Evil Librarian by Michelle Knudsen illustrates how the normal, average, boring life of Cynthia Rothschild changes when a new librarian-- a new evil demon librarian-- comes to work at her school, planning to suck the life-force out of the entire student body. Even worse, the seemingly charming librarian, Mr. Gabriel, allures Cyn’s best friend, Annie, turning her into his evil, soul-sucking little minion-- and Cyn and her hopeless crush, Ryan, are the only ones who know about it. Cyn and Ryan negotiate with demons to save their school, while trying to stop each other from risking their lives-- a difficult thing to do. This nightmarish problem has to be solved while still focusing on the less life-threatening things, like Cyn working behind the scenes in the school’s play, Sweeney Todd, and Ryan playing the Sweeny Todd. As the novel progresses, the readers get to know unforgettable characters, mainly Cyn and Ryan, and it becomes hard to tell which one they love more.

In short, this book leaves you with enough thoughts about life, morality, betrayal, and family, to last you a lifetime. Noah and Jude are the closest twins you'll ever meet: they're each other's best friends, have their own inside jokes, original games, and know each other better than anyone. Noah has always been less social than Jude, an outsider, an outcast, spending his time with his sketchbook and paints. Jude, on the other hand, has always fit in at school, making friends, cliff-diving, and wearing red lipstick. Once it's time to enter high school, however, jealousy and competition get the best of them, demolishing all the closeness that made up their relationship. They lose people, meet people, and fall in love, on the path back to how it once was. Nelson managed to write this all so elegantly through alternating perspectives told from twins' eyes (rather than a couple's), and during alternating times. Jude's story is told from when they're 16. Noah's is from when they're 13-14. How Nelson made this work so beautifully?-- I have no idea.

In short, this book leaves you with enough thoughts about life, morality, betrayal, and family, to last you a lifetime. Noah and Jude are the closest twins you'll ever meet: they're each other's best friends, have their own inside jokes, original games, and know each other better than anyone. Noah has always been less social than Jude, an outsider, an outcast, spending his time with his sketchbook and paints. Jude, on the other hand, has always fit in at school, making friends, cliff-diving, and wearing red lipstick. Once it's time to enter high school, however, jealousy and competition get the best of them, demolishing all the closeness that made up their relationship. They lose people, meet people, and fall in love, on the path back to how it once was. Nelson managed to write this all so elegantly through alternating perspectives told from twins' eyes (rather than a couple's), and during alternating times. Jude's story is told from when they're 16. Noah's is from when they're 13-14. How Nelson made this work so beautifully?-- I have no idea.

I do not recommend reading this book in public if you want to be thought of as sane: you will laugh with EVERY page, and as soon as you stop laughing you'll just start rolling on the floor again, until you're terrified and shocked and crying-- yet somehow still laughing uncontrollably. When sixteen-year-old Clary Fray (or is that even her real name...?) is thrusted into a whole new world where 'all the stories are true'--demons, werewolves, vampires, faeries-- she realizes that her mundane life to this point has been full of lies. She is a Shadowhunter, though she was not raised that way, and soon learns how to act like one while still preserving some of her own childhood innocence. She meets people with unforgettable personalities (You can't not love Luke, Magnus, Jace...)...and if you just turn the pages and read on, so will you. To me, this was a young adult version of the Harry Potter series--not that you can't read Harry Potter as a young adult :-) --with just the things a book needs: unpredictable plot twists, and much longing to be in this fictional world alongside these lovable characters.