Book review: "No One Else Can Have You" by Kathleen Hale

Title: No One Else Can Have You
Author: Kathleen Hale
Publisher: HarperTeen, 2014

I have to admit, I was sold on this book when I saw the cover. It pretty much perfectly sums up the book's contents. I've read people comparing this book to Fargo, which I can't speak to since I haven't seen it, but from what I've read about it that's probably accurate. Personally I was reminded more of the movie Hot Fuzz while I was reading this.

Eighteen-year-old Ruth Fried is found brutally murdered in a cornfield, stuffed like a scarecrow and hanged from a tree, "like a buck on a basketball hoop" (p 43). This shakes up Friendship, Wisconsin, a small town where nothing bad ever happens. The local law enforcement is used to saving pets, not investigating murders. Everyone is pleasant and polite but not overly friendly or close. Eventually Ruth's boyfriend is incarcerated and charged with her murder, but once Ruth's mother gives Kippy, our narrator, Ruth's diary and she begins to read it, she starts thinking things don't add up. Especially when Ruth's brother Davey voices his doubts as well.

Kippy Bushman is incredibly awkward and naive. However, she is aware of this, which makes her kind of endearing. She knows she's got diarrhea of the mouth and does a lot of "blurting," a word Hale uses frequently, but her heart is in the right place. Even if she does tend to bite people sometimes. She begins nosing around, with Davey's help, and starts uncovering a lot of unsavory secrets her small town is hiding.

I'm not going to lie, things get pretty freaking bleak at a few points in this novel. At one point I wasn't sure how Kippy was even going to prove anything to the local law enforcement, considering they were feeling like the case was closed, mostly because of personal vendettas. God bless her, she keeps it up.

I loved a lot of the secondary characters, like the people in the Non-Violent Communication Group, especially Mildred the lunch lady. Unbalanced but completely willing to help (and break the law).

Basically this book is the whole package. There is a lot of awkward humor, a terrifying murder, a compelling mystery that keeps you guessing—I had my suspicions but they kept going back and forth—and great characters. I think I will be nominating this for a Morris Award, it is that good. I would recommend this for older teens as there is a lot of language, but boy howdy, if you're looking for a fun, gritty mystery full of small-town charm and terror, this is the one for you, you betcha.

Disclaimer: I got this book from my local library.

Book review: "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart

Title: We Were Liars
Author: E. Lockhart
Publisher: Delacorte Press, 2014

Note: This book will be published May 13, 2014 

I'm not even sure how to categorize this book. Everyone says it's better to go in not knowing anything, and that's probably the best way to read this book.

All you need to know about the plot is Cadence Sinclair Eastman is the first granddaughter of a very wealthy family (think Kennedy-esque minus the politics) on the East Coast of the U.S. She and her two first cousins, Johnny and Mirren, and Johnny's friend Gat spend their summers on Beechwood, a private island owned by their Granddad, along with their mothers and siblings. In summer fifteen, Cadence and Gat fall in love. In summer fifteen, Cadence's life changes forever.

After returning home to Burlington, VT, she can't remember most of summer fifteen--just that something terrible happened and caused her to end up at the small beach half underwater with a bad head injury that now causes her terrible migraines. When she goes is ready to rejoin her family on Beechwood for summer seventeen, she sets out to remember what happened.

So, here is my review. I started out not really liking Lockhart's prose very much. I felt it was overdone and too dramatic with the metaphors of Cadence's emotional and physical pain, and I think I still stand by that. I am not a fan. BUT I started to really get into the story, and I needed to find out what had happened two summers ago.

My favorite aspect by far was the fairy tales sprinkled throughout that are obviously meant to be parallels to the Sinclair family and Cadence's life. I thought they were really well written and well executed, and they reminded me of Anne Sexton's collection of poems, Transformations.

When I did finally finish, all I will say is that I kept thinking about this book for a good long time. I can't say it's my favorite, but it is very much worth reading. This is definitely a title to keep an eye on; I wouldn't be surprised if it garnered attention for some awards.

Disclaimer: I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My review of audiobook "Three Times Lucky" by Sheila Turnage is on The Broke and the Bookish

Title: Three Times Lucky
Author: Sheila Turnage
Publisher: Penguin Audio, 2012 (print available from Dial)
Narrator: Michal Friedman 

I really liked listening to this audiobook, the print version of which nabbed a Newbery Honor this year. Mo LoBeau, rising sixth grader and our narrator, finds herself and her small NC town of Tupelo Landing in the middle of a murder mystery that ends up being years in the making.

