Adult Fiction Pick: Creatures

Creatures
by Crissy Van Meter
Algonquin Books
2020
256 pages
ISBN: 9871616208592

Creatures is a introspective study of a broken family: a mother who follows her own arrow wherever it may lead, many times far away from her young daughter, a father who knows more about creatures of the ocean than he does his own precious creature: an impressionable, quiet, often lonely daughter who craves her father's attention and love. Evangeline worships her father, an alcoholic, druggie who provides weed and coke for most of their island. The island itself, Winter Island, just off the coast of Northern California, often battered by storms and forgotten by time.

Growing up, Evie parents herself, going hungry and sometimes homeless, crashing at millionaires' homes, hanging out with Playboy bunnies, and pro athletes when they take an island rental or camping in a tent when her dad loses everything.

The book opens before Evangeline's wedding. Her groom is out at sea and a storm threatens his return and even his life. A whale has beached itself and lies rotting on the beach. That whale becomes a symbol of everything that is wrong with Evie and her mother. Her mother shows up with no notice and pretends to care about Evie's wedding. Evie grits her teeth as she tiptoes around her mother in order to create no waves.

The story is told going back and forth in time to child Evie and her dad's failures and abysmal parenting, and how it has affected Evie's lack of emotion. She cannot feel anything at all. Things that would break another person, Evie treats with no human emotion. It is interesting to see a character who appears stoic but is the most tragic person in the entire book.

Recommended for those who enjoy a character study and those who love tangled family relationships. There is no one in Evie's life who is able to help or save her from herself. Creatures is a sad, yet beautiful, book. The cover art is spectacular!

Adult book clubs may find much to talk about in this book, if they can pour more wine.

YA Pick: The Date To Save (Guest Review by Heather Jurado)

The Date To Save
by Stephanie Kate Strohm
Point
2017
288  pages
ISBN: 9781338149067

Guest Review by Heather Jurado, Library Media Specialist, Horizon Middle School, Clint ISD, Horizon City, Texas. Follow Heather on Twitter @horizonmshawks

If you wonder what might possibly happen if all the important high school events were scheduled on the exact same date and how the student body and a small high school newspaper staff could possibly cover all of the ensuing chaos, this is the book for you! Angelica is a newspaper staff writer with something to prove. She documents all the funny, sweet, romantic interactions between friends and frenemies at San Anselmo Prep High School located in California.

Readers are entertained by multiple points of view and stories pass from one character to the next. Activities and scenes are happening at the same time and it gives a real picture of how high school students who are involved in a variety of extracurricular activities handle the pressure of achievement and how they build friendships and sometimes even romances along the way.

Marching band, student government, drama, cheerleading, academic competitions and the Homecoming football game and dance are featured. Characters are believable and each one connects with their high school and their clique. Teens won't want to put this book down until they reach the DATE when all the action happens.

Follow the author at www.stephaniekatestrohm.com and on Twitter @StephKateStrohm

Recommended grade 7 and up. This book is featured on middle school book fairs.


FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the ARC from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review. Heather did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

YA Pick: Here Lies Daniel Tate

Here Lies Daniel Tate
by Cristin Terrill
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
2017
400 pages
ISBN: 978148148076

On sale date: June 6, 2017

Here Lies Daniel Tate is an amazing whodunit for the YA crowd. A nameless narrator bad boy from Canada takes over the identity of a missing boy who disappeared from his upscale neighborhood years ago.

When Daniel Tate went missing, his wealthy family is distraught and searches for him. Sadly, he is not found. Years pass. A boy in Canada is taken in by authorities. He is Daniel Tate. What has happened to Daniel all those years he was missing? The Tate family is thrilled and rush the teen home. With their wealth, he clears international borders easily.

Daniel is quiet and a bit strange to everyone. The family gives hims space. He has been through an ordeal. It's understandable that he is shy and reserved. Maybe his captors tortured him. Or worse.

