Scary Stories for Young Foxes: The City

by Christian McKay Heidicker

I'm so sad this series is over! All the magic of the first book, with lots of wonderful new characters to love, and lots of references to our old friends, Mia and Uly. Just like the first, much of the suspense of this book comes from trying to guess who the storyteller is. This one was a wonderful and emotional reveal at the end that I won't soon forget. 
 

House Arrest

by K.A. Holt

Timothy stole a stranger's wallet, and now he's on probation and in really big trouble. His life changed so fast. One minute, he and his mom and dad had a happy little family with a baby on the way. The next minute, they find out the baby is sick, the dad bails, and it's just Timothy, his mom, Levi, and a home health care worker. He only stole the wallet to help pay for Levi's medical bills, but that doesn't change anything. His probation officer and his therapist make him keep a journal, which is the story we're reading. This is a gut-wrenching novel, full of heart and sadness and hope and love and disappointment and all the feelings! 

 

When Stars are Scattered

 

by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

The only reason I picked this up was because I heard so many glowing reviews--I'm not really a graphic novel person, and I'm ashamed to say the subject matter didn't really sound all that riveting at first glance. Boy, was I wrong.

A true story, told by Omar, a young boy growing up in a Somali refugee camp in Kenya. His parents casualties of a war-torn country, he and his brother are sent to live in the camps and given a sort of surrogate mother to watch after them. Hassan has special needs, so when Omar is offered the rare opportunity to go to school, he's torn about leaving his brother who depends on him. That's just one of the gut-wrenching, inspiring, and unbelievable stories this book has to tell. I loved this. Not be be hyperbolic, but this one could easily go into the "life-changing" category.

Hide and Seeker

 

by Daka Hermon

Last year, Justin's friend Zee disappeared, right around the same time Justin's mom passed away. Now he lives with his big sister, and is dealing with the fact that Zee is back, but not the same. There's something deeply troubling about him, but everyone says to just give him time. When Zee's mom has a get-together at her house, she invites the neighborhood kids, and hopes that it will help Zee. But all he does is start screaming random rhymes at them, some of which seem like threats, and some like warnings. The next day, one of the neighborhood girls has gone missing, and even stranger things begin happening to the group of friends. Could the disappearances have something to do with their casual game of Hide and Seek? And could Justin be the next to disappear?

I loved this truly creepy tale that takes an innocent kids' game and turns it on its head. The author isn't afraid to go to dark places, while keeping it safely in the realm of middle grade. The characters are relatable, and the plot moves quickly. I will definitely keep this in mind to recommend to lots of kids, and it would make a great read aloud!

Orbiting Jupiter

by Gary D. Schmidt

It's been a long time since I've found myself wiping tears at the end of a book. Gary D. Schmidt is a genius, and this is a beautiful, sad, haunting story, that as a public educator, I find all too familiar. Sixth grader Jack lives with him mom and dad on a farm in Maine. His parents decide to foster an eighth grader named Joseph. All anyone seems to know about him is that he has a daughter, and that he tried to kill his teacher. Joseph won't speak to Jack. He flinches when anyone tries to touch him, and he cries out in his sleep. The beauty in this story is watching Jack and his family slowly break through Joseph's shell by loving him so much he basically has no choice. It's hard to tell any more of the plot without spoilers. Just read it. It will only take an hour or two, but if it doesn't melt your heart, you might not have one.

The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away

by Ronald L. Smith

Simon is really interested in aliens. He's also terrified of aliens. Then on a camping trip with his family, he sees an owl, blacks out, and wakes up with what he believes is an implant in his stomach. When he shares this with his family, they of course don't believe him, and take him to a therapist, who basically gives him a bunch of pills to fix his problems. In between the chapters about Simon, there are chapters of a "novel" that he is writing, which was really hard for me to connect with, and I found myself skimming over. The ending is rushed, and you're left just sort of shocked that the book is over, and that was it. I hate to say it, but what a waste of a beautiful cover.

Dry

by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Alyssa has been living under water restrictions in Southern California ever since she can remember, but then one day, the taps actually go dry. FEMA is more concerned about a different natural disaster on the other side of the country, so government help is coming in slow. It doesn't take long for the true nature of Alyssa's neighbors to come out as everyone is struggling to just stay alive for one more day. What's scary about this book is how fast the characters reach a critical situation. Within a matter of days people are dying, and not just from dehydration. The domino effect of having no water and how the Shustermans play that out is interesting. Unfortunately the multiple point of view technique didn't really work here. I had a hard time distinguishing between characters, often having to go back to the beginning of each chapter to remind myself who was talking. Interesting, and a quick read, but not Shusterman's best.

