Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters

by Natalie Standiford

The Sullivan girls have a love/hate relationship with their grandmother. For one thing, they call her Almighty, because that's how she behaves. She declares that the entire family has been written out of her substantial will because someone has offended her, and she won't reinstate them until the guilty party confesses. Each girl thinks it MUST be her, and what follows is the story of the sins of each sister--always a juicy read!

You get three stories in one with this book. It's funny, fresh, and touching. If you like The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (one of my faves) you'll enjoy this novel with strong female voices and an ending that will make you cry laughing!

The Grimm Legacy

by Polly Shulman

Summary: When Elizabeth's teacher recommends her for a part-time job as a page at the New York Circulating Material Repository, it doesn't take long for her to realize that this is no ordinary place. Rare and amazing things are stored there, like Marie Antionette's wig, and lucky patrons may borrow these items. After earning the trust of the librarians, she is given a code (a silly little song), and a key (which actually looks nothing at all like a key) that leads to the Grimm Collection. As in the Brothers Grimm. And guess what's there? All of the magical items from the fairy tales! Snow White's mirror, the shoes of the Twelve Dancing Maidens, and so much more. But items have started to disappear. The other pages are all pointing their fingers at each other, but they have to work together to solve the mystery.

My thoughts: I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book! Like I haven't loved a book in a long time. I finished it almost all in one sitting, and only put it down (reluctantly) because I had to go somewhere! This is exactly the kind of book I would have loved in middle school. You'll be swept away by the magic in the Grimm Collection!

The Poison Diaries

by Maryrose Wood

Jessamine's father is an apothecary (sort of an old-school pharmacist). She's become quite gifted at growing and handling his plants, but there is a locked section of the garden that he will not even let her enter. It's where he keeps the poisonous plants, and he seems afraid even at the mere mention of her entering. She respects his wishes, but one day, a young man who is extremely gifted with plants himself, is dropped off at their house and left in their care. Weed has a secret, and as he reveals pieces of the mystery to Jessamine, they fall in love. What does Weed know about the poison garden? Can he be trusted, or is he simply too dangerous for Jessamine to love?

What an interesting concept! The idea for this book came from an actual poison garden kept by the Duchess of Northumberland in England. To tell you what makes this story different would give too much away.

The Christopher Killer

by Alane Ferguson Cameron's dad is the county coroner, and she can't wait to follow in his footsteps. Her dream is to be a forensic pathologist, and she convinces him to hire her on as his part-time assistant. Unfortunately, her first case, and first autopsy, turn out to be on her friend Rachel, who is brutally murdered right after Cameron starts her job. She's the victim of a serial killer, who leaves a St. Christopher medal as his calling card on all of his victims.

This is a fast read, with some twists and turns that will keep you guessing about the killer's real identity. It's sort of like CSI. What happens isn't always realistic, but it is entertaining!

Before I Fall

by Lauren Oliver 

This novel opens with Samantha, her friends, and a horrible accident. Then Samantha wakes up. At first she thinks the accident was a terrible dream, but as she goes through her day, her horror grows. She has already lived this day. At first she thinks shes going crazy, but when she wakes the next day, and the next, and she takes the same tests, and has the same conversations, she realizes it's not all in her head. Each redo of the day, while similar to the last, is subject to change, based on her decisions and actions. Samantha and her friends are basically shallow, selfish, popular girls, who care little about the feelings of others. Reliving the same events over and over makes her see things in a different way. The author is able to show how Samantha comes to realize how awful she's been without sounding preachy, and keeps you guessing to the very end about whether or not Samantha actually survived the accident. The endless plot twists, and the unguessable outcome will drive you crazy until you finish! This is the most engaging, suspenseful book I've read in a long time. It's rare that you come to care so much about characters you hate in a book, but it happens here. You WILL NOT like these girls. Not. One. Bit. But you'll love them all the same. A note: this is a high school book, so look for it at the public library or bookstore.