The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

"'Another world is colliding with this one,' said the toad. 'All the monsters are coming back.'

'Why?' said Tiffany.

'There's no one to stop them.'

There was silence for a moment.

Then Tiffany said, 'There's me.'

Armed only with a frying pan and her common sense, Tiffany Aching, a young witch-to-be, is all that stands between the monsters of Fairyland and the warm, green Chalk country that is her home. Forced into Fairyland to seek her kidnapped brother, Tiffany allies herself with the Chalk's local Nac Mac Feegle - aka the Wee Free Men - a clan of sheep-stealing, sword-wielding, six-inch-high blue men who are as fierce as they are funny. Together they battle through an eerie and ever-shifting landscape, fighting brutal flying fairies, dream-spinning dromes, and grimhounds - black dogs with eyes of fire and teeth of razors - before ultimately confronting the Queen of the Elves, absolute ruler of a world in which reality intertwines with nightmare. And in the final showdown, Tiffany must face her cruel power alone...."

This review is gonna be short, but I have to say: major props to Terry Pratchett for his characters. Tiffany is unapologetic, no-nonsense, and sensible, and is one of the best characters I've seen in a while. She's not fluttery, beautiful, or prone to singing: she knows what has to be done and uses her common sense and cleverness to do it. She defends herself with a frying pan, for God's sake. Words cannot express how much of a breath of fresh air this girl is. If anything, read the book for her--and the Feegles. They, equipped with ridiculous names, terrible poetry, and the idea that the solution for anything is a good loud stampede, make the book really colorful. This book's funny and written really well. Trust me--I have about twenty slips of paper in my copy to prove it. Dear lord, just read this book. No regrets here whatsoever. There's a copy at Kettleson and Mt. Edgecumbe.