Here are 98 books that A Touch of Ruckus fans have personally recommended if you like
A Touch of Ruckus.
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I love books where the setting is just as big and alive as the characters. It doesnât matter to me if itâs a familiar place or someplace new: if a vivid setting is a key element of the story, Iâm in. I think itâs because I grew up in one of those small towns in the beautiful middle of nowhere where if someone asks where youâre from, itâs just easier to say someplace else. I wanted to see the world, and books let me do that. I also wanted validation in readingâand writingâabout the small places I knew, and books let me do that, too.
This middle-grade memoir written and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin is hands down one of my favorite books in any category, period.
It is a short but rich story with layers of setting, from the Soviet Union during the Cold War, the courtyard of the narratorâs communal apartment building, to his private world under the family table in their one-room apartment. I laughed out loud, except for when I was crying.
An Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Honor Winner
With a masterful mix of comic timing and disarming poignancy, Newbery Honoree Eugene Yelchin offers a memoir of growing up in Cold War Russia.
Drama, family secrets, and a KGB spy in his own kitchen! How will Yevgeny ever fulfill his parentsâ dream that he become a national hero when he doesnât even have his own room? Heâs not a star athlete or a legendary ballet dancer. In the tiny apartment he shares with his Baryshnikov-obsessed mother, poetry-loving father, continually outraged grandmother, and safely talented brother, all Yevgeny has is hisâŚ
I love books where the setting is just as big and alive as the characters. It doesnât matter to me if itâs a familiar place or someplace new: if a vivid setting is a key element of the story, Iâm in. I think itâs because I grew up in one of those small towns in the beautiful middle of nowhere where if someone asks where youâre from, itâs just easier to say someplace else. I wanted to see the world, and books let me do that. I also wanted validation in readingâand writingâabout the small places I knew, and books let me do that, too.
Iâve read countless books set in New York City or its boroughs, and Iâm going to confess that sometimes they can feel a little generic. Not A Girl's Guide to Love and Magic.
The plot in this book is driven by Cicelyâs quest to save her aunt through a scavenger hunt of sorts that is all tied into the excitement and action of the West Indian Parade on Labor Day in Flatbush, Brooklyn.
I also love how while this is technically a young adult book (Cicely is a sophomore in high school), it can be a great read for most older middle-grade readers, especially those who want to read up.
Perfect for fans of The Sun Is Also a Star and Blackout, this YA novel from Debbie Rigaud is a celebration of Haitian and Caribbean culture, and a story of first love, vodou, and finding yourself, all set against the backdrop of the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn.
Cicely Destin lives for the West Indian Day Parade, the joyous celebration of Caribbean culture that takes over the streets of her neighborhood. She loves waving the Haitian flag, sampling delicious foods, and cheering for the floats. And this year? Sheâll get to hang with her stylish aunt, an influencer knownâŚ
I love books where the setting is just as big and alive as the characters. It doesnât matter to me if itâs a familiar place or someplace new: if a vivid setting is a key element of the story, Iâm in. I think itâs because I grew up in one of those small towns in the beautiful middle of nowhere where if someone asks where youâre from, itâs just easier to say someplace else. I wanted to see the world, and books let me do that. I also wanted validation in readingâand writingâabout the small places I knew, and books let me do that, too.
Iâve never been to Wyoming, the setting of this book, and if Iâve read a book set in Wyoming, I canât remember, but I wonât soon forget this story.
The landscape of Wyoming and all its flora and especially its fauna (hello, title!) are deeply ingrained in this moving and unique story where a little bit of magic (weirdness? nature? something wonderful, thatâs for sure) adds a soulful twist to a story dealing with harsh realities.
âA powerful novel of tremendous empathy and optimism.â âGary D. Schmidt, Newbery Honor winner and National Book Award finalist
âExquisitely written and painfully real.â âMegan E. Freeman, award-winning author of Alone
When a twelve-year-old decides that she must get herself and her mother out of a bad situation, an eerie connection to a coyote pack helps her see who sheâs meant to beâand who she can truly save. The Benefits of Being an Octopus meets The Nest in this contemporary middle grade novel about family, class, and resilience, with a magical twist.
I love books where the setting is just as big and alive as the characters. It doesnât matter to me if itâs a familiar place or someplace new: if a vivid setting is a key element of the story, Iâm in. I think itâs because I grew up in one of those small towns in the beautiful middle of nowhere where if someone asks where youâre from, itâs just easier to say someplace else. I wanted to see the world, and books let me do that. I also wanted validation in readingâand writingâabout the small places I knew, and books let me do that, too.
I love how this book is the perfect example of how the setting makes a story: the flooded coastal Louisiana town of Boutin, Jillian, and all its residents are the story.
If a place disappears, will its stories also disappear? Jillian doesnât only see the seemingly inevitable problems; rather, she becomes part of the solution by taking part in ecology projects and collecting the oral histories of the townâs residents. As Jillian says, if she canât save the land, she can save the stories.
I also love the centered and matter-of-fact way this book handles family problems. Bonus points for all the cooking and great food.
For thirteen-year-old Jillian Robichaux, three things are sacred: bayou sunsets, her grandmother Nonnie's stories, and the coastal Louisiana town of Boutin that she calls home.
When the worst flood in a century hits, Jillian and the rest of her community band together as they always do - but this time the damage may simply be too great. After the local school is padlocked and the bridges into town condemned, Jillian has no choice but to face the reality that she may be losing the only home she's ever had.
But even when all hope seems lost, Jillian is determined toâŚ
When I first visited Scotland, I drove north from Edinburgh, driving through much of the country to catch a ferry to Orkney. This northern archipelago is certainly one of the most magical places Iâve ever been to; the steep sea cliffs and standing stones, windblown grasses, and violent waves put me in a gothic state of mind. I moved to Scotland a few years later to live by the sea. Since that first visit to Orkney, Iâve written my own Scottish gothic novels, as well as presented research on the gothic at various academic conferences. Itâs a topic that Iâm certain will compel me for a long time to come.
This book is such an usual book, and I love it for how strange and unexpected it is.
The story takes place in a near-future Edinburgh, where the world has dramatically changed due to an undefined apocalyptic event but has more of a gothic sensibility than a post-apocalyptic one.
Thereâs magic, history, and an extremely likable narrator wrapped in an almost-crime-novel package.
"An absolute delight . . . kept me totally hooked." â Genevieve Cogman, bestselling author of The Invisible Library
Sixth Sense meets Stranger Things in T. L. Huchu's The Library of the Dead, a sharp contemporary fantasy following a precocious and cynical teen as she explores the shadowy magical underside of modern Edinburgh.
WHEN GHOSTS TALK SHE WILL LISTEN
Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghostalker â and they sure do love to talk. Now she speaks to Edinburghâs dead, carrying messages to those they leftâŚ
As a child, I received an electronic typewriter as a gift and immediately got to work on a story about a family living on an island. Even at ten, I recognized the power of islands, with their built-in problems of isolation and rich possibilities for metaphors. So it only made sense Iâd one day publish a book set on one. If youâre like me and canât resist books with island settings, youâll love these book recommendations. Each island in this collection has its own personality that becomes a character of its own, and none of these books could exist in the same way without their unique settings.
Two words: cursed island. As soon as I saw this YAâs description of a beautiful island that isnât what it seems, I was hooked.
Addie intrigued me as a protagonist. Sheâs a free diver who almost died and, as a result, still coughs up blood from the damage to her lungs. That doesnât stop her wanting to return to the water, a desire I can relate to since I love the ocean. Addie gets dragged along on her mother and new stepdadâs honeymoon, but I like that she isnât portrayed as a whiny teenager. Sheâs trying to make the most of what should be a dream island vacationâbut in time, it turns into a nightmare. Skirting magical realism and horror, this book was unique and captivating.
A tropical island full of secrets. Two Victorian ghosts, trapped for eternity. And a seventeen-year-old girl determined not to be next.
Eulalie Island should be a paradise, but to Addie Spencer, itâs more like a prison.
Forced to tag along to the remote island on her motherâs honeymoon, Addie isnât thrilled about being trapped there for two weeks. The island is stunning, with its secluded beaches and forests full of white flowers. But there's something eerie and unsettling about the place.
After Addie meets an enigmatic boy on the beach, all the flowers start turning pink. The island loves you,âŚ
Iâm pretty sure Iâm about to die in space. And I just turned twelve and a half.
Blast off with the four winners of the StellarKid Project on a trip to the International Space Station and then to the Gateway outpost orbiting the Moon! Itâs a dream come true untilâŚ
Books have always been an escape for me, historical mysteries in particular. Getting lost in another world, another time and someone elseâs life is like therapy for me and something I will never tire of. Which is perhaps why I went on to write my own historical mystery trilogy. The Marion Lane series consists of The Midnight Murder, The Deadly Rose, and The Ravenâs Revengeâall set in 1950âs London, in a mystical private detective agency concealed beneath the city streets.
Again, something a little different in the historical mystery genre. Set in Victorian London and following Genevieve Timmonsâa âspiritualistâ out to con the rich and famous by claiming she can speak to their dead. I loved this twisty, gothic mystery, filled with magic (real and imagined) and even a sprinkling of romance.
