Seraphina (Rachel Hartman)

Author Biography:

Rachel Hartman is a Vancouver-based comic book artist and music lover. Seraphina and its sequel Shadow Scale are her first novels.

Published By: Random House

Year: 2012

ISBN: 0375866566

Reading Level: Grades 10 and up.

Reader’s Annotation:

In a world where dragons can take human form, secret half-dragon Seraphina serves as a musician at the royal court. What will happen when the kingdom faces a draconian enemy, who might be Seraphina’s own flesh and blood?

The Goose Girl (Shannon Hale)

Author Biography:

Shannon Hale is the Newbery Honor-winning author of Princess Academy, as well as the four Books of Bayern. She lives in South Jordan, Utah.


Published By: Bloomsbury U.S.A.




Year: 2003




ISBN-13: 978-1-58234-843-8




ISBN-10: 1-58234-843-X




Reading Level: Grades 9 and up




Reader’s Annotation:

While journeying toward her arranged marriage, Princess Anidori is betrayed, stripped of her title and reduced to servitude. But with courage, good friends and a hint of supernatural aid, she just might manage to reclaim her crown.

Beast (Donna Jo Napoli)

Author Biography:

Donna Jo Napoli is head of the linguistics department at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. She has written dozens of books for children, tweens and young adults alike.

Published By: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Year: 2000

ISBN: 0-689-83589-2

Reading Level: Grades 8 and up

Reader’s Annotation:

This retelling of “Beauty and the Beast” offers a Middle Eastern-flavored spin on the tale, told from the Beast’s point of view. Prince Orasmyn is transformed into a lion, a curse that only a woman’s love can break.

Ash (Malinda Lo)

Author Biography:
Malinda Lo has written four LGBTQ-themed novels for young adults and is the former managing editor of AfterEllen.com, the largest entertainment news website for lesbians and bisexual women.

Published By: Little Brown and Co.

Year: 2009

ISBN: 978-0-316-04009-9

Reading Level: Grades 8 and up

Reader’s Annotation:

In this unique “Cinderella” retelling, Ash longs to escape from her stepmother’s house into the fairy world. Until she meets Kaisa, who gives her life new purpose and teaches her what it means to love.

Toads and Diamonds (Heather Tomlinson)

Author Biography:

Heather Tomlinson has worked as a teacher of both English and French, as a book wholesaler and as a fantasy novelist. She lives in southern California.

Published By: Henry Holt and Co., LLC

Year: 2010

ISBN: 97800-8050-8968-4

Reading Level: Grades 10 and up

Reader’s Annotation:

Diribani’s lips drop jewels and flowers when she speaks, while Tana’s drop snakes and frogs. But are these gifts truly a blessing and a curse, or are they more complex than that?

Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast (Robin McKinley)

Author Biography:
Robin McKinley has won multiple awards for her young adult fantasy novels, including the 1985 Newbery Medal for The Hero and the Crown. She lives in Hampshire, England.

Published By: HarperCollins Publishers

Year: 1978.

ISBN-10: 0552572322

ISBN-13: 978-0552572323

Reading Level: Grades 7 and up

Reader’s Annotation:
Beauty loathes her nickname. Short, mousy-haired and boyish looking, she avoids society in favor of books and horseback riding. But what she lacks in looks, she makes up for in courage when facing a new life in a mysterious castle… a castle that belongs to a Beast.

Alanna: The First Adventure (Tamora Pierce)

Author Biography:

Tamora Pierce has written numerous renowned fantasy novels, set in either the “Tortall” universe or the “Circle” universe. In 2013 she received the Margaret A. Edwards award for her body of work.

Published By: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Year: 1983

ISBN: 0-689-30994-5

Reading Level: Grades 7 and up

Reader’s Annotation:

Disguised as a boy, Alanna of Trebond trains to become a knight at the royal court of Tortall. Can she overcome both ordinary hardships and supernatural threats while keeping her identity a secret?