Thomas, Erin. Haze.

Thomas, Erin.     Haze. Orca  175p  $9.95 978-1-4598-0070-0       ms/hs Series: Orca Sports     Good  Realistic Fiction

When Jeremy is injured the day after telling Bram about a death caused by hazing, Bram turns sleuth in an attempt to solve the mystery.      With its fast-moving plot and its easy-to-read format, Haze is a good choice for a student who wants to escape for a while.  It is set in a private school in Connecticut, where the rich can hide crimes with the snap of a finger, this story offers an interesting mystery to solve. 

Who killed Marcus Tam, or was it a tragic death caused by careless underage drinking?  At the gym one evening after swim practice, "wannabe" swimmer Bram hears an unbelievable story involving hazing at an initiation party for the members of the school’s swim team, as well as a possible cover-up.  Was the swim coach somehow involved in the hazing incident?  The day after Jeremy reveals his thoughts to Bram, he is hit by a car in a brutal hit and run!  Bram does not want to believe the coach is involved, but Jeremy’s sister Abby, who happens to be Bram’s former girlfriend, is convinced that he was somehow responsible for her brother’s accident.  Swimmers Steven and Nate try to intimidate Bram into backing off from investigating, and when this doesn’t work, they step up their game. 

This is an interesting premise, but unfortunately, there are gaps that are difficult to reconcile and characters’ roles that are underdeveloped.  For example, the reader might wonder how a 9th-grade student could figure out that the weights in a weight room could hide evidence that would help Bram figure out who was responsible for Tam’s death, but that is exactly what happens.  From that point on, there are a lot of unbelievable developments that might lead young readers to say, "Yeah, sure".  Nevertheless, the ending is dramatic, and the reader will be entertained.

There is a small grammatical error on page 71.  "He raised a hand to Droid and I..." should be "He raised a hand to Droid and me..."  "Me" is the object of the preposition "to".    

Mystery, Murder-Fiction, Swimming-Fiction       --Martha Squaresky

The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor & The Bogus Identity

Carey, Mike & Peter Gross. The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor & The Bogus Identity
DC Comics 2010 unp 9.99
978-1-4012-2565-0 hs/adult Graphic novel E
Tom, the son of a fantasy writer, is a media celebrity since his father disappeared. Tom wonders if he is really his father’s son. And, who is the villain capturing the minds and pens of famous writers? What a teaser to the rest of the series! Rated R for language.
Outstanding art work mirrors the questions raised in this first book of five episodes about Tommy Taylor, a fictional character in a fantasy novel. The fictional character is said to be based on Tom Wilson, the son of the author who has disappeared. Tom’s real life celebrity status is starting to wane and he is concerned for the future. A villain appears at a writer’s conference housed in the mansion where Shelley received inspiration and where Tom’s father kept a secret room. This villain appears to control the minds and pens of famous writers as far back as Milton, Kipling,and Shelley. Could Tom be the one to resolve his father’s suspicions about stories written around the world having a connection? Fiction and reality collide and interweave elements of fantasy (unicorns and a winged cat who is a familiar to Tom) and literary allusions. The details in the drawings offer insight beyond mere words. Sometimes there is quirky humor attached as in the news ticker that runs at the bottom of the DNN headline news. Also included are web pages, newspaper stories, maps, blogs, and other visuals that make the reader turn into a sleuth finding clues in words as well as pictures. Outstanding visuals and writing will make the reader clamor for more. A caution for school libraries - pervasive crude language. For grades 10+.
Recommended for public libraries as this book contains a mystery story coupled with literary references and philosophical statements. A thinking person’s first choice for a graphic novel. Outstanding art work that goes beyond the written word. Grades 10+. McNicol(3),Lois
Mystery

The Secret Fiend (Boy Sherlock 4th Case).

Peacock, Shane. The Secret Fiend (Boy Sherlock 4th Case).
Tundra Books 2010 244p 19.95
978-0-88776-853-8 ms/jr VG-BN
Once again young Sherlock Holmes is thrust into a mystery. It is a sequel to: Eye of the Crow, Death in the Air, and Vanishing Girl. This intriguing mystery takes places in Victorian London during 1868 when Disraeli becomes England’s first Jewish born prime minister. It is a time of unrest with the upper classes being unsettled with the changes occurring and the poor angling for improvement in their down trodden poverty.
Sherlock is manipulated into helping a former neighbor and classmates when the are attacked on Westminster Bridge by a maniac dressed like a bat. The culprit is named, Spring Heeled Jack for the old penny thrillers.
The story will keep readers full of suspense right up until the end as Sherlock once again spars with his old friends Malefactor (street urchin) and Lestrade (police).
Young readers and older Shelock Holmes enthusiasts will enjoy this novel. It is well written with twists and turns to captivate the mind and confound most readers. McNeil, Linda

McClintock, Norah. Picture This.

