Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library

Title: Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library
Author: Chris Grabenstein
Pages: 288
Content: G
Language: G
Level: Upper Elem. Middle School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: Lucky Kyle wins a coveted spot to be one of the first 12 kids in the library for an overnight of fun, food, and lots and lots of games. But when morning comes, the doors remain locked. Kyle and the other winners must solve every clue and every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route. And the stakes are very high.   In this cross between Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and A Night in the Museum, Agatha Award winner Chris Grabenstein uses rib-tickling humor to create the perfect tale for his quirky characters. Old fans and new readers will become enthralled with the crafty twists and turns of this ultimate library experience.

Review: LOVED this book!  So fun!  Lots of twists and turns, and excitement.   Loved all the references to Literary Works and realized there were a few I need to read!  Kids who like mystery, games, excitement, fun, puzzles, etc.  will love this book!!  GREAT book!

Miles From Ordinary

Title: Miles From Ordinary
Author: Carol Lynch Williams
Pages: 197
Language: PG
Content: PG
Level: Middle/High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: Thirteen-year-old Lacey wakes to a beautiful summer morning excited to begin her new job at the library, just as her mother is supposed to start work at the grocery store. Lacey hopes that her mother's ghosts have finally been laid to rest; after all, she seems so much better these days, and they really do need the money. But as the hours tick by and memories come flooding back, a day full of hope spins terrifyingly out of control...

Review: With nearly the entire book taking place in basically just one day, Lacey pulls on our heart strings.  It was an emotional story and found myself feeling sorry for Lacey and her situation. Williams really got inside the mind of this girl. A haunting story about a girl fighting an uphill battle.

Tokyo Heist

Title: Tokyo Heist
Author: Diana Renn
Pages: 364
Content: PG
Language: PG
Level: Upper Middle/High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: The perfect mystery for fans of Ally Carter's Heist Society. When sixteen-year-old Violet agrees to spend the summer with her father, an up-and-coming artist in Seattle, she has no idea what she's walking into. Her father's newest clients, the Yamada family, are the victims of a high-profile art robbery: van Gogh sketches have been stolen from their home, and, until they can produce the corresponding painting, everyone's lives are in danger—including Violet's and her father's.  Violet's search for the missing van Gogh takes her from the Seattle Art Museum, to the yakuza-infested streets of Tokyo, to a secluded inn in Kyoto. As the mystery thickens, Violet's not sure whom she can trust. But she knows one thing: she has to solve the mystery—before it's too late.

Review: Refreshingly clean!  Great book for kids who love Manga or mystery!  Twists and turns in the plot keep the reader guessing.  Well written and fun to read.

Wish You Were Eyre

Title: Wish You Were Eyre
Series: Mother Daughter Book Club
Author: Heather Vogel Frederick
Pages: 442
Content: PG
Language: PG
Level: High School/Upper Middle
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary:  It’s a dream come true for Megan, who’s jet-setting to Paris for Fashion Week with Gigi. Meanwhile, back in Concord, Mrs. Wong decides to run for mayor, so Emma and Stewart team up to make her campaign a success. Jess and Cassidy are also hoping for victories, Jess in the a cappella finals with the MadriGals and Cassidy in the national hockey championships with her teammates. In the midst of it all, the girls—along with their Wyoming pen pals, who drop in for a visit over Spring Break—dive into Charlotte Brontë’s classic Jane Eyre. Some real life romance follows, as Becca may have found a Mr. Rochester of her own. 

Review: I read this book without reading the previous books in the series.  I was surprised to find that I wasn't lost in the stories, but more background on the characters would have been helpful.  (I will soon be reading the rest of the series...starting with #1).  Fun characters, with problems teens can relate to helped move the story along.  I love all the references to classic literature...and find myself wishing I had more time to read some of the great classics like the girls in this book club do. 

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

Title: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Pages: 272
Content: G
Language: PG
Level: Middle/High School
Recommendation: VERY Good Read

Summary: Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything? Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row. A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Review: I truly enjoyed everything about this book.  Good language, good content, good story!  It is crazy to see how much of one's life can be shared while on a 7 hour flight to London.  There are many underlying themes to this book that come through conversation!  It was a delight to find a book that's content was suitable for all students.  Thank you Jennifer Smith!

Illiminated

Title: Illuminated
Author: Erica Orloff
Pages: 244
Content: PG/PG13 (barely)
Language: G
Level: High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: Some loves are not made to last . . . Like Romeo and Juliet, Heloise and Abelard were doomed from the start, and their romance was destined to pass into history. Yet when sixteen-year-old Callie Martin discovers a diary hidden within an antique book, their story - and hers - takes on another life. For the diary leads Callie to the brilliant and handsome August, who is just as mysterious as the secret the diary hides. Their attraction is undeniable. As the two hunt down the truth behind the diary - and that of Heloise and Abelard's ancient romance - their romance becomes all-consuming. But Callie knows it can't last . . . love never does. Will their love that burns as bright as a shooting star flame out, or will these star-crossed lovers be able to defy history?

Review:  As far as teen reads are concerned, this was a nice switch from the dystopian, doom and gloom genre!  Based around rare manuscripts, this "love story" is full of discovery - both for the mystery Callie is trying to unravel, as well as her self.  A quick, enjoyable, easy read for teens.