Damage by Amanda Panitch

Twins, a boy and a girl have been close since being born holding hands.  They have always done everything together.  Now in high school this togetherness is looked at as weird and Julia's brother wants to date other people, do things without Julia sometimes.  This is where things unravel, the brother commits a terrible crime and is thought to be dead.  The family moves and takes on new names, start new lives.  Brother, who has been looked on as a scary person due to past incidents is still alive.  There is still a threat that the horrid past will be revealed and the real truth will come out.  People begin to die, more terrible things happen.  I cannot tell too much as the revealing is the best part of this creepy book about sociopathic kids.  Keep on reading to the end, it isn't over till its over.
the truth is revealed and the future is uncertain.  This is for teens not quite ready for Gone Girl.

JDW10/12/15

The thing about jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

Its the end of summer, a new school year has begun. Last year had not ended well, now Suzy's best friend from childhood has drowned.  Its an accident that just could not have happened, Franny was an excellent swimmer.  Suzy begins to question that it was accidental and wonder if a jellyfish sting could be fatal.  She has also stopped talking to anyone, except if it cannot be avoided, and mostly it can be.  Suzy's search for answers tor her friend's death leads her to research jellyfish extensively and there are a lot of fun facts here.  The research project doubles as a school project which includes a hated oral presentation.  It also includes a desire to meet, personally a jellyfish researcher who resides in Australia.  

This is Suzy going through grief and guilt over last school year events and trying to deal and having a hard time.  Her parents (divorced) and teachers try to be supportive but she is rather rejecting.  Even her brother and his mate, guys who attend college, try to help her.  She has counselors as well.

Things come to a head when she carefully plans to travel alone to Australia and meet the scientist.
It includes stealing her father's credit card, stealing cash to carry and a lot of planning.  But, not quite enough planning.  There are things that a 12-year-old just doesn't know.

I really enjoyed all the science in this middle school fiction book.  I suspect some readers may not.  
It is a nicely done story of a person finding her/his way through grief and guilt to acceptance and self forgiveness.  Folks looking for diversity might want to note the gay couple neatly woven in to the story.
jdw10/12

Violent Ends: a novel in seventeen points of view.

So, each chapter is written by a different teen author.  Rather than providing a complete picture of the
events in this story, it gives bits and pieces. Some of the chapters are pre disaster, others are after. It felt incomplete to me.  I did not feel like this with Thirteen Reasons Why.  

A loner kid who just switched schools and has family issues, few have taken time to know, goes into his school's pep rally and opens fire.  He kills a significant number of kids and one adult.  Some seem to have been specifically targeted.  Each chapter is a glimpse into the lives of the killer and his victims.  This is one of many fiction books about school shootings to have come out recently.  It isn't the best I've read.

JDW10/12/15

Friends For Life by Andrew Norriss

This short, easy to read book packs a lot in.  I highly recommend reading it.

We make friends for life sometimes, we become friends in school, any grade, and we are still firneds into adulthood and beyond.  But, there is another kind of friend, one who knows how it is to be you, who can see you through rough times and so preserve your life, make it worth living.

Jessica shows up on a bench outside of school dressed for warmer temperatures.  Francis is already there, eating his lunch in peace, dressed for the cold weather.  She is surprised when Francis can see her, he is the first, after all she is a ghost.  They have to be careful about the whole, nobody else can see her thing, Jessica and Francis become fast friends.  Jessica is able to help Francis out in any number of ways.  Francis is a bit of a misfit.  He seems to be destined to become the next great fashion designer and is not in to the cars, sports and the like.

Mom sees Francis thriving when before he was not so much and another misfit is introduced, who can also see Jessica.  then a third making this group a foursome.  These kids get sorted out as well and the families love that their kids are happy. 

There is more, they wonder why Jessica, the ghost, is hanging around and how she died.  They wonder if she has another purpose besides them.  They get into a bit of trouble when they aggressively stop the school bully, finally.  But this too is sorted out.   There is one final challenge for the group, then they have to let Jessica go, her mission on earth complete.  

JDW10/12/15

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt

Suddenly getting a new foster brother might be a problem for most kids, but not for Jack. Joseph, the new foster brother, is not just a normal middle school kid. He has been around the block in more ways than one. Almost having killed a teacher, and being incarcerated at Stone Mountain might be the most unexpected part about Joseph, but it's not. Jack learns that his new brother not only has a daughter by the name of Jupiter, but also is very determined to find his baby girl. Just like any parent would. It was surprising to me that a kid at that age holds such unconditional love for a child like any adult, or young adult parent would. Same can be said about the relationship between Joseph, and Jack. Although they have not known each other too long, towards the end of the book, they love one another as if they have been siblings all their lives.  Jack always stood up for Joseph when kids would make fun of him and judge him. Due to Joseph's background, most of the staff and administrators at the middle school treat him like a rebel or a street kid due to his background, despite him being quiet and mature compared to most of the students. From searching for Jupiter, Joseph finding the closure he needed, and to the surprising end, this book ultimately took me on an emotional roller coaster in a good way. I recommend getting on the ride.
RB

