Following Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci - ADVISABLE

Plum-Ucci, Carol Following Christopher Creed, 416 p. Houghton Mifflin, 2011.  $17.  Language: R (80 swears, 10 ‘f’), Mature Content: PG-13.  Christopher Creed has been gone for five years, but a body has been found in the woods near his old hometown.  Mike Mavic has been following the story on Torey Adams’ blog since the beginning and now he has been drawn to Steepleton.  Instead of a definitive end to Chris’ story, what he finds is a town in crisis.  There is more than one dead body, but there is more human wreckage – wreckage of heart and soul – strewn all over Steepleton.  

Plum-Ucci’s follow-up is as intriguing as the first, but much darker and disturbing.  This would be a good one for fans of the first to read a couple of years AFTER.  HS – ADVISABLE. Cindy, Library Teacher

The vanishing game by Kate Kae Myers –NOT RECOMMENDED

Myers, Kate Kae The vanishing game, 368 pgs. Bloomsbury USA Childrens, 2012. $11.35. (Language-PG Violence: PG; Sexual Content-PG13).
Jocelyn’s world come’s tumbling down when her twin brother dies. Jack was everything to her, what kept her going through their sad childhood and many foster homes. When she gets a mysterious letter from him, she knows she will do whatever it takes to figure out the puzzle he is trying to get her solve. Jocelyn enlists the help of an old friend, a fellow foster care kid, Noel. They are let on a wild goose chase that forces Jocelyn to revisit her past and both of them to be placed in grave danger.
This is one of those books that really grabs you and keeps you reading, and then disappoints with its ending. I think the multiple layers of mystery, and the life replays were incredible, but again overshadowed and ruined by the ending. (Spoiler Alert:) The ending was overcomplicated and had a supernatural element which was totally unnecessary and down right stupid. There is such a thing as combining too many genres and this author chose to use it to detriment. I would almost equate this read to a story where you find out it was all a dream, I think teens would find it just as much a disappointing cop-out as I did.
MS, HS– NOT RECOMMENDED Reviewer: Stephanie MLS graduate.

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons -ADVISABLE

Simmons, Kristen Article 5, 368 pgs. Tor Teen, 2012. $12.23. (Language-PG -Swear Count: 0, Violence-PG13; Sexual Content-PG13.)
The United States has changed. War has taken its toll, new laws called the Moral Statues, and martial law guides the government. Citizen must comply, they have no rights. Ember is a teenage girl who remembers better times but is living pretty good in the current time, along with her mom. When both she and her mom get arrested on moral charges, Ember gets nervous. When she discovers she is being arrested by her big crush, she gets scared. Ember strives to get her life back, and wonders if the guy she loved is really gone, replaced by a soldier.
I think these apocalyptical books are pretty intriguing. With the real life threats of war, nuclear bombs, and financial meltdowns –these types of books fulfill a needed niche. They function as outlets for what people today are worried about, allowing them explore some scary possibilities – from a safe perspective. There is also, some exploration on how people grow and change based on their life experiences. It was fast paced and interesting, and I think teens will enjoy it. While there was some threatening sexual content, nothing is spelled out explicitly.
HS – ADVISABLE Reviewer: Stephanie MLS graduate.

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber ESSENTIAL

Schreiber, Joe Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick, 192 pgs. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2011. Language - pg-13 (about 20 swears); Sexual Content pg-13; Violence pg-13.

During Perry's senior year of high school, his family has hosted Gobi, a foreign exchange student from Lithuania. On one of the last night's of her stay in America, Gobi wants to attend prom, and Perry's parents make him be her date. On the night of prom, the shy, unattractive exchange student turns into a gorgeous, confident assassin who drags Perry along as her get away driver as they navagate New York City on Gobi's planned "hits."

This book is a lot of fun. Not only is it short and fast paced, it has a strong male protagonist, a lot of adventure, and (surprisingly) a lot of humor. There is some violence. Perry being a virgin is apparently a big deal. And there is swearing. But it's a great story and should appeal to boys and girls and grab those reluctant readers.

HS-ESSENTIAL. Rebekah, youth services public librarian

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber-ESSENTIAL

Schreiber, Joe.  Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick,190 pages, Houghton Mifflin, 2011, $16.99.

