Come one, come

Chatterbox: Blab About Books

Random Recommendations
Come one, come...

Come one, come all, and submit whatever books you would like to randomly recommend. Please include title and author. Details and/or summaries of the books' contents are not required, but useful for getting people interested.

submitted by Viola?, age Secret, Secret
(April 3, 2018 - 10:03 pm)

The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick.

The book is set in 1930s Paris, and half of the book is told in pictures. There's a few pages of text, and then several full page illustrations, and then more words; and it all blends perfectly into one big story. Fascinating story, and the illustrations are exellent. As for the story itself... I'll leave that a suprise.

submitted by Alizarine, age unknown, whereabouts uninteresting
(April 4, 2018 - 5:35 am)

I've heard about this one, but I haven't read it yet. Maybe I'll need to do that.

Also, is this what the movie Hugo is based on? 

submitted by Inktail
(April 7, 2018 - 4:59 pm)

Umm... yes. I had to look it up. I haven't seen the movie yet...

submitted by Alizarine
(April 8, 2018 - 2:52 pm)

YAAS I absolutely LOVED this book and I also liked the movie.

submitted by AutumnArtist(A.A.), age 14
(July 6, 2018 - 8:02 pm)
submitted by Alizarine, topping
(April 4, 2018 - 5:35 am)
submitted by Top!
(April 7, 2018 - 2:45 pm)

So I have 3-

The WaterFire Saga- Jennifer Donelly

The WaterFire Saga is a series,  and I believe it is very good. It is set in a mermaid realm under the sea, and it focuses on six teenage mermaid who have been chosen to do something that has though to be impossible. This book has very strong female role models and a lot of adventure, and has been described loosely aas "Percy Jackson with mermaids." The first book is Deep Blue.

The Lunar Chronicles- Marissa Meyer

The Lunar Chronicles are fractured fairytales that take place in the future. For example, in the first one, Cinder, the "Cinderella" character is a cyborg. This book is also an adventure, and it features good female role models as well. 

Heartless- Marissa Meyer

This one is also by Marissa Meyer. It is basically the origin story for the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. If you like Alice in Wonderland, or have read it, you can see how the author actually took elements from the story and put her own spin on it. It is a romance, and it is super sad, so make sure you have tissues nearby. (I cried my eyes out) 

 

submitted by Neya A., age 13
(April 7, 2018 - 5:22 pm)

I have a different book by Brian Selznick, The Marvels, and that is also very good and over half pictures. I haven't read The Invention of Hugo Cabret, but I'm pretty sure my library has it.

submitted by Jwyn, age 13, Bookworm Mansion
(April 8, 2018 - 3:21 pm)

My #1 rec for everyone: The Two Princesses of Bammare. I don't have much time, so I'll just say that it sounds fluffy and predictable, but it's not. It keeps you guessing. It's my all-time favorite, so I've read it a lot, and I can tell you that I've smiled at it and cried at it.

My other two are Furthermore and its sequel, Whichwood. No time to explain those. 

submitted by Shy Peacock, Tree of Life
(April 14, 2018 - 9:46 am)

Ohh goody!

I have some obvious favorites, like Harry Potter, that won’t be included on this recommendation list, but besides that...get a snack and settle down for Booky’s Favorites!  :D

Recommended Age 14/15/16+ 

Title: Big Little Lies

Author: Liane Moriarty

Genre: Mystery 

Summary: This follows three Australian women who have all have children in the same tiny kindergarten class. Madeline, who is, as the book says, “a glittering girl”. Celeste: the seemingly perfect woman. Jane, the newcomer with a sad and mysterious past. You know throughout the entire story that someone was murdered, but you don’t know who did it or who was murdered. This is an amazing novel that I couldn’t put down. Warnings for domestic violence and mature content.

Title:A Court of...Series

A Court of Thorns and Roses is the first book.

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Genre: Fantasy

Summary:  Feyre is a yoing girl struggling to survive. She and her starving family live right next door to a land of fae, who are considered evil. When Feyre must offer her life in exchange for a fae one, she is taken to their lands and learns the truth about the fae. Over the course of(as of now) three books,  Feyre is swept into a magical, romantic, and dangerous land, where she must protect herself and those she loves. Warning for mature content.

