Greenglass House by Kate Milford

Not since Westing Game by Ellen Raskin have I read such a wonderful twisty mystery adventure for middle school and really on up.  Just as Winter holiday is beginning, a usually quiet time for Milo and his parents who run an inn at a historic mansion, one by one a group of very unique folks begin to arrive at the inn.  The include an elderly professor who likes loud socks, two girls with  brightly dyed hair, one red and one blue and an elderly woman who knits along with a Mr. Vinge who is somewhat secretive.  Milo's parents spring into action, bringing in their usual help and laying in supplies for what will not be a quiet vacation for Milo.  Along with the help comes a girl Milo calls Meddy who is an expert at role playing games and who teaches Milo.  From the beginning I wondered about this girl, there are hints that something is off.  Right away there are mysterious goings on such as shadowy figures among the trees on the mansion grounds, someone or several someones trying to be silent padding in and out of rooms, some occupied by guests and some not.
Things go missing as well only to turn up somewhere else.  There is a mysterious map, a recurring theme of a gate seen on a knitting bag, and most especially on the giant very green stained glass window in the house.  There is an impression that each of the visitors has a specific reason for being at the house at this particular time.  The name Doc Holystone, a notorious smuggler, keeps coming up as the original name of the house.  With Meddy's prodding Milo suggests that each guest tell a story to help pass the long evening hours.  And so they do and each story told also tells why the person is there.  They are looking for a smuggler's treasure, anything about the artist who made the stained glass windows, the heritage of a young man once orphaned and adopted and now loved by two young women and maybe other things?  Mostly folks find what they are after though perhaps not the way they expected.  Incorporated into this story is Milo's story.  He is an Asian orphan adopted by Americans who longs to know his heritage, just as the young man Owen, who does learn some of his.
The other characters are diverse as well, old, young, educated and perhaps not and so on.  This makes the book an excellent choice for diversity in books lists.  Since Milo's story is part of the whole story the book should have broad appeal that many diverse books for which the diversity is the story do not.  
JDW10/20/15

Trouble is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly

Sometimes you have teen mysteries that take themselves seriously, and sometimes the story is a little bit far-fetched. This story with its quirky characters and adventures puts itself more towards the latter category. At times it's a little out there, but it's an enjoyable ride.

As the new girl in school, Zoe hopes to fit in. The last thing she expects is finding herself connecting with the oddball character of Digby. He has no concept of personal space and has a habit of dragging her into insane situations. Despite efforts to stay away from him, Zoe tags along on Digby's mission to finding a missing girl. It turns out that a number of years ago, Digby's younger sister went missing and he thinks the cases are connected. He has his prime suspects and he'd bound and determined to prove it, even if it means stealing, lying, and breaking and entering. His problems don't end with the doctor he suspects - not when he starts a beef with the mysterious, cultish boy who lives across the street from Zoe. Throw in some drug-dealing, missing ambulances and explosions and you've got the crazy ride Zoe finds herself on with Digby at the helm.

Personally, I like my mysteries to be a tab more realistic and serious than this book. You definitely cannot take this seriously. The police would not be so open with their information to some teenagers as they were in this novel and the antics of the characters are just a little too out there - the dramatic breaking and entering of the doctor's office, Digby in his tutu wearing teddy bear costume. He is a true mastermind and enjoyable to read about, but the situations just snowball to the point that you're shaking your head. He has no boundaries and can talk himself in and out of any situation, dragging Zoe and others in with him. In no way is that a bad thing because it makes for a fun read. It's witty and clever and humorous. Not all mysteries need to be dead serious. It just seems a bit unrealistic that a teen is doing all of this and getting away with everything. Then again, it wouldn't be much of an exciting teen novel if they were shut down at every turn.

This book is crazy in a good way. Everything - however off the wall it may be - ends up working together to connect the pieces and solve the mystery. Well, maybe not all of the mysteries. There is still one string left hanging that definitely creates the potential of a sequel. It will be interesting to see what chaos Digby can create next time around.
MMK

Ask the Dark by Henry Turner

This mystery is set in the south.  We know this by the dialect spoken by main character Billy Zeets.
The dialect slows the story down.  Without it this could be an ALA quick pick.  Billy prefers wandering around late at night to school.  He's had a few run ins with the law as a result, but nothing major.  His mother passed a couple of years earlier.  His father was a house painter and was injured so is on disability.  His sister is not especially school or work oriented.  She has a boyfriend, not known to have a good reputation.  It looks as if the family will lose the house.  Billy starts working anyway he can to get enough to save the house, an impossible task.  So, he is mowing yards, helping with local deliveries, doing other odd jobs.  While he is working local boys begin disappearing.  One turns up dead as two more go missing.  At school Billy was tormented constantly, now one of his tormentors has gone missing.  Billy did not really intend to investigate the disappearances even though the reward money would bail the family out.  He just was out and about so much he began to put together things he saw, ask a few questions, then in a brave if fool hardy move checks out his theory and gets taken himself.  The story resolves very satisfactorily.  I enjoyed it.
jdw 5.4.15

