“Indie” Books for Tweens

This is the first in a series of empowering, contemporary fairy tales about the adventures of a misfit fairy from the wrong side of the pond. In a world of lattes, lip gloss and designer duds, where everyone is trying to fit in, "The Fairies of Bladderwhack Pond" is about being an original, true to yourself. It's written by Debbie Bishop and is illustrated by Andy Park.

Originally printed as a limited edition with hand-drawn covers, Top Shelf presents the final chapter of Jeffrey Brown´s so-called "Girlfriend Trilogy." "AEIOU" continues to explore the subtleties of relationships explored in "CLUMSY" and "UNLIKELY," concentrating this time on the differences between knowing and loving someone, invoking the reader´s relationship with the book as a parallel to being involved with someone. The story is told with Brown´s trademark expressive drawings and juxtaposition of humor and heartache.

Beacon Street Girls Books Series is a friendship-adventure series that engages girls 9 to 13 with real-girl characters, contemporary themes and age-appropriate storylines. Upbeat messages and positive role models help to foster reader self-esteem. Five main characters — Avery, Charlotte, Katani, Maeve and Isabel — and a host of lively secondary characters, form a vibrant community of middle-school kids, teachers, families, friends and neighbors. The series is based in Brookline, a multicultural town adjacent to Boston.

By Francesca De Grandis, this book teaches girls how to be strong through the performance of magical charms and spells, while encouraging them to be spiritual.
— “The spells in this book also work. I found this out when I accidentally (perfectly accidentally, thank you) did a love spell and within less than a week I had three guys attracted to me!” said Rachael “Nakoru” of Greenfield, Mass., who rated this book five out of five stars on Amazon.com.
— “I received so much mail from young adults, it showed me there was a need,” said De Grandis, explaining why she wrote the book. Since the book’s launch last April, “I’ve heard wonderful things from readers about it helping and empowering,” she added.
— Peaches Ballenger, manager of The Crystal Fox in Laurel, Md., said “Oh, this is another great one” for the teen/tween set, and added that it sells quite well at her store. She said one draw is that girls enjoy feeling a connection with the goddesses mentioned.

Gleaned from the mythos of the wildly popular Cogno board game series, this is a series of eight books to be released featuring characters from the games. Book one, titled "Synapse," details the characters´ race to defeat a "grave threat" to the galaxy. The characters travel through space and nothing is what it seems.

Author Lana Perez does a fine job of bringing the Star Sisterz to life in this book series based on the collectable charm game. In this third installment, the girls receive mysterious messages that encourage them to try new adventures. The girls take the messages to heart and embark on a journey that teaches them a lesson about confidence, friendship and self-esteem.