Period.8 by Chris Crutcher

Period .8 refers to Mr. Lodgson's class, where honesty is the best policy and everything is confidential, where you can talk about anything or nothing, and where you can skip without getting in trouble, but nobody ever does. Period .8 is the "safe place." Mr. Logs has respect for his students, and they have respect for each other. Everybody trusts that what they see is the truth.

Everything starts to go to hell when Paulie admits to his girlfriend Hannah that he cheated on her. He loves her and wants to explain himself, that it really isn't what she thinks, but she won't give him a chance at redemption. She's pissed, and he should definitely have known better. But as the story begins to unravel, more and more questions are raised without any clear answers. There's one guy, Arnie Stack, who seems to want to reassure everyone that everything is fine, and Paulie is convinced that Arnie knows more than he's letting on. And when Arnie sets his sights on the now single Hannah, Paulie sets out to prove it.

This is a mystery of a different sort, combining the traditional with the psychological, and mixing our emotions up all along the way. There's really intrigue here, and more than anyone's fair share of danger. It seems that nobody and nothing is off limits. 

Recommended to high school readers. There are lots more titles available from classic YA author Chris Crutcher.

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

In Search of Sasquatch by Kelly Milner Halls

For believers and skeptics, this densely-packed quick read is all about questions that just can't seem to be answered. What is Sasquatch? Learn the history and the theories, uncover sightings, and follow around those who spend their free time trying to catch an ounce of proof of this great being's existence. Science can't quite prove that Big Foot exists; but neither can they disprove it.

Every You, Every Me by David Levithan

As his best friend Ariel once told him, Evan understands that you can't ever know everything. He knew Ariel, but Ariel was someone else when she wasn't with him. Sometimes she was someone else even when she was with him. And he was someone else when he wasn't with her. But now that she's gone, he struggles to understand if he ever knew her at all.

Ariel has gone away and Even is struck with tremendous guilt over whether or not it was his fault that she's no longer here. And his anxiety becomes even more overwhelming and troublesome when he begins to receive photographs of Ariel. He knows that she can't be delivering them herself . . . but what if she is?

This novel is extraordinarily unique in its storytelling, and it is worth fumbling through every page and every struggle to uncover the answers as only David Levithan would reveal them. Recommended to high school readers. Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury

Agnes Wilkins has little interest in her upcoming debut into society. She'd rather be listening in on the secrets of the house than being measured for ribbon to adorn her fancy new dress. And she'd much rather be reading than humoring the supposedly-amusing advances of high society men.

In the middle of entertaining the interest of one very highly-regarded prospect, Agnes finds herself in the middle of a much more interesting mystery. She has found something that it seems someone is going to great -- possibly violent -- lengths to recover, and if she doesn't figure out the final pieces of the puzzle first, there might be great consequences. 

This story is mixed with a great deal of mystery, romance, and history (both that of ancient Egypt and of the notorious Napoleon), not to mention thrilling adventure. Absolutely recommended to all. (Note: a few suggestive scenes might limit the novel to an older teen audience.) (And another note: The story gets off to a slow start, but it pays off to get through the first few chapters. You need the foundation in order to get wrapped up in the real meat of the novel.)

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

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.

The Apothecary by Maile Meloy

The ideal selection for all middle grade readers excited about spies, magic, and science:

The Blood Lie by Shirley Reva Vernick

On September 22, 1928 in Massena, New York, the Jewish Community is eagerly preparing for and anticipating the solemn holy day of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It's also Jack Pool's sixteenth birthday and he's got his eyes on a driver's license and a pretty girl; unfortunately for Jack, the driver's license is the only thing that might be within his reach. Emaline Durham is Christian, so being friends is the only thing they can ever be, even if they both long for more.

It only takes a moment for everything to change. Emaline's little sister Daisy never arrives back at home and Jack Pool is accused of murder. The townspeople get wrapped up in a lie that the Jews collect the blood of a Christian child to use in their holy day ritual, and neighbors begin to distrust neighbors in an attempt to explain the disappearance of missing Daisy. Jack is caught in a whirlwind of adult irrational behavior and discovers for the first time in his young life the complete destruction that can result from intolerance.

This is a short mystifying novel about a very real Jewish experience in American history. An eye-opening author's note at the conclusion of the story relays an important message to all middle great readers.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones

Blink got his name because he blinks uncontrollably. He's on the run from a weak mother and a stepfather who is too strong for his own good. Over the past six months of living on the streets, he thinks he's gotten pretty good at finding clothes and food, but one day that gets him into trouble.

