Book review - Killer Instinct

Title: Killer Instinct
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Genre: mystery/thriller
Similar books: I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
                     The Body in the Woods by April Henry
Rating:

What a relief. A sequel that lives up to the promise of the first book.

Summary: Cassie's mother trained her to read people. It comes easily to her and has served her well, especially now that she's part of a clandestine FBI team. Called the Naturals, these teens have skills well suited to crime solving - lie detection, emotion reading, statistics and spacial reasoning. Together they work to solve cold cases. Now they are being pulled into an active case. A killer appears to be copying the crimes of the father of one of their own. The only way to help Dean is to stop the killer before he takes any more lives.
My Opinion: I really liked the first book in this series, The Naturals, so I was both excited and wary of this second novel. Barnes does not let the reader down. This is just as exciting as book 1, with new complications, the program hanging in the balance, and beginning to peer more into the personal lives of the team, and further character development. I was a little less happy with the eventual identity of the killer, but that  is a minor complaint. If the series continues in this vein it could be pretty excellent.
More information: Killer Instinct releases November4.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Happy Halloween!

I'd like to invite you to join me on a little reading journey. The year is 1992. I am 8 years old and my third grade teacher frequently reads aloud to us. In the month of October she reads us Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe. By the end of the first chapter, I am completely hooked. That year, I read every book in the series as fast as I can, including Return to Howliday Inn which is released that spring. 

This is probably the edition we read from

Fast forward a decade. Like all beloved books, Bunnicula has slowly drifted out of my life. My younger brother, now 10, has read the series too and tells me about a new book in a related series, It Came From Beneath the Bed. I read it and agree with him that it's ridiculous but funny. This is my reintroduction to Bunnicula and company and I wonder if it will hold up to another read. Again, I race through all of the books. I fall back in love with the slightly dim but loyal Harold, the suspicious and dry Chester, the mysterious Bunnicula. I rediscover the vivid atmosphere and fun loving humor of the series. And I praise the Howes for being awesome.

Fast forward one more decade. Now that I am a librarian, Bunnicula has become one of my perennial recommendations for slightly scary books. And I have one more new experience with Bunnicula. I have to confess, I'm not a fan of audio books. I look around, I don't know what to do with my hands, and I get distracted. But I'm determined to try them so I can recommend them to patrons. So, I decide to give the Bunnicula audio book a try with the idea that if I know I love the story I will pay more attention to what is happening. To my delight, I discover that this audio is read by Victor Garber, who I adore. It's one of only a handful of audios that I manage to listen to in its entirety. 

And that is why I will continue to recommend Bunnicula to young readers. When a book sticks with you your entire life, you know it is something special.

Graphic Novel Spotlight: Zita the Spacegirl

Zita the Spacegirl; Legends of Zita the Spacegirl; The Return of Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke

Zita is probably one of my all time favorite heroes. She doesn't have any special gifts, isn't a genius or magic. She's just a girl trying to get herself and her best friend home and trying to do a little good along the way. Each of the books has a distinct plot while contributing to Zita's efforts to return to Earth. As such, each book teaches its own lesson and the reader grows up a little with Zita as she learns. These are great books to read and reread. Each panel is complex, easy to understand, and lovely to look at. Hatke has peopled his worlds with a wide variety of loveable creatures. The loyal Mouse. The murderous yet honorable One. The innocent Strong-Strong. The fearful Robot Randy. The hard to trust Piper. The frightening yet well-meaning Imprint-o-tron. The mysterious Madrigal. I defy anyone not to love Zita just a little bit.

WWW Wednesday

What are you currently reading?
The Walled City by Ryan Graudin
In the Walled City, everything is run by crime lords and gangs. Teens either run drugs or work in the brothels. None of them tend to last very long. Mei Yee is trapped in a high end brothel. Disguised as a boy, Jin hunts for Mei Yee. Mostly, though, she hides out and runs. Then there is the mysterious Dai who offers Jin a chance to rescue Mei Yee.
I've just started reading this one but so far it seems pretty exciting.

What did you recently finish reading?
Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Cassie is a teen with a gift for profiling. She's part of a secret FBI team of teens with natural abilities in crime solving. The Naturals, as they are known, are only meant to work on cold cases. They got involved in an active investigation once before and it nearly ended in disaster. But, victims of a brutal new serial are beginning to turn up and the case has ties to one member of the team. Can they catch the killer or is this one too smart for them?
I thoroughly enjoyed Naturals, the first book in this series so this easily made it onto my "to read" list. I'm always wary of sequels, but this one holds up well. Plenty of action, tension, and personal complications leading to a conclusion that brings the Naturals to a "new normal." 
 
What do you think you will read next?
The Odyssey of Falling by Paige Crutcher
The personal odyssey of an "odd" girl. Could be pretty cool.

Book review - Beau, Lee, the Bomb, and Me

Title: Beau, Lee, the Bomb, and Me
Author: Mary McKinley
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: #16thingsithoughtweretrue by Janet Gurtler
                     Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid
Rating:

Kind of a disappointment

Summary: Rusty is used to being alone in high school. She is one of the weird kids - too smart for her own good and overweight. She doesn't expect things to change until college. Then she meets new kid Beau. Beau is the target of all the high school bullies and they become fast friends along with Rusty's cartooning friend Leoni. When the bullying gets violent Beau has had enough. He decides to run away to San Francisco (where his uncle lives). Rusty and Leoni are determined not to let him go alone.
My Opinion: I wanted to like this book far more than I actually did. Road trips usually make for great plots, especially as the physical journey can be representative of the emotional journey. That aspect was certainly present here. The book also asks us to consider some pretty big ideas: equality, abuse, bullying, and self-esteem to name a few. Those are the positives. I have two specific complaints. 1) Much of the plot (and particularly the conclusion) is idealized. It's how we wish things would go for kids who are facing something difficult. 2) It has a tendency to preach. Instead of guiding us organically through these big ideas, various characters go on rants telling the others, and thus the reader, why the way we look at things is wrong. I know very few teens (or adults for that matter) who listen to more than a few lines of a lecture before tuning it all out.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Animal jars

With my craft fair now less than three weeks away all of my crafting time is focused on preparation. Here's one of the items I'll be selling. These jars are made from standard sized baby food jars, E-6000 craft glue, acrylic paint, and Mod Podge.

 

Book review - In Real Life

Title: In Real Life
Author: Cory Doctorow
Genre: graphic novel/realistic fiction
Similar books: For the Win by Cory Doctorow
                     Crogan Adventures series by Chris Schweizer
Rating:

mind expanding

Summary: Anda started playing Coarsegold Online after a presentation at her school. As a member of an all female guild, she feels like she can finally be her true self. In the game she is a fighter, a leader, dependable and she makes several new friends. When she happens upon a young Chinese gold farmer, she begins to question everything she thought she knew about the game and about her world. She'd like to help Raymond, but the situation is far more complicated than she realizes.
My Opinion: This is the perfect book to argue for the value of graphic novels. It's exciting, filled with fight scenes and a tight, quick moving plot. The art is phenomenal. It is somewhat cartoony with loads of details, great use of light, and a nicely muted color scheme that adds to the atmosphere. Most importantly it is thought provoking. Doctorow asks the reader to consider issues of social justice, thoughtful consumption, politics, economics, and effective protest. This will be a great book for teens beginning to think about their place in the larger world.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley