Sci-Fi, Fantansy, and Sports

The Magician’s Nephew

By C. S. Lewis

Ever wonder what happened before “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe?” Well the Magician’s nephew has answers.  This book features two main children characters, Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer who are whisked away from their world to another world by a magic ring.  In this world they encounter a witch named Jadis, who later becomes the White Witch from “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.”  The children and ultimately Kirke’s Uncle are responsible for the White Witch being able to enter Narnia and thus have to help Aslan make sure she doesn’t destroy Narnia.  The book has many adventures and moral dilemmas and even explains how the Magic Wardrobe got its magic!

Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief

By Rick Riordan

The “Lightning Thief” is the first book written by Riordan in the Olympians series.  There are now many more books and even spin-off series, testament to the success of this book.  This story is about a 12 year boy who has a hard time staying out of trouble in school.   Though, well natured, Percy has been diagnosed with ADHD, as it turns out, the reason why he has a hard time concentrating is that he is not a normal boy after all.  While on class trip he is attacked by an evil mythological being, the reason being is that he is a Demigod.  His father, who he has never met, turns out to be a Greek God and has passed some of his extraordinary powers onto his son.  Now Percy must go to a camp full of others children who are just like him while he tries to master his new powers and find out which one of the God’s is his father.

Tangerine

By  Edward Bloor

Tangerine is the story Paul Fisher and his move from Texas to Tangerine FL with his family.  Paul is a 7^th grader who loves nothing more than playing goalkeeper in soccer and the best part is he is really great at it. His soccer ability is even more impressive because he is legally blind.  Paul has many hurtles he must overcome in this story, he is the new kid in town, because of his seeing disability there are those who don’t want him to play soccer, and he has a truly evil older brother who is a star football player.  This is a story about fitting in even when you are different, and Paul’s soccer ability helps him do just that.

Variable Star

By Robert Heinlein and Spider Robinson

Joel Johnston wants nothing more than to then to become a Composer.  He has dedicated his life to pursue his dream.  Though he is poor, he works hard and dreams big and with his fellow poor girlfriend Jinny, he feels like he can accomplish anything.  There is only one problem, Jinny isn’t really poor.  For the totality of their relationship Jinny has misled Joel, when Joel realizes the Jinny is the one he wants to spend the rest of his life with, the truth is revealed.  Jinny is the daughter of the richest man on planet Earth, Richard Conrad.  Now Joel is suddenly thrust into a life of grandeur and seems to think it is ok, until it becomes clear that the Conrad’s have no respect for Joel’s dreams.  He is to work for Richard for the rest of life and make Heir’s to the Conrad Empire with Jinny.   Would you give up your dreams for all the money in the world? Joel wouldn’t and so he flees to the only place where the Conrad Empire might not be able to find him, outer space.

Old Man’s War

By John Scalzi

If you were a retired 75 year old on planet Earth and the government asked you to enlist in an army created for intergalactic combat, would you consider it?  Well John Perry did!  Even though no one knows why, the government is recruiting elderly people to fight a war in space, after his wife dies Perry has nothing left to lose and decides to embark on one last adventure.  Perry takes an elevator to the recruiting office in space. When he arrives he is tested and eventually has his mind transferred into a new body,  A green body infused with animal DNA and nanotechnology which doesn’t just make Perry young again but stronger than ever! Now, equipped with this new ultimate weapon, and a brainpal (coolest smart phone ever) Perry understands how the elderly is fighting a war in space.

Deadline

By Chris Crutcher

Ben Wolf was a normal scrawny 18 year old high school senior, when he finds out that he has an incurable blood disease and only has one year to live.  Most people would crumble under this kind of pressure but Ben decides to keep it a secret and cram as much living has he can in his one year.

Star Wars: The Bounty Hunter Wars: The Mandalorian Armor

By K.W. Jeter

I remember watching the Star Wars movie “The Return of the Jedi” and being upset when Han Solo hit Boba Fett into that scary pit because I thought Boba Fett was so cool and wish he didn’t have to die.  Imagine my surprised when I found out there are entire books written about how Boba Fett escaped the pit and went one to become the greatest bounty hunter in the Star Wars universe.  This is the story of that escape and the war between all the bounty hunters in Star Wars that followed.

