The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling

Wood, M. (2010). The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling. New York, NY: Balzer & Bray.

Plot summary: Miss Penelope Lumley is a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, and at 15 years of age she is on her way to Ashton Place for an interview for a governess position. She meets the head housekeeper, Mrs. Clarke, upon arrival, who gets jumpy when she hears howling coming from outside. Lady Constance hires Penelope on the spot, though the disturbance of howling and barking has her unsettled and she doesn't want to talk about the children. She pretends the noise is coming from dogs that are hungry and asks Mrs. Clarke to feed them immediately. Later after settling in Penelope hears the howling once again, and being an animal lover, goes out to find what she thinks is an injured animal. In the barn she finds three young, dirty, naked with only a blanket, children who are the ones doing all the howling. They don't speak, but there are two boys around 10 and 7 years old, and a little girl around 5 years old, and they were supposedly raised by wolves. They begin feel comfortable around her rather quickly.

Penelope takes on the task of teaching the children, well, how to be children. First she bathes them and puts clean clothes on them. Then the boys get their long hair cut neatly. Lord Frederick, husband of Lady Constance, names the older boy Alexander after Alexander the Great. The younger boy is named Beowulf after the fictional character, and the girl is named Cassiopeia after the constellation. The names were chosen not out of love but just randomly from each letter of the alphabet. Lord Frederick sees the children as possessions and Lady Constance sees them as uncivilized brutes, as incorrigibles. That happens to become their last name as well. Penelope teaches the children how to speak, not to chase squirrels, and to have manners. They call her Lumawoo instead of Miss Lumley, but they catch on very quickly. She reads them literature, like stories about Hesperus and horses Rainbow and Silky. They catch on to poetry, reciting their own poems for Penelope. She also likes to refer to sayings from one of her idols from her academy, Agatha Swanburne.

Lady Constance plans a holiday party and wants Penelope and the children to attend, as long as the children act civilized and don't ruin her party. Lord Frederick will not be attending due to business, which upsets his wife. Penelope teaches the children the schottische, a folk dance, at Lady Constance's request. Penelope and the children get special made outfits for the party and then taking a shopping expedition with Lady Constance, which gives Penelope some time to buy the children Christmas gifts specially chosen to each ones personality. The day before the party Lady Constance gives the children their gifts, but they aren't good gifts because they are a toy rifle for the boys and a book called "The Girl's Guide to Obedience and Quietness". Cassiopeia growled at her and the boys excused themselves to go. The next is Christmas and Penelope gives the children her gifts, which they love.

The party doesn't turn out so well, the guests are rude to the children and Penelope, and Leeds' Thespians on demand only want to act out stories about wolves. A squirrel is let loose and destruction occurs while the children chase it all over the house. Penelope sees Old Timothy the coachman lurking outside and thinks he set the squirrel loose inside to sabotage the children. She finds the children upstairs in the attic with their new pet, Nutsawoo the squirrel. The boys have what at first looked to be blood around their mouths, but is actually paint from the walls. They heard howling coming from within the walls, and Penelope thought she heard it too... ahwoooooooo! She decides they are hearing things and the four of them go to bed. The next day, close to being fired, Penelope learns that a note had been written to the Leeds' Thespians requesting stories about wolves only and was signed with the Ashton emblem. Her theories were correct, someone had provoked the disaster at the party, but who? And what of the mysterious howling coming from the attic wall? To be continued...

Genre: Mystery

Suggested age range: 9 to 12

Series information: Book 1 of The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series.

Subjects/themes: Orphans, Social class, Teachers/education, Growing up.

Reviews:

• Booklist (starred review, December 15, 2009)
• School Library Journal (May 1, 2010)

Character list:

• Penelope Lumley - New governess at Ashton Place, graduated from Swanburne Academy, accepts the challenge to teach the wild, orphaned children.
• Alexander, Beowulf, Cassiopeia - The Incorrigibles, taken in by Lord Frederick during a hunting expedition on his property, disliked by Lady Constance, eager to learn from Lumawoo aka Penelope.
• Lady Constance - Newly married to Lord Frederick, finds that it isn't all that she expected it to be, high-strung.
• Lord Frederick - Spoiled, rich, thinks the Incorrigibles are his property and he will care for them until he gets bored with them.
• Mrs. Clarke - Housekeeper, has a hard time lying.
• Old Timothy the coachman - Brought Penelope to Ashton Place, seems kind of suspicious, lurks around.

High-interest annotation: Miss Penelope Lumley is the new governess at Ashton Place and is in charge of teaching three children who have been raised by wolves. She is up to the task, but it seems that someone is out to sabotage the children and there is mysterious howling coming from the attic!

Hoot

Hiaasen, C. (2002). Hoot. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

Plot summary: Roy Eberhardt is the new kid at Trace Middle School, located in the town of Coconut Cove in Florida. On the bus ride to school one day, while getting his face smashed against the bus window by Dana Matherson the school bully, Roy sees a mysterious boy running on the street without shoes. He is instantly fascinated and vows to find out what the boy is running from or where he is running to. The next time he sees the running boy, Roy is about to jump off the bus to follow him when Dana grabs him and starts choking him. The only way he can get out of the hold is to punch Dana in the face, then he speeds past a tall girl with blond hair. He follows the boy but loses him. Dana is upset and tries to jump Roy at the end of school a few days later, but the tall girl named Beatrice helps Roy out and she brings him to the running boy's hideout. The running boy's name is kept secret by Beatrice, who is his stepsister, but she calls him Mullet Fingers. Mullet Fingers doesn't live at home because he keeps running away from the schools his mother sends him and she doesn't want anything to do with him, so his whereabouts are kept secret. Roy soon finds out what Mullet Fingers has been running to everyday, joining in his cause.

There have been interruptions to the construction site for the new Mother Paula's All-American Pancake House due to someone pulling stakes from the ground and filling in the holes, alligators being put in the Travelin' Johnnies, cottonmouth snakes chasing off the guard dogs and their trainer, and worst of all the painted windshield of a police cruiser. Detective Delinko got in serious trouble and embarrassment when he fell asleep while he was supposed to be keeping watch of the construction site and let the mischievous intruder make him look like a fool. Further construction was stalled when the site foreman, Curly, stayed overnight to watch over the site and caught Dana Matherson snooping around looking for cigarettes. He had been sent there by Roy as a ploy to distract the foreman. Dana says his name is Roy Eberhardt, but Officer Delinko knows better. While Dana was taken to the police station, Mullet Fingers stole the seats from the bulldozers so they couldn't be driven.

Roy, Beatrice and Mullet Fingers have taken on the construction site to save the small, burrowing owls that call it home. The Mother Paula's corporation doesn't care about the owls nor do they care if the owls die by being smothered when the bulldozers cover the holes they live in. When Roy hears that the groundbreaking ceremony is going to take place even after all their work to stop them, he decides to get the school involved by bringing it to their attention. The owls are protected by law and the Mother Paula's people are pretending they don't exist. At the ceremony a bunch of Roy's and Beatrice's classmates come to support the little owls, while Mullet Fingers stuffs himself into one of the holes in the ground, refusing to come out. News cameras catch the whole thing and construction is temporarily shut down. Roy's father finds out that Mother Paula's had hidden the Environmental Impact Report stating the knowledge of the owls on the property, so the whole project is squashed. The owls are saved and Roy finds out Mullet Fingers real name is Napolean Bridger.

