How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

Larbalestier, J. (2008). How to Ditch Your Fairy. (p. 320). Bloomsbury USA Children's Books.

ISBN: 1599903016

Classification:book, fiction

Genre: fantasy

Age Level: 9th-10th grade

Subjects: faerie, fantasy, fiction, friends, identity, love story, magic

Reader's Annotation: Charlie desperately wants to trade her parking spot fairy in for a fairy with a more useful talent.

Summary: In New Avalon, most people have invisible fairies that provide them with some handy talent or skill. There are loose change fairies, which help their people find loose change. Her friend has a shopping fairy that helps people find great outfits (that are always on sale!) Charlie hates her fairy. She has a parking fairy. She's 14, she can't drive, but people always want her to ride along, so they get good parking spots. She's trying to drive her fairy away by never riding in cars or buses. She hopes if she can get rid of the parking fairy she'll get a new, better fairy. Avoiding cars is causing her some trouble. She keeps getting demerits for being late. Then, her arch-nemesis Fiorenze, who has a fairy that makes every boy her age fall in love with her, decides to help Charlie ditch her fairy. Why would Fiorenze be an expert? Who could possibly want to rid themselves of such a perfect fairy?

Reviews / Awards:

Teen Ink Review

Author Info:
Justine Larbalestier's website

Potential Hotspots:

none

Readalikes:

• Jinx by Meg Cabot
  
• Uglies books by Scott Westerfeld

Why it belongs in a YA collection:
Who hasn't wanted a good-hair-fairy? Also of interest to teens will be the sports school Charlie attends, and the strict rules for everyone in New Avalon. It's interesting to wonder if these rules makes life better for residents or worse. This is mostly a light, fun, read that teens will choose to just relax.

Other:

Justine Larbalestier is Scott Westerfeld's wife....so it's interesting to compare and contrast their novels.

Evaluation:

3.5 stars

Miki Falls by Mark Crilley

Crilley, M. (2008). Miki Falls vol. 4 Winter. (p. 167). Harper Teen.

ISBN: 9780060846190

Classification: graphic novel, fiction

Genre: fantasy

Age Level: 9th-12th grade

Subjects: fantasy, fiction, graphic novel, love story, magic, series

Reader's Annotation: Miki Yoshida falls in love with Hiro Sakurai, an immortal who is prohibited from falling in love.

Summary: This series of four graphic novels (each named after a season of the year) follows the relationship between Miki Yoshida and Hiro Sakurai. Miki is starting her last year of high school when Hiro enrolls. Hiro is very handsome and the subject of much interest at school but he continuously rebuffs all attempts of friendship. This only makes Miki more determined to be his friend and to uncover the mystery behind his reclusiveness. She discovers that Hiro is one of a group of immortals whose task is to care for the amount of love in the world. They match humans who should be together and break humans apart who are not tending to their loving relationships. Hiro is not supposed to fall in love, but, of course, he falls for Miki. Having violated the rules of his people, he and Miki must flee from the ruler of Hiro's people who may not have the world's best interests at heart.

Reviews / Awards:

Read About Comics Review

Author Info:
Mark Crilley's website

Potential Hotspots:

some fighting, magic

Readalikes:

• Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya
  
• Regifters by Mike Carey
• Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
  

Why it belongs in a YA collection:
Mark Crilley created the well known series "Akiko" and thus he will be familiar to teen graphic novel fans. Also, the love story and magical elements will appeal to teens (girls in particular) who are not usually graphic novel fans. These are four books that will be quick, light reads.

Other:

There is a Miki Falls music video on YouTube, and rumors of a movie to be made in the near future.

Evaluation:

4 stars

Jinx by Meg Cabot

Cabot, M. (2007). Jinx. (p. 262). HarperTeen.

ISBN: 0060837640

Classification: book, fiction

Genre: fantasy

Age Level: 8th-11th grade

Subjects: fiction, magic, love story, family

Reader's Annotation: Jinx moves to New York in an attempt to outrun her notorious bad luck, but instead she finds a cousin determined to force her to use her magic powers for evil purposes.

