Guy Langman: Crime Scene Procrastinator by Josh Berk

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Guy (16) and his best friend Anoop join the forensics club at school soon after Guy’s father’s death.  It is a way to keep his mind off of his dad.  Right from the start Guy makes jokes, slacks off, and is generally a pain in the butt.  To spite his behavior he genuinely likes learning the science, so when a real body turns up Guy and Anoop are determined to solve the crime.

I liked the story but I think it would have been better without the real crime.  There is enough going on with Guy, his mom, the cute girl in forensics, and Anoop that solving the mystery of the body was not really necessary.  The book is funny and sweet.  I would recommend this for guys who like to read humorous realistic stories. 

Curveball: the Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick

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Pete is an all-star athlete, and he is set to make a big splash as a great baseball pitcher when ninth grade starts.  Life seems pretty easy until a serious injury leaves him unable to pitch ever again.  Now he has to figure out who he is if he can’t be the star pitcher anymore.  On top of all of that, his grandfather is acting strange and there is a new girl in class whose presence renders him speechless. 

Jordan Sonneblick is a great writer.  That is all there is to it.  He writes some of the best teen fiction I have ever read.  When I read his books all of the characters read true for their age.  This story sounds sad, but it is full of humor and a lot of teens will be able to identify with Pete and his family.  I would recommend this for teens who like realistic stories with lots of humor. 

Croak by Gina Damico

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Lex is a little bit wild…ok she is a serious DELINQUINT!  Even she doesn’t know why she keeps getting into fights and hurting people.  Her parents have had enough so she is sent to live with her weird uncle for the summer.  A summer of shearing sheep and milking cows should fix her right up.  Only that’s not what her uncle does for a living.  Lex is soon working for him and she finds herself in a strange new world with different rules and danger. 

The book is about reapers (scythe and all).  It kind of reminded me of the show Dead Like Me so I checked it out at the library.  Lex starts out as a character I would not want to know, but as the story goes on I found myself being pulled in.  The end is sad and unusual so I hope they do another book to wrap it all up.  I would recommend this book for guys and girls who like dark humor. 

The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten

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What could be worse than being dumped? How about pining all summer for your boyfriend, and then being dumped as soon as he gets back on the first day of school. So Lucy is having the worst first day of school, when she gets an intriguing offer. Three beautiful and charismatic girls offer Lucy a way to heal her broken heart and gain real power. All she has to do is make someone fall in love with her and then break that person’s heart in the next seven days.

The premise of the book did not sound good to me, but I liked Weingarten’s last book “Wherever Nina Lies” so I gave this one a chance. It was surprisingly good. The characters are all believable, and there is some great advice about self-perception, popularity, and guys. The ending is a little sad, but overall I like the story. At different parts of the book you are not sure if Lucy’s new friends are good guys or bad guys. It makes for an interesting read. I would recommend this for girls who like humor, and romance.

Sparks: the Epic, Completely True Blue, (Almost) Holy Quest of Debbie by S.J. Adams

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Debbie is a girl with a secret. When that secret is threatened she finds herself thinking about the kind of person she is and what she can do about it. At a loss, she starts a holy quest with some new friends to save a friend from Norman, the most BORING human on the earth, and to find true love.

This book was not what I thought it was going to be. I loved the cover; started reading it without knowing what I was getting into; and could not put it down. I’m not sure what I thought it would be about, but I really liked the book. Debbie has been in love with her best girl friends since sixth grade. When her friend is about to go All The Way with Norman, she feels like she needs to declare her love and hope for the best. To help her out her new friends take her on a holy quest. It’s a great story and I would recommend it to guys and girls looking for a positive story with a gay main character, or to anyone who likes to laugh their butts off.

Swim the Fly by Don Calame

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Matt and his two best friends set themselves a challenge every summer. They choose something that they all must do before school starts. This summer they are 15 and their goal is to see a real, live, in person naked girl. You would think since they are all on a coed swim team it would not be that difficult, but they go to some pretty amazing lengths to get the job done.


