Hey, YA People

[fuzzyoctopus]

I read it today at work (Fridays are slow) and you were right;  it was very good.  Extremely well-done. Now I need to sit down and re-read your paper
I think next I'll read Robin McKinley's "Deerskin" which I also got at DI.  I've gone a little book-crazy.

[Chimera]

Deerskin may be my favorite Robin McKinley. I know that sounds like blasphemy in light of Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword (which I absolutely love), but Deerskin struck a nerve at the time I was reading it and I've never been the same since.

Fair warning though: there is a graphic rape scene. You can skim over it, but it does serve a major purpose in the novel, so don't throw the book away just because it is there. For me, this was one of the most thought-provoking and moving books I'd read to date. It may not be so for you. But I thought I'd give you a heads up, in case you had no idea--McKinley doesn't usually have sex in her novels.

[fuzzyoctopus]

I didn't, but going from the source material I thought it was a possibility.
Thanks for the heads up.

[fuzzyoctopus]

I never know whether to dig up a 6 month old thread or start a new one.  Oh well.

So in my last rash of book buying I got a copy of a book called "Keeper of the Isis Light" by Monica Hughes. (Kristy and I are both huge fans of her "Invitation to The Game" and I wanted to see what else she had written.)

I like it quite a bit -  Anyone else read this?  Also in this batch is a nice hardcover copy of Pamela Sargent's "Alien Child".  One of the first sci-fi novels i remember reading as a kid.

[stacer]

Wow, you're always coming up with titles I've never heard of. Just goes to show that 1) I never remember titles, and I might well have read it. (I recently got 1/4 through a book before I realized it was something I'd read in high school. The title didn't sound familiar.) and 2) There are a TON of good books out there.

One of these days, I'll read the old ones. I can barely keep up on the new ones.

[42]

This is a good place to post this.

So I want to get my little sister a YA fantasy novel or two for Christmas. So before I make the trip to Barnes and Noble, any suggestions?

My little sister is very well read (she reads about 4-5 novels a month).

[stacer]

If she hasn't read Garth Nix, go with the Abhorsen trilogy (Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen). Or there's Howl's Moving Castle and its sequel by Diana Wynne Jones. I don't know--it depends on what she's already read. Sometimes with the well-read a B&N gift card is the best thing you can get them, so they can pick it out themselves.

However, I would also browse the "new" shelf--perhaps there's a brand-new YA fantasy she hasn't read yet. Perhaps the new Shannon Hale, Princess Academy. I haven't read it yet, but I love Goose Girl and Enna Burning, and she got a starred review for this latest.

[42]

Shannon Hale sounds like a good choice. If she has read anything by her, perhaps she's forgotten by now.

[fuzzyoctopus]

How old is she?  I know that doesn't necessarily tell me what reading level she's at, but do you know some things she's recently finished?

[42]

How old is she?  I know that doesn't necessarily tell me what reading level she's at, but do you know some things she's recently finished?

My little sister is 24. I'm sure you've met her before. I know recently she's read all of the Harry Potter books again, including reading one of them in Russian. Lately, she's been reading a lot of mystery novels.

She like YA books and has a lot of time to read.

[stacer]

There's a lot of buzz going around about a YA mystery called Lulu Dark Can See Through Walls. I have it at home, but haven't had a chance to read it, so I can't say one way or the other, but you might want to look for it. I *believe* it's got a paranormal aspect to it, but I'm not sure.

[Chimera]

I love Shannon Hale. But if your sister is 24 (the same age as me, incidentally) and not 14 than I would suggest you start with Goose Girl. Princess Academy is the newest and pretty good, but I still think Goose Girl and Enna Burning are superior.

[42]

Goose Girl wasn't in stock at Barnes & Noble. grrr...

[stacer]

Try your local independent bookseller!

The Read Leaf in Mapleton has a great selection of children's books usually.

[Faster Master St. Pastor]

Yes, go with Garth Nix. The Abhorsen Trilogy is good. He has a new one out set in that world called Across the Wall, which is a collection of short stories. Other than that I don't really know, I sort of skipped over YA fantasy and moved on to college level really quickly.