The Diviners by Libba Bray

With every read -- A Great and Terrible Beauty, Going Bovine, Beauty Queens -- I am reminded that I truly and utterly adore author Libba Bray.

And now I also truly and utterly adore Miss Evie O'Neill. Evie has a secret, and a powerful one at that. Just by holding an object that belongs to you, she can tell you what you had for breakfast that day, or she can reveal your deepest secret. She doesn't flaunt this power, but sometimes when she's had a bit to drink and is trying to liven up a party, she might sneak in a reading or two. And this is precisely what gets her kicked out of Ohio.

Fortunately for her, her parents have sent her to live with her uncle in Manhattan. Manhattan! Where the world comes alive with speakeasies, flappers, dapper men, music, drinks, and glorious madness. And what also comes along with Manhattan, apparently, is a ghostly murderer.

The Diviners begins an intricate series that involves a group of individuals who each have special powers that they do not understand, and they do not know that others like them exist. This historical, supernatural mystery is fascinating in its storytelling, unbeatable in its character development, and completely intriguing in every way. You'll be left breathless for more! Recommended for high school and older.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.
And don't miss out on some amazing sights to see: http://thedivinersseries.com

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Jack the Ripper is one of the -- if not THE -- most famous serial killers of all time in London. And it appears that there might be a copycat, but officials can't seem to grasp hold of any leads whatsoever.

Rory has just come from New Orleans to attend boarding school in London while her parents are working in Bristol. In the wake of a string of murders, the school decides that students are safest on campus, so there they remain. Things start to get pretty creepy when one of the murders takes place on school grounds -- on the same evening that Rory meets a strange man while sneaking back into her dorm. This strange man might lead to the killer, except no one else can see him.

Recommended to all high school readers, mystery lovers and general fiction readers alike.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Equal parts creepy and wonderfully mystical, this tale of peculiarities will surely take hold of any reader.

Jacob grew up listening to his grandfather's stories: of how he lost his family to the war, of when he took refuge from Poland in a children's home in Wales, of how he battled monsters, and of the wonderful special friends he made during his childhood. Of course, at sixteen years old, Jacob had long grown out of believing his grandfather's tales of his childhood friends who could levitate, become invisible, or grow fire from bare hands. And he had long grown out of believing that the monsters his grandfather supposedly battled were real.

But when Jacob finds his grandfather following some kind of mysterious vicious attack, and they share secret last words, his becomes determined to uncover his history, and to find what truth their might be behind the stories. With a trip to an isolated island of Wales, he uncovers more than any dreams are made of . . .

Recommended to all with a flair for the "different," the quirky, and the paranormal, for both children and adults.

Reviewed by kate the librarian. 

Book trailer from Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m1DU2ULOKGGNSS/ref=ent_fb_link

And there's more on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/MissPeregrine

Rotters by Daniel Kraus

Grave robbing. Secrecy. Torture. Sickness. Pain. Hope. Family.

When Joey's mom dies and he is sent to rural Iowa to live with a father about whom he knows nothing, Joey is not hoping for the best. But when he finds "Dad," also known around town as The Garbage Man, who disappears for days at a time in the middle of the night, has little food and too many books, and couldn't care less about caring for Joey, he resolves to just take care of himself. But the extreme bullying he encounters at high school breaks him more than he thought possible, and his father ultimately can't ignore the kid in his life.

So Ken Harnett and Joey Crouch begin a journey that neither thought they'd take together. Harnett is one of a small group of successful grave robbers that exist in the country. They are rivals and family alike, each working alone to score the treasures that exist in graves and to strive to, in their own ways, restore dignity to the dead. But Joey gets caught up in too much emotion that he can't handle, a lifestyle that he struggles to understand, and a family dynamic that both doesn't - and does - include his beloved mother.

This is an intense and dark read, with a smattering of hope - enough to ensure that there will be an equal amount pain. Recommended for high school readers and older, especially those with a liking for books with an edge, stories that are slightly creepy, or simply for an out-of-the-box exploration of family and loyalty. (Those who like this title might also like The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs.)

