by Patrick Ness
The Silver Kiss
by Annette Curtis Klause
Skellig
by David Almond
Three books that are reminiscent of one another. Dark yet hopeful stories that explore a young person's encounter with a mysterious stranger. All three books read like dreams...or nightmares. Its hard to tell where the science fiction starts and the reality ends. The biggest common thread shared by these three books is the looming tragedy and grief shared by the protagonists. The strangers are the unexpected harbingers of peace, discovery, and acceptance. Definitely check out these books!
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This is a powerful book about love, loss, fear, and discovery. Conceived by author Siobhan Dowd shortly before her premature death, Patrick Ness built the idea into a spooky, stick-with-you story. Jim Kay's nightmare-scape illustrations definitely help to create a sense of mystery and foreboding.
From the publisher: The Monster showed up after midnight. As they do. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming... This monster, though is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth.
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Paranormal romance meets action-adventure meets reality in this young adult classic. This book is a perennial favorite among teens at Ericson Public Library! Zoe is reeling from the realization that her mother is dying...and wary of the dark, brooding stranger she's running into everywhere. The stranger's cloudy, mysterious history makes this book read like a suspenseful thriller.
From the publisher: Zoe is wary when, in the dead of night, the eerily handsome yet frightening Simon comes to her house. Simon seems to understand the pain of loneliness and death and Zoe's brooding thoughts of her dying mother. When Simon reveals that he's of the undead, a vampire looking to avenge his mother's gruesome murder, Zoe must let her heart guide her through a tangle of fear and desire.
Read my previous review of this book.
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Skellig by David Almond
In addition to being a Printz Award book, Skellig was recognized as an Iowa High School Award Winner. Haunting, mysterious, and touching...everyone should give this very quick read a chance. Anxious and troubled by his baby sister's poor health, Michael discovers a man secretly living in the family's unused garage. Or at least he thinks he's found a man. More dreamlike and hopeful than nightmarish, Skellig is, in my opinion a Young Adult classic.
From the publisher: Michael was looking forward to moving into a new house. But now his baby sister is ill, his parents are frantic, and Doctor Death has come to call. Michael feels helpless. Then he steps into the crumbling garage and encounters a strange being who changes his world forever.
There is a companion book to Skellig called My Name is Mina. Also, the book was made into a loosely-translated movie in 2009. Watch the movie trailer!
video from youtube.com