To see my full review, visit The Broke and the Bookish here.

Hint: I liked it! And the audio was really great.

Audiobook review: "Of Poseidon" by Anna Banks

Title: Of Poseidon
Author: Anna Banks
Publisher: AudioGO!, 2013 (print available from
Narrator: Rebecca Gibel 

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook, and I'm grateful to AudioSync for making it available for free for one week!

Emma, after meeting a strange boy named Galen and his twin sister Rayna, witnesses something horrific in the ocean in Florida. When she gets back home to New Jersey, all she wants is to forget what happened, but knows nothing will be the same for her again. Imagine her surprise when she sees Galen on the first day of school—and he's in all of her classes. Soon it becomes clear that Emma has a secret, though she doesn't even know what it is. And this secret may be the key to saving Galen's people.

Galen is Syrena, or as humans refer to them, a merman, and a Royal, no less. He knows Emma is Syrena too, and to make matters even more complicated, it looks as if she might have the gift of Poseidon, a gift that can save the Syrena race. But Galen must fight his growing attraction to her, since she must mate with his older brother to keep the peace between the two kingdoms of Syrena. Like I said, complicated.

There were a lot of things I liked about Of Poseidon and the world Banks has created. The Syrena culture is well thought out, and we learn about it as Emma does. I also liked the mystery surrounding Emma's parentage, since she grew up believing herself and her parents to be human. The romance didn't seem overdone to me, either. It's not love at first sight, though both Galen and Emma find themselves attracted to each other despite their best efforts. I was also pleased with the secondary characters, most notably Rayna, Toraf, and Rachel, who were fun to read about/listen to and added a lot of humor to the story.

The real kicker was the twist at the end. I kind of saw it coming, but not too far ahead of time, and the cliffhanger ending isn't too cliffhanger-y, if that makes se
nse. We know there is a second book, and we know the many questions and loose ends that will be addressed, but our MCs are not in any immediate danger or anything.

I thought Rebecca Gibel did a great job with the narration. She has a pleasant voice, I could distinguish each character easily, and she put the appropriate amount of emotion into the dialogue and Emma's inner monologue. I never felt it was over- or underacted. I would certainly listen to another book narrated by her.

I hope I can find a copy of Of Triton on audio soon, as I would love to continue listening to this story.

Disclosure: I got a copy of this audiobook through the free SYNC downloads this summer. Find this week's selections here!

Audiobook Review: "Sapphire Blue" by Kerstin Gier

Title: Sapphire Blue
Author: Kerstin Gier
Translator: Anthea Bell
Publisher: Macmillan Young Listeners, 2012 (print available from Henry Holt & Co.)
Narrator: Melisa Calin

After finding out she and not her cousin Charlotte is the carrier of her family's time travel gene, and the fallout of this discovery in Ruby Red, Gwyneth Shepherd is back in this second volume of the trilogy, which takes place immediately after the first in the series. Gwyneth continues her quick training, basically dance and history lessons so she'll fit in when she goes back in time with Gideon, the other carrier in her generation, and continues to try to understand what the heck is going on and why no one will answer any of her questions. Everyone seems to know something she doesn't, and everyone seems to be distrustful of her—not because of anything she's done, but because of what they think she will do in the future. Plus she's got this prophecy about being the raven and the ruby that she has no idea what to do with. So she begins to do some of her own detective work with her friend Leslie, and a wisecracking ghost of a gargoyle named Xemerius who does some spying for her, seeing as how no one can see him and he can walk through walls and all. (If you'll remember from Ruby Red, Gwyneth can see and talk to ghosts.) But will she be able to figure out the secrets that everyone is determined to keep from her, and other deeper, darker secrets, before she loses her own life?

Word to the wise, don't read this book unless you've read Ruby Red, because you will have absolutely no idea what's going on. I had a bit of trouble considering I hadn't read the first book for at least a year when I began listening to this one, although Gier did do a good job of inserting reminders and quick explanations without it being like the first chapter of the Babysitters' Club books and completely rehashing the story in a few pages.