Genre: Mystery

Suggested age range: 9 to 12

Subjects/themes: Environmental issues, School bullies, Family issues, Animal rights, Comical satire.

Awards:

• Newbery Honor Award
• ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Award
• Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award
• Maud Hart Lovelace Award

Reviews:

• Booklist (October 15, 2002)
• Publishers Weekly (June 24, 2002)
• School Library Journal (August 1, 2002)

Character list:

• Roy Eberhardt - New at Trace Middle School, kind of quiet and keeps to himself, misses his home in Montana, stuck with the nickname "cowgirl".
• Beatrice Leep - Tough, tall, plays soccer, keeps information on her stepbrother secret, doesn't get along with her stepmother.
• Mullet Fingers - Truant from school, will do anything to stop the little burrowing owls from enduring injustice, no matter what. Plans to sabotage the construction site, befriends Roy in the process.
• Leroy "Curly" Brannitt - Construction site foreman, takes the brunt of Mullet Fingers' schemes, knows the owls exist but denies it.
• Dana Matherson - School bully, terrorizes Roy, gets caught by Curly and is taken into police custody for trespassing and assault. Has a police record.
• Officer Delinko - Wants to overcome the embarrassment of having fallen asleep on the job and getting his windshield painted black, hopes to one day be a detective.
• Mr. and Mrs. Eberhardt - Roy's loving parents, know it is hard on Roy that they move so much due to Mr. Eberhardt's job; he works for the government.

High-interest annotation: Roy Eberhardt is new in town and one day while having his face smashed up against the school bus window he sees a mysterious boy running without shoes who apparently isn't going to school. He is instantly pulled in to a story involving tiny burrowing owls, alligators in toilets, poisonous snakes, and pancake house.

The Name of This Book is Secret

Bosch, P. (2007). The Name of This Book is Secret. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

Plot summary: The Narrator is very involved in this story and warns the reader against turning pages and reading this book. The narrator wants the reader to understand that this book is very dangerous because of the secret that it contains. Cass is in the antique shop when Gloria Fortune comes in with a box of stuff for her Grandpas to sell. Inside the cardboard box is a beautiful wooden box that is lined with velvet and filled with vials. The vials all contain different scents--from vanilla to lemon to dirt. The box is called The Symphony of Smells. Gloria tells them how she is trying to sell a house that once belonged to a magician who died under very mysterious circumstances. This intrigues Cass, and when she and Max-Ernest find a slip of paper within the box that they see as a message for help from the magician, they decide to investigate further.

Cass and Max-Ernest break into the house and find a secret room that contains all of the magician's things. As they are looking through the stuff, Cass finds a notebook that matches the Symphony of Smells box. Just as they find the book, Gloria arrives to show the house to a couple--Mr. L. and Ms. Mauvais. Cass and Max-Ernest can see them through a grate in the wall and Cass can tell that there is something not right about these people. The woman seems to be looking right at them through the wall with a curious expression on her face, and is asking a lot of questions about the magician's belongings. Cass and Max-Ernest decide to make a run for it and unfortunately, Gloria recognizes Cass. They get away, but not before the couple sees Cass holding the notebook. When they are finally safe, it looks like the notebook only contains one page with a riddle and is otherwise empty. Cass and Max-Ernest think that they risked breaking in and getting caught for no reason.

Later, Cass and Max-Ernest are able to solve the riddle and then Cass realizes that the notebook is not empty at all--the writing is simply hidden inside each folded page. As she and Max-Ernest unfold the pages and read the magician's writing, many stories begin to unfold, and many more mysteries need to be solved. Such as...what happened to Benjamin? Where is Gloria Fortune? What is the magician's secret? What will happen when Cass visits the spa? Who are Dr. L. and Ms. Mauvais, and what are they really after? Cass and Max-Ernest must put themselves in harm's way more than once to try to get to the bottom of the many secrets...

Genre: Mystery

Suggested age range: 8 to 12

Series information:

• Book 2: If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late (2009)
• Book 3: This Book is Not Good For You (2009)
• Book 4: This Isn’t What It Looks Like (2010)

Subjects/themes: Magicians, kidnapping, magic, humor.

Awards:

• 2008 Edgar Awards (Edward Allan Poe Awards) (Nominated)
• 2008 E. B. White Award (Nominated)

Reviews:

• Booklist (July 1, 2007)
• Publishers Weekly (September 10, 2007)
• School Library Journal (January 1, 2008)

Character list:

• Cassandra - She is an 11 year old girl who calls herself a survivalist. Cass has everything that she needs stored in her backpack that she takes with her everywhere she goes. Some adults see her as an extremist, but Cass knows when trouble is out there and tries to do her part.
• Max-Ernest - He is an 11 year old boy who has two names because his parents couldn’t stop fighting over what to name him when he was born. This ultimately led to their divorce, but they still all live together in the same house as a family-although every room in the house is split down the middle. This makes for a very stressful home environment for Max-Ernest and probably contributes to his condition-which is that he can never seem to stop talking!
• Melanie - This is Cass’s mother.
• Grandpa Wayne & Grandpa Larry - They are Cass’s “substitute” grandpas. Grandpa Larry was Cass’s mom’s high school history teacher. Melanie asked Wayne and Larry to fill in as Cass’s grandpas since neither one of her original grandpas was around. They live in an old firehouse that doubles as an antique shop. Cass is close with them and goes to the shop after school sometimes to help out.
• Gloria Fortune - She is a real estate agent who has the magician’s house on the market. Gloria also brings things from estates to the antique shop for the Grandpas to sell.
• Sebastian - This is the Grandpas’ dog. He is blind and also losing his hearing, but has an awesome sense of smell. Cass relies on him for protection and sniffing things out.
• Benjamin - This is a boy that goes to school with Cass and Max-Ernest. Cass believes that he has a special ability with smells, colors, and music, which is why his paintings are all connected to music. When Benjamin is kidnapped by Dr. L. and Ms. Mauvais, Cass tries to figure out why.
• Dr. L. - He is the partner of Ms. Mauvais. Together they run a place called the Midnight Sun Sensorium and Spa.
• Ms. Mauvais - The woman who was interested in the magician’s belongings and the notebook that Cass took. Also referred to as the “Golden Lady” by the magician in his notebook.

High-interest annotation: This book is so cleverly written, and has many twists and turns during the storytelling and is suspenseful. The narration is written skillfully to avoid giving certain details such as addresses or names in order to keep the secret. The story continues……

The Graveyard Book

Gaiman, N. (2008). The graveyard book. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

Plot summary: The setting of this story is in a graveyard, where Nobody Owens, a young boy, is living with ghosts since his family was murdered. The lives of his mother, father, and sister were taken in the middle of the night, and he would have been murdered as well if it wasn’t for the fact that he heard a loud noise, climbed out of his crib, and toddled out of the house down to the graveyard. The ghost of his mother appeared to the folks of the graveyard begging one woman in particular, Mrs. Owens, to take care of and protect her child. There was a great debate amongst the people of the graveyard-some 300 participants argued and spent an entire night discussing whether or not they should allow a live boy to stay and live there. Mr. and Mrs. Owens agree to take care of and raise him and they give him the name of Nobody Owens.

