Hana Banana Reads

***Upcoming Release!*** The Speaker by Traci Chee Age Range: 13 & up Release Date: November 7, 2017 G.P. Putnam Son's Books for Young Readers 9780399176784 A slew of spectacular Young Adult fantasy books hit the shelves last fall, including quite a few strong debuts. One of the standouts was called The Reader by Traci Chee. With a gorgeous blue eye-catching cover and a synopsis to draw in any bookworm, The Reader was a knockout. It followed Sefia, an orphaned girl set out for revenge on the people who took her family from her. Her most treasured possession was a strange rectangular object previously guarded by her parents. An object called a book. In a world where the written word is unheard of, books holds power. And with that power come those willing to do anything to possess it. On her journey, Sefia rescues a mute young man by the name of Archer, kidnapped and forced into fighting rings for a ruthless pirate. Somehow, the notorious pirate Serakeen is ...

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust Age Range: 13 & up Release Date: September 5, 2017 Flatiron Books 9781250077738 “If they love you for anything, it will be for your beauty.” Mina carries these words with her, spoken by her father years ago. Since Mina’s heart is made of glass, she is told this renders her incapable of love. At sixteen, Mina leaves her southern home and travels to the north, where she sets out to win the heart of the newly widowed king and become someone worthy of love, believing she must use her beauty to do so. Sixteen years later, Mina is queen and her stepdaughter has grown up. Princess Lynet is constantly told how strongly she resembles her mother, but she would much rather take after her fierce and regal stepmother, the only maternal figure she has ever known. As Lynet grows, she comes closer to taking the crown, and Mina knows that one day they will be at odds. For the queen has no intention of letting that crown go. ...

The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken Age Range: 10-14 Release Date: September 5, 2017 Disney-Hyperion 9781484778173 “‘With stories like these, it’s best to start at the very beginning,’ Uncle Barnabas said. ‘Tell me, Prosperity, what do you know about the family curse?’” Prosper Redding comes from power, his family existing as practical royalty in the town of Redhood. Everything notable to happen there can be traced back through the family line, and everyone in that line is absurdly gifted in some way. Unfortunately, Prosperity Oceanus Redding can boast none of this family talent. And to top it off, being the odd Redding out also means every person in Redhood knows it. Things take a seriously unexpected turn when Prosper is made privy to the demon living inside him, and suddenly, being unexceptional doesn’t seem so bad. Alastor has spent nearly half of his eight hundred years dormant, just waiting for his chance to resurface. Oh, and when he...

The Hawkweed Prophecy  and  The Hawkweed Legacy by Irena Brignull Age Range: 13 & up Release Date: September 6, 2016 and August 15, 2017 9781602863132 and 9781602863149 Weinstein Books There was a time last year when an ARC of The Hawkweed Prophecy found its way to me. It had all the right elements to catch my intrigue: magic, schemes, wickedness… And witches. Witches are not currently as prominent in literature as I would like, and their presence is almost always guaranteed to catch my eye. However, for whatever strange universe/timing issue, I just couldn’t get into the story. It has been over a year, and having just been given the opportunity to read both The Hawkweed Prophecy and its newly published sequel, The Hawkweed Legacy , I decided to give it another go. Which just goes to show you, timing truly is everything. I could not put this dark and twisty story down this time around, and Irena Brignull, if you are reading this, my sincerest apologies fo...

The Song from Somewhere Else by A. F. Harrold illustrated by Levi Pinfold Age Range: 8-12 Release Date: July 3, 2017 Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books 9781681194011 In a small and quiet neighborhood, dangers are coming out of the shadows. But Francesca Patel is more focused on the harsh realities of life. And for her, reality comes in the shape of Neil Noble, the local bully. For reasons Frank can’t fathom, Noble has chosen her as his punching bag, seeking her out day after day to mercilessly taunt. What had she ever done to him? Then one day, the school oddity steps in to help. Nick Underbridge is considered just plain weird by his classmates. He’s too big, too quiet, too… different. And before Frank knows it, she finds herself in the strangest friendship she could have imagined. Harrold, author of The Imaginary , has penned a tale with a lyrically quiet beauty to it. The Song from Somewhere Else is thoughtful, powerful, and takes its time moving along in t...

***Upcoming Release!*** Whichwood by Tahereh Mafi 9781101994795 Age Range: 10 & up Release Date: November 14, 2017 Dutton Books for Young Readers I had two top reads last year. The first is one you may have heard of. A vision of loveliness called The Girl Who Drank the Moon that went on to win the Newbery this year. My other favorite (and if I’m honest with you, my top book of the entire year) was the first Middle Grade novel by acclaimed YA author Tahereh Mafi, called Furthermore . Furthermore is this wondrous, whimsical love letter to your favorite childhood books. There’s a bit of Oz in there, some Secret Garden , and definitely Alice in Wonderland . But it is entirely its own story and, quite simply, it is a masterpiece. Now, on to Whichwood : new companion novel to the aforementioned Furthermore . Due to my intense love for Furthermore , you can imagine the anticipation for its companion. These anticipatory feelings were well founded. Whichwood is a...

Dragon’s Green by Scarlett Thomas Age Range: 8-12 Release Date: May 30, 2017 Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 9781481497848 There are a lot of fantasy stories. There are especially a lot of fantasy stories written for the elementary school age, and it can be a challenge to know which is going to be unique at first sight. Will this be something new? Or will it feel like a copy of those that have come before it? Well, I am here to tell all of you, Dragon’s Green is definitely not a knockoff. It is something incredibly and undeniably special. Thomas’s first novel for children boasts a lot of the elements often featured in this sort of fantasy tale: the young hero learning of her power, and the discovery of a magical community hidden just beyond the regular world we know. There are even elements of timeless classics such as Inkheart , but none of these feel borrowed or overdone. They feel as exciting and wondrous as they did before you as a reader star...

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor 9780316341684 Age Range: 14 & up Release Date: March 28, 2017 Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Junior librarian Lazlo Strange has long been obsessed with the city of Weep. A mythical place cut off from the rest of the world, Weep is purely the stuff of legend. Even the city’s true name is lost. When the leader of Weep, a fierce warrior called Eril-Fane but known as the Godslayer, assembles a team and offers Lazlo the opportunity to see the long-lost city, the young man does not hesitate. Once in the mysterious place, he thinks all his dreams have come true, only to find that his actual dreams are soon filled with visits from a beautiful blue goddess. Wasn’t he told all the gods were dead? Sarai isn’t supposed to exist. Known amongst her small family of “godspawn” as the Muse of Nightmares, she dutifully spends her evenings using her strange power to silently terrorize the sleeping citizens of Weep. When the Godslayer brings ...