YA Pick Things I Should Have Known

Things I Should Have Known *
by Claire LaZabnik
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
2017
311 pages
ISBN: 9780544829695


What a breath of fresh air! Things I Should Have Known is that rare YA novel that stands out among all the dystopian novels, magical realism (?) novels, urban fiction, vampire/zombie/werewolf/witch paranormal novels, and sweet romantic tales. This novel has not only heart but SOUL, strength and brains!

From the outside looking in, Chloe Mitchell has it all. She's blond, pretty, popular, smart and dating the most handsome jock in school. Girls want to be her, boys want to date her. Chloe's sister Ivy is twenty and is on the autism spectrum. The girls' mother is remarried to Ron, a guy Chloe tries to "tolerate." Chloe's mother tries hard at pleasing everyone which quite simply pleases no one.

When Ivy begins to show an interest in finding a boyfriend of her own, Chloe thinks it is a fine idea and even gives Ivy a makeover. Chloe drives Ivy to her date with Ethan, a boy in her class. Ethan's brother David drove him to the date. Chloe sees DAVID and realizes that she is stuck making small talk with him while her sister and Ethan have their date. Chloe knows David from high school and hates him. He is rude and mean to her. He belittles her for dating James. David' s dry wit and sarcasm will win readers over early on.

Stuck together over several dates, Chloe begins to realize how adorable David truly is. He is sensitive, sweet, smart and a great brother to Ethan. Chloe starts to see all of her boyfriend James's shortcomings.

Things I Should Have Known is a sweet book about friendship, romance and sisters. Chloe, David, Ethan and Ivy are characters that readers will fall in love with. LaZebnik handles the subject of autism with grace, wit, and intelligence. It will open readers' eyes and hearts (I hope) to kids and adults like Ivy and Ethan. Cover art is mind blowing! The play on the title words is nothing short of brilliant. Kudos to the marketing design team.

If you read one YA novel this summer, Things I Should Have Known should be that novel!

Highly, highly recommended grade 9-up. Some mature content (heavy petting, innuendo) and mild profanity by today's standards.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.
*I hope I have not offended anyone by using the term autism or autism spectrum. This is an honest and helpful review that I hope shows my love of this book. No offense was intended.

YA Pick: Famous Last Words

Famous Last Words
by Katie Alender
Point
2014
320 pages
ISBN: 9780545639972

PRAISE FOR FAMOUS LAST WORDS (from the author's website)

 

“Gothic horror meets Hollywood glamour in this satisfying mystery-thriller with a supernatural twist.” ~ Booklist

 

“Romantic, suspenseful, and so L.A — Katie Alender spins palm trees and movie magic into a killer ghost story that will haunt your heart from first page to last.” ~ Margaret Stohl, NYT bestselling author of the Beautiful Creatures series

 

“This fun, creeptastic book is a thrill ride that kept me guessing until the last moment. Nobody does ghost stories like Katie Alender.” ~ Cynthia Hand, NYT bestselling author of the Unearthly series

“Gothic horror meets Hollywood glamour in this satisfying mystery-thriller with a supernatural twist.” ~ Booklist

 

“Teens will keep the lights on all night to finish reading, but leave them on, just in case.” ~ VOYA

 

“A compelling supernatural thriller.” ~ Kirkus Reviews

 

 

Spooky, supernatural, surreal, and sensational! Famous Last Words will have readers turning pages at breakneck speeds racing to find answers to the mystery and a string of lurid murders.

Willa and her mother have just moved to sunny California. She has a new step-father who just so happens to be a fancy Hollywood director and lives in a  McMansion  in sunny  California. The mansion is well-known in Hollywood as it was built by a once famous actress of yesteryear. Soon, Willa begins classes at a Hollywood high school with the sons and daughters of the  rich and famous.

Willa's real father died two years ago, and she feels responsible for his death. If only she hadn't had a fight with him, he might be alive today she thinks. She tries to contact her  father's spirit every night.

Jonathan, Willa's step-father, tells her about a notorious serial killer who has been striking fear in Hollywood. The Hollywood Killer--as he is known--always kills young, single, pretty wanna-be actresses. He stages each body in a pose from a scene in some famous Hollywood movie. 

Willa meets dark and mysterious Wyatt who has been following the Hollywood Killer case on his own. She accidentally picks up his notebook and sees notes about the killer. Why would Wyatt have such detailed notes? How does he know so much about the case? Only someone close to the killer or the killer himself could know all the things in that notebook. Willa decides to steer clear of Wyatt.

When Willa  starts getting strange visions and having nightmares, she pretends nothing is wrong.  Sometimes she hears water dripping in the house, but after checking all the faucets realizes that there is no water running. Strange warning words appear on the walls of the house, but no one but Willa can see them. Willa is afraid she's going insane, either that, or there's a ghost haunting the mansion.

The visions get worse and more frequent and Willa begins seeing death scenes of the Hollywood Killer's victims. She gets more and more information from each vision and is close to solving the case. The closer she gets to answers, the more dangerous it becomes.

Famous Last Words is an exciting YA read. Katie Alender just keeps getting better and better. She is one writer who can write a great ghost story!

Highly, highly recommended grade 7-up. No sex. Murder and serial killer.

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)

Mystery Pick: Turn Left at the Cow

Turn Left at the Cow
by Lisa Bullard
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing
2013
304 pages


Rife with witty repartee, Turn Left at the Cow is seriously entertaining! Middle grade readers will love sarcastic Travis and the acid tongue of Iz. Well developed characters and an old mystery will draw readers in and keep them reading. Lisa Bullard is spot on with her tween dialog and snarky sarcasm.

Set in rural Minnesota, city boy Travis feels out of it. There's no big city out here. There are cows. And dirt roads. And heads made out of butter. And all kinds of funky meat that's been in his grandmother's freezer for eons. The only reason Travis is in Minnesota at all is that he knows he's not wanted in California now that his mom has married Dale, his new step-dad.  Travis goes in search of his real father's roots, and runs away to his grandmother in "Old-McDonald ville."

Neighbor kids Kenny and Iz tell Travis that his father was a bank robber who stole money and hid it somewhere near the town before he disappeared. Travis wonders if his real father is alive. Maybe he went into hiding somewhere. Travis is desperate for answers and grills his grandmother for them. Speaking with her is like speaking to a brick wall; she doesn't want to tell him anything about his own father. Travis decides to go along with Kenny and Iz on their "treasure hunt." He wants to find the missing bank  money as badly as they do, hoping that it will give him answers about his presumed dead  father.

The unlikely trio start digging for clues  and are soon find themselves in danger. Someone else is looking for that money and that someone will do anything to find it first. Travis is questioned by the police when he shops at the local store. Someone is using marked money from the bank robbery, and the police think Travis found the money and is spending it. Why is that money suddenly showing up in town? Travis knows he didn't find the money, but just who did? And why are they spending it? To throw blame on Travis?

When Travis is threatened, the three kids work together to trap the real bank robber. Travis suspects his own grandmother may be involved, but he's afraid to confront her.

This book will resonate with middle grades and middle school readers and will entertain reluctant readers.

Highly, highly 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)