But someone knows the truth. That is because someone killed the real  Daniel Tate. This new boy, whoever he is, is in danger. This family has secrets. Secrets that if exposed will change everyone's lives. Someone is the killer, but everyone seems to want the new boy to really  BE Daniel. Daniel needs to find out who he can trust and fast!

This is a solid book ripe for movie adaptation. Clever cover art and the word "lies" in another print color emphasize that "lies" can be used in two ways. The marketing team gets kudos! 

Highly recommended grade 9-up. Mature content. Profanity.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the ARC from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Middle Grades Pick: It Ain't So Awful, Falafel

It Ain't So Awful,Falafel
by Firoozeh Dumas
Clarion Books
2016
370 pages
ISBN: 9780544612310

Editorial Reviews

"Filled with humorous touches and authentic cultural references, Dumas’s story will resonate not just with young immigrants but with any readers trying to adapt to new situations."
—Publishers Weekly

* "Dumas’ semi-autobiographical novel is both funny and affecting...Readers will be thoroughly invested in Cindy’s story, whether holding their breath or laughing out loud, and always hoping that the Yousefzadehs will come out on top."
—Booklist, STARRED review

* "[A] fresh take on the immigrant experience—authentic, funny, and moving from beginning to end."
—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED review

"[It Ain't So Awful, Falafel] is funny, affecting, and nuanced...The novel doesn’t sugarcoat the issues, but it balances these serious notes with preteen antics and melodramas that Blume would be proud of; Cindy’s voice will undoubtedly draw in readers from all backgrounds."
—Horn Book

"...keeps readers engaged with the very real and relatable difficulties of finding friends after moving, dealing with family issues both domestic and abroad, and discovering one’s own identity in middle school."
—School Library Journal

“Firoozeh Dumas’s unique gift is her ability to use her wry, bold, but always gentle wit to tell serious stories about family, heritage, and loss. . . . In this era of suspicion and paranoia, [this book] offers a tender and compassionate glimpse into the immigrant experience.” —Khaled Hosseini, bestselling author of The Kite Runner

"This book is a sheer delight—rambunctious and rich. . . . Firoozeh Dumas writes with the perfect light touch that makes us wonder once again: Who is running the big world and why not this person, please?"  —Naomi Shihab Nye, novelist and poet

My Review:

It Ain't So Awful, Falafel speaks to the heart. Immigrants from Iran, Cindy (Zomorod) Yousefzadeh and her parents move from Iran  to Compton to Newport Beach, California, and begin living the great American dream. In America, they have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, they can own property, work and play where and when they want to, they make life choices, dress how they choose, and enjoy all the freedoms that Iranians didn't have.

Cindy begins middle school and has a difficult time navigating. Some kids are rude--making fun of her foreign sounding name and teasing her about Iran. One even asks her about her camel! Lucky for Cindy, she is able to make friends with Carolyn, a budding journalist. The girls do usual "girl" things: they shop, eat pizza, go to movies, listen to music and talk about boys.

Cindy is excited about her new favorite holiday: Halloween. When she first came to the U.S., she thought Halloween was just wearing a costume to class. She had no idea kids went house to house trick or treating. When kids started ringing their doorbell, Cindy's family gave each of them a piece of fruit until they ran out.  The family then started handing out pickling cucumbers. Cindy says, " Iranians always have massive amounts of little cucumbers in their houses. If there is ever an emergency that requires huge amounts of small cucumbers, Iranians will be instant heroes."

Life in America is looking up--that is until the Shah is ousted from Iran and hostages are taken. American anti-Iranian sentiment runs high, and Cindy's engineer father loses his job. Someone in Cindy's condo community is sending her family hate messages. First the  hater tampers with their garbage can and then leaves  a dead hamster on their doorstep which Cindy hides from her parents. As their savings dwindle, Cindy takes a part-time job, delivering flyers.

Once the neighbors find out about the display of hate, will they rally around Cindy's immigrant family? It takes a village to raise a child. What does it take to help an immigrant  family in need?

