Hacker (series: Cap Central, book 3)

McGill, Leslie.  Hacker  (series: Cap Central, book 3)      Saddleback  2014  141p  $9.95  ISBN 978-1-62250-707-8  ms/hs  Conflict, Hi-Lo  VG 

Cap Central High School is a typical inner-city high school.  In this, the third in the series about Cap Central students, Keshawn learns about an ID- and password-stealing software package, and he installs it on school-library computers just to see how other students are doing in their coursework. But his abilities as a hacker become known to ruthless athletes who blackmail him into changing their grades so they will stay eligible to play sports. He befriends Neecy, who needs help to improve her math scores. Unfortunately, one of his blackmailers has his heart set on having Neecy as a girlfriend.  The conflict escalates until the school administration finds out about the hacking.  Keshawn manages to save his reputation by being one step ahead of his blackmailers and ends up bringing them down through their own e-mail accounts.  Neecy ends up with a love interest, thanks to Keshawn, and Keshawn shows his honorable side by the end of the novel.

The hi/lo appeal for those struggling with reading is that the topic is timely and believable.  Characters overlap from one book to the next in the Cap Central series, leading the reader to become familiar with the many different characters and the difficulties they face while trying to get an education in a sometimes violent and threatening environment.  The problems faced by the students are believable and of interest to teenagers.     

Summary: A students asks Keshawn to change grades in the school’s computer.  This one-time effort mushrooms as he is blackmailed into using his hacking skills to change grades for several athletes, and Keshawn must reconcile his abilities with his ethics. Gr 7-12.    

High school life-Fiction, Computer Hacking-Fiction          --Lois McNicol

Saddleback. Rihanna.

Saddleback.  Rihanna.   Saddleback  48p   $10.95  978-1-62250-011-6     2013  VG    Hi-Lo       Biography        

Despite a glaring typo at the end of the first paragraph of this book, Rihanna will fly off the shelves, delighting the young vocal artist’s fans with its brief but informative text and  liberal use of full-page and two-page color photographs.  Similar to the special-edition magazines that highlight popular celebrities, Rihanna is a topical biography that will not overwhelm even a reluctant reader perusing the slender text.

Throughout the text, unfamiliar terms are identified in italics and defined in a glossary at the back of the book.  Captions are captured in dialogue balloons and the layout is engaging.  Cutout photos suffer from distractingly “fuzzy,” but colorful, outlines, but the overall impression is dynamic and energetic.

Contemporary and topical, this volume is attractively priced to keep biography collections relevant to readers.

Biography-Vocal Artists, Rihanna-Biography            --Hilary Welliver

Staunton, Ted. Jump Cut. (Seven the Series.)

Staunton, Ted.  Jump Cut. (Seven the Series.)   Orca  219p  $9.95 978-1-55469-947-6      2012 ms/hs (hi-lo)  VG       Mystery/Detective

Spencer loves all things related to movies and hopes to work in the film industry once he finishes school.  When his grandfather dies, the will specifies that Spencer will receive money to purchase a top-of-the-line camera.  He is also ordered to kiss Gloria Lorraine, a retired movie star, film the kiss, and tell Gloria that the kiss is from his grandfather.  Once he finds Gloria at an old-age home, the hilarity and hijinks begin.  Gloria, not as doddering as she seems, commandeers a car not belonging to her and has Spencer drive away.  In the trunk there is a man with mob connections who is sprawled on top of packages of baker’s sugar (or is it packets of drugs?).  On Gloria’s orders, Spencer picks up Gloria’s granddaughter, who is wearing a police ankle bracelet .  This unlikely set of comrades covers a lot of ground as it travels to a remote Canadian town where Gloria and Spencer’s grandfather once had some sort of connection.  Along the way, they face all sorts of dangers, from people tracking the shipment in the Cadillac’s trunk to blood-sucking insects.  Whether young readers will “get” Gloria’s many malapropisms related to the history of film or not, this madcap adventure will appeal to those who like action novels, mob-related novels, or road-trip novels.  This is a first-class read about loyalty, first love and life imitating the movies.  

Seven the Series contains easy-to-read adventures of seven cousins, all undertaken to satisfy a grandfather’s will.  Each is written by a different author, with very different plots and unique personalities.  They are great for those who like adventure and action novels, in grades 6-10.   

