Vacations from Hell by Libba Bray, et. al.

Vacations from Hell by Libba Bray, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Claudia Gray, Sarah Mlynowski
Bray, Libba, Casandra Clare, Claudia Gray, Maureen Johnson, and Sarah Mlynowski. Vacations from Hell. New York: Harper Teen, 2009. 280 pages. $16.99 ISBN 9780061688737

Readers Annotation: Be careful where you go on vacation.
Plot Summary: Each short story is about vacations that go wrong, paranormal wrong. The first story, Cruisin', is about vampires who go on vacation. Next is the witch filled tale, I Don't Like Your Girlfriend. The Law of Suspects involves two American sisters on vacation in France, murders and an infectious letter. The Mirror House is about a woman who steals the souls of men. Finally, Nowhere Is Safe is the story of recent graduates on a European vacation who decide to go to the Town of the Damned.
Critical Evaluation: Each of these authors have been sucessful in the young adult world. For a few of these authors, this compilation is not their first. In fact a couple of the authors have had their short stories included in other paranormal collections. These stories are short and sweet, if murder and the paranormal are your sweet.
Information about the Author: Libba Bray recently concluded her Gemma Doyle trilogy and will have a new novel, Bovine, out in September. Maureen Johnson is most famous for 13 Little Blue Envelopes, and has five other novels and one other short story in a collection. Cassandra Clare is the author of The Mortal Instruments series which includes City of Bones, City of Ashes and City of Glass. Claudia Gray has created the Evernight series featuring Bianca, a student at a Gothic boarding school. Sarah Mylnowski has a series of teen lit that involves witchery, and has also published several chick lit books for adults as well. Each of these authors lives in New York, New York.
Genre: Paranormal, Horror, Short Stories
Age Level: Ages 14 and up
Curriculum Ties: Use when discussing short stories, and discuss the variety of short story anthologies out there.
Book talking ideas: Read one of the stories. Discuss why writers write short stories as opposed to full length novels.
Challenge Issues: The horror and paranormal content may be of concern.
Why I included it: I included this book because it is one of the newest short story compilations by one or all of these authors. There is a group of young adult authors, most of whom live in New York City, that frequently collaborate on collections together. Also, I chose this collection because Libba Bray is one of my favorite authors.

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Bray, Libba. A Great and Terrible Beauty. New York: Delacorte Press, 2003. 403 pages. $16.95 ISBN 0385730284
Readers Annotation: After the death of her mother on her 16th birthday, Gemma Doyle learns that she has magical powers and that her mother is not who she thought she was.
Plot Summary: Gemma Doyle grew up in India, although she always wanted to live in England like her parents did when they grew up. On her 16th birthday, Gemma begged her mother to let her go to school in England, but her mother forbade it. After running away in a fit of rage Gemma has a vision of her mother being murdered. She searches the city for her mother and eventually finds her exactly where she saw her in her vision, and she is dead. Gemma discovers that it was her mother's wish for her to go to school in England if anything should happen to her, so she is sent away to Spence Academy for Girls. While at Spence, Gemma makes friends with the popular Felicity and her sidekick Pippa, as well as the shy, future governess Ann. After a few art lessons with Miss Moore and impromtu history lessons of the warrior women who used to gather on the grounds, Gemma realizes that she must be part of the ancient order. She continues to have visions, and is visited in flesh and blood by Kartik, an Indian whose brother died in the attempt to protect Gemma's mother. Although warned not to use her growing powers, Gemma gives in to temptation and takes her friends with her into the Realms. In the Realms they can do anything they imagine, but it is only Gemma whose power flourish even out of the Realms. Gemma is forced to decide the fate of the realms, and essentially the fate of her friends.
Critical Evaluation: A Great and Terrible Beauty is an excellent fantasy with the perfect amount of adventure, magic and romance. The writing is particularly elloquent and seems to transport the reader back into Victorian England. Bray does a fantastic job describing the emotions and feelings of Gemma with the loss of her mother, the drug abuse of her father, her mixed feelings for Kartik and the uncertainty of the magic she holds. Bray also presents teen girls with an empowering female character who may have special powers, but must deal with growing up like any teenage girl.
Information about the Author: Libba Bray completed the Gemma Doyle trilogy and is soon coming out with her new young adult novel, Bovine. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their son.
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance.
Age Level: Ages 14 and up
Curriculum Ties: Can be included in a unit that discusses folklore or that of Victorian England.
Book talking ideas: Discuss what it would be like to have magical powers and be able to enter into other realms. Are the issues Gemma deals with in Victorian England that different than what teenage girls deal with today?
Challenge Issues: The ideas of magic may be a concern for some parents.
Why I included it: I included this book because Libba Bray is one of my favorite authors. The Gemma Doyle series has a big online following as well.