Fire by Kristin Cashore

Cashore, Kristin. (2009). Fire. Dial Books: New York. $16.99 ISBN 978-0-8037-3461-6

Part human/part monster, Fire is the unusual beauty who has the power to control the minds of everyone around her. She lives in the Dells, but in King City the ruling King Nash is battling enemies from all fronts who want to overtake his throne. Because Fire is the last remaining human monster alive, her life is frequently in danger. For protection, she depends on Archer, her devoted lover and childhood friend. But as war beckons, they leave for King City in hopes of fighting to help the King retain his power. Treachery is everywhere, and Fire must choose who she should trust, not only with her life, but her love as well. Intricate plots, dazzling imagery, and fantastical characters make this companion novel to the popular Graceling a magical good vs. evil novel difficult to put down. Ages 14 and up.

Tough Chicks by Cece Meng, illustrated by Melissa Suber

"From the moment Mama Hen's eggs burst open, she knew she was dealing with some pretty tough chicks." And so begins this tale of three wonderfully non-conforming chicks. All the other barnyard animals think Penny, Polly and Molly need to be docile and peck and chirp like good little chickens. No, they would rather swing from the cow's tail, roll in mud and figure out the inner workings of a tractor. And as you can probably guess, the farmer gets into a big mess and it is the 3 wild chicks who must rescue the animals and fix the tractor. Obviously this is a book showing girls in non traditional roles, but it is not heavy handed. Older preschool and young elementary is the perfect audience.