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Paper Girls: The Complete Story by Brian K. Vaughan
The Pedestrian, Volume 1 by Joey Esposito and Sean Von Gorman
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson
Keep This to Yourself by Tom Ryan
One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
They All Had A Reason: A rumor. A secret. A lie. A murder. by Michele Leathers
The Black Queen by Jumata Emill
The Changing Man by Tomi Oyemakinde
The Counselors by Jessica Goodman
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney
Alex Rider: Stormbreaker: The Graphic Novel by Anthony Horowitz and Antony Johnston
THE BODY OF CHRISTOPHER CREED
by Carol Plum-Ucci
MY REVIEW: There's an old adage about nature abhorring a vacuum. The young adult novel The Body of Christopher Creed proves that human nature abhors one as well, whether it results from a lack of knowledge or a missing person. When such a vacuum occurs, human beings are quick to fill it with suspicion, regret and hatred.
Christopher was by no means a popular kid. His family life was troubled. His domineering mother ran her household like a boot camp and Christopher was notorious for his own antisocial behavior. To most of the residents of his tiny hometown, he was someone to be avoided. But all this changes when Christopher sends a cryptic email to the high school principal and then vanishes. For the book's protagonist, Victor "Torey" Adams, Christopher's disappearance engenders a variety of emotions. He is simultaneously empathetic and guilt-ridden for his own past mistreatment of Christopher. Slowly, Torey becomes obsessed with his schoolmate's life and the questions that swirl around his last days... Did Christopher commit suicide? Did he run away from home to escape his oppressive mother? Was he kidnapped? Was he murdered?
Spurred on by strange paranormal experiences, Torey and his friend Ali (who is also Christopher's next door neighbor), begin their own investigation. But the truth is elusive. Everyone in town has their own theory as to what happened. Some even whisper that Christopher's case must be connected to the disappearance of a boy and his father decades earlier. As the days roll by with no sign of the boy, tensions mount and recriminations fly...
This is a well-written novel with an engaging plot and themes relevant to teens. Nearly every high schooler has to deal with gossip-mongering and character assassination at one time or another. The book contains some scenes that could've been easily pulled from today's headlines and the author addresses these topics both intelligently and compassionately.
by Carol Plum-Ucci
MY REVIEW: There's an old adage about nature abhorring a vacuum. The young adult novel The Body of Christopher Creed proves that human nature abhors one as well, whether it results from a lack of knowledge or a missing person. When such a vacuum occurs, human beings are quick to fill it with suspicion, regret and hatred.
Christopher was by no means a popular kid. His family life was troubled. His domineering mother ran her household like a boot camp and Christopher was notorious for his own antisocial behavior. To most of the residents of his tiny hometown, he was someone to be avoided. But all this changes when Christopher sends a cryptic email to the high school principal and then vanishes. For the book's protagonist, Victor "Torey" Adams, Christopher's disappearance engenders a variety of emotions. He is simultaneously empathetic and guilt-ridden for his own past mistreatment of Christopher. Slowly, Torey becomes obsessed with his schoolmate's life and the questions that swirl around his last days... Did Christopher commit suicide? Did he run away from home to escape his oppressive mother? Was he kidnapped? Was he murdered?
Spurred on by strange paranormal experiences, Torey and his friend Ali (who is also Christopher's next door neighbor), begin their own investigation. But the truth is elusive. Everyone in town has their own theory as to what happened. Some even whisper that Christopher's case must be connected to the disappearance of a boy and his father decades earlier. As the days roll by with no sign of the boy, tensions mount and recriminations fly...
This is a well-written novel with an engaging plot and themes relevant to teens. Nearly every high schooler has to deal with gossip-mongering and character assassination at one time or another. The book contains some scenes that could've been easily pulled from today's headlines and the author addresses these topics both intelligently and compassionately.
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
The Headmaster's List by Melissa de la Cruz
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
Girl Forgotten by April Henry
Blood Will Tell: A Point Last Seen Mystery by April Henry
Edinburgh Twilight by Carole Lawrence
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The Missing Season by Gillian French
The Lost by Natasha Preston
The Murder Game by Carrie Doyle
They're Watching You by Chelsea Ichaso
You Won't Believe Me by Cyn Balog
THE TEEN MYSTERY SERIES THAT DESERVES A SECOND LOOK!
If you think about famous teen detectives, who pops into your mind? Nancy Drew? The Hardy Boys? How about The Three Investigators?
Developed by Robert Arthur, this book series ran from 1964 to 1987. Its protagonists were a trio of teen boys named Jupiter Jones, Peter Crenshaw and Bob Andrews who undertook their investigations from an abandoned trailer in the middle of a junkyard. Unlike the aforementioned Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, The Three Investigators specialized in mysteries with a more supernatural flavor. The first series was associated with legendary film director Alfred Hitchcock, who hosted a popular television series called "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" which ran from 1955 to 1965 and also dabbled in the supernatural.
Perhaps due to the association with Hitchcock, the boys' fictional Southern California hometown, and it's proximity to Los Angeles meant that the boys, and a lot of the cases they investigated, had some connection to Hollywood. Jupiter Jones, for example, was a former child star and the other two boys had parents that were either in show or the media business. The series also did not shy away from depicting its main characters as facing some real-life challenges. Bob, for example, was hampered by a leg brace and Jupiter struggled with weight issues. When I started reading the Three Investigators in elementary school, these things made the characters more relatable. And of course I loved all the curses, ghosts and scary places.
The books have been out of print for years due to various copyright disputes, but can be found through used book stores.
If you think about famous teen detectives, who pops into your mind? Nancy Drew? The Hardy Boys? How about The Three Investigators?
Developed by Robert Arthur, this book series ran from 1964 to 1987. Its protagonists were a trio of teen boys named Jupiter Jones, Peter Crenshaw and Bob Andrews who undertook their investigations from an abandoned trailer in the middle of a junkyard. Unlike the aforementioned Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, The Three Investigators specialized in mysteries with a more supernatural flavor. The first series was associated with legendary film director Alfred Hitchcock, who hosted a popular television series called "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" which ran from 1955 to 1965 and also dabbled in the supernatural.
Perhaps due to the association with Hitchcock, the boys' fictional Southern California hometown, and it's proximity to Los Angeles meant that the boys, and a lot of the cases they investigated, had some connection to Hollywood. Jupiter Jones, for example, was a former child star and the other two boys had parents that were either in show or the media business. The series also did not shy away from depicting its main characters as facing some real-life challenges. Bob, for example, was hampered by a leg brace and Jupiter struggled with weight issues. When I started reading the Three Investigators in elementary school, these things made the characters more relatable. And of course I loved all the curses, ghosts and scary places.
The books have been out of print for years due to various copyright disputes, but can be found through used book stores.
If He Had Been with Me by Laura Nowlin
Don't Get Caught by Kurt Dinan
Escape Room by Maren Stoffels
The Legacies by Jessica Goodman
Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart