Nemesis

by Brendan Reichs

Every other year, on her birthday, Min is murdered by a man in a black suit. It's always a horrible, painful death, but each time, she wakes up unscathed. She takes crazy pills, goes to therapy, and tries to overcome the fact that no one seems to believe this is really happening to her. But then she realizes that she might not be the only one suffering from this strange experience. As she digs deeper, she begins to uncover long-buried secrets that might get her killed. For real this time.

This is a fast-paced thriller with lots going for it. You'll really want to know what's going on with Black Suit. Min is a fun character--much more believable than a lot of female protagonists in this type of YA fiction these days.

Long Way Down

by Jason Reynolds

Will's brother Shawn has just been murdered. He thinks he knows who did it, so he gets his own gun, steels himself to do what needs to be done (revenge is the rule in his neighborhood), and gets on an elevator. As the car goes down, he's joined by people he once knew. When they were alive. Each visitor clues him in to something he didn't know about his family, his neighborhood, himself.

I'm late to the Jason Reynolds party. I know, I know. And now I know what all the hype is about. Beautifully written text and a compelling story with a timely message. What's not to love?

I listened to this on Overdrive, and Mr. Reynolds himself provides the narration. He has a beautiful voice--I highly recommend the audio version.

One of Us is Lying

by Karen McManus

An unlikely matchup of high school kids all get detention on the same day for the same infraction--having cell phones in their backpacks. Simon, who runs a tell-all app that exposes the darkest secrets of his classmates, ends up dead. It has to be someone who was in the room, so who has the most to hide?

This was a pretty fun read, with a decent amount of twists and turns. I had a hard time differentiating the voices of the characters at times, though. And even though I'm not so great at figuring out mysteries, I knew who the killer was long before the reveal. Still, I think the intended audience will love all the high school drama.

The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked & Found

by Martin W. Sandler

I'm sort of obsessed with Cape Cod. So when I saw the Dallas Museum of Art had a $5 lecture last month about the recovery of the Whydah off the coast of Provincetown, I had to go check it out. It was amazing. THE VERY NEXT DAY, someone turned in this book at our library, and it ended up in my hands. (I guess I forgot about buying it!) Of course, I had to read it! The guy who did the talk at the DMA, Chris Macort, is even in some of the pictures!

I can't wait to share this with you guys next year when
you come to check out nonfiction. The Whydah (pronounced wid-dah), originally a slave ship, had already dropped off its human cargo and traded it for jewelry, gold, and more, before Black Sam Bellamy captured it. Then he proceeded to load it up with all sorts of goodies from other vessels. Then he stupidly trusted a guy that he had recently captured to lead them to safety in a storm, and ended up at the bottom of the ocean. Sandler gives us lots of info on pirate culture and breaks up some common myths. The last third of the book is about the recovery and conservation efforts, which are fascinating. (JFK Jr. was on the first dive team in the 80's!)

Informational, interesting, and a great length for middle school history buffs.

Aru Shah and the End of Time

by Roshani Chokshi

Aru Shah is a little sassy. When her mother tells her never to light the lamp in the Hall of Ancient Indian Art and Culture where they both work, Aru, of course, doesn't listen. She's determined to impress some jerks from her middle school, but accidentally awakens the Sleeper, which could be the end of the world as we know it. Oops! Apparently she is the reincarnation of one of the legendary Pandava brothers, and it's up to her and her (previously unbeknownst to her) sister Mini to, well, save the world. Chokshi has taken Hindu mythology and added her own brand of humor and charm to create this winning middle grade mystery.

Dreaming Dangerous

by Lauren DeStefano

Every night, Plum dreams with her three best friends. They live at Brassmere Academy, which is basically an orphanage for children with extra special abilities. As their dreams begin to get weird, and Artem, one of Plum's friends and dream partners, disappears, she begins to realize that Brassmere Academy, and the people who run it, may not be what they seem.

This is a short little book. You could easily read it cover to cover in an  hour or two. The writing is lovely, but the story is just okay.

Darkdeep

by Ally Condie and Brendan Reichs

I was able to get an advanced copy of this book--it doesn't even have a real cover yet! Early buzz is calling this Goonies meets Stranger Things, and that's a pretty good description, as those shows are clearly part of the story's inspiration. However, Darkdeep is original enough to nod to those children of the 80's and still maintain its own original storyline. A la Goonies, there's a bully who kicks off the chain of events. Mean dude Logan intentionally crashes Nico's drone off the edge of a cliff into Still Cove, a notoriously spooky place. When Nico goes after it, he stumbles upon a weird abandoned houseboat, with a swirling, dark pool of water below deck. The kids soon realize that the pool has secret--one that could destroy their entire town if they can't figure out how to stop it.

