Z- Zara. The mc in the Need series is Zara. This series is set in main and involves pixies, but not the cute Tinkerbell type kind. Zara is a fairly cool character and these are pretty cool books. I read these books during the height of the whole Twilight thing so it seemed sort of fresh to me to be reading about pixies and weretigers instead.
Y- Yoda. Who doesn't love Yoda? He gives wonderful advice, he trains Jedi knights. In this book an origami version of Yoda gives advice to a group of middle school kids and the kids try to determine if the force is really at work.
X- is for Luxe. OK yeah I'm totally cheating but I haven't read a lot of books that start with X but this has an X in it. The Luxe is set in Manhattan in 1899. In this book Elizabeth Holland has to chose between money and love. I love reading about this time period and all that was expected of young women back then. 
W- Will Grayson, Will Grayson. There are two Wills in this book both named Will Grayson. The book is told in alternating voices of the two Will Graysons. I think my favorite character in this book is Tiny Cooper. The first Will has been friends with Tiny forever and the second Will meets Tiny during the book.
V- Virginia Shreves. The main character in the book The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler. I love this book and this character. Virginia feels like she doesn't fit into her family. They are all thin and successful and she has learned to live by the "Fat Girl Code of Conduct". I love the humor in this book and howVirginia grows as a person and learns to accept herself. 
U- Brenda Ueland. A few years ago a coworker gave me a book, If You Want to Write. To be honest, at the time I wasn't sure I wanted another book about writing but I took it anyway. I read it and was really surprised. This book has wonderful advice about writing. It encourages writers to write, to get past ego and self consciousness and the ideas of success and just write. This book was written in the 1930's but a lot of the advice still holds true today and it is interesting to see that some of the same things that we writers struggle with today (rejection slips, money, housework) are things that writers have always struggled with.
T- Trixie Belden. Trixie is another teen sleuth. After seeing me read some Nancy Drew books a friend of mine loaned me this series and I loved them. They are full of mystery and suspense as Trixie and her friends solve mysteries. Trixie and her neighbor, Honey, solve a the mysteries but they are often aided by their brothers. In at least one of these books Trixie tries to solve a mystery that isn't even there.
S- Snape. I love Severus Snape from the Harry Potter books. Whenever I need a good cry or to just believe in the goodness of people I watch Snape's final scene in the Harry Potter movies or read the scene in the books. He is such a complex character but he is also motivated by love, friendship, and loyalty. I think he is truly one of the bravest characters in the books.
R- Ramona Quimby. I loved, loved, loved the Ramona books when I was a kid. Even though I was the big sister I could totally relate to some of the things that happen to Ramona throughout the books. I would read some of the crazy things that happened to her, like cracking an egg on her forehead and I would actually be surprised that I hadn't done something like that. I could also totally relate to Ramona's imagination.
Q is for Beauty Queens. In this book a plane of beauty pageant contestants lands on an island in a plane crash. I think this book is one of the funnies books I've read. There are a number of diverse characters in this book as the contestants represent many different regions. There is the contestant who pretends to have a valley girl accent until it's discovered that she's not the dumb valley girl. There is a transgendered character who is competing in the pageant as well. On the island, without the pressure to be who society thinks they should be, the girls in this book are allowed to be who they want to be.
P is for Puck Connolly. Puck is one of the main characters in the Scorpio Races. This book is told in alternating voices of Puck and Sean Kendrick. They are both riding in the Scorpio Races. An annual race on their island involving water horses. This story is amazing and the writing in beautiful. Puck's loyalty to her island and her brothers was one of my favorite parts of the story. Her desire to stay on the island she grew up on and keep her brothers near her is what causes her to sign up. She's the first girl to sign up for the races so she faces opposition there. She also faces the challenge of riding her own horse and not one of the water horses. This book made me want to move to Thisbee and ride horses which is unlike me because I'm a city girl and the closest I usually come to horses is my annual visit to the horse barns at the Minnesota State Fair.
