Kisses and Lies by Lauren Henderson AND Me, the Missing and the Dead by Jenny Valentine

For those of you who have read, Kiss Me Kill Me by Lauren Henderson, I just finished the sequel Kisses and Lies. In the first book, Scarlett gets her first kiss from Dan who dies as a result. As she deals with this death, she discovers that it was no accident, that someone murdered Dan and used her to do it. In Kisses and Lies, Scarlett uncovers the secrets surrounding Dan’s death and with the help of her friend Taylor, she works to discover who really killed Dan. This investigation takes her to Scotland to visit Dan’s family. Once again this novel is Gossip Girl meets Nancy Drew and it is a great mystery. Although the ending suggests that there will be another book in the series, the mystery of who killed Dan is solved by the end of this book.

Me, the Missing and the Dead by Jenny Valentine is a book I picked up because it was short and looked like a quick easy read. It was a quick easy read, but this is also a great book. Lucas Swain is 16 years old and one day he walks into a cab office to get a ride home and there he meets Violet Park. The kicker is that Violet Park is old and dead. He sees the urn holding her ashes on a shelf in the cab office. After some investigation, he discovers that someone had left it in a cab nearly 5 years ago. Lucas feels that it is his mission to discover who she was and where she belongs. To complicate things Lucas’ father disappeared 5 years ago and no one knows if he is dead or if he ran off, but there has been no sign of him for five years. The mystery of Violet Park leads Lucas to the truth about himself and his father. It is a great mystery the way the pieces all fit together

Witch and Wizard by James Patterson

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday break. I did, but I was ready to get back into the swing of things. The weather was too cold over the break to do much except eat, watch football and read. Of course, I did get to spend some time with my family which is always fun. I had a chance to read several books that have been sitting on my desk waiting for me to have some time. One of these was Witch & Wizard by James Patterson.

Before I go any further, I need to say that I love James Patterson. I have read every Alex Cross novel he has written and enjoy some of his other series too. I picked up Witch & Wizard as an ARC at the American Association of School Librarians National Conference in Charlotte earlier this year. In fact I spent part of the conference stalking him trying to get my picture taken with him. That didn't work, but here is a picture of him speaking at the conference--I did get a seat close to the front row, but that is as close as I got--too bad!

Witch & Wizard is different from most of the Patterson books I have read, but it is an interesting book. The book begins with the Allgood family standing in a large arena waiting to be executed. The New Order has taken over the government and the Allgoods are considered enemies of the state. After this brief flash, the reader is taken back to the beginning and what happened to get them in such a predicament. Like many books written now, this book has two narrators and the chapters alternate between them. Wisty and Whit Allgood are arrested for being a witch and a wizard. The problem is that neither of them knew that they had supernatural powers, but these powers seem to develop as they are put on trial and work on their escape. Wisty and Whit eventually join a group of young people who are working to overthrow the New Order.

Like all of Patterson's books, this is an easy read with short chapters and lots of action. It also sets things up for this to be a series of books. Whit and Wisty are interesting characters and it will be fun to find out what happens to them in the future.

My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger

The holiday break starts this week and many students (and teachers) are looking for books to keep them occupied. Being out of school provides a perfect time to catch up on reading--and watching football--HA!

My Most Excellent Year: a Novel of Love, Mary Poppins and Fenway Park by Steve Kluger is a great lighthearted read for the Christmas break. The characters and plot are not particularly deep, but they are people that you would like to spend your holidays with and it has a happy feel-good ending. Like I said, it is the perfect book to read over the holiday.

I first picked up the book because of the title; I really wanted to know how Mary Poppins and Fenway Park fit together. In a way that is very popular now, this book is told from the point of view of the three main characters: TC, Augie and Ale'. The three teens are given an assignment in their Junior English class to write about their "most Excellent year." All three of them write about their freshmen year is high school and thus the story is told in alternating views throughout their 9th grade year.

TC is perfect--he is the guy you would want for your best friend, boyfriend, brother, son... When he was 6 years old, his mother died of cancer and he "adopted" Augie as his "brother." In face, Augie and TC are so close that they call each other's parents Mom, Dad and Pop, they have beds and dressers in each other's rooms, and they share everything. TC and Pop share a love of the Red Sox, in fact, TC, like every member of his family, was named for a Red Sox player. Augie is even more of a stereotype than TC. He loves musical theatre, is a born performer and is the last one to admit that he is gay. His freshman year is filled with his search for love and his attempt accept himself even though everyone else already does. Alejandra moves to Boston as a freshmen and quickly becomes a love interest for TC. She is as strong willed as he is and works hard to resist him. Throw in a 6-year-old deaf kid who is obsessed with Mary Poppins and you have a great book that explores not only young love and friendship, but also what really makes a family.

The characters are kind of stereotypes, but they are very likable. This book isn't going to win a Nobel Prize or anything, but it is a fun book . And it made me happy when I read it. Sometimes we need to read "junk food" for the mind. And this book fits that bill.

