Twice Bitten

Twice Bitten

by Chloe Neill

The third book in the Chicagoland Vampire Series finds Merit finally reconciling her vampire self with her former human self and her personal life with her professional one.

Of course, that kind of thing is never easy and having to do it while shape-shifters gather in Chicago for a huge meeting makes it all the more difficult.

Cadogan House, of which Merit is the Sentinel, has been asked to help out with the event and keep order if things get hairy... literally.  It's the first time vamps have been involved in shifter politics and many of the shifters are not as welcoming as Merit would like.

Compound that with a dalliance with the Master of the House and a visit from that same Master's old flame, and things are just "peachy" for Merit, thank you very much.

What else can go wrong?  

Oh... yeah... The invitation for Merit to the super-secret Red Guard that wants her to join them.  They're kind of like the Internal Affairs department of the vamp world and joining them would mean turning against her House and her oh-so-sexy Master if things get ugly.

Should be a cinch!

Final thoughts:  Ok.  I've become an addict.  And waiting until May 2011 for the 4th book may very well drive me insane.  At least I've got the first book in her new series to keep me company while I wait.  As a happy bonus, this was the first book I read on my new Kindle and, except for the fact that bouncing back and forth to read the best parts is much more complicated, I'm liking it.

Rating: 5/5

Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation

Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation

by Matt Myklusch

For the last eleven years, Jack has been raised at St. Barnaby's Home for the Hopeless, Abandoned, Forgotten, and Lost ("Crushing the spirit of childhood since 1898").  He was found on the doorstep with the name "Jack" on the cradle and no last name.  So now Jack is Jack Blank, victim of bullies and evil teachers everywhere.

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But Jack isn't a wimp and he's not one to let the daily grind of extra chores get him down.  On a day when the rest of the orphanage is going on a field trip to Mount Dismoor Maximum Security Prison, Jack chooses to hide out in the library with his secret stash of comic books.  Of course, he couldn't go on the field trip even if he wanted to (which he doesn't) because he seems to always make mechanical things stop working, so he's been banned from riding the bus.

Basically, Jack is trapped at the orphanage and is usually pretty bored.

All of that changes on this field trip day when a Robo-Zombie that Jack has only ever seen in his comic books appears and tries to kill him.  Soon after that, another man shows up and tells Jack that he doesn't belong at the orphanage and he is taking him to Imagine Nation, where all his comic book stories are true and almost anything can happen.

Unfortunately, instead of a happy reunion with people just like him, Jack is discovered to have been unknowingly harboring an enemy and now there are many who want him dead, including the Robo-Zombie.

Can Jack find out who and what he is before it's too late?

Final thoughts:  This is a fun read and a definite story for boys who love comic books.  The whole land of Imagine Nation is carefully crafted and easy to see in the mind's eye.  If you have boys around who need a little push to get reading "real books", this is just what you need.

Rating: 5/5

Friday Night Bites

Friday Night Bites

by Chloe Neill

Just two months after unwillingly becoming a vampire, Merit is moving into Cadogan House to live with her fellow vamps and be closer to the person she's supposed to guard: the deliciously gorgeous Master, Ethan Sullivan (a.k.a. Darth Sullivan).

There's definite chemistry between her and her boss, but there's also chemistry with the new head of Navarre House, Morgan.  So now Merit has a dangerous choice to make: date the boss or date the leader of the House that could be a real danger to the boss.  Of course, they're both gorgeous, so that doesn't help/hurt at all.

In addition, there's been some talk of "raves" taking place where vamps drink humans straight from the vein, and where not all humans make it out alive.  And a little bird has warned the vamps that a new human reporter is looking into the story and threatening to publish an exposé.  Definitely not good for vamp publicity.

Worse for Merit is the fact that she knows the upstart journalist, so now she has to go back into that world of the rich and privileged, a world she ran from years ago, and get them to trust her so that she can help Ethan stop the story.

And to top it all off, the vamp Merit almost staked to a dusty end was released and is out to get a little revenge.

