S. R. Johannes

Synopsis: This book tells the story of a young girl, Libby, and her friends who volunteer to run the science booth at their school fair and have some great ideas, but Libby does not always follow directions precisely. The story includes instructions for five experiments that the reader can try at home, as well as a glossary of terms. Ages 4 to 8.

Response: This book would be a lot of fun for older elementary school students. With the five experiments laid out in the story, this could easily show more be incorporated into a science unit. The protagonist being a young lady of color is wonderful and the supporting cast is pleasingly diverse, as well. The illustration style is pretty and spunky and should appeal to young readers. show less

This book is an example of a type of book I would have in my classroom library. Cece is a very curious girl and asks questions all the time, especially during science. This book is very light-hearted and brought a smile to my face as I am sure it would for my students. I also loved the fact that they made Cece's parents interracial because not a lot of books show the diversity of what actual families can look like. Lastly, I think that Cece Loves Science should be made into a series. In this show more book, she only does an experiment with dogs but I think it would be interesting if we got to see Cece do different kinds of experiments! show less

Uncontrollable picks up about 3 months after Untraceable left off. If you haven't read Untraceable yet, you will really want to before your read Uncontrollable. Grace is still recovering from her summer tragedy. After her father disappeared, she was determined to find him, and in the process met an awesome hottie named Mo, was attacked by a poacher named Al, and infiltrated a bear poaching criminal ring. She did find her father, who everyone thought was dead, only to lose him again. To add show more to the tragedy, she was also told that her new love, Mo, was killed in the firefight that took place. Her best friend Wyn was so upset with her for lying to him that he refused to speak to her, and now 3 months later, he still doesn't acknowledge her presence. He is just all hung up on his girlfriend Skyler, who hangs all over him, literally. To top it off, the whole town acts like they blame Grace and are mad at her, instead of being proud of her for helping to bust up the poaching operation. Forced to sit behind Wyn and Skyler in class and suppress her gag reflex, Grace is excited to see her friend Agent Sweeny from the US Fish and Wildlife Service enter and begin to tell the class about a new program for endangered wolves called The Red Wolfe Reintroduction Program. Agent Sweeny offers anyone in the class who wants to, the chance to participate. Much to everyone's surprise, considering everything she had been through, Grace was the first to volunteer. She knew it was time to get back into the woods. She was, after all, her father's daughter.

Needles to say, this got Wyn's attention, and he also volunteered, then Skyler volunteered as well, along with three other from the class. Despite concerns from her mom and grandmother, Grace embarks upon this new adventure with a fresh perspective, looking forward to moving from the past into the future. Even though Al, the thug that tried to kill her, had escaped, she still felt she would be safe in the group. As it turns out, the danger that Grace faces is far more dangerous that the wolves she encounters, the question is, can she survive this time around?

I really loved Uncontrollable. It takes place, again, in the Great Smokey Mountains of North Carolina, this time in the midst of a very harsh winter. I love Grace. She is a kick-butt heroine, and she is real. Shelli has done an outstanding job of writing and developing her character, as well as the other characters in the book. Once Wyn got his butt off his shoulders, I really enjoyed him to. We are introduced to several new characters in this book, and as events unfold and the mystery begins to unravel, you are held on the edge of your seat trying to figure out who is involved and who isn't. There are some intense and life threatening situations, but there is also humor injected into the mix in just the right proportion. Lost friendships are recovered and tested, old fears are faced and replaced with new ones, and people, things, and places, from both the past and present, are not what they seem. Filled with action, adventure, mystery, danger, romance, and big surprises, S. R. Johannes has written an outstanding sequel to the first book in her Nature of Grace series, and I am really looking forward to the third installment. show less

After three months of fruitless searching and numerous dead-end leads, Grace Wells is the only person who believes her dad, Joe, may still be alive. Grace, an accomplished wilderness survivalist, learned everything she knows about tracking, fishing, and the Smokies from her forest ranger father. And she is certain, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that he’s still out there somewhere – convinced that he wouldn’t fall victim to the fatal scenarios the police postulating. When the show more authorities decide the case doesn’t have enough viable evidence to continue an ongoing investigation, Grace redoubles her efforts to get down to the bottom of the mystery surrounding her dad’s sudden and unexplainable disappearance. What she uncovers is shocking – a complicated web of lies, betrayal and danger – and she’s in over her head.


