mystery

Poor Little Dead Girls by Lizzie Friend

If you’re a fan of shows like Pretty Little Liars, then you’ll enjoy Poor Little Dead Girls – it is a really good romantic YA mystery suspense thriller.

In this book, Sadie leaves her home in Portland to attend Keating, an exculsive all-girl boarding school near DC. It’s the home to really important kids of really important, powerful people. Sadie, a West Coast normal kid there on a lacrosse scholarship, struggles with some serious culture shock when she first arrives at Keating. And that’s before she even knows about the existence of a secret society with their eyes set on Sadie as their next member.

If doesn’t take long for some strange things to start happening. First, there’s the cloud of mystery surrounding the fact that Sadie’s mom went to Keating and later suffered from mental illness, eventually killing herself. There are hints about a student who went missing the previous school year, but nobody’s willing to talk about it. And when Sadie is taken in the middle of the night, it’s all you can do to not scream at her through the book to just go home to Oregon.

There are some good things going on at Keating, too, that keep her there. One is a quickly made best friend. Another is a super cute new boy, also from the West Coast, who attends the all-boy’s school nearby. As the story goes on at the suspense climbs, these three (and some crazy supporting characters that are really pretty fun) have to depend on each other in life and death situations.

Overall, I enjoyed this a lot. One thing I noticed is that, while the loose ends are tied up nicely in this book, resulting in a good, satisfying, well-resolved ending, there’s definitely a possibility for more books feathuring these same settings and characters. I hope author Lizzie Friend plans to follow up with more!

Bang Release Date!

 
BANG by Lisa McMann comes out today, and you guys just have to read it. It’s the follow-up to CRASH, which came out earlier this year. I wrote about them in a previous post, but had to go ahead and let you know it was out now. Plus, the cover is super cool and you know it. Good stuff.
 
 
 
 

Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy

This review was originally published on July 12, 2013 at SheReads.org, where I’m the YA Reviewer. 

This book was not what I expected. I knew it would be dark. I knew the content would be difficult to read. I knew these things. I wasn’t prepared, though, for what it was.
So why would I recommend it here, on She Reads? Because it is incredibly well written and fascinating. It’s a bit like a train wreck, where you can see that things just are not good and you feel like you shouldn’t even be there, observing, and yet you can’t quite turn away from it.
Criminal is the story of Nikki, a troubled teenage girl who is hopelessly in love with Dee, a guy who oozes bad news. Nikki doesn’t have any real family to step in and show her that he’s scum and she deserves better, and she is so caught up in Dee that even warnings from Bird, her friend and the closest thing she has to caring family, fall on deaf ears.
The story is interesting as we pick it up right after something awful has happened – a crime which Nikki was unknowingly drug into by Dee – and we see bits and pieces unfold as we learn the truth of the whole story right along with Nikki. There were times when I literally wanted to reach into the book and shake some sense into her. There were times when I didn’t even want to keep going, but I couldn’t stop, either… the train wreck phenomenon.
If you’ve ever wondered how a person can get so wrapped up in a horrible romantic relationship, or how a teenage girl can be so wrapped up in herself that she doesn’t even realize what she does to other people she cares about, this book will give you something to think about. In fact, it’s something for all of us to think about. You don’t have to be an accidental accomplice to a murder in order to see how Nikki’s cycle in the book plays out in our lives – something happens, we hit rock bottom, we realize a need for change, and we set about making things right.
By the end of the book, I was hopeful for Nikki, which is why I can recommend Criminal. If it weren’t for the hope that McVoy weaves into her ending, the book would be completely disturbing and depressing. As it is, though, it’s an interesting journey through crime, the criminal justice system, and one character’s sincere effort to grow up and have a positive future.

If Only The App Could Be Real…

So last night I stayed up really late and read The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise. I probably should have slept some more considering the fact that I had to teach today, but an intriguing premise, quirky protagonist, and swoon-worthy boy had me hooked. There was no chance I was going to sleep until I finished.

In The Boyfriend App, protagonist Audrey McCarthy is a former popular girl who’s now all techie and geeky in a way that makes you root for her to gain her self-confidence back. She’s also getting bullied by her old popular best friend, trying to figure out a way to pay for college, and still mourning the death of her father, all of which further make you want to see her succeed.

So when an app building contest is announced, with the winner receiving a $200,000 scholarship to a college of their choice as a prize, Audrey is ALL over it. She’s a super talented hacker and code-writer, and comes up with the perfect idea: an app that helps you find a match and alerts you when you’re around them. It’s cool. It takes off quickly and gets her in the running for the scholarship… until it backfires. After an accident that leads to her discovering a huge secret contained within the buyPhones sold to teenagers, she works furiously to release The Boyfriend App 2.0, which is successful. Too successful.

