Lena Gonzalez-Berrios

BOOKS

The Shadow Thieves by Anne Ursu.
After her cousin Zee arrives from England, thirteen-year-old Charlotte and he must set out to save humankind from denizens of the underworld, Nightmares, Death, Pain, and a really nasty guy named Phil. The world of Greek Mythology comes to life (or death)!

Zel by Donna Jo Napoli.
Based on the fairy tale Rapunzel, the story is told in alternating
chapters from the point of view of Zel, her mother, and the prince, and delves into the psychological motivations of the characters.

I have a few to suggest to you that I hope you will enjoy, too.

Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson.

Eighteen-year-old Ash wants nothing to do with senior prom, but when
disaster strikes and her desperate friend, Nat, needs her help to get it
back on track, Ash's involvement transforms her life.

My Almost Epic Summer by Adele Griffin.

Let me tell you about a few others that might appeal to
you.

What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones.
Meet Sophie. She sees herself as the too-tall "Mount Everest of teenage
girls," who, along with her friends, often suffers from "lackonookie
disease." She's dating smoky, sexy Dylan, covertly chatting online with
"cybersoul"-mate Chaz, and secretly nursing a crush on sweet, geeky
Murphy. If you like this one, it has a sequel called What My Girlfriend
Doesn't Know.

After reading about the book, it seems like the author does a good job of balancing the grief and sorrow that Dulcie feels with a sense of hope and humor. Based on this, I came up with some titles that I hope you will like.

Julia’s Kitchen by Brenda A. Ferber.

When her mother and younger sister are killed in a house fire, Cara struggles to find a way to deal with her emotions and to reach out to her grieving father.

Rules by Cynthia Lord.

Here are a few other suggestions of books that I think you might like:

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot.
Fourteen-year-old Mia, who is trying to lead a normal life as a teenage girl in New York City, is shocked to learn that her father is the Prince of Genovia, a small European principality, and that she is a princess and the heir to the throne. (This is the first in the Princess series by Meg Cabot, who has written lots of other books that you may enjoy as well).

hope that you will enjoy reading some of these books.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman.
In a future world where those between the ages of thirteen and eighteen can have their lives "unwound" and their body parts harvested for use by others, three teens go to extreme lengths to uphold their beliefs--and, perhaps, save their own lives.

We are so lucky to live in a state with such a rich and long history!

We have a number of books on Virginia including its history. If you want to browse our collection, you would look under the Dewey decimal number 917.55. Here are a couple of titles from that section that might
be of interest to you:

A Historical Album of Virginia by William Cocke

America the Beautiful: Virginia by Sylvia McNair

Celebrate the States: Virginia by Tracy Barrett

If you like The Series of Unfortunate Events, here are some other books you might enjoy:

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis-this series beginning with The Magician's Nephew and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a classic that all should read!

Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath
Primrose Squarp's parents go out on a boat in a storm one day and don't come back. She's sure they'll return one day, but she's having a hard time convincing the people of Coal Harbor!

If you are interested in finding other titles like Dave Pelzer's “A Child Called It,” then I'm sure you'll want to read the sequels, "The Lost Boy" and "A Man Called Dave", if you haven't already done so. A couple other titles you may want to try are:

Runaway by Wendelin Van Draanen.

After running away from her fifth foster home, Holly, a twelve-year-old orphan, travels across the country, keeping a journal of her experiences and struggle to survive.

I selected a few titles that have some of the same elements as The Red Necklace…history, intrigue, a bit of the mystical and other interesting plot elements. I hope you enjoy reading some of these books!

Red Moon at Sharpsburg by Rosemary Wells.

As the Civil War breaks out, India, a young Southern girl, summons her sharp intelligence and the courage she didn't know she had to survive the war that threatens to destroy her family, her Virginia home, and the only life she has ever known.

Kindred by Octavia Butler.