Reading Room Blog

Here are some other books you may enjoy—some are a bit creepy, some adventurous and a few with orphans and evil relatives!

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke.

Escaping the aunt who wants to adopt only one of them, two orphaned brothers run away from Hamburg to Venice, finding shelter with a gang of street children and their leader, the thirteen-year-old “Thief Lord," while also eluding the detective hired to return them to Germany.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart.

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse.

In a series of poems, fifteen-year-old Billie Jo relates the hardships of living on her family's wheat farm in Oklahoma during the dust bowl years of the Depression.

Witness by Karen Hesse.
A series of poems express the views of various people in a small Vermont town, including a young black girl and a young Jewish girl, during the early 1920s when the Ku Klux Klan is trying to infiltrate the town.

Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy.

Here are some other books that I think you may like:

The It Girl (series) by Cecily von Ziegesar.

Jenny Humphrey, kicked out of Constance Ballard prep school for being a bad influence, decides she'll do anything to become one of the popular girls at Waverly Academy. (from School Library Journal review).

Private (series) by Kate Brian.

Here are a few more books that I think you may like:

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech.

After her mother leaves home suddenly, thirteen-year-old Sal and her grandparents take a car trip retracing her mother's route. Along the way, Sal recounts the story of her friend Phoebe, whose mother also left.

Ida B. : and her plans to maximize fun, avoid disaster, and (possibly) save the world by Katherine Hannigan

Did you know that Until Angels Close My Eyes in the last book of a trilogy by Lurlene McDaniel? In case you missed them, here are the first two books:

Angels Watching Over Me
Sixteen-year-old Leah is admitted to the hospital for treatment of a broken finger. Further tests indicate bone cancer. During her stay she meets Ethan, a handsome Amish boy, and is drawn to him despite the difficulties she has understanding his culture.

Although I haven't read this title, now that you've brought it to my attention, I want to!
Meanwhile, I have listed four titles below that I hope you might enjoy.

Footfree and Fancyloose: a Novel by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain. (Rocehlle, it's the sequel to Bass Ackwards and Belly Up!)

Harper, Sophie, and Kate continue to pursue their dreams of writing, acting, and self-discovery through aid work, while their friend Becca explores college and her relationship with her boyfriend, Stuart.

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.

Similar Title: The Trouble with Mary by Millie Criswell
Original question: Is this humor or romance? I don't know but I like the
combination of the two. Also, there was good sexual tension without a
lot of graphic description. Can you recommend another author who
combines humor and romance? I also like characters from Italian families but that's not essential.

ANSWER:

"The Trouble With Mary" by Millie Criswell is a romance, but it IS
funny, isn't it? Do you know that there are three more titles by Ms.

If you liked "The Invisible Circus" by Jennifer Egan, you may enjoy
these novels for their 1960's and 1970's settings:



"The Jane Austen Book Club" by Karen Joy Fowler

A funny and touching book about 5 women and 1 man who meet to discuss
Jane Austen's books. Over the course of six months, each member
reminisces about events from his or her life.



"Crazy in Alabama" by Mark Childress

Hello! Since you read a wide variety of authors - Haruki Murakami,
Gail Tsukiyama, Amy Tan, Alexander McCall Smith, John Irving, and Anne Tyler - I have recommended a broad range of authors and titles for your enjoyment:

"Kangaroo Notebook" by Kobo Abe

"In the last novel written before his death in 1993, one of Japan's most
distinguished novelists proffered a surreal vision of Japanese society
that manages to be simultaneously fearful and jarringly funny. The