Nah!  Being a vampire isn't hard at all...

Final thoughts: Quick, fun read.  Merit's snark and the reactions of those around her are so spot-on fun that people can't help but side with her and wish others would just lighten up a bit.  Great sequel to Some Girls Bite.  I'm so running out to get book 3.

Rating:  5/5

Among the Ghosts

Among the Ghosts 

by Amber Benson

Noleen's mother died minutes after she was born and her father is always gone on research missions, so Noh's never really had a regular childhood.  Now that she's about to start at New Newbridge Academy, she's going to have to use that unusual childhood for unusual things.

It seems that New Newbridge is filled with ghosts.  They are all over the place.  They've died from bees stings, horse-riding accidents, fires, chopped off fingers, and more.  And it turns out that Noh can see them.

It's as new and surprising to the ghosts as it is to Noh.  But just as she's making new friends, they are disappearing.

Can Noh solve the mystery before they all reach the light?

Final thoughts:  While I love Amber Benson the actress, I can't say much about the author.  The writing was choppy and often felt as if it was written as a stream-of-consciousness attempt.  There just wasn't a cohesive story that made any sense.  The ending hints that this is the start of a series, but if the writing doesn't improve, I don't see it going far.

Rating: 1/5

One Night that Changes Everything

One Night that Changes Everything

by Lauren Barnholdt

It's the weekend and Eliza's parents are out of town, so what does Eliza do?  She spends all night following the instructions of the secret high school club that is holding her personal notebook of fears hostage until they feel she's punished for ratting out her ex and possibly preventing him from getting into a college he doesn't even want to attend.

Seriously.

Months after breaking it off with Cooper after finding out he dated her as part of an initiation into a secret high school prank group called the 318s, Eliza is forced to perform tasks reflecting the secret fears that she had been putting in her purple notebook since the seventh grade.

She now has to somehow complete the tasks before they post the notebook online and share her secrets with everyone.  And some of those secrets are better left unknown.

Final thoughts: This was a really good read about how fear can stop a person from doing things that could really be fun, while also showing how scary high schoolers and the Internet can be nowadays.  I loved Eliza's POV, but would have loved it more if she'd been able to see the obviousness of some of the things around her a little earlier in the narrative.

Rating: 4/5

Distant Waves : A Novel of the Titanic

Distant Waves : A Novel of the Titanic

by Suzanne Weyn

Jane Taylor was never in what might be called a "normal" family.  Her mother is a professed medium whom many believe can contact the dead and let them speak through her.  Her older sister, Mimi, is an non-believer who can't be in the same room during séances because she's always rolling her eyes.  Her younger twin sisters have a strange bond in which one seems to have the predictions, but can't talk, and the other talks for both.  And her youngest sister just wants to get out of their crazy town and live the high life.

Of course, it's not really a normal time.  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle writes about Sherlock Holmes and believes that all spiritualists are real.  Harry Houdini works to demonstrate that all spiritualists are frauds.  And Nikola Tesla is running around experimenting with electricity, vibrations, and time travel.

Unfortunately, all the spirits in the universe can't stop events from leading to one of the biggest maritime disasters in history.  And nothing can stop Jane and her sisters from being there to witness it all first-hand.

Final thoughts:  This is a poorly written piece of historical fiction.  The pacing keeps changing from slow to rushed to slow again and it often feels like a high school research paper gone horribly wrong.  Reading it is like witnessing Weyn's personal discoveries.  Ooh!  Tesla did this cool stuff, let's make him central.  Here's some interesting things about spiritualists of the day; I'll mix those in.  Houdini and Doyle would be great to have as cameos and it will prove I've done tons of research!  

Only read if you can read it for free.  (Though I will admit that the cover is hauntingly beautiful.)

Rating: 2/5

Justin Fisher Declares War

Justin Fisher Declares War

by James Preller

In third grade, Justin slipped and fell in the cafetorium, dumping spaghetti all over himself.  At that moment, he knew he had a choice to make: be embarrassed and slink off to be laughed at OR turn it into a joke and make himself the class clown.

