Awaken

How is it that Meg Cabot made a death deity with a surly attitude who lives in the Underworld so appealing? I mean as I get ready to go back to work, she makes me long for a chance to work next to John Hayden ferrying souls to their final resting place, Furies and all. I guess I am a sucker for tall, dark and brooding in my fictional boy way. This is the final leg of the Abandon Trilogy. Pierce has discovered that she must stay with John in the Underworld but she is still being hunted by the Furies. This puts everyone she loves in danger so she has to figure out a way to save her family and still do her duties as the Queen Consort to John. Pierce has a great cast of characters around her: Kayla, Frank, Mr. Liu, Mr. Graves, Henry and even her Dad. They all band together along with a few newly dead souls to drive the Furies away from the island and lure the Fates back. She has to take on Thanatos, her grandmother and a crazy cemetery worker in order to save all she loves, including John. Pierce really comes into her own as she has to manage things without John for a while. She's grown into the perfect partner for John. The book is filled with adventure, Greek mythology and lots of laughs as John and his gang try to understand what the heck Pierce and her family are talking about, after all they are from another time. This was a happy ending to a great series that wrapped up all the loose ends. One, two, three blink!  Happy reading my friends!

This is What Happy Looks Like

How is it possible that my two favorite books so far this summer both have a red-headed, father issues, main character named Eleanor??  If you want to know what happy looks like, it's this book. What would you do if you got an email that was sent to the wrong person and wound up really liking the sender? What if you told him things you had never told anyone, except your biggest secret? And what if he showed up in your little town to find you? And how about if he turned out to be Graham Larking, teen mega star? Ellie can't believe the boy she has been emailing is a movie star. And unlike most other girls, she isn't pleased. See, she needs to stay out of the spotlight as she is the illegitimate daughter of a state senator. But the pull of her connection to Graham is more than she can resist and they embark on a summer romance that puts both of them in the public eye. Graham is a great character. He is kind, introspective and willing to go to any length to keep Ellie safe and happy. Ellie is a strong, smart, determined girl who is unimpressed with Graham's stardom. Can they make it work in a world of instant news and celebrity obsession? Loved this book and can't wait to share it with my new students in a few weeks. As for Graham- definite top ten fictional boy material and Ellie is a definite No Did. So here's to what happy looks like for you and happy reading my friends!

SYLO

Tucker is the average high school football player. He lives on an island in Maine and tries to stay out of the spotlight. When the star football player drops dead in the middle of the game, Tucker's life takes a crazy turn. The island is put on quarantine under mysterious circumstances. More strange deaths occur. Tucker is approached by a shady stranger who offers him some "ruby" promising it will make him faster, stronger and a star athlete. Tucker takes some and realizes it must be the stuff that had killed Marcus. He and his best friend Quinn are suspicious about the strange things they are starting to see. Unidentifiable aircraft that emit musical tones and vaporize all in their past. People being rounded up, hunted down and killed. And Granger, the leader of the SYLO team sent to contain the island. Even his parents seem to be up to something. Tucker and his friends decide to try and sneak off the island and make a break for the mainland, but meet with tragic consequences. Who are SYLO? What side are they on? Can he trust his parents? Who is really fighting who? More questions than answers in this first of the series. D.J. MacHale has created a scary world, scary because it is all too possible. If you want a novel with lots of twists and turns and unanswered questions- this is the perfect summer read for you. Happy reading my friends!

