True Blue by Deborah Ellis

True Blue by Deborah Ellis is about best friends Casey and Jess and their truly horrific ordeal that resulted after one of the campers they were responsible for goes missing and is found dead.  Casey is arrested and accused of murder.  Jess doesn't know how to react nor what to do.  She knows more than she's sharing but for some reason can't bring herself to talk.  In the mean time, her emotionally unstable mother is spiraling into another one of her collapses which typically end in hospitalization and electroshock therapy.  The rest of the people in town have already decided Casey is guilty and are terrorizing her family.  And, the very group of popular kids at their school who used to shun them is inviting Jess to spend more and more time with them.  As the days lead up to the trial, only a few people (Jess's mother, Casey's parents, and a sympathetic teacher) are still convinced of Casey's innocence.  Even Jess begins to waver in her thoughts about what her best friend might be capable of.

This was a thrilling mystery!  I couldn't put it down!  It is told through Jess's perspective, in both narration and through her camp journal, chronicling the events leading up to the little girl's ultimate disappearance and murder.  Parts of this book reminded me of Mary Downing Hahn's Wait Till Helen Comes, because the character of the little girl (Stephanie) who was killed is so obnoxious and annoying! As a reader, you feel terrible that you don't like her simply because you know she's going to die eventually!  I also really liked the way the author showed the changing relationship/friendship between the girls.  The ending is unexpected and the character who changes most as a result of this terrible experience isn't who you would think.  I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery or suspense story.

Brotherband Chronicles: The Outcasts (Book 1) by John Flanagan

Brotherband Chronicles: The Outcasts (Book 1) by John Flanagan is the first book in a new series by the author of the Ranger's Apprentice Series.  While set in the same world as Ranger's Apprentice, the Brotherband Chronicles takes place in Skandia and follows a group of boys as they train for adulthood.  Hal is a boy who is being raised by a single mother after his father died in battle.  Hal's father was Skandian, but his mother is Araluen, which causes a lot of problems for Hal fitting in with the other boys his age.  When the time comes for all the boys in their village to group together in their brotherbands and begin training, eight boys are left out of the choosing.  These eight boys become their own "misfit" brotherband, electing Hal as their leader.  Each boy has a special talent which adds to the success of a group that seems doomed to fail from the start.  One boy is extremely strong, but so nearsighted he can't see clearly even a meter in front of his face, one boy is an expert at mimicking any sound, one boy has mastered the art of thievery (just for fun, not because he wants what he steals), and there are even twins who are so good at deceiving people with their appearance they even fool their own mother (they also fight with one another incessantly!).  Hal is the glue that holds this group together.  As an expert navigator and sailor, he is the obvious choice as leader and skirl (ship captain).  Using their unique skills and special bond, this misfit band of boys works hard in their attempts to defeat the other two brotherbands in the tasks issued to them.  The only problem is, the other two groups are much stronger and just as determined to win... at almost any cost.

I absolutely loved this book.  It was full of action, adventure, mystery and suspense!  There is a twist at the end I wasn't expecting that perfectly set the stage for book two.  I can't wait to find out what happens to the Herons (Hal's brotherband) in Brotherband Chronicles: The Invaders (Book 2)!

 

Stolen Children by Peg Kehret

Stolen Children by Peg Kehret is the story of a babysitting job gone horribly wrong.  Amy is called at the spur of the moment to fill in for Mrs. Edgerton's usual nanny who has gone on vacation.  Amy is having a lot of fun playing with 3 year old Kendra.  While Kendra takes her nap, Amy relaxes by the family's pool.  An hour and a half later, Amy goes to check on Kendra and finds her missing.  When she runs out into the street, she sees Kendra with two strange men... kidnappers.  Once they see Amy, they decide to change their plan and take her too.  Their plan is to ask Kendra's wealthy family for ransom after holding the girls for one week.  Smokey and Hugh hadn't bargained on Amy's unique survival skills, though!  She begins sending messages through the DVDs the kidnappers are recording of the kids!  Hoping that this is enough to lead the police to them, Amy does her best to continue taking care of Kendra.  She's terrified about the 7th day, however, because the kidnappers never talk about her and what will happen when they return Kendra to her family.  Fearing the worst, Amy looks for every opportunity to lead the two of them to safety.