Sketchy by Olivia Samms

This is the first book in the Bea Catcher Chronicles.  Bea was hanging with weed smoking, pill popping Aggie until someone got her wasted and she was sent to rehab.  While there she made things bearable by drawing using pens she kept hidden in her nappy big hair.  Bea is multiracial and daughter of two artist.  She inherited their artistic ability and their hair.  She became aware that she was drawing not the person she focused on but the thoughts of that person while in rehab.  Now out of rehab and with her realistically distrusting parents she begins to investigate the rape and beating of a classmate, popular cheerleader Willa Pressman who has many secrets to keep including her unwillingness to help identify her attacker.  It is not uncommon for victims to be afraid in this way.  Bea, however inadvertently gets the image of the man from Willa.  Since there have been other deaths and rapes including Aggie, she believes he is a serial killer and she is determined to get him caught, even without Willa's help.  While searching for the man in her sketch, she returns to old haunts and resists temptations getting clues as to the identity.  Eventually the mystery is solved but not without Bea being in danger.  Although the story deals with serious issues including drinking, and doing drugs and rape its mostly a fast exciting read.  Bea is sort of a mature Nancy Drew.  She is a very likeable hero. I look forward to her next adventures.  JDW 8/22

The BODY in the WOODS by April Henry

Give this to a reluctant reader interested in mysteries.  It is a quick and easy read.  Search and rescue crews out to find an autistic man who had wandered off stumble on a dead body of a young female.  Although they were teens and had no adults with them they had been well trained in both CSI procedures and in search and rescue operations so immediately went into action recording what they had seen along the way and what they saw at the scene.  Adults take over and interview the group together and separately.  They provide trauma counseling as well.  The group cannot stay out of the murder investigation, for the girl had been murdered.  They saw similarities in other recent murders, they investigated the others they had met on the trail that day.  They came to their own conclusions, some correct and some not.  One of their group nearly becomes a victim herself, the local law enforcement personnel weary of their meddling and slow to respond.  The mystery is interesting enough to hold ones attention but it seemed like there was a disconnect between the way the teens talked and their ages, about 16 and with jobs and driver's licenses.  It bothered me.  I kept wondering if Ruby was Asperger's Syndrome for instance.  Except for the murder, not graphically depicted, this book is without any of those worrisome things like sex, violence and language.  The book got excellent reivews but I would put it at mediocre at best.  JDW8/18

Cold Calls - Charles Benoit

It all begins with a call to Eric.  The voice is distorted and there is air popping and clicks in the background.  The person calls several times and in the middle of the night tells Eric to check his inbox.  There is a picture taken from inside his room there in his e-mail.  Eric becomes paranoid and keeps checking his phone and e-mail for the mysterious caller.  After a few days of not hearing anything the mysterious caller calls.  He/she tells Eric they know his secret and to check his e-mail again.  In his e-mail is a picture he thought was gone forever.  If he doesn't do tasks on certain days and times the picture will get sent to everyone he knows.  Shelly got a call from the same distorted voice as Eric.  The caller tells her they know her secret.  Shelly has to complete several tasks and her secret won't get out.  Both Eric and Shelly dump food on kids at their respective schools and get suspended for a week.  They also have to complete a weekend bullying program for them to go back to school after the suspension.  They sit through videos and questions on Saturday.  They also had to write an essay about taking responsibility for their actions.  On Sunday there are only eight kids left.  As they complete paperwork saying they completed the program, Eric and Shelly overhear the teacher telling the security guard reasons some of the kids didn't come back.  The one that stands out is a strange voice called at night.  Shelly talks to Eric after the program.  She tries to convince him that the same person called both of them and told them to do certain things at certain times.  Eric thinks it's done with, but the voice calls him Sunday night telling him the macaroni and cheese task has to be done while he's suspended.  Fatima, one of the girls from the bullying program, calls Shelly.  Fatima finally gets to the point telling Shelly she got the same calls as Eric and Shelly.  When Eric gets back from working out he discovers that the mysterious caller has sent a picture to all of his contacts on his phone.  He finds Shelly's number and gives her a call.  Eric, Shelly, and Fatima meet at the library.  They hope to figure out who is behind the creepy calls before Thursday night to keep their secrets from getting out.  

Just like Benoit's other books I really enjoyed this one.  I liked how Benoit took on the issue of bullying.  I also liked the story being reminiscent of the mystery/thriller books by R. L. Stine, Richie T. Cusick, Diane Hoh, and Lois Duncan from the mid to late 1990's.  It was nice to have the nostalgia in a book set in today's technology driven society.  I would recommend Fall From Grace and You by Charles Benoit. 

T.B. 5/12/14