2020 Rereads Autumn Edition

In 2020, in order to overcome a bit of a reading rut, I've been rereading books I remember loving the first time around. This Autumn update is not purposefully thematic, but I see a definite theme emerging. Witches, Dragons, Ghosts, Fairytales, Graphic Novels, Oh my!

The dragon thief

Zetta Elliott

eBOOK
Read Woke, Fantasy, Adventure

Told in two voices, Jax and Kavita, Kavita's brother Vik, and new friend Kenny try to return the baby dragon to the realm of magic before anything else goes wrong.

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I'm currently reading this one aloud at bedtime for the second time! No surprises that the sequel to Dragons in a Bag is just as fun.
- Casey

Mooncakes

Suzanne (Suzanne Wakeen) Walker

GRAPHIC NOVEL Walker
Graphic Novels, Fantasy

Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers? bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town. One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home. Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery.

Baba Yaga's assistant

Marika McCoola

jGRAPHIC NOVEL McCoola
Graphic Novels, Fantasy

"Most children think twice before braving a haunted wood filled with terrifying beasties to match wits with a witch, but not Masha. Her beloved grandma taught her many things: that stories are useful, that magic is fickle, that nothing is too difficult or too dirty to clean. The fearsome witch of folklore needs an assistant, and Masha needs an adventure. She may be clever enough to enter Baba Yaga's house-on-chicken-legs, but within its walls, deceit is the rule. To earn her place, Masha must pass a series of tests, outfox a territorial bear, and make dinner for her host. No easy task, with children on the menu!"--

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This retelling of Baba Yaga is so fun, and it's the perfect time of year to pick it up again.
- Casey

Circe : a novel

Madeline Miller

eAUDIO
Literary Fiction, Fantasy

Follows Circe, the banished witch daughter of Helios, as she hones her powers and interacts with famous mythological beings before a conflict with one of the most vengeful Olympians forces her to choose between the worlds of the gods and mortals.

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Ever read a book that makes all others pale in comparison? Circe has been that book for me in 2020. I've been trying to move on for months and am circling back since she has a hold of me still.
- Casey

The prince and the dressmaker

Jen Wang

eBOOK
Read Woke, LGBTQ+, Graphic Novels

Prince Sebastian hides from his parents his secret life of dressing up as the the hottest fashion icon in Paris, the fabulous Lady Crystallia, while his friend Frances the dressmaker strives to keep her friend's secret.

The Tea Dragon Society

Katie (Cartoonist) O'Neill

jGRAPHIC NOVEL O'Neill
Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Nature

After discovering a lost Tea Dragon in the marketplace, apprentice blacksmith Greta learns about the dying art form of Tea Dragon caretaking from the kind tea shop owners.

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I'm very late on reading the sequel to this one, and want to make sure I'm caught up before heading to The Tea Dragon Festival. I love Katie O'Neill's style--Aquicorn Cove is equally adorable.
- Casey

Castle Hangnail

Ursula Vernon

jFICTION Vernon Ursula
Fantasy

When little, twelve-year-old Molly arrives at Castle Hangnail to fill the vacancy for a wicked witch, the minions who dwell there have no choice but to give her the job and at first it seems she will be able to keep the castle open, but Molly has quite a few secrets that could cause trouble.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon

Kelly Barnhill

eBook
Fantasy, Literary Fiction

An epic fantasy about a young girl raised by a witch, a swamp monster, and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, who must unlock the powerful magic buried deep inside her. Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the forest, Xan, is kind and gentle. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster named Glerk and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, Fyrian. Xan rescues the abandoned children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey. One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this enmagicked girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. To keep young Luna safe from her own unwieldy power, Xan locks her magic deep inside her. When Luna approaches her thirteenth birthday, her magic begins to emerge on schedule--but Xan is far away. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Soon, it is up to Luna to protect those who have protected her--even if it means the end of the loving, safe world she's always known. The acclaimed author of The Witch's Boy has created another epic coming-of-age fairy tale destined to become a modern classic--Provided by Publisher

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I haven't read this again since right after it won the Newbery Medal. I remember it being absolutely enchanting.
- Casey

Sheets

Brenna Thummler

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Thummler
Graphic Novels, Fantasy

"Marjorie Glatt feels like a ghost. A practical thirteen-year-old in charge of the family laundry business, her daily routine features unforgiving customers, unbearable P.E. classes, and the fastidious Mr. Saubertuck who is committed to destroying everything she's worked for"--Provided by publisher.

Through the woods

Emily Carroll

GRAPHIC NOVEL Carroll
Graphic Novels, Horror, Fantasy

"A collection of five spine-tingling short stories"--

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I'm so excited to pick this graphic novel back up again! Emily Carroll truly has a talent for dark fairytales.
- Casey