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Teen Book Spotlight--First Books in a Series!!!

We have finally reached the end of 2020 and it is now time to start setting those goals and thinking about what we want to accomplish in the next year.  If you have a goal to read more books or even just to finish one, then this week’s teen book spotlight is perfect to help you jumpstart that mission.  Our teen book spotlight this week is on YA books that are the first books in a series!!  I think one of the best ways to find yourself reading more is to fall in love with a series that has multiple titles.  The series we are featuring today are ones that are completed so you can read through nonstop; we have historical, paranormal, mystery, science fiction, and fantasy just to get you started.  These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #yafirstseries as well as on Libby and Hoopla.  Check back next week for a new teen book spotlight and if you have any book suggestions, please let us know!!

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey--Aided by an artificially engineered plague and the “Silencers” (humans placed under alien control as fetuses), aliens were able to eliminate more than seven billion people on Earth, leaving the survivors to try and pick up the pieces. This science fiction adventure is told through the points of view of 16-year-old Cassie, whose solitary life is interrupted when a mysterious figure saves her, and 17-year-old “Zombie,” who is training to become a member of the planet's last resistance against the invaders. In the beginning, the aliens carried out their genocide in four waves, beginning with an electromagnetic pulse that rendered all technology inert. Now, survivors fear the aliens' dreaded fifth wave—which might eliminate the final holdouts of humanity for good.

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand--Sixteen-year-old Clara Gardner's purpose as an angel-blood begins to manifest itself, forcing her family to pull up stakes and move to Jackson, Wyoming, where she learns that danger and heartbreak come with her powers.

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers--In 15th-century Brittany, 17-year-old Ismae flees an abusive father and an unwanted arranged marriage, making her way to the Convent of St. Mortain where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Soon after arriving, Ismae is contacted directly by Mortain, the god of death himself, who reveals he has selected her to be his handmaiden. In order to fulfill this role – and remain within the Convent's secure walls – Ismae must become an assassin and instrument of Mortain's will. Ismae reluctantly accepts, and soon after is sent on her first mission: to observe the Breton noble Duval and kill him if he proves to be a traitor. The task at first seems rather straightforward, but is made all the more difficult by the pair's sudden and growing attraction to each other. 

Jackaby by William Ritter--Abigail Rook arrives in New Fiddleham, New England, in 1892 with a suitcase of unladylike clothing, no money, and in need of a job. She meets the eccentric and egotistical R.F. Jackaby, an investigator unlike any other. He is more interested in Abigail's “kobold” follower than with her suitcase—he can see the supernatural. Abigail, on the other hand, notices even the smallest detail in the natural world. It seems the two could work well together, especially since Jackaby's last assistant has been for the moment transformed into a type of fowl. Abigail has arrived just in time to help Jackaby investigate a series of murders in New Fiddleham, and a murderer who is anything but natural. 

Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas--Celaena Sardothien, 18, is forced to work the salt mines of Endovier as punishment for her crimes as the top assassin in Adarlan. When Crown Prince Dorian summons her to act as his champion in a royal competition, Celaena must prove she's the best assassin in order to gain her freedom. Before facing her opponents -- a cast of ruthless killers and thieves -- Celaena must train with young captain Chaol, who she initially wants to kill, and soon catches the eye of the prince. 

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness--Residing in an all-male town where everyone is infected with the Noise germ -- which allows people to hear each other's thoughts -- Todd Hewitt, the only boy on the planet of New World, anticipates that the town is hiding a secret from him as he approaches manhood. Todd escapes with his loyal dog, whose voice he hears as well, and begins to question everything he has ever known when he stumbles upon Viola -- a girl -- in the woods. With a mob of townsmen in hot pursuit, Todd continues his journey, struggling to reconcile his past with the future.