Gardner, Scot. The Dead I Know.

Gardner, Scot.  The Dead I Know.    Houghton Mifflin  2015 201p $17.99  ISBN 978-0-544-23274-7  hs  Realistic fiction  VG-BN

Aaron’s home life is so out-of-control that his apprenticeship at a local funeral parlor makes the day-to-day activities of the funeral parlor resemble normalcy to him.  Much of Aaron’s life is upside down.  Aaron, a loner by choice, and his new mentor John, the funeral director, achieve a father-son relationship.  At home, Aaron is the caretaker for Mam, an increasingly unstable woman who suffers from dementia and mental illness.  Their flimsy trailer is located in a seedy part of town, and the ruffians who live nearby torment Mam and Aaron.  Aaron has vivid nightmares that seem more like memories, and he sleepwalks.  He worries that he may be caught in the same chaotic downward spiral that grips Mam.  The Barton family becomes his lifeline to reality and a safe haven as Aaron attempts to cope with situations that adults would find daunting.  

Despite its grim themes (death, mental illness, coping, bullying, family problems), The Dead I Know ends on a hopeful note.  Gardner’s spare prose is straightforward and compelling.  The characters in this darkly humorous novel are believable and authentic.  The plot may be a bit too convoluted for some readers’ tastes, but the emotional impact will linger with the reader.

Summary: Aaron’s out-of-control home life makes apprenticeship at a funeral home seem normal.        

Mental illness-Fiction, Families-Fiction              --Hilary Welliver

Jinks, Catherine. A Plague of Bogles.

Jinks, Catherine.  A Plague of Bogles.  Houghton Mifflin  2015  330p  $16.99  ISBN 978-0-544-08747-7  ms  Historical  VG-BN     

Deep underground in Victorian London’s sewers and depths lie the monsters, the evil child-eating bogles of your worst imaginings.  It will be up to some unsung heroes to protect the innocent.   A Plague of Bogles resumes the tale of Jem Barbary, a former pickpocket who has rejoined forces with Alfred Bunce, newly retired bogle killer, and Birdie McAdam, his former apprentice.  When the area around Newgate Prison is suddenly beset with a plague of missing children, Bunce reluctantly returns to action and Jem is recruited to be his newest apprentice.  He will be replacing Birdie, now an aspiring singer living with wealthy Miss Eames.  When the first bogle is dispatched, word goes out across the area, and Bunce receives many calls for his skills.  Upset by the fact that there is such a high concentration of monsters in a small area, the group must work together to solve the mysterious disappearances of the children. 

Second in a trilogy, this lively and exciting novel will be a hit.  It is engaging and suspenseful, with excellent characterizations and a well-paced plot.  Jem’s first-person narrative is well blended with historical descriptions.  The grand adventure moves along quickly, with just enough blood and gore, and it will hold the reader’s attention from beginning to end, leaving them waiting impatiently for the last book in the series.  The book also includes a glossary of English slang at the end.

Summary: A Plague of Bogles resumes the tale of Jem Barbary, a former pickpocket who has rejoined forces with Alfred Bunce, newly retired bogle killer, and Birdie McAdam, his former apprentice.  When the area around Newgate Prison is suddenly beset with a plague of missing children, Bunce reluctantly returns to action and Jem is recruited to be his newest apprentice to help with the elimination of the bogles.       

Monsters-Fiction                                            --Susan Ogintz

Schreiber, Joe. Con Academy.

Schreiber, Joe.  Con Academy.  Houghton Mifflin  2015  236p.  $17.99  ISBN 978-0-544-32020-8  hs  Conflict  E-BN       

When Shea, a con artist, enters a private school, he quickly finds out that his back story may unravel when a fellow con artist student threatens to out him.  He strikes a deal with the other boy to bring down the most powerful, often hated boy on campus.  The agreement is that the winner will get to stay at the prestigious Connaughton Academy, and the loser will be outed and have to leave campus.  Plenty of plot twists and turns interspersed with humor make this a book to remember, as well as its sheer number of cons within cons.  Shea even finds out that some people on campus are not the wealthy, do-gooders they seem to be, including the headmaster.   From the author of Au Revoir Crazy European Chick and its sequel, this novel keeps the reader’s attention while making the teen characters believable in their audacious behavior and their intentions to take down the big man on campus.  While this may seem like a beach read, it will appeal to both male and female readers who like an action-packed adventure. Serious questions are presented about the faces students put on while navigating their teen years. 

Summary: A con artist, Shea, cons his way into a private school.  There he meets a fellow con artist with whom he competes to see who will be the first to con the most powerful student on campus.  Lots of plot surprises, with enough humor along the way to make this memorable. Grades 8+      

School stories, Humor-Fiction                               --Lois McNicol

Shane.

Schaefer, Jack.  Shane.  Houghton Mifflin  1949  168p  $8.99      ISBN 978-0-544-23947-0  hs/adult  Historical fiction  E-BN           

Shane, Jack Schaefer’s classic tale of the lone gunman who rides into town and becomes the friend and guardian to the Starrett family at a time when homesteaders and cattle rangers battled for territory, has been reissued with illustrations by Wendell Minor.  The captivating images combined with an introduction by the author will introduce a new generation of readers to this timeless story of bravery and integrity on the Western frontier.

Told from the viewpoint of young Bob Starrett, Shane describes how the Starrett family’s life is forever changed when a mysterious gunman named Shane rides into their lives.  Although he only intended to stay the night, Bob’s father convinces Shane to stay on to help him work the farm.  The two become close friends. 

Meanwhile, a powerful neighboring rancher attempts to drive the Starretts off their homestead.  Shane becomes entangled in the deadly feud and is backed into an inevitable gunfight.  Though he emerges victorious, the dynamics have changed, and Shane decides to move on, having profoundly influenced the character of young Bob Starrett.

No collection of Western fiction is complete without this slim classic.

Westerns-Fiction, Classics-Fiction                          --Hilary Welliver

Double Digit.

Monaghan, Annabel.  Double Digit.  Houghton Mifflin  2014     182p  $16.99  ISBN 978-0-544-10577-5  ms/hs  Realistic fiction      VG-BN

Farrah “Digit” Higgins is a female math genius, a freshman at MIT, the girlfriend of an FBI agent, and the daughter of a UCLA math professor and actress.  Her only goal is to live a normal life and stay out of harm’s way (meaning Jonas Furnis).  Her academic ability in math allows her to find patterns in things other people can’t see, and this gift has gained her the nickname “Digit.”  However, her ability to interpret numbers in a unique way makes her different, but not as geeky as her new pals at MIT. However, this changes when she hacks into the Department of Defense to get information early so that she can go to a friend’s toga party.

This is where Digit meets Jonas Furnis.  From this point readers will be on the edges of their seats as Digit is kidnapped and forced to work on the terrorist’s destructive plan while the CIA tracks them down.  Her unique brain is a power to be admired.  The CIA wants her to work for them, so I guess readers can look forward to another book.
     

This is a well-written book that would make an excellent addition to any middle-school or high-school collection.  It is recommended for Books of Note.     

Summary: A female math genius who is a freshman at MIT, a hot FBI agent and cool dorm monitor, a kidnapping, and a terrorist bomb threat provide the readers of this realistic fiction novel with some spine-tingling moments.

Terrorism-Fiction , Adventure-Fiction                       --Linda McNeil