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Mr. Monster by Dan Wells

I don't often review sequels or books that aren't the first in a series, but I think that there are some readers to whom this book will appeal . . . but be warned: it's certainly not for everyone.

Mr. Monster is the second book in a horrifying series that starts with I Am Not a Serial Killer. John Wayne Cleaver is obsessed with serial killers, and he's also a diagnosed teen-aged sociopath. He already took care of one demon killer in Clayton County, though no one really knows the whole story (like the fact that the killer really was an actual demon, or the fact that John's the one that destroyed him). Now there is a new serial killer in town, and John craves details to help answer some of the essential questions: Are the two killers related? Who is the new killer? Why is he killing? Before long, many of John's questions are answered, but it may be too late. How can he hold onto his "John the Brave" reputation if he can't figure out how to NOT to die.

John lives in a mortuary -- which feeds, and also calms, his obsession with death -- and this series contains very graphic descriptions of embalming, along with murder, torture, and death. These books are meant for those with strong stomachs, but beyond the gross, the storytelling richly combines the genres of thriller, horror, and fantasy into a mystery at which you can't quite stop staring, long after each page is turned. As each professional and reader review points out, adult and teen fans of the TV series Dexter will love this.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

The Toymaker by Jeremy de Quidt

Very often I opt not to review books when I can't figure out to whom they might be recommended, but since this title is up for consideration for a Garden State Teen Book Award nomination, I figure I might as well jot some thoughts down.

The Toymaker is a creepy story, with lots of unsettling bumps along the way, and filled to the brim with a super haunting atmosphere.  Mathias has spent his whole short life traveling with his grandfather, Gustav the conjurer, as part of a circus troop.  When his grandfather dies, he is taken away by Dr. Leiter and brought to an inn in a small village.  But this is no safe and ordinary rescue; Dr. Leiter knows that Gustav has been hiding a secret and he wants to make sure that this particular secret is never uncovered.  Dr. Leiter and his "partner," an incredibly violent and unfeeling dwarf named Valder, are willing to go to great lengths to discover what Mathias knows, or destroy him in the process.  But a young girl working at the inn named Katta rescues Mathias and propels them both into a whirlwind chase filled with death, fear, pain, and only the smallest chance of survival.

There is little to like about this story or many of the characters.  Koening, the Burner who ultimately becomes friend and caregiver to the young ones, has the biggest heart, but the reader is never quite sure of his motive.  Stefan, Koenig's brother and companion, and Katta are never without a violent thought for the other.  And Mathias is being dragged along through so much of the trip due to injuries and sickness, that the reader never truly comes to know him.  Part action/adventure, part fantasy, part mystery, this story blurs lines and take the reader along for quite the ride. 

"The Toymaker will touch your heart and haunt you forever." . . . And that's not necessarily a good thing.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs by Jack Gantos

Ivy has been raised by her single mother her whole life in a small, dark Pennsylvania village.  Ivy spent many of her childhood days playing in the basement of the town's pharmacy, owned and operated by twins Adolf and Abner Rumbaughs.  When she is seven, she finds a disturbing secret -- her introduction to the mother-love curse of the Rumbaughs.  A curse bound by blood and strong enough to last generations, separations, and death.

This book is chock-full of death, love, and taxidermy.  Though the setting is contemporary, the atmosphere is decidedly Victorian, and those with an interest in the Gothic and macabre, or with an altogether obsession with things dark and disturbing, will find a lot to revel in with this story.  Boys, you might just find this to be quite creepy.  The ew-factor is immense!

Reviewed by kate the librarian.  (I'm still getting shivers just thinking about it.)