Silas is the only one who can leave the graveyard, so he volunteers to be the guardian of Nobody to ensure that he has food and proper clothing. So “Bod,” as he is known to the spirits in the graveyard, is given the “Freedom of the Graveyard” which means that he can pretty much go anywhere within. As Bod grows older, he is taught to read and to do some of the things that the ghosts can do, such as “fade” and blend in to his surroundings even though he is a live boy. He meets Scarlett, a real girl, whose parents come to sit on a bench and read in the cemetery. He spends some time with her and together they make some interesting discoveries in the cemetery, such as coming face to face with the Indigo Man and hearing the Sleer. Scarlett moves and Bod is once again left to find someone to play with. Silas has to leave so he arranges for Ms. Lupescu to come and take care of Bod. Bod is angry that Silas is leaving and immediately dislikes Ms. Lupescu. Things become more difficult when she feeds him terrible food and makes him learn things about the graveyard that Bod thinks are ridiculous. His boredom leads him to meet some newly arrived members of the graveyard, and he winds up being taken through a ghoul gate by ghouls. Luckily, the things that Ms. Lupescu taught him come in handy and he is able to summon help. Ms. Lupescu saves his life and Bod’s attitude towards her changes significantly.

As Bod grows older, he is allowed to venture a bit from the graveyard and attend school. He must learn to be just a shadow and a whisper to people, and to not draw attention to himself. Bod blossoms into a responsible young man who is quite capable of taking care of himself both inside and outside of the graveyard. The man Jack has not forgotten about him though, and Bod must be ready to face him when the time comes with the support of his family.

Genre: Mystery

Suggested age range: 8 to 12

Subjects/themes: Cemeteries, Ghosts, Supernatural, Orphans.

Awards:

• 2009 Newbery Award
• 2009 Hugo Awards
• 2009 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes (nominated)
• 2008 Locus Awards
• 2009 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature (nominated)
• 2009 Audi Award
• 2009 World Fantasy Awards (nominated)
• 2009 Elizabeth Burr/Worrall Award
• 2009 Book Sense Book of the Year
• 2009 American Library Association Notable Books for Children
• 2010 Carnegie Medal

Reviews:

• Booklist (starred review, September 15, 2008)
• School Library Journal (October 1, 2008)

Character list:

• Nobody Owens “Bod” - He is just a toddler when he wanders out of his house one evening down to the cemetery, escaping the murderer that killed his family. He is an inquisitive young man, who is taken care of by many within the cemetery.
• The man “Jack” - This is the man that has killed Bod’s family. He is frustrated that he didn’t complete the job and returns after many years to finish what he started. Jack feels happiness in murdering Bod’s family.
• Silas - He is the guardian of Bod and is unique to the other spirits within the cemetery since he is able to leave the cemetery and travel all around the world. Silas makes sure that Bod is fed and clothed, and when he has to leave for a time, he makes sure that someone is there to take his place.
• Mr. & Mrs. Owens - They have taken over the care of Bod when Bod’s mother begs them to protect her son. They stand by whatever decisions Silas makes about Bod’s learning & growth.
• Scarlett - She is a young girl who plays in the cemetery as a child. Bod misses her when she’s gone, but then recognizes her years later when she returns with her mother.

High-interest annotation: This book gives the reader a rare glimpse into the community and daily activities of the graveyard, where live people are the outsiders.

The Missing Manatee

DeFelice, C. (2005). The Missing Manatee. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Plot summary: Skeet has just started spring break, but it isn’t going so well. He has just heard some of the worst news of his life when he overheard his mother’s telephone conversation with his father, Mac: "I don't ever want you back here." This is too much for him to handle, so he races to the water and goes out on his skiff. While out sailing, he notices a large lump in the distance. As he gets closer he realizes that it is a manatee, which is a protected species in this area, and it has a bullet hole in its head. Skeet can’t believe what he is seeing. He immediately races back to town and notifies police deputy Earl. When they get back to the spot, the manatee is gone, but they see tracks in the sand that someone has tried to cover up. Earl promises that he will file a report, but says that it is unlikely that anyone will follow up due to the lack of evidence.

That night, while at a karaoke contest, Dirty Dan asks Skeet is asked to go on a tarpon fly fishing trip with him. This is one of Skeet’s biggest dreams, and he is so excited at the opportunity to go. During the fishing trip, Skeet he isn’t doing so well, and after being in the heat all day is starting to feel light headed and thirsty. While looking for a drink, he sees a gun and a bunch of blue rope. Most everyone in town owns a gun, so Skeet isn’t worried and puts it to the back of his mind. Later that day, he catches his first tarpon and is ecstatic.

He doesn’t have anything planned for the rest of spring break, so he decides to try to find the manatee. He takes his skiff up and down the back-country channels without any success, until the third day when he spots the manatee. After looking over the body, he starts getting a bad feeling because he sees that it has the blue rope from Dirty Dan’s boat tied around its neck. Skeet makes the connection between Dirty Dan and the manatee and is devastated; he doesn’t know how he will ever be able to look at Dan again. After discussing the situation with his Memaw, he decides to confront Dirty Dan. After a heated discussion, Skeet finds out that the shooting was an accident and that Blink is the one responsible. Skeet understands because mistakes happen, and he learns that doing the right thing can have different meanings in different situations.

Genre: Mystery

Suggested age range: 9 to 13

Annotation: This book would be great for animal lovers. It is a quick read that combines compassion with mystery.

Subjects/themes: Manatees, Fishing, Divorce, Family.

Awards:

• Edgar Allen Poe Award Nominee
• Florida Sunshine State Young Readers Award Master List
• Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award Master List
• Kansas William Allen White Award Master List
• Maine Student Book Award Master List
• South Carolina Children's Book Award Master List

Reviews:

• Booklist (March 1, 2005)
• School Library Journal (June 1, 2005)
• Voice of Youth Advocates (June 1, 2005)

Character list:

• Russel Waters Jr. (aka Skeet) - A boy of about 12; his parents have recently separated, and he is the first to find the dead manatee.
• Deputy Sheriff Earl Wells - The police officer who goes to the crime scene with Skeet; he is also a good friend of Skeet's father, Mac.
• Memaw - Skeet’s grandmother; she lives with Skeet and his mother.
• Mac - Skeet’s father; he is a fisherman and lives down the road from Skeet due to his recent separation from his wife.
• Dirty Dan - A famous Tarpon fly fisherman; he has had four wives, who have all left him, and he lives with his son Blink.
• Blink - Dirty Dan’s son, who looks like a child but is actually about 30 years old; he has a mental disability and needs someone to take care of him.

Similar books:

• The Homework Machine by Dan Gutman
• The Blue Ghost by Marion Dane Bauer

High-interest annotation: A manatee has been shot, and Skeet is outraged. Manatees are protected in his area and are friendly, loving creatures. He decides to take matters into his own hands since the police have not started an investigation, but when he finds the answers, they aren’t what he expected!

Sammy Keyes and the Dead Giveaway

Van Draanen, W. (2005). Sammy Keyes and the Dead Giveaway. New York, NY: Random House Children's Publisher.