This book is so funny! The characters are realistic and well thought out. Sean, Coop, and Matt are amazing, but the really impressive characters are the girls. When you read this story you will recognize girls that you knew in high school. The story is sweet and fun and not at all as racy as the summary would lead you to believe. I would recommend this book for 9th grade and up. It’s a great way for girls to find out what guys are really thinking. This book features Matt as the main character but the other book, Beat the Band tells a story from Coops perspective.

The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

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It’s 1996 and Emma just got her very first PC. She loads AOL and clicks on her favorites. Facebook pops up even though it won’t exist until 2004. She starts seeing what her life will be like fifteen years in the future. At first she thinks it’s a trick, but when she tells her friend Josh they start to take it seriously. Facebook knows things that no one could know, and there are pictures posted that they have not even developed yet. Once they believe Facebook is showing them their future they start to make minor changes that and soon they see the effects of knowing their future.


I have been waiting since 13 Reasons Why for a new Asher book and I’m not disappointed. This book is not deep and gut wrenching like 13 Reasons Why, but it is a fun read and it has an interesting take on the way our lives are shaped. I loved the idea that even the smallest change could have astounding consequences in our lives. Because it’s told in alternating chapters from the point of view of a boy and a girl, I think anyone will like the story.

Blink and Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones

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Blink is a sixteen year old runaway who spends his time stealing rich kid’s clothes so he can sneak into hotels and eat left over room service before housekeeping cleans up the hallways. Caution is a runaway living with an abusive, drug dealing boyfriend. When Blink sees a not quite kidnapping, and Caution runs away with some serious drug money their lives are thrown into turmoil. Fortunately they find and try to help each other. Unfortunately they are facing double the trouble trying to solve the kidnapping mystery and stay alive.


Why is it that whenever I read a gritty and unusual urban fiction book it’s almost always set in Canada? Those Canadians know how to keep me interested, even without spells or the walking dead. This book is written in a fast and exciting way. Guys who don’t want to read will be sucked into Blink’s story. There’s no flowery prose here, but somehow the story gets told…and it’s told well. The blunt way the story is told mirrors the blunt and rough way these teens are living, without being to over the top.  There’s some cussing, and drugs, and a whole lot of violence, but what do you expect from a mystery book written about runaways. My advice is to Read It.

Drums Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

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Steven is an eighth grade drumming phenom. He practices like crazy and is really big in jazz band. His life is typical, with crushes and homework, until his five year old brother Jeff gets cancer. Steven’s life starts spinning out of control as his brother gets more sick, and his parents try to work out the best treatment. This is the story of the year of treatment that happens and what it takes for a family to deal with sickness.


I liked the book because it’s honest. It’s not all sad or all happy. It is just a realistic look at a family, told from the point of view of the older brother. When his little brother gets sick, the whole world revolves around making him better. Grades slip, parents ignore other problems, the family struggles, because that’s what really happens. Even though the little brother is fighting cancer, this is overall a happy book with a lot of heart. I also really like the sequels, especially Tales of the Midnight Driver!

The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty

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Bindy is an eleventh grader in an exclusive Australian school, but this is not your typical high school story. Told exclusively through notes passed, journal entries, and school assignments you get to find out what is happening to Bindy and her classmates. She is a weird and mostly unsympathetic character. She spies on fellow classmates and writes the oddest things. She is paranoid that someone is trying to kill her, and more than a little obsessed with her classmates. This is the sequel to The Year of Secret Assignments, and readers will see a lot of the same characters, but Bindy is the focus of this story.

I loved this book. When I read it I didn’t know it was a sequel so I read it first. The twist ending is amazing and it fully changes the story. Things that seemed meaningless at the beginning turned out to be really important. I won’t give it away, because I’m against spoilers, but I will say the book is not predictable at all. This book is not for everyone, I know because I have recommended it before and been disappointed, but if you like quirky characters and an unusual story you will enjoy this book. It’s a mostly clean read with not much romance or swearing. If you like it read the first book.

