Author Archives: Claire Chandler

About Claire Chandler

My name is Claire, and I am a student at Oasis. My favorite genres are fantasy, sci-fi, and historical fiction. I read constantly, and love to talk about my favorite stories, much to the chagrin of my family and friends. Outside of reading I like to unicycle and bake.

Summer Bird Blue by Akemi

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Akemi Bowman’s new novel Summer Bird Blue is hard to describe. The entire book is filled with such raw, powerful emotion that it immerses you in the story so deeply it is difficult to take a step back and analyze it. It’s a bit like a wave, beautiful and powerful and able to effortlessly pull you under and pummel you until you reach the end. It’s an incredible book, but not one you want to read in public (you WILL ugly cry).
When her sister Lea is killed in a car crash Rumi feels like she is drowning. Not only has she lost her sister and best friend, but her mother has sent Rumi off to Hawaii to spend the summer with her aunt rather than deal with their shared grief. Lost and alone in a strange place Rumi clings to one thing: Summer Bird Blue. It’s the name of the song she and Lea had been writing when Lea died, and Rumi is determined to finish it for both of them.
But how can she when Rumi sees Lea every time she hears a song or strums a guitar? The only place music doesn’t hurt is at their neighbor Mr. Wantanabe’s house, and the only time Rumi feels remotely normal is when she is with her new friend Kai. With her Aunt and her new friend’s help Rumi slowly learns how to live her life without Lea at her side. Summer Bird Blue is a beautiful homeage to heartbreak, healing and the power of friendship.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

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Several months ago, a friend of mine sent me a book for my birthday: Caraval. In retrospect, I should have picked it up much sooner. Caraval has become one of my favorite YA books to date, and its sequel- Legendary is, if possible, even better. In her amazing debut Stephanie Garber redefined fantasy in this twisting tale seeped in dark magic and unexpected revelations.

Scarlet Dragna lives on the Isle of Trisda with her sister Tella and their cruel father. For years Scarlet has written letters to Legend, master of the magical circus-game of Caraval, begging him to come to Trisda. Now engaged and ready to escape Trisda with her sister, Scarlet finally recieves a reply from Legend- and three tickets. Now Scarlet must make a choice: marry the man her father chose for her, or run away to attend Caraval with Tella and the handsome young sailor who has offered his help in exchange for a ticket.

Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak

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 Bridge of Clay is a book about stories. It’s about an immigrant girl whose father sent her across the sea with the Odyssey, the Iliad and a love of the piano. It’s about a boy who loved the girl in his paintings more than the one he painted them of. It’s about a jockey and her horse and a very stubborn mule. It’s about a family. It’s about Clay and his brothers. It’s about how everything and everyone has a story if you look hard enough, and those stories shape us into the people we are.

Clay Dunbar’s mother died when he was in middle school. His dad left a few months later. For years it’s just been him and his four brothers and that’s been okay. They made it okay. But now their father is back, and with a request. He wants one of his sons to come back home with him, and help him build a bridge.
Bridge of Clay is a bittersweet story of a father and son reconnecting after years of estrangement. The main plot is interwoven with the lives of the people around Clay, a resonant reminder that there are always other sides to the story and always past experiences that influence the present. Once again, Zusak thoughtfully weaves a masterful tale to stir the hearts of readers everywhere.

Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles

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Marvin Johnson knows exactly what he wants: an acceptance letter from MIT, a good job, to get out of Sterling Point. His twin brother Tyler however, is a different story altogether. Tyler is outgoing and popular while Marvin focuses his energy on school. Marvin has two best friends, Ivy and G-mo, Tyler on the other hand has a wide circle of friends and acquaintances- most recent and alarming of which is Johntae, a local drug dealer and gangster.
When Tyler invites his brother and his friends to Johntae’s next party, Marvin is reluctant, but he knows that if he wants to find out what’s going on with his twin, he needs to be there. But everything goes wrong when cops raid the party, and two days later Tyler is found dead. Now, battling grief and confusion, Marvin must find a way to process his brother’s death, and the viral video of how it happened.                                                                            Tyler Johnson Was Here

Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge by Lisa Jensen

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When Lucie came to Château Beaumont she was looking for a job that would get her away from home. She wasn’t prepared for the cruel and handsome Chevalier de Beaumont, and the strange tale born from her own hatred of him. But when an old witch curses the Chevalier to become a fearsome beast and Lucie a candlestick to watch him, everything changes.
As Beast, the Chevalier is quiet and kind, even to Lucie, only wanting to keep to himself and tend his garden. All too soon, Lucie finds herself drawn to- even befriending, the lonely beast. But with the arrival of Rose, a beautiful young merchant’s daughter, their fragile peace threatens to break. For if Rose offers to marry Beast, the Chevalier will return, and only Lucie knows how terrible that would be. And only Lucie has a chance of stopping it from happening.

Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge

The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen

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Megan Bannen’s debut novel, The Bird and the Blade is a rich and poignant story of love, loss, and the bloody struggle for power within a fractured Mongol Empire during the 13th century.
Jinghua lost everything on the day the Mongols invaded her home and slaughtered her people. Now she’s a slave in the house of one of the most powerful warlords of their time: Timur Khan, lord of the Kipchak. But when the Kipchak Khanate is invaded and its army destroyed Jinghua must follow Timur and his son Khalaf as they escape their conquered kingdom if she is to have any chance of returning to her own home.
But when Khalaf enters a deadly game to win the hand of a powerful princess, everything changes. Turandokht is treacherous, beautiful, and heir to the Mongol Empire. The man who weds her will be the next Great Khan, the catch? He must first solve three impossible riddles, or die trying. Soon Jinghua is forced to make an impossible choice: betray the boy she has grown to love, or give him up to the princess who would rather be his death than his bride.

Tradition by Brendan Kiely

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Books have always played an important role in educating the next generation, but in this day and age YA authors have become invaluable in providing valuable lessons and role models for teens and adults alike. Brendan Kiely’s new book Tradition is one such novel that will no doubt be considered a modern classic by generations to come.
For James Baxter Fullbrook Academy is a second chance and he’s determined not to waste it. He’s at Fullbrook on a hockey scholarship after his life at home was shattered by a horrible accident. At Fullbrook nobody knows about his past, at Fullbrook he’s the Buckeye, the secret weapon, special and revered.
But then Bax meets Jules Deveraux, the one person at Fulbrook strong enough to stand up for what she believes in. Soon Bax finds himself taking on social injustice with Jules and their friends Aileen and Javi.
But Fulbrook is a place of privilege and toxic rites of passage. Tradition is as much a part of the school as the ivy-covered walls and the unspoken rules that nobody dares defy.

A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir

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In a thrilling sequel to A Torch Against the Night, Sabaa Tahir returns to the world of Laia, Helene and Elias with A Reaper at the Gates. In Reaper, the stakes have been raised for all our favorite characters as the Nightbringer draws closer to his goal.
In the Waiting Place, Elias struggles to take control of his growing powers as Shaeva and Mauth force him and Laia farther apart. At the heart of the Empire Helene has taken control of the Black Guard— and with Harper at her side begins to wrest control from the Commandant. Far away, Laia works with the Tribes and Scholar Rebels to free enslaved Scholars.
But even as the Blood Strike grows in power and Laia gains allies and experience, the Nightbringer too grows closer to freeing the other Jinn. Under his orders Keris Veturia schemes and kills as she works to undermine the new regime.

Reaper at the Gates is probably my favorite book of the series yet. The POV characters have gained a new maturity since the events of A Torch Against the Night, and many of the supporting characters also gain a backstory that helps to enrich the world of Reaper comsiderably.

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

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When Princess Theodosia of Astrea was six, her life was ripped apart. Her peaceful island nation was invaded by the fearsome Kalovaxians, her mother slaughtered, and her people enslaved. Over a decade later, Theodosia is still imprisoned in the palace she once called home. Theodosia is forced to watch as the Keiser runs her country into the ground, and slaughters her people, as each small act of rebellion is etched onto her back with the Theyn’s whip. But with the reappearance of a childhood friend, everything changes. Theodosia has been the Keiser’s pawn for too long, and for better or worse, she soon finds herself a Queen in a perilous game of deception and betrayals. One wrong move means death, and if she wants to win, Theodosia will have to be cunning, brave, and ruthless in order to save her people— and herself.
Theodosia is by far the smartest— and possibly the most ruthless protagonist I have ever read. She’s cunning, manipulative, brave, and unlike most heroes, has excellent survival instincts. But she’s also human, and even as she gets closer to her goal, she finds herself inexorably drawn to the crown prince that she swore to kill. Theodosia soon finds herself trapped, caught between her people, and the boy she may be growing to love.

Ash Princess is a beautiful and heartbreaking story of a girl who has lost everything, and is willing to do anything in order to survive. The writing is beautiful and compelling, the characters diverse and colorful, and the plot a masterpiece of twisting, interlocking tales. Ash Princess is undoubtedly one of the best fantasy novels that can be found on the YA shelf.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

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When Miles asked his parents to send him to his father’s old boarding school, he had no idea what he was getting himself into. All he was looking for was an escape from the loneliness and drudgery of his everyday life and judging by his fathers wild stories, Culver Creek might be just what he’s looking for. And if he isn’t the most experienced in the wild shenanigans his dad described, well, its high school, what’s the worst that could happen?
What Miles didn’t anticipate was his new roommate Chip, who calls himself the Colonel. The Colonel introduces Miles— newly nicknamed Pudge, to a secret world of midnight pranks, bad alcohol and forbidden adventures. And at the center of it all is Alaska Young; clever, daring, unpredictable, gorgeous Alaska Young.
Looking for Alaska is— surprisingly— among the most insightful and intense books I have encountered in YA literature. Looking for Alaska is, in a way, a more modern and well written version of A Catcher in the Rye, with language and experiences that the twenty first century teen will understand and identify with. Whether you’re a teacher looking for an interesting and meaningful story for your students, or a teen yourself, Looking for Alaska is a fascinating and philosophical story filled with vivid characters and an intriguing plot.