The Cruel Prince follows the story of Jude Duarte, a seemingly normal human living an average life. However, after witnessing her parents’ murder at 7 years old, she was dragged to live alongside these magical and perfect faeries in Elfhame. Growing up Jude was always belittled and questioned because of her lack of powers. She was bullied by other faeries, especially the king's youngest son, Prince Cardan.
A cross little girl named Mary Lennox lives in India with her rich parents and their servants until the household erupts with Cholera and everyone dies or flees. Leaving Mary by herself until she’s found by an English officer who sends her back to England to live with her uncle. When she arrives she slowly comes more and more alive and she runs, plays and explores the gardens around the estate. Through her wanderings she finds a new secret and makes new friends who teach her things, and she teaches them things in return.
While this novel is enjoyable, Anne of Windy Poplars is the weakest of the Anne series. Written partly in an epistolary style, the book allows the reader to see the world of Windy Poplars and Summerside High School from Anne’s perspective, as she writes love letters to her fiancée Gilbert, a medical school student in Nova Scotia. Parts of the book retain a traditional narrative style, but many of the characters and anecdotes echo too closely those previously described in earlier books of the series.
If you enjoy historical fiction and happy endings, check out this bestseller from one hundred years ago, by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. The first book in the Anne series, Anne of Green Gables provides a peek into a charming world of long-ago, with its setting on quiet, rural Prince Edward Island. Anne is a dreamy, creative 11-year-old orphan who arrives on the island to live with Matthew and Marilla, an elderly brother and sister.
Counting By 7’s is the story of 12 year old genius, Willow Chance. Willow has just joined a new school and is struggling to make friends and fit in. She’s accused of cheating on a test because she got a perfect score on it, so she is sent to the counselor, Dell Duke. Dell Duke is fascinated by Willow and her intelligence and asks her many questions relating to the stock market and other smart topics.
L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables is a timeless classic that readers have enjoyed for over a century. The story follows the adventures of Anne Shirley, an intelligent and imaginative orphan girl who is mistakenly sent to live with siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert on Prince Edward Island. Anne’s talkativeness and spirit grow on Matthew, who tells Marilla that he wants to keep her. Marilla hesitates at first, but after a trial period, she agrees to let Anne stay.
Jude, who lives in Faerie, is a mortal. Cardan, who is the youngest son of the High King Eldred, is a faerie. Jude wants to win a place in the High Court as a knight and prove her skills even as a mortal. Cardan and his friends will do anything to humiliate Jude and hinder her chances of getting a place in the High Court. Jude becomes tangled in the Court’s secrets but then is able to find her ability to deceive and keep those close to her safe.
The Power of One is a movie based on life in South Africa during the 1930s. The movie is about Peekay, a young boy who grows up in South Africa during the 1930s and 1940s. Peekay faces many challenges throughout his life, including bullying, racism, and everyone he cares about leaving him or dying. He finds out he has a passion for boxing and develops strong relationships with his mentor, Doc, and a black prisoner named Geel Piet.
Shadow and Bone is a fantasy YA novel by Leigh Bardugo. The book centers around the main protagonist, Alina, as she discovers who she is and who she can trust. During her childhood, she lived in an orphanage with her best friend, Mal. As she’s tasked to cross the Fold with her group, she discovers something about herself that could potentially change the entire fate of the kingdom, for better or worse.