Plot summary: Sammy Keyes' homeroom teacher at William Rose Junior High School, Mrs. Ambler, has just received two beautiful lovebirds as an anniversary present that she lovingly named Tango and Hula. The next day Sammy gets to school early and decides to drop off her backpack and skateboard in homeroom. She notices one of the birds is out of its cage and races to shut the classroom door. As she shuts the door hard because it is hydraulic and really needs a shove to close, she looks up and sees Tango crushed in the doorjamb! Butt-kisser Heather Acosta is heading towards homeroom, so Sammy grabs poor Tango and rushes into the classroom closet and hides. Through a crack in the door she can see Heather take a stack of blue ballots for the coming Class Personality elections in which Heather is listed as a nominee for Friendliest 7th Grader and Most Unique Style, and stuffs them in her backpack. When Mrs. Ambler comes in and sees one of her birds is missing, she accuses Heather of taking him after another student points out that Heather was seen coming and going from the classroom.

When Sammy gets to Mrs. Willawago's house after school to walk Captain Patch while Mrs. Willawago heals from foot surgery, she discovers the old lady upset and talking to another woman. This woman in a blue skirt, who Sammy coins "Blue Butt", turns out to be on the city council and is informing Mrs. Willawago that she is going to lose her house because there are plans to build a recreation center in its place. Actually, all the houses on Hopper Street are going. When Sammy takes Captain Patch for his walk she sees Blue Butt's car conspicuously parked by someone's house, so she goes investigating. She overhears Blue Butt's conversation with Leland Hawking, who she later finds out is a lawyer who is supposedly against the project. Sammy thinks they are in cahoots and is going to get to the bottom of it while also dealing with her guilt and the lies she's had to tell about Mrs. Ambler's bird. There is also Casey, a boy that asked her to the Farewell Dance who happens to be Heather's brother!

Genre: Mystery

Suggested age range: 9 to 12

Subjects/themes: Death, Abuse, Teen romance, Friendship, Secrets.

Reviews:

• Booklist (September 1, 2005)
• School Library Journal (November 1, 2005)

Character list:

• Sammy Keyes - Lives with her Grams illegally in a retirement community while her mother is in Hollywood, accidentally killed her teacher's lovebird, might be "going out" with Casey, really dislikes Heather.
• Mrs. Willawago - Recovering from surgery, religious, may lose her house which Sammy call "The Train House" because it has an old caboose and parlor car attached to it.
• Grams - Sammy's grandmother, worries about Sammy because she's starting to act peculiar around her and her friends.
• Blue Butt AKA Coralee Lyon - Mrs. Willawago's arch enemy from way back, city council woman, may be in cahoots with Leland Hawking.
• Leland Hawking - Lawyer, lives on Hopper Street, kind of disheveled looking, may not have good intentions.
• Mr. & Mrs. Stone- Live next door to Mrs. Willawago, Mr. Stone keeps to himself, Mrs. Stone denies he beats her but Mrs. Willawago knows better.
• Heather Acosta - Wants to win Friendliest 7th Grader and Most Unique Style, has been a thorn in Sammy's side all year.
• Marissa McKenze - Sammy's best friend, wants Sammy to go out with Casey, notices there is something going on with Sammy.
• Casey Acosta - Likes Sammy, wants to go to the Farewell Dance with her and thinks 8th grade girls are stuck up.

Series information:

• Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief
• Sammy Keyes and the Skeleton Man
• Sammy Keyes and the Runaway Elf
• Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy
• Sammy Keyes and the Search for Snake Eyes
• Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception
• Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen
• Sammy Keyes and the Curse of Moustache Mary
• Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy

High-interest annotation: Something fishy is going on with the plans to build a new recreation center on Hopper Street and Sammy Keyes is going to find out before people lose their homes!

The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour

Beil, M. (2009). The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour. New York, NY: Random House Children's Publishing.

Plot summary: The story begins with Sophie St. Pierre staring out the window of Mr. Eliot's English class and suddenly screaming loudly because she just saw the face of an old lady in the window of the church. After class Sophie decides to go check out the church that is part of the campus of her all girl school, St. Veronica's, with her two best friends Margaret Wrobel and Rebecca Chen. They have to get past the old security guard who is hard of hearing and reading Cosmopolitan, so Margaret tells him loudly that they are students from St. Veronica's, they'd like to take pictures of the church and shows him the school crest on her red blazer. That does the trick, they just can't use the camera flash. They start snooping around and run into the church deacon, Gordon Winterbottom, with whom they pretend they are admiring a painting. Finally they pick the lock of a room and find a cat Teazle, and the old lady who turns out to be Elizabeth Harriman, who lives next to the church and was looking for Teazle. She invites the girls to visit after school.

When the girls go to visit Ms. Harriman they learn about her father, a famous archaeologist who taught at Colombia for 40 years. She married a young colleague of her father's, Malcolm Chance and they had a daughter, Caroline. Caroline went off to college and began traveling with her father, Elizabeth and Malcolm divorced, Caroline went on to graduate school and married one of her father's proteges, notifying her mother by postcard and Elizabeth cut off contact with her. So Elizabeth has asked the girls for their help finding something for her. She found a birthday card from her father to Caroline on her 14th birthday, which he never got to give her because he died right before. Inside was a message to Caroline telling her that due to their mutual love of mysteries, riddles and puzzles he has created an elaborate puzzle for her to solve and at the end she will find the rare and precious birthday gift he has hidden. Sophie, Margaret, and Rebecca have a 20 year old puzzle to solve that will involve some serious literature references and math equations.

Genre: Mystery

Suggested age range: 9 to 12

Subjects/themes: Friendship, Romance, Puzzles, Literature, Math.

Awards:

• 2010 Edgar Award (nominated)

Reviews:

• Booklist (starred review, January 1, 2009)
• School Library Journal (June 1, 2009)

Character list:

• Sophie St. Pierre - Has a major crush on her friend Raf, she speaks French, her father is a French chef and she is very emotional, hence the uncontrolled scream in English class.
• Margaret Wrobel - She is one of the smartest in her class, has a slight Polish accent because she came to the U.S. from Poland when she was little and she wants to read through all 70 volumes of the Harvard Classics.
• Rebecca Chen - She is a talented artist, has to babysit her brother and sister because her mother just lost her job and might have to leave St. Veronica's because of the high tuition if her mother doesn't find a job soon.
• Mr. Eliot - Huge Charles Dickens fan, teaches English, throws a Dickens banquet every year and this year Sophie, Margaret, Rebecca and Leigh Ann are performing a skit. He helps the girls solve some of the riddles thanks to his knowledge of literature.
• Leigh Ann Jaimes - She is new to St. Veronica's, is friends with the girls but Sophie doesn't know if she likes her because she is pretty and she might like Raf.
• Malcolm Chance - Ex-husband of Elizabeth and interested in the puzzle the girls are trying to solve, but we don't know if he can be trusted.
• Rafael "Raf" Arocho - Does he like Leigh Ann or Sophie? He is friends with the girls and helps them with the puzzle.
• Gordon Winterbottom - Church Deacon, smells of cigarettes, knows a lot about the church like what items are valuable.

