SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About TLT
  • Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • A to Z Book Lists
    • Book Review Policy
  • Teen Issues
  • Middle Grade Mondays
  • Programs
    • TPiB
    • Tech Talk
  • Professional
    • Teen Services 101
    • Things We Didn’t Learn in Library School
  • MakerSpace
  • Projects
    • #SVYALit
    • #FSYALit
    • #MHYALit
    • #Poverty in YA Lit

November 12, 2013 by Karen Jensen, MLS

Take 5: Mind Bending Reads

November 12, 2013 by Karen Jensen, MLS   1 comments

When Alice went down the rabbit hole, she entered a world full of twists and turns and the things that make you go hmmmmmm.  That is also what happens in More Than This by Patrick Ness, which I reviewed earlier today.  Here are 5 other awesome tales that keep you guessing as to what, exactly, is going on here.

The Thief of Always by Clive Barker

I love this book, love it.  A boy wishes for a different life and finds himself at a place called the Holiday House, where it always seems to be some holiday.  Christmas comes every night.  But what do you have to sacrifice to make every day a holiday?

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

The Game of Sunken Places by M. T. Anderson

Brian and Gregory go to visit a distant relative and find themselves playing a twisted board game.  Suddenly, they are now playing the Game of Sunken Places – the question is, will they win and what happens if they don’t?  This is an amped up version of Jumanji and Zathura for middle grade readers. 

Full Tilt by Neal Shusternman

A sinister carnival appears and two brothers find themselves trapped inside.  They have until sunrise to ride – and survive – seven deadly rides, each of which represent a personal fear.  This book is so much fun.

Interstellar Pig by William Sleator

Sleator actually has several books that would fit right at home on this list, but we’re going to go with arguably the most popular: Interstellar Pig.  Barney’s boring summer vacation gets very interesting when he starts playing a game with his neighbors next door.

The Wonder Show by Hannah Barnaby

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, step inside Mosco’s Traveling Wonder Show, a menagerie of human curiosities and misfits guaranteed to astound and amaze! But perhaps the strangest act of Mosco’s display is Portia Remini, a normal among the freaks, on the run from McGreavy’s Home for Wayward Girls, where Mister watches and waits.” Dark, haunting, and compelling.  If you haven’t read this book yet, you should.

And if I was going to expand the list to 10, I would include:
The excellent and classic Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradburdy
Coraline by Neil Gaiman (also Neverwhere by the same)
The Vampire’s Assistant by Darren Shan
Saving Thanehaven and The Paradise Trap, both by Catherine Jinks

Do you have titles to add to our list?  Please do and share in the comment.

Filed under: Clive Barker, Collection Development, Mindbending Reads, Reader's Advisory, Take 5, The Thief of Always

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Karen Jensen, MLS

Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

October 2014

Take 5: Hazing

by Karen Jensen, MLS

October 2014

Take 5: YA Horror 2014

by Karen Jensen, MLS

January 2014

Take 5: Teen Issues, sexual violence in the life of boys

by Karen Jensen, MLS

September 2013

Take 5: Scorchers, aka It's #DragonDay (list by Cuyler)

by Karen Jensen, MLS

August 2013

Take 5: Important Books on a Difficult Topic - Sexual Violence in the Lives of Teens

by Karen Jensen, MLS

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

BLUE FLOATS AWAY Turns Two!

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Faced with a Parenting Dilemma? Write a Book About It! Jacob Grant Comes By to Talk About NO FAIR

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Pardalita | Preview

by Brigid Alverson

Heavy Medal

March suggestions: early Mock Newbery possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Post-It Note Reviews: Wish granters, brotherly mischief, a high-stakes scavenger hunt, and more!

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey Try Something New

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

#BreakTheStigma: 14 Nonfiction Mental Health Books for Children, Tweens, and Teens

Native Stories: Books for tweens and teens by and about Indigenous peoples

17 Magical and Mind-Bending Sci-Fi & Fantasy Titles for Teens | Summer Reading 2020

10 YA Sports Novels That Knock It Out of the Park | Summer Reading 2021

15 Titles to Help Students and Families With College Prep

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lauren Claymon says

    November 12, 2013 at 3:21 pm

    Maggie Stievater's newest Raven Boys book, The Dream Thieves…i didn't know which way was up by the end!

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023