This was a great story and a quick read.  It's short, but full of action and suspense throughout.  I really like the way the author wove in little side stories about characters who had come in contact with the kidnappers and the kids.  I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good suspense novel that isn't too scary.

The Dead by Charlie Higson

The Dead by Charlie Higson takes place just over a year prior to his first novel, The Enemy.  This is when the dangerous disease that turns anyone over the age of 16 into a decaying, flesh eating zombie is just taking over all of the adults.  This story follows a group of boys from a private school as they fight to escape their teachers, and make their way through the streets of London, trying to find safety.  Along the way, they pick up several other kids who have had their own struggles dealing with losing their parents and friends to this terrible disease.  Whether they're called zombies, strangers, sickos or mothers and fathers, the diseased adults are the walking dead - covered in pus filled boils and oozing blood.  The only thing they seem to want is children... for dinner!  For the children, survival seems bleak and some simple give up.  Others create their own religion to give them solace, and still others just take everything one step at a time, becoming leaders despite believing they never could.

This was just as awesome as the first book!  It is filled with excitement, suspense, horror, adventure - everything you could want in a good sci fi action thriller!  I really liked the way the author took a closer look at the disease and developed theories for the driving force behind the sickos' need for human flesh.  I would recommend this book to anyone who has a strong stomach (definitely for more mature readers who can handle the violence) and who enjoys a good thriller.  Fans of The Hunger Games Series and The Maze Runner Series will enjoy this!

Accomplice by Eireann Corrigan

Accomplice by Eireann Corrigan is about best friends, Finn and Chloe. Both girls are looking ahead to their future: college. Unfortunately, despite their good grades, extracurricular activities, and positive attitudes, the girls are afraid they don't have anything to write their application essays about that will make them stand out amongst the other applicants. So, they hatch a plan to get them noticed. They will fake Chloe's disappearance. While Chloe hides out in Finn's grandmother's vacant house, the rest of their small town begins a manhunt to track down her kidnapper. This leaves Finn to deal with all of the police and news crews who show up to help. Throughout the entire ordeal, Finn nearly cracks. She finds some solace in Dean, the boy who had recently become Chloe's boyfriend and is now the prime suspect in her disappearance. Finn visits Chloe in secret when she gets an opportunity, and is convinced they need to call off the plan. As things get more and more heated in town and their plan begins to change, Finn can't seem to get past the need to come clean, while Chloe remains resolved to see it through. In the end, Finn learns some things about Chloe and her plan that she never would have suspected and she begins to wonder how solid their friendship was in the first place.

This was a really interesting book. Every guess I had about what would happen next was wrong! It kept me reading just so I could find out how everything was resolved. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good suspense novel or mystery - this ISN'T a mystery, but I think mystery lovers will like it!

Acceleration by Graham McNamee

Acceleration by Graham McNamee is about 17 year old Duncan. He's been having a hard time since last summer, when he witnessed a girl drown and couldn't reach her in time. He feels like it's his fault. Ever since, he's had bone chilling nightmares about that day, and has even lost his girlfriend due to his over-protectedness. Now, Duncan is working at the lost and found in the Toronto subway system. Bored one day, he picks up a leather-bound diary that someone left on one of the trains. What he finds both terrifies and intrigues him. There are journal entries, notes, newspaper clippings, and drawings of all of the terrible things he's done - setting fires, torturing animals - and, worst of all, plans to take it to the next level. Duncan finds detailed plans for harming a woman. Seeing this as his opportunity to make up for not saving the drowning girl, Duncan does his best to try to solve this mystery: Who does the diary belong to? Is he really planning to kill someone? Can he be stopped? With the help of his best friends Vin and Wayne, Duncan does his best to save the victims and stop the madman.

This was a suspenseful story. It was really interesting to see how the author unfolded the events with the drowning, the diary, and Roach (Duncan's name for the serial killer). I especially enjoyed the action sequence at the end when Duncan confronts who he suspects is the owner of the diary. This book does have some violence, content, and language, so I would recommend it for more mature readers.