High-interest annotation: Go on a hunting expedition with the Red Blazer Girls on their very first investigation! They will be solving puzzles, riddles and math equations while searching for the extremely valuable Ring of Rocamadour.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Konigsburg, E.L. (1967). From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. New York, NY: Scholastic Books

Plot summary: Claudia Kincaid is unhappy at home. She is tired of all of the responsibilities that are thrust upon her as the oldest child in a large family. Claudia has her mind set on running away—and not just anywhere—she wants to leave her family in Connecticut and run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Claudia carefully plans which of her brothers she is going to ask to accompany her on her journey. She decides on Jamie, since he is very cost conscious and saves all of his money. They plan to stuff whatever clothes that they can into their instrument cases-Claudia plays the violin and Jamie the trumpet. Claudia and Jamie very carefully plan their trip and arrive at the museum as planned. Once there, they learn the schedule of the guards and the opening and closing routines of the museum. When it’s close to closing time, they creep into the nearest bathroom and perch on the toilet so that they will not be discovered. During the day, they blend in with classes that are there on field trips and venture outside of the museum to local places to eat. Claudia and Jamie very carefully budget their money so that they can afford meals and have the opportunity to wash their clothes at a laundromat. At Claudia’s insistence, they bathe in the fountain within the museum. Jamie is in charge of the money, and Claudia is in charge of their learning and personal care.

When crowds start appearing at the museum to get a glimpse of a newly arrived statue, Claudia and Jamie become curious and wonder what is so interesting. They find out that there is a question as to whether or not the “Angel” statue is a piece of art created by Michelangelo. They decide to try to do some detective work on their own, but are unable to find out anything significant, except for information about the person who donated the statue—a Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler of Farmington, Connecticut. Once their adventure at the museum seems to come to a standstill, they decide that they need to visit Mrs. Frankweiler to find out more about the statue. What they find is that Mrs. Frankweiler herself is something of a mystery, but that she welcomes the children’s curiosity and determination to find out the truth surrounding the statue.

Genre: Mystery/Detective Stories

Suggested age range: 9 to 12

Annotation: Although I am certainly dating myself, this is one of my favorite childhood books. Re-reading it was a pleasure and it is a wonderful story filled with mystery and adventure.

Subjects/themes: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Runaways, NYC, Michelangelo.

Awards:

• 1968 Newbery Award
• 1970 William Allen White Children's Book Award
• 1987 Flicker Tale Children's Book Award (nominated)

Reviews:

• Booklist (May 1, 1989)
• Publishers Weekly (November 11, 2002)

Character list:

• Claudia Kincaid - Oldest daughter in a large family filled with boys. Claudia is tired of being responsible and decides that she needs to run away from her home. She can’t help but correct her brother’s poor use of the English language.
• Jamie Kincaid - He cheats at cards to win money from his friend and has a large amount of money saved. This is what motivates Claudia to ask him to run away with her.
• Mrs. Frankweiler - She is a rather rich widow who decides to leave important paperwork regarding the “Angel” statue to Claudia and Jamie in her will.

Angel's Gate

Crew, G. (1993). Angel’s gate. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Plot summary: Sixth-grader Kimmy Marriott does not expect much excitement in his small town of Jericho, Australia. His days are filled with school, his artwork, and encounters with his older sister, Julia, and her boyfriend, Bobby O’Meara; his nights are often spent in Julia’s room as a result of the nightmares that plague him. Kimmy’s fear only increases when some dam workers find the body of Patrick Flannagan, a gold miner, and his two “wild” children go missing. Kimmy lives in terror of the children, a fear that is only heightened by the stories that the alternately loving and callous Julia tells him, until one of them is brought to stay with his family. As he gets to know Leena, and is charged with keeping her residence a secret, he stops fearing the children themselves and starts worrying about a potential reappearance of their father’s murderer. Now Kimmy wants Leena’s brother, Micky, to be found before anything happens to him, but with much of the town looking for Micky—mostly to benefit themselves—Kimmy is not at all sure that the boy will stay safe. Finally, when Kimmy goes on a New Year’s camping trip with Bobby, they find Micky and bring him back to the Marriott’s house to stay. But Patrick Flannagan’s killer is still on the loose, and Kimmy must dig deep to find the courage to face him when he appears on one viciously stormy evening, when only Kimmy and the two children are in the house. Kimmy exerts a bravery he never knew he had, and the murderer is caught while the children remain safe; Leena and Micky are taken care of, and Kimmy stops having his nightmares.

Genre: Mystery

Suggested age range: 12 and up

Annotation: Gary Crew, an Australian writer living in Queensland, has crafted an exceptional, character-driven mystery in his Angel’s Gate. Written in Kimmy’s voice, the novel has all the elements of a good whodunit, but Crew adds another layer with his complex and realistic characters. Sensitive, creative Kimmy demonstrates many tween characteristics, including simultaneous desires to be adult and to be cared for, and brazen, sassy Julia is both the best and the worst of older siblings. Crew smashes through “wild child” stereotypes in his depiction of two children who, while largely uneducated, are devoted to one another and exhibit few of the violent tendencies so often ascribed to that group. Due to the text’s adult themes and occasional instances of profanity, this book is not appropriate for younger tweens; in addition, some readers may need explanation of the cultural/geographical differences made apparent in the text. Kimmy has his summer in December and January, some characters are referred to as “aborigines,” and there are idiomatic words and phrases scattered throughout, all of which provide an excellent opportunity for introduction into Australian culture if readers are given the chance to discuss them.

Subjects/themes: Mystery, Murder/crime, Wild children, Family, Relationships, Secrets.

Awards:

• 1994 Australian Children’s Book of the Year Award (Won)
• 1996 Edgar Awards (Edgar Allan Poe Awards) (Nominated)

Reviews:

• Booklist (October 1, 1995)
• Kirkus Reviews (August 15, 1995)
• School Library Journal (October 1, 1995)
• Voice of Youth Advocates (April 1, 1996)

Character list:

• Kimmy Marriott – A sixth-grade Australian boy; he is artistic, gets scared easily, and is very interested in the wild children.
• Julia Marriott – Kimmy’s 15-year-old sister; she is soon to be sent off to boarding school, dates Bobby O’Meara, and alternately cares for and frightens Kimmy.
• Doctor and Nurse Marriott – Kimmy’s parents; they run a medical office in their home, and the wild children are left in their care.
• Leena and Micky Flannagan – Two young teenage wild children; they are found after their father’s death and placed in the care of the Marriotts.
• Patrick Flannagan – Leena and Micky’s father; he is murdered.
• Bobby O’Meara – A 17-year-old farm boy; he dates Julia and is kind to Kimmy.
• Ben Cullen – A young constable who abuses his power.
• Pa Cossey – An older man who does yard work for the Marriotts.

High-interest annotation: Kimmy Marriott’s life takes an unexpected turn when his family takes charge of a recently found “wild child”; he has to overcome his fear in order to connect with the girl, help find her brother, and discover who murdered her father—all before the murderer discovers where she is and comes after her and the family protecting her.

The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy-Tale Detectives

Buckley, Michael (2005). The Sisters Grimm, book one: Fairy-Tale Detectives. New York, NY: Amulet Books.

