YA FIC AID Aidinoff, Elsie the Garden

Historical Fiction

B.C.-1599 A.D.

YA FIC AID Aidinoff, Elsie The Garden

Young Eve takes her first breath in the Garden attended by her guardian, the beautiful, nurturing Serpent. Daily it teaches her about all of life, including the all-powerful Creator, God. When the Serpent finally takes her to meet God and Adam, the boy he teaches, Eve is fascinated. But when she questions God in order to understand more, God is annoyed, demanding that she obey unquestioningly. Eve and young Adam are instructed to come hear lessons from God about how to properly worship him. Eve's natural curiosity, nurtured by the Serpent, continues to anger the stern God. Impatient to see if his creations can properly procreate, God forces Adam on Eve in an ugly rape that devastates both Eve and Adam. The Serpent demands a six moon-cycle separation of the two, and during that time, Eve revels in the forays that she and the Serpent make outside of the Garden. When the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil grows as a result of Eve's travels, the Serpent carefully explains the consequences of disobeying God to Eve and Adam. Despite Eve's dark prophetic dreams, they choose freedom rather than unquestioning obedience to God and are expelled from the Garden.

Tween & YA MYSAVI Avi Midnight Magic

Just after the Tarot cards forecast death in this ghostly fantasy adventure, conniving Count Scarazoni summons Fabrizio and his magician master to the castello to spirit away the specter that haunts Princess Teresina.

Tween & YA MYSAVI Avi Murder at Midnight

A plot to overthrow King Claudio is brewing in the Kingdom of Pergamontio.
Scholarly Mangus the magician-along with his street--smart and faithful new servant boy, Fabrizio--have been marked as easy scapegoats for the traitor lurking within the king's court. Together, these two unlikely partners must gather clues to solve the mystery and prove their innocence before the stroke of midnight...or face death!

YA FIC BAR Barrett, Tracy King of Ithaka

Telemachos has a comfortable life on his small island of Ithaka, where his mother Penelopeia keeps the peace even though the land has been without its king, his father Odysseus, since the Trojan War began many years ago. But now the people are demanding a new king, unless Telemachos can find Odysseus and bring him home. With only a mysterious prophecy to guide him, Telemachos sets off over sea and desert in search of the father he has never known.

YA FICBOSBosse, MalcolmThe Examination

Fifteen-year-old Hong and his older brother Chen face famine, flood, pirates, and jealous rivals on their journey through fifteenth century China as Chen pursues his calling as a scholar and Hong becomes involved with a secret society known as the White Lotus.

YA FICCAS Castor, H.M. VIII

Destined for greatness; tormented by demons… VIII is the story of Hal: a young, handsome, gifted warrior, who believes he has been chosen to lead his people. But he is tormented by the ghosts of his family's violent past and, once he rises to power, he turns to murder and rapacious cruelty. He is Henry VIII.

YA FICCOA Coats, J. Anderson The Wicked and the Just

Cecily’s father has ruined her life. He’s moving them to occupied Wales, where the king needs good strong Englishmen to keep down the vicious Welshmen. At least Cecily will finally be the lady of the house. Gwenhwyfar knows all about that house. Once she dreamed of being the lady there herself, until the English destroyed the lives of everyone she knows. Now she must wait hand and foot on this bratty English girl. While Cecily struggles to find her place amongst the snobby English landowners, Gwenhwyfar struggles just to survive. And outside the city walls, tensions are rising ever higher—until finally they must reach the breaking point.

YA FICCRO Crowley, Suzanne The Stolen One

Kat's true identity is a secret, even from her. All she has ever known are Grace and Anna and their small village. Kat wants more—more than hours spent embroidering finery for wealthy ladies and more than Christian, the gentle young farmer courting her. But there are wolves outside, Grace warns. Waiting, with their eyes glowing in the dark . . . and Grace has given Kat safety and a home when no one else would. Then a stranger appears in their cottage, bringing the mystery of Kat's birth with her. In one night, Kat's destiny finds her: She will leave. She will journey to London, and her skill with the needle will attract the notice of the magnificent Queen Elizabeth—and of the wolves of the court. She will discover what Grace would never tell her.

Everything will unravel.

YA FIC DRA Dray, Stephanie Lily of the Nile

Heiress of one empire and prisoner of another, it is up to the daughter of Cleopatra to save her brothers and reclaim what is rightfully hers...

To Isis worshippers, Princess Selene and her twin brother Helios embody the divine celestial pair who will bring about a Golden Age. But when Selene's parents are vanquished by Rome, her auspicious birth becomes a curse. Trapped in an empire that reviles her heritage and suspects her faith, the young messianic princess struggles for survival in a Roman court of intrigue. She can't hide the hieroglyphics that carve themselves into her hands, nor can she stop the emperor from using her powers for his own ends. But faced with a new and ruthless Caesar who is obsessed with having a Cleopatra of his very own, Selene is determined to resurrect her mother's dreams. Can she succeed where her mother failed? And what will it cost her in a political game where the only rule is win-ordie?

