The past couple of days, I had the opportunity to work at my library's maker booth at Denver's FanExpo. I've done it several times before, and it's always exhausting but fun. I love seeing the costumes (and doing a little cosplay myself) and maybe buying a few too many stickers.
In addition to hosting a maker booth in the kids' area, this year my colleagues and I presented a book talk session on the kids' stage where we played a game of "Would You Rather," but with books. The audience picked a scenario and we would booktalk the title that reflected that scenario.
I thought it might be fun to share my scenarios (and booktalks) with you:
Would you rather... have to complete 1 IMPOSSIBLE task or 4 VERY DIFFICULT tasks?
WITCHLINGS: Seven Salazar has dreamed of being placed in the most powerful coven, House Hyacinth, her whole life, and on the night of the Black Moon Ceremony she waits for it to happen. But it doesn’t. Instead, Seven is not placed in any coven – she's a spare. Spares are looked down upon and treated poorly, and what’s more, Seven and the other two spares are unable to seal their circle and receive their full magical powers. Seven will not accept this fate – so she agrees to the only option – the impossible task. If Seven, Thorn and Valley complete it, they’ll gain their powers. But if they don’t, well. The last coven to try it was turned into frogs. This is a great book for fans of Amari and the Night Brothers, the Marvellers, and anyone who loves magical adventure stories.
NEVERMOOR: THE TRIALS OF MORRIGAN CROW is the first in this series by
Australian author Jessica Townsend. Morrigan Crow was born on Eventide, the unluckiest day which means she’s cursed. She’s blamed for every bad thing that happens in her town, and is predicted to die on her 11th birthday. But on that fateful day she’s whisked away by a strange man named Jupiter North to the world of Nevermoor, where she settles in the hotel he owns, along with a giant talking cat. There she finds out she’s been chosen to compete to become a member of the Wondrous Society – but to do that, she needs to figure out what her extraordinary talent is. This is a great start to a series that will appeal to fans of Amari and the Night Brothers, The Keeper of Lost Cities, and anyone who loves fantastic worlds and thrilling adventures.
Would you rather... meet a ghost at a laser tag arena or meet a vampire at summer camp?
TEAM CHU AND THE BATTLE OF BLACKWOOD ARENA: Clip and Sadie Chu are brother and sister, and love playing laser tag, but that’s where their connection ends. When a new gaming arena is built in town, they both are eager to enter a competition to prove they’re the best. But they keep meeting a mysterious figure who claims to be IN the game. Who are they? What do they want? Are they dangerous? Clip and Sadie are going to find out. Fans of Sci-Fi, Gaming and Adventure stories will love this quick read.
CAMP SYLVANIA: Maggie is SO excited to be going to Camp Rising Star this summer. It’s
where she’s dreamed of going and fulfilling her dreams of being in the spotlight. But instead of the stage, she’ll be shedding pounds at fat camp. There she’ll be subject to the restrictions of the Scarlet Diet, created by wellness influencer Sylvia Sylvania. It only takes a few days at the camp, though, before things take a weird turn. Yes, there are workouts and weigh ins, but the campers are also encouraged to donate blood every day and all the food is red. Then, when campers start to go missing at night, Maggie and her new friends decide it’s time to investigate what’s REALLY happening at Camp Sylvania. Fans of camp stories and light horror will really enjoy this creepy but funny story.
Would you rather... stop the world's biggest jewel heist or solve the world's greatest art theft?
MISFITS: A royal conundrum is the title of this first book in the Misfits series and it’s about
Olive Zang, who gets sent to a new boarding school after one too many “issues” at her old school. Her new school is on an island, in a former castle, and is known as a “Reforming Arts School.” Yes, you heard that right. There, after a series of strange tests, she’s recruited to join a secret elite group of kid crime-fighters – all misfits, like her. Their task? Prevent the theft of a world-famous jewel. Oh, and keep their school from closing, too. This is great for fans of the City Spies series and anyone who likes to read about misfit kids discovering their amazing talents.
THE MONA LISA VANISHES: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and
the Birth of a Global Celebrity: Did you know that for a long time the Mona Lisa WASN’T the most famous painting in the world? In fact, it was hung in a side room at the Louvre Museum and barely noticed most of the time. That is, until it was STOLEN. This is when museums didn’t have big security systems like they do now, and it was simply removed from the wall and taken down a back stairway and out the door. This non-fiction story of the theft, the ensuing investigation and the media circus that surrounded the case for months includes a trip back to Leonardo da Vinci’s life to see what he was doing at the time he painted La Joconde as well as the speculation about who might have been responsible (for example the famous painter Picasso was at one time thought to be the thief). It’s an exciting read even for those who DON’T love to read non-fiction (like me) and while you’ll learn stuff, you’ll have fun doing it.
Would you rather... solve riddles and codes in order to keep a house from destroying you, or solve your arch-aunt's murder while searching for a long-lost family treasure?
PUZZLEHEART: Perigee is sure that visiting their grandmother will help Dad out of the
funk he’s been in for a long time. Plus, Perigee will finally get to visit Eklund’s Puzzle House, where his Dad grew up. But Dad’s relationship with Perigee’s grandmother is tense, and the house seems to be... trying to hurt them? When a snowstorm traps everyone inside, Perigee and their new friend Lily must solve mysterious riddles and codes, find their way through shifting corridors, ever-changing rooms, and hallways that throw knives and find the heart of the house in order to not only save themselves but the house too. This book is great for anyone who likes their mysteries with a side of puzzles and thrills, like Lindsay Currie's books, Scritch Scratch and the Mystery of Locked Rooms.
THE SWIFTS: A DICTIONARY OF SCOUNDRELS: When members of the Swift
family are born, they are taken in front of the family dictionary and given their name. That’s how Shenanigan Swift became Shenanigan. She thinks nobody will ever think of her as anything but a troublemaker thanks to her name, but when Arch Aunt Schadenfreude is pushed down the stairs by an unknown family member, she takes on another name: detective. Shenanigan is determined to find out which one of the Swift family, all together for a family reunion, is the murderer. Plus there’s the matter of the lost family fortune hidden somewhere in the house by Great-Uncle Vile – Shenanigan's going to find that, too. But will she be able to solve both mysteries before the murderer strikes again? This has been billed as “Knives Out” for kids and it absolutely lives up to that description. Fans of eccentric family mysteries will love meeting Shenanigan and the whole Swift family.
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