I Hunt Killers

Jazz doesn't have the best role models in his life. His mom is gone, his grandma is beyond crazy and his dad is no longer around. But that is a good thing since Jazz's father is Billy Dent, the most prolific serial killer of all time. And Bill has raised Jazz in his image. Jazz knows the mind of serial killers because he was trained by the best. When a body turns up in his town, Jazz just knows something is up and he is determined to catch this new killer. He is the most qualified to do this as the new serial killer is copying his father's crimes. Jazz must convince the Sheriff to let him help so that the body count doesn't get any higher. Jazz and his friends Howie, a hemophiliac and Connie, his girlfriend sneak around the murder investigations trying to find clues. Little does Jazz know that the Impressionist is also watching him. Jazz struggles with the knowledge that he may be just like his dad and he constantly does tests to check his humanity. He knows he's a moment away from becoming just what his dad wants, a chip off the old block. This book is a lot like the series Dexter if Dexter had never murdered anyone. Jazz is both a likable and terrifying character. You are never sure what he is going to do, because he isn't sure what he is going to do. The murder scenes are a bit gruesome so this isn't for everyone, but is such an interesting psychological study of manipulation I couldn't put it down. (But I like gruesome) The end of the book is pretty scary and leads into the sequel called Game where I'm sure Jazz will be tested further. Happy reading my friends!

far far away

Once upon a time, there was a lonely boy, a headstrong girl and and ancient ghost. Then something bad happens  and someone must be saved. Will they live happily ever after? Jeremy Johnson Johnson is a strange boy in a town called Never Better. He hears voices. His father won't leave the house. They run a bookstore with only 1 book in it. He doesn't have any friends. Ginger is a free spirited trouble maker. She takes a bite of magical cake and falls for Jeremy. His ghostly friend, who happens to be Jacob Grimm, one of the Grimm brothers of fairy tale fame, thinks she's trouble. He is trying to protect Jeremy from the Finder of Occasions who is out to do harm to Jeremy. Only one problem, Jacob doesn't know who it is. As Jeremy and Ginger try to navigate a judgmental town, they are driven to befriend the town baker. Big mistake. When they find themselves locked in the baker's dungeon, they must figure out a way to survive and Jacob must face down his own past to save him. As Grimm fairy tales go, you can't always expect a happy ending. Sometimes the good guys lose and the monsters live happily ever after. This was a lovely book with an enchanting ghost that had me shedding a tear at the end. Happy ever after reading my friends and avoid the bakery if you see the green smoke. Just sayin' !

Return to Exile

Sky and his Uncle Phineas shared a special bond. Phineas taught Sky important life skills like puzzle solving, how to lay a trap, botany and reading about fake  monsters. Sky loves his Uncle but doesn't understand what these lessons have to do with anything. Phineas is his only friend and when he disappears on the night of Sky's birthday, Sky knows something is wrong. The family heads back to Exile where Phineas's mansion is. Only Phineas isn't there. And something is on the loose in Exile. Sky realizes all the lessons were for a reason and he has to find a way to stop a monster prison from being opened and save his uncle. But he can't do it alone. He teams up with other who share his strange abilities and they begin a quest to solve a riddle, lock up a prison and save a man they all know and love. In a world of shape shifters, edgewalkers and changelings, it is almost impossible to know who to trust and even harder to know if the face they are wearing are their own. It is a race to the finish to keep the monsters from escaping the prison and being let loose on the world. This book is filled with puzzles, traps, adventures and many gruesome monster battles. Sky is an endearing character who wants to make friends, save his family and the world while he's at it. Happy reading my friends!

Ingenue

Any book that has the word 'mustachioed' in it is okay by me. In fact it's swell! This is the second book in the Flappers series where the reader is transported to the 20's when girls were starting to take control of their lives amid gangsters, dancing and prohibition. It follows the lives of four girls. Gloria- a debutante on the run for murder with her black boyfriend-scandolous on so many levels. Clara- a reformed flapper back in the city with her boyfriend Marcus- trying to stay on the straight and narrow. Lorraine- a troublemaker messed up with the mob, looking for revenge on Gloria. And Vera- an African American girl trying to find her brother before the mob assassin finds him. Sounds interesting eh? The girls each face scandal, fear and societies stereotypes as they make their way through the speakeasies and back alleys of NYC. There is intrigue, drama and more than one love story in this easy to read series. It is such a great time period that isn't typical in YA literature. Jillian Larkin lures you in through the secret entrances and passwords to a time of glamour and danger. If this interests you, start with Vixen and brush up on your Charleston. The dames are waiting.Thanks again JP for introducing me to this fun series! Happy reading my friends!