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He's not wearing the costume, but two years later and he's still clowning around.  Or, at least he thinks he is.

After two years of constantly trying to top himself in the funny department, he's gone too far the other way and now he's become the jerk of the school.  And when his newest teacher refuses to put up with it, Justin declares war, even if the teacher doesn't know it yet.

Now Justin must figure out how to become the funniest clown on campus without losing the few friends he has left and getting suspended in the process.

Final thoughts:  It's a simple, quick read that's a good story, especially for kids who seem to have a problem understanding the difference between things that are funny and things that are hurtful.

Rating: 4/5

The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book

by Neil Gaiman

Nobody Owens does not exist in the same world as everyone else.  He's in that in-between.  He's human, raised by ghosts in a graveyard and he can do many of the things that ghosts can do.

He can fade to invisibility, inspire fear, and walk dreams.

He can also get into trouble, have problems with his homework, get kidnapped by ghouls, and get rescued by werewolves.  So he's still just like any normal boy.

And he's in danger.

His parents were murdered because of him and their murderer is trying to find him to finish the job.

Final thoughts:  Starting out at the scene of a triple murder can be a jolting way to start a book that ended up being the Hugo Award and Newbery Award winner for 2009.  Bod's story is well-told and fascinating.  I find myself worried about him as he heads off into the world, but also sure that he will make the most out of life, especially since he's spent so much time around death.

Rating: 5/5

Mockingjay

Mockingjay

by Suzanne Collins

When Katniss and Peeta threatened to eat the poisonous berries at the end of the 74th Annual Hunger Games, thereby forcing the Capitol to hastily change its own rules, they unknowingly threw themselves and all of Panem into a revolution.

Now, less than a year later, and after the Quarter Quell, which forced Katniss, Peeta, and other victors to relive the Hunger Games in all its gory details, Katniss is the Mockingjay: the figurehead for the fight being led by District 13, which had been thought to have been completely obliterated 75 years before.

With Peeta captured, District 12 in ruins, and physical, mental, and emotional trauma, Katniss must somehow find her own strength and help lead the revolutionaries back to the Capitol for the final battle.

And no matter how many troops surround her or where she goes to hide, it's obvious that people are after her, her family, and everyone she cares about.  Can she save everyone she loves without dying in the process?

Final thoughts:  Wow.  Really... Wow.  For those who thought Stephenie Meyer had just too much of a happy ending where everyone's futures were rosy in Breaking Dawn, this book will satisfy.  The final book in the trilogy is not happy.  It's not a feel-good book.  This will NOT make you smile with satisfaction that everyone got what they deserved in the end.  While technically sci-fi, this is a completely realistic final chapter that will leave people in shock and awe that Collins would so brazenly do what she did.

Rating: 5/5

Uninvited

Uninvited

by Amanda Marrone

It's been months since Jordan's ex-boyfriend's funeral and Jordan still can't get him off her mind.

Of course, that may be because he still comes to visit her each night, sitting in the tree by her window, begging for her to invite him in so that they can be together.

The undead are just stalkery that way.

So now Jordan is trapped in her own home from sunset to sunrise.  She lays on her bed, gets drunk, and listens to her vampire-ex all night long as he tries new ways to get her to open the window and let him in.

But things are finally coming to a point where Jordan's going to have to make a choice.  Break up with him and make it stick this time... or open the window and let him in.

Final thoughts:  Marrone's books are OK.  That's about it.  They are bits of fluff.  I think the reason I keep picking them up is the covers and the blurbs.  They always look and sound more exciting than they really are.  In this one, the author keeps having Jordan think/say things like she's got issues with crowds, shyness, people staring at her, but then she's also supposed to be hard-core into drinking, recreational drugs, and sleeping around.  But no matter how much Jordan tells you she's these things, it's impossible to believe.  Not credible at all.

