It's Cold Outside! Curl Up with a Good Mystery Series

Echo Falls Mystery series by Abrahams
Hercule Poirot series by Christie
Sherlock Holmes series by Doyle
Forensic Mystery series by Ferguson
Body of Evidence series by Golden
Nancy Drew Files by Keene
Lulu Dark series by Madison
Belltown Mystery series by Murphy
Missing Persons series by Rabb

Gareth Hinds's graphic novels: Beowulf and The Merchant of Venice

I really enjoyed Gareth Hinds's adaptation of Beowulf when I read it last spring, even though the illustrations get a bit gruesome (exactly what will appeal to some readers, young and old), so I was interested to see Hinds's version of The Merchant of Venice. There are moments where I laughed out loud (including at the very first illustration with the speech bubble reading "I know not why I am sad." I don't know why, but that's just funny, coming from a couple of guys in modern dress.) I don't mind that the cast is in modern dress, but I found it jarring to have the speech move from casual, colloquial prose to the traditional verse of Shakespeare as the book progressed. I'm sorry, but it just takes you right out of the story when you go from, "Your father was a pretty sharp guy," to "He knows me as the blind man knows the cuckoo -- by the bad voice." I know Hinds thinks he's easing his readers into the unedited Shakespearean verse, but I think he should choose either prose or verse and stick to it. I enjoyed the balance he struck in Beowulf, where he and his editors developed a new translation where they "attempted to strike a balance between easy readability and the poetry drama found in our favorite verse translations." Review by Stacy

New online book club: YA Not-Just-Books Book Club

Our YA book club has expanded! Now we're looking for your thoughts on movies, TV shows, music, magazines, and video games, too. No time to go to book club meetings but still want to read a book and talk about it with other kids who are reading it? All you need is an email address. Each month I'll introduce a book on the blog - you can pick up a copy at the Westwood Library or your local library or bookstore. As you read the book, check out the blog for questions about the book and interesting info about the book and author. Then email me. I'll post your responses online! Click the link under Westwood Library links, or go to http://westwoodyoungadultbookclub.blogspot.com/ This month's book: Godless by Pete Hautman

Review of Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

In Lock and Key Sarah Dessen deals with the serious issue of child neglect and abuse. When Ruby and her sister Cora are young their father leaves, and after this their mother changes. She drinks more and loses her temper with them. Cora always tries to save Ruby from the blows. When Cora goes away to college, it is just her mother and Ruby. Her mother becomes distant and leaves Ruby to her own devices a lot of the time. Ruby goes to school, has a part time job, and helps her mother deliver lost luggage late at night. Her mother smokes, drinks, and brings her men friends home. Ruby is determined that once she is eighteen she, too, will leave. However, a few months before she turns eighteen her mother disappears. Ruby is magically reunited with her sister and wonderful brother-in-law Jamie. Ruby befriends David, the boy next door. We learn he is also a victim of parental abuse. He lives with his divorced father, who has a really short temper and verbally and physically abuses him. David’s solution is also to wait until he is eighteen and then leave. Ruby realizes this is not the answer, but cannot rescue David. Things come to a head when David’s father goes too far. Some elements in the book were a little too coincidental or fake, for instance, Cora not being able to get in touch with Ruby after she leaves for college, despite her mother’s many moves and name changes; the ease of Ruby and Cora’s reunion, as well as the coincidence of the boy next door also suffering parental abuse. However, the book ends on a positive note due to the uncovering of the abuse and the final outcome, and it made for an engrossing and satisfying read. Review by Teresa Kerrigan

Review of After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

This latest book by the wonderful author Jacqueline Woodson was just named as a 2009 Newbery Honor Book. jWoodson has written many other books, including Feathers, which was also a Newbery Honor Book. As I started reading, I breathed a big sigh of relief. The writing is so beautiful, and I have read a number of books lately (which will remain unnamed) that are just painful to read, they're so poorly written. The book was a revelation for me; I never understood how important Tupac Shakur was to black culture, and how much black teenagers identified with his life and struggles. I'm sure I still don't really understand, but at least I have an inkling. The first line of the book sets the tone: "The summer before D Foster's real mama came and took her away, Tupac wasn't dead yet." Now that's the way to start a book. It let's you know right off the bat where the action in the book is headed (something I should have remembered as the story progressed, and I became afraid that something really awful was going to happen), and also how the happenings in Tupac's life frame the personal story of the lives of the three girls who are the main characters. I think the sense of foreboding that hangs over the story is probably an accurate reflection of the kind of tension the girls felt growing up in our society. But mostly this is a coming of age story of 3 12-year-old girls: 2 who have been best friends forever, and 1 mysterious girl who joins their group one summer. Review by Stacy

Review of Perfect Chemistry by Simon Elkeles

Perfect Chemistry by Simon Elkeles is a perfect escape for a snowy day. If you like a good love story, this book will hold your interest from the beginning until the very happy ending. (Sorry for the plot spoiler.) The author’s website says this about the book, “Breaking through the stereotypes and expectations that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart, Perfect Chemistry takes readers to both sides of the tracks in a passionate love story about looking beneath the surface.” Speaking of looking beneath the surface, that’s what you have to do with this book. When looking at the basic plot outline (Little Miss Perfect Pom Pom Girl gets together with Hispanic gang member) you’ll shake your head and say, “too many stereotypes for one small book, thank you very much.” It’s the same idea as Sandy & Danny in Grease and Good Girl Rory Gilmore falling for Bad Boy Jess. However, the author creates the characters in a way that makes you suspend your disbelief and root for the romance. The characters are genuinely likable. The book has a “his side” “her side” story going on and the dialogue is snappy (think Gilmore Girls again) . O.K., so basically if you hate the Gilmore Girls stay away from the book. If not……Don’t want to take my word for it? Go to http://simoneelkeles.net/ to view the trailer for the book (Two choices here- the uncut version or the G-Rated version). Speaking of G-Rated, the book isn’t. It is a love story after all. There are also quite a few “colorful” Spanish phrases, (but if you don’t speak Spanish you won’t be offended by the profanity). Review by Tricia London