Happy Holidays!

The Year My Sister Got Lucky by Aimee Friedman

It is cold outside which makes it perfect to sit in the warm house and read. Now is the time to get books to keep you busy over the holiday break from school.

The Year My Sister Got Lucky by Aimee Friedman is one of those novels that makes me wish I had a sister. Katie and Michaela are best friends. They live in the East Village in New York City and study dance together at Anna Povlova’s famous ballot school. Michaela is a very promising ballerina and the plan is for her to attend Julliard after graduating from high school this year. Katie is just starting high school and is excited about attending the high school for the performing arts with Michaela. However, all those plans go out the window when their parents announce that they are moving to upstate New York so Katie and Michaela’s mother can teach Russian Literature at Fennimore Cooper College in Fir Lake, New York.

Katie is stunned. She has always been a city girl and cannot imagine not living where there is a deli on every corner. She doesn’t like bugs, animals or anything even close to nature. And the dance school is nothing like she is used to. She knows that she will never fit in at Fir Lake. And things go from bad to worse when Michaela seems to love living in Fir Lake. Her life changes completely and her new life does not include Katie.

This is a good novel about sisters, friendship and what is really important in life. Have a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

It is snowing today. I can sit in my office and watch the big fat snowflakes float to the ground. It is beautiful--and cold! It is a perfect day to sit inside, drink hot chocolate and read good books!

I just finished reading Sweethearts by Sara Zarr. In this book, Jennifer Harris is the girl who everyone makes fun of. In elementary school, the kids made fun of her for everything she did. They would tease her and then she would cry and then they would make fun of her for crying. The only solace she could find was in stealing and hiding food and then her classmates made fun of her for being fat. Her single mother waits tables to support herself and Jennifer and then goes to Nursing school at night in hopes of a better life. Since her mother is busy, Jennifer often goes to school with dirty hair or clothes. And, of course, the kids make fun of her.

Jennifer’s only friend is Cameron. She and Cam do everything together. But Cameron’s life is worse than Jennifer’s with an abusive father and a mother who cannot protect her children. Jennifer and Cameron rely on each other. Until one day in 5th grade, Cameron does not come to school. The other kids in class tell Jennifer that Cameron was killed and when her mother doesn’t deny it, Jennifer believes it.

In high school Jennifer’s life changes. Her mother marries a wonderful man and Jennifer changes to a small school. She changes her name to Jenna Vaughn and leaves her past behind her. She has many friends, a boyfriend and a supportive family--everything she always wanted. But one day, Cameron shows up on her door step and everything changes. Suddenly she is confronted with reconciling her past with her present. Is Jennifer Harris the same person as Jenna Vaughn?

Kiss Me Kill Me by Lauren Henderson

Kiss Me Kill Me by Lauren Henderson starts out like another Gossip Girl or Private novel. Scarlett attends a very posh girls’ school in London. She longs to be part of the popular group—the rich, polished girls who dress in all the latest fashions and date the best boys. But Scarlett is an athlete, a gymnast who spends most of her time training,and likes to wear sweats and doesn't think too much about her appearance.

Scarlett's parents died when she was only 5 and she lives with a guardian. However, one day after gymnastics practice, Scarlett is asked to attend a party with the “in-crowd.” Turning her back on her two best friends, Scarlett attends the party and finds herself kissing the boy of her dreams on the terrace.

This is where the book changes from the normal fancy prep school novel to something much more interesting. When Scarlett is kissing Dan, he suddenly gasps for air and suffocates in her arms. The popular girls accuse Scarlett of killing him and quickly her life changes. She changes school from the posh London girls school to an isolated highly academic school in the country. But all she can think of is what happened to Dan. Scarlett must learn to make a new life for herself and find out what happened to Dan.

This book has a good ending, but there is a sequel that I am anxious to read too.

Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty by Jody Elizabeth Gehrman

Confessions of the Triple Shot Betty by Jody Elizabeth Gehrman is a lighthearted story of friendship and romance. Geena plans to spend her summer working at the Triple Shot Betty coffee Shop with her two best friends: Amber and Hero. She imagines whipping up lattes during the day and sleepovers at night. Hero goes to an exclusive boarding school and is only in town for the summer, and Geena is excited that her two best friends will finally meet. However, things do not go as planned. Amber and Hero do not like each other and this puts Geena in the middle of an uncomfortable situation.

However, Amber and Hero put their differences aside when they work to set Geena up with a guy who is her rival for valedictorian. This part of the plot borrows itself directly from Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. In an interesting subplot, John the school’s golden boy decides he likes Hero who wants nothing to do with him. When John uses both Amber and Hero in his ploy to get what he wants, Amber, Hero and Geena concoct a creative plan to get back at John for all he has done.

Enjoy this story of three friends who have many different strengths and weaknesses, but come out on top and together in the end.