I loved this little gem! Full  of historical details and anecdotes about Iran and typical Iranian families, It Ain't So Awful, Falafel rings true. It is entertaining and interesting. Readers will be charmed by Cindy and the friendship between Caroline and Cindy is sweet and sisterly.

Highly, highly recommended grades 5-up.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

HIgh School Pick: 100 Sideways Miles

100 Sideways Miles
by Andrew Smith
Simon and Schuster
2014
288 pages
ISBN: 9781442444959

Witty, irreverent and just plain fun! What else do  you expect from an Andrew Smith YA title? You know you will be entertained and amazed and spellbound. 100 Sideways Miles will make you laugh and entertain you. It will cause strange reactions and could cause hysteria in some people. Don't read this novel if you have no sense of humor. Don't read this book if profanity bothers you. Just get over it. Warning: Reading Andrew Smith could cause eruptions of laughter and leave the reader with  lasting feelings of happiness which may last days or even weeks.

Finn Easton tells the story of his childhood  accident--the time a dead horse fell on him and his real mother causing her death and Finn to suffer from epilepsy. Since the accident, Finn sees the passage of time not in hours and minutes but in miles that the earth travels. Finn tells the incident and it's believable and laughable--and after I read it,  I felt a bit guilty--I couldn't  believe I just laughed at a kid's dead mother and the fact he now has epilepsy--but only a little bit guilty. That's the fun in Smith's writing and characters--you laugh at things that are not funny--but actually, they are hysterically funny.

Finn's father is a novelist whose sci-fi novel about space aliens who arrive on Earth through "Lazarus doors" in the universe and appear as angels to humans is a hit. Because the humans welcome the "angels," they don't realize the angels came to feast on humans. The book becomes so popular that some people take it too seriously and have threatened his father. Because one of the aliens happens to be a boy named Finn, the real Finn is upset. He hates that he's part of his father's novel, even though his father insists that the alien is not based on him. The real Finn feels like he's trapped inside his father's book.

Finn's best friend is an all American, tobacco chewing, baseball playing jock with a potty mouth named Cade Hernandez. Not only is Cade Hernandez physically blessed, he's smart, popular and funny. Cade  Hernandez  is a class clown whose epic antics are loved by the entire school. Finn has a bro-mance with Cade Hernandez. Cade Hernandez can get people to do nearly anything he wants just by looking at them. Finn says, "It was a look particular to Cade Hernandez--a seducer's look. It was magical and unavoidable and caused women to willingly enslave themselves to him." Finn always refers to Cade Hernandez as Cade Hernandez--it's just one of his lovable quirks.

When a pretty, new girl shows up at school,  Finn is immediately smitten with her. He won't admit to Cade that he has feelings for Julia. He knows Cade will do anything for a laugh, and he's afraid his best friend  will ruin whatever chance he has with Julia.

Readers will love the  relationship between Finn and Cade; they are closer than blood and their banter is fresh and funny. The father/son relationship between Finn and his dad is sweet and timeless. Although Finn hates his father's book, he has a deep love and regard for his father. His father's parenting style is Yoda-like "Use the Force, Finn."  He tells it like it is and doesn't skirt tough issues. If Finn asks a question, he gets a truthful answer.

There is so much to love about 100 Sideways Miles: a father/son relationship worthy of "Leave It To Beaver" but so much better, a weird sci-fi novel where aliens eat humans and humans think the aliens are angels, a dog who loves to roll in dead animals' carcasses, a road trip, a best friend--part class clown and part Greek god, a cute girl, a dead horse that falls from the sky, and best of all an epileptic boy who will touch readers' hearts.

Don't pick up 100 Sideways Miles unless you're ready to finish it in one session. Be prepared to fall in love with Finn Easton, Cade Hernandez and Andrew Smith.