O is for Gregor the Overlander. Chances are you've all read and loved The Hunger Games. This is a series of books aimed at slightly younger readers. Gregor is 11 and falls trough a grate in the laundry room and ends up in the Underland. The Underland is full of bugs, bats, rats and humans and Gregor has to fight to fulfill a prophecy. 
N is for Nancy Drew. Nancy is the daughter of a lawyer who ends up solving a lot cases on her own or with the help of her friends Bess, George and Ned Nickerson. She's smart and perceptive. I still love these books and sometimes summon my inner Nancy Drew when I have to solve The Mystery of the Missing (insert costume piece here). These books can also teach a lot about suspense as Nancy is always caught in a suspenseful situation.
M- Maggie Quinn. Maggie is full of awesome. She is a teen sleuth fighting demons at prom, succubi sororities, and mysterious creatures creatures on spring break. If you like shows like Veronica Mars and Buffy the Vampire Slayer then Maggie might be the perfect sleuth for you.
L- Lola. Lola is an aspiring costume designer. For this reason she reminds me of so many people I know in real life. One day she is dressed as a strawberry, this is totally like my friend Barb who will be dressed as a leaf one day with an orange skirt layered over a brown skirt and other fall colors. She is also making a Marie Antoinette dress during the book so I can totally picture these scenes. I can't wait until Lola comes to design costumes at the theater where I work. We are going to have so much fun. Oh, wait. 
K- Kate. Plain Kate. When her father dies Kate is all alone. Her village is looking for any evidence of witchcraft and they become suspicious of her. She leaves in the middle of the night and trades with a magician for something she needs. A her companion is a talking cat named Taggle. Kate is independent and brave. The biggest recommendation I can give for this book is that it made me cry. On the elliptical. At the gym. In front of people. So yeah, it's amazing.
J- Julia Gillian. Julia Gillian is a wonderful middle-grade series. Julia is quirky and fun. She keeps a list of things she's skilled at and she works on adding to this list. She makes paper mache masks. She is a dog person. Her life and concerns as she goes from 4th grader to 6th grader are very real. Julia's life and adventures take place in the Uptown area of Minneapolis and there are wonderful details about the neighborhood in these books.
I - Izzy is the main character in Tortilla Sun by Jennifer Cervantes. She spends a summer living with her Nana in New Mexico. While she is there she finds a baseball, new friends and family. She learns about her father who died when she was a baby and she learns about love. I love baseball so I also love books where baseball comes into play.
H- Harry Potter. I couldn't do n H post without talking about the boy who lived. Harry is a brave and steps up to the challenge of fighting Voldemort with the help of his friends and his school. Not only did he inspire a generation of readers who grew up with him these books also inspired many writers who want to write wonderful, magical stories for children.
G is for Grace Brisbane. Grace is one of the main characters in The Wolves of Mercy Falls series. I was hesitant to read these books at first but when I started really liked them. Grace is independent, caring, strong and smart.
F- is for Frodo. Frodo Baggins is the brave little hobbit who becomes an unlikely hero and saves Middle Earth. Although Hobbits are not known for traveling and having adventures Frodo sets out to destroy a ring that has been left to him by his uncle, Bilbo Baggins. Frodo is brave and he carries the burden of the ring mostly on himself. He is a brave, sweet character. 
E- Eloise. I love these stories about Eloise. Eloise is six and lives in the Plaza Hotel. I love her adventures and how she is always smarter than the adults around her. I think one of my favorites was when she outsmarts her math tutor. Eloise is a city girl and lives in the Plaza Hotel which is, lets face it, cool.
D- Dumbledore. There is so much to love about Dumbledore. He sees the good in people. He trusts people. He allows his students the space to learn, grow and make mistakes. Sometimes he makes mistakes himself. He gives wonderful advice. He's an amazing wizard. I love that despite the fact that he is a very powerful wizard he doesn't swoop in and fix things.
C is for Charlotte- "It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both."
B is for Beezus. I grew up reading the Ramona books and while I totally related to Ramona and her imagination and some of the funny things that happened to her like the time she cracked an egg on her head at school. But I'm also the big sister which meant that I could also relate to Beezus as she dealt with little sister Ramona.