McClintock, Norah. Picture This.
Orca 2009 109p 9.95 978-1-55469-138-8 ms/hs
Orca Soundings
Murder mystery involving an at-risk teen who joins a photo workshop at the local rec center and is stalked for his camera. What do the photos contain and who wants them? Ethan has to figure this out before he becomes a murder victim. This engaging murder mystery involves Ethan, an at risk teen who lives in a foster home. He joins a local recreation center photography program. He finds he has a talent for photography and takes pictures to illustrate freedom on the digital camera that his kindly foster parents bought him for his birthday. However, after taking several photos in the woods, he is threatened and stalked by someone who is trying to get to the photos that are on his digital camera. He doesn’t know why this is happening. He does know that he must find out why this person wants his camera or else he will become a murder victim. McClintock does an excellent job of telling the story from the perspective of a teenage boy who has had a hard life but is trying to turn his life around. The writing is pithy yet absorbing and will keep the reader turning pages to find out what is going to happen next. The attractive cover will entice teen readers. This title is recommended for middle and high school libraries that need fiction books that will be interesting to boys and for those libraries that need high interest titles. This title is one of the Orca Soundings series and is recommended for Tristate Books of Note. Weinraub, Tina

The Parliament of Blood

Richards, Justin. Parliament of Blood, The
Bloomsbury see St. Martins, 2008, 358p 16.99 978-1-59990-140-4 ms/hs

Vampires in London! Are you sure? George Archer, Liz Oldfield, and Eddie Hopkins (coconspirators from The Death Collector) join forces with George’s mentor at the British Museum to foil the overtaking of the British Parliament by Vampires. Oddly enough it all started with the disclosure of a mummy from the Department of Unclassified Artifacts.
This is a second book from the author of The Death Collector. In this book, the same cast of characters commences upon another adventure in Victorian London. Generally, one would assume that working in the antiquities section of the British Museum would present a mundane working environment. This does not seem to be the case when a mummy from Saqqara is unwrapped in the Egyptian Room.
The drama immediately starts to unfold on page 22+ as Sir Harrison Judd stumbles while helping to uncover the mummy causing blood to drip on the mummy. Immediately, the wrappings seem to dissolve and a weathered parchment like face appears. Then the wrappings tremble and emaciated a hand appears from under the fabric. At this point chaos ensues and George is off on a whirlwind adventure that is both mysterious, intriguing, and heart stopping at times.
The story will appeal to readers of the occult genre. The characters in the story are very believable and will have the readers identifying with their struggles. L. McNeil

The Unknowns: a mystery. by Benedict Carey

Carey, Benedict. The Unknowns: a mystery.
Amulet see Abrams, Harry, 2009, 272p, $16.95, 978-0-8109-7991-8.

The least likely group of teenagers ever to come together saves the island of Adjacent from a nuclear power plant plot by using math clues.
Benedict Carey’s unique plot unravels with all of the elements of an entertaining story for young adults: suspense, twists and turns in plot development, unusual characters, a setting that Alfred Hitchcock would love and a theme of saving the environment. When Princess Di and Tom Jones (no kidding!) realize that their math tutor/friend, Mrs. Clarke, is missing, they commence a search, which leads them into nuclear power plant subterfuge. Aided by mathematic clues left by their friend, they elicit the help of the least likely inhabitants of the island, their enemies! Young readers will enjoy trying to figure out the clues, and even if they don’t understand them, will enjoy each exciting moment as Di and Tom attempt to solve the mystery, which threatens their home. We are not distracted by the fact that it is virtually impossible to infiltrate a nuclear power plant. Carey has made it all seem possible with his group of resourceful sleuths. Everybody loves when the downtrodden defeat their enemy, and in The Unknowns, the Folsom Power Plant is defeated in a final scene worthy of a “rockum-stockum” Hollywood production. Carey made math fun, sending a message to the reader that learning math can be useful. Carey’s first novel flows. He is a good storyteller with a talent in math to boot!
Middle school and high school students who have pre-algebra and geometry skills to understand some of the clues will enjoy the blend of mystery and math. MS

City of secrets (Stravaganza). by Mary Hoffman

Hoffman, Mary. City of secrets (Stravaganza).
Bloomsbury (St. Martins), 2008, 382p, $17.99, 978-1-59990-202-9.

