Looking for JJ by Anne Cassidy

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jennifer Jones has been released on parole, and the whole country wants to know — where is JJ? Information about JJ’s whereabouts are under strict lockdown. There are only a few people who know.
Alice Tully has an ordinary life, she works at a coffee shop, lives in her apartment and has a loving boyfriend. Alice is also obsessed with reading about child murderer, JJ. Alice knows more than she lets on about JJ and the circumstances that surround the murder years ago.
A thought provoking story that delves deep into the life of the protagonist. What does Alice know?....(AP)

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The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet by Reif Larsen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This one gets a 5. It is so unique - a novel and an encyclopedia of trivia all in one.
Twelve-year-old, genius, T. S. narrates the story of his journey from Montana to Washington, D.C. to collect his Smithsonian award. As he crosses the country he also searches for an understanding of his world. Like most 12 year-old, T.S's mind wanders and the pages are filled with his diagrams, maps, reasonings - including a map of 26 McDonalds in North Dakota; an analysis of types of boredom; the merits of the juice pouch versus the juice box, to name a few. As you read the entertaining story there are these side trips to very entertaining trivia. There is never a dull moment in this book.
The writing reveals a narrator with a quirky character full of knowledge but so innocent, a flawed but loving family, and a spirit and goodness that abounds. Thank you Tecumseh Sparrow, I wish you well.

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The Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



The Carbon Diaries 2015
by
Saci Lloyd

Could this really happen? Are we reading fiction or an account of the future?
On the first day of rationing Mum couldn't get on the bus because she had forgotten her carbon card.
The government has decided that we need to cut our carbon emissions by 60%. Now the UK has become a guinea pig for the rest of the world, and two months into carbon rationing the country seems to be falling apart. In between blizzards we've had blackouts, food lines, looting, and thousands have lost their jobs.
Under the new system, each person is allowed 200 carbon points to spend each month. That has to cover our expenses for travel, food and heat.
The only thing that seems normal now is my band, the Dirty Angels. The Angels were so hot at practice. I played this wild bass.
The government has installed smart meters on every house. If you go over your monthly limit the smart meter starts controlling your energy use. What used to be personal before rationing has now become political. Go too much over your monthly limit and you will get a red envelope from the Carbon Department. Then you are in real trouble.
Because of my sister, Kim, our whole family has been put on "CO death row." We have to get our carbon use down. It is 2015. The new world of carbon rationing is destroying my family. This is my carbon diary about the first year of carbon rationing in the UK.

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Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Finding a mummified body of a child is not the best way to start your day! Eighteen year old Fergus McCann finds the remains of a small girl while poaching turf with his uncle in 1980s Ireland. Thus begins a seamlessly interwoven novel of multiple story lines. Fergus is confronted with several life altering situations - discovering more about the little girl, his developing relationship with Cora, being blackmailed into running packages for the IRA, the trauma of having his older brother, a political prisoner, on hunger strike. There is never a slow moment in the book, the pace is fast. The characters are believable with catchy, involved dialogue.
The novel explores the vagaries of growing up, coupled with the political tension in Ireland during the '80s. Fergus has to grapple with becoming an adult as well as battling family, religious, and national problems. A beautiful book.

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Caleb + Kate by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Caleb + Kate by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma.
Find out how he feel and she feels as our modern-day Romeo and Juliet's relationship develops. Told from both Caleb and Kate's point-of-view, the reader follows rich and pampered, Kate whose life changes from boring to intriguing when she meets rough Caleb. Set in the Pacific Northwest, this novel explores the doubts and frustrations of teen love.

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Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
An unexpected and totally enjoyable find.
Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell
A ghost story, a relationship story, a mystery, all rolled into one. Iris finds herself haunted by the spirit of a boy named Elijah who disappeared years ago. Why did he pick on her to haunt? What is the mystery behind his disappearance and why the secrecy when she begins to ask questions?
Pursuing this mystery, Iris uncovers years of secrets some involving her father. Mitchell packs a lot into this novel and keeps the suspense from page to page.
So, what exactly did happen?


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The Juvie Three by Gordon Korman


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Juvie Three by Gordon Korman
Juvie is not a good place to be. Arjay, Gecko and Terence are serving time for one type of offense or another. Douglas Healy needs boys to live in an experimental halfway house; the three agree. Rules are simple: live with Doug in an apartment, go to therapy, get good grades, do community service.
But, when Terence tries to sneak out, the other two boys get into a fight trying to stop him. Doug intervenes and ends up unconscious. The boys steal a car and get Doug to the hospital. Then Doug doesn’t come back to the apartment! Why? Turns out he has amnesia. What are the boys to do now? No one wants to admit to the authorities they are on their own. How can they help Doug and stay free?
You’ll develop a relationship with the boys and their struggle.



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