Hexed: The Iron Druid Chronicles, by Kevin Hearne

The Iron Druid Chronicles has been one of my reading "accidents."  I listened to "Hammered" first because of a special promotion through Audible.  I enjoyed that book and decided to try a print version of another title from the series.  I expect I will be reading all eight in the series.

The main character, Atticus O'Sullivan, is as suggested a Druid.  In fact, he is the last Druid.  He does have an apprentice in the works and we're all pulling for Granuaile to succeed in her apprenticeship program.  However, given the trouble that Atticus seems to attract, that is not guaranteed!

Atticus has a great group of friends--vampires, werewolves, and a wonderful Irish Wolfhound with whom he can "talk" telecommunicatively. 

Hearne is from Arizona and the geographic connections are fascinating.  He, like Neil Gaiman, Rick Riordan, and Michael Scott; brings a wide range of gods and mythological figures into his books.  I'm enjoying learning a lot about Irish gods and mythology as well as other traditions.  I think I'm going to have to dust off a book about druids that I got long ago and didn't finish.  Now I have a reason to want to dig in more deeply.  Hearne also connects to the Gaelic, Polish and German languages.

I like the entire series a lot and would recommend them to "mature" young adults.  There is occasional reference to sex, but nothing particularly graphic. I think this series would be a good one for readers who like series like The Seven Realms, Chima or Codex Alera, Butcher.

In addition to enjoying the series I also believe in supporting Hearne.  Before he was able to turn to writing full-time he was a high school English teacher. 

Wicked Business, by Janet Evanovich

In the middle of all the murder/violence of the reading I'm doing right now, this was a relief!  Evanovich's lighter touch is greatly appreciated.  As with many of her books, I found myself laughing aloud through descriptions of characters, plot twists, and conversations.

This, the second book in the Lizzy and Diesel series, picks up where Evanovich left off.  Lizzy, who inherited her aunt's home in Salem, is a pastry chef in a local bakery.  Diesel (also from Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series) needs Lizzy's help as he attempts to save the world from his cousin Wolf's attempts to collect seven stones representing the deadly sins. 

In addition to some light-hearted entertainment, readers will also have the opportunity to explore Salem, Massachusetts and the surrounding area as Lizzy, Diesel, Wolf and their minions race to find the stones. 

Although the book is written for an adult audience, I would recommend it to mature teens.  (It is not more explicit than many of the supernatural/paranormal romance books and I value the humorous take on the topic.)

Witch's Business, by Diana Wynne Jones

I am a great fan of Jones books.  Particularly I think The Dark a Lord of Derkholm and the Year of the Griffin are wonderful books for readers who enjoyed the Harry Potter series.  Jones has a wonderful sense of humor and makes fantasy quite believable.In some ways I prefer her take on schools and the politics surrounding them to that of J.K. Rowling. I also appreciate the way that Jones shows in her book the ways that adolescents can break through boundaries of status and social group to achieve a shared goal.

Jones is a British author and sometimes her language and colloquialisms are a little bit challenging for American readers.  But her understanding of the interests and lives of young adolescents make any struggles worthwhile. This is a reissue of her first novel and is currently out of print, but still available through a variety of online booksellers. This is the second time that I have been able to read a first book from a popular author. (The other was Patricia Briggs.) It's fascinating to see how their craft improves over time.  I would love to be able to use the use in an author study unit with adolescents to show stronger vs. weaker writing. It would take some considerable time which, unfortunately, is not typically available in classrooms due to pressures from standardized tests and district curriculum mandates.

Chine, by Franny Billingsley

This was a reading accident!  My local independent book store had it up on the end of an aisle.  As I was waiting for a book discussion group I picked it up and began reading.   In the 20 minutes before the discussion I got hooked and put it on my "to read" list.

The book is a sophisticated read.  It was a finalist in the National Book Awards competition this year (for young adults).  It is well deserving of the honor but won't be for every reader.  The main character, Briony, is the narrator.  Set in a bizarre rural England setting, Briony has suffered some sort of trauma that makes her first person narration quite unreliable.  I was able to predict the resolution, but not all the details.  Even so, I was captivated by the language and tone of the book.

Billingsley writes almost poetically.  Readers have to be sensitive to her use of unexpected terms and willing to expend the intellectual power to infer her meanings.  It is not a simple book to read.  For a sophisticated reader however it is a book that will haunt you during the day.  I found myself eager to return to the story each evening.  I developed quite an attachment to Briony and will be eager to read the next book.

The Lexile rating of this book (600) is prefaced with an "HL"--meaning high/low--and easy reading book that will appeal to older students.  They recommend it for ages 13-17.  I can easily see Billingsley becoming a favorite author of many late middle/early high school readers.

The Pinhoe Egg, by Dianna Wynne Jones

This is number six in the Chrestomanci Series. I love these books. They are short, more ironic, but less complex Harry Potter-read a-likes. I found Dianna Wynne Jones looking for Potter read a-likes and found her book "The Dark Lord of Derkhelm." In "The Pinhoe Egg" you have two extended families of magicians hiding out right under the "great man Chrestomanci's" rule. The families have placed spies in the Chrestomanci household. Meanwhile the Pinhoe's gammer (female lead) has been befuddle by the Farleigh family gammer and the Pinhoe gaffer has died.

All the adults get so caught up in intriques and revenge that the children are allowed to carry on as they will (for the most part). In her attempts to help Marianne Pinhoe gives Cat Chant a globe from the attic. This begins the entire series of events: the globe hatches a griffin, curses and counter curses plague the towns, and Chrestomanci seems preoccupied.

Of course all works out for the kids. Meanwhile readers will get insights into friendship, trust, faith in others, honest, and feuds. This is a series I would recommend to children grades 4-7 depending upon their reading skills, interests, and interest in fantasy.