Rating: 2/5

Revealers

Revealers

by Amanda Marrone

Jules and her friends have been killing supernatural creatures since they were thirteen.  Now, as they near their eighteenth birthdays, they are finally becoming full members of the coven and being told the secrets that have been handed down for 300 years.

Unfortunately, some secrets are better left unsaid.  And things in the coven aren't as safe as the young witches thought they were.

The good work they've been doing night after night over the last years may not have been what they believed.

Now, as the secrets are being revealed to each girl on her birthday, the realization comes that there has to be a change.

And as the youngest and last to know, Jules is also the only person who may be able to stop it all.

Final thoughts: The book itself wasn't so bad.  It's cult-y paperback at best.  My main complaint actually has more to do with the current trend in the supernatural genre.  Author/book bashing.  Marrone's books may never have gotten published if it wasn't for a certain 100-year-old vamp and his true love in the rainiest town, yet here is another book that mocks that story and its sequels.  Really?  There seem to be quite a few vamp novels out there that mention Meyer by name and mock her books, while also being published simply because the public hungers for more vamp novels.  The bite-the-hand-that-made-your-career-possible angle is a little annoying.  I know Meyer isn't the best author out there, but give it a rest, already.

Rating: 2/5

A Kiss in Time

A Kiss in Time

by Alex Flinn

Talia was always told to stay away from spindles.  All of the spindles in Euphrasia had been destroyed shortly after the curse of the witch Malvolia.  But anyone who's read the tale of Sleeping Beauty knows that you can't escape destiny... 

So, just hours before her sixteenth birthday, Talia finally escapes her constant, 24/7 escorts and finds the only spindle for miles around.  Though hardly her fault (destiny, remember!?!  and the fact that she'd never seen a spindle before), her father blames her after she's awakened 300 years later by a commoner who stumbled through the giant thorny hedges surrounding the kingdom.

Instead of being the obedient girl she's always been, she runs off with Jack, her "true love", whether he wants her around or not, and the two begin the trip back to his life in Miami.  

But things are never that easy.

Jack has problems relating to his family almost as Talia has problems with her's.  And Malvolia doesn't accept the terms of this awakening, especially since Jack and Talia don't much like each other, let alone love each other enough to satisfy the curse.

Now Talia must find a way to fall in love with Jack and get him to love her back before Malvolia finds her with another spindle.

Final thoughts:  I loved Beastly, but this was just too much of a stretch.  Where Beastly had a solid story and believable characters going for it, this was just a shoddy attempt to re-do the formula of the modern-day retelling.  It's too bad because I really was rooting for this one to work out.

Rating: 2/5

Justin Case : School, Drool, and Other Daily Disasters

Justin Case : 

School, Drool, and Other Daily Disasters

by Rachel Vail

Third grade is starting and Justin is very nervous about it.

Of course, Justin is nervous about pretty much everything: dogs, the boiler, the Way-Back of the basement, nighttime attackers, teachers, classmates, the principal's office, saying something stupid, reading out loud, times tables... 

It doesn't help that Justin's first day of school is ruined when he's pulled from the class with the nice teacher and all of his friends and put into a completely different class with the scary kids.  It doesn't help that he's got an almost unpronounceable last name, which the other kids change to "Case" as in "Just-in-Case".  It doesn't help that his many stuffed animals are staging a revolution on his bed.  It doesn't help that his sister, who is going into kindergarten, is much braver than he.  It doesn't help that his dad keeps signing him up for sports when he's not athletic and his mom signs him up for violin, which he can't play.  And it doesn't help that his favorite stuffed animal has gone missing.

All these things and many more stress him out to exhaustion.  And now his only real goal is to survive third grade.

But is it possible when everything is so very scary?

Final thoughts:  I love the format of the daily journal and the author has some clever things going.  (i.e. Justin's supposed to say "No, thank you" instead of "hate" whenever he's offered something he doesn't want, so for the remainder of the book he "No, thank you's" everything like math, gym, climbing ropes, etc...).  Now, I'm interested to see how Justin gets through fourth grade.

