Morris, Paula. Unbroken.

Morris, Paula.  Unbroken.  Scholastic Press/Point     2013  291p  $17.99  ISBN 978-0-545-41641-2      hs    Historical  E-BN   

Rebecca Brown travels to New Orleans with her father and best friend and winds up engaged in a mysterious ghost-related adventure once again, in this sequel to Ruined: A Novel.    While working on community service projects and visiting with old friends and family, she finds herself trying to locate a necklace at the behest of a ghost, to return it to the family that was intended to receive it. The necklace has close ties to a famous artist, and Rebecca works diligently to solve the mystery and return it to its rightful owner.  Rebecca relies on old friends introduced in the previous novel, and makes some connections to that mystery in order to resolve this one.

Paula Morris has certainly done her homework in writing this extremely fast-paced, exciting mystery adventure, which takes the reader on a historical journey along with ghosts of the past in New Orleans.  Accurate depictions of people, events, and geography in New Orleans add credibility and excitement to the story.

This is a fun, fast-paced mystery that will leave the reader unable to put it down until the very end.  The reader feels like a part of the action and can relate to Rebecca with racing heart and sense of excitement. This book is great for historical fiction fans, fans of the supernatural, and reluctant readers.

New Orleans-Fiction, Ghost stories                                      --Virginia McGarvey

Eruption (Storm Runners)

Smith, Roland     Eruption (Storm Runners)       

Scholastic/Grolier/Childrens Press/Watts  2012  156p  $16.99  978-0-545-08174-0  E-BN   ms/hs Realistic Fiction

This book can be read in isolation from the previous two books in the series, but the numerous people presented in the first chapters will confuse all but the most careful reader who is experiencing Storm Runners for the first time.  Once the action gets going in this adventure, the six main characters are easy to identify.  

Chase and his father are on the scene of natural disasters to help people rebuild.  An earthquake in Mexico takes them and the other characters to the mountains of Mexico, as they try to rescue a circus family trapped there.  From the cover, which grips the reader much like the hand trying to grip the top of a fissure caused by an earthquake, to the last page of the book, there is no letup in the dangerous situations presented in a realistic manner.  Besides the earthquake and resulting tremors, there is a volcano spewing ash and a tiger on the loose from a circus.  Without gore, but with numerous injuries sustained from falling debris and the lightning strike that cripples Chase’s father, this book is suitable for a read-aloud in upper-elementary and middle school.  

For hi/lo readers in high school, the action will surely keep their attention since the vocabulary is easy to decipher.  All the characters, both male and female, are believable, and their cohesion as a group is much to be admired. This is the last book in a trilogy, and it explains the secrets that Chase’s father has been keeping, as well as an answer to the question of why Chase and his father have been on the move over the last two installments.        

E-BN        Lois McNicol      Earthquakes, Adventure

 

The Mastermind Plot

Frazier, Angie    The Mastermind Plot      

Scholastic/Grolier/Childrens Press/Watts 2012   231p  $16.99      978-0-545-20864-2     G      elm/ms            Mystery/Detective

Suzanna (Zanna) Snow, who desires to become a detective and has recently solved a famous case, finds herself invited to spend some time with her grandmother.  This is a dream come true for Zanna as it places her in Boston, a city full of adventure and mystery.  Additionally, it places her near her cousin and co-detective Will, in the city where her famous detective uncle, Bruce Snow, lives and works.

Zanna’s grandmother enrolls her in Miss Lydia Doucette’s Academy for Young Ladies, where she meets and befriends a classmate, Adele Horne, who lands her in the middle of a case.  Adele’s father owns some warehouses, and Zanna soon discovers that the warehouses hold valuable works of art.  As she aims to solve one mystery, she learns of another potential crime, with the most valuable piece of art at stake.

Angie Frazier has created a lively book and presents it in an entertaining manner.  The well-developed, rounded characters and mysterious plot produce an adventure that is believable.  The youth of the characters, flow of the story and mystery elements will relate well to young and reluctant readers.

G     Virginia McGarvey       Mystery and detective stories

 

Above

Bobet, Leah       Above        

Arthur Levine Bks see Scholastic Books    2012  358p  $17.99      978-0-545-29670-0       hs     VG       Fantasy    

To call the characters and the plot of this debut novel "interesting" is an understatement.  The reader’s entire understanding of urban fantasy will be challenged, and only the most dedicated reader will persevere past the first several chapters. 

Matthew (Teller) was born in Safe, an underground haven for misfits (the sick and freaks), and it is his job to “record” the histories of its inhabitants.  When he and several others have to escape Above, his entire understanding of Safe is turned on its head.  At first, the reader may be put off by Matthew’s dialect, his way of speaking and describing things, and the strange capitalization of words, but all these elements come together to fully realize the author's world-building in a satisfying way.  Matthew's protective love for the fragile character Ariel is especially touching, and the ending will bring readers to tears.

 
Some sporadic use of the “F-word” dictates that this is not for younger readers.  This is not a book that will appeal to reluctant readers, but the hardy and persistent reader will be rewarded with the most unique fantasy of the year. 

VG    Patricia Naismith       Urban fantasy

 

Langston, Laura. Last Ride.

Langston, Laura.   Last Ride.   

Orca  2011  130p  9.95  978-1-55469-416-7 ms/hs

      Realistic Fiction       VG    

Tom vows to give up street racing after a

crash he caused took the life of his best friend.  Tensions mount with Tom’s

money woes and a possible haunting by Logan’s ghost.  Orca continues to

produce adrenaline pumping titles, accessible to reluctant readers, yet popular

with almost all teens.   Langston has offered no less.  In sparse prose that

still manages some evocative imagery, she takes the reader on a series of even

increasing, momentum-building obstacles to Tom’s well being.  Financial woes,

the possible loss of car and home, romantic and ethical dilemmas, and the

possible haunting by Logan’s ghost each create layers of tension, making this a

page-turner.  Even if the ending is predictable, it is well worth the “ride.”  A

good choice for reluctant  high school readers.       Naismith, Pat

Choyce, Lesley. Running the Risk.

Choyce, Lesley. Running the Risk.
Orca 2009 110p 19.95 978-1-55469-025-1 jr/sr
Orca Soundings

Sean’s always been quiet and agreeable until the night there’s a holdup at the burger place where he works. After that he goes looking for excitement. Sean’s always been quiet and agreeable until the night there’s a holdup at the burger place where he works. Suddenly it’s exciting to look for other thrills, making him feel closer to his dead grandpa Hank who believed in living in the moment.
Not much plot or character development--Dad surprises him by supporting Sean’s decision to identify the gunmen to police--but enough to grab a reluctant reader. The moral that we all have choices in life isn’t too heavy, either. SG

Ellie McDoodle new kid in school by Ruth McNally Barshaw

Barshaw, Ruth McNally. Ellie McDoodle new kid in school.
Bloomsbury see St. Martins, 2008, 188p, $17.95, 978-159990-238-8

This sequel to Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen, Will Travel is a humorous and realistic look at moving. At school and in the neighborhood, Ellie faces many experiences typical to relocation. She gets excited about her first invite, only to end up watching her new friend play a handheld game; at school her classmates secretly play "new kid bingo," waiting for her to mess up or cry. Life begins to change for Ellie when she leads a protest about the long wait in lunch lines.
Her story is told through a notebook, which is a combination of handwritten text and line drawings. The pictures, comic frames, and dialogue balloons serve to further the story. Reluctant and struggling readers and young fans of graphic novels are sure to find this title appealing.

The book also includes an illustrated interview with the author, tips and directions for keeping a "sketch journal". JT