And, of course, all along her friendship with the techno-hottie Aidan is turning into a real, satisfying romance that adds the sweet in with the suspense of what’s going to happen with the contest, the app, and the secret Audrey accidentally uncovers during her app research. (I also must mention that Aidan’s nickname for Audrey – “Auds” – was so cute I could hardly contain myself every single time I read it.)

As I read, I was definitely captivated by the storyline, which was actually pretty exciting. I will state up front that I had a few problems with the book. One, the whole buyPhone thing is clearly actually as iPhone. I have a strange irritation with things that aren’t just outright NAMED what they obviously ARE. As Public ends up being painted in a negative light, I understand why they wouldn’t just call it Apple in the book, but that doesn’t make it any less annoying every time I have to read “buyPhone” and all the other “buy” things. Also, as much as every girl would like the power to make guys instantly desire her and kiss her, that doesn’t really make it morally correct. So that was an issue for me… though still enjoyable. Weird.

Overall, this was fun and unusual and intriguing. I recommend it (high school and up). Enjoy!

Burning Blue by Paul Griffin

I don’t even know what to say about this, but it was definitely a good mystery with an ending I could never have imagined. Burning Blue is definitely for older YA readers – mature 10th/11th grade and up. Once I got to the answer of the “Who did it?” question, it was hard to make myself keep reading. You’ll understand after reading. I also appreciate the author’s note in the back, in which Griffin explains his reason for writing this story so I don’t just have to think he’s a messed up human being. Maybe I’ll have more to say later… For now, I’m still in shock.

It’s All About The Beach

First of all, take a minute and look at this cover. Really. Look at it. Imagine yourself there. Who wouldn’t want to be spending their weekend on that balcony, reading a book, listening to the waves? Exactly. Everybody in their right mind would want to be there right now, which is why I’m recommending it this weekend.

The Guest Book is a great modern romantic read for any time of year. Of course, right now as we head into winter, it’ll have you looking forward to the fun possibilities that every summer brings and begging your parents for a weekend at the beach. Like, NOW. The characters are fun and full of life, especially Macy, the protagonist. There is a sweet, very romantic mystery involving the Guest Book that had me guessing all the way to the end and left my heart super happy.

Enjoy the book… pretend you’re on that porch on the cover as you read. It’ll make it even more fabulous.

I’m blessed to know this author personally (a bunch of her kids have already had to endure my Language Arts class, and her youngest once chased my son around the church classroom to kiss him when they were two years old… hahaha). Marybeth Whalen and her family have had a great impact on me personally, for which I’m eternally grateful.

But, while all of that it nice and warm and fuzzy, it’s not the reason I’m recommending her book on my blog. I’m recommending it because it’s GOOD STUFF. When I first read it, I found myself becoming totally jealous of this family and their annual time in the beach house, as well as the protagonist’s fun, artsy, mysterious romance. I wanted to stalk the locations and spend my summer in it. I resisted, but mostly just for financial reasons. :)

Anyway, Marybeth Whalen’s books aren’t typically what you’d consider YA or teen fiction, but teenage girls love them! I’ve had them in my classroom library, and they’re checked out regularly. While I’m focusing on The Guest Book for this recommendation, I also would recommend The Mailbox for teen readers. Yeah, the protagonist is older, but it’s overall a hopeful story that inspires younger girls.

Shades of London: The Name of the Star

Ok, I really, really, really like Maureen Johnson. She’s a wonderful, quirky writer and she makes me laugh on twitter. For real, you should follow her on twitter. Trust me.

I haven’t quite read all of her books – our county library doesn’t own some of her earlier books, and my book money only goes so far. But, most of what I have read is pretty girl centered (in a good way) and perfect for the teen girl market.

When her latest book, The Name of the Star, originally came out (the original cover is the older looking one with the creepy black and white ghosty guy) I was excited to read something from Johnson that didn’t necessarily fit into her typical book category. It didn’t disappoint. At all.

The Name of The Star has the perfect amount of mystery and creepiness balanced with lots of fun. I love Maureen Johnson’s voice in her books – that playful quirkiness always comes through. It’s like you can just tell she’d be really fun to go get some coffee with. Anyway, in this book, London is being terrorized by someone who is copying the Jack the Ripper murders. The protagonist, a teenage girl from Louisiana studying at an English boarding school, is named Rory. She’s instantly likable and easy to identify with as she navigates this mystery.

What I like about this, too, is that it IS the first in a series of books called Shades of London. The next book, The Madness Underneath, comes out in February. BUT this is not like those series where you can’t stand to wait for the next one, even though you’ll definitely look forward to it. The Name of the Star has a resolved, finished feel to it. It’s perfectly satisfying, and it’s good to know there will be more of them.