YA FICFLE Fletcher, Susan Alphabet of Dreams

After their father orchestrated a failed plot against a tyrant, Mitra and her little brother Babak take to streets of Rhagae. Mitra disguises herself as a boy, hoping to survive long enough to reunite with her family. When her brother begins to have strange dreams, he attracts the attention of a Magus. Babak's gift enables him to know a person's dreams if he sleeps with an object belonging to the person. Mitra wants Babak to use this gift to find their family, but the Magus has other ideas. He has read portents of a great king to come soon and wants Babak to dream more details. Mitra and Babak find themselves on a long journey to find this king, a journey that will eventually lead them to Bethlehem.

YA FIC FOR Ford, Michael Fire of Ares (Spartan Quest v 1)

Lysander, a young Helot slave, knows little about the mysterious pendant he wears around his neck except its name—the Fire of Ares. But when the pendant is stolen, he must fight to retrieve it and fulfill its powerful destiny before it is too late.

YA FIC FOR Ford, Michael Birth of a Warrior (Spartan Quest v 2)

Lysander thought he left his roots as a Helot slave far behind when he discovered his true identity as the descendant of a Spartan warrior. His training at the academy has been ruthless, but now he must face his toughest challenge yet: being sent to the mountains with two other boys to prove they can survive the harsh conditions on nothing but their Spartan strength and wits. Facing starvation, wild animals, and the elements, Lysander discovers that his real enemy is in fact one of the other boys, who’s bent on sabotaging him. And when war with Persia threatens, Lysander must decide where his allegiance truly lies.

YA FIC FOR Ford, Michael Legacy of Blood (Spartan Quest v 3)

The Spartan Quest series continues with Lysander's next adventure. After victory against the Persians, Lysander and the other young warriors from Sparta are weary from battle. But then a messenger brings news that Taras, a distant outpost of the Spartan empire, is under siege. Sparta is in danger of losing a vital trading port to a local uprising. Lysander and his barrack set sail immediately for southern Italy.They quickly discover that the locals will not be easily beaten. In the heat of battle Lysander finds himself in front of the great statue in the main square, and is shocked to see that the figure is wearing the Fire of Ares. Is this Lysander’s ancestor? He must find out his connection to this town and its people, and in so doing reveal more of his mysterious heritage, hidden from him for so long.

YA FIC FRI Friesner, Esther Nobody’s Princess

She is beautiful, she is a princess, and Aphrodite is her favorite goddess, but something in Helen of Sparta just itches for more out of life. Not one to count on the gods—or her looks—to take care of her, Helen sets out to get what she wants with steely determination and a sassy attitude. That same attitude makes Helen a few enemies—such as the self-proclaimed "son of Zeus" Theseus—but it also intrigues, charms, and amuses those who become her friends, from the famed huntress Atalanta to the young priestess who is the Oracle of Delphi.

YA FIC FRI Friesner, Esther Nobody’s Prize

In this rousing sequel to Nobody’s Princess, young Helen of Sparta is not about to be left behind when her older brothers head off to join the quest for the Golden Fleece. Accompanied by her friend Milo, and disguised as a boy herself, Helen sets out to join the crew of heroes aboard the massive ship known as The Argo. Helen quickly faces all sorts of danger. There are battles to be fought, as well as an encounter with a terrifying murderous princess. With her beauty blossoming, Helen’s journey takes her beyond the mythology of the Golden Fleece to Athens, where her very future as Queen of Sparta is threatened.

YA FIC FRIFriesner, EstherSphinx’s Princess

Nefertiti may be the dutiful daughter of a commoner, but her inquisitive mind often gets her into situations that are far from ordinary, like receiving secret lessons from a scribe. And she’s the kind of girl who acts first, and apologizes later whenever she witnesses injustice or cruelty. But she is also extraordinarily beautiful. And news of her striking beauty and impulsive behavior attracts the attention of her aunt, the manipulative Queen Tiye, who sees Nefertiti as an ideal pawn in her desire for power. Even though Nefertiti is taken from her beloved family and forced into a life filled with courtly intrigue and danger, her spirit and mind will not rest. She continues to challenge herself and the boundaries of ancient Egyptian society.