Plot summary: Twelve year old Sabrina Grimm and her seven year old sister, Daphne, are shuffled from one foster home to another in New York City since their parents have gone missing. The police have found no leads and it seems as if they have just vanished into thin air. The girls have been sent to one awful foster home after another by their caseworker Ms. Smirt. Ms. Smirt seems to despise children and just loves to pinch the girls. Finally, a grandmother they never knew and that they thought was dead takes responsibility for the girls and brings them to live with her in the town of Ferry Landing, NY. Sabrina is suspicious at first and doesn’t believe that this woman is truly their grandmother. It just doesn’t make sense. Mrs. Grimm’s house is odd and she serves food that is weird. Why would her father tell them his mother was dead? What reasons would he have from keeping them away from their grandmother, if that is who she is? Sabrina decides that she and Daphne are going to run away from this place, just as they ran away from the foster homes.

Their plan to run away doesn’t exactly go as planned and the girls find themselves back in their “Granny’s” house. There are so many odd things going on there-locked rooms, strange voices behind closed doors, and the fact that her so-called grandmother talked to the house. When their first outing turns out to be a visit to a crime scene, they realize that there is something unusual about their granny. Sabrina and Daphne learn that Ferryport Landing is the home of the “Everafters”-which is what the fairy-tale creatures call themselves. Years earlier, when regular people started moving into Ferry port Landing, the Everafters felt threatened and problems arose. In order to keep peace, a very powerful witch put a spell on the town preventing the Everafters from ever leaving, and the spell would remain in place for as long as there is a living descendant of the Grimm brothers.

It is then that Sabrina and Daphne find out that they are the direct descendants of the Brothers Grimm and that they come from a long line of fairy tale detectives. They are expected to continue this tradition, and this investigation is only the beginning of Sabrina and Daphne's journey into the world of fairy tales. When their Granny Relda is taken by a giant, it is up to the girls to save her.

Genre: Mystery

Suggested age range: 8 to 12Annotation: This is the first in an excellent mystery series by this author. Fairy tale fans will love exploring this series with all of its interesting characters rewritten into modern roles.

Subjects/themes: Fairy tale characters, Magic, Orphans, Brothers Grimm.

Awards:

• 2007 Beehive Children's Fictional Book Award (nominated)
• 2008 Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Book Award (nominated)
• 2009 Grand Canyon Reader Award (nominated)

Reviews:

• Booklist (November 15, 2005)
• Horn Book Guide
• Library Media Connection
• School Library Journal (January 1, 2006)
• Voice of Youth Advocates (December 1, 2005)

Character list:

• Sabrina - Since she is the older sister, Sabrina feels that she must protect Daphne. Sabrina is determined to run away from their grandmother’s house and is angry about her parents’ disappearance.
• Daphne - She looks up to her older sister and wants to please her, yet Daphne can’t help but welcome the love and kindness that Relda Grimm is showing them.
• Henry and Veronica Grimm - These are the missing parents of Sabrina and Daphne. They simply never came home one day. The police investigation didn’t turn up much and eventually the police hit a dead end.
• Ms. Smirt - She is the miserable caseworker that sends the girls to various foster homes where they are treated badly and are unhappy.
• Relda Grimm - She is the grandmother of Sabrina and Daphne. She is also known as Granny Relda to her granddaughters.
• Mr. Canis - He is the mysterious butler and driver to Relda Grimm. Mr. Canis locks himself in his room each night. Sabrina and Daphne hear strange growling and grunting noises coming from his room and aren’t sure what is going on.
• Mirror - He is the man who lives within the magic mirror from the Snow White story. His mirror contains many locked rooms and hallways that contain magical items that belong to Relda Grimm. It would take days to walk through all of the hallways. Mirror is the keeper of these items and he must grant you permission to enter the mirror.
• Prince Charming - He is the Mayor of Ferryport Landing and is not popular with the residents of the town. He is dating Snow White.
• Puck - This mischievous tween moves in to Granny Relda’s house when Relda is captured by the giant. He likes to play pranks (especially on Sabrina). Puck is very difficult and obnoxious.
• Mr. Seven - He is one of the seven dwarfs, specifically number seven. He is a butler and driver to Prince Charming.

Series information: To date, there are eight books in all:

• Book Two: The Unusual Suspects (2006)
• Book Three: The Problem Child (2006)
• Book Four: Once Upon a Crime (2007)
• Book Five: Magic and Other Misdemeanors (2007)
• Book Six: Tales from the Hood (2008)
• Book Seven: The Eve rafter War (2009)
• Book Eight: The Inside Story (2010)

When You Reach Me

Stead, Rebecca (2009). When You Reach Me. New York, NY: Wendy Lamb Books.

Plot summary: Miranda and Sal are best friends. Growing up in 1970’s New York City together, these 6^th graders know which route to take home from school, when to cross the street to avoid groups, and know to walk around the block one more time instead of entering their apartment building if they see a stranger lurking around out front. They even stick together to elude the crazy man that hangs around in front of their building since he sometimes shouts things out to them. Until that day—the day that Sal is suddenly punched in the stomach by one of the boys in front of the garage for no apparent reason. Sal stops talking to Miranda, starts avoiding her and quickly ducks away whenever he sees her. What’s going on? For as long as she can remember, it has always been Miranda and Sal—for sleepovers, homework time, and back and forth to school. Miranda is not sure what she has done wrong to make Sal not want to be her friend anymore. Miranda starts hanging around with Annemarie and Colin, not understanding why Sal won’t even look at her.

During the story, Miranda often refers to her favorite book that she is reading for perhaps the hundredth time, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. She often describes parts of the book as well as the characters. Miranda admits that she identifies with Meg, the girl in the story, who is looking for her father probably because Miranda herself doesn’t know her father.

Miranda comes home from school one day and finds their apartment door unlocked. She becomes very nervous when she and her mom realize their spare key is missing. A couple of days later, a mysterious slip of paper shows up in Miranda’s apartment—a letter that reads “I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own. . . you must write me a letter.” Miranda receives several other letters and wonders who could be sending these messages? And how does the letter writer know everything that goes on? When Richard’s shoes also go missing, Miranda really doesn’t understand what is happening and isn’t sure if she can trust the letter writer.

Combine the mysterious letters, the crazy man on the corner, and Sal’s odd behavior, and there is quite a mystery to unravel.

Genre: Mystery

Suggested age range: 10 to 14
Annotation: Fans of A Wrinkle in Time and other books in The Time Quartet Series will really enjoy this story. The stories have a connection that is intriguing.

Subjects/themes: Time travel, Friendship, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle.

Awards:

• 2009 Newbery Award
• 2010 IRA Children's Book Awards
• 2010 Book Sense Book of the Year
• 2010 Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Book Award (nominated)
• 2010 Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards
• 2010 Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (nominated)

Reviews:
Booklist (starred review, June 1, 2009)
School Library Journal (July 1, 2009)

Character list:

• Miranda - This twelve year old girl lives in New York City. She lives with her mom and doesn’t know her father.
• Sal - In the beginning of the story, he is Miranda’s best friend who also lives in her building. One day as they are walking home from school, a boy named Marcus punches Sal in the stomach for no reason. Sal stays away from Miranda after this incident, even though she tries many times to talk to him.
• Miranda’s mom - She is a paralegal secretary who spends most of her free time practicing for her upcoming stint on The 20,000 Pyramid. Her daughter and boyfriend take turns quizzing her on categories, such as “types of flowers,” and “things you recite.”
• Richard - He is Miranda’s mother’s boyfriend who spends a lot of time with Miranda and her mom. He regularly joins them for dinner and stays to help quiz Miranda’s mom for the game show.
• Annemarie - She and Miranda are in class together. Annemarie usually hangs out with Julia, but since their disagreement and the incident with Sal, the two girls wind up spending a lot of time together.
• Jimmy - He owns the sandwich shop near the school where Colin, Miranda and Annemarie help out during their lunch period.
• Colin - He is a boy in Miranda’s class who likes her.
• Marcus - He is the older boy that punched Sal. Miranda befriends him and tries to find out why he has a problem with Sal. They also have a long discussion about time travel and Miranda find out that he’s not such a bad kid.

