Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade

Queen of the Dead (Ghost and the Goth Book 2)
by Stacey Kade
June 2011
Disney Hyperion

Okay, I admit it.  I'm not perfect, no matter what you've heard.  First off, I'm dead.  Second, I got sent back from the Great Beyond.  I mean, seriously, who is running things up there?

Alona Dare, homecoming queen and cheerleader extraordinaire is back in book two of the Ghost and the Goth series.  Alona continues to be Will Killian's (local ghost talker and super hot goth boy) spirit guide and assistant as he helps ghosts with unfinished business.  Things get a little Harry Potter, however, when an unheard of paranormal society with wands that evaporate ghosts start recruiting Will.  Are ghosts just "echoes" with no personality that are meant to be disposed of?  Or are spirits here on earth to get help and perhaps even help in return?  These are the questions that both Will and Alona struggle with in this fantastic sequel to the first book.

Ghost and the Goth Novels
The Ghost and the Goth
Queen of the Dead
Body and Soul (TBR May 2012)

A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine

A Tale of Two Castles
by Gail Carson Levine
May 2011
Harper Collins

Mysteries abound, especially in Two Castles.

I kind of feel like whimpering pathetically right now.  It's so hard when an author debuts with something that changes your entire world (Ella Enchanted, anyone?) and then follows it with somewhat interesting, just barely entertaining book after book after book.  Gail Carson Levine, I just want you to know that I will always read every book you publish . . . but I'd be a lot happier if I actually enjoyed them.

Okay, okay so it wasn't all that bad.  In fact, all things considered (such as the fact that this is the only book I've finished in the last month), it was pretty good.  Elodie is traveling to the town of Two Castles to apprentice herself to a mansioner - or theater troupe.  Nothing, however, goes as planned and she soon finds herself apprenticed to a brilliant dragon, "deducing" the mysterious happenings surrounding the local ogre's castle.  One part mystery, one part fantasy and two parts coming of age, Elodie must sift through a parade of characters in order to determine where true friendship lies.  Younger fantasy readers will most likely find this book quite charming.

If you liked A Tale of Two Castles, try:
Tales from the Five Kingdoms by Vivian French
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
The Birthday Ball by Lois Lowry

Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt

Princess for Hire
by Lindsey Leavitt
March 2010
Hyperion Book CH

I was vapor.  Can you get any more invisible than that?  It floats around, dispersing everywhere and nowhere.  It's not a solid.  It makes no impact.

Desi Bascomb feels like she's stagnating in her small town, Idaho life.  The boy she likes is hanging out with her ex-best friend, her parents are obsessed with turning her little sister into a beauty queen and her job consists of donning a groundhog costume and handing out coupons at the mall pet store.  Basically, life sucks until the day her agent steps out of an iridescent bubble, tells Desi that she has the ability to use magic and asks if she'd like to act as a substitute for princesses who need a vacation.  With an emphatic yes, Desi begins her glamorous new lifestyle only to find that life as a princess isn't all the magazines chalked it up to be.  Instead of dreaming about Prince Charming, Desi soon finds herself trying her hardest to help these princesses improve their lives and make an impact.

I honestly have no idea why I read this book.  It's very nearly 100% not my style, and yet once I'd started reading it, I couldn't put it down.  There were some complexities in the book that kept my adult brain entertained even among the silly, thirteen year old drama.  Little girls (or boys) who loved The Princess Diaries will enjoy Lindsey Leavitt's winning debut about one girl's transformation from vapor to solid.

Princess for Hire Novels
Princess for Hire
The Royal Treatment
Book Three (TBA)

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin ★

The Westing Game
by Ellen Raskin
June 1978
E.P. Dutton

I, Samuel W. Westing, hereby swear that I did not die of natural causes.  My life was taken from me - by one of you! 

You don't say no when someone who hates reading tells you that this is the only book that ever brought them any pleasure in life.  Which is how I found myself reading this 1979 Newbery Medal winner by Ellen Raskin.  And while I'm not quite ready to proclaim this the best book I've ever read, it definitely kept me entertained and left me wondering how anyone can enjoy a literary classic such as this and yet find the majority of reading to be pointless.  But I digress . . .

When Sam Westing dies, he gathers his sixteen potential (and somewhat eccentric) heirs together to play a game; a game to determine who murdered him.  The heirs are all quite comical as they are paired off to play the game, each wondering if their partner is the killer.  The actual mystery in the book is interesting in that it is in places almost overly simple but in others extremely complex, making this a good read for all ages.  The "great reveal" at the end certainly surprised me!