You can click here to be taken to the Barnes and Noble site for this book if you want to order. (I’m not endorsed by BN or anything. It’s just one of my happy places.) On that page, you can preview the first part of the book by clicking on the book cover. They also have a cool preview of Book 2 in the series so you can check it out. Enjoy… I know I did!

~Melissa

Friday Favorite: Jenny B. Jones

I’m trying out a new Friday blog feature – Friday Favorite. I’ll share some of my favorite books, authors, coffees, and whatever other favorites I feel like sharing. Ha!

For my very first Friday Favorite, I’m highlighting author Jenny B. Jones. I stumbled upon one of her books two summers ago while in a Christian book store. It was on sale and part of a promotional thing to get people hooked onto her Charmed Life series, and it most certainly worked for me! I am a Christian, but I tend to not like very much “Christian Fiction” because it can be SO preachy. Anyway, that’s why the sale was enough to entice me to try So Not Happening out. 
I could not have been more pleasantly surprised! It was in line with my beliefs AND not preachy or cheesy AT ALL. In fact, Jones has a great voice that comes through in all of her characters – she in smart, sarcastic, witty, hilarious… I could go on, but just trust me. I bought and devoured every one of her books, both YA and Adult, and have loved every single one of them. Everybody that reads one of her books after hearing my recommendation comes back with absolutely glowing reviews. 
So the first one I want to highlight is the Charmed Life books, which have been conveniently repackaged into one volume. This volume includes So Not Happening, I’m So Sure, and So Over My Head. In these books you follow the protagonist, Bella, a high school city girl (YAY for city girls!) that gets transplanted to rural Oklahoma through a series of unfortunate family events. She goes through all kinds of troubles as you’d expect, and even manages to find herself solving crimes. I read these as separate volumes and went insane having to wait for the next book (because of course I wasn’t smart enough to just buy all three when I happened upon the first one on sale), so I’d highly recommend just buying this one, all inclusive volume. You won’t be sorry.
The other title from Jenny B. Jones I want to specifically mention is There You’ll Find Me. It’s probably my very favorite of hers, which is really saying something, because I love them all. In this one, though, we get to follow Finley Sinclair, an 18 year old girl who’s already been through a lot in her life, as she goes to Ireland to follow her older brother’s travel journal. She meets a famous actor but doesn’t go all crazy for him like most girls would and, of course, there’s great romance in the book. Just writing about it here has me wanting to reread it again!
I highly recommend all books by Jenny B. Jones. You can find her Amazon author page here: http://www.amazon.com/Jenny-B.-Jones/e/B001JP850C/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1351478714&sr=1-2-ent
She’s also fun to follow on twitter – https://twitter.com/JenBJones 
Enjoy!
~Melissa

Halloween!

In honor of Halloween (really, a holiday focused on dressing in costumes and gathering mass quantities of candy from strangers is all kinds of fabulous), I have to share with you a few of the books that really got me to like reading. Like, way back in the day.

I never really liked reading until I discovered scary, suspenseful books. My mom and aunts bought me things like Little House on the Prairie and stuff, and it just wasn’t my thing. No offense to Laura Ingalls Wilder or anything, but I am a city girl through and through and couldn’t care less what was happening outside of civilization.

Anyway, the very first book I remember reading on my own and really liking was The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright. It was the first book that had my attention and left me wanting to know what would happen next. I guess my love of mysteries should have been a forgone conclusion based on my early childhood love of Scooby Doo, but this was the first one I ever read. Of course, it scared the crap out of me too… and, as I look at the cover, it looks crazy cheesy now, but man I loved it. The protagonist in this has to stay with her aunt, and the dolls in the dollhouse reenact an unsolved murder that took place years previously. Super creepy. Super good.

Of course, my love of a good mystery didn’t end with the thrilling conclusion to The Dollhouse Murders. It was only the beginning. From there I moved on to books by Christopher Pike, Lois Duncan, and R.L. Stine. Christopher Pike was my favorite, hands down, and the one I remember liking a whole lot was Remember Me. Of course this cover is way dated and looks exactly like it did when I read it in the 90’s, but I’ve noticed some of Pike’s books with updated covers showing up in stores recently, which is great because I hope they turn another generation of students into avid readers. Reading these horror/suspense/mystery books from these authors turned me into the kind of reader that could finish a book or two in a weekend. For me, that was a real accomplishment.

I guess you could draw a few different conclusions from these early influences on my reader psyche:

  1. No wonder I’m a messed up human being. These books look scary!
  2. You could say these books influenced me to be an English teacher. Part of my passion as a teacher is to help students find books they LIKE to read, and these are the books that made me like reading.
  3. Maybe this is why I’m looking into writing a YA mystery series? :)
If either of these sound like books you’d be into, check them out! Happy Halloween, and enjoy! 
~Melissa