Another Day - David Levithan

When Rhiannon and Justin talk or even ask a question to each other they always end up fighting.  One Monday Justin suggests that they leave and asks her where she wants to go.  She says the ocean and suddenly they are leaving school and heading there.  Along the way Justin sings along with the radio, which he normally doesn't do, and asks about her family.  She knows something is different, but doesn't question since she's enjoying this change in Justin.  They spend the rest of the day at the beach building sand castles and talking like they haven't talked before.  The magical time ends when Rhiannon's mom calls asking where she is.  Justin drops her off and she wants more days like the one they had today. The next day Justin is back to his same old self, and Rebecca, Rhiannon's friend, is wondering where she was yesterday afternoon.  On Thursday after Justin blew her off, a girl named Amy comes up and tells her she's thinking about coming to school there.  Amy follows Rhiannon around for the rest of the day.  After school she walks Amy to her car she asks Rhiannon what is one thing nobody else knows about her.  She tells her about the time she stole Forever by Judy Blume from her sister and named her private area Helena.  They both laugh and hope they see each other next year.  On Saturday Justin and Rhiannon go to Steve's party.  While there she talks to Steve's cousin Nathan.  They talk about relationships and she starts to question why she is still with Justin.  He finds them talking and she says Nathan is gay, so there is nothing to worry about.  They go downstairs and dance before the cops break up the party.  Just before she leaves Nathan asks for her e-mail.  On Sunday she is surprised to see an e-mail from him and she replies.  She then goes back to spending her time surfing the net.  The next day their friends are asking about Steve's party.  Justin says there were too many skank girls in the kitchen, Stephanie yelled at him, and the cops came.  Rhiannon goes along with Justin's story, and doesn't say a word about her time with Nathan.  Rebecca, Steve, Stephanie, Ben and Rhiannon skip the last few periods because there is an assembly.  Rhiannon mentions to Steve about his cousin, and he says all his cousins are eight years old.  Steve does remember seeing Nathan though.  Rebecca points out that guys lie all the time, and Nathan liked her and wanted to get close to her.  She e-mails Nathan asking for an explanation.  Nathan replies he can explain, but it has to be done in person.  She agrees to meet him at a bookstore the next day.  Rhiannon gets there early and a girl sits down in front of her saying Nathan sent her.  A tells her that every day A wakes up in a different body.  A tells her who he/she's been for the last week.  Last Monday when her and Justin went to the beach it was A in Justin.  She doesn't believe A and thinks this is a joke.  A tries to convince her it is possible.  She agrees to meet A tomorrow, to see if he/she is telling the truth.  She stops by Justin's house and asks him about last Monday.  He remembers being at the ocean, but not much else.  The next day during school Rhiannon is e-mailing A about where to meet with him/her.  She hangs out with Justin before heading to meet A.  She is late meeting A and asks the boy A is in to see his phone.  She asks him questions about the people A has been in.  A then explains how he/she has seen things going from person to person.  When A was in Justin he/she fell in love with Rhiannon.  A is going to prove to her what love really means.  The next day Rhiannon e-mails A and he/she replies the girl who A is in today is trying to kill herself, and she needs to get over right away.  Rhiannon heads over and the girl has a notebook filled with ways to end her life.  They come up with a plan to have A in Kelsea's body tell her father she wants to kill herself.  If that doesn't work drive to a hospital.  When Rhiannon gets home she sees an article about Nathan claiming to be possessed by the devil six days ago.  She e-mails A asking how things went with Kelsea.  Kelsea's father is aware of what's going on and is seeking help for her.  She then takes a drive to where Nathan lives under the guise of selling Girl Scout cookies for her sister.   He has a blank look in his eyes, different from when A was inside of him.  After that trip she and Justin hang out and have pizza.  They talk about Justin's father heading to see his sick grandmother.  He calls and talks to her before his dad arrives.  Steve then calls about a party at Yonni Pfister's house.  They go to the party, and while Justin is getting drunk Rhiannon calls Kelsea's house to make sure everything is okay.  Her father says she is getting the help she needs.  On Sunday she hangs out with A who is a girl named Ashley and is gorgeous.  They head to a national park and have a picnic.  Afterwards they go walking and talk about what each of them wants.  A wants to be with Rhiannon, but they can't be together.  Rhiannon cares about A, but also cares about Justin.  She is trying to justify why she's with Justin, but A says she'll become lost because Justin is also lost.  Rhiannon calls Justin and tells him a friend of hers is in town.  She asks if he would like to have dinner with the two of them, and he says yes.  A and Rhiannon fill the next few hours by telling everything to each other.  They meet Justin for dinner and at one point she leaves to go to the bathroom when she comes back she doesn't want either A or Justin.  He leaves and Rhiannon takes Ashley back to her house.  Rhiannon calls Justin to apologize, but Justin tells her Ashley is not her friend and she is out of control.  At school the next day Justin tells everyone what a slut Ashley was the day before.  In art class Rebecca tries to talk sense into Rhiannon about Justin.  She tells Rebecca everything thing is fine with her and Justin.  The next day a swoopy hair kid catches her eye and it turns out to be A.  They talk and as much as they want to see each other Rhiannon says they should stick to e-mail for now.  As A walks away she can still feel the connection to him/her.  Are they destined to be together, or will Rhiannon choose to stay with Justin? 

I enjoyed this book just as much as I enjoyed Every Day.  I really liked how A broke through the barrier Rhiannon had put up to have her examine her relationship with Justin.  To her everything was fine with Justin.  A saw a person who was becoming lost, and helped her start breaking away to become her own person.  Sometimes we need another perspective from someone else, even if it's a person we barely know, to get us to look at things differently.

T.B.
9/25/15

Marvel Zombies

Chose it because it has the living undead. A zombie Spider-man and Hulk is got to see scenario. Basically the whole Marvel universe turning into a zombie frenzy. Do not read the graphic novel quickly as you can skip some of the plot detail.

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