I'm still struck with how brilliantly Anthea Bell did her translation. The humor is in full force, just like in the first volume, and there were very few if any phrases that didn't work. It makes me wonder what Gier's original German was like! I guess unless I learn German I'll never know, but Bell's translation is pretty fantastic anyway.

The action is back too, with plenty of still-unsolved mysteries and yet-to-be-revealed secrets. A few things come out here, but the tension has increased by the end of the book and the stakes have been raised. (Who is the nefarious Count St. Germain, and what does he want?) We know things could go really wrong for Gwyneth. Really, that's all you can ask for a second book in a trilogy, so I'm not disappointed. Certainly I'm looking forward to book three, Emerald Green, for the big reveals and finales. I have my own theory about a few things going on.

The one thing that really wasn't my favorite thing was the romance. I don't really get the whole Gideon/Gwyneth relationship, but to be fair, Gwyneth doesn't really know either. It's explained sort of by the end, but I wish he weren't so rotten to her when he decides he doesn't want to be her friend. I felt really bad for her and understood her confusion about him.

Melisa Calin was a decent choice for narrator. There were times when her English accent sounded strange to me, like she was actually putting on an accent, but I got used to it as the recording progressed. She did a good job of giving different voices to different people and I didn't really have a problem figuring out who was talking. I did, however, have trouble figuring out if Gwyneth was saying something out loud or thinking it, and I often had to relisten to portions because I wasn't sure if everyone else had heard what she said or if it was in her head. But that's more the issue of not having a clue within the text, and isn't really anyone's fault.

All in all, the audiobook of Sapphire Blue was a fun experience, and the book itself is a great continuation of the story. I am really eager to find out what happens in the final volume! (Hint hint: Anyone with a galley, I'd love to borrow it.)

Disclosure: I received this audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: "Seraphina" by Rachel Hartman

Title: Seraphina
Author: Rachel Hartman
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2012

You may have read some rave reviews of this high fantasy novel lately, and all of them were right. This is a wonderfully refreshing return to what fantasy should be, with a fully realized and well-constructed world and dynamite characters.

In Goredd, a tense peace exists between humans and dragons, the latter of whom can transform into human form. Seraphina, the new assistant to the royal music coordinator/conductor/composer, has the most dangerous secret she can have in this world: she is half dragon. Passing as fully human, she must hide what she is, something that is so unthinkable that humans and dragons alike cannot conceive that something like her can exist.

Right at the beginning of the novel, we discover a member of the royal family has been killed in a particularly draconian way. Because of her insight into dragonkind, taught to her by her tutor and relative Orma, she finds herself deep in the intrigue and conspiracy that follows the murder, all while trying to stave off visions and keeping the characters in these visions from driving her insane.

Set in a medieval fantasy world, Seraphina reminds me of the classic fantasy from days of old. It's not only incredibly well written, it seems to be very well researched as well. Hartman did her homework when it comes to instruments, tools, and other aspects of medieval life that she worked into Goredd and the countries surrounding it. I also found her construction of the religion of Goredd fascinating, though I'm not entirely sure I understand it—basically they worship a large number of saints and believe in Heaven, but no one deity. I'm hoping we learn more about it in the next book.

It's clear that dragonkind and humankind pitted up against each other is metaphorical for race relations in our world, and it works very well. Having to hide her parentage affects Seraphina in distressing ways, but it is inspiring and heartening to see how she handles it and uses it for herself and for her people. Again, I'm interested to see where Hartman takes this in the next installment.

Coupled with the carefully built world, we have a thrilling plot, mystery, and a bit of romance. Seraphina and Lucian Kiggs, the captain of the royal guard who is also a prince of the kingdom, investigate the murder of Kiggs's uncle, leading to some very dangerous situations. Seraphina also discovers things about her mother, dragon intrigue, and what she truly is a part of bit by bit through her visions and unexpected meetings at the palace. All through the book I wanted to find out who did what and what would happen next. I still want to know, since it's quite clear there will be a sequel, though the ending here is satisfying and no intense cliffhanger.

One note: There is a glossary and list of characters at the very end, which is nice to have. After reading through them, a few things were a bit clearer to me about the world.

Disclosure: I got this book from the library.