YA FIC GER Geras, Adele Troy

The passion of Helen and Paris, Hector's farewell to his ill-fated infant son, and other familiar domestic scenes are seen from a closer perspective, through the eyes of the four teenage protagonists. Marpessa is Helen's young servant, and her sister Xanthe is nursemaid to Hector's baby son, while Iason, who is secretly beloved by their friend Polyxena, tends the horses and yearns for Xanthe, who has a crush on Alastor, who has impregnated Marpessa. These complicated, interlocking infatuations and love affairs work themselves out against a background of siege and bloodshed watched over by the gods. Artemis, Mars, Poseidon, and Pallas Athene appear in visions to reveal their plans to the characters (and to us), but their words blow away like mist as soon as they are gone. Meanwhile, the bawdy gossip of three old serving maids in the kitchen emulates a Greek chorus. The story winds to its inevitable destination with the emergence of the Greeks from the wooden horse and the bloody sack of the city--a suitably violent end to an ancient and violent tale.

YA FIC GER Geras, Adele Ithaka

Many years have passed since the end of the Trojan War, and Penelope is still waiting for her husband, Odysseus, to return home. The city of Ithaka is overrun with uncouth suitors from the surrounding islands who are vying to win Penelope's hand in marriage, thereby gaining control of the land. When a naked, half-drowned man washes up on the beach, everything changes. . . . Told through the eyes of Klymene, a young girl who is like a daughter to Penelope--and who longs for more than friendship from the young prince Telemachus--Ithaka captures the quiet strength and patience of a woman's enduring love for her husband and the ensuing chaos that threatens all as Penelope is pressured to remarry.

YA FIC HAU Haugaard, Erik Christian The Samurai’s Tale

In turbulent sixteenth-century Japan, orphaned Taro is taken in by a general serving the great warlord Takeda Shingen and grows up to become a samurai fighting for the enemies of his dead family.

YA FIC HAU Haugaard, Erik Christian The Boy and the Samurai

Having grown up as an orphan of the streets while sixteenth-century Japan is being ravaged by civil war, Saru seeks to help a samurai rescue his wife from imprisonment by a warlord so they can all flee to a more peaceful life.

YA FIC HAU Haugaard, Erik Christian The Revenge of the Forty Seven Samurai

In the time when the Shogun ruled Japan, two hundred samurai suffered a grave insult—their master met an unjust death. Forty-seven of them are courageous enough to avenge him. Jiro is a lowly servant to one of the brave samurai. Chosen as his master's unlikely spy during the planning of the great revenge, Jiro must learn when to talk and when to listen, or at any moment he could lose his head to a samurai's razor-sharp sword. And even as Jiro plays his small part in the unfolding plot, he searches for the truth about his own identity.

YA FICHOF Hoffman, Alice Incantation

Estrella deMadrigal thought she knew herself: daughter, granddaughter, sister, dearest friend, beloved. She is Star in the Night Sky, Truth in the Darkness. But truth is rare and precious in this cruel and unforgiving century in Spain, when Jews who refused conversion to Christianity risked everything - love, life, family, faith. Then: A startling discovery shakes Estrella's world to the core. And yet, it is something small and sweet that sets it aflame. A kiss. A kiss from someone she is forbidden to love. As a new girl emerges from the cocoon of secrets in which she has been shrouded, passion burns and friendship crumbles - and betrayal unleashes a monstrous evil from the very deepest part of the earth. Estrella crosses over to a place she never thought she could be; she is someone she never could have imagined. Remember the story she is about to tell you.

Tween & YA FIC HOR Horowitz, Anthony The Devil and His Boy

Murder, mystery, espionage, and drama combine in a plot that includes walk-on parts for Elizabeth I and William Shakespeare. Tom is a poor and ignorant servant when he arrives in London on an errand that he doesn’t understand. He joins an actors’ troupe that seems more interested in politics than stagecraft. Only Moll Cutpurse seems at all reliable—and she’s a very clever thief.

YA FIC KLE Klein, Lisa Ophelia

He is Hamlet, Prince of Denmark; she is simply Ophelia. If you think you know their story, think again. In this reimagining of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, it is Ophelia who takes center stage. A rowdy, motherless girl, she grows up at ElsinoreCastle to become the queen’s most trusted lady-in-waiting. Ambitious for knowledge and witty as well as beautiful, Ophelia learns the ways of power in a court where nothing is as it seems. When she catches the attention of the captivating, dark-haired Prince Hamlet, their love blossoms in secret. But bloody deeds soon turn Denmark into a place of madness, and Ophelia’s happiness is shattered. Ultimately, she must choose between her love for Hamlet and her own life. In desperation, Ophelia devises a treacherous plan to escape from Elsinore forever . . . with one very dangerous secret.

Tween & YA FICMCC McCaughrean, Geraldine The Kite Rider

In thirteenth-century China, after trying to save his widowed mother from a horrendous second marriage, twelve-year-old Haoyou has life-changing adventures when he takes to the sky as a circus kite rider and ends up meeting the great Mongol ruler Kublai Khan.

Tween & YA FICMCK McKinley, Robin Outlaws of Sherwood

The author retells the adventures of Robin Hood and his band of outlaws who live in Sherwood Forest in twelfth-century England.

Tween & YA FICMOR Morris, Gerald Parsifal’s Page