Language-PG (2 swears), Mature Content-PG-13, Violence-PG-13  

Perry has a lot of stress in his life. He has a complicated relationship with his father, but he needs  a college letter of recommendation from a partner in his father's firm. His mother wants him to take their foreign exchange student, Gobija Zaksauskas, to the prom, but his band has their first paying gig in New York City on the same night.  He wants to say no to everyone, but he can't. When Gobi comes down the stairs dressed for prom wearing a 'baggy shapeless mountain of linen', a headscarf and a bag made from animal hide, Perry's father hands him the keys to his red Jaguar to ease his pain. Perry thinks that the evening is going to be a disaster-only he has no idea how bad it could get before dawn. What happens next involves a crazy night in Manhattan,  hit men, mobsters, explosions, and a jump from the forty-seventh floor. Through it all, Perry learns a lot more than he ever wanted to know about himself, his family, Gobi, concealed weapons and the underworld. Essentially kidnapped at gunpoint by his prom date, Perry is a very unwilling participant in what turns out to be the most important night of his life. This book is hilarious in an over-the-top, high octane sort of way. From the first explosion to the last, you'll be handcuffed to every page. HS-ESSENTIAL. Reviewer: Gretchen 

Can I See Your ID? True Stories of False Identities by Chris Barton-ADVISABLE

Barton, Chris. Can I See Your ID?: True Stories of False Identities,121 pages, Dial Books, 2011, $16.99. Language-G, Mature Content-G, Violence-G

Can I See Your ID? is a collection of stories about people who did very interesting and sometimes illegal things while posing to be someone else. Princess Caraboo, a fake. The author of The Education of Little Tree, not a Native American, and the engineer of that subway you are riding on might just be a sixteen year old with a fascination for trains. Notorious fakers and liars masquerade as what they are not in Barton's tales of crime, desperation and adventure. His research is thorough and cited at the back of the book. The episodes told in second person draw the reader in and let them experience the perpetrators' thinking behind each masquerade. My favorite part is the "What happened next" addendum at the end of every story. Engaging and easy to read, Can I see Your ID? would be an excellent way to interest young readers in nonfiction or biographies.  MS-ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Gretchen 

Into the Trap by Craig Moodie - OPTIONAL

Moodie, Craig Into the Trap, 197 p. Roaring  Brook, 2011.  $17.  Language: PG (3 swears, 0 ‘f’); Violence: PG (mild violence).  Eddie, 12,  knows that someone is stealing lobsters from the traps around Fog Island – including from his own family – and when he happens upon the lobsters and the thieves, he decides he must do something about it.  With the help of Briggs, 13, an escapee from a local posh summer camp, they set off with a vague plan to capture the thieves, but everything starts falling apart and the boys find themselves accused of the crime.  Now they can’t stop until they can clear their names.  

Mild danger and intrigue would make this a good regional pick, for coastal areas involved in boating or the lobster trade.  EL – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library Teacher

Desert Angel by Charlie Price - OPTIONAL

Price, Charlie Desert Angel, 240 pgs. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011. $12.63 Language – PG (0 swears, some street-like slang); Mature Content – PG13, Violence: PG13; Life has been hard for Angel – all 14 years.  Her mother has drifted from one man to another dragging Angel along with her.  Their life together has not been easy.  When Angel’s mother hooked up with Scotty it was good at first.  The yelling and abuse to her mother started after three weeks.  Scotty came to Angel’s bedroom after four weeks.  Angel would hide when Scotty started drinking and using drugs to try to find a safe place.  One night things went too far.  When morning came Angel knew something was wrong, her mother was gone.  Scotty is a hunter; he is a poacher; he deals guns, and does other things outside the law; he has a temper.  They lived out in the desert near the Joshua Tree National Park, alone in a trailer.  Angel follows Scotty’s truck tracks and discovers her mother buried in a shallow grave and she knows she is next.  She is a witness to his crime.  She heads back to the trailer to get some things to survive as she tries to escape.  Scotty catches her, ties her up, and burns the trailer with her in it.  She barely escapes and is now being hunted by the hunter, Scotty.  Angel is forced to find help with some of the desert people who give more than it would seem possible as they try to protect Angel.  It all comes down to a final stand – Angel against Scotty.  The story is an unimaginable tale of survival and wits.  I thought the story moved well at first and at the end but bogged down a bit in the middle.  While the subject matter was mature it was not dealt with in a graphic manner.  It is a good character study of the hunter and his prey.  While I liked the story overall I didn't think it as good as his The Interrogation of Gabriel James. HS – OPTIONAL. Reviewer: W. Child - Cyprus High Library Media Specialist