Review: "Since You're Leaving Anyway, Take Out the Trash" by Dixie Cash

Title: Since You're Leaving Anyway, Take Out the Trash
Author: Dixie Cash
Publisher: Avon (HarperCollins), 2004

Salt Lick, Texas is one of those small towns where everyone knows everyone else's business. But that's never stopped Debbie Sue or Edwina from being their raucous selves. Debbie Sue owns and operates the Styling Station, a salon that used to be a gas station, and works alongside Edwina. When Pearl Ann Carruthers, richest woman this side of Texas, is found shot in the head in her car, business really picks up—after all, gossip is the main reason people go to the salon, and with Debbie Sue's ex-husband being the sheriff, they figure she's bound to know something. And with a $50,000 cash reward for anyone who produces the killer, Debbie Sue and Edwina are determined to find the culprit themselves. If only Debbie Sue's ex would stay out of their way...

If you like mysteries, sassy ladies and Western fiction, this is the series for you. I had remembered seeing it a bookstore years ago and thought it sounded good, so I finally went out and got a copy. I'm so glad I did.

Debbie Sue and Edwina are what you'd call pistols. They don't watch their language or deal with any bull. They go straight to the point, and love to have fun despite financial worries or problems with their love lives. Yeah, this is a mystery, but the reason I loved this book is the characters and the romance. Plus it's just downright funny.

If you need some lighthearted mystery/romance with a Western kick, this is just what you're looking for. Also, I just finished the second book in the series, titled My Heart May Be Broken, but My Hair Still Looks Great, and it's possibly even better. I can't wait to get the third and fourth from the library.

Disclosure: I bought this book from Amazon.com.

Review: "The Name of This Book Is Secret" by Pseudonymous Bosch

Title: The Name of This Book Is Secret
Author: Pseudonymous Bosch
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company, 2007

Technically I guess I'm not supposed to tell you what this book is about. The narrator makes that very clear in the first chapter; this is a SECRET and s/he shouldn't even be TELLING us the story. But said narrator can't keep a secret, so there you go. Basically this is the story of how survivalist Cassandra (she is always prepared for a disaster, though to date she hasn't had to deal with a real one), along with unlikely collaborator Max-Ernest (classmate and aspiring comedian), wind up trying to crack they mystery of an Italian magician's suspicious death. Along the way they find out what synesthesia and alchemy are, and why they are connected. (Yeah, I don't know either.)

This is the kind of book that you have the be a specific kind of person to enjoy. I was not one of them. I didn't like how the narrator kept interrupting the story to talk about how s/he shouldn't be telling us this, s/he was stopping, whatever. I found it irritating. I also wasn't too thrilled about the plot itself. The mystery didn't really draw me in, and I found myself skimming the last 50 pages just so I could finish it. I don't think I'd have liked this when I was a kid, either, so it's not just me being a grown-up and not appreciating it because it was written for children.

I didn't particularly like the characters, either. Everyone seemed pretty flat to me, with personality traits thrown in here and there in an attempt to round them out. It just wasn't for me.

That said, readers who enjoyed The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart might enjoy this. There's a lot about codes and logic and puzzles, which can be really fun. I know that people must buy and read this series, since there are five of them now and the keep being published, so maybe I'm missing what makes this series special. *shrugs*

Disclosure: I bought this ebook from B&N.

Review: "The Name of the Star" by Maureen Johnson

Title: The Name of the Star
Author: Maureen Johnson
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2011

Rory is excited about spending her senior year at Wexford, a boarding school in London, instead of her hometown in Louisiana. It also happens to be right near where the Jack the Ripper murders occurred more than 120 years ago—and where they seem to be occurring again. Murders that are eerily similar to those committed by the Ripper are happening at the exact times and dates of the first murders, causing a morbid fascination and slight panic in the city. When Rory starts to see someone who no one else can, she thinks it's strange, but then he seems to be the prime suspect in the case—and she's his next target.

Let me just start this review by saying, every positive thing about this book you've read is dead on. This is one of the best books I've read in a while. I couldn't put it down once it started going and ended up going to bed at 4 in the morning. I don't remember the last time I actually stayed up to read a book, let alone finish one.

Setting is fantastic. I spent time in London when I was in school, so I was familiar with the places Johnson mentioned. And I really enjoyed the characters, especially Boo. She was so much fun.