Rating: 4/5

Some Girls Bite

Some Girls Bite

by Chloe Neill

Merit had it all planned out.  She was going to finish her graduate dissertation and then teach romantic medieval literature.  She would eventually find the perfect guy and she would stay away from her jerk of a father as often as possible.  It was a good plan.

But plans change.

Plans change when she walks across the campus at night and is attacked by one vampire, then "saved" by another.  If forcing her to become a vampire herself can be called saving.

So now she's a creature of the night.  

But it's not so bad.  She still eats regular food, hangs out with friends, and gets some free time.  It's just that pesky need for blood every few days that's the real problem.  And the allergy to sunlight.  And the Master of the House that she is supposed to swear an oath to within the week.  (She's supposed to call him "Liege"!!  How medieval can you get!)  

There are some bonuses.  Extra strength and agility, the right to carry a sword around, super healing, and the Master of the House that she is supposed to swear an oath to within the week. (Did I mention that he's super hot and really really really likes Merit?)

Things are never simple, especially for Merit.  And especially not when there's a vampire murdering girls who look a lot like Merit and then planting evidence about all of the vampire houses in Chicago.

Nope.  This vampire thing ain't easy.

Final thoughts:  I'm normally a YA girl, but a few of the blogs I follow promoted the Chicagoland Vampires series, so I figured I'd give it a try.  Totally worth it.  Merit is believable (as believable as a vampire can be) and funny.  Her friends are awesome.  And her family has both good and bad.  The romantic tension between Merit and her many admirers is almost palpable.  Well worth the read.

Rating: 5/5

Triskellion 2: The Burning

Triskellion 2: The Burning

by Will Peterson

The danger has passed.  After all the supernatural weirdness with ancient burials, mysterious strangers, live television archeology shows, and the strange behavior of bees, twins Rachel and Adam are finally going home with their mother to New York.

Except, they aren't.

Instead of heading to the airport, the helicopter takes them to The Hope Project, and they are drugged and trapped in a "research" facility.  Their mother is also taken, and the twins have little choice but to comply for the time being.

Fortunately, their mysterious friend, Gabriel, is still in contact with them and he helps them begin a journey that will take them to foreign lands where they will meet other twins like themselves.  Twins with abilities that even they cannot imagine.  Twins who help Gabriel to find the others of his kind who have visited for centuries.

Can the mystery be solved before the twins are reclaimed by The Hope Project?  And will they ever figure out who the other person is who seems to be tracking them?

Final thoughts:  Great second book.  It continues the story, adds new ideas, and leads to an amazing conclusion that bodes well for book 3.

Rating: 4/5

I Write Like...

So, I submitted one of my blog entries to I Write Like and got this...  

I write like
Bram Stoker

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Interesting.  And I've never even read Dracula.

Linger

Linger

by Maggie Stiefvater

After Sam's last conversion from wolf back to human, everything changed.  He's changed.  He's not changing anymore.  He and Grace seem to have found the cure and now he never has to worry about being a wolf again.  He never has to worry about being away from Grace again.

But things never end up happily ever after.

Now Sam must deal with the newest werewolf, Cole, who seems determined to either be a wolf forever or die trying.  There is also Isabel, who has her own issues.  And Isabel's dad, who thinks that wolf hunting seasons and licenses are only for those who don't have the money to buy off the town officials.

And there's Grace.

Grace, who is the love of Sam's life.  Grace, who is his soul mate.  Grace, who is sick and won't let anyone help her.  Grace, whose only comfort is the woods, where she feels safe, even as the other wolves surround her.

Can Sam and Grace really have a life together when everything conspires to tear them apart?

Final thoughts:  Excellent sequel to Shiver.  It continues the story with a new tangent and makes us hungry for the third book.  

