Hahn, M. D. (2006). Witch catcher. New York: Clarion Books.

Jen’s father has just inherited an old castle in a rural town in West Virginia from a distant uncle. As they move into the home, Jen immediately becomes suspicious of her father’s new girlfriend, Moura, who is a local antiques dealer. When Jen finds a hanging glass ornament in the tower (which Moura says is a witch catcher), and her cat breaks this ornament, suddenly a fairy named Kieryn appears. Jen works with Kieryn to save her family, who has also been trapped in witch catchers. But these fairy’s intentions are hard for Jen to decipher…

Highly Recommended *****

Riordan, R. (2005). The lightning thief. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.

Read with caution! The lightning thief is the first of five books in the Percy Jackson series. You will not be able to put them down! Young Percy Jackson finds out that he is a demigod. When a minotaur chases Percy to summer camp, he suddenly realizes that his best friend is a satyr, and his professor was a centaur. Percy, his satyr friend Grover, and another demigod Annabeth, they set out across the country to prevent a war between the gods. This is a great way to get students interested in Greek history and mythology! Even adults will become excited to learn the myths that are found in the Iliad and the Odyssey.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED *****

Gaiman, N. (2008). The graveyard book. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Nobody Owens’ family has been murdered. In an attempt to protect him from the same fate, the inhabitants of a nearby graveyard decide to raise him. Nobody (or Bod, as he is affectionately known by his family of ghosts) lives in the graveyard as he grows into a young man, and takes part in many otherworldly adventures when he ventures out of the graveyard. Gaiman, also known for his bestselling book Coraline, creates a world that has a “Nightmare Before Christmas” feel, and intrigues the reader.

Highly Recommended ****