Maureen Johnson writes excellent suspense, mystery and humor. I just love how great this whole thing was. I can't wait until the next Shades of London book comes out—I read the last sentence, going on to the next page for more only to be confronted with the acknowledgments. Which I did read, anyway, but MAN what a great way to end it. I'm so excited!

Review: "Shine" by Lauren Myracle

Title: Shine
Author: Lauren Myracle
Publisher: Abrams, 2011

Note: This title will be released May 1, 2011. That said, I've seen it for sale in stores, so who knows.

Cat hasn't spoken to her once best friend, Patrick, in years, ever since an incident that caused her to stop talking to pretty much everyone. But when Patrick, who has not made any efforts to hide his homosexuality in their small Appalachian town, is the victim of a brutal hate crime, Cat thinks she knows who did it. She also knows justice won't be served in Black Creek, and resolves to find the perpetrator at any cost. But as she digs, she's learning much more about her community and the people in it than she thought she would, in addition to having to revisit and start resolving what happened to her three years earlier.

Not for the faint of heart, Myracle gives us a true-to-life and bluntly honest look at life in rural Appalachia. Cat's town of Black Creek is a place of addiction, alcoholism, school drop-outs, and poverty. It's also a place of secrets, ones that most of the people in the small town want kept secret. The characters mostly want to sweep the unseemly parts of their lives swept under the proverbial rug, unless it's really juicy gossip they can share at church. But for those involved or affected, they usually just look the other way.

Cat has looked the other way for too long. After a sexual assault, which two members of her family witnessed and said nothing about, she has learned to block out the rest of the world. But as she tries to help a comatose Patrick, she begins to gain confidence and becomes what one character calls "fierce"—a term she is surprised to find she not only likes, but agrees with.

I loved how Myracle slowly reveals what happened in Cat's past and what is going on in Black Creek. Suspense is ever present, and once the momentum gets going, boy, does it really get going. Twists and turns are everywhere, and I was honestly surprised at how things progressed, though I did guess what happened a while before Cat did.

The foreshadowing is incredibly subtle, and I wondered at some points if it was too subtle, if certain character traits or plot points were so understated that they were underdeveloped. In the end I think they were realistic, making for a more believable story.

Myracle's writing is, as I said earlier, blunt. She does not shy away from domestic abuse, drug addiction, bullying, intolerance, or the results of a severe beating. Her vivid descriptions provide a clear setting and atmosphere for the story being told. She also writes in the vernacular, adding to the authenticity of the story.

The LGBTQ themes in the text are relevant and topical, providing readers with a look at how ugly intolerance and gay bashing can be, especially in a small town.

This is a great page-turner, full of suspense and mystery. Yet it is also a well-done portrait of a poor Appalachian town and community, burdened by deeply buried secrets and the fierce desire to keep them hidden.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this e-book from NetGalley.

A Christmas review: "The Christmas Mystery" by Jostein Gaarder

Merry Christmas to you all! Today I want to highlight a personal favorite, one that I reread this year and plan on reading every year. I also plan on reading it to my children.

Title: The Christmas Mystery
Author: Jostein Gaarder
Translator: Elizabeth Rokken
Illustrator: Rosemary Wells
Publisher: Moyer Bell, 1996; originally published in Norwegian under the title Julemysteriet, copyright 1992
Where I got it: I originally found this book in a bookshop in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, in 2008 after years of a vague understanding that I wanted to read it, but I had forgotten the title until I saw it there. I then got the copy I read this year at Barnes & Noble, which I had to order into the store.

Joachim, a little boy in Norway, goes out with his father on November 30, on the hunt for an Advent calendar before December begins. At a local bookshop they find a few choices, but Joachim is drawn to a particular, and peculiar, old-looking calendar that the bookseller tells him was left by an odd old flower-seller. They take it home, and Joachim is surprised and pleased to discover that behind each door is not only a small picture, but a scrap of paper that tells the story of Elisabet, a girl who travels back in time to Bethlehem with a group of pilgrims made up of angels, sheep, shepherds, kings and others who played a role in the very first Christmas. Soon Joachim finds out there was a girl who disappeared from his town about 40 years earlier, a girl with the same name and appearance as his Advent calendar's heroine. Could she be the same Elisabet? Was she really brought back in time by an angel to witness the birth of Jesus?

