Janitors by Tyler Whitesides

Spencer Zumbro wants his life to be clean and well-ordered, which is difficult in his large, disordered family and at a new elementary school. But things get even worse when he starts to see strange creatures around the school and no one believes him. When Spencer sees a janitor attack one of the creatures with a vacuum, he realizes that he isn't the only one who can see them. He and his new friend, Daisy, set out to find the truth, but the situation is far more complicated than they realize...

Honestly, this isn't the sort of book that I usually pick up, but I did enjoy it. The story is a little bit fluffy, but there is enough characterization to really get to know Spencer and Daisy, and several serious topics are broached as well. I would recommend this book to fantasy fans of all ages, particularly those who enjoy stories about fighting monsters and magical creatures in the real world.

Note: This book is also the first in a series, continued by Janitors: Secrets of New Forest Academy.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: The Lightning Thief, Now You See It..., The Prophecy, or fablehaven

Morganville Vampires Series by Rachel Caine

Claire Danvers really wanted to go to MIT, but since she's only sixteen, her parents have decided that it would be better for her to go to a small, local college instead. Unfortunately, Texas Prairie University in Morganville, Texas leaves a lot to be desired. A bad experience in the dorms leads Claire to look at off-campus housing, ending up with roommates Michael, Eve, and Shane. But that's when things get even more complicated: Morganville is run by vampires. Claire isn't willing to stand idly by, which means that soon she is in the thick of vampire-human relationship issues, dragging her new friends along with her.

The current books in the series are: Glass Houses, The Dead Girls' Dance, Midnight Alley, Feast of Fools, Lord of Misrule, Carpe Corpus, and Fade Out. (The first two books were also published in a single volume titled The Morganville Vampires.)


These books were fast-paced and highly addicted. They're slightly more fluffy than some vampire books, but less fluffy than I expected. The main characters are well-developed and the plot is not entirely predictable. One of the things that I like best about these books is that the characters and dialogue feel very realistic. I would definitely recommend this series to older teens who are looking for books about vampires or something set in the real world full of life-or-death fantasy situations.


**Note: Book 8, Kiss of Death, is supposed to be released April 27, 2010; Book 9, Ghost Town is set to come out in November.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Wicked Lovely, Fablehaven, or Tantalize

Magic in the Mirrorstone: Tales of Fantasy edited by Steve Berman

This collection contains fifteen different fantasy stories. Many of the short stories are about high school students or characters of a similar age, although several are more 'fantastical.' A short breakdown of the stories:

• Princess Bufo marinus, Also Known As Amy by Eugie Foster - A story similar to 'the princess and the frog' but set in a modern-day high school


• Lights, Camera, Action by Cecil Castellucci - A young actress discovers that one movie can change her entire life


• Ten Thousand Waves by Ann Zeddies - Jun Ho is not proud of his Asian heritage, but he soon learns that he cannot embrace his own power without it


• Mauve's Quilt by Craig Laurance Gidney - Quentin and his father move into an old house and he finds a quilt in the attic that seems to be more than just a quilt


• Have You Ever Seen a Shoggoth by Cassandra Clare - Sometimes the 'weird' kids in high school are hiding more than it seems


• The Amulet of Winter by Lawrence M. Schoen - Aleks, a skilled thief, is sent to steal a magical amulet but finds himself trapped in a magical library


• Veronica Brown by Sean Manseau - Veronica knows there's a sea monster in Lake Champlain but she's tired of letting it ruin her summer


• The Jewel of Abandon by Nina Kiriki Hoffman - Sometimes ignorance really is bliss...


• School Spirit by Jim C. Hines - An evil wizard's curse haunts a magical school, but a new goblin student is determined to take him down once and for all


• Blackwater Baby by Tiffany Trent - Father Joseph rescues the Marsh King's daughter from unsuspecting humans but the Fey want her back...(this story is about characters from a separate fantasy series)


• Old Crimes by J. D. Everyhope - While on vacation, a girl has a chat with an ancient Toltec god


• The Fortunate Dream by Gregory Frost - A young man finds that fairy tales are sometimes more useful than they seem


• Out of Her Element by E. Sedia - Leticia, a young girl dying of consumption in England, befriends a salamander and faces a difficult choice


• Virgin by Holly Black - Jen, a runaway foster teen meets Zachary, another runaway with a secret


• Pig, Crane, Fox: Three Hearts Unfolding by Beth Bernobich - An Asian story similar to the Princess on the Glass Hill

I enjoyed this collection of short stories - some more than others, but overall, this is a collection I would recommend to fantasy fans looking for short reads with plenty of variety.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: The Frog Princess, Now You See It, Aurelie: A Fairie Tale, or The Wish List

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Ninth Grade Slays by Heather Brewer

Vladimir Tod is a half-vampire high school freshman. His year is not off to a good start: the bullies target him, he can't seem to talk to the girl he likes, his best friend/human drudge seems more interested in popularity than in their friendship, and a vampire slayer may have been sent to find him. Luckily, a trip to Siberia with his uncle Otis helps him learn the basic vampire skills that he needs to master - but will he be able to use them well enough to stay alive until the end of the school year?

First of all, this book is actually the sequel to Eighth Grade Bites, which I have not yet read, so I may have missed some pieces that kept this book from being quite as good. That being said, I was not overly impressed with this book. It is not poorly written, but I thought the characterization was rather too chick-lit reminiscent which did not seem to fit the teenage boys, although it is clear that this series is geared toward younger teens who might identify with it better. Additionally, I thought that some parts of the plot and character relationships were much more shallow than they could have been, keeping the book almost too short and fluffy with a fairly predictable plot. I would recommend this book to younger teens and fantasy fans looking for quick, light reads.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Twilight, Once Upon a Marigold, or The Frog Princess