Beast
by Donna Jo Napoli
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Imagine a young man just trying to do the best he can. Unfortunately, what he does isn't good enough. He is cursed by a fairy and must leave his home in order to escape death by his father's hands. The only way he can overcome the curse is to get a woman to love him, but that won't be easy since part of the curse has turned him into a lion. ---Laura

Children of the Plains
by Paul B. Thompson and Tonya C. Cook
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This is the first book in the Barbarian Series by Paul B. Thompson and Tonya C. Cook. It's about the rise of human civilization on this world and how an unusually bright brother and sister get separated and start tribes. One tribe settles down and becomes city dwellers with the help of a dragon who considers them pets. The other tribe declares war on the elves who are already civilized.

The story is about how the brother and sister get back together and some of the difficulties their tribes have. It is an interesting book even though the writing is a little cliched sometimes. The characterization was fair though I didn't like the sister very much. I enjoyed it, because it has a very different basic plot from most fantasy books.

---Evan

Ella Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine
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This book is about a girl named Ella who is under a spell of obedience. The story follows her as she goes on a quest to find the only person who can break her spell. This is a great book that takes place in a magical fairyland. I really recommend this book, especially for Harry Potter fans.
---Allie

Sirena
by Donna Jo Napoli
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Picture what it would be like to be immortal. Sounds great, right? Well, immortality's no picnic, as the mermaid Sirena discovers in this haunting tale.

Sirena is made immortal when she falls in love with Philoctetes, a human marooned on her island. As her lover attempts to make it back to the Greek mainland, Sirena is horrified with the idea of watching him grow old while she never ages. This story of true love, woven though Greek mythology and bits of magical mermaid songs, is a real-page-turner.

---Becky