Caution named herself. Caution: Contents May Be Hot. Cation: Poison. She's running away from a tragedy for which she just can't forgive herself. She thinks she deserves nothing and has gotten mixed up with a dangerous drug dealer, hoping that he will be her salvation -- her death.

Blink and Caution cross paths before she steals his money, but they never notices each other before meeting at the train station, headed for Kingston. This meeting propels them on a journey that neither could have even invented from their dreams, and ultimately leads to precious forgiveness and friendship. Hopefully they can survive long enough to enjoy the life they never imagined.

This is some seriously good teen noir crime suspense. 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.

Heist Society by Ally Carter

Katrina Bishop has grown up involved in the family business, especially around art museums - stealing from them, to be exact. She maneuvers her way into a fancy prep school only to find herself getting kicked out a few months later because she's caught in an exceptional prank. Only she knows that she didn't commit the offense, as creative and elaborate as it was. When W.W. Hale, an old friend, an ongoing flame, and a co-conspirator in the business, shows up, she's pretty sure she's being sucked back into a life that she still isn't sure she wants to be a part of. But when it's her dad who is in trouble, the job becomes personal and Kat is more determined than ever to set things right.

First I was reminded of Frankie Landau-Banks, and then I thought I might be running through a series of adventures in 39 Clues, but soon enough Kat, Hale, Simon, Gabrielle, and the Bagshaw brothers claim their rightful place as six of the most successful teenage adventurers, pranksters, and art thieves - ever. Well-done! This swift-moving read is recommended to all middle and high school readers. 

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Britten and Bruightly : a Graphic Novel by Hannah Berry

Fernandez Britten is a private investigator, a self-proclaimed "researcher," commonly known in the field as "The Heartbreaker" because of the heartache he has brought to many of his clients by surfacing the truth.  When he gets a call from Charlotte Maughton, daughter of a wealthy owner of a large publishing house, about her husband's murder, Britten is intrigued enough to take the case.  Throughout the mystery, Britten proves his intelligence and his supreme observatory skills, though he comes across as desperate and depressing . . . the insanely hilarious bright spot is Britten's only friend, his partner Stewart Brulightly, a teabag.  Literally. 

Recommended to all.  Especially recommended to those with an attraction to irony and sarcasm.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

He knows that his name is "Thomas," but he can't remember much else to tell you.  He arrived through the Box same as all the other teenage boys, one a month for two years, all with no memories of life before and all feeling pretty rough around the edges.

Thomas quickly learns the ropes of life in the Glade, knowing immediately -- though he doesn't really know why -- that he wants to be a Runner.  The Runners spend all day, every day out in the Maze that surrounds the Glade, methodically mapping out the maze and searching for exits or clues to figure out a way of escape.  Each day they have to return before the doors of the Glade close and the deathly Grievers come out to play, otherwise they'll be trapped out in the Maze all night, a sure death sentence.  Those who even just get a taste of the Grievers' claws or spikes must be given a serum, and even then suffer through the Changing, a horribly painful process that none will talk about, but those who have been through it are never the same.

The day after Thomas arrives, a girl is dropped off in the Box.  From that moment on, nothing is the same.  Will the Gladers be able to figure out the Maze, or will they give up all hope of survival and getting back to whatever unknown life they were forced to leave behind?

Recommended to all, but especially older middle school and high school boys.  Fans of The Hunger Games will surely eat up The Maze Runner series!

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.

Wildthorn by Jane Eagland

I was entranced by this novel, but think that there is no better introduction to reading it than through the words of the author herself:

Wildthorn was inspired by a true story I came across in a book called Against Therapy by Jeffrey Masson. I learned that Hersilie Rouy, a nineteenth century French woman, was incarcerated in asylums for fifteen years despite the fact that she was sane. She was deprived of her true identity and the more she protested about this and about her treatment, the more this was taken as evidence of her insanity.

How terrible, I thought. And then, What must it have been like for her?

The injustice of what happened to Hersilie appealed to something deep in me and directly inspired my depiction of Louisa.

The asylum is a dark place and what Louisa experiences there is frightening. But despite the secret that threatens to undermine her confidence, she has courage. I hope you enjoy accompanying her on her journey as she struggles to face up to the truth about herself and at the same time tries to unravel the mystery that lies behind her imprisonment.