Road Trips–Fiction, Adventure-Fiction                      --Lois McNicol

McClintock, Norah. Nowhere to Turn. (A Robin Hunter Mystery)

McClintock, Norah.  Nowhere to Turn. (A Robin Hunter Mystery)                Darby Creek see Lerner                  226p  $27.93       978-0-7613-8316-1         2012      ms/hs   VG-BN           Mystery/Detective                             

Nick disappeared from Robyn’s life a few months ago.  Now he is back and he is in trouble again.  This time Robyn is not sure what happened, but she does know that Nick was a good caretaker for Orion, a large dog who is gentle unless he is being threatened.  Nick had been helping Mr. Schuster with Orion, but when Mr. Schuster suffered a stroke it was up to Nick to continue caring for the dog.

That is when it all happened, and next thing he knew, Nick had been accused of stealing Mr. Schuster’s coin collection.  Who would believe him -- all the evidence pointed to his guilt.  That is when Robyn stepped in and began her investigation of the theft and began taking care of the dog.

 
Can Robyn solve the mystery of the missing coins before anyone gets hurt?  Why is everyone so quick to point the finger at Nick, and what is Nick hiding?
This is a mystery story with a little bit of romance, a dog and a lot of unsolved issues.
Hi-lo, Mystery, Theft-Fiction                                                                                                                                                   --Magna Diaz

 

Warsh, Sylvia Maultash. Best Girl.

Warsh, Sylvia Maultash.  Best Girl.  Orca/Raven  121p  $9.95      978-1-55469-897-4 hs    Series: Rapid Reads(Orca/Raven)      VG    Realistic fiction

Amanda Moss feels her whole life has been a lie.  Her parents did not die in a car crash, but her mother has died in prison, where she was living since being sentenced for killing Amanda’s father.  But did she do it?  Amanda must find out the truth.

Best Girl is an adoption story, a murder mystery, and a book about the road to self-discovery.  What Amanda’s adoptive mother Shelley wanted was her career as a hairdresser.  But Amanda yearns for a career in music.  When a stranger appears with a guitar, and the story that her dead birth mother was unjustly imprisoned for killing her father, Amanda’s view of the world abruptly changes.  In her search to find the truth, she encounters new friends, frightening circumstances, and the stunning truth.  This novel is well written, even with the controlled vocabulary, and it features believable characters, a taut plot, and a satisfying ending.  It is a quick read and a book the reader will not be able to put down.  

This volume is part of the Rapid Reads series.  There are 25 volumes in the series at this time.  The series serves to provide short, easy-to-read novels for adults and young adults with literacy and/or reading difficulties.  Best Girl is recommended for high-school students with reading difficulties.  These high-interest, very low-reading-level titles will appeal to challenged readers.

Mystery, Murder-Fiction, Suspense, Hi-lo books              -- Pat Naismith  

Kowalski, William. Something Noble.

Kowalski, William.      Something Noble.  Orca/Raven  116p  $9.95

978-1-4598-0013-7       hs    Series: Rapid Reads(Orca/Raven)     VG         

Linda has faced many difficulties since getting pregnant at 16, but she has persevered and raised her two sons well.  Now Dre, the older son, needs a kidney transplant.  Her quest to find a donor takes her to prison and back, but she continues to hope.  Then she finds the only match -- his recently-discovered half-brother, LaVon, a drug dealer who robbed Linda at knifepoint. 

The story line and conclusion are simple and predictable.  The text is structured and uses repetitive and familiar words.  The reading level is third grade, but the subject matter and characters are for the mature teen.  Curse words are non-existent or minimal.  The main characters are well-drawn and sympathetic, while the ancillary characters are more stereotypical.  With an eye-catching cover, this is a quick read, and will appeal to reluctant readers.

This volume is part of the Rapid Reads series.  There are 25 volumes in the series at this time.  The focus of the series is to provide short, easy-to-read novels for adults and young adults with literacy and/or reading difficulties.

The book is recommended for high-school students with reading difficulties.  These high-interest, very low-reading-level titles will appeal to challenged readers.

Realistic fiction, Hi-lo books                              -- Pat Naismith  

Tullson, Diane. Riot Act.

Tullson, Diane.   Riot Act.   Orca  118p  $9.95 978-1-4598-0139-4   hs  Orca Soundings    VG-BN   Conflict

This hi-lo novel for teens has plenty of action and plot to keep the pages turning.  It opens with Daniel and his friend Nick deciding to attend a football game in town, even though they know that rioting is predicted.  Against their better judgment, the boys get pulled into the rioting, and Nick’s photo ends up on TV. 

This book would be a good read for a reluctant high-school reader.  The pace moves along quickly, the sentences are short, and the characters are realistic.  The main characters are portrayed as ordinary boys who become tempted by alcohol, mob violence, and excitement, but are then truly remorseful for their actions.  The writing is terse but lyrical, yet easy to read and compelling.   

     

Hi-lo books, Rioting-Fiction                                --Carol Kennedy