By Your Side by Kasie West

Title: By Your Side

Author: Kasie West

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Have you ever imagined spending the night in an empty building that is supposed to be closed for the day? This story begins with two teenagers - classmates, who barely knew of each other - who are locked in the library during a long holiday weekend. What they learn about themselves, each other, and the circumstances that surrounded both students' disappearance for those three days, just might change the decisions they make once they return to school, surrounded once again with their friends and the consequences of their weekend.

- Katrina

Check out By Your Side by Kasie West @ the library!

Mistborn Saga - Original Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson

Title: Mistborn Saga - Original Trilogy

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy

A strong female lead in a fantasy series that was well actualized? Sign me up! The world building and magic that Sanderson created was really intriguing. It had all the elements of the hero's journey but didn't seem cliché in any way. If you like reading high fantasy and haven't read this one yet put it on hold right away! The full series is made up of 3 different sets of stories. I really enjoyed the original trilogy and can't wait to read more!

- Gina

Check out the first book in the series, Mistborn: The Final Empire @ the library!

The Happiest Girl in the World by Alena Dillon

Title: The Happiest Girl in the World

Author: Alena Dillon

Genre: Sports Fiction

An inside (fictional) look at the world of elite gymnastics. Sera has been practically cast aside, due to injuries and the cost of success, but scrounges and digs deep in order to push just a little harder. Sera watches as her best friend, who she has always dreamt of sharing an Olympic team with, speaks up against a highly recommended doctor that makes her feel uncomfortable, and who chooses to quit gymnastics and give up on that dream. A fascinating peek behind the scenes through the experience of a single family who lives through multiple Olympic cycles, always just balancing on that edge of possibly having all of their dreams come true.

- Katrina

Check out The Happiest Girl in the World by Alena Dillon @ the library!

The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo

Title: The Beatryce Prophecy

Author: Kate DiCamillo 

Genre: Children's Fiction

Brother Edik finds a girl curled up with a devil-goat in a stable stall at Order of the Chronicles of Sorrowing. She is filthy, sick, and has no memory of how she got there or who she is, just her first name: Beatryce. The monks take her in a learn a dangerous secret about the girl: Beatryce can read and write, an ability that very few people, and only men, are permitted. The monks believe she may be the subject of a prophecy about “a girl child who will unseat a king."

This may be the best children's book of the year. Author Kate DiCamillo already has an impressive resume, but she knocks it out of the park with this timeless fairytale. The Beatryce Prophecy is a short read that might only take you an afternoon but will be worth every second. Give this book all the awards.

- Beth

Check out The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo @ the library!