Between by Jessica Warman

It's Liz's eighteenth birthday, and it seems that life couldn't get much better.  She had a party with her closest friends, her stepsister, and her super cute boyfriend out on her family's boat, complete with cocktails and birthday cake.  But then, before anyone else is awake, she finds her body in the water just off the boat, and she meets up with Alex Berg, a classmate who died in a hit-and-run accident a year earlier.  Liz is hovering somewhere between life and death, and she has no idea why, or how to change the situation.  And to make it all the more frustrating, she has almost no solid memories of her life.  With Alex's help, she finds that she is able to slip into flashbacks of her life -- more than just memories.  As more of the gaps of her life fill in, we begin to uncover some of Liz's dirty little secrets of Liz's . . . We learn that life is often more than what it seems to be on the surface, and that some of us will do anything to protect ourselves and the ones we love - we might be willing to die, and we might even be willing to kill.


A mix of mystery and paranormal, this is a striking story placed among a bunch of rich, over-entitled kids.  Perhaps, a bit over-the-top and over-emotional, some humor finds its way through the cracks at times, especially through the subtle character of Alex.  This title will stand out for those who liked books like Before I Fall, Elsewhere, and If I Stay.  Recommended to high school readers; there's some tough stuff here.


Reviewed by kate the librarian.

CHEW: Volume 1: Taster's Choice by John Layman, illustrated by Rob Guillory

This graphic novel is certainly out of the ordinary.  Tony Chu is one of the few cibopaths of the world -- he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats -- and his work as a detective often gets him into sticky, not-so-tasty situations.  When he's employed by the Special Crimes Division of the FDA, his world only gets more and more complicated, and dangerous.  If you can't trust your brother, but want to save his life, or your partner, who ends up saving yours, what's a guy to do?  If you're Tony, you take a bite out of a vacuum-packed dead dog and try to solve the case!

There's much more to follow this first volume of CHEW, and likely each situation is going to be more disgusting than the next.  Recommended to comic book readers with a taste (-ahem-) for the unusual.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Liar by Justine Larbalestier

Out of respect for the author and her characters, all I can say is that Micah is a compulsive liar and this is her story as she tells it.  There are twists and turns and misconceptions and mixed up perceptions; though there is a beginning and an end, there is no clear pathway leading to or from either.  Her story is both captivating and off-putting, depending on whether or not you can stomach the incredulity of the whole thing, and depending on what pieces of the story you choose to believe.  Do you take Micah's story at face value, or how far can you stretch the lines in order to read between then?

Recommended to high school readers, particularly those looking for something different than what is already in the "to be read" pile.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Newes from the Dead by Mary Hooper

Anne Green is dead.  All of Oxford was there to see her hanged for the crime of infanticide.  Even Anne Green knows that she's dead.

Told in alternating perspectives – that of Anne Green as well as that of the doctors examining her body following her public hanging – this is the story of the events leading to Anne’s eventual conviction.  However, in an unbelievable turn of events, a roomful of witnesses notice a twitch in Anne Green’s body, and none are able to deny when she takes a breath of air.  A mixture of history, science, and mystery, this story captures the attention of even the most skeptical of readers.  Recommended especially to early high school readers looking for something different – maybe for an unexpectedly pleasant read to satisfy a historical fiction reading requirement?

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Stiff : The Curious Life of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

A Head is a Terrible Thing to Waste. Crimes of Anatomy. Life after Death. Dead Man Driving. How to Know if You’re Dead.

These are just a few of the chapter headings of Stiff, a book about the various real-life uses for dead bodies in the worlds of medicine, religion, and car crash tests, among others. Mary Roach doesn’t have a science degree, but she sure does have a sense of humor, and a knack for writing humorously, about subjects that we don’t know are funny until we read what she has to say about it. Roach doesn’t hold back on graphic descriptions of dead bodies, their insides, or their remains, so don’t expect an effortless read; you’ll learn more about your body than you ever wanted to know. All the same, who knew that dead bodies could be so cool?!

(Also, I haven't read them, but two books were mentioned in Stiff that sounded intriguing enough to look up; BCCLS owns both of them: Burried Alive : The Terrifying History of Our Most Primal Fear by Jan Bondeson and Thomas Edison's The Diary and Sundry Observations of Thomas Alva Edison, edited by Dagobert D. Runes.)

Recommended for high school readers of all shapes and sizes.
Call number: YA 611 ROACH

Reviewed by kate the librarian