If You Want Something To Do This Winter…
The season, the holiday, and the break are almost here! Chances are unless you inhabit a snow fort and have no use for heating (and on the off-chance this is you, I seriously admire your skills), you’ll be spending many merry days inside. When the weather is frightful and you’re tired of checking different social networks this winter, I suggest you acquire a copy of one of these incredible books and start reading!
- The Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater
If you have ever picked up Shiver/Linger/Forever and immediately, negatively been prejudiced against the idea of werewolves being part of this story, I urge you to re-evaluate it. There are no other fantastical creatures, and the wolves are mainly just a local curiosity being protected by a close group of friends. As you read further, you will find a warm love story, chilling suspense, and thrilling surprises. The several protagonists with rotating perspectives will grow on you and allow you to connect with your emotions. Even though many of you have probably read these books before, this trilogy is the full package and the drama is even more realistic in a true winter setting. An acclaimed winner of over two dozen awards, The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy is absolutely perfect for reading by a toasty fire with a hot chocolate. - Pluto’s Ghost by Sheree Fitch
How many of you read The Gravesavers as preteens and are now wishing you hadn’t outgrown it? Are you a fan of Canadian books with a setting so believable that you swear you’d recognise the town blindfolded? Then Pluto’s Ghost is for you. It is the story of rebellious Jake Upshore, a high school guy who goes on a wild goose chase to Halifax to find his secret girlfriend, good-girl Skye Derucci. His frazzled escapade is triggered by accusatory rumours spreading at school because Skye is absent and thought to be pregnant with Jake’s child. In a typical “Jake the Juvenile Delinquent” move (but with kind motives) Jake does whatever it takes to find Skye, including getting arrested for murder. - The Leviathan trilogy by Scott Westerfeld
In these new books, the author of Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras brings you new societies, eras, and characters. World War I is about to break out with the British Darwinists’ monstrous “beasties” fighting the German Clankers’ steam-powered machines. Prince Alek, the son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Princess Sophie, must escape Austria-Hungary, and Alek eventually finds his way onto a Darwinist vessel named Leviathan. There he encounters a Scottish girl disguised as a boy, and the two begin a friendship that lasts throughout the entire trilogy. Their adventures include raising experimental beasties created by the granddaughter of Charles Darwin, also on the ship travelling from Russia to America, and becoming acquainted with the scientist Nikola Tesla. This is highly recommended for fans of Kenneth Oppel; this series will not disappoint. - One For Sorrow by Mary C. Sheppard
Imagine going through life half blind, illiterate, shy, poor, and forever being told by your spinster sister how stupid you are. That’s what every day is like for Issy Heffernan, a fifteen-year-old girl living in a small Maritime town with her bedridden, miserable mother and thirty-five year old school principal sister during the 1970s. Issy dreams of reaching age sixteen so she can drop out of school and run away from everything she’s ever know- until the day that Wish Sweetapple, her only true friend, returns after graduating from school in Toronto where he was forced to relocate when his parents died. Wish re-earns Issy’s trust, gets her involved in social activities, and helps her make friends, eventually leading to Issy’s mom getting out of bed and beginning a normal life and a brighter future for Issy. This is a wonderful story of hope and determination, having something to offer and a lesson to teach everyone.