You guys will LOVE the nonstop action. The cliffhanger ending will absolutely drive readers crazy as they wait for the next installment.

Elizabeth and Zenobia

by Jessica Miller

Elizabeth is sort of a sad little girl. No mom, and a dad who seems to care more about his career than his only daughter. She does have a friend, Zenobia, but unfortunately no one else seems to be able to see her. When Elizabeth's father moves them to Witheringe House, his childhood home, Zenobia is fascinated by its history, and wants to explore places that are forbidden, hold seances, and basically get Elizabeth into trouble.

I agree with other reviewers who advise to skip reading the description of this book. Part of the fun for me was finding out what mystery the east wing held. If you read the intro, unfortunately you basically already know.

I enjoyed the sassy Zenobia character, and the little mystery from Elizabeth's father's past.

This is our Story

by Ashley Elston

Five rich, handsome, private school senior boys go out hunting. One of them fires a shot into Grant, killing him instantly. The gun that killed Grant was his own shotgun, which they had all handled earlier in the day. It's covered in all of their fingerprints. The boys all say it's an accident, but as facts unfold, it becomes increasingly clear that's not the case. They get expelled from their fancy pants school, and have to slum it in public school while the investigation is in progress.

Kate works for the DA's office part time, and attends the public high school. She's tasked with helping the DA process some of the case information. He trusts her with sensitive info about the case, but she has a little secret. She'd been texting Grant for the past few weeks, and was totally falling for him. She tries really hard to make sure her emotions don't jeopardize the case, but you know how that goes...

OHHHH, the twist in the middle of this one! What a great little mystery! Kate is spunky and relatable. The boys are so easy to picture. Don't we all know a few dudes like the River Point Boys? The plot is tightly structured--very little fluff keeps the pace moving quickly. The resolution isn't earth-shattering, but it's satisfying. I really liked this one!

Steelheart

by Brandon Sanderson

When a new moon descends out of nowhere, certain humans begin to exhibit unusual powers and abilities. Unfortunately, most of the people, known as Epics, choose to use their new powers for evil and personal gain. At the beginning of the crisis, David's father believes that good Epics will rise up against the bad ones, and he thinks Steelheart could be the hero they're looking for. David and his dad have misfortune of being trapped in a bank that is being attacked by Epics. David's dad saves Steelheart's life, but is then killed by Steelheart. But the bullet from David's father's gun grazes Steelheart, and he bleeds. David now knows Steelheart is vulnerable. Fast forward several years, and the Epic problem is worse. David is an expert on them. He wants to kill Steelheart, and he thinks joining a group called the Reckoners will do it. But will the Reckoners want his help?

His Royal Whiskers

by Sam Gayton

In this creative fairy-tale adventure, an evil, selfish, bloodthirsty czar rules the land of Petrossia with an iron fist. His six-year-old son and only heir, Alexander, has been turned into a kitten. The czar's henchman inform him that it's all the fault of Alexander's two friends, Pieter and Teresa. Pieter is an Abadabacus, a master mathemagician employed by the czar. Teresa, described as a "Spice Monkey," is a servant who swings from ropes collecting ingredients for the kitchen staff. But Teresa isn't all that she seems. She's been dabbling in alchemy, and it will take her, Pieter, and a whole lot of magic to convince the czar to keep their heads attached to their bodies. Puns, wordplay, and footnotes keep readers on their toes. What is lacking in character development is made up with numerous plot twists and unpredictable outcomes.

The Hazel Wood

by Melissa Albert

Alice and her mother Ella are as close as can be, mostly because it seems they can only rely on each other. They're plagued by a lifetime of terrible luck, and it only gets worse when they find out Ella's mother, Althea, has passed away at her home, the Hazel Wood. Alice has never met Althea, and Ella doesn't really speak of her. All Alice knows is that Althea was the author of Tales from the Hinterland, a book of dark fairy tales that has developed a creepy cult following. When Ella is kidnapped, Alice is determined to find her, and knows it must have something to do with the Hinterland. She soon meets Ellery Finch, a Hinterland groupie, and lets him help her against her better judgment. Can they navigate this dark world to find Ella and make it out alive?

I love all things fairy tale, and magical realism, and creepy stuff, so this one checked a lot of boxes for me! I think it's a pretty original concept, which is difficult to do in the fairy tale genre. The "twist," while not altogether shocking, was satisfying. Alice's bitter musings were a little over the top, and I'm truly surprised this is a YA novel.. As a middle school librarian, I read a lot of those, and this has a distinctly adult vibe, not because of content, but because of the way the characters speak and interact.

All in all, I enjoyed this different, dark, and edgy tale!

*This is a high school book, so it isn't in our library, but you can find it at the public library or bookstore!