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The Detention Club by David Yoo

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Peter and Drew are about to start their first year of middle school. They were the coolest kids in elementary school so they know that they would rule middle school. Peter was not prepared for everyone else changing over the summer, or the harder classes, or detention. As all of his plans to become popular fail, he and Drew try to keep their friendship together and make it through middle school.

This story is funny and cute. The book is full of hysterical supporting characters and it rings true for what happens to a lot of kids as they move from elementary school to middle school. I liked the way that Peter and his sister see the same situations differently, and the way that Drew misunderstands everything. I would recommend this book to 5th and 6th grade boys and girls who like humor and realistic fiction.

Withering Tights by Louise Rennison

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Tallulah is off to performing arts school in the country. She will be spending six weeks away from her family at sleep away camp. She is planning on studying the performing arts and boys. Unfortunately no one told her that the camp is all girls. Does she let it stop her? No. She makes friends and finds out a lot about herself and, meets some boys from the next camp over.


For those people who liked reading about Georgia, you are going to love her cousin Tallulah. It starts with Tullulah heading to the country.  We get to meet the crazy family she is staying with, and the tiny Yorkshire village where the camp is located.  This is a whole new English world for readers to enjoy.  The book is cute, funny, and full of the promise of snogging. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a girly story .

Addie on the Inside by James Howe

 

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From the outside Addie is an outspoken know it all.  She cares about the environment, human rights, and preventing animal cruelty.  On the inside she cares about those things, but she is aware of just how much she doesn't know.  This book is told in verse, poems from Addies perspective, about what's going on in her life as a 7th grader in Paintbrush Falls Middle School.  She deals with friends, bullies, gossip, and her very popular boyfriend.

This is a companion novel to "The Misfits" and "Totally Joe".  This time we get to tread the book from Addie's perspective.  I was surprised when I opened the book at it was in verse.  I didn't expect it, but I loved it.  The poems are in various styles, but the voice rings true for a 13 year old girl in middle school.  Howe deals with some difficult topics in the book, and he faces the subjects head on, while managing to keep it age appropriate for a 7th grade reader.  This is a great book and I recommend it for everyone.  

                                                                                                               Read the other books  in the Misfits Universe.

Odd Is On Our Side by Dean Koontz

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Odd Thomas sees dead people. He lives in a small town and he tries to help the dead to find rest. Sometimes the dead aren’t just concerned with their own former lives and troubles, sometimes they are trying to tell him about something dark arriving in town. When Elvis (yes, The King) appears to Odd to warn him, Odd and his girlfriend take it seriously and try to save the town.


The story was interesting and I liked the art in this graphic novel. I liked the idea for the story and the characters, but the way it was told left me a little flat. I didn’t feel a real connection to the story and I was skipping stuff to get to the end. Not my favorite graphic novel, or supernatural mystery.

McPherson College's Miller Library - The Best Library Guide Ever

Click here to read the guide. (I mean now. It's AWESOME.)

Seriously this is the best thing I have ever seen!  I am in love with the guys who wrote this.

Alien Invasion & Other Inconveniences by Brian Yansky

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Jesse is a regular teen living in the U.S. He is at school when everyone around him just stops moving. It looks like everyone has fallen asleep, but they are all dead. That's how the Earth is conquered by aliens; not with a bang and lights and battle, but with silence. What follows next is the real invasion. The humans, or product, that is left are rounded up and taken to houses to work as slaves. Jesse is taken to the house of Lord Vert and is assigned various mundane tasks. If the product is good they will do as their told and live a painless but hardworking life. Jesse and the others are not good product, so Lord Vert has his hands full.


I loved the story. It's funny and heartfelt. The aliens are not all good or all bad, the same way that the human product is not all good or bad. The story moves quickly and does not leave the reader time to wonder what's going on, but when the story ends it leaves you thinking. I recommend this for teen guys who like survival stories, aliens, and humor.

