42 Miles (YA) (4/5)

42 Miles (YA) (4/5)

A very quick read. A little too quick for me--I wanted some more development but this book is really a set of verse poems so I get why it was so quick. JoEllen's parents are divorced and she feels like she is two separate individuals--Joey with her father, Ellen with her mother. She eventually connects the two worlds. I think MS and HS girls would like this book.

Kimchi and Calamari (YA) (4.5/5)

Kimchi and Calamari (YA) (4.5/5)

Joseph is a 14 year old who was adopted after being brought to the US from Korea. He begins to want to investigate and find his birth parents. He has been adopted by a very Italian family so he feels like he is trying to live in two worlds. This is a good, quick read. MS boys and girls would like it. The ending was a little lacking in my opinion; I would have liked to see everything fully tied up in the end. Good characters.

Double Trouble--Max and Boo

Guardian (YA) (5/5)

Guardian (YA) (5/5)

This book tells the tale of a white boy trying to find his way in a world full of racism and hatred. A very quick read (under 130 pages) but very powerful. A white man gets away with a crime because people are more comfortable getting justice from a black man. Very compelling read.

The Plight of the Darcy Brothers (5/5)

The Plight of the Darcy Brothers (5/5)

This is the 2nd in a series which began as a sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. In this one, Darcy finds out that his father was not exactly the man that he thought he was and this takes him and Elizabeth on a journey. Also, Mary Bennett has become pregnant and Darcy once again tries to rescue one of Lizzy's sisters. A good read and this book stays true to Austen. I enjoy this series. I have #3 to read to review for Sourcebooks.

IQ (YA) (5/5)

IQ (YA) (5/5)

This is the first book in a ya series. Q and Angela are new siblings as Q's mother has married Angela's father. Angela's mother was a Secret Service agent killed in the line of duty. Twists and turns ensue on their parents' tour and Q and Angela find themselves doing spy duty. MS and HS boys and girls would like this book. #2 comes out next month.

Night Fires (YA) (4.5/5)

Night Fires (YA) (4.5/5)

Woodrow's father dies in a car accident and he and his mother move south where the KKK is a big force to be reckoned with. Woodrow meets his neighbor, a Senator, and he begins to try to get Woodrow involved in the KKK. A quick, easy read. MS reading level and a good boy book

The Red Blazer Girls (YA) (4.5/5)

The Red Blazer Girls (YA) (4.5/5)

Based on the cover, I thought this book would be a quirky Nancy Drew book and it wasn't that far off, but it was done well. Four friends from a Catholic school try to find a missing ring for an older woman. Good mystery, good action, good literary references and even some Math thrown in make this book a good one! MS and HS girls would especially like this book. This is set up as a possible first in the series but I don't know if there are any other books out there in this series yet.

The Morgue and Me (YA) (5/5)

The Morgue and Me (YA) (5/5)

Christopher gets a job cleaning the morgue the summer before he starts college. He sees his first dead boy, a man shot in the chest. Yet that death is ruled a suicide. Christopher begins to investigate the murder and hooks up with Tina, an eager newspaper reporter. Good writing style--Christopher is given a good sense of humor. HS boys and girls would like this one.

The Uninvited (YA) (4/5)

The Uninvited (YA) (4/5)

Mimi heads up to Canada to stay at her father's cottage in order to get her head together. She is trying to put some space between her and her professor boyfriend, who is having some problem letting go of the relationship. At the cottage, she meets Jay, the 1/2 brother she never knew about. Weird things have been going on at the cottage and things keep getting weirder and weirder. Good mystery that HS boys and girls would enjoy.

Boo having no shame

Boo has no shame in this picture. Here he is, sprawled out on a blanket.

Homicide in Hardcover (4.5/5)

Homicide in Hardcover (4.5/5)

First in a cozy mystery series. Brooklyn is a book restorer and is working on a major project. There are two murders and she begins to investigate motive to find the murderer. Good characters, decent mystery and a hint of romance. I will continue with this series; #2 comes out in February 2010.

If the Witness Lied (YA) (5/5)

If the Witness Lied (YA) (5/5)

This book tells the story of four siblings whose parents have died. Mom died of cancer after refusing chemo because she was pregnant with Tris, the youngest. Dad died after being run over by the family Jeep; Tris played with the emergency brake and caused the accident. Or did he? "Aunt" Cheryl has taken over the household and while the kids were never fond of her, they might have a whole new major reason to not be fond of her! Good mystery and both MS and HS boys and girls would like this book.

Somebody (YA) (5/5)

Somebody (YA) (5/5)

A 15 year old girl realizes that things are off with living with just her father and brother. She realizes that her father kidnapped her and her brother when they were children. She begins to search for her mother. This is a very quick, but good, read. MS and HS boys and girls would like this book.

A Dog on His Own (4.5/5) (YA)

A Dog on His Own (YA) (4.5/5)

K-10 is a dog who has given up trusting humans so he lives on his own. He meets up with Peppy and Pearl when he is brought to a shelter. They break out and Pearl and Peppy try to find their owners. K-1o tries to figure out a safe spot for himself on his own. This book would be good for MS boys and girls. It's a cute, quick read.

Gentlemen (YA) (4.5/5)

Gentlemen (YA) (4.5/5)

Tommy, a HS student, goes missing and his 3 friends, somewhat rough, begin to suspect that their English Teacher had something to do with Tommy's disappearance. They begin their own investigation and things slide out of control. A good books for HS boys especially.

The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy (4.5/5)

The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy (4.5/5)

This novel is a modern-day take on Jane Austen's book Pride and Prejudice. Overall this book is done well. As a huge Austen fan, I am sometimes wary of these adaptations but I enjoyed this one. Angelini obviously was familiar with Austen's work and not looking to stray too far from the message of it. The sex scenes did get to be a bit much after a while but they were easy enough to skim over. I would recommend this book to both Austen fans and chick lit fans.