Rating: 5/5

Misty Gordon and the Mystery of the Ghost Pirates

Misty Gordon and the Mystery of the Ghost Pirates

by Kim Kennedy

Misty's family has always been a little odd and Misty has been forced to live with that fact all of her life.  Her parents are estate dealers.  Basically, they check obituaries every day and then go to the homes of the recently departed to buy off their stuff for cheap and sell it at their Dearly Departed Antiques Store in town.

It's not something they do to get rich.  There's really no money in the business at all.  And because they are so broke, Misty has been forced to accept these hand-me-downs from the dead whenever she's needed something new.  Her room is a mishmash of furniture from dead people.  Her clothes aren't much better.

When the town's psychic finally kicks the bucket, Misty rides with her dad to the house to pick up some of the odds and ends... Mostly odds.

There's a strange vanity that locks when it feels like it.  A diary that attacks people who try to read it.  And a pair of glasses that can see more than the normal, average, everyday kind.   

With her new possessions, Misty also finds out the secrets of her town and its oldest citizens.  

Now she and her friend, Yoshi, must find the hidden treasure of a band of pirates and keep it from their descendants, or the whole town could be destroyed.

Final thoughts:  There were some really good moments in this book.  However, they were really just moments.  The author has a good idea, but not a great style.  The end just seemed to be crammed in without a lot of thought.  I had to re-read a few passages over to try and clarify things because they went by so fast.

Rating: 3/5

Wildwing

Wildwing

by Emily Whitman

Addy is the bastard child of a seamstress and no one, not even her mother, will let her forget it.  When she goes to school, she is bullied by her wealthier classmates.  When she's at home, she's told to remember her place and keep her mouth shut.

After yet another "incident" in which she loses her temper, her mother has decided that enough is enough.  She's to work for the town's eccentric inventor as his daily maid.  No longer allowed to go to school, she is forced to clean his house, make meals, and keep things in order.

But Addy never has been much of a rule-follower.  When she goes into the library that has been locked for years, she discovers not only dust and spiderwebs, but an elevator that goes through time.

Tired of being forced to live a life that she does not want, she steps into the elevator and goes back to medieval England where she's mistaken for the betrothed Lady of the local Lord.

It takes time and a lot of effort, but Addy feels like she's finally found her place in the world... and the one she's meant to be with.  Unfortunately, her soul mate isn't the Lord of the land; he's the falconer.  And now Addy has a choice to make.

Marry a man she does not love and live in the time she feels most at home, or leave forever to avoid being near her love without being able to be with him.

Final thoughts:  It takes a few pages to get into it, but once in, it's hard to let go.  While some of the choices Addy makes seem a little convenient, overall the story is good.

Rating: 4/5

Book Blogger Hop

Jennifer at Crazy for Books has a great idea for sharing ideas and thoughts about book blogging.  She's created the Book Blogger Hop.  The rules are simple and the sites are great, so if you blog about books, seriously think about signing up.  If you don't blog, well now you've got a great resource for book info!

The book I'm most itching to get my hands on is Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.  I can't wait to see how The Hunger Games series finishes out.  Second most itchy book is Linger, the sequel to Shiver.

Stolen

Stolen

by Lucy Christopher

Gemma was just trying to get something to drink at the airport before boarding the plane with her parents.  She just needed a few minutes away from them.  Just a few minutes to be by herself.

And then she wasn't.

He was there.

And through a little clever talking, some preparation, and some drugs in her coffee, he took her.

Now she's trapped in the middle of the Australian desert with this man who seems to know her far too well and she has nowhere to go.  It's just the two of them and the open desert for miles.

All he wants is for her to love him.

All she wants is to get away.

Final thoughts:  This is Gemma's letter to her captor, so it's written in first person.  It takes a little getting used to, but the story is very much worth it.  It's a powerful tale of the effects of Stockholm Syndrome on the victim, and even on the kidnapper.  Well worth the read.

Rating: 4/5

Abby Carnelia's One & Only Magical Power

Abby Carnelia's One & Only Magical Power

by David Pogue

One day, while making a salad and realizing that she was missing an earring, Abby Carnelia discovered that she was special.  Not in that way that all parents thinks their kids are special.  No.  Really, really special.