The Devil’s Breath by David Gilman - ADVISABLE

Gilman, David The Devil’s Breath, 389 pgs. Delacorte Press, 2007. Language – PG (26 swears, 0 “f’”), Sexual Content – PG; Violence PG; Someone is trying to kill Max. His father is missing, maybe dead. Max has to be careful about who he trusts as he goes to Africa on his mission to find his dad and keep them both alive. But does he even realize who the bad guys are? Max’s adventure trapped me in its pages. There was intense action from the first few pages that kept me hanging on until the very last sentence. I loved the suspense that kept me entranced, and the unforgettable characters. MS, HS – ADVISABLE. Student Reviewer: CCH

The Silence of Murder by Dandi Mackall - ADVISABLE

Mackall, Dandi Daley The Silence of Murder, 336 pgs. Random House Children’s Books, 2011. $11.98 Language – P (0 swears); Mature Content – PG; Violence: PG;  Hope Long moved to Grain, Ohio three years ago with her mother Rita and her autistic brother, Jeremy.  Hope is 16 and Jeremy is 19.  Rita is not the best role model.  She is a heavy drinker and has too many boyfriends.  Jeremy is on trial for the death of the town’s baseball coach who befriended Jeremy.  Jeremy helped coach Johnson with the baseball team and cleaned up around his horse stable.  When Jeremy was about 9 he became selective mute where he refused to speak and only communicates with Hope in writing with a very eloquent hand.  Jeremy has a strange hobby of collecting empty glass jars.  He carries some empty jars in a backpack and the others, maybe a 100 or more, are kept on shelves in his bedroom.  Jeremy is seen running from the stable with his baseball bat that was found to be the murder weapon.  His court-appointed lawyer pleads not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity.  Hope doesn’t believe Jeremy killed coach Johnson nor that he is insane.  The story is developed as Hope tries to prove Jeremy is innocent while getting the help from her best friend TJ and the Sherriff’s son, Chase.  A romance builds between Chase and Hope and the Sherriff is none to happy about it.

 I was eager to follow the story and uncover the clues along the way.  While some of the plot was predictable most left you guessing and racing to the end.  A very satisfying read!  HS – ADVISABLE. Reviewer: W. Child - Cyprus High Library Media Specialist

Death Sentence by Alexander Gordon Smith - ADVISABLE

Smith, Alexander Gordon Death Sentence: Escape From Furnace 3, 261 pgs. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2009. $16.00. Language: PG13 (15 swears); Mature Content- PG13; Violence: PG13; This is the third book of the Escape From Furnace series and Alex has become one of the monsters he’s been so afraid of. While being programmed to crave power and hurt others, Alex fights to remember his name and who his friends are. He experiences a rush of power and control, but then feels that it leaves a stain behind, like the slime trail that follows a slug. This book is full of action scenes and conflicts both internal and external. Although there is some violence, this book feels more hopeful than the others in the series. It is still a horror book, however, and readers need to expect some gore and tense moments. MS HS-ADVISABLE. Reviewer: M. Mathews School Librarian

Solitary by Alexander Gordon Smith - ADVISABLE

Smith, Alexander Gordon Solitary: Escape From Furnace 2, 232 pgs. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2009. $16.00. Language: PG (14 swears); Mature Content- PG; Violence: PG13; In this second book of the Escape From Furnace series, Alex Sawyer is condemned to solitary confinement. There he must face his own fears as well as the monsters (wheezers) and the giant rats that are always after him. Alex must do whatever it takes to survive—including trusting and relying on others. The story was hard for me to read because Smith’s descriptions were so vivid I felt like I was fighting for my life right along with Alex. This book is dark and creepy (and not for every reader), but is great for horror fans who like to be scared. MS HS-ADVISABLE. Reviewer: M. Mathews School Librarian