Robyn's Picks

I know you don’t read books about dragons. That’s what I used to say, too. Until I read this one. I love that Rachel Hartman has created a world in which dragons and humans live side by side and it’s not all rainbows and unicorns and cupcakes. But it’s also not a world in which you are likely to see a large scaly thing crunching down the cobbled road, breathing fire at passers by. These dragons--intelligent, logical, and scientific--have taken human shape, and now live like the citizens of Goredd. Mostly. Seraphina, our awesome but worrisome protagonist, works at court as a musician (an unusually talented one, I wonder where that talent comes from). She is drawn into an investigation of a hate crime, which of course happens days before the kingdom-wide anniversary celebration of the human-dragon truce. Working alongside a member of the royal family—the Prince Lucian--doesn’t make it easier. Just a few things I love about this book: this is her first novel (yay, more), the writing and story are superb (seriously), it transcends age categorization (11 to 111), and Uncle Orma reminds me of Spock (more than a little). A total no-brainer even if you already like dragons, fantasy, and are a fan of Kristin Cashore or Allison Goodman.

Did you ever see the movie Drop Dead Gorgeous? Did you laugh so hard you cried? Then this book is for you! A plane of pageant girls crash lands on a deserted island and the fight for the crown, er... survival begins! These girls have to contend with giant snakes, exploding jars of Lady 'Stache Off, and the seriously motivated Miss Texas. Bray has brought her signature punchy style to this satirical tale of female empowerment set in a too-close-for-comfort world of gross commercialization and reality television. With its combination of slapstick humor and over-the-top criticism of our celebrity obsessed culture, Beauty Queens is my favorite laugh-out-loud book this year. Whether you're a life-long pageant contestant or a hardcore teenage feminist (or both), you'll enjoy the pure, but warm, comedy of how these young women come together in dire circumstances. —Robyn

As an avid teen fiction reader, I was drawn in because I loved The Luxe series. Bright Young Things does not disappoint. Written even more lavishly, Godbersen envelopes you in the summer of 1929, when all the dreams and desires of American youth had yet to be daunted by the Great Depression. Reading this book seriously makes me want to pull over a slinky beaded gown and dance the night away at a speakeasy in Manhattan.  —Robyn