Abby can spin hard-boiled eggs.  Only hard-boiled eggs.  Only clockwise.  And only if she tugs on both ears at the same time.

Ok.  So it's not much of a trick.  But it is magic... right?

So Abby's parents send her to a new magic camp that's opened up for the summer.  There, Abby discovers the tricks of magic and the fact that she's not alone.  There are others like her.  And people are looking for them.

Can Abby figure out the truth about her power and the people searching for people like her before it's too late?

Final thoughts:  Clever premise.  I enjoyed reading about Abby and her discoveries.  My only complaint with this was that the book's narrator is a writer for the New York Times (no, really, the author is), but the writing itself is stilted and awkward, as if Abby (in 7th grade) had written it instead.  I wish it could have flowed a little better.

Rating: 4/5

The Exile of Gigi Lane

The Exile of Gigi Lane

by Adrienne Maria Vrettos

I'm Gigi Lane and you wish you were me.

Gigi has known since she was seven that she was destined to be popular.  It was just a natural progression for her.  She's got well-off parents, is great with adults, and knows how to look good.

She also knows what everyone else is doing wrong and isn't afraid to tell them.  And now that she's in line to be the next Head Hottie to rule the school, she'll have the perfect platform to be the most popular and share her wealth of knowledge with everyone around her (whether they want her to or not).

But things go horribly wrong at the Founder's Ball when she's called out for being the "mean girl" that she is in front of everyone, and they all agree.  She's sent to Alaska for the summer only to return and find herself in a new role.

Exile.

She's not welcome anywhere at school, but still has to go there.

Can the former mean girl reform herself before her senior year is over?

Final thoughts:  I read it in one day and enjoyed it, but then kept coming back to things.  While Gigi changes, she doesn't really change much.  In the end, she still has her mean girl tendencies and an insane desire to be popular, which, going what she went through, doesn't seem grounded in reality.  But Gigi isn't really grounded in reality.  She's set up her own world in her head based on how she thinks things should be: not how they actually are.  And the whole exile to Alaska just seems placed there to explain why she's out of the loop on the first day of school, not to help her learn anything.  It's nice to see the mean girl get her comeuppance, but it would be better if it were more realistic in the way it's done. 

Rating: 3/5

After All, You're Callie Boone

After All, You're Callie Boone

by Winnie Mack

Fifth grade is ending and summer is just beginning for 11 year-old Callie Boone.  Things are changing all around her.  While Callie wants to keep things the way they are, her "friend" doesn't and abandons her without telling her why.

Now Callie is facing her first summer without her best friend, without sleepovers, and without someone to hang with during the long, boring days.

Instead, she's looking at a summer of being stuck at home with her daytime TV addict of a grandma, her uncle and his ferrets, her 3 year-old brother (who's not yet potty trained), her 15 year-old brother (who's got a potty mouth), and not much else.

That is, until Hoot moves in on her block and things change radically.

But is Callie ready to change with them?

Final thoughts: This is a nice, safe read about friendships and growing up.  Callie is faced with some hard choices and she reacts like many 11 year-olds.  She can be angry and temperamental, but also very generous.  A nice coming-of-age story for the elementary/middle school girl.

Rating: 4/5

Sleepless

Sleepless

by Thomas Fahy

It starts with the dreams.

Then waking in a place completely different than where they went to sleep.

Then the newscasts saying that someone else is dead.

Someone else who died the same way they were killed in the dreams.

Something is going on in this sleepy town.  And no one can rest (literally) until they figure it out.

Will they be able to stop the murders?

Will they be next?

Final thoughts:  Spooky cover, but not much follow-through.  The premise was interesting; however, there were too many redirecting attempts and flashbacks.  This is reason!  No... That!  He is the killer!  No... Her!  Very confusing.  Sure to be in theaters soon, though.

Rating: 2/5