Highly, highly recommended grade 9-up. A MUST READ. Language, underage drinking and partying, bad boy behavior, sex.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the ARC from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

MIddle Grades Pick: Shipwreck Island

Shipwreck Island
by S.A. Bodeen
Feiwel and Friends
2014
184  pages
ISBN: 9781250027771


Twelve year old Sarah Robinson is not thrilled to be going on a long trip with her newfound step-family. Sarah's dad just got remarried  and Sarah sees it as a betrayal of her dead mother. She doesn't like the pretty, younger lady her dad chose, and she especially does not like the fact that she now has two stepbrothers, Marco and Nacho. Her dad planned a trip to Fiji and a sailing trip for all of his new family to bond.

After a tedious plane flight, they arrive at a dumpy hotel. The next day, they go down to their "luxury" boat. The Moonflight doesn't look anything like the boat on the advertisement--it doesn't look seaworthy. The family makes the best of it, and soon their worst fears come true.

Caught in a storm at sea, they batten down the hatches and ride out the worst of it. The captain is lost at sea, but the family and boat is caught up near a "deserted" island. As they explore their surroundings, something seems a little off. There is a cabin in the jungle where it looks like its inhabitants left in a hurry.

The family builds a fire on the beach, searches for food and plans to wait for a passing ship to spot them. The first night, they barely escape monster beach crabs. Fighting against the elements and the weird island creatures bonds Sarah with her new family. Marco tells Sarah that there's something wrong with the island, and she agrees. What lies ahead for the family? Will they be discovered by a passing boat? Is anyone really searching for them?

Shipwreck Island is a quick read and should engage reluctant readers.

Recommended grade 5-up.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Beach Read Pick: Monster's Chef

Monster's Chef
by Jervey Tervalon
Amistad
2014
224 pages
ISBN: 9780062316202

Available June 10, 2014

Monster's Chef is the perfect beach read. It has everything a reader could want: an out of work, down on his luck chef with a checkered past and a lost love, an aging rock star who harbors illegal habits and an illicit eye for young boys, wannabe hangers-on hoping for that lucky break or their first million, the unhappy, pregnant wife of the aging rocker, a grounds-keeper who looks the other way, and a security team who will shoot now and ask questions later--all set in a remote compound in the hills away from Hollywood.

Gibson takes the job as personal chef because he needs the money. Just released from the halfway house, there's not a lot of jobs lining up on his horizon. He needs clarity and peace, and takes the job at the quiet compound hoping for  a little of both. What he finds is a weird job. He rarely cooks since Monster likes to eat raw. Gibson soon wonders why Monster needs a chef at all.

Monster----as he proclaims himself is the king of the compound--he is everything the press loves in a celebrity--he is odd, different, eccentric bordering on maniacal. In his lair on the hill, he can stay up all night in his weird den of entertainment and sleep all day. He answers to no one. The laws do not pertain to him. He is untouchable and God-like in his realm. His servants don't dare ask questions; they lend a blind eye and hope to make their fortune quick and make a clean getaway. No one talks about what goes on at Monster's Lair.

When a dead body shows up on the property, the sheriff comes looking for answers. Gibson is strangely fascinated by the being who happens to be  Monster--as readers are likely to be. Monster is a true enigma--a tortured soul who is worshipped by hordes of fans in public but who is as alone as a person can be. He is pitiful but too strange and corrupted  to be pitied.

I enjoyed this book immensely but hoped for just a little more "chef -y-ness." While a few recipes were included, I suppose I was looking for a bit more cuisine since the word chef is in the title and various kitchen implements are featured on the cover. The cover also features weapons, a dollar sign,  a couple of thugs, and two women.

I found Monster a bit fascinating and he reminded me of the late Michael Jackson. Gibson, too, was an interesting character. Monster's Chef is a book that will stick with you. You are not likely to forget this one.

Recommended for mature and adult readers. Anyone who loves an "inside the lives of celebrities" book, will love this one. Celebrities, according to Monster's Chef, are not just like you and me.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the arc from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Paranormal Pick: Dead Is Just a Dream

Dead Is Just a Dream
by Marlene Perez
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
2013
176 pages

Available September 3, 2013

Something sinister is going on in the little town of Nightshade, California. Jessica Walsh and her band of friends each have gifts--reading people's thoughts, seeing the future, being female warriors who protect the town. When Jessica sees a ghost horse on the beach, the first murder is reported.