Even more than the mystery, however, I very much enjoyed the human aspect of this book.  I had expected to dislike some of the characters at the beginning, but by the end I was rooting for all of them as each person had endeared themselves to me in some way.  This book should have enough intrigue, character and humor to keep most reluctant readers occupied; however, I'm not sure it's a cure-all (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, anyone?).  For those of you who have read this book, however, and declared that never shall you read again I say this:

If you liked The Westing Game, try these (somewhat) similar books:
Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator by Jennifer Allison (A brilliant young girl who investigates mysteries.)
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett (For the intrigue and intelligent clues.)
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg (Another Newbery winning mystery with young protagonists.)
Holes by Louis Sachar (For the eccentric characters and unusual mystery.)

Smile by Raina Telgemeier

Smile
by Raina Telgemeier
February 2010
GRAPHIX

I'm beginning to notice an inverse correlation between the number of books I read in a month and how badly school is stressing me out.  Considering the only book I've finished so far this month was a graphic novel, I can only assume that school has been slaughtering me.  Regardless, this book was not only a fun distraction, but also a good reminder that I need to wear my retainer more often as I absolutely never ever want to go through the experience of having braces again.  And I especially don't ever want to go through middle school ever again.  Which is what poor Raina is going through when we meet her in Smile.

After a bout of clumsiness knocks out her two front teeth, Raina goes not only through the worst kind of periodontal hell (from surgeries to dentures to headgear), but she does it all during the very awkward, often traumatizing middle school years.  As she goes through these experiences, however, she not only learns who her true friends are (how about the ones that don't call you metal mouth?), but she also discovers who she is and comes to the amazing realization that she actually likes herself, just the way she is.  In many ways Raina's road to self discovery mirrors my own.  A well-written memoir, I recommend Smile for kids of all ages who find themselves trapped in middle school.

Belle Prater's Boy by Ruth White ★

Belle Prater's Boy
by Ruth White
January 1998
Yearling

"Think of all the millions of dawns this old world has seen, " Woodrow said.  "But it will never be this same one again . . . or that same one when she left."

Never have I read a book that made me want so badly to return to my own childhood.  I think this was due in part to Ruth White's wonderful descriptions of small town life in West Virginia in 1953, and partly the fact that the feelings that we possess and the friendships that we make as children are in so many ways stronger and truer than those we have as adults.  This is the story of two cousins, Woodrow, a cross-eyed, but very clever boy and Gypsy, the local beauty.  Through their close friendship, both cousins learn to deal with tragic losses and move on with their lives.  I know I say this every time I read an award winning book, but this one truly deserved the Newbery!  I highly recommend this as a fantastic discussion book for young children and their parents.

The Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich ★

One for the Money (Stephanie Plum Book 1)
by Janet Evanovich
August 1994
Scribner

Stephanie lands a gig at her sleazy cousin Vinnie's bail bonding company.  She's got no experience.  But that doesn't matter.  Neither does the fact that the bail jumper in question is local vice cop Joe Morelli.  From the time he first looked up her dress to the time he first got into her pants, to the time Steph hit him with her father's Buick, M-o-r-e-l-l-i has spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e.  And now the hot guy is in hot water - wanted for murder.

This is another one of those series that I've watched go up in numbers since I first started working in libraries ten years ago and always thought to myself "I really should read those one of these days."  Well I guess the stars finally aligned because I've read a few of them now and am absolutely in love!  Now before anyone gets too excited, I need to set one thing straight.  These books are fluff.  And I mean that in the best possible way. If you're looking for intellectual stimulation, you're in the wroooong place.  If, on the other hand, you want a gutsy bounty hunter with spunk, wit and charm who is constantly finding herself in hilarious situations then Stephanie Plum is your girl!  My highest recommendations for this series go to those who 1. enjoy a good mystery but can't really handle "scary" 2. miss advanced technology from the nineties and 3. to those who read solely for the immense pleasure of escaping from real life for a few hours.  To everyone else I say wait for the movie which is set to be released in January 2012!

The Stephanie Plum Books
One for the Money
Two for the Dough
Three to Get Deadly
Four to Score
High Five
Hot Six
Seven Up
Hard Eight
To the Nines
Visions of Sugar Plums
Ten Big Ones
Eleven on Top
Twelve Sharp
Plum Lovin'
Lean Mean Thirteen
Plum Lucky
Fearless Fourteen
Plum Spooky
Finger Lickin' Fifteen
Sizzling Sixteen
Smokin' Seventeen