Liesl and Po

The sun hasn’t shown in over 1,000 days, and it’s been three days since Liesl’s father died. Liesl has been locked up in her step-mother’s tower—to keep her out of harm’s way, of course—since her father died. One night, a cookie-cutter figure of a person materializes in her dark room, along with its pet companion. The ghost’s name is Po and it came from the Other Side. When asked if it is a boy or a girl, Po explains it doesn’t remember; on the Other Side, things are different. So begins the friendship of Po and Liesl. Around the same time that Po and Liesl meet, we are introduced to Will, the Alchemist’s orphan apprentice. Will has just been given another late night assignment, to deliver to most impressive magic the Alchemist has ever created to the Lady Premiere and also to get materials from the coroner. The magic he must give to the Lady is rumored to bring the dead back to life. Will accidentally mixes up the box with the magic and the box at the coroner’s that holds Liesl’s father’s ashes. From that one mistake, Will finds himself on the run. Liesl, too, is on the run, having escaped from the tower to deliver what she thinks is her father’s ashes to their old home. Liesl, Will, and Po find themselves in the adventure of a life time and form a friendship strong enough to transcend dimensions.

Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver (acclaimed author of Before I Fall and Delirium) is a charming tale about friendship, magic, family, and the power of belief. Oliver’s writing is lyrical, with a fairy tale quality. Illustrations interspersed throughout the book really make the story come alive. This book is highly recommended for fans of the supernatural, fairy tales, and books with beautiful writing.

A Monster Calls

There is one thing that scares Connor more than anything in the world, more than when his father left him and his mother to move to America, more than his creepy grandma, and more than his mother’s cancer that never seems to get better. This is Connor’s one truth, a truth that hides itself in a horrible, incessant nightmare that no one can ever know about. On a particularly stormy night, when the old Yew tree outside his house comes alive, turning itself into a horrible, leafy monster and calls to Connor, Connor is not scared; this monster is not the same monster as in his nightmare. The monster, which has always preferred to take the shape of a Yew tree, is as old as stars, wide as the sky, and righteous in a way that would confuse most humans. The monster has only come walking three times before Connor called it and he tells Connor that he will share three stories with him. When he is done with these tales of royal quarrels, selfish apothecaries, and a wicked step-mother, Connor must tell him a story, the truth he has never dared tell anyone.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness is lyrical, haunting and heart-wrenching; it’s one of those rare books that will stay with you forever. The stark black illustrations throughout the book add even more depth to the story and characters. Make sure to have some tissues nearby when you get towards the end of the book. One of the best books I’ve read this year!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Jacob grew up with fantastical stories from his grandfather that he always wanted to believe. Jacob’s grandfather is a Holocaust survivor; after surviving the Nazi's horrific genocide as a child, he has been on the run from something else: monsters. Jacob’s grandfather took solace along with many other children in a mystical house on an island off the coast of Wales, led by “the Bird,” their protector. Jacob’s bedtime stories were filled with these peculiar children: some could levitate, one had a mouth in the back of her head, covered up by golden curls, and others could control sound waves or elements. As a teenager, Jacob denounces these stories as lies, and he believes that his grandfather’s fear of monsters is nothing more than a delusion caused by old age and the trauma he faced as a child. But, when Jacob sees his grandfather lying dead outside their house and catches a glimpse of his killer, an otherworldly-looking creature with long tentacles coming out of his mouth, he realizes that everything his grandfather said must be true. Jacob sets off to the island where his grandfather grew up, hoping to find clues about the peculiar children, the monsters they were running from, and their guardian, Miss Peregrine. The challenge is not only where these clues are, but when.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs is a mysterious tale of survival and believing in your own abilities. The book is filled with old pictures of the peculiar children, the basis for the creation of the specific children. The photos make the book unique and compliment the text nicely—they’re also fascinating to look at on their own. Unfortunately, the book is a little too similar to the X-men and Xavier’s School for the Gifted. Even the Holocaust was an important part in shaping one of the main character’s lives, as it is in this novel. While the story is enjoyable, the similarities were so striking that it detracted from the original aspects of this book. Nonetheless, it is still worth reading.

The Name of the Star

Jack the Ripper is still considered one of the most feared serial killers in history. The murders he committed in 1888 were the first to be committed for no real reason other than enjoyment. More than two-hundred years have passed and someone-or something-is carrying out murders in London that follow the exact MO as Ripper: the days, the times, and the number of victims. Rory finds herself in the middle of all this when she moves from New Orleans to London when her parents take a job teaching at a British University. At first, the only thing Rory has to worry about is fitting in at her new foreign boarding school; but she soon finds herself the only witness for one of the Ripper murders, and oddly enough, the only person to have seen the killer, despite her friends standing right next to her when he spoke to her. With the help of a special, underground police force, virtually unknown to anyone in London, Rory realizes that she has a gift that can help put a stop to the psychotic new Ripper—but at what price?

The Name of the Star, book 1 in The Shades of London series, by Maureen Johnson is an intriguing, supernatural take on the Ripper murders in modern times. While this is not historical fiction, Johnson clearly did her research on Ripper and his affect on 19^th century London and the world thereafter. The ending was a little too neatly resolved, but there is still plenty of suspense throughout the novel that will have you guessing. If you love series, you’ll be happy to know that there will be more books after this one; for those of you who don’t care for continuations, The Name of the Star stands well on its own. This is one spooky read you don’t want to miss—and just in time for Halloween!