Seventeen-year-old Daiyu was adopted from China, raised in St. Louise and one day while at the city fair near the Gateway Arch, she purchases a beautiful ring and suddenly her life is changed. Sharon Shinn takes Daiyu on a delightful and frightening adventure in time travel to a different world. While in this new and exciting place Daiyu discovers love, learns about trust, and must trust her own abilities to make the right choice. This was a fun and exciting read. (Teen readers, ages 12 and up)

As I mentioned in my last post, we just created a new section in Oz called our teen section, which is probably my favorite section to read in all of Oz. I am in love with so many of the books in that section! And yes, I am a Twilight nerd:) I am even going to the midnight showing of New Moon, just like I did for Twilight.

Anywho, back to the awesome books at hand. If you were in this past year, you have probably heard of Graceling by Kristin Cashore, a story about Katsa, a Graceling girl with the extraordinary ability to fight and kill if she must. Because of her adept ability, she is used as the king’s henchman. However, as the reader soon learns, gracelings are rarely what they appear to be. Graceling is now out in paperback and the prequel to Graceling is now out, Fire, and is supposed to be even better. I have yet to read it, but it is sitting on my shelf, taunting me.

My absolute FAVORITE that I have read of late is Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. I. Am. In. LOVE. With. This. Book. Period. Now, when I tell what it about, you will wonder why: it’s about a Hannah Baker, a girl who, before committed suicide, recorded thirteen stories on seven tapes and sent them to the people that the stories were about. Tough stuff, I know. We learn everything through the eyes of Clay, the boy who had a crush on her, who would have been there for her if she had let him. I wasn’t sure I could read this novel when I first picked it up because of the people I have know who committed or attempted suicide, but this book HELPED me. Helped me understand how a person could get to that point and why people say it takes a whole village to raise a child. I haven’t been that moved and touched by a book so honest in quite a while. This is a must. And lucky for you, we have it in stock!

So there are two teen books I am excited about. Granted that isn’t all of them, (If I Stay by Gayle Forman, Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, The Maze Runner by James Dashner, Ruined by Paula Morris, Evernight by Claudia Gray…I could go on forever) but my point is that I love these books. And I would love to talk to y’all about them on a month to month basis. So, here’s the deal: if we can get enough interest in a children’s book club, we can start making it a reality. Just email me at emily@lemuriabooks.com and let me know how old you are (or if you’re a parent, the age of your child) and what kind of books you are interested in. So go forth and email!

Hi there.

My name is Emily and for the past couple of weeks, I have been the new leader of the small peninsula in Lemuria known fondly as Oz. I have the privilege of reading all of the great children’s books and then gushing to everyone who enters my magical world.  If you haven’t been in lately, there have been a lot of changes in Oz, so if you have any questions, look for me (brown hair, bangs) and I will answer all your questions and tell you what my favorites are right now.

There is always a lot of buzz about children and young adult books, but it seems like there is even more than normal right now. From movies (Where the Wild Things Are, New Moon, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part  1) to glowing reviews in the New York Times Book Review (Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, Spells by Emily Gravett, and Only a Witch Can Fly by Alison McGhee), children’s books are thriving even if the economy is not.  And many of these books aren’t just for kids. Suzanne Collins’ series The Hunger Games has captured my heart and the hearts of several adults I know.  Adults, people. We have even created a section called our “teen section” that consists of books I would recommend to anyone 13 or older. Don’t be scared. Come on back and see what we’re all about.

One thing that I am really excited about this job is meeting authors. Already, Jenny Cote has stopped by to sign her book The Dreamer, The Schemer, and the Robe; Michael Buckley, author of the Sisters Grimm series, came to sign his new book Nerds, and just last week, Alex Beard, author of The Jungle Grapevine, visited McWillie Elementary here in Jackson and came in to sign his book at our store. Author signings are a great way to get kids interested in reading. I had so much fun watching a brother and sister light up as Michael Buckley talked to them and signed their books to them. That experience will be with those children forever and adds immeasurable value to their books.

Coming up, we are having New Orleans native Paula Morris come sign her young adult book Ruined on Saturday, October 31st at 4:00 pm. Halloween is a great time for this signing because Ruined is a ghost story. We will all be dressed up, so come in your costume before you go trick or treating! It is really going to be a great event and we hope parents will bring their children to Lemuria’s Halloween party.

Also, on Sunday, November 15th, author Hester Bass will be in to sign her children’s book The Secret World of Walter Anderson. Illustrated by E. B. Lewis, this is a great way to introduce children to the great and local art of Walter Anderson. Even Nan, another Lemurian, raves about the greatness of this book. This is an event not to be missed.

