After Percy Jackson, What's Next?

Fans of the humorous mythology series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan, can keep reading with these similar mythological titles: By clicking on the titles, you are linked to our library catalog to see if they are available.

Oh My Gods by Terra Lynn Childs
When her mother suddenly decides to marry a near-stranger, Phoebe, whose passion is running, soon finds herself living on a remote Greek island, completing her senior year at an ancient high school where the students and teachers are all descended from gods or goddesses.

Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
In this inventive, short, yet perfectly formed novel inspired by traditional Norse mythology, Neil Gaiman takes readers on a wild and magical trip to the land of giants and gods and back.
In a village in ancient Norway lives a boy named Odd, and he's had some very bad luck: His father perished in a Viking expedition; a tree fell on and shattered his leg; the endless freezing winter is making villagers dangerously grumpy. Out in the forest Odd encounters a bear, a fox, and an eagle—three creatures with a strange story to tell. Now Odd is forced on a stranger journey than he had imagined—a journey to save Asgard, city of the gods, from the Frost Giants who have invaded it. It's going to take a very special kind of twelve-year-old boy to outwit the Frost Giants, restore peace to the city of gods, and end the long winter.
Someone cheerful and infuriating and clever . . . Someone just like Odd .

Sea of Trolls: Richard Jackson Trilogy by Nancy Farmer
After Jack becomes apprenticed to a Druid bard, he and his little sister Lucy are captured by Viking Berserkers and taken to the home of King Ivar the Boneless and his half-troll queen, leading Jack to undertake a vital quest to Jotunheim, home of the trolls.

Have a Hot Time in Hades:Mythomania Series by Kate McMullan
Told from the point of view of Hades, he tells his own story of how "it really happened" when the gods and goddesses took their place on Olympus.

If you want to read the real myths before tackling these books, they are found under the Dewey Decimal Number 292-293

The Weight of Silence

The Weight of Silence is Heather Gudenkauf's first novel. If her second book is as well written as this one, I definitely will look forward to it. The story is an emotional one, it tells of two families stuck in their worst nightmare. It also shows how much weight and hurt words can carry. As you start reading and get involved with these two families, you don't want to put it down. Each chapter of the book is told by one of the characters in the story. This was very well done, because it gave you the thoughts and voice of the characters. I don't want to give too much away, but I would definitely put this on your to read list.

Is the Twilight Craze over?

With the release of the movie "New Moon" next month, I was stunned to see multiple copies of all the Twilight novels on the shelf today. Has the craze finally ended? This brings me to the next thought, first Harry Potter, then Twilight, now what? What do you think will be the next book to cause such a wave of readership?

Lev Grossman's "The Magicians"

I really enjoyed Lev Grossman's "The Magicians" but if you are looking for an adult Harry Potter stop right here. I don't think the two books are even close to comparing. The book opens with Quentin, a braniac destined for a prestigious college, who is completely bored with his life. He keeps hoping that the magical land of Fillaroy that he read about as a child exists. One day he follows a lost letter into a portal that transports him into an elite magical college. He accepts his new magician life but is disapponted again. This is not the Fillaroy he had hoped for. It is full of hard work, dissapointments, and unfulfillment. Once he graduates, he is at a loss at what to do with his skills until he is propositioned with an offer that he can't refuse. I really connected with this book as a symbol of the disillusionment some new college graduates feel after they leave. They have done all this hard work and preparation but then what? Quentin is a character you love to hate, which always a kudos to the author. For a realistic fantasy, I highly recommend this book.

Where the Wild Things Are- Not a Kid's Movie

Although this movie is an adaptation of Maurice Sendack's 1963 picture book, I would not consider it a children's movie. The plot is dark and very slow moving. It reflects the emotional upheaval of a divorced generation. It opens with Max, a neglected child of a single parent family, trying to cope. After a very heated fight with his mother, he escapes into the land of the wild things. The wild things are very unhappy because one of their own has left home....sound familiar? It is quickly assumed that the wild things share his desire of family togetherness. When Max becomes their king, he learns that it is harder than it looks to keep everyone happy. Each wild thing reflects someone back home in features and personality. They help Max realize the importance of what you have. Although a far cry from The Never Ending Story of our generation, this was an enjoyable and well shot movie... for adults.

New Sequel Releases for Kids and Teens!

September
Hunger Games #2: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Septimus Heap: Syren by Angie Sage
Chaos Walking #2: The Ask & The Answer by Patrick Ness

October
Blue Bloods #4: Van Allen Legacy by Melissa De La Cruz releases October 6th.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney releases October 12th.
House of the Night: Tempted by P.C. Cast releases October 27th.

I read Catching Fire and it was well worth the wait! Although this one wasn't as suspensful as the last, it did throw in some twists and turns that I did not see coming. I look forward to the next release. In case you haven't read The Hunger Games, it is a teen novel about an alternate world where everyone lives in districts. Each district is required to have two kid competitors compete to the death in a televised battle. Another sequel I read was The Ask & The Answer which was the very action packed sequel to The Knife of Never Letting Go. This alternate reality follows a boy who lives in a town called Prentistown where a virus has given men the ability to read eachother's minds and all the women have disappeared. This drives them into insanity until the boy discovers a girl hiding in the ruins and he must save her.

Richard Castle's Heat Wave

If you are one of the lucky ones who have discovered the ABC TV show "Castle" you will LOVE this book! If you do not know the show, let me catch you up. It is a comedy-crime show that revolves around a novelist writing a fictional mystery based on a real detective. With me? This book IS the book the character Richard Castle writes during the first season of the show. It is "real" in TV life and real life. At the beginning of season two, the book is "about" to be released. He even thanks the actors in the acknowledgment! What a hoot! And the book is an amusing read with a similar humor style. Give it a try. Oh, try the show too. The actors are funny, a good mix and fun to watch. And no gory science demos in this series, which I admit I am tired of seeing.