Beautiful Creatures

Bibliographic Information:  

• Title: Beautiful Creatures   
• Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl  
• Publisher: Little Brown  
• Copyright Date: 2009   

Genre: Romance, teen, magic, mystery  

Awards or Honors: None  

Reading Level: Teenager  

Plot Summary: Ethan Wate, 16, is a teen from Gaitlin, South Carolina, a small southern rural town. His mother died last year, and his father spends most of his time writing alone in his room. Ethan is starting his sophomore year when he meets a new girl named Lena Duchannes, the niece of Macon Ravenwood, who lives in the old mansion. After meeting and talking, they realize they have a connection with each other and often dream about each other even though they never met. It turns out Lena can do magic, as can her family. Ethan discovers a world of people picked for the dark or light side who can use magic, called casters. Ethan and Lena discover they are connected because their ancestors loved each other. Lena’s ancestor died trying to bring Ethan’s ancestor back to life. Lena must choose either the dark or light side on her 16th birthday, and Ethan and Lena’s family try to do everything to ensure she is picked for the light. Lena is forced to choose between light and dark and either sacrifice her family or Ethan while choosing.    

Author Background: Kami Garcia wrote Teen Titans: Raven, The X-Files: Agent of Chaos, The Lovely Reckless, and Broken Beautiful Hearts. She is a founder of a book festival called YALLFest in Charleston, South Carolina. She does regular appearances across the country for festivals (Garcia, 2020).    

Margaret Stohl is the author of the Beautiful Creatures series and is also a video game creator and comic book writer. Her comic book writing includes Black Widow young adult novels and Life of Captain Marvel. She also works as a creative consultant in the video game industry for companies like EA and Bungie. She grew up in Los Angeles and spent summer in Richfield, Utah, a small town that served as inspiration for the book (Stohl, 2020).   

Critical Evaluation: The book is presented from the viewpoint of Ethan, and he has a sarcastic personality, reflected in the story. His disinterest in normal things in high school and wanting to have adventures like in his books also lead him to Lena. The authors do a good job of showing a new world full of magic with adventure to give teens an escape. The story starts as just about a small-town kid looking for adventure and struggling with growing up. The plot introduces magic and characters that help the two main characters grow up and learn to rely upon each other. The plot shows them making adult decisions while still dealing with teen issues. The book examines themes of good and evil, fate, and love that teens will interest teens.   

Creative Use Library Program: I would use this book in my book club program. Our teens would have a month to read the book, and then when we meet, we can discuss the book. We will also watch the movie of the first book if people are interested in watching.   

Book Talk: Ethan White is a 16-year-old sophomore living in Gatlin, South Carolina, where nothing ever happens. Until a mysterious girl named Lena shows up in class on the first day of school. Ethan and Lena realize they have a bond together, which only grows stronger when Ethan learns Lena can do magic. However, Lena must choose to use her magic for light or dark on her 16th birthday. Whatever side she chooses, she will be forced to lose someone close to her.   

Potential Challenge Issue: There are no potential challenge issues at this time.   

Reason for Inclusion: I included this book because it is a popular book series that has also been turned into a movie. I wanted to include a book series that teens would be interested in reading, and if they like the first book, they could then read more in the series. It has enough realism about teenagers finding their way while also including a new world of magic. When I read the book in November, I liked it and thought kids might be interested in the series.    

About. (2020). Margaret Stohl. Retrieved on December 2, 2020, from https://mstohl.com/about  

Bio. (2020). Kami Garcia. Retrieved on December 2, 2020, from https://kamigarcia.com/press/  

Garcia, K, & Stohl, M. (2009). Beautiful Creatures. [eBook edition]. Little Brown. https://dalycity.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1996500076