Skink No Surrender

SKINK NO SURRENDER by Carl Hiaasen. Knopf, 2014.

Can Skink help Richard
Find Malley before she's harmed?
Comedy-myst'ry

Forget Me

FORGET ME by K.A. Harrington. Putnam, August 2014.

Her boyfriend is dead.
Or is he? What is the truth?
Morgan must find out.

Myth-taken?

29 MYTHS ON THE SWINSTER PHARMACY by Lemony Snicket. Illustrated by Lisa Brown. McSweeney's McMullen's, 2014.

From the fertile and frenetic mind of Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket, comes this mystery which centers on the Swinster Pharmacy. To be sure, there are strange things happening: the building is a perfect square, people are moved to speak in hushed tones when they pass by the building. There is more, 27 more to be exact. The form and format of the text is sure to attract readers who love to puzzle over text (and illustration) for clues to solving the mystery of this edifice.

Mister Max sets out

MISTER MAX: THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS by Cynthia Voigt. Knopf, 2013.

A mysterious message offers to take Max and his family to a faraway land where riches await them. However, circumstances end up with Max left behind while his parents seem to have disappeared. And so the mystery, actually the mysteries, begin. As Max and his grandmother search for clues about his parents, Max stumbles into some mysteries of his own. Before long, he is better known as Mister Max, a solutioneer. Will Max be able to find his parents? Can he survive on his own? An amiable cast of eccentric characters will draw readers in and have them guessing along with Max.

Stunning Combination

FROM NORVELT TO NOWHERE by Jack Gantos. FSG, 2013.

This sequel to the Newbery winning, DEAD END IN NORVELT will not disappoint. Once again, Gantos has managed to find the funny as he and Miss Volker take the craziest road trip imaginable in hot pursuit of the person who murdered all of the elderly female residents of Norvelt save one. But who exactly IS the murderer? Spizz, the prime suspect fled Norvelt but has recently been spotted at the scene of yet another murder. ut there are some who think Miss Volker herself could be the culprit. Gantos effortlessly combines a mystery, quite a bit of history, some philosophizing, lots of humor and knock out scenes that will make readers (like me) always wanting more.

Doll Bones

DOLL BONES by Holly Black. Audio by BOT/Listening Library. Narrated by Nick Podehl. .

Even though I am not serving on an audio committee, I still enjoy listening to audio on my commutes. Nick Podehl's narration of DOLL BONES achieves just the right level of creepiness as the tale of a doll that is more than simply a be china doll. As Zach and Poppy, and Alice undertake their quest, their friendship is teetering on the brink of extinction. Perhaps this journey will pull them back together to the friends they once were. The story is a mystery adventure combined with elements of a ghost story and perhaps even a touch of peculiar possession. This would be a terrific read aloud (or you could play a chapter a day as well). It is certainly one that deserves a booktalk early in the school year.

Magic is afoot

THE WATER CASTLE by Megan Frazer Blakemore. Bloomsbury, 2013.


After Ephraim's father suffers a stroke, the family moves into an old house that has been part of his mother's family for generations. Ephraim is, at first, lonely. It is difficult to make friends in school where the other kids have known one another for years. Eventually, though, Ephraim makes two new friends, friends who will help him search for something that might just bring his father back to normal. Blakemore weaves the very real story of a boy grappling with changes in his family with the almost mythic story of ancestors who might have stumbled upon a magical elixir. Science and history met a bit of magic in this compelling read.

Move over, Lunch Lady

PLATYPUS POLICS SQAUD: THE FROG WHO CROAKED by Jarrett Krosoczka. Walden Pond Press, May 2013.

The creator of the LUNCH LADY series of graphic novels now gives readers a new treat: a mystery set in Kalamazoo City featuring the Platypus Police Squad. Meet Rick Zengo, the rookie, and his partner, the veteran office Corey O'Malley. There is a mystery to be solved, of course, this one centering around illegal fish. Zengo and O'Malley follow leads. Most of them end up with the two platypus cops up to their bills in hot water. However, they are determined to bring the culprit to justice. Humor, adventure, and a few red herrings (pun intended) add up to a book that kids who grew up reading LUNCH LADY will welcome as the next step in their reading. New fans are sure to find this book just as fun to read.

The Big Easy

OUT OF THE EASY by Ruta Sepetys. Philomel, 2013.

New Orleans in the 1950s is a fascinating time period: brothels, bookstores, gangsters, Mardi Gras. What more could one want in a book? How about a heroine who is caught between two worlds? A series of nefarious characters? Some snobs? Unusual friends? Morris Finalist (Between Shades of Grey) Sepetys spins the tale of Josie, the daughter of a prostitute. Josie fled "home" early and now resides over the bookstore in which she works in the afternoons. Each morning, though, she returns to Willie's brothel to clean up after the wreckage of the preceding evening. When her mother runs off with the ne'er do well Cincinnati, Josie hopes her life will settle down a little. What follows is not quite what Josie hoped. A death, perhaps a murder, a friendship that might be more, threats, opportunities, and more combine in this coming of age story with an incredibly eccentric cast of characters.

Vintage

PERIOD 8 by Chris Crutcher. Greenwillow, April 2013.

A new book by Chris Crutcher is always cause for celebration. Teens will find much to love in his latest offering, PERIOD 8. Meet Paulie. He's basically a good guy. But he has just messed up big time. When Paulie tells his girlfriend Hannah he has cheated on her, he hopes she will at least hear him out. has no intent to hear more from Paulie and storms off. Thankfully, Paulie has someone else to turn to for advice. His teacher Mr. Logsdon (Logs to all) is always there to listen. And then there is Period 8 when the whole class can speak their minds without fear of betrayal. Of course, there is much more to the story than one teen being unfaithful to his girlfriend. Life is more complicated than that, after all. And Crutcher has put this book on steroids (his own words, not mine) as it shines light into some pretty dark places. Mystery, politics, and more play a role in this fast paced thriller, sports story, novel about being friends. What does it mean to be fully human? What is truth? Does anyone know how to tell the unvarnished truth? Should they? Lots of questions. Crutcher leaves the reader to provide the answers. <611>

I Hunt Killers

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How do you move on with your life after your father is arrested as the killer of 123 victims? In I HUNT KILLERS (Little Brown 2012), Barry Lyga gives readers an interesting and complex protagonist in the person of Jazz Dent, son of Billy Dent, a notorious serial killer. Jazz grew up under his father's tutelage, and has horrific memories of his father's careful training in the art of dismemberment, staging of bodies, and stalking potential victims. Even after his father is imprisoned, Jazz' life is filled with the curiosity seekers and media who are consumed with the mythos of Billy Dent. And now, in Jazz' quiet little community, a body has been found. And then another murder occurs. Jazz is certain there is a copycat out there, one who is patiently reenacting his father's work. Who is the Impressionist? Can he be captured before he moves on to his next victim. Blood, guts, gore, and a convoluted mystery are at the core of Lyga's novel. Lyga gets inside the head of a teen whose life has been horribly twisted and yet is struggling to remain sane and overcome the trauma of his childhood. Seriously creepy, here is a book that will cause some serious shudders. en-gross-ing. <318>