Totally Joe by James Howe

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Joe is 12 years old and attending Paintbrush Falls Middle School. He has a great group of friends and a really awesome family. He’s funny, artistic, a great cook, and gay. He’s is doing an English homework assignment to write about his life using the alphabet to tell the story. (A is for apple, B is for bananas, etc.…) He has the whole year to write the story so the reader gets to find out about a year of Joe’s life. He faces bullies, his favorite aunt moving away, and his first real boyfriend all with an amazing sense of humor and style.


This is a truly sweet book. The characters are much more realistic and believable than a lot of other teen novels. Many novels with gay main characters are dark and leave you wondering if there are any normal teenagers with awesome families and friends, who just happen to be gay. This book is suitable for a younger reader (Joe thinks kissing is gross and really wants to hug the boy he likes). It’s a good read for any kids who have been bullied or ignored someone who has been bullied. It deals with tough subject matters in a kind and caring way. There is only verbal violence, hand holding, and no bad language. I recommend it to everyone. Don’t take my word for it. Here’s what the experts have to say about the book:

" . . . Hilarious and poignant . . . An upbeat and reassuring novel that encourages preteens and teens to celebrate their individuality." —Publishers Weekly



"Howe tells the truth about the pain and anger caused by jeers and name-calling in a fast, funny, tender story that will touch readers." —Booklist, starred review



This book is a companion to The Misfits and there will be another companion novel coming out very soon called Addie on the Inside. All of these books are about being happy with who you are, and dealing with bullies. He is also the author of the utterly amazing and hysterically funny Bunnicula series.

You Killed Wesley Payne by Sean Beaudoin

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Dalton is a private dick. He's a teenaged detective for hire. The case; find out who in Salt River High killed Wesley Payne. Dalton works for the Wesley's sister to try and find out who killed her brother. Also at stake is a missing hundred thousand dollars. To solve the crime, and get paid, he has to outsmart an evil principal, dirty cops, and try not to get killed by one of the power hungry cliques trying to find the money.


Dalton is a funny and slick Sam Spade character. The book is great and really pulls you in. It reads like an old fashioned pulp fiction novel. Dalton tries to be a hardboiled detective and take care of his family while solving the crime. He faces bad guys, cliques, and slang that makes me thank god and the author for the glossary in the back. There are some mild curse words, most of them made up, some violence, and a little romance. Nothing that made me blush. I would recommend this for older readers who like a lot of action, and a good mystery.

Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales

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Violet and Kate are best friends and this is the story of their junior year at an exclusive all-girls school. Violet comes from a family of academics who work hard to pay for her to go to private school. Kate comes from a wealthy family who don’t work hard for much. When Kate starts acting out, Violet is not really sure how to help or if she can be a part of Kate’s new life.


This is a very realistic look at high school. The voice of the teens reads true and the story is filled with humor. It’s a book for anyone who has had a best friend grow apart from them. It’s well written and humorous. All of that said this book was not for me. It was a little too realistic for my taste, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t like it. If you like real stories that could be about someone you know this book might be right up your alley.

Bloodthirsty by Flynn Meaney

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Some vampires are good.

Some Vampires are evil.

Some are faking it to get girls.

Finbar Frame is a twin, but no one would ever mistake him for his athletic and charismatic brother. Finbar never gets the girls, can’t climb the rope in gum class, and is always the object of jokes at school. When his family moves it’s the perfect opportunity for him to start over and reinvent himself. Who will he be: a Goth, a jock, a bloodsucker?

This book is great! It’s funny and exciting and Finbar reads true as a regular teen guy. If you love vampires or are tired of the vampire craze this is the book for you. If you think librarians are sexy and books can be better than most people this book is for you. Filled with humor and sincerity this is the book that “Fat Vampire” by Adam Rex was trying to be. Read this book you won’t be disappointed.