Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer

Bella falls in love with Edward but a surprise comes when she finds out Edward is a vampire.  Then along comes Jacob whom she starts to fall for also, but she finds out he is a werewolf.  Bella is torn between the two!  Who will she end up with and will she decide to turn vampire?

I love these books because they are just fun romance novels.  If you haven’t read this series pick one up today and enjoy the ride.

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Kimberly Merritt

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Stargirl is the story of Stargirl Caraway, formally known as Susan Caraway, and her first year at Mica High School.  As anyone knows, high school life is not easy and it is especially not easy for a girl with an unusual personality and name.  As Stargirl goes through school, she has to decide whether it is important to fit in or to be herself.  Stargirl’s experience, however, is not narrated by Stargirl herself, but rather her experience is told through the eyes of her friend Leo Buck.  This book is a classic.  It has a great moral and is an easy read for young adults.

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Janis Phelps

I’ll Find You by Clair Poulson

Six year old Jeri frantically called out to her best friend, as he is kidnapped by a stranger, “I’ll find you!”  Haunted by her promise, Jeri’s life takes her to unlikely places for 17 years.  This intriguing book will keep you in suspense from beginning to end with every adventure as the quest for a lost friend is unfolded.   Don’t let the cover of this book turn you away; it really is a good read!

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Brenda Wilcox

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, ill. By Greg Call

The Starcatchers are a secret society formed to keep evildoers from getting their hands on “starstuff,” magic material that falls to earth and gives happiness, power, intelligence and the ability to FLY to those who capture it.  In this prequel to Peter Pan, Peter is the leader of a group of orphans who have been sold into slavery on the ship Neverland.  His arch enemy is, at the time, Black Stache, pirate captain.  Shipwrecks, mermaids, magic and a very large crocodile all help this delightful adventure hold the reader to the very end (and beyond).  A revisit to the original Peter Pan should follow!

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Lisa Harral

The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright

I loved this book, and want to encourage my own sons to start their own Wednesday Letters when they meet the love of their lives!

Jack and Laurel have been married for 39 years.  They’ve lived a good life and appear to have the perfect marriage.  It is only fitting that Jack and Laurel would depart from the earth at the same time, cradled in each other’s arms.  When their children gather for the funeral, they discover the Wednesday letters, and a past they never knew about!

This is a heart-warming story involving the true meaning of family and the powerful healing of forgiveness, all wrapped up with a good ending!

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Vickie Mendenhall

A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch

At first I thought this was a simple intriguing new mystery writer.  I was wrong.  This is well written in a Sherlock Holmes fashion.  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would be proud.  It takes place in London of 1865.  So if you like this type of mystery you will enjoy this author’s style and story.

Charles Lenox is a man of independent wealth who is an amateur sleuth and loves to solve a mystery.  When his friend, Lady Jane, asks him to look into the death of a former servant of hers Lenox immediately agrees.  The death is being called a suicide by poison, but all of the evidence Lenox and his butler and friends gather points to murder.   And more murder and crime.

What a good “Who done it” this is.  There is more to everything that is said or described in this story than meets the eye.  You as the armchair participant are given all the clues right along with Lenox.  Some obvious some not.  Be ready to read this book and solve the mystery in a fairly short time; but, you will need to keep your mind sharp and ready for multiple twists and turns.  It is not one to read as you are dozing off.  The romantic in me was hoping for a “turn or twist” in that direction, but this is not that kind of novel.  Here’s hoping Mr. Finch writes more!

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Platte Lyman

A Simple Plan by Scott Smith

Two brothers and a friend find a crashed plane with a dead pilot and a bag with 4 million dollars next to the body.  Rather than turn the money in to the authorities, the men come up with a “simple plan” to hold on to the money, act as though nothing has happened, and then after a year split the money 3 ways.  Thus begins Hank Mitchell’s downward spiral of deceit leading to blackmail, betrayal and murder.  This disturbing novel follows a small town accountant with a wife and baby as he takes a path that leads to the unthinkable.

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Karen Fox

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

14-year old Miri is frustrated to think that her small size is what is keeping her father from allowing her to work in the quarry on Mount Eskel where they live.  But when the king’s priests declare that the next princess will come from Mt. Eskel and that all girls under 18 must attend an academy to prepare them for possible royalty, Miri thinks this will be a way to prove herself to her father.  The knowledge Miri gains while at the academy helps her bring prosperity to her town, save herself and other girls from danger, and realize her own destiny.  This is a sweet and charming story sure to delight the young and young at heart.

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Calene Smith

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

This book is about a boy who is tired of his home in New York, so he decides to run away to his great-grandfather’s land on a mountain.  He learns to survive on his own and be independent.  I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone.

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