Find this and more on the author's website: www.janeeagland.co.uk

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Julia Jarmond is an American journalist living in Paris with her French husband and their eleven-year-old daughter, Zoe.  Throughout her research for a journalistic piece about the 60th anniversary of the roundups of Jews by the French police during World War II, Julia discovers the story of Sarah Starzinski.  Sarah was 10 years old in 1942, at a time when the yellow star on her chest didn't hold much meaning to her until she and her family were forced into camps outside of Paris because of it.  As Sarah's story unfolds, Julia becomes entrenched in its many folds, and discovers more connections between Sarah's life and her own than she ever expected.  Sarah changes Julia's life tremendously, and Julia ensures that Sarah's story will never be forgotten.

I'd recommend this story for older high school and adult readers, along side Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly.  While each story has it's own unique appeal, matched by different atmospheres, character attitudes, and foundation for the events that  make up the world of the two books, they each have some similar traits.  In particular, both novels are told from dual perspectives: one is the voice of an American transplant now staying in contemporary Paris; the other a young girl living in Paris during a tumultuous period in history.  And both stories are told beautifully through audio.  *I still think I like Revolution better than Sarah's Key, and I was only intrigued enough to read Sarah's Key after seeing the interesting movie previews, but I'm glad that I allowed myself the opportunity to share in in both Andi's and Julia's worlds -- both for their similarities and their differences.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

39 Clues series by various authors

These books may not be long, but they contain great adventures. They're more Harry Potter with a scavenger hunt. The 2 main characters, Dan and Amy, travel around the world with their au pair (babysitter) to compete for $1,000,000. I would have to give this book a 4 out of 5 stars, because whenever they are in a death situation, it's kind of obvious they will live, because there are other books to the series.

Reviewed by Jonathan.

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.

Numbers by Rachel Ward

Jem's had it pretty rough.  She was only six years old when she found her mother dead from a heroin overdose.  She had always known that her mother's addiction was more important than love and family, but it was only this moment that Jem learned something new: She could see the date of her mother's death in her eyes.  She has always seen a string of 8 numbers when she looks at people, and for a while, she thought that everyone could.  Now she knows that she must keep the numbers a secret.

Until she meets and gets close to Spider.  After living the last of her 16 years in and out of foster situations, Spider is the first person she allows herself to connect with.  Spider is laid back, adventurous, thoughtful, and just as damaged in a lot of ways as she is.  Spider also only has three months left to live.  When an unpredictable event takes place and Spider and Jem are accused of being involved with a terrorist attack, they decide that the only way to live their lives is to escape to a better place.  But, as Jem knows, the outcomes of their lives can't always be controlled.

Recommended to all adventurous readers, and in particular to those intrigued by mystery, romance, and the unknown.  The sequel, Numbers: The Chaos, is available, and coming soon is the third in the series, Numbers: Infinity.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen

Cordelia Grey wants much more out of life than to be married young and stuck in her hometown of Union, Ohio with a whole bunch of babies and unfulfilled dreams.  She wants to go to New York City and be somebody.  So that plan is that she and her best friend, Letty Haubstadt, will hop on a train immediately following Cordelia's wedding, a ceremony that the two parties were being forced into, though one of them was a much more willing participant than the other.  And, no doubt about it, the very next day, Letty and Cordelia step off that train onto the streets New York City.

It is 1929.  Neither girl knows a soul in the big city, but both are looking for something very special.  Letty wants to be a star . . . has always wanted to be a star.  In her family of four other siblings, Letty was always the invisible one, despite her obvious talents for singing and performing.  She's convinced that NYC can offer her all the opportunity she'll need in order to shine.  Cordelia -- under the cover of simply wanting a bigger and better life for herself -- is desperately looking for her father, with whom she has never had any contact.  Astrid Donal is from a wealthy Long Island family, NYC-born, raised, and cultured.  She's currently dating Charlie Grey, the son of a big city mobster, and she takes an immediate and lasting liking to Cordelia when the daring young woman sneaks into Mr. Grey's birthday party at the guarded White Cove estate.

There is a different fate in store for each of these three young women, each finding her own way in a tricky big city world, and the author certainly has a knack for keeping the reader wanting to know what happens next to each of them.  With a plethora of romance, adventure, and history, this series opener is recommended most to high school girls.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.