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!