This book is very special to me. It is a treasure, and because each day in December has a chapter devoted to it, I read one chapter a day and use this as my Advent calendar. Chapters are short, and language and the characters written are fairly simple, but it is a lovely story about Jesus and about belief. I will say you have to have at least a modicum of belief in Jesus to appreciate and like this book, but if you do I would seek it out.

Unfortunately, the copy I have has a large number of typos, mostly the wrong sort of punctuation. Though that bugged me, I had read the story before in a better edition from the UK (it was originally published in Norway) so it didn't really detract too much from my reading this time around.

As I said, there is no real depth to the characters, but it is fable-like in that way, and it is great seeing Joachim and his parents try to discover what happened to the Elisabet of their village and find the similarities between her and the Elisabet of their Advent calendar.

For a religious Christmas read, you can't get much better than this. Merry Christmas everyone!

Review: "The Body of Christopher Creed" by Carol Plum-Ucci

Title: The Body of Christopher Creed
Author: Carol Plum-Ucci
Publisher: Harcourt, 2000
Where I got it: The lovely library.

Torey Adams is member of a well-off, slightly rural small town where everyone seems to get along... except for Torey's classmate Christopher Creed, the local weirdo and annoyance. But when Creed goes missing and leaves a cryptic note that could point to running away, suicide or murder, old secrets and the ugly side of the community come out in the open. And when Torey tries to dig up the truth, he is one of the main targets for their hatred and fear.

This is a mystery and a thriller, but also a look at small-town life and ethics. In Torey's community, everyone wants to showcase their virtues without having to deal with their and their neighbor's imperfections and flaws. Blame is passed from person to person, and because no one wants to accept the responsibility they share in Creed's disappearance (as well as other incidents in the town from years earlier), they point their finger at anyone who might be able to serve as their scapegoat. The boons are a favorite target, the poorer and more wild group of people that live on the fringes of the town, though anyone will serve the purpose so long as the accusers are cleared.

Torey is very philosophical about his ethics and beliefs, especially in reviewing his own treatment of Creed and others in the past. He is forced to reevaluate his life and his choices in light of Creed's disappearance (and possible suicide), leading him to change his attitude and actions toward everything. His inner monologue will also spark readers to think about the way they treat others as well. Plum-Ucci highlights that a person's family life might lead them to act the way they do, and readers should get the message that they can't truly judge a person until they really know them. There is more to a person than the way they act in public.

My problems with the book lie in the language and telling of the story. Torey is a sympathetic character, but the way he and his friends speak sometimes sound off. They use slang that make me double take, which throws me off from the story. It was something that consistently bothered me throughout the book, though it wasn't something that happened on every page.

The action of the book is what keeps the story moving along, despite its philosophical and ethical undertones. Torey and his friend Ali are scrambling to find the answer before the disappearance is pinned on someone innocent, thus driving the story forward. But through all this the ending is left ambiguous, with a few hints as to what really happened.

Because of the action-centered nature of this book and because of the male narrator, this would be a good quick pick for a boy, especially if they like mysteries or thrillers. They might be turned off by the introspective parts a little, but it's a good read.

Throwback Thursday: "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin

Before I get down to business, let me just tell you about my most recent bit of press (yes, I said press!). I wrote a Top Ten feature for the Burlington Union, my town's newspaper, and today is the day it was printed! You can check out my picks here. (And I just want to say that I haven't read all the great books out there for teens and younger readers, so I'm sorry if I missed a favorite of yours! Let me know in the comments if you have one you'd put on there.)

Okay, review time. This is a book I read in 6th grade, and I actually don't think I read the whole thing back then. At least, I couldn't remember it very well, though I found that I knew most of the answers and remembered key scenes, so I must have read some of it.

Title: The Westing Game
Author: Ellen Raskin
Publisher: Puffin, 1979
Where I got this: I bought it for my brother years ago and we still have it.

Sam Westing, millionaire, has died and has called together 16 heirs to solve the mystery of the one who took his life. And it was one of those present! The winner receives the inheritance of his entire fortune, $200 million. Paired up and given a set of clues, the heirs must scramble to find the answer before the others in order to win the money.

