Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures, by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, is a luscious southern novel for teens.

It is the very romantic story of a love that has lasted through time and the curse that promises to end it. Ethan has been dreaming about a beautiful girl he has never seen in his real life. He wakes with mud under his nails and a sense of dread he can't escape after dreaming of her. When Lena Duchannes moves into the small town of Gatlin to be with the rest of her family, Ethan is immediately attracted to her, recognizing her as the girl of his dreams.

Beautiful Creatures is a book to lose yourself in. As I mentioned above, it is a luscious southern novel, filled with heat, moss, old cemeteries and secrets. If you are a fan of books like Shiver, Twilight, anything by Holly Black, you will LOVE this one. Pick it up at your very own independent bookstore soon. Share it with your friends, loan it to your mom, give yourself a day's indulgence and splurge on the time to read straight through.

So: there's a contest. The authors have designed a contest that began the night of the Third Place Books signing (see photo below of TPB staff and authors). It includes clues from a number of other books by some of the best teen fantasy writers in the genre, clues to unlock the next part of the contest, talismans...Go to http://www.castergirls.com for the clues and booklist. The prize, besides all the great reading and re-reading we get to do, is a beautiful, handcrafted locket based on the one in Beautiful Creatures.

Here is a picture of our very own beautiful creatures: most of the children's book staff and the authors of Beautiful Creatures at the Third Place Books signing last month. Sarah, the taller woman in the middle, provided the photo. Standing, from left to right, are Rene', Cheryl, Sarah and Judy. Seated are the authors, Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia.

Beautiful Creatures is published by Little Brown and is a good choice for ages 12 and up. It is available now.