The Dragon's Tooth, by N.D. Wilson

If you liked Percy Jackson (Rick Riordan) and Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling) and are looking for what to read next, head on over to our Tween Area and grab The Dragon's Tooth, by N.D. Wilson. This is the first in a fantastic trilogy that's packed with high adventure, heart-pounding excitement, and non-stop action that will keep you on the edge of your seat. We promise you won't be able to put it down!

Cyrus Smith never thought there was anything special about his life. Since the death of his parents a few years earlier, he and his sister, Antigone, have lived a fairly boring existence with their older brother Dan and helped operate the family's run-down motel. But not many guests come to stay, so there's not much to do. 

Until...

On a day that begins like any other, a reclusive old man with a skeleton tattoo arrives and makes some very particular demands. By morning, the motel has burned down, the old man is dead, and Cyrus is in possession of a set of very unusual keys that, in the hands of the diabolical Dr. Phoenix, could spell the end of the world as we know it. Just before the bad guys arrive on the scene, Cyrus and Antigone are kidnapped by a hulking stranger who informs them that their family is part of an secret Order of magicians, explorers, and sages who have been keeping the world in balance for thousands of years. Now they must begin training so they can take their rightful place among these great men and women.

But that's not the whole story.

Years earlier, their parents got involved in something that caused them to fall out of favor with the Order (their deaths were no accident). And now, because of this, Cyrus and Antigone are outcasts. But despite being hated by nearly every member of the Order, Cyrus and Antigone must stay within the walls and train. Because staying means they will be offered a certain amount of protection. 

But Dr, Phoenix knows Cyrus has the keys to ultimate power. He knows where Cyrus is. 

And if Cyrus makes one wrong move... 

--AJB

A Day To Remember

November 11 is Veterans' Day here in the United States, Armistice Day in the United Kingdom, and Remembrance Day in Canada: It is a day for us all to remember the sacrifices made by previous generations of citizens around the world so that we can live freely today.

From: The Daily Telegraph newspaper

2014 marks the centenary of the start of World War One in 1914, and is being commemorated in England, with an art installation at The Tower of London of 888,246 ceramic poppies representing each of the British and colonial lives lost in that war. Click here to find out more about Blood-Swept Lands and Seas of Red, created by Paul Cummings and designed by Tom Piper.





One of these poppies will be on display here at
Oxford Public Library in 2015





In honor of Veterans' Day, and because I have always been fascinated by the experience of ordinary people in extraordinary situations, I recently re-read an excellent book, based on the true story of the Navajo Indian Codebreakers who served as U.S. Marines in World War Two.

Imagine that you are one of only a few people during World War II, in this country, who knows a code that might help defeat the enemy and end the fighting in the Pacific. Would you volunteer to serve your country? Ned Begay finds himself in this situation; he is a Navajo Indian, descended from people who were persecuted for decades by white men and forced to move from their sacred land. Yet he and his friends are willing to support the US Government in this time of war, and Ned becomes a Marine:

            “I realized right away that our job was a really important one. In order to win battles, Marines needed to communicate fast at long distances. In those days before computers, that meant using radio. However, anyone, including the Japanese, could listen to our radio messages. To keep the messages secret, the Marines sent them in code. But the Japanese broke every code our American forces used.  A new kind of code had to be created.” (p.73)

This book describes many of the famous battles of the Pacific, such as Iwo Jima, from a different perspective than you may have heard before, and allows us to see behind the stereotypes to the gentle, brave characters of the Navajo people. This is a popular Accelerated Reading title and one that should be read by all Teen patrons so that they understand something of what their predecessors did, in humble service to their country. You can find this book in the Teen Fiction section at OPL.

 Bruchac, J. (2005). Code Talker: a novel about the Navajo Marines of World War Two.

Eye of Zoltar, by Jasper Fforde

Jenny Strange, 16, Orphan, Indentured Servant, and acting manager of Kazam Mystical Arts Management has been assigned with perhaps the biggest (and strangest) task of her young life. 

In the Eye of Zoltar, the third installment of Jasper Fforde's Kazam Chronicles, The Mighty Shandar, greatest wizard of all times, is back--and he's got a vendetta against Jenny for unknowingly foiling his centuries-old evil plot to rid the world of any and all dragons. Shandar gives Jenny a deal: He will spare the lives of her two young dragon friends if Jenny retrieves for him the legendary Eye of Zoltar. The Eye is an egg-sized ruby of untold power that was supposedly last seen in the possession of the legendary Sky Pirate Wolff, who supposedly has a hideout within the legendary Sky Leviathan graveyard atop the mysterious mountain Cadir Idris, located at the heart of the deadly Cambrian empire. The odds are against her even before she begins her quest: Surviving the untold dangers of the Cambrian Empire are 50%...and the odds of returning alive from Cadir Idris are 0%. Furthermore, any unmagical person who touches the Eye (or even an unworthy magician) will be instantly transformed to lead. Yes, there are risks. But being a girl of considerable bravery and resourcefulness, Jenny accepts this challenge. She really has no choice.