The set of characters is really quite diverse, and all are quirky and original. All are well rounded and have layers (except maybe Doug Hoo, who is a jock through and through). You might think you know a  character, but then you realize you misjudged them. There is no real main character, though Turtle gets close. We know more about her than any of the others, and follow her story most closely.

The mystery itself is complex and not necessarily a whodunnit. It's obvious Raskin planned out the sequence of events very carefully—it will certainly keep you guessing, and the reader has to be pretty clever in order to figure it out. That said, it IS possible to solve the mystery if you follow the clues closely enough. Watch out for misleading statements if you do try to figure it out!

All in all, this is pretty much the Ultimate mystery for middle grade readers (and probably younger and older ones too). As I was reading, I remembered a lot of the answers, but I don't think I'd have figured it out on my own. Maybe the first answer, but not the ultimate one.

Did you read this when you were younger? How did you do when you tried to solve it, or did you even try to at all?

"Down the Rabbit Hole" by Peter Abrahams

So I just realized I haven't posted a new review in more than a week—gross. Sorry about being MIA, everyone. In my defense, it was a busy week! I walked 3 days this past weekend for the Susan G. Komen breast cancer walk, AND I had a final project due for class/LOTS of books to read for it. Anyway, enough whining—I am about to remedy this disgusting lack of reviewing on a book review blog.

Title: Down the Rabbit Hole (An Echo Falls Mystery)

Author: Peter Abrahams

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2005

Where and why: I bought this at the B&N where I work to read for the mystery unit of my children's lit class.

Ingrid Levin-Hill is a pretty normal 8th grader, just trying to deal with braces, pass her classes, and get to soccer on time, plus getting through her community theater's production of Alice in Wonderland as the title character. Unfortunately, she has a tendency to dig herself deep in trouble.

When she realizes she leaves her favorite (red!) cleats at what later becomes a crime scene, she knows she has to get them out, fast, or else she'll be all mixed up in a case she wants nothing to do with. And immediately gets herself mixed up in a case she wants nothing to do with. The only option? Solve the case herself, or get arrested as the prime suspect. All while dealing with being in middle school.

Let's start with the good. This mystery has all the classic mystery elements. It's a whodunnit, we get clues scattered throughout the book that help us solve the mystery, there's one perpetrator that we are familiar with, and all that jazz. Ingrid also channels Sherlock Holmes a lot, as he is her very favorite—lots of her inspirations and ideas come from his particular brand of mystery-solving. Abrahams really focuses on logic and reason in here, what with Ingrid's focus on Sherlock Holmes and Alice from Alice in Wonderland. (Bonus! Kids will likely want to pick these up after reading this one.)

The characters are also pretty relatable. Ingrid is going through what one might call her "awkward phase," and come on, we all know we had one too. This is especially, painfully obvious in her relationship with Joey, which at times is pretty perfect. There are a lot of things going on outside the mystery plot with Ingrid's family too, namely the behavior of her brother and father. It's hinted that there's more going on there, which (I've heard from a classmate) is revealed as the series progresses. I enjoyed this character development; I don't like one-dimensional characters, I don't know about you.

Despite all this, there was a lot I didn't like about this book. I found the mystery itself really predictable. I know it's written for a younger audience, but really. A lot of teens and young adults will figure out what's going on way before Ingrid does, who is maddeningly slow at figuring this stuff out. It takes her about 375 pages out of 400 to start piecing it all together.

I also found Ingrid irritating in her constant stunts to figure things out. Didn't she learn the first time that breaking into houses is bad and will implicate her? Hmm??? She doesn't have any forethought and just does whatever she feels is going to get her the answers. And some people might really like this about her, but I just found it annoying, even if we wouldn't have a book without this endearing quality of hers.

Another annoyance is the constant name-dropping and dated references. Puma, North Face, whatever; brand names are used to describe objects. The popularity of brands is not necessarily timeless; in 10 years, this book will probably have dated itself and kids reading it might not know what the name "North Face" implies like they do now. There is also a lot of IMing and Googling going on. Like I said, who knows what will be popular in 10 years' time?

Overall, this was a pretty good mystery with a clear solution, despite certain irritating aspects of the book as a whole. It will probably get kids to read some classics, and at the very least will allow them to solve a mystery, either partially or completely. If you're looking for a YA mystery this series will work. Personally, I like the Sammy Keyes mysteries better—the crime-solver is more likable, interesting, and funny.