Absolutely original fantasy

I was blown away by the creativity of Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor.  Sunny lives in Nigeria; although she has West African features, she's an albino - her pale skin and hair get her teased and bullied a lot.  She eventually makes friends with Orlu, Chichi, and Sasha and learns that all of them are Leopard People, witches with magical abilities.  Soon she learns how to become invisible, call forth her spirit face, and even work beginner's juju spells.  The four friends are surprised (and afraid) to learn that the elders have selected them to destroy Black Hat Otokoto, a menacing serial killer who's going after the local children.  Each of the foursome has a distinct personality (Chichi is sassy, Sasha's got an attitude), and it's cool to watch them discover and master their powers - they actually earn money "by gaining knowledge and wisdom."  But above all, the imagery in this book is amazing, from the funky train and magic of juju knives to ghosthoppers and the terrifying, evil spirit of Ekwensu.  Come visit the world of Leopard Knocks!

There's something creepy about this tattoo

Wow.  If you're looking for a fantastic audiobook for someone in 7th grade or older, get The Black Tattoo, written by Sam Enthoven and read by John Lee.  Not only is the story very cool, but the narrator provides a phenomenal array of voices. Charlie and Jack are best friends in present-day London.  After being recruited into a secret society called The Brotherhood, Charlie ends up with a tattoo on his back...a MOVING tattoo. It turns out that an ancient demon - the Scourge - is possessing Charlie and has some truly nasty plans.  So it's up to Jack and new friend Esme (a girl with apparent super powers) to actually follow Charlie and the Scourge into Hell itself to stop them.  This sounds serious, but there's actually quite a bit of humor, both in the storyline and the way it's read.  This audiobook is long - almost 14 hours - but awesome for your next road trip.

For Twilight fans

No, there aren't any vampires, but I still think fans of Twilight would also like Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer.  Tansy, her mom, and her grandfather (Papa Dan) have just moved to a Papa Dan's hometown in Texas, and they're living in an old, creepy house that is supposedly haunted.  Tansy discovers a beautiful box containing a pocket watch, a crystal, and a poetry journal; she's sure they belonged to Henry, a troubled teen who committed suicide while living in Tansy's house long ago.  Tansy is a photographer, and she soon starts to see strange images through her camera lens - black and white, rather than color, and people that she knows are Henry and Papa Dan, as a youth.  They were friends?  She then finds that with the help of the watch and crystal, she can actually enter the world and time of the two.  Why is she so attracted to Henry?  Why is Papa Dad so upset to be back in his hometown?  And most of all...is Tansy losing her mind? Hmmm......

Superheroes - and Daniel - to the rescue!

Powerless by Matthew Cody is a pretty cool blend of genres - a mystery with a supernatural twist.  Daniel is twelve, and his family has just moved to Noble's Green. He soon meets his neighbor Mollie and finds out that she, as well as her friends, all have a variety of superpowers. But for some unknown reason, when each of them turns 13, he or she not only looses the power, but also the memory of ever even having it. Mollie is convinced that Daniel, a regular kid who likes being a detective, can save the rest of them. So how do some old comic books, a meteor strike, an orphanage fire from long ago, and a nearby quarry fit into the puzzle? And who - or what - is The Shroud? Well, dear readers, you're going to have to read this book to discover who the villian really is and whether or not Daniel can save the day!

A place between life and death

As I was grabbing audiobooks for my recent road trip, I didn't realize that Everwild, written by Neal Shusterman and narrated by Nick Podehl, was a the second book of a trilogy, and it took me a while to figure out what was going on.  Everlost is a land between life and death, a place for Afterlights, children who have died but aren't quite ready to finish the journey.  There's a complex cast in Everlost: Mary Hightower (the Sky Witch), who has creepy plans to keep the children there forever, and those who oppose her - her brother (and former monster) Mikey McGill, Nick the Chocolate Ogre (what?), and Allie the Outcast, who's a skinjacker - an Afterlight who can enter the body of a living person.  If you can go with the flow of the story and enjoy it, you'll read (or hear) adventure, humor, and a touch of romance, but it would be better to read Everlost first.  The third book of the trilogy, Everfound, is scheduled to be released in May 2011.