Joined by wizard boyfriend Perkins, a princess in disguise, a rubber dragon (who is really a real live dragon), a rag-tag trio of adventure-seeking idiots, and a juvenile tour guide who is so hard-core she could scare the crap out of Chuck Norris, Jenny sets off on her impossible quest. What she learns while chasing legends is there is a reason for all the horror stories and secrets surrounding Cadir Idris. In fact, there is a reason for all the legends of the Cambrian Empire. Eventually, the ugly truth reveals itself: The Mighty Shandar's evil plot is to start the most vicious Troll War ever, and it seems the only one who can stop him and save the world as she knows it is the very non-magical Jenny. A cliffhanger ending promises a fantastic fourth installment in the (hopefully) very near future.

I can honestly say I haven't enjoyed a fantasy series this much since Harry Potter...and I think that, maybe, I like The Kazam Chronicles even more. The Eye of Zoltar makes an awesome addition to the first two installments of the series, The Last Dragonslayer (book 1) and The Song of the Quarkbeast (book 2). The Kazam Chronicles have it all: Adventure, humor, great characters, and an awesome storyline. If you haven't checked out these books yet...what are you waiting for?

Highly, highly recommended! --AJB

Teen Reviewer: Now You See Them, Now You Don't, by Gordon Korman

Teen reviewer Summer, 11, read Now You See Them, Now You Don't, book 3 of Gordon Korman's On The Run series. Summer really enjoyed this adventure story about two teens who must outwit crafty FBI agents in order to find the strange man who holds the key to rescuing their imprisoned parents.

"A man named Frank Lindenauer has the key to freeing Meg and Aiden Falconer's parents from jail. They cross the country to capture him, but the FBI is trying to catch him too. This book is very entertaining, so it worked out for me. But for Aiden and Meg, it's really hard to get to Frank. The two of them have a big choice to make: Either find Frank and free their parents or live alone and wait for their parents to get out of prison."

Now that does sound exciting! 

Summer recommends Now You See Them, Now You Don't for teens ages 13-15. The On The Run books can currently be found in the Youth Area's chapter books collection.

Teen Reviewer-- 3 Reviews

Veteran Teen Reviewer Kate read, loved, and reviewed three books: Fire and Flood, by Victoria Scott; Rebel Belle, by Rachel Hawkins; and The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken. All three books Kate would recommend for teens 13 and up.

In Fire and Flood, Tella's brother is deathly ill. So she enters the dangerous Brimstone Bleed Race where she hopes to win a cure. But there is no guarantee she will win--or even survive. "When I started reading Fire & Flood, I had no expectations. I hadn't seen many reviews for it, but I loved it! This book was a perfect dystopian and surreal story, and Victoria Scott's characters really come to life by the end of the book. This book had some plot twists that I didn't see coming."

In Rebel Belle, Harper Price, a popular homecoming queen type, unexpectedly comes into some serious powers: She becomes a Paladin, an ancient guardian. And who must she protect but her lifelong nemesis! Kate was pleasantly surprised by the book: "The cover made me think it was some girly kind of book, but it was the exact opposite. It was funny, exciting, and an overall great book. The story was amazing and I liked all of the characters. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book."

In Darkest Minds, teenage Ruby survives a deadly virus only to contract terrifying abilities. Having escaped a rehabilitation camp for other survivors, Ruby is on the run. Her only hope is to reach a safe house--but even there, nothing is as it seems. "This was an amazing dystopian read! I loved the author's writing and can't wait to see what she writes next."

Would you like to write reviews for our Teen Book Blog? Stop by the Teen Desk and find out how!

Teen Review: The Hunger Games

By now, lots of you have read about Katniss Everdeen's victory in The Hunger Games (or you've at least seen the movie), but this series is still new to some. Seventh Grader Rachel G. just read and reviewed the first volume in this now-classic dystopian trilogy. The verdict: OMG! Loved it!!

"It's my favorite book," she writes. "I absolutely loved it! It's even better than the movie."

The Hunger Games has something for everyone: Suspense, Action, Fantasy, Romance... Rachel recommends this book for teens ages 11-13. 

The Alchemyst

Action, adventure, excitement, suspense, fantasy, history... Michael Scott's The Alchemyst, the first volume in the The Secrets of the Immortal Nicolas Flamel series, has it all and more.

Firstly, forget the decrepit old man Flamel you briefly met at the end of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The Flamel featured in this series borders on being a butt-kicking action hero. And he's determined not to let his secret formula for immortality fall into the wrong hands. Namely, his nemesis, the equally butt-kicking, and very evil, Dr. John Dee. Aiding Flamel in his perilous quest are a ninja-like vampire and ordinary mortal twins Josh and Sophie Newman, who, as it turns out, may not be so ordinary after all. In fact, they play an essential role in whether the world as we know it is saved or destroyed. There's even a prophecy about them. Sprinkled throughout the series are references to famous characters  and places from both history and mythology (I'm sure you'll recognize some). Not to mention some seriously surprising plot twists and turns. And The Alchemyst only scratches the surface of the adventure in store for anyone willing to tackle this totally awesome series.

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicolas Flamel is probably one of my favorite fantasy/adventure series we own. I love reading books where mythology is featured in the plot, but crave something more in depth than Percy Jackson (which is not to say I didn't enjoy Percy Jackson, 'cause I did). This series was exactly what I was looking for. Hopefully you'll enjoy it too! --AJB