Unlike others here, I did not find this book slow to begin; instead I was immediately taken into Hannah's world and her beautiful mind. You quickly get a sense of the players in the story and I was I intrigued by them. The setting feels real and Hannah's struggles will inspire. This is a book I will be recommending for book clubs because the story and the characters lend themselves to interesting discussions. This is author Amy Brill's first novel and I look forward to more for her.

My first post BEA13 (Book Expo America) read is Octavia Spencer's new children's mystery "Randi Rhodes Ninja Detective: The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit". Ms. Spencer cites Nancy Drew as a childhood favorite and it is clear that her new series taps into that lineage. I must say I approached this book with some trepidation since celebrity-written children's books are all too often sub-par. I am happy to state, however, that this book is a winner!

I love Randi Rhodes. After the death of her mother and a move away from her beloved Brooklyn, Randi now lives in Deer Creek, Tennessee, her parent's hometown. At 12 she is already an accomplished (although secret) detective and black belt martial artist, yet Ms. Spencer lets us know that Randi is just a young girl, on the brink of adulthood, missing her mother, and trying to make her own identity. Subtle messages of inclusion, friendship, and even feminism, permeate the book, deftly handled by Ms. Spencer in a way that new writers often do not. The clever additions of "Ninja Tasks" at the end of the book are doable and fun. There is even an online component for additional education and enjoyment.

I am delighted to have a new series for kids outgrowing Cam Jansen and the Nate the Great. I will put Octavia Spencer's book in the hands of children ages 8-13 looking for realistic mysteries. This one ranks up there with Grisham's Theodore Boone series, the Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer, as well as the Echo Falls Mysteries by show more Peter Abrahams. Brava Octavia Spencer! show less

This is a spirited and well-researched book and a promising start to a new series in the spunky-young-woman-detective-historical-mystery genre. Maggie Hope is an American-raised and educated young woman who also happens to be a British subject, in London at the beginning of World War II. Through a series of events she becomes not only a secretary to Winston Churchill, but also embroiled in an assassination plot, a cover-up, a personal mystery, a murder mystery, and varies capers involving Nazi sympathizers, the IRA, and MI-5. Whew! I daresay Susan MacNeal attempts to cram a lot in this first novel. Characters are well-drawn and show promise for later developments, and the first several chapters are well-paced. I found myself drawn quickly into the book and looking forward to returning to it each evening. However, about 3/4 of the way through, the plot starts to feel a bit like a run-away train with not one but several endings. In addition, occasionally, for all the excellent research that is evident, the characters act more like 2012 than 1940 versions of themselves. Still, as the introduction to Maggie Hope and her friends and associates, this book is a good read and a promising debut. As a side note, I was delightfully surprised to find that the main character of Maggie, as well as the author herself, are fellow alums of Wellesley College so this gives me a particular fondness for this book and hopes for the future of the series.

There is much to like about this picture book: its illustrations are charming, the main character is likable, and the message of the book has potential. Unfortunately, the short-comings of this picture book may reflect the fact that it is a translation (or a transposition) of a picture book for a different population; that of Scandinavian children. As one of Finnish descent myself, I read the cultural tone and tenor all over this book.

John Jensen feels he is different. In the Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, and Finnish worlds of high homogeneity, uniqueness (in whatever form) may be a concept that has greater resonance for children. Though there certainly is a universality to feeling different or "weird", in this story John Jensen only encounters one other "different" character; not exactly an American experience. Oddly, the main character doesn't go to school, he goes to work. Didn't he feel different as a child...wouldn't that have been a better setting for an epiphany about being unique? In addition, the pace of the book is slightly slow and languid, quirky and dry, without quite being fun (or funny) enough...it feels oddly familiar to me and reminds me of my Finnish relatives!

As I said, there is much to like about this book, but I was left wishing that I liked it more and wondering how children will respond to it.

I enjoy Charles Finch and was a huge fan of [A Beautiful Blue Death], it felt like a throw-back to the era of Christie and Sayers. However, where Agatha Christie often took her detectives on voyages with great success, somehow it doesn't work as well for Lennox to go abroad. Still, I love the writing, even the stilted language works for me in setting the tone; it pulls me into another (fictional) world and time. I enjoy the character of Charles Lennox and his way of thinking. I did miss Lady Jane and the odd relationship between the two. (Has it become too conventional, though?) For me, though, the mystery is the thing and I felt it was a good one; a variation of the locked-room mystery, as others have mentioned. Finally, I must say the cover art for the book is lovely, as they have been for the previous books. A fine book in a fine series.

I read a fair amount of Young Adult and Juvenile Fiction, and frankly many of them start to blend into each other; dystopias, dragons, mythical heroes, angst, family dysfunction. Well, not "Griff Carver, Highway Patrol"! It stand outs on its own. The wry, wise-cracking style that perfectly mimics a hard-boiled detective novel (with a middle school twist) will make you smile and laugh and, yes, care about Griff Carver.