Staying with the wilderness theme, Grace as a character is a breath of fresh air. More inclined to be nursing a sick bear, hiking mountain trails or perfecting her fly-fishing lures, she’s not exactly what I would call a “people person.” She’s a bit isolated from the rest of her peers, by circumstance and her own choice — her only real friend being her childhood-pal-turned-recently-dumped-boyfriend. She’s a unique character and I found myself really admiring her tenacity. Her unfailing determination to find her dad and her unshakeable belief that he’s still alive perhaps borders on the obsessive and at times I wondered if maybe she was just in deeply entrenched in denial — if her unrelenting search for her dad was just enabling her unwillingness to acknowledge that he might be gone. But whatever the reasons, her love for her father runs so strong and and her faith so contagious that I found myself hoping along with her that she’d find him safe and sound. When everyone else – even her mother – has lost hope, she refuses to give up on him. Her stubbornness, her determination, her resourcefulness, her instincts, her deductive skills and her in-your-face attitude all combine to create this extremely empowered heroine. I found her to be unique and despite her rough exterior, extremely sympathetic.


If being stuck in the middle of a dangerous mystery wasn’t enough, Grace finds herself further confused by the reappearance of her ex-boyfriend Wyn, and by Mo, a mysterious European backpacker who she meets in the woods. I personally don’t mind a well done love triangle, and this one was no exception. Johannes had me falling for both guys until I was just as confused as Grace. Wyn was sweet, funny, dependable and had the benefit of a shared history with Grace. He’d been there for her his whole life, until she pushed him away in the aftermath of her dad’s disappearance. Now he’s back in her life and doesn’t intend to go away any time soon. Mo, on the other hand, is brave, confident, kind, rugged, a survivalist like Grace and has that oh-so-attractive air of mystery about him. After being saved by Mo from a potentially life-threatening situation, Grace decides to get to know him better. Johannes has done such a good job bringing her characters to life and the romantic tension she creates in Untraceable between these three is fantastic.


The story Johannes has written surrounding Joe Well’s disappearance is incredibly fast-paced and well-researched. There was hardly any downtime as Grace is always on the go – plotting, planning and investigating. And all the little details surrounding wilderness survival, tracking and even fishing added so much to the story, not to mention credibility. As far as the mystery itself, though sometimes I felt the evidence that moves the case along is a little circumstantial and perhaps a little flimsy… it works. At times it seems as if Grace is grasping at straws trying to find the evidence necessary for the authorities to reopen the investigation. But really, who wouldn’t look into every possible lead if someone they loved was in danger or missing? It also serves to round out her character and made me wonder if she really is as unhealthily obsessed as everyone seems to think she is or if she’s just unfailingly optimistic. So, though I usually prefer my mysteries a little more concrete, when considering the bigger picture it ended up working for me.


If the story throughout is, as previously mentioned, very fast-paced, then Johannes puts it into overdrive in the last quarter of the book. Chilling, shocking and horrifying are the three words that come to mind when Grace finally gets to the bottom of what’s going on with her dad’s disappearance. Some mystery novels are amazing with the build-up of clues and suspense, only to falter anti-climatically in the revelation. Johannes and Untraceable has no such problem. Her build-up throughout the story is worthy of the reveal at the end. It is gritty, it is hard, it is thrilling and when surveying the cost of what Grace’s search for truth cost her in the end, it is heartbreaking (and may require a fistful of tissues), but it is also oh-so-worth it. I’m trying to remain purposefully vague, Dear Reader, because if you’re anything like me, half the appeal of reading a mystery is being taken totally unaware and then thrilled by a sudden twist of the plot – your own personal mental roller coaster. So make sure you double check your safety harness before beginning Untraceable. (Ok…that might’ve been a little corny, but we’re moving on.)



The reason I didn’t give Untraceable a five star rating hinges upon a couple different things. First of all, I love Mo. I really do, but his extremely British dialogue began to grate after a bit. I realize it’s a fine line – how to create a convincingly foreign character without making him sound too American — but I think a few less British-isms would’ve left the reader with a good compromise. Secondly, even though I love Mo and Grace together, their relationship felt a teensy bit too insta-love for me. He’s a somewhat secretive guy, and she knows very little about him. And I know that his strength and goodness of character, the important things one needs to know about someone else, is apparent through his actions toward Grace. I also know that perhaps emotionally, she needed someone who doesn’t viewing her through the lens of her loss. So the unknown and anonymity may have been a draw for her when it comes to Mo. But their connection was still a little too instant for my taste. Silly as they might be, these points may not be an issue for you, Dear Reader, but they were factors in my own personal analysis of this book. Despite my minor hang-ups, I really enjoyed this story and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery/thriller.


Overall, with breathtaking suspense and wonderful romantic tension, Untraceable is a wilderness thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. show less