The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler

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The Book of Speculation

by Erika Swyler

This is the story of a family that is haunted by loss.  Siblings Simon and Enola have both tried to find their way after the death of their parents.  Their mother died in a drowning and their father died of a broken heart.

Simon, a librarian, lives in the family home that is crumbling into the sea.  He has lost his job, is in love with a woman he has know all his life, but can't quite connect to, and feels a terrible guilt for not being able to save the house, his sister or his job.

Enola, taking after their mother, has joined a traveling show, reading Tarot cards.  She is often depressed and only occasionally contacts her brother.  When she arrives back home, she brings with her a boyfriend covered in an octopus tattoo.

When Simon receives an ancient book from an antiques dealer, he becomes obsessed with solving the puzzles of the book.  Why was this book sent to him?  What does it have to do with his family?  Is his family cursed?

The story is told from a fresh perspective, and what lingers long after I have finished, is how the house and the book are just as important characters as Simon, Enola, Alice and Frank.

The Book of Speculation reminds the reader that secrets are dark shadows that creep into your life when you aren't expecting them or ready for them.  This dark book makes you yearn for a bright spring day, a cool ocean breeze and a frank discussion with your siblings!

Noble Warrior by Alan Lawrence Sitomer

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Noble Warrior

by Alan Lawrence Sitomer

When we last left McCutcheon Daniels in Caged Warrior, he was being whisked off to a new life under the witness protection plan.  Leaving Kaitlin and his new school behind, he was hoping to save his sister from his hoodlum father and the gang he runs with, the Priests.

Life has been safer for Gemma and their mother, but McCutcheon is haunted by the memory of Kaitlin and all that he left behind.  Having been recruited by the FBI as a teen agent, McCutcheon once again has to choose between his new life and the possibility of going back to Kaitlin and his old life.

This time McCutcheon agrees to infiltrate the prison where his father is incarcerated.  His mission?  Assassinate the leader of the Priests.  His motivation?  If he doesn't, Kaitlin will pay the price.

Torn by wanting to be a better man than his father or the Priests and needing to save Kaitlin at any cost serves as the tension in the novel.  How far will he go to save the girl he loves?  If he takes another man's life, does that make him as heinous as the Priests?  Does anyone have his back?  Who can he trust?  Can he trust himself?

The fast pace of Sitomer's new novel will keep you turning the pages.  The ending will have you waiting anxiously for the next saga in the life of McCutcheon Daniels.

Notes:

The novel does contain graphic violence that might not be suitable for younger children.  Keep that in mind if you are purchasing for middle grades.

The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker

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The Witch Hunter 

by Virginia Boecker

The year is 1558 and young Elizabeth is a witch hunter, a damn good one at that.  Orphaned at an early age, she and her friend Caleb found a home working for the king and bringing in witches; to be burned at the stake.

When Elizabeth herself is arrested for being a witch and thrown into prison, she's sure Caleb will come and rescue her.  What she never could have imagined, the world's most notorious wizard, Nicholas Perevil, has come to her rescue instead. 

At first she hopes that by turning in Perevil, she'll reclaim her spot as esteemed witch hunter, working for Lord Blackwell.  But what she comes to discover is that Lord Blackwell is not all that he seems to be.  

After her rescue, she meets other witches and wizards who live together with Perevil, including a handsome and charming healer named John.  Add to that, Nicholas Perevil is dying, and Elizabeth seems to be the one thing that can cure him.  

Will she find a home with this infamous group of witches and wizards?  Will Caleb come and find her and bring her home?  Which world will she pick.

***I thoroughly enjoyed this story of bravery and witchcraft!  My only complaint is that Elizabeth is accused of witchcraft because she is found with herbs that help end pregnancy.  She needs these herbs because she is a courtesan to the King.  This is a serious issue that is not addressed in the book; it is glossed over and only referred to.  The seriousness of this issue belies the levity of the story.  I'm not sure how Boecker could have married the two, but I wish that her crime was something more along the lines of herbs to make you stronger or trying to make a love potion.

Sway by Kat Spears

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Sway 

by Kat Spears

Sway is the story of Jesse.  Jesse is a fixer, you want it?  He can get it.  Drugs, girls, term papers; nothing is too big or too small for Jesse.  But these things come with a price.

Jesse is hired by the BMOC (do kids still use this term?) to get intel on Bridget, the school good-girl, so that she'll go out with him.  For a mere $200, Jesse tells Ken all that he needs to know to ensure that Bridget will fall for him.  What he wasn't expecting was that he'd fall for her as well.

