Libby's Guide

Sophie and Agatha are an unlikely pair in the town of Gavaldon. While Sophie dreams of being taken by the Schoolmaster to the School of Good and Evil, Agatha is content with their normal, little town. But when the Schoolmaster does come and Agatha interferes, Sophie’s plans and dreams are turned upside down. Sophie is put in the School for Evil and Agatha ends up in the School for Good.  As everything unravels, each girl will be tested in ways she never imagined. 

With a traditional fairytale setting, The School for Good and Evil attacks all our ‘happily ever after’ stereotypes.  It is a stor...

Ariel Kaplan creates wonderfully clever and quirky teen characters that confront the worst of teen angst without being annoying.  In this modern twist on the classic Cyrano de Bergerac, we have two best friends: Aphra Brown, the bold and outspoken one with a face she is sure no one can love, and Bethany Newman, heartbreakingly beautiful but painfully shy. Together, they try to win over Greg D’Agostino, the school heartthrob who has a lot more depth than either girl expected. However, while helping her best friend, Aphra finds herself losing her heart to her best friend’s boyfriend.

The surface sto...

Rhen’s kingdom is under a curse. He relives the same season, each time trying to make a girl fall in love with him until he turns into a beast obsessed with destruction. With each failure, the process begins again. Harper lives in present day Washington, DC with a troubled life of her own. When an accident pulls her into Rhen’s magical kingdom, Harper comes at all problems in her usual way--swinging and fighting to make sure justice is done. Will this strange new combination be the key to breaking the curse?

A Curse so Dark and Lovely is one of my favorite takes on the Beauty and the Beast fairy t...

One of the newest in the Rick Riordon Presents series, The Storm Runner introduces a Percy Jackson-like story focusing on Mayan gods. Zane Obisbo is an ordinary boy with an ordinary life, until one day he isn't. As strange things start to happen near the dormant volcano behind his home, Zane's life begins to change. Soon he finds himself dragged into a struggle between Mayan gods and mythical creatures. Not only that, Zane learns he is possibly the son of one of the gods.

Filled with fast-paced adventure, this is a perfect read for tweens. Zane is a relatable character in an interesting circumstan...

Ari Logan is struggling to overcome the awful night when she tried to hurt herself. As she climbs out of depression, she spends time at the local lake watching her little sister. Ari also finds herself caught in a one-sided crush on a new boy at the lake. Filled with confidence and charm, Camden Armstrong seems like everything Ari would like to be. But she only watches.

The next summer, a more confident Ari starts up a conversation. That conversation leads to friendship, time with Camden’s friends, and eventually a relationship. Ari is happy and in love, but quickly finds real relationships are mo...

Delsie has always felt left behind--when her mother leaves, when Papa Joseph dies, and when her best friend only wants to hang out with the new girl.  She wonders if she’s broken and how her life got so mixed up.  But as the summer goes on and Delsie makes new friends and recognizes old loyal friendships, her perspective begins to change.  She realizes that ‘It’s not what you look at that counts, but what you see,’ and Delsie finally understands that she has been surrounded by love all along.

As usual, Lynda Mullaly Hunt approaches painful subjects with hope and grace. She creates wonder...

Zayneb is on her way to Doha, Qatar, after being suspended from school because of a racist teacher.  Adam is on his way home, still working through being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. They both notice each other on the plane from London, but only exchange a few words. When they meet again at a party, neither can deny their connection.  However, life’s problems and some miscommunication threaten their beginning relationship. Will they overcome the distractions that get in their way?

This is a light story of young love, but it is also so much more.  Zayneb’s story confronts the problem of...

CJ loves her unique life. She lives in a tour bus and travels the United States with her Aunt Nic’s psychic medium show. When CJ gets lonely for her mother who died shortly after she was born, she can talk to her through Aunt Nic. When Aunt Nic warns CJ she will no longer be able to communicate with her mother, CJ goes searching for a tether--something to tie her mother’s soul to the earth. CJ heads out on a road trip that digs deeper into her family’s past. However, the secrets CJ uncovers leave her wondering what is true and what are lies.

Through a story filled with mystery, Lisa Graff introduc...

With his starkly beautiful verse, Jason Reynolds makes the cycle of gang violence approachable and profound. The story features fifteen-year-old Will whose brother Shawn was just shot and killed. Will now has Shawn’s gun and is on his way to take revenge. But on the elevator out of the building, Will is visited by several ghosts--all the people in his past killed by gang violence.

The story is short, the writing concise, but Reynold’s story carries a powerful message that everyone needs to hear. I can’t imagine a better way to attack a painful subject for teen readers. I would recommend Long Way D...

As the author Jordan Stratford explains, “this is a made-up story about two very real girls.” Mary Godwin and Lady Ada Byron are two clever girls at a time when girls are restricted. Together they start a clandestine detective agency. When they advertise their services, they find themselves searching for a stolen necklace. Their first case brings together a variety of historical and literary figures in a hilarious race to catch a thief.

Stratford’s storytelling is clever on its own, entertaining enough for young readers. I especially enjoyed the humor and puns surrounding the literary figures. Thi...