“Among Others’’ by Jo Walton is a wonderful coming-of-age story told through the journal of 15-year-old Morwenna Phelps. Mori and her twin sister enjoy playing with the fairies that live among the industrial ruins of their Welsh homeland. They frequently try to escape from the clutches of their mother, who is mad and practices witchcraft. When their mother tries to use the fairies in one of her evil schemes, the girls thwart her, but at a terrible price: Mori is seriously injured and her sister is killed. Mori flees to her father, who left the family when the girls were only 2.

 She is sent to an English boarding school, where she is teased for her accent and walking with a limp. She finds solace in her beloved science fiction books and visits to the library. I loved Mori’s references to Tolkien and Lord of the Rings, which made me remember how I also found comfort in books during those tough teen years. A tribute to science fiction, fantasy, libraries and interlibrary loans, “Among Others’’ is a magical tale that’s hard to put down. Check our catalog

--Jo Hansen, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.