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

Sharks and Boys by Kristen Tracy

Enid THINKS she has problems. Her parents are in counseling because her father is a cheater, and Enid is having a lot of trouble forgiving him his indiscretions. She and her brother don't have nearly the kind of close connection as the others in their Twin Study Group. And her handsome, smart, and funny boyfriend wants a "break" from her. She feels like her world is spinning out of control and she's trying desperately to reel it back in to a place of calm and comfort.

But when she follows her brother, her boyfriend, and their friends to another state to spy on a party to find out if her boyfriend is cheating on her, she finds anything but calm. She finds herself on a sinking boat as a stowaway in the middle of a storm . . . in the middle of the ocean.This story is full of turmoil, and the group of friends must figure out a way to survive. They won't all be able to make it. And for those of them who do make it to the next day, what comes next?

Recommended to all middle grade and high school ages, though the fluffy title and cover might not prepare readers for the worst.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

The Silence of Murder by Dandi Daley Mackall

In small-town Grain, Ohio the murder of high school baseball coach, John Johnson, is very big news. And the only suspect is Hope Long's brother, 19-year-old Jeremy. Jeremy's lawyer thinks that their only defense is a "Guilty by Insanity" plea, but Hope is absolutely positive that her brother is innocent.

Jeremy has always been special, and even more so since the age of nine when he became selectively mute. Since then Hope has been both best friend and caretaker of her older brother. Their mom, Rita, has more important things to take care of -- like get drunk, go out on dates, and keep secrets. Hope knows that it's up to her, the only one who truly believes that Jeremy could never commit murder, to convince both her brother's lawyer and the jury of her brother's innocence. But she may uncover more information than she bargained for, and she may also learn more about those around her than she really wanted to know.

This mystery is perfect for middle grade and older readers. The story is smooth, but it's the characters that really move the novel along. Jeremy is a highly memorable character, and Hope brings him to life. This is an Edgar Award-winning title.

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.

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.

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.

Taken by Norah McClintock

Steph has never been content living in the small town that she and her parents moved to a few years ago.  Two years ago her dad died in a car accident, and now her mom is dating Gregg and things for Steph have just felt worse and worse.  She and her mom fight a lot -- mostly about Gregg -- and she doesn't have too many friends.  She even lost her Grandfather shortly after being able to spend an entire summer with him learning about the woods, nature, and survival.  As if things weren't annoying enough, now her mom is being overprotective since two young girls have been kidnapped and one has been discovered murdered right outside of town.  Everyone is worried about a serial killer.  Steph wasn't worried until she was walking home alone at the end of a the day and felt an arm come tightly around her body, hand tightly over her mouth.

Waking up with her hands and feet tied together in an abandoned shed in the middle of the woods was probably the scariest moment of Steph's life.  But now she must fight her way out of the unknown woods, escape her kidnapper, and frantically avoid being the serial killer's next victim.  After a history of running away, will anyone be looking for her?  Will anyone believe who took her or where she's been?  Recommended especially to reluctant readers and anyone looking for a quick suspenseful read!

Call number: YA MCCLINTOCK (Teen Room)

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks

Cadel Piggott is a genius. Really. At age seven he was brought to see a psychologist because he kept getting in trouble as a result of his manipulation of computer and security equipment. By his thirteenth birthday, he was in his 11th year of school and was causing traffic jams, demolishing building construction, and had the capability to wreak general havoc on his classmates and the surrounding community. After high school graduation, his adoptive parents agreed to enroll him at the Axis Institute, an institute of higher learning that was founded by his long-time psychologist, Thaddeus Roth. The institute was designed to "tap into the unrealized skills of those who have lost their way in a community of fosilized values and blunted minds."

Once at the Institute, Cadel becomes more and more aware of the differences between himself and the other students and teachers. He begins to recognize a pattern of evil, blatantly obvious from some of the course titles: "Computer Science" was Infiltration; "Accounting" was Embezzlement; "Law" was Loopholes. What Cadel does not yet realize is that he could be responsible for complete destruction, without even trying.

For more, check out Genius Squad, the sequel to Evil Genius.

Recommended to middle school readers interested in action, adventure, mystery, and odd suspense!

Call number: YA JINKS (Teen Room)

Reviewed by kate the librarian