Through this recon on Bridget, Jesse gets to know her brother Pete.  Pete has cerebral palsy, and despite Pete's best efforts to the contrary, Jesse likes Pete and they become friends.  However, Jesse doesn't have many friends and has to learn how to navigate this new relationship.  His feelings for Bridget also get in the way and Jesse manages to screw up just about every relationship he has.

Throw in Mr. Dunkleman, the man Jesse hired to pretend to be his grandfather, giving Jesse life advice, and you've got one dysfunctional scenario after another.   

Bridget is perfect, Pete has a disability, Ken is a "douche", Mr. Dunkleman is insightful and Jesse is just damaged.  The well crafted story of these characters will keep you up past your bed time, but the people that Spears has created will stick with you well after you've finished the last page!

The President's Shadow by Brad Meltzer

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The President's Shadow

by Brad Meltzer

The President's Shadow is the latest book in the Culper Ring series by Brad Meltzer.  Initially I was concerned about reading this particular book since I had no previously read any of the books in the Culper Ring series.  Turns out I had nothing to worry about!  Any information that I might have missed was easily explained by Meltzer and the story definitely stands on its own.

Beecher White works for the National Archives and also is a new recruit for the Culper Ring, a secret society started by George Washington to protect the presidency.  Nico Hadrian has just escaped St. Elizabeth's mental hospital in Washington D.C. when he attempted to assassinate the president of the United States.  Their fathers served in the same military unit when they were younger.  When the First Lady finds a severed body part in the Rose Garden, Beecher is the first person they call.  The only problem, Beecher can't stand the president, Orson Wallace.

Meltzer has written a face-paced thriller that I was unable to put down.  Told from each character's point of view, each chapter ends with a question mark.  Don't even try to tell yourself "one more chapter", you won't be able to do it!  Find a cozy chair, rainy day and cup of hot tea and get comfortable, The President's Shadow should be consumed in one prolonged serving!  (this would make a great beach read!)  Enjoy!

Undertow by Michael Buckley

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Undertow

by Michael Buckley

In this new Dystopian thriller, Coney Island has been transformed into a immigrant settlement for a new breed of creatures; the Alpha.  The Alpha arrived via the ocean and come in all shapes and sizes; scaly, sharp and slimy shapes and sizes.  Predictably, there are humans who have welcomed them, and some who have not.  It is this animosity that serves as the conflict in the book.

Basically, this is a civil rights story.  The Alpha have been living in the settlement for some time, and it's time for their children to go to school.  The Federal government is supportive of this integration, however the Governor of New York is decidedly not.

There is a rebel group of citizens calling themselves the Coney Island Nine who vocally, and physically protest any interaction between humans and the Alpha, and they are in full force the Monday that integration is to begin.

Enter Lyric Walker, typical high school student from the outside.  Lyric is asked to help the prince of the Alpha assimilate into high school life.  However, Lyric has a secret that threatens to tear apart her family.  Befriending the prince just might cost her more than her popularity.

But what Lyric and other government officials don't realize is that it is not the Alpha that they should be concerned about; there is something far more sinister in the ocean, and they are on their way.

Undertow is the first book in what promises to be a fast-paced series.  Fans of Dystopian fiction, science fiction and fantasy will enjoy this new series.  However, the parallels to our own civil rights movement and school integration history would make this an interesting book to pair with a non-fiction book or article on these subjects.

Ask the Dark by Henry Turner

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Ask the Dark

by Henry Turner

There is a dark house, windows covered in plastic.  In that house are boxes with old clothes and jewelry.  There are boys, boys who have gone missing.  Boys that are found, dead after having been tortured.  What do these things have in common?

Billy hasn't always been a good kid, in fact he used to get in trouble a lot.  But when his mother died, he made a promise to her that he would stop getting in trouble.  The problem was, the town had already made up their mind about Billy, and they had designated him the local bad boy.

So when Billy has evidence that might help figure out who is taking boys, he has to make sure that he has proof.  Told from Billy's point of view, this is his story of the events that lead to the rescue of the town Golden Boy and discovery of just what was going on in the dark house.  Spoiler alert:  it's not good!!!

Reading in Billy's small town vernacular can be frustrating at times, but his voice comes through.  This is a quick read that might appeal to reluctant readers, but more likely to those students who enjoy a good mystery.  Either way, I think it would be a good addition to a middle school library.