"This gem of a book sparkles with wit and originality. . . . There is no shortage of tricks and feints in this excellent novel and Genevieve is a delightful character." - The Globe and Mail
"A spooky gothic romance with impeccable vibes. I loved this!" - Erin Sterling, New York Times bestselling author of The Ex Hex and The Kiss Curse
In this wickedly whimsical Gothic murder mystery brimming with romance, betrayals, and chills, a fake spiritualist is summoned to hold a seance for a bride who died on the eve before her wedding, but as nefariousâŚ
I was in fifth grade when I brought home my first paranormal thriller from the library. It was love at first read. Since then, Iâve broadened my reading horizons to many fiction genres, but fast-paced stories grounded in our world with a dash of magic continue to be my favorite. The same can be said of my viewing habitsâgive me shows like Severance or Black Mirror, and Iâll be glued to the screen all day long. It probably doesnât surprise anyone that it is my favorite entertainment genre and writing genre. Many of the books on this list have served as inspirationâI hope you love them too!
This book had everything I love in a paranormal thrillerâmagic, secrets, twists, turnsâbut with an amazing setting that reads almost like a character itself.
Sain does such a good job of describing La Cachette, Louisiana, that I could feel the swamp heat humming from the pages. The fictional town also boasts the title of self-proclaimed psychic capital of the world, which makes secret-keeping nearly impossibleâa perfect tension-builder for a fast-paced plot riddled with secrets, psychics, and unreliable characters.
'AN INTENSE AND BROODING THRILLER ' - THE OBSERVER
A intensely romantic and atmospheric thriller for young adults, full of twists and turns with a simmering supernatural undercurrent. Perfect for fans of Holly Jackson, Karen McManus and Delia Owens' Where the Crawdads Sing
When seventeen-year-old Grey makes her annual visit to La Cachette, Louisiana - the tiny bayou town that proclaims to be the "Psychic Capital of the World" - she knows it will be different from past years: her childhood best friend Elora went missing several months earlier and no one is tellingâŚ
I write fairy tales and folklore, dark fantasy and horror. I have an academic background in history and archaeology. I am Australian (yes, lots of scary creatures here!) but inspired by this rich, multicultural country with First Nations tales for over 60,000 years. I am fascinated by how fairy tales, folklore and mythologies can be similar and yet so intriguingly different across time and space, written and oral telling. I love the enduring power of the fairytale and how, with each retelling, it transforms it into a new story, and as people travel, new tales are retold and transformed into a new version for a new place and generation.
I loved this book, which was a horror novel rich in folklore. I was drawn to the unique characters and the combination of horror, occult, and Irish folklore. I really enjoyed the transportation of these folklore traditions across continents, moving from Ireland to Northern Carolina.
I always feel that good horror is the sense of unease that develops throughout the story and lingers long after. It has been several years since reading this book, and the unease still lingers, and the repetitive line throughout âAnd I twist myself around like the twisted onesâ casts a spell all of its own.
When Mouse's dad asks her to clean out her dead grandmother's house, she says yes. After all, how bad could it be?
Answer: pretty bad. Grandma was a hoarder, and her house is stuffed with useless rubbish. That would be horrific enough, but there's more-Mouse stumbles across her step-grandfather's journal, which at first seems to be filled with nonsensical rants...until Mouse encounters some of the terrifying things he described for herself.
Alone in the woods with her dog, Mouse finds herself face to face with a series of impossible terrors-because sometimes the things that go bump in the night areâŚ
Fairy tales are some of my favorite stories: each time we touch them, we change them. Before we began writing them down, fairy tales were passed from speaker to listener, always changing with the teller, the audience, the culture. Iâm fascinated by how often we revisit them, by what we change, and what we decide to keep. I think there are as many ways to tell a story as there are folks who are interested in telling it, and I like to see what authors and illustrators will cook up from our communal pot of stories.
This novella has some of my favorite descriptions of the natural world and I love how it plays with its protagonistâs sense of time.
The lead character and his relationship to the forest draw from the mythology of the Green Man, and itâs a fantastic example of how much the narration style can be affected by the viewpoint character.
Teshâs pose is dreamlike and slow, and all of its elementsâthe plot, the characters, the relationshipsâunfold slowly, like winter melting into spring.
Stories rife with forest magic and characters who learn to let go of past hurts are two of my favorite things, and Silver in the Wood executes both beautifully.
From Astounding Award winner and Crawford Award finalist Emily Tesh
An ALA RUSA Reading List Selection
"A true story of the woods, of the fae, and of the heart. Deep and green and wonderful.ââNew York Times bestselling author Naomi Novik
There is a Wild Man who lives in the deep quiet of Greenhollow, and he listens to the wood. Tobias, tethered to the forest, does not dwell on his past life, but he lives a perfectly unremarkable existence with his cottage, his cat, and his dryads.
When Greenhollow Hall acquires a handsome, intenselyâŚ