Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is an epic 1851 novel by American author Herman Melville. Widely considered a masterpiece of American literature and a defining work of the American Renaissance, the novel tells the harrowing, obsessive quest of Captain Ahab seeking vengeance against the giant white sperm whale that bit off his leg. Blending high-seas adventure, encyclopedic details of 19th-century whal…
The Spook's Witches (published in the United States as The Last Apprentice: Attack of the Fiend) is the eighth installment in Joseph Delaney's dark fantasy-horror series, The Wardstone Chronicles (also known as The Spook's Apprentice). Published in 2012, this terrifying installment ramps up the psychological dread and cosmic stakes as young apprentice Thomas Ward faces a massive coalition of wi…
The Doldrums is a middle-grade children's adventure novel written and lavishly illustrated by Nicholas Gannon, published in 2015. Blending whimsical humor, a touch of mystery, and rich, old-fashioned full-color artwork, the story follows an imaginative boy stuck inside a hyper-protective home who enlists an eccentric group of friends to mount a rescue mission for his missing explorer grandparents.
No Use Crying is a young adult coming-of-age novel written by British author Zannah Kearns, published in 2011. The story follows a teenager named Niki as she is thrust into an unfamiliar world in London, forcing her to navigate family secrets, urban survival, and a major shift in her sense of identity.
The Man in the Iron Mask is a classic historical fiction novel written by the French author Alexandre Dumas (originally published as the final section of his broader 1847 novel The Vicomte de Bragelonne). Set in 1660s France during the reign of the young King Louis XIV, the story is based on the famous, enduring French historical mystery of a mysterious prisoner whose face was concealed by a ve…
The Hollow Boy is the third installment in Jonathan Stroud's acclaimed supernatural-thriller series, Lockwood & Co. Published in 2015, this chilling and darkly humorous urban fantasy novel continues the adventures of London's smallest, most unconventional ghost-hunting agency as they navigate a massive spectral outbreak and internal team drama.
The Blood of Olympus is a fantasy-adventure novel written by American author Rick Riordan, published in October 2014. It is the fifth and final installment in the bestselling Heroes of Olympus series, serving as the grand finale to the epic saga that unites Greek and Roman demigods against the ultimate ancient threat.
Geekhood: Mission Improbable is a young adult comedic novel written by Andy Robb, published in 2013. It is the second book in the Geekhood series (following Close Encounters of the Girl Kind), continuing the humorous and heartfelt adventures of fourteen-year-old Archie, a self-proclaimed geek who navigates the chaotic intersection of role-playing games, family dysfunction, and the terrifying my…
The Diary of a Young Girl (originally published in Dutch as Het Achterhuis or The Annex) is the diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding with her family and four others for two years during the Nazi persecution of the Netherlands. Published posthumously by her father, Otto Frank, in 1947, it has become one of the most widely read and influential books in the world, serving as an endurin…
The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915) and The Power-House (1916) are two of the most famous and influential thrillers written by Scottish novelist, historian, and politician John Buchan. Featuring his iconic protagonist, Richard Hannay, these gripping novellas essentially invented the modern espionage and "man-on-the-run" thriller genre, laying the groundwork for everything from James Bond to Alfred Hit…