Book Recommendations: April 2020

Stuck at home and searching for something to take you away this spring? This week’s recommendations come according to a theme: escapism. Whether they’re classic or contemporary, all of these YA novels share a common thread: they’re about parallel worlds, new dimensions, or other planes…the perfect antidote to isolation. And they’re all available on Overdrive/Libby with your Crawford County Library Card – so pick a rec according to your tastes and leave home without leaving home today.

His Dark Materials (Phillip Pullman)

If you grew up in the early 2000s, you might remember the film; or you might have seen the first HBO season based on this YA classic. In a world close to but not quite like our own, wily Lyra sets out to solve the disappearance of her best friend, crossing dimensions in the process. HDM twists the ‘other world’ format a bit: the strange new dimension our heroes wind up in is OUR world, described from an outsider’s point of view. This is fantasy that reads like a conspiracy thriller.

Recommended if you:

• like creative worldbuilding that doesn’t waste time
• want a refreshingly sly, sneaky hero
• always think someone’s pulling the strings
• just want to see some armored bears. yeah, that’s pretty cool

The Chronicles of Narnia (C. S. Lewis)

His Dark Materials‘ (friendly?) rival in the world of YA fantasy lit, Narnia is another classic that’s been adapted for the screen. Four siblings, British schoolchildren in WWII, are drawn into a medieval land on the opposite side of a wardrobe – the series tracks the whole history of Narnia, from its beginning to its end.

Recommended if you:

• want a sweeping history in your reading material – multiple generation’s worth of adventures in seven books
• want to relive some childhood nostalgia (or, if you’ve never read them before, see what the fuss was about)
• like talking animals but thought the ones from HDM were a little too sarcastic

The Iron Fey (Julie Kagawa)

This contemporary series takes characters from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and restructures them for a modern audience. Seven books, plus a few short stories, give readers plenty of room to dive into this rich, dramatic world. Two siblings discover a hidden legacy and are drawn into complex elven politics, navigating age-old feuds and struggling to choose who they can trust.

Recommended if you:

• already read your way through Holly Black and still had a craving
• haven’t watched a good supernatural drama in a while
• read Midsummer in your Shakespeare unit and were more interested in whatever was going on with the faeries than the human beings

A Thousand Pieces of You (Claudia Gray)

Contemporary science fiction takes on the “alternate dimension theme. The first book in the Firebird Series, A Thousand Pieces blends sci-fi with murder mystery in a suspensful, breakneck-paced plot. The daughter of inventors chases her father’s killer (who may or may not be the real guilty party) through multiple versions of reality, but is she getting closer to or further from the truth?

Recommended if you:

• were interested in the escapist theme of this rec list but weren’t stoked about all the fantasy options
• thrive on thrillers and intrigue
• like a good revenge story

Otherbound (Corinne Duyvis)

Another contemporary sci-fi, Otherbound takes all of the conventions of the genre, shakes them up a bit, and gives them a twist. A boy from our world can possess people in other worlds, leading him to an uneasy alliance with two girls in dangerous exile. A diverse, rich cast of characters feel real and lived-in, and their struggles in both worlds are filled with urgency that keeps the plot rolling at a steady clip.

Recommended if you:

• noticed that all of the other recommendations on this list were series and said ‘that’s nice, but don’t you ever just read a standalone novel?’
• enjoyed the Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner
• think stories where people get possessed should be more positive and cooperative about it

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS

This trio of trilogies unfortunately aren’t on our Libby collection, but can still be found elsewhere online if you’re still looking to scratch that escapist itch:

• Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke (J/YA)
• The Magicians, by Lev Grossman (YA/NA)
• A Darker Shade of Magic, by V. E. Schwab (YA/SFF)

If you enjoy our recommendations, let us know in the comments – or let us know if you didn’t enjoy them (or if you have recs of your own)!