We also received signed copies of Otis by Loren Long, a cute story about a friendly little tractor who makes friends with a baby calf; and local author Amy Carter has written an adorable Halloween children’s book entitled The Not So Wicked, Wicked Witch–and we have signed copies!

We have many more events and great books on the way, so I’ll keep you posted. A lot of great things are happening here. Don’t miss them! Get on our email list, email me (emily@lemuriabooks.com), stop on by! By plane, train, bus, car, or foot. Can’t wait to see you!

Okay, so forget about Gregor numbers 4 and 5 for right now.  I have to tell you about an incredible book that is the start of a new series by the author of Peeps and the Uglies series Scott Westerfeld and is illustrated by Keith Thompson.  It’s coming out late next week or early the following week.  It’s called Leviathan. Where to begin…well, at the beginning, I guess.  Our story takes place in 1914, in Europe, both continental in the Austrio-Hungarian empire and in Britain, so if you know your history, people and agendas and incidences are primed for the start of World War I.  Enter the prince of the aforementioned Austrio-Hungarian Empire, Aleksander Ferdinand and his being secreted away in the middle of the night by a band of faithful men…meanwhile, enter Deryn Sharp, a girl who wants only to be an airman in the Royal Navy and of course, she is an exceptional one to boot, but well, as in Eon: Dragon Reborn (another must-read that came out last December), the Navy at this time only accepts male cadets.  Disguise is the name of the game for Deryn, who cuts her hair and walks with a swagger (or tries to at least).  She ends up as one of the crew of the Leviathan as they charter a renowned scientist to her destination in Constantinople.  Alek and his men are making their way for neutral ground, as his own people, the Austro-Hungarians and the Germans are after him.  But for both parties, unexpected incidences and choices occur to throw them into the same dire and chaotic mess together.  Secrets abound, political agendas are ingeniously wielded by the author, and the two are on an adventure that will change them, and Europe, and the world forever.  But did I forget to mention the main character?

Let me explain.  The Axes powers put philosophy, faith, and military ingenuity in their Clankers, steam-chugging, iron machines that funny enough look like creatures.  Meanwhile, the Allies put their faith in fabricated animals.  Known as Darwinists, the Allied powers such as Britain have engineered creatures for man-made purposes such as war and combat.  Enter the Leviathan, a whale-like living ecosystem that functions militarily as an airship.  Its function as a catalyst for much of the plot of the story cannot be understated. There are just so many interesting, fascinating creatures and clankers in the book, you’ll just have to read it to get a feel and a sense for how imaginatively real, complex, and alive these weapons of war are.  Speaking of life or narrative vibrancy if you will, the writing by Westerfeld is just so lively in its combat descriptions, matter-of-fact, but lively at the same time, especially when the opponents have weapons like nothing on this earth!  Each character, and maybe it’s because of the crucible of war, is rich with his or her own agenda, his or her own fears and acts of bravery to combat those fears that it makes for highly compelling reading.   Moreover, Keith Thompson’s illustrations that accompany the narrative enrich it so and are, to me at least, quite sleek and expressive, capturing, magnifying the scene in my head that I found them to be an asset rather than a liability as sometimes pictures can be (e.g., movie characters who don’t look like the person we have envisioned and come to love in our own heads).

Published by Simon & Schuster, they are giving a book summary and trailer (using Thompson’s illustrations) on their website.

Michael Buckley will be here tonight at 5:00 p.m. (1700 if you are a NERD) to sign the top secret document NERDS, the first book in his new series about children who work as spies for the United States government. A Former NERD himself, Buckley now writes children’s books, such as the Sisters Grimm Series, and television programs. NERDS is a great book for late elementary/middle school aged guys and girls alike. Even as an adult, I had a lot of fun with this top secret file.

Meet Jackson Jones, former popular kid turned nerd when he was forced to get braces. Star athlete, teacher’s favorite, school bully. Now, because of a little bit of metal in his mouth, he has been ostracized and abandoned by all who once though he was the best thing since sliced bread. With all that free time, Jackson becomes a snoop, an amateur spy if you will, and not only finds out that everyone has a secret, but also that even the Nathan Hale Elementary School holds a secret: it is the base for a top secret group of spies called NERDS (National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society). As Jackson becomes a member of this group, he gets to know the other member, whose names I cannot publish on the Internet, but their code names are Gluestick, Wheezer, Choppers, Flinch, and their leader, Pufferfish.

That’s all I can tell you right now if I want to live, but as I said before, former agent Buckley, Codename Beanpole, will be here to sign this exciting book at 5:00. And you never know, he might answer questions about becoming a NERD.