Into the Dark: An Echo Falls Mystery

Abrahams, P. (2008). Into the Dark: An Echo Falls Mystery. New York: Laura Geringer Books.

Plot Description: Ingrid has a close relationship with her Grampy, but he isn't as friendly and open with others and tends to come across as brash and moody. One day while Ingrid and her friend Joey are snowshoeing, they find a dead body in Grampy's backyard. The body is that of Harris Thatcher, an employee of the Department of Conservation, who has an uncanny resemblance to Grampy. Unfortunately, a few weeks earlier Grampy had had a disagreement with Mr. Harris and had threatened him with a gun, which leads to Grampy being the prime suspect and ultimately arrested. Ingrid knows that he is innocent. It is up to her to use the skills she has learned from her idol, Sherlock Holmes, to solve the crime and save Grampy from prison.

Her first clue comes when she finds a parking ticket in Grampy's shirt. It indicates that he was at Mercy Hospital in New York City for a four-day period that coincides with the murder. She isn't sure what to do with this information yet, but she knows it will come in useful. Then Ingrid's world starts falling apart when she finds out that her dad has been having an affair, her best friend is moving away, and her Grampy is going to take a plea bargain and admit he is guilty. Ingrid decides to go to New York to try to find more evidence. While there, she finds Grampy's hospital file, which gives him an alibi for the time of the murder. This is great news, but the file also indicates that he has terminal cancer. Ingrid is torn about what to do. Part of her wants to tell the police about her new evidence, but the other part doesn’t want to betray Grampy and violate his privacy.

After returning from New York, Ingrid finds out more bad news: Her dog, Nigel, is missing. After spending hours looking for him, she collects enough clues to realize that he has been taken by the private investigator Dieter. Dieter's mother has a connection to Cyrus, a fellow war veteran of Grampy’s, and Ingrid knows that she needs to check him out. Unsure what to do next, she decides to check out the cottage where Cyrus is living, where she finds Nigel in the basement, tied up and muzzled, along with the murder weapon: a Springfield sniper gun. Before she can get out, Cyrus returns and is very upset. Ingrid is able to briefly escape, but he catches up and chases her through the woods and down to the river. Just as he is about to run her over, the ice cracks and he falls through. The police are able to review the new evidence indicting Cyrus, and Grampy is cleared. He is able to move back to his farm, and he and Ingrid remain close.

Genre: Mystery

Suggested age range: 9 to 13

Annotation: This book highlights the relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter. It shows how strong this relationship came be and how far a person is willing to go for another.

Subject/themes: World War II, Family, Murder.

Awards:

• Edgar Award (nominated)
• Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award Master List (VT)

Reviews:

• Booklist (May 1, 2008)
• School Library Journal (March 1, 2008)
• Voice of Youth Advocates (December 1, 2007)

Character list:

• Ingrid - A 13-year-old girl; her idol is Sherlock Holmes, and she tries to follow his advice in solving the mystery.
• Alymer Hill (Grampy) - Ingrid's grandfather; he is a World War II veteran and won the Medal of Honor.
• Joey - One of Ingrid's good friends; his father is the chief of police.
• Rex Tulkinghorn - Grampy's lawyer.
• Cyrus Ferrand - A World War II veteran who fought with Grampy.
• Dieter - A private investigator; his mother is the maid for Cyrus Ferrand, he kidnaps Nigel.

Series information: Down the Rabbit Hole and Behind the Curtain are the first two books in the Echo Falls series.

High-interest annotation: Data, data data. If only Ingrid could collect and understand all the clues like Sherlock Holmes. It is up to her to save her Grampy from prison, but first she must find out who the real killer is.

Gilda Joyce: Psychic Investigator

Allison, J. (2005). Gilda Joyce: Psychic Investigator. New York, NY: The Penguin Group.

Plot summary: Gilda Joyce is working on her career of being a Psychic Investigator, spying on neighbors, dressing in disguises and reading The Master Psychic's Handbook: A Guide to Psychic Principles and Methods. Her best friend Wendy Choy is off to music camp and Gilda doesn't want to sit home all summer in boring old Michigan, so she gets herself invited to her long lost relative Lester's mansion in San Francisco. The mansion is the sight where Lester's sister, Melanie, committed suicide by jumping from the tower window 10 years ago. Lester's gloomy daughter, Juliet, saw the ghost of her dead Aunt Melanie and was so shocked she fainted, fell and hurt her ankle.

When Gilda gets to San Francisco she meets the house keeper, Rosa, who tells Gilda she sees ghosts roaming around the mansion. Gilda is ready to investigate! She meets Juliet, who isn't the nicest or most inviting person and Lester is consumed by his work and a bit peculiar. Sleeping in the room right next to the tower, Gilda hears footsteps in there and proceeds to get ready to investigate when she loudly knocks over a lamp. Lester comes to see what happened and Gilda says she heard noises coming from the tower, and Lester firmly tells her no one is allowed in there, ever. This sets Gilda in motion and she plans to find out what is in there no matter what! Juliet tells Gilda she has heard and seen ghosts, so the two go on to put together the puzzle that surrounds Melanie's death.

Genre: Mystery

Suggested age range: 10 to 13

Subjects/themes: Ghosts, Suicide, Loss of parent, Humor.

Awards:

• 2005 School Library Journal Best Books of the Year

Reviews:

• Booklist (starred review)
• School Library Journal (starred review)

Character list:

• Gilda Joyce - After her father passed away from cancer two years ago she has been fascinated with the afterlife. She is blunt and to the point, enjoys typing on the old typewriter that her father gave her, writing stories and keeping a progress report of events in her life such as writing a novel and surveillance of a man she calls Plaid Pants.
• Juliet Splinter - She is an unhappy loner who had thoughts of suicide right before falling and hurting her ankle when seeing her dead Aunt Melanie. She doesn't like school or have any friends, and quits or gives up on any after school activities. She is the opposite of her sunny, optimistic mother who lives in warm San Diego.
• Lester Splinter - He is an accountant who is ridden with guilt about the death of his sister, who he feels he should have been able to save. He locks up the tower and never speaks of her as much as possible.

Series information:

• Gilda Joyce: The Dead Drop
• Gilda Joyce: The Ghost Sonata
• Gilda Joyce: The Ladies of the Lake

High-interest annotation: Join Gilda Joyce in her first case ever as she travels to San Francisco to investigate a haunted mansion belonging to a long lost relative!