The Dogs

by Allan Stratton

Cameron's mom lives in fear that her ex-husband will find them someday and cause them harm. Cameron was so young when they got divorced that he wonders if his mom is over-exaggerating his father's potential for violence. He's not allowed to see him or talk to him, and the older he gets, the more Cameron resents his mom, and the situation. After weeks of seeing a car parked in front of their home, she decides they need to move. Again. She rents an old farm house in the middle of nowhere. Their landlord is the creepy old man who lives one farm over. And then, Cameron begins to see the boy whenever he closes his eyes. Who is this boy in the coonskin cap, and what does he want with Cameron?

I absolutely loved this quiet little thriller! A middle grade mystery with a believable premise, some actual scary moments, and characters readers can connect with? Yes, please!

Hey, Kiddo

by Jarrett Krosoczka

This couldn't have been an easy book to write. Jarrett's childhood is truly tragic on so many levels. The image of him curled up asleep in front of his grandparents' bedroom door because he was afraid was absolutely heartbreaking. As is often the case in situations like this, the "good guys" in the child's life may not be what others would consider to be positive influences. His portrayal of his grandmother, while mostly flattering, also gives an honest depiction of her darker side that sort of explains why this family is what it is. Kroscoczka doesn't seem to pull any punches. It was a hard story for me to read, and as much as I try, I struggle with a graphic format and it dragged a bit at times. But this book isn't for me. It's for the kids (lots of them) who are living this way right now. It's for the ones who might think they don't have a chance to escape their circumstances. And I love that it's a story told in pictures, which might make the message a bit more accessible to some kids.

Thunderhead

by Neal Shusterman

Wow! It's very rare that a sequel measures up to the first in a series, and it almost NEVER surpasses it, but this one most definitely did. So much so that it almost feels like Scythe is truly just a set up so that he could tell this part of the story. I'll steer clear of plot summaries to avoid Scythe spoilers. I'll just say that if you liked Scythe even a little bit, you have to add this one to the list.

Scythe

by Neal Shusterman

In the future, no one dies. Disease has been eliminated, and bodies mangled in accidents can be fixed with a short hospital stay. But there's not enough room for everyone on this planet, so somebody has to go. Enter the Scythes, people trained to kill at random for the good of the world. They are mysterious, feared and respected, almost god-like. When Citra and Rowan are chosen to be a Scythe's apprentice, they are both reluctant to take the job, but know that it would be best for their families. As they learn "the art of taking a life," they also learn that the "perfect" world in which they live is actually far from it. Lots of twists and turns and exciting action make this a winner!

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.

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.

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.

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?

The Empty Grave

by Jonathan Stroud

With a deep sigh, I say good bye to this amazing series. Stroud kept the quality of all five books consistently engaging, which is no easy task. Every book in this series has one major mystery the crew needs to solve. This one, in addition to that, manages to also wrap up the biggest mystery of all. That's right. We get to find out what started the Problem. And it's no lame cop-out of an ending, either. A fantastic conclusion to one of my favorite book series of all time.


Lucy, Lockwood, George, Holly, and last but not least, Skull...a sad farewell!

Zero Day

by Jan Gangsei

Addie, the daughter of a governor, is kidnapped from the governor's mansion while playing hide and seek with her friend Darrow. Eight years later, her father is the President of the United States, and Addie mysteriously reappears. At first, family and friends are joyful, but as bits of Addie's past are revealed, it becomes clear that Addie isn't the scared little kidnap victim she appears to be. I thought the plot moved along nicely, and it was an interesting story...until the end. Loose ends, a cliffhanger, and real head-scratcher is what you're left with.

The Borden Murders

by Sarah Miller

Anyone who knows me at all knows I have a bit of an obsession with true crime, and this murder is one of the most famous unsolved cases in history. I really didn't know much about the story before reading this book, but I always sort of assumed Lizzie did it. Now I'm not so sure. The author did a great job keeping her own ideas out of the mix. The examination was completely impartial to either side, and at the end, you're really left still scratching your head. Unfortunately there's just not that much verifiable information on the case that has survived, so it felt a little like the author was stretching for material. The best part of the book was the end, as the author described Lizzie's life after the trial. She truly was a strange woman, and the Bordens were an unusual family. Did she do it? Maybe. But the results of the trial were fair. There was in no way enough evidence to convict her.

The Creeping Shadow

by Jonathan Stroud

After leaving Lockwood & Co. at the end of The Hollow Boy, Lucy finds herself freelancing for different agencies around the city. Her life is sort of sad. The skull is basically her only friend. She works, eats, sleeps. Until one day, Lockwood appears at her door with a proposition for her. Penelope Fittes needs Lucy's listening skills, and would like to hire them all to work an especially gruesome case. The Ealing Cannibal brings the group back together, at least temporarily, but when someone starts stealing relics, Lockwood & Co. needs to keep working as a team to find out who, and more importantly, why.

I just can't get enough of these books. The fact that I'm frantically turning pages in fear for these characters I've come to love so much, and laughing at the same time, is just a great reading experience.

And the cliffhanger on this one! AHHHH!