The Game (Firebird) – Diana Wynne Jones

Sent from her grandparents’ London home in disgrace, Hayley arrives in Ireland to stay with her aunts and cousins in their rambling castle home. The girl takes to her new life almost immediately, especially the thrilling game her cousins play, in which they venture into the mythosphere—a mysterious realm where they perform various tasks drawn from the worlds of fairytale, myth and legend. In the course of her own quests, Hayley discovers the truth about her own unearthly nature. She gets the chance to rescue her long-lost parents from dreadful fates, to which they’ve been condemned by domineering Uncle Jolyon, a power-hungry god thinly disguised as an unpleasant business man.

If you like the mythology in the Percy Jackson series or books like The Sea of Trolls, you’ll like this book.  It’s short, but chock full of references to many different mythological characters.  The truth about who Hayley really is becomes a great surprise in itself.   – Jessica, Teen Librarian

Pandora Gets Vain – Carolyn Hennesy

Sequel to Pandora Gets Jealous

The craziest field trip ever continues as Pandora and her BFF’s, Alcie and lole, are on the hunt for the next evil, vanity, which is hiding in Egypt. But, as usual, the goddess Hera is so not helping and throws as many obstacles as she can in their way. It’s totally distracting (not to mention life-threatening!), and they keep getting pulled off course. Fortunately they other gods aren’t as nasty as Hera, and they secretly help out the gang whenever they can. Pandy and her friends (including a new, totally adorable boy-slash-bodyguard) see it all, from a wild thunderstorm at sea and a group of talking dolphins to an…um…eye-thingy monster that’s just really, really scary. It sounds crazy, but don’t worry:Pandy can handle it….right?

Pandy continues to make me laugh. This was a funny book, with a great cast of characters. I like the addition of Homer, boy cutie and protector! Egypt was a very interesting setting for this book and the traveling show contained some really interesting acts. Try it!   -Jessica, Teen Librarian

Pandora Gets Jealous – Carolyn Hennesy

13-year-old Pandora Atheneus Andromaeche Helena (or Pandy, for short) has no idea what she’ll bring for her school project. By accident she discovers a simple box, said to contain something so terrifying and horrible that no one must ever, ever touch it for fear of inflicting all of mankind with the wrath of the Gods and Goddesses.  This, of course, makes the box the perfect thing for Pandora to bring for her school project.  Unfortunately, things don’t go quite the way she was hoping, and the box accidentally gets opened, unleashing all kinds of evil and misery into the world.  Hauled before Zeus, Hera and the rest of immortals, Pandy’s given the task of collecting all the evils within a year’s time.

If you like Percy Jackson, try this series.  Pandy and her friends are fun girls on a SERIOUS mission.  Action-packed and funny, this is a good start to a new series.      – Jessica, Teen Librarian

Over Sea, Under Stone – Susan Cooper

The Drew children, Simon, Jane, and Barney, find an old map in a hidden room in their vacation home over the summer. After showing the map to their Great-Uncle Merry, they set out on a quest to find “the grail.” During their search, they become embroiled in a web of intrigue that surrounds the Arthurian legend and others who seek “the grail” for more sinister purposes.

As a child I was fascinated with tales of King Arthur and the Round Table. To imagine suddenly finding a map that could lead you to the grail…wow! This is a good adventure, especially if you love Arthurian tales! – Jessica, Teen Librarian