The Mysterious Case of the Allbright Academy

Stanley, D. (2008). The Mysterious Case of the Allbright Academy. New York: HarperCollins

Plot summary: Allbright Academy is an elite private boarding school founded by two Nobel Prize-winning scientists. It is a very prestigious school, and Frannie jumps at the chance to attend. The school and landscape are beautiful and so are all the students. Frannie, who normally has trouble making friends, immediately makes a bond with two other new students, Cal and Brooklyn. Everything at the school seems perfect: the classes, the teachers, and even the required physical activity. The best part is that brownies are given at each meal, and students are actually encouraged to eat them. Frannie can’t believe her luck! Everything seems too good to be true. She and her classmates have developed a new sense of confidence, and it doesn’t hurt that their appearances are also improving, due to the help of their personal development counselor. How could things get any better?

As the school year proceeds, things continue to go well until one day, while on their daily hike, Cal slumps over in pain. Unable to walk any further, Frannie, Prescott, and Brooklyn carry her back down the trail. She is immediately taken to the hospital to remove her burst appendix. Due to her surgery, Cal no longer has an appetite and stops eating her daily brownies. That is when she starts to notice changes. She shares her suspicions with the group, and the investigation begins.

Frannie, Cal, Brooklyn, and Prescott embark on a journey to find out what is in the brownies. Once they determine that the brownies contain three chemicals, the group is put to the test trying to find a way to stop the students from ingesting them and to collect enough evidence to incriminate Dr. Gallow and Dr. Bodempfedder. With the help of Beamer and Ms. Lollyheart, they are able to put together a presentation and have it played during the quarterly board meeting. The school is shut down, and Dr. Gallow and Dr. Bodempfedder are sent to jail.

Genre: Mystery

Suggested age range: 9 to 12

Annotation: This is a must read for any child that goes to a boarding school. It is full of mystery and adventure that is sure to catch the reader's attention.

Subject/themes: Friendship, Adventure, Boarding School.

Reviews:

• Booklist (November 15, 2007)
• Publishers Weekly (January 7, 2008)
• School Library Journal (March 1, 2008)

Character list:

• Frannie - Older sister to twins J.D. and Zoe, who is accepted at Allbright Academy because the school wants Zoe to attend; she does not believe that she has any special talent, although she was one of two people in the history of the school to build a robot during orientation.
• Calpurnia (aka Cal) - A student at Allbright and the linguist of the group; her father is in the Foreign Service and travels the world, so she knows how to speak many languages and lives at Allbright year round.
• Brooklyn - Another student at Allbright; he is a poet and has written a book that is about to be published.
• Prescott - Another student that started Allbright with Frannie, Cal, and Brooklyn and the scientist of the group; he likes to keep to himself and is socially awkward.
• Beamer - Frannie's best friend from home; he is a film student and helps put together the presentation that is instrumental in incriminating Dr. Bodempfedder and Dr. Gallow.
• Evelyn Lollyheart - The assistant to the headmistress; she is also a mother figure for the students and lives in one of the dorms.
• Dr. Katrina Bodempfedder - The headmistress of Allbright Academy.
• Dr. Gallow - A Nobel Prize-winning chemist who founded Allbright Academy with Dr. Planck; he is responsible for developing the brownie mix.

Similar books:

• The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester
• The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

High-interest annotation: Brownies are considered a delicious treat that everyone enjoys--but not the ones they serve at Allbright Academy. Frannie, Cal, Brooklyn, and Prescott must find a way to stop Dr. Bodempfedder and Dr. Gallow before it is too late and more students are brainwashed.

Close to a Killer

Qualey, M. (1999). Close to a killer. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.

Plot summary: Seventeen-year-old Barrie Dupre is not happy to be living with her mother again, especially in Dakota City proper rather than the lovely suburbs, but when her father and stepmother move to Paris for a year, she has no choice. Now Barrie is stuck living with Daria, the ex-convict who spent seven years in prison for accidentally killing a man with a car bomb, and working in Daria’s salon, Killer Looks. With no friends other than her mother’s ex-con employees, Barrie spends the majority of her time writing in coffee shops and hanging out at An Open Book, a used bookstore run by the friendly Eric and Willa. When two people connected with Killer Looks are murdered, Barrie at first believes that it is a coincidence. But as a third murder takes place and Barrie and Daria’s home is ransacked, the police—and Barrie—begin to suspect that the murders have something to do with the salon. Now Barrie does not know who to trust or where to turn, as her sense of security gradually crumbles when the intruder re-appears, her mother’s salon is set on fire, and a suspicious clerk at An Open Book is attacked and left to be run over by a train. As Barrie tries to gather clues and work with the police, she also has to find a way to reconnect with her mother, who needs her more than ever. Things finally come to a head during one of Barrie’s visits to An Open Book, when she realizes that kindly old Eric is the murderer—and he tries to frame her for his own suicide. Although the police believe her story, Barrie is left to deal with the residual guilt and terror of her experiences.

Genre: Mystery

Suggested age range: 13 and up

Annotation: Marcia Qualey has written a very engaging whodunit in Close to a Killer, crafting the plot and her characters so carefully that readers will be just as unsure as Barrie about the identity of the killer and will not want to put the book down until they have figured it out. Barrie’s sarcasm and the dry humor of many of the characters help to temper the intensity of the story; Close to a Killer is a very adult mystery, in terms of both its themes and its chilling end. It deals with such mature issues as murder, prison, rape, drug abuse, runaways, guilt, and regret, and while the ending does resolve the mystery, it does not offer a total return to happiness and normalcy for Barrie—realistic, but not appropriate for younger tweens. Readers will appreciate the entertaining subplots and bits of life wisdom dispersed by adults throughout the story, which also serve as distractions that hide the identity of the killer until the tail end of the novel. Qualey’s readers might also benefit from having a chance to discuss the novel after completing it, giving them the opportunity to further explore some of its heavily affective themes.

Subjects/themes: Mystery, Murder/crime, Prison, Guilt, Regret, Family, Urban life.

Awards:

• 2002 Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominated)

Reviews:

• Booklist (February 1, 1999)
• Kirkus Reviews (December 1, 1998)
• School Library Journal (March 1, 1999)

Character list:

• Barrie Dupre – A 17-year-old girl living with her ex-convict mother; she works in her mother’s salon, frequents An Open Book (a used book shop), and enjoys writing death-related stories based on old photographs.
• Daria – Barrie’s mother and owner of the Killer Looks salon; she was in prison for seven years for setting off a car bomb at a protest, killing a man.
• Crystal, Cyndy, and TaNeece – Three other ex-convicts who are friends with Daria; they all work at Killer Looks.
• Dean – A 20-something friend of Barrie’s; he is a clerk at An Open Book and also works at a local shelter for runaways.
• Wylie – An 18-year-old former drug addict; he is a clerk at An Open Book and is also connected with the shelter.
• Willa and Eric – An old married couple; they own An Open Book, and Eric takes frequent book-hunting trips.
• Pastor Nan – A minister who runs the runaway shelter.
• Lieutenant Henley – A kind police officer assigned to the murder cases.

High-interest annotation: Barrie finds herself tangled in a deepening mystery when two people she knows are killed and her house is ransacked; she has to help the police discover who has been murdering people and tormenting her and her ex-convict mother before things get even worse.