Untraceable

Amani is ok with being the only big size, black girl in an all-white school, but then strange things start to happen, like some weirdo in their back yard and her mom acting very strange.  It only gets worse when their house burns down and she has to move away fast and she gets tossed into a school full of kids like her.  Worst of all since she is a late add to all her classes she ends up in average classes with stuff she learned years ago in her other school.  But then she meets the whirl wind brother and sister siblings who are actually old family friends the sister helps her fit in and get better classes and the boy is cute.  Amani doesn’t understand everything going on so she keeps investigating things and that brings danger right to their door and the people she thought were family and friends turn out to all have a big secret they never told Amani until now.

So much action, a lot of suspense, and some normal teen stuff thrown in for good measure.  This is such a good book I thought I was going back and reading book one but this is book two that takes place before book one and oh my gosh there is now a book 3, woohoo.  This is a book has a bit of something for everyone.  Chases, martial art of a kind, card adventure gaming, and good food.  I think anyone can find something to relate to in this book and even a reluctant reader might stay up past their bedtime.
 

The House Saphir

Mallory Fontaine often gives tours of the broken into mansion where the first of the Saphir murders took place.  It helps pay rent on the apt and shop she and her sister run.  Mallory comes from a long line of witches but only has the power to see ghosts, which isn’t as useful as one might imagine. Mallory always wanted to see the House Saphir but never expected to be offered a job there by The Bastien Saphir’s great great grandson to rid the estate of Le Bleu’s ghost so the estate could flourish again, vineyards and all.  Only problem is she must rid the estate of the ghost and do it while looking as though she has witchcraft if she is to get the large sum of money she is owed.

This is an action-packed book full of suspense and some humor as well.  I really liked it a lot, so much I wish it had more places to go instead of ending where it did.  I suppose I wanted to be able to check in on everyone a few years down the line.  I loved all the characters I suppose even Bastien Le Bleu.  My favorite are the wives they are like always on their way to book club without the books.  I really did enjoy this book a lot.

 

The Great Forgotten

 

This is based on a true event about a horrific train crash near Nashville Tenn. In 1918.  This book is a great story woven by a woman that knew all five men whose lives were mixed together; a train engineer, a porter, a salesman, a farmer, and a thief.   Would you like to hear a story?  OK, this starts in 1988 when a woman moves into a home her family owns and comes across a trunk.  In the trunk she finds  with very carefully wrapped memorabilia, and sets out to find out anything she can about the woman and the story of why the trunk was left in her attic.  What she finds is much much more, come gather around for the story.

This was an awesome book I loved it so much, my grandfather was a conductor in western Ky for some time, and even though I never got to meet him this story brought me a bit closer to him and how the lives of my mom and grandmother where back then.  I loved every minute of the story told even the ugly and bad parts.  This book was well written in a very deliberate and thoughtful way.  This would be a great addition to any library personal or public.

Cold Blood

Sel and his friends are back in Tremorglade, ready to fight for their town and lives again, this time from what everyone thought was a myth but turned out true, frozen fever.  Sel thinks training is new ripper abilities will help but very few agree and now he is being blamed for everything and has to run from his town.  But he must try and find proof or anything to help his case or to help find a cure for the ripper disease (?). 

This is a werewolf series unlike any you have ever read.  It is great!  There is so much action and suspense that I will keep almost any teen engaged, even reluctant ones.  I loved it all  and how even though Sel didn’t  want to stop being a ripper he and his friends helped the preserve others rights to a cure.  This is a good series and I hope there is more coming.  

 

Busted

Oscar has only known one place as home, Sunny Days retirement home, where he lives with his grandfather.  But when the building gets taken over and the rent goes up a lot, suddenly his world is upended by an eviction notice.  Oscar is an odd kid, he likes Sinatra, and bridge and is like a host to all the funerals.  But a daredevil he is not until he needs cash fast.  Enter Jimmy DeLuca one of the shadier residents at Sunny days and says he will give Oscar the money if Oscar will get him out of Sunny days.  What Oscar didn’t know is everything else that went with getting Jimmy out of the retirement home.  But here is the big question was everything worth it, did Oscar have fun?

This was such a wonderful book.  The adventures that can only be experienced through reading, I hope are plentiful.  It was fun, fast paced, suspenseful, a ton of action, and I really wanted to jump in a try some of that pasta.  But I guess the big question in the end is, did Oscar get the money?  Read and find out.

 

King of the Neuro Verse

Pernell is back for another summer of fun in the class.  People don’t get him, his teachers, his parents want him to see a doctor, and the only one that does get him is off doing other things.  But Pernell wants to be the cipher king, the king of the lunchroom rap battles.  This is the only place Pernell is comfortable in, his ADHD actually helps him here and he is really good at.  But even though that is a great space he needs to learn to engage in his classes that way or ask for help or the reality is he won’t graduate.

Oh my goodness, I know there are so many out there that can relate to this just as I can.  I won’t go into my horrid stories, but know they are there.  I root for Pernell all through the book, and want him to find the help he needs but also know in 1999 the limitations there.  I loved how it was in verse like a rap might be, and he also has the issues of being a teen and all that comes with that going on as well.  I loved this book on so many of the levels it was written on and hope others can find what they might need in this book.

 

Firefox Moon

Juniper and Skara are taking their guardian duties very seriously as they patrol over Cedar Wood.  Juniper’s mentor Niko is back at the North Pole.  Juniper loves Skara, and doing patrols, but she misses her school friends a lot.  When Juniper notices a few odd things going on in the woods she notifies Niko and her teacher (?), they tell her not to patrol until they can get there, but Juniper can’t wait and what will it hurt?  That is when everything gets deadly (for really) serious.  Things juniper thought were once one way turn out different in more that one instant, but the constant is they all want the Firefox before the Firefox moon, so they can have their hearts desire.  But how to stop them from taking over and beating the giant sloth the size of a car?

Oh, my what an action-packed book, giant sloth, plant people, witches, spiders, and a fox the color of fire.  The action never stopped.  The suspense in this book is also off the chart, there are many times it looks as though one is trapped only to barely escape.  I totally loved this audio narrated by voices actor Olivia Forrest, she worked the magic in this audio, just as if it was floating in the cedars.