Summary: Bad luck always seems to follow Jean Honeychurch, so much so that her family and friends call her "Jinx" instead of Jean. She hopes that when she moves from Iowa to New York to live with her aunt's family that she'll get a fresh start. Sadly, the bad luck follows her. Her ultra-hip cousin Tory pegs Jinx as a witch and invites her to join her coven. Jinx knows the story of her great-great-grandmother who supposedly passed supernatural powers to one of her offspring. She'd rather have nothing at all to do with witchcraft as her one previous attempts went disastrously wrong. When Jinx begins to understand how Tory would use magic powers, though, she has no choice but to get involved.

Reviews / Awards:

Common Sense Media Review

Author Info:
Meg Cabot's Website

Potential Hotspots:

witchcraft, attempted suicide, attempted bloodletting, drugs and alcohol

Readalikes:

• A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
• Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz
  

Why it belongs in a YA collection:
Meg Cabot is a YA staple, and this fun story, if not overly thought provoking, does ultimately convey a message to be true to your own talents and abilities.

Other:

A painless read that I would recommend to someone looking for a fun book.

Evaluation:

3 stars

Beastly by Alex Flinn

Flinn, A. (2007). Beastly. (p. 304). HarperTeen.

ISBN:0060874171

Classification:book, fiction

Genre: fantasy

Age Level: 9th-10th grade

Subjects: fantasy, friends, identity, love story, magic, prejudice

Reader's Annotation: Kyle is cursed by a witch and transformed from a gorgeous high schooler to a hideous beast until he can win true love in his beastly form.

Summary: The Beast starts the story as the gorgeous, has-it-all, neglected Kyle Kingsly. He's mean to the wrong girl though. He's rude to a witch, who turns him into a beast. His father won't see him and sets him up with a kind housekeeper and a blind tutor in a house he's not allowed to leave. He ensnares one of his former classmates, and tries to win her love to break the curse.

Reviews / Awards:

YA, YA, YA's Review

Author Info:
Alex Flinn's Website

Potential Hotspots:

teens treating each other badly, unkind parenting

Readalikes:

• Beauty by Robin McKinley
  
• Wicked by Gregory Maguire
  

Why it belongs in a YA collection:
This modern fairy tale retelling will be familiar in the general plot, which makes it a good choice for reluctant readers. The desire to see the transformation of the overly gorgeous Kyle will also keep teens turning the pages. Mostly though, the humor and romance of the tale will be the selling point for this book.

Other: Alex Flinn is also the author of "Breathing Underwater" an ALA notable book.

Evaluation:

3.5 stars

The Arrival by Shaun Tan

Tan, S. (2007). The Arrival. (p. 128). Arthur A. Levine Books.

ISBN: 1590785002

Classification: graphic novel, fiction

Genre: urban fantasy

Age Level: 9th -12th grade

Subjects: graphic novel, family, fantasy, immigration, magic

Reader's Annotation: A father leaves his family for a foreign land in hopes of creating a better life.

Summary: The Arrival is an immigration story. The protagonist leaves his family behind to forge a better life for them in a strange, downright fantastical, new land. There are no words in this story, only a foreign alphabet, which gives the reader an idea of what it would be like to struggle in a place where you didn't speak the language. The protagonist finds a job in a massive factory and begins to make new friends though he obviously misses his family very much. Through the sepia toned pictures that seem to come from an old family album, the reader understands how much struggling goes into setting up a life in a new place.

Reviews / Awards:

New York Times Review

• 2007 The Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards: Picture Book of the Year
• 2007 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, Community Relations Commission Award
• 2008 Hugo Award Nominated for Best Related Book

Author Info:

Shaun Tan's Webpage

Potential Hotspots:

--

Readalikes:

• Woolvs in the Sitee by Margaret Wild
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
  

Why it belongs in a YA collection:
This immigration story is one that will be familiar to most readers but it is told in a way that is unlike any other book. Tan's graphic novel is a stunning example of visual storytelling, and thus a fantastic choice for reluctant readers. There is nothing "easy" about this rich and complex story, but the lack of words makes it perfect for those who struggle with reading.

Other:

The illustrations in this graphic novel are incredible. They are rich with detail and frequently appear more like photographs than like drawings. Readers will be able to enjoy them again and again.

Evaluation:

5 stars