Heist Society by Ally Carter

Katarina Bishop comes from a family of con artists and art thieves. At 15, she's managed to scam her way into an exclusive boarding school as a way to escape the life of crime. But her escape comes to a sudden end when her best friend Hale shows up with bad news. Someone has stolen five paintings from a very dangerous man. Kat's dad isn't just on the suspect list, he is the suspect list. To save her dad, Kat has to find out who really stole the paintings, so she can steal them back.

Ally Carter has been writing incredible, adventurous, hilarious stories for teen audiences for years. I've been in awe of her since the moment I spotted I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You on my library shelf in 2006. Heist Society, though, exceeded my every expectation. This globe-trotting adventure will keep you on the edge of your seat until you get to the end, leaving you wanting more of the fun Kat and her friends provide.

Brilliantly done, Ms. Carter. As usual.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

Minli and her parents live in a poor village near Fruitless Mountain. Minli loves to hear her father tell the old stories, but her mother thinks they're a waste of time. No stories can change her family's fortune. Faced with her mother's sadness and frustration, Minli sets out to do just that. With the help of a talking goldfish, a painted dragon, and a few other friends she finds along the way, Minli begins to realize that her story is a continuation of the ancient tales her father has always told. Can she change her family's fortune and give history a happy ending?

Visually, this book is stunning. The illustrations are designed to look like Chinese tapestries, and the drawings that begin each chapter look like my favorite Chinese paper cuttings. The old stories told throughout the narrative are printed in a different font, making them seem older still. The thicker than usual paper adds to the historical feel of the book.

Minli is spunky, smart and kind. Her journey recalls that of Dorothy Gayle in the land of Oz, in a fresh and fantastic way. I'd recommend this enchanting book to fairy tale fans and anyone who likes a good story, beautifully told.

Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

Astrid’s always just believed her mother was crazy. It was the only explanation that made sense. After all, who would believe a woman that ranted and raved about man-eating unicorns was in her right mind? But that was before. Now, Astrid has no choice but to accept that her mother was right. There are unicorns in the world, and not the pretty, sparkly kind from children’s picture books. Only the female descendants of Alexander the Great can take them on, so Astrid and her newly discovered distant relatives are on the fast track for warrior training. They’ve got to learn to fight the unicorns, before it’s too late.

Diana Peterfreund has managed to turn mythology on its ear with this exciting new tale. As with any book in the “everything you thought you knew is a lie” strain of fiction, there’s a lot of exposition to be had. However, Ms. Peterfreund has managed to fit the exposition in amongst the action in a near perfect balance that keeps the reader following along, always ready for more. The ending leaves open the possibility of a sequel, but the story is by no means incomplete in and of itself. Rampant is altogether enjoyable, and well worth your time.

Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson

Lonnie and Lili's parents were killed in a fire, and their social worker was unable to get them placed in the same foster home. They still get to see one another from time to time, and in between visits, Lonnie writes letters to Lili. He tells her about school, about his foster family, and about their life before, so she won't forget.

Lonnie's letters explore the issue of how families are created. Lonnie loves his foster mother and his foster brothers, and Lili loves her foster mother as well. Is Miss Edna becoming Lonnie's Mama, like his friend Clyde says? Is it okay for Lili to call her foster mother Mama, even though they already had a Mama of their own? Can Lonnie and Lili still be a family, even though they've each found a new family to love?

Easily the sweetest book published this year, Peace, Locomotion is a book for anyone who's ever pondered the idea of how far family can stretch.

The Twelve Days of Christmas, Teen Book Style!

Here's a Christmas Carol about some of my favorite books!

This song is really, really long, so let's just start at verse 12, shall we?

On the twelfth day of Christmas, I really want to read:

12 challenged books

11 Gossip Girls

10 Georgia Nicolsons

9 awesome road trips

8 great retellings

7 Harry Potters

6 Maureen Johnsons

5 Percy Jacksons

4 books by John Green

3 sexy vampires

2 books about werewolves

And a book about that great spy, Cammie!

Merry Christmas, everyone!