A rude painter shows up in town with a show of his gruesome paintings and a new owner buys Phantasm Farms, a local horse farm. The girls have to find out who or what's killing people and soon!

After a visit to Phantasm Farms, Jessica thinks that the ghost horse, the nightmares, the painter and the strange girl who can talk to horses are all tied together. Something is killing people with fear. Dreams begin haunting her friend Eva but she can't remember what the terror is exactly.

Caught up in the case, Jessica has to juggle her high school classes, her relationship with hot boyfriend Dominic and his burgeoning music career, her very crowded family home, the arrival of her older brother from college, and policing the town of Nightshade from evil. Residents in Nightshade aren't sleeping and Jessica has to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Dead is Just a Dream is a delightful paranormal read with a little Beverly Hills, 90210 and The Secret Circle mixed in. There's the rich kids and fancy cars and there's the circle of paranormal friends who live "normal" lives when not chasing evil or destroying monsters.

Marlene Perez has the teen scene down pat and readers will fall under her spell. Cover art with the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) skull may be off-putting to some readers--the kids attend a huge party on The Day of the Dead at a mansion. While the cover isn't that "girl-y" or romantic, fans of the series will read this book.

Highly recommended grade 7-up. No language. Just sweet kisses...oh, and sinister murder.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive moentary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

YA Pick: Golden

Golden
by Jessi Kirby
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
2013
288 pages

Available May 14, 2013

Beautiful, burning, dazzling, and golden, Jessi Kirby's latest YA novel will touch readers' hearts.

Super smart Parker Frost has never taken chances. She's set to graduate as valedictorian and on her way to Stanford if she wins the Cruz-Farnetti Scholarship. Best friend Kat is Parker's polar opposite; Kat takes chances and lives for the moment. She doesn't want Parker to leave town, but she knows her friend needs to excel.

When Parker is asked to mail out a box of ten year old journals to students who graduated a decade ago, she makes a shocking discovery. One of the journals belongs to Julianna Farnetti, a girl who was in a tragic car accident with her boyfriend Shane Cruz. Their bodies were never found, but the town mourned their deaths. Now, Parker holds the key to a mystery. Should she give the journal back to Mr. Kinney? Why didn't the police ever find the journal? Should she take it to the police? Or, should Parker take a chance, just this once? Parker decides to read Julianna's journal and then she promises herself that once she's read it, she will return it to Julianna by dropping it in her last known resting place, Summit Lake.

Parker realizes there's a decade old mystery in her small town, and she's bound and determined to find the answers, even if it means exposing the painful  past.

Soon Parker enlists the help of Kat and Trevor, the boy she's been crushing on for years. They go in search of a mysterious artist, hoping to mend a lost love. Wouldn't it be great if they could solve the mystery and reunite kindred spirits?

Golden is as addictive as Nicholas Sparks and Sarah Dessen. Readers who loved Moonglass will be addicted to Golden. Beautiful cover art will lure readers in, and Kirby's masterful storytelling will captivate until the very last word.

Highly, highly recommended grade 7-up. No profanity. No sex. Some kisses.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the ARC from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Fun Pick: The Reece Malcom List

The Reece Malcolm List
by Amy Spalding
Entrangled
2013
352 pages
2013

Irresistable musical theatre gLeek Devan is sure to charm teen readers. She's fun, smart, spunky, and musically gifted and she's ready to take her bow.

Devon's father dies in a car wreck and Devon is told that she will be leaving Missouri traveling to California to live with her real mother. Her "mother" dumped her at birth and has made her own life. Devon never got to know her and knows very little about her. Her mother sends her private lawyer to escort Devon to California.

