2005
• ALA Notable Book for 2005
• YALSA Best Book for Young Adults 2005
• Red House Children’s Book Award Winner (UK), 2006
• CCBC choice award 2006, Cooperative Children’s Book Center
• A 2006 Notable Children’s Book, National Council for Teachers of English
• A Publishers Weekly National Children’s Bestseller
• Warwickshire Book Award Winner (UK), 2007

Awards source: http://www.rickriordan.com/my-books/percy-jackson/percy-jackson-olympians/lightning-thief.aspx

Extras:

• Check out the authors website and hear the first chapter read by the author: http://www.rickriordan.com/my-books/percy-jackson/percy-jackson-olympians/lightning-thief.aspx
• Watch the trailer for the movie based on the book: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi613221401/

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making

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Valente, Catherynne M. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. New York: Feiwell and Friends, 2011.

Annotation: After her father goes to war and her mother goes to work, September is taken by the Green Wind and a leopard to Fairyland, where Earth’s rules don’t apply and her adventure begins.

Book talk:
Which would you choose -- "To Lose your Way, To Lose your Life, To Lose your Mind or To Lose your Heart? Tough decision? Well, these are the choices September had to decide which path to take in Fairyland.She ended up in Fairyland by invitation of the Green Wind and the Leopard. But getting into Fairyland was the easy part. Once there, she has to decide what path to take and meets a variety of creatures, including a boy named Saturday and a dragon who loves books. And she has to remember she shouldn't eat fairy food! So which path does September choose? Find out and the rest of her adventures in The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making.

Check out the book trailer on YouTube!

Awards:

• Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award Maser List
• Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy

Awards source: http://us.macmillan.com/thegirlwhocircumnavigatedfairylandinashipofherownmaking/CatherynneMValente

Extras:

• Publisher information: http://us.macmillan.com/thegirlwhocircumnavigatedfairylandinashipofherownmaking/CatherynneMValente
• It includes information about the art, music and characters of the books. Plus, it has information about the author.
• Author website: http://www.catherynnemvalente.com/

Stardust

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Gaiman, Neil. Stardust. New York: Avon Books, 1999.

Annotation: Tristran Thorn crosses a wall into the magical world of Faerie to find a fallen star to present to his love, Victoria. However, in Faerie, adventure awaits because some things are not how a person would imagine them to be. 

Book talk:

In our town – the town of Wall – there is a wall that separates our town from Faerie. We are not allowed to cross the wall; there’s even guards there to prevent us from crossing the wall. We are only allowed to cross every nine years during a fair. And boy do they sell the strangest things, like storm-filled eggshells and glass flowers. If the fair is any indication, Faerie must be a magical place indeed. Well, I’m about to find out because I have to cross the wall. I’m in love with Victoria, you see, and she promised to marry me if I bring her back a fallen star that just fell on the other side of the wall. What is Faerie like? Are the people as strange as they are during the fair? I’ve overheard talk of unicorns, witches and flying pirates. What does a fallen star look like? Well I’m going to find out because I need to bring it back to Victoria. So how do I get past the guard and cross the wall into Faerie?   

Awards:

• Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature
• Alex Award from the American Library Association.

Awards source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stardust_%28novel%29

Extras:

• Link to movie: http://www.stardustmovie.com/index2.html
• Audio Except: http://www.neilgaiman.com/mediafiles/works/audio/102_Chapter_One.mp3
• Interview with Neil Gaiman and Jane Goldman (screenwriter) about Stardust: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md7qa2HxoU8&feature=related