Well, it's November. And while to some that may mean cooler temperatures and shorter days, turkeys and thankfulness, there are others, admittedly stranger folks, to whom November means frantically writing 1,667 words every single day.

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I haven't done a book review for a while, but it hasn't been because I stopped reading. I just hit a run of books that I didn't feel strongly about. Then I got one I'd been waiting for and it didn't disappoint: Fire by Kristin Cashore.

Fire is a companion to Cashore's first book, Graceling, another favorite of mine. Fire takes place about 30 years prior to Graceling and is set in the Dells, a place that's separated from Graceling's seven kingdoms by impenetrable mountains. There's one important character that appears in both books, but to be honest with you, when reading Fire, I didn't remember that the character had been in Graceling. Anyway, Fire is a book that can stand on its own. The book starts a little bit slowly, introducing you to Fire, the main character. Turns out that Fire is the last human-shaped monster in the Dells. She is irresistibly beautiful and humans who catch sight of her off-guard want to possess her or kill her--no lukewarm reactions. Fire is able to read the minds of others and she's also able to manipulate their thoughts, but she only uses her power when she's attacked. Fire's father was a sadistic monster who easily corrupted the king and tortured others when he got bored, but he's been dead for a few years. Fire lives far from the King's City with the people she considers family--a disgraced former commander and his son Archer, who's Fire's best friend.

The Dells are in upheaval due to the king's death and his wild shenanigans before he died. Two rivals have created armies and threaten to tear the Dells apart. The new king calls for Fire's unique help in questioning prisoners to gauge whether they're telling the truth and to uncover the strategy of the rival lords. Although she's initially unwilling to use her power to hurt others, Fire does agree to travel with Archer to the King's City, and then the plot picks up.

Although I got a little tired of reading about Fire's incredible, burdensome beauty (and, to be frank, her troubles when her monthly cycle came), I did really, really like reading about this world and the characters living in it. Pick up a copy of Fire or Graceling and let me know if you're a fan, too.
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Now you know I like middle school students. I wouldn't be a teen librarian if I didn't. But some days when I'm working down here in the TeenSpace and the place is packed and the noise is loud and I'm walking the never-ending circle, reminding students yet again that there's no eating in the TeenSpace; no choking others in the TeenSpace; no two people in a single chair; no banging repeatedly on the computer table; no running; no constant peeking out of the study room giggling; no using a study room if your sole purpose is to peek out of the room giggling at a table of cute girls; still no eating in the TeenSpace--it all adds up to an exhausting number of no's and I get tired.


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The Teens' Top Ten list was just announced, and Paper Towns by John Green is, to me anyway, the surprising number one pick. Paper Towns is the story of a senior in high school who has a crush on the cool but unattainable girl next door. The girl goes missing, leaving some very hard to follow clues. The boy discovers one of the clues and suddenly decides it's his mission to find the missing muse. His search takes up the bulk of the book.

Here's the rest of the Teens' Top Ten list:
2. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
4. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
5. Identical by Ellen Hopkins
6. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
7. Wake by Lisa McMann
8. Untamed by P.C. & Kristin Cast
9. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
10. Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Locally, Breaking Dawn was probably the most popular, although it wasn't just teens reading it. Untamed, Identical, The Hunger Games, and City of Ashes have all been in high demand, with some kids asking for The Graveyard Book or Graceling. The others? Not much. For myself, I'd put Graceling, City of Ashes, and The Hunger Games near the top, but not the others. But most importantly, what do you think?
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