In this newest addition to the Stravaganza series, Matt is another student at Barnsbury Comp who becomes a stravaganti after the discovery of his personal talisman. Matt is severely dyslexic, very insecure, and desperately trying to figure out his future. For his birthday, he has received yet another unwanted book token from his great-aunt that draws him into an antique store by a powerful impulse. There, he discovers an old book of spells and friends Georgia and Nick. When he sleeps that night with the book in his hand, he is transported to the Talian city Padavia, home of the great university. He has become a time traveler between alternate universes. In Padavia, he is no longer dyslexic but able to read and write fluently. He becomes a printer’s helper in Dr. Constantin’s Scriptorium and helps publish illegal books on both anatomy and magic. He discovers that Luciano, a fellow student who has died in his world but lives on in Talia, as well as Georgia and Nick, are also stravagantes. Together with other friends from the Talian cities of Bellaza, Giglia, and Remora, they must defeat the Church’s new laws against magic; prevent the deaths by burning of the Goddess worshipping Manoush, and save Luciano from the revenge of the di Chimici. All is done with panache and style.
This sprightly written and exciting time travel adventure is utterly fascinating. It offers both fantasy and suspenseful historical fiction in a well-paced plot and with engaging characters. With a Byzantine plot very redolent of Renaissance Italy and the de Medicis, the author weaves many strands into a marvelous whole, with the locations are beautifully rendered, and the characters are very three-dimensional. The story is told through the intertwined voices of the main characters, alternating between them. They all come from a different time and place in society and have different points of view. The author mixes adventure, political intrigues, mystery, a sixteenth century background, and a little romance into this very well done book.
This is a must purchase for any library who numbers fantasy readers among its users. They will be waiting impatiently for the next volume. SO

Acacia by David Durham

Durham, David. Acacia.
Anchor (Random), 2008, 755p, $7.99, 978-0-385-72252-0

Four children are scattered to the corners of the earth in an attempt to keep them from harm after their father, the King, is killed by rival clans. The chancellor, a treacherous man who undercut his king, does follow the one wish of his king - to keep his children safe. Each child has a different existence, one becomes a female warrior, one lives on the water, the youngest is sheltered by a friend of the family and one lives as a captive of her father’s killer. Legend says the Giver will provide sacred information to whoever can read his book, a book kept secret by the children’s father. After nine years, the chancellor has a hand in reuniting the four siblings. A major battle ensues with ferocious beasts, magic spells and the older brother is killed. The remaining two siblings go to their older sister who is now Queen of Acacia having brought about the death of her lover and King. An uneasy trust exists between the sisters as the Queen reveals her true intent for the future of Acacia. Undoubtedly, the rivalry of the sisters will become the focus of the second in the planned trilogy. Outstanding descriptions of trees, flowers, and landscape as well as buildings and character’s personalities pull the reader into this lengthy yet taut struggle for power and superiority.
For fantasy lovers, this book will entrance and for epic war lovers, this book contains all the excitement and passion needed to keep the reader’s attention through the 700+ pages. Excellent descriptions of landscape and personalities. Grades 8 through adult. LMN

Test. by William Sleator

Sleator, William. Test.
Abrams, Harry, 2008, 298p, $16.95, 978-0-8109-9356-3.
Conflict

This story takes place in the not too far future of the 21st Century. American society is dystopian and divided into the rich and the poor. The rich live in luxury, traveling by helicopter from place to place with their children in private schools. The have nots of the country have to deal with unending traffic jams, polluted air and public schools that don’t educate. The schools just prepare the students to take the XCAS test that determine their future; even the teacher’s jobs are at stake (sound familiar?). When Ann befriends Lep, a very poor immigrant from Thailand, who had been given the answers to the test in return for doing dastardly things at the project he lives in to keep his job and housing for his family, she becomes aware of the secret connections between the government and the rich real estate/oil barons/businessmen. Her life becomes dangerous as she is chased by a strange man on a motorcycle while traveling to school and home, and she is even shot at. Her friendship with Lep blossoms into a relationship as they plan to show how the government is betraying its citizens, especially the young. This fast moving plot will engage high school readers as they identify the stresses of, and emphasis on testing and its affects on society. As the mystery unravels, readers will be on the edge of their seat. TW