Maximum Ride:  The Angel Experiment

By James Paterson

This book is about 6 children who barely escape a research facility known as “The School.”  Calling them children is sort of misleading because the kids are only 98% human and 2% bird!  Gifted with the ability to fly the children start a new life in hiding just wanting to live and not have any more experiments done on them.  Unfortunately the School has also created “Erasers” which are part human part world to hunt down Angel and her Flock.

Chick Lit

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophia Kinsella
New York : Delta Trade Paperbacks, c2001
Becky Bloomwood has a fabulous life in London.  She has a great place to live, high class friends and a closet full of the season's best clothes.  We come to find that Becky really cannot afford the lifestyle she lives.  Her job is boring and doesn't pay well and she is beginning to get those dreaded phone calls from collectors and credit card companies.  Becky begins to cut back on spending and even attempts to bring more money in monthly, but nothing is helping and she does not feel better about her situation.  The only way to make herself feel better is to buy herself a little something.  A story at her job finally comes out and Becky becomes very interested in writing it.  A set of events follow the story and Becky's life transforms and she begins to succeed in all aspects of her life.

The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart
New York : Delacorte Press, c2005
Ruby's life begins turning sour in only a few days in her sophomore year in high school.  She has lost her boyfriend, all of her friends, a lacrosse game and everything that is important to her.  To make matters worse, rumors begin to spread that Ruby is a social outcast at her prep school.  When Ruby begins to have panic attacks about the events in her life, she starts to see a therapist.  Doctor Z asks her to make a list of every boy she has had any relationship or any kind of anything with.  This list helps Ruby realize that things could be alot worse and that life goes on.

Matched by Ally Condie
New York : Dutton Childrens Books, 2010
Cassia has always trusted that the society knows best and always follows their rules.  She is more than pleased when Xander's face pops up on the screen on matching day and cannot to start their life together.  But when Ky's face makes a slight appearance right after Xander, Cassia does not know what to believe.  Society says it was a rare glitch in their system but Cassia cannot get Ky out of her head.  She has to make a choice that will effect her whole life and her belief that society is doing right by the people.

The Earth, My Butt & Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
Cambridge, MA : Candlewick Press, c2003
Virginia does not fit it with the rest of her family.  They are all attractive and thin and she is more full bodied and not confident with her appearance.  The story follows Virginia as she comes to accept her outward appearance, her first physical relationship and how to deal with the people at her private school.  Can she survive school since her best friend has moved to Washington state? 


Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
New York : Delacorte Press, 2001
Four best friends are preparing to spend their first summer apart.  They are all worried that they will lose touch and forget about each other.  Before the summer begins the girls find a magical pair of pants that fits all of them and helps bond them together.  They decide to each wear the pants for a week at a time then ship it to the next girl and write letters to each other.  Each girl has to face her own battles over the summer, and the pants remind them of home and the wonderful friendships they share.

TTYL by Lauren Myracle
New York : Amulet Books, c2004
This is a novel that is written in instant message format.  It follows the lives of Zoe, Angela and Maddie as they enter into the tenth grade.  The reader experiences their day to day activities, plan and gossip about boys, friends and school.  They meet up everyday after school on their computers and chat online. Can their friendship stay in tact and survive high school?

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2004
Ruby Milliken is 15 years old and has lost her mother, the one person she could truly count on.  Ruby has to leave Boston, her best friend, her boyfriend and her aunt to fly across the country to live with her famous father in Los Angeles.  Ruby doesn't know her father since he divorced her mother before she was even born.  Ruby has to adjust to her father's lifestyle and accept the change and her new home.

Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen
New York : Viking, c1998
Hailey is beginning her junior year of high school.  But she has a lot to deal with.  Her best friend Scarlett finds out that she is pregnant unexpectedly and the father of her child has suddenly died.  Hailey doesn't believe in love since her parents marriage ended in heartbreak and seeing her best friend Scarlett hurting just kills her.  But when she meets the perfect boy for her, will she let him go or trust her heart?

Don't be so graphic!

 

Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again

By Frank Miller

Miller has imagined a world where Batman is much older than we are used to seeing him.  He is also much more calloused and willing to sacrifice lives to obtain victory.  Batman was once known as a Hero who would never kill and never sacrifice but years of being the Dark Knights has taken its toll on his morals.  In this graphic novel Bruce Wayne must stop Lex Luthor and his pawn Superman on a global scale.