Recommended Age 13+

Title: The Book Thief

Author: Markus Zusak

Genre: Historical Fiction 

Summary: This story takes place during WW2 and follows a German foster girl who is taken into a German family. They are hiding a Jewish man, her best friend wants to be Jesse Owens, and, oh yeah, the story is narrated by Death.  One of the best books I’ve ever read, but you’ll need a box of tissues on hand. Warning for profanity. 

Recommended Age 12+

Title: Heartless

Author: Marissa Meyer

Genre: Fantasy Romance 

Summary: My favorite Marissa Meyer book by far, Heartless takes place in Wonderland, following a girl by the name of Catherine. Catherine is the favorite of the King, but she truly wants to open a bake shop. The night when she is supposed to be proposed to(by the King), Jest appears and everything changes.  This book is whimsical and boasts a huge, heart-wrenching plot twist.

Title: Anything by Cassandra Clare

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: Fantasy

Summary: I’m not even going to try and do justice to this one, but basically it is centered around Clary, a normal-ish girl who is put into a fantastical world filled with vampires, Shadowhunters, and more. However, there are two spin-off series that follow other characters in the same world, at different times. Personally, Clockwork Princess and Lady Midnight are my favorites. Warning for some mature content.  It’s mostly in the spin-off series if I remember correctly, so maybe save those for 14+.

Recommended Age 7+

Note on the age: I’m not sure if that’s too young, but that’s when I started reading them. There isn’t anything mature in these books; its all reading level. However, there’s nothing wrong with reading these as an older child or teen. I’ve reread them both many times since turning 9 or 10, and I still love and enjoy them all the same. Please don’t put these down just because they are for younger chidren. They’re wonderful books. 

Title: Warriors Series

The first is Into the Wild.

Author: Erin Hunter

Genre: I have no idea. Google says children’s literature so...

Summary: In the nearby forest, there are four Clans living in their unique territories and fighting for survival. Rusty has no idea about any of that until he is suddenly a Clan cat himself.

I have no clue how to summarize this, honestly. I only read the last 18 books once, a long time ago. The only ones I reread are the first six, and the best in my opinion. I might be rereading the entire series soon though. (; They’re good comfort books, for me at least. I think that this may have been the first series I completed. 

Title: The Penderwicks

Author: Jeanne Birdsall

Genre: Again, children’s literature

Summary: Sort of like a contemporary Little Women, this follows four sisters and their father on an unconventional family vacation. Throughout it all they met a boy who is trapped by his mother’s expectations, a loving cook, a cute gardener boy, and Harry the tomato guy. Gotta love Harry. The boy next door and the tomboy sister become good friends, amd the Penderwicks make it their mission to help him be happy once more.

 

That wasn’t as long as I thought’d be but I hope that it helped someone on the CB! 

 

 

submitted by LicensedBookworm
(April 15, 2018 - 9:04 am)

The plot twist isn't a plot twist if you've read Alice in Wonderland.

submitted by Neya A., age 13
(April 16, 2018 - 3:27 pm)

Ah, yes. You’re right! I read Heartless before reading AiW though, so in my mind it’s a plot twist.

submitted by Licensed Bookworm
(April 17, 2018 - 10:48 am)

OMG YOU READ ACOTAR TOO?!?!? HAVE YOU READ THE LATEST ONE?!?! AND CASSANDRA CLARE YOU MUST BE MY BOOK TWIN OR SOMETHING 

submitted by @LicensedBookworm , September
(June 15, 2018 - 3:51 pm)

OMG BOOK TWINS!! I HAVEN'T READ THE LATEST ONE BUT I REALLY WANT TO! HAVE YOU?

submitted by @September, LB
(June 22, 2018 - 11:34 am)

Glad to see this isn't dead.

Title: A Natural History of Dragons

Author: Marie Brennan

This is the first book in a series that focuses on (surprise, surprise) the natural history of dragons. Written simultaneously in the style of a memoir and a post-Victorian sensational novel, the books specifically follow the adventures of a leading lady dragon naturalist as she uncovers mystery, conspiracy, intrigue, and of course, scientific discovery. I'd rate it 13+ for some mature content, including murder (she wrote :3).

submitted by Viola?, age Secret, Secret
(April 16, 2018 - 11:43 am)