The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause

Annette Curtis Klause
The Silver Kiss
1992

16 year old, almost 17, Zoe is losing her mother to cancer, which is tearing her father apart. To add to Zoe’s shattering world her best friend Lorraine is drifting away—and moving to Oregon. When Zoe first meets Simon she’s suspicious of him, scared of him even, but eventually a tender friendship is formed. When Simon claims to be a 300 year old vampire and that he knows the identity of a certain serial killer, Zoe knows he’s crazy. But after Simon tells his story, Zoe finds herself believing him and even loving him. With her life falling apart, Simon is the only thing Zoe finds herself able to hold on to, but when she offers her help in stopping the serial killer, she knows she won’t be able to keep Simon forever.

Pgs 198
Romance, Fantasy, Horror
Young Adult
Interest Level 14 +

-Good fast read.
-For girls who like the vampire stories, but want an original surprise ending.

Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep by Gail Carson Levine

Gail Carson Levine

Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep

1999

Sonora is blessed by many fairies; things are going well, until one spiteful fairy curses the baby princess. She is to prick her finger on the point of a spindle and die. Lucky for the Princess, who being blessed with incredible intelligence knows exactly what is going on, there is one fairy left to give her blessing. Accommodating to the worries of Sonora’s parents the fairy alters the spell so that Sonora—and all on the castle grounds—will sleep for a hundred years until a handsome prince comes to save them with a kiss. But what prince is going to want to kiss the lips of a hundred year old princess?

Pgs 107

Fairy Tale Teen

Reading Level: Ages 2-12

Interest Level 2-12

-Good first chapter book for beginner readers.

-Some romance

-Cute story, entertaining logic

-Part of the Princess series

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith

Sherwood Smith
Crown Duel
1997

The young Countess Meliara promises her dying father that she and her brother will defend their people from the greedy king. Her promise leads them to war, which they are hardly prepared for. It threatens the very people they have sworn to protect. Meliara's capture leads her through a sea of events, and she finds an ally in an unlikely source who she continues to mistrust. It would seem that this time of battle is easier for Meliara to handle then when she is summoned to live at the royal palace for a time. Her brother and her sworn enemy, also her brother’s best friend, is putting things in order for her enemy's rule, who also happens to be her unlikely ally. Meliara must control her fiery temper and learn the rules of court, and the secret language of fans to get by in this dancing battle. Friends and enemies fill the halls and dance halls, and to survive, Meliara must learn to fight not with a sword but with wits, words and secret alliances.

Pgs 480
Fantasy
Young Adult
Interest Level 10+

-This is my favorite YA Book as of when I first read it.
-Some romance.
-Good for readers who want some action that is physical and internal and a saucy heroine.
-Some may find the story slow
-Good for girls, but boys may enjoy parts of this book

A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson

Eva Ibbotson
A Countess Below Stairs
1986

Anna, a charming and good natured Countess pampered and loved by her family and servants, is forced to abandon her home and country when her father dies. She and her family depend on the charity of her governess, but Anna is not satisfied and goes to work as a housemaid for an Earl. She hides her decision from her brother and cousin, telling her sick mother she has been invited to stay at a country manor. Despite the doubts of the household, Anna proves herself a good hard worker and her fellow servants and even her superiors grow to love her. She easily befriends the Earl’s uncle and the Earl himself when he returns home. The Earl begins to fall in love with Anna and she in turn falls in love with him, but there is one thing standing in their way, and it is not Anna’s low position of maidservant. The Earl is engaged to a nasty selfish woman who mistreats his friends, staff, and dog when he is not there to witness it. As the wedding draws near, Anna and the Earl feel the urgency of their love grow, and desperately search for a way to stop the Earl’s wedding. The problem is Anna must keep her identity a secret from everyone, even the Earl.

Pgs 400
Historical Fiction
Ages : 9 - 12
Interest Level 9 – 12

-A sweet romance; especially good for girls.

Belle by Cameron Dokey

Cameron Dokey
Belle
2008

With two enchanting sisters Belle is convinced she has the wrong name. She keeps herself from society, ashamed of her lack of beauty and devotes her time to wood carving. In her heart Belle longs to find the Heartwood Tree, a piece of a fairytale that has fascinated her forever. It is said that if the Heartwood is carved by the right hands it will reveal the face of one’s true love. During an awful storm Belle’s father comes to the Heartwood and encounters the horrifying, lonely Beast. It is up to Belle to carve the Heartwood to save her father, and learn to see not with the eyes of her mind, but with the eyes of her heart.

Pgs 204
Fantasy
Young Adult
Interest Level 12+
Evaluation

-Good read for girls who are fond of the fairytale stories with wonderful endings.
-Romance
-Well written, stays true to the story with some new ideas that are fresh and interesting.

Beastly By Alex Flinn

Alex Flinn
Beastly
2007

That guy in high school everyone hates and loves gets his comeuppance by the very kind of person he abhors-ugly-except she's not ugly. A fairy or witch that does things for the sake of good never is. Kyle Kingsbury has two years to find true love, but in the modern world where beauty is all that matters, who can love something so ugly as what his physical being has become? His inside was already obscene. This modernized fairytale was well written and an easy read. There was brief, vaguely mentioned sex; the language was pretty light to what I remember hearing in the halls of my small high school. This is an excellent read for teenagers who want to know what would happen to the Beast in our modern world and how he would handle it. What I liked about this version of the fairytale is that you really hate Kyle and are glad that he gets turned into a beast. But as the story develops and he learns his faults you grow to like him, you feel sorry for him, and you hope he gets that happily ever after. The best part is when he finally falls in love, and not with that Belle we're all expecting. This was a great read, easily done in a couple of hours. There are moments of excitement, anger, sadness, and happiness. For anyone who loves the tale of "Beauty and the Beast" this is a good pick, especially for those romantics who love the chance for happily ever after.

Pgs 320
Fantasy
Teen
Interest Level 12+

-Fast fun read
-Romance
-Good for teenagers
-I really enjoyed this one, stuck close to the fairytale but was original