Reece Malcolm is a talented writer whose books are always on the New York Times Bestsellers list. She lives in a nice modern home with new live-in boyfriend Brad. Devan begins making a list of things she's knows about Reece Malcolm, her mother. She finds that Brad is nicer than Reece and Reece's friends are nicer than Reece, too.

Devon is excited to be attending a private perfomance arts school but worried about the huge price tag. She feels guilty that her mother is spending way too much on her. Then there's the new laptop computer and expensive shopping spree. Devon is overwhelmed.

As she discovers more and more about Reece, Devon feels closer to her, but she also has questions. How could this person ignore her own daughter for sixteen years? Now she's trying to make up for it by showering her with gifts and a great school.

Devon learns that her mother was only 16 years old when she had her, her mother is not a morning person, her mother hates crowds, but loves coffee and is a great shopper but doesn't worry about fashion or style for her own outfits. Reece and Brad have a passive/aggessive relationship and Reece knows she treats Brad terribly but she seems to enjoy it. Devon tries to figure it out.

Reece supports Devon in her musical theater debut and even though things are off between them and they have a huge fight, her mother is her biggest fan. Devon apologizes for snooping and they agree to work things out.

Recommended grade 9-up. Several of the performers are having gender identity questions. Mature subject matter.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

High School Pick: Famous

Famous
by Todd Strasser
Simon & Schuster
2011
259 pages

Timely, poignant, brutally honest and rife with in-your-face social commentary about America's need for celebrity gossip, Famous will resonate with teen readers.

Jamie Gordon always wanted to take pictures; she is really good with her camera and her boyfriend Nasim thinks she is truly talented. In a chance encounter, Jamie just happens to be at the right place at the right time with her camera ready. She gets candid shots of a famous super-model slapping her son in a coffee shop and sells them to a tabloid for more money than most teens will ever see--"just for taking some pictures."

When the chance of a lifetime occurs, Jamie finds herself in L.A. shadowing America's hottest Hollywood sweetheart Willow Twine--who has been in a bit of trouble lately. Willow is dating a rock star of questionable background and morals, she's been in trouble with the law, and now movie studios are seeing her as more of a financial risk than box office gold (sound familiar?) When Jamie discovers some shots in her camera that she didn't take--photos that will ruin Willow's career but make Jamie famous--she is torn. Does she ruin a teen dream or take the money and run?

Avy is Jamie's friend in New York. He has dreams of becoming a super-hot mega star model/actor in Hollywood. He sells everything he owns and gets a cheap apartment in L.A. Avy soon finds out that shedding a few pounds is not the answer to fame in a town known for devouring thousands of young hopefuls each year. Avy makes crucial mistakes and falls in with the wrong crowd scene. Readers will like Avy--his naivete, his vulnerability, and his ulitmate defeat will have readers' empathy.

Strasser has captured the illusory celebrity lifestyle and pampered existence of young Hollywood. The novel's ominous tone is apparent from the opening pages and savvy readers will guess what will happen to Jamie, Willow, and Avy, but they may just be surprised!

Highly, highly recommended grades 9-up. Typical Hollywood behavior that you might read about in tabloids: drug use, partying, underage drinking, sex.

FTC Required disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Middle School Pick

I So Don't Do Mysteries
by Barrie Summy

Scholastic, 2008.

264 pages

A really funny take on the traditional ghost story, this novel has readers laughing out loud at Sheri's (short for Sherlock) antics. She's a fashion diva with a hilarious sense of humor and a penchant for understatement. When she meets her mother's ghost--no kidding...her mother needs Sheri's help with a mystery in California...Sheri tries to say no. Eventually she ends up relenting and flies to California for a "vacation" with her best friend and elderly aunt. While her aunt takes care of a sick friend, Sheri locates her ghost mother and grandfather--who is now a bird in the afterlife. With their help, Sheri is out to solve the mystery of who is trying to kill the rhinos at the wild animal park and why.

Quirky, funny and appealing, this novel is a fun read for anyone who enjoys a mystery with just a little ghost story thrown in the mix.

Recommended for YA collections, grades 6-up.