by Lauren Rogoff

May is Get Caught Reading Month, and many of us do most of our reading in spring and summer.  After all, springtime is the perfect season to pick up a new book, to read at the park when it’s sunny, or at the beach when it’s finally beach weather.  You can be a great role model for your nieces and nephews by being passionate about reading yourself, and by suggesting fun books for them. Check out our suggestions below for some captivating young adult novels that not only will you enjoy, Auntie, but that you can pass along your teenage niece or nephew for a wonderful shared experience.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor (Ages 15 and up)
This novel tells the story of Karou, an art student who lives in Prague.  Her hair grows out of her head bright blue, she speaks innumerable languages, and she runs errands all over the globe for a shop whose merchandise is teeth of all kinds.  Her sketchpad tells fantastical stories of otherworldly creatures.  What her friends don’t know is that these creatures really exist, that they are her family, and the stories in the sketchpad are real.  When they are threatened, Karou becomes caught in a horrific war between worlds, while simultaneously unraveling the mystery of her own past.  The fantastical, accessible writing and the completely compelling story – about family, identity and love – makes for a page-turner you won’t want to put down.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs (Ages 13 and up)
Teenaged Jacob has always been especially close with his grandfather, who always told him crazy stories and showed him photos about boys and girls who could do magical things.  When his grandfather suddenly dies, Jacob receives a mysterious letter and is compelled to travel to his grandfather’s hometown, on a mysterious Welsh island.  What he finds on the island shocks him – the stories his grandfather has been telling were not tall tales, but were the real stories of his childhood.  It’s up to Jacob to help the boys and girls escape the danger they’re facing.  Vintage photos pepper the novel, as Jacob comes across them.  The photographs add a wonderful element to the story; they allow you to feel like you are experiencing the same adventures as the protagonist, and glimpsing his world.

The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater (Ages 14 and up)
If you were ever a little girl who loved ponies, or if you were fascinated by the misty British Isles, then this haunting, melancholy tale will capture your heart.  It takes place in the small town of Thisby, and is told from the point of view of the stoic Sean, a stable hand who seems to have special control over the carnivorous water horses that invade the village every year, and Puck, a plucky, down-on-her-luck orphan.  Every year, the bloody Scorpio Races helps determine the fate of the village for another year, but this year, it draws Puck, Sean and their horses, both water and land, together and changes their lives forever.

Photo: anat_tikker
Published: May 1, 2012