Miles From Ordinary

by Carol Lynch Williams

Lacey lives alone with her mother, and at 13, has far too much to deal with. Her mentally unstable mother isn't able to hold a job, or maintain a relationship, even with her own sister. Lacey's social life has suffered, and she longs for friends and a normal life. When her mom gets a job at the Winn Dixie grocery store, Lacey hopes that maybe this time things will be different. Unfortunately her mom runs away from work and disappears, leading Lacey on a frantic search. This mom is so crazy that you're terrified for Lacey the whole time you're reading. There is definitely suspense to the very end of this short, intense read.

I really like this author, and this was a great book, but I don't think it was as good as The Chosen One. If you like real-life drama, and/or sad stories, this is the book for you.

Cryer's Cross

by Lisa McMann

Nothing exciting ever happens in Kendall's small farming town, Cryer's Cross, until one of her classmates mysteriously disappears around the same time new kid Jacian moves in. The cops question angry, brooding, Jacian, but no one can prove he was involved in the girl's disappearance. Life starts to go back to normal for Kendall, but then her boyfriend, Nico, starts to act strange. When he also goes missing, the town goes on lockdown, and Kendall finds herself forced to spend more time with Jacian. Maybe he's not as bad as she thought. But then there are those voices she keeps hearing in her head. They sound like Nico. What secret is Cryer's Cross hiding?

I read this really quickly--I was dying to know what happened, but when I finally got to the end, I must say it was kind of disappointing. A quick, fun, pretty scary read, but it will leave you sort of scratching your head. I didn't quite get the answers I was looking for.