Batman: Year One

By Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli

This is Frank Miller’s retelling of the origins of Batman.  Following closely with traditional lure but taking liberty to change tradition as he saw fit, Miller’s retelling is a such a masterpiece that it inspired the new Batman movies that have recently come out.  Miller has a way of storytelling that makes you almost feel bad for the Heroes, and “Year One” is no different.

Night of the Homework Zombies

By Scott Nickel; Illustrated by Steve Harpster

A class of fourth grade students has a very strange substitute teacher for the day.  He looks a little strange and acts very different than their normal teacher.  When Trevor left to go to the bathroom everything was normal, but when he returned his fellow students were turned into homework loving zombies!  Trevor realized how bad the situation was when his best friend Bo wanted to do math homework instead of playing video games.  It is up to Trevor to save his best friend, his classmates and to end the zombie spell that was cast by his crazy substitute teacher.

Naruto

By Masashi Kishimoto

Naruto is the story of Uzumaka Naruto a young boy who has big dreams of becoming the Hokage (Strongest Ninja) of his village called Konoha (Village hidden in the Leaf).  Naruto constantly seeks attention by causing mischief and generally being a pest.  Naruto has no parents and he assumes this is the reason why most of the villagers hate him.  Unfortunately, this is not that case, Naruto was born with the Nine-Tails demon sealed inside of him, this demon almost destroyed Naruto’s whole village and killed his parents and Naruto has no idea it is inside of him.  Until???

Maus

By Art Spiegelman

Maus is the true holocaust story of Art Spiegelman’s father and mother.  The story starts off with a conversation between Art and his father Vladek in present day.  In the story Art is wants to turn his father’s story into a graphic novel so he has a series of conversation with his father where is father recounts the horrors of the holocaust to his son. As the story progresses however, it becomes painfully obvious that this is not just a story about the holocaust, but also about the resentment and subsequent guilt that Art feels towards his father.  The reason for the resentment is probably that he blames his father (and probably himself) for his mother’s suicide. The most unique part of the book is that Art decided to depict a human story through animals.  Jews are mice, Nazi’s are cats, and Polish people are pigs.  This is the first graphic novel to ever win a Pulitzer prize.

Page by Paige

By Laura Lee Gulledge


Paige Turner has just moved to New York City and is having a hard time adjusting to her new surroundings.  She has a sketch book that she carries around with her and her pictures help her to adjust and explore her new life in the city.  Paige is a wonderful artist, but she keeps her talent to herself and doesn't let her new friends or family in on her secret identity.  Once she begins to feel like she belongs in the city, Paige begins sharing her work with her friends and family and becomes comfortable in her skin.  This graphic novel is perfect for young teens who are having a hard time adjusting or finding their place in the world.  The pictures are vibrant and full of life and will catch the eyes of many young readers.

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty

By G. Neri; illustrated by Randy DuBurke


This graphic novel is based on the true story of Robert "Yummy" Sandifer - nicknamed for his love of sweets, who was an 11 year old gang member in the Southside of Chicago.  Yummy had gotten into it with a rival gang and fired a gun accidentally killing a neighborhood girl named Shavon Dean.  Police searched the city high and low looking for Yummy.  His body was found in a railway tunnel and it was discovered that he was killed by his own gang members.  This story became the cover of TIME magazine in 1994 displaying the violent and troubling acts of inner city youth in America.  The story of Yummy will touch the hearts of anyone who reads this graphic novel and will allow teenagers to explore the violence of drugs and gangs.

Babymouse: Mad Scientist

By Jennifer Holm & Matthew Holm


Babymouse has a hard time concentrating in science class but this year she is inspired to create an awesome science fair project!  But she is having a hard time deciding what she wants to discover.  When her teacher announces that their first real experiment will be to grow mold, Babymouse is less than thrilled.  After several days, mold begins to grow on Babymouse's piece of bread, and still she is not excited.  Babymouse's father gets her a microscope so she can study her mold more closely.  She then decides to study amoebas for her science fair project.  Her Amoeba named Squish loves cupcakes and helps Babymouse explore the world of science!