While younger readers might not appreciate the sublime pitch perfect send-up of a classic police procedural, the bad coffee in the station house (here it's weak cocoa in the homeroom), the rogue cop (here hall-monitor), the sassy reporter, and other bits, all readers will love Griff Carver and be entertained by the story.

I've recommended this book over and over to many youthful library patrons and each one has been pleased. Personally, I can't wait for the sequels. (Haven't we waited long enough, Mr. Krieg?!)

"Wicked Autumn" was a delight and hit just the right spot for a good read on a gray Fall day. It features a flawed protagonist with a traumatizing past, set in a typically fictional English village (the comically named Nether Monkslip), with a deserving victim and several odd ball suspects. It's atmospheric, wry, and clever: all the things you want in a good cozy mystery. Some others here have said that the interjection of vicar Max Tudor's past took them out of the story, but for me these elements gave it a flavorful twist. Grab a cup of tea and an afghan, along with your sense of humor and satire, keep your knowledge of Agatha Christie handy, and then add a modern aggressively spiced chocolate, and you're ready to enjoy G.M. Malliet's "Wicked Autumn"!

Hurray, Laurie King has gotten the series back on track (mostly). I enjoyed the earlier books in the series but felt her most recent offerings had lost much of the humor and joie de vivre of the "Beekeepers Apprentice. Here, the story is fun and clever and even sometimes silly. And while I personally would have enjoyed an installment of the series that takes place in the cozy rooms of the Holmes/Russell cottage and the complex maze of the London streets, the "Pirate King" does give a real sense of place and time (that of the film industry in the early part of the twentieth century, England, aboard ship, Portugal, Morocco). As others have mentioned, there is a similarity to Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody series; a hybrid of a cozy mystery with an intelligent historical mystery. Like that series, I feel the books are most successful when the social and political ambiance takes a back seat to the relationships. I believe that is the case here. All in all, a great read for a cool autumn day.

What a fun ride! This story of a young boy during the depression and the model train set he shares with his father has magic, history, and adventure. Throughout the novel the main character, an 11 year old boy meets historical characters that are (cleverly) not quickly identified. While children reading the book may not pick up on the clues, it makes the book a delightful read-aloud as the adults will be pleasantly surprised by the supporting cast. As other reviewers have said, this book has a "Twilight Zone" feel to it, with an appealing main character and a heartfelt story.

I was drawn to this novel because of the book's good reviews and its purported story of the first female student at a New England prep school. While I greatly enjoyed reading some of the paragraphs in this novel, I agree that the chapters each seem more like short stories. The "plot",as it were, is unsatisfying and the pleasure of reading Carolyn Cooke's words and phrases can't make up for the lack of good story well-told. I look forward to the author's growth as a writer because, although this novel failed me, the intelligent and evocative prose paired with a well-conceived and paced plot could be a wonder to read. I have my fingers crossed.

Before I get to the review, I will admit that I am a bit confused by this book. Ostensibly, this is a book to be read to your dog. I can't tell whether that is a bit of PR silliness or whether the author truly intended owners to sit with their pets and read to them. If the latter is the case, then mark me down as disconcerted. The sad fact is that most parents don't read to their children and the thought of well meaning owners reading to pets while children across the nation are sitting in front of televisions makes my heart break a bit.

However, taken as a picture book for children, "The Bedtime Book for Dogs", is actually charming. The illustrations are clean and bright, yet whimsical. The simple text and story will be especially appealing to 2-3 year olds who are beginning to experiment with independence. Older preschoolers might be interested to imagine the book being read to (and understood) by an actual dog and it could make a fun storytime option. I will try it out during one of summer drop-in storytimes for children ages 2-6.

I heartily recommend this YA novel. The historical and musical information are clearly well-researched and add to the depth of the story. The pace of the plot, the twists and turns, the mystery and the (slight) romance are ultimately secondary to the emotional center of Theresa, the plucky teenage heroine. Amidst a glut of YA novels that are overly dark, or angsty, or fluffy, or contrived, "The Musician's Daughter" is an enjoyable,engaging,and enlightening read.

I was lucky enough to receive an Advanced Reader Copy of Lisa Unger's newest book and couldn't be more pleased. The story grabs you from the beginning and felt to me like a classic Ruth Rendell with it's psychological depth and character studies. The diverse cast of characters, from a retired cop to a troubled teenager and everything in between felt unique, and worked on many levels. The book's intertwining stories bear fruit throughout, not just at the end, as each character's struggles mirror those of another.

I really like Lisa Unger's earlier, "Beautiful Lies", but with "Darkness, My Old Friend", I believe the author has achieved a new level of maturity and success.