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NAVIGATE THIS PAGE: Review: The Body of Christopher Creed | The Teen Mystery Series That Deserves a Second Look! | More YA Mysteries on Bookshop >>
NAVIGATE THIS PAGE: Review: The Body of Christopher Creed | The Teen Mystery Series That Deserves a Second Look! | More YA Mysteries on Bookshop >>
Everyone in Fairview knows the story. Popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself.But five years later, Pip sees can't shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day...
When legendary R&B artist Korey Fields spots Enchanted Jones at an audition, her dreams of being a famous singer take flight. Until Enchanted wakes up with blood on her hands and zero memory of the previous night. Who killed Korey Fields?
After a party, four teens are in a hit-and-run accident that results in a young boy's death. Unable to deal with the consequences, they leave the body behind and must then outsmart a killer who intends to avenge the boy's death.
It's been a year since the Catalog Killer terrorized the sleepy seaside town of Camera Cove. Like everyone else in town, Mac Bell is trying to put that horrible summer behind him — easier said than done since his best friend was the murderer's final victim.
On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention. Before the end of detention Simon, the school outcast, is dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident.
Claudia and Monday have always been inseparable. So when Monday doesn't turn up for the first day of school, Claudia's worried. How can a teenage girl just vanish without anyone noticing that she's gone?
Charlotte's convinced her life would be perfect if she could only get past the one obstacle holding her back: Bellany Silverfield. But when Bellany is murdered, Charlotte's life doesn't get any better. In fact, it gets much worse.
Nova Albright, the first Black homecoming queen at Lovett High, is dead, her body found the next morning in the old slave cemetery. Everyone loved Nova. And sometimes, love is exactly what gets you killed.
If it was left to her, Ife Adebola wouldn't be starting at Nithercott School. She's determined not to get caught up in any of it — especially the school's decades-old legend of the Changing Man.
Camp Alpine Lake is the only place where Goldie Easton feels safe. But when a teen turns up dead in the lake late one night, Goldie knows that the death couldn't have been an accident. She also knows her roommate was at the lake that same night.
No one ever really paid close attention to the faces of the missing children on the milk cartons. But as Janie Johnson glanced at the face of an ordinary little girl she felt overcome with shock — it was she!
They told him his uncle died in an accident. He wasn't wearing his seatbelt, they said. But when fourteen-year-old Alex finds his uncle's windshield riddled with bullet holes, he knows it was no accident.
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.
When Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo are selected to be part of their elite school's senior class prefects, it looks like their year is off to an amazing start. But then someone who goes by Aces begins using anonymous text messages to reveal secrets about the two of them.
When high school sophomore Chris Moore is tragically killed in a car crash, Spencer Sandoval wishes she knew who was at fault. The hunt for answers intensifies when a true crime podcast takes an interest in the case, pushing Spencer further into the sinister mystery.
Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He's left with two choices: betray everyone he loves — or use his position to undermine the most notorious dictator in Eastern Europe.
Seventeen years ago, Layla Trello was murdered and her killer was never found. Enter true-crime fan Piper Gray who is determined to reopen Layla's case and get some answers. But then Piper begins receiving anonymous threats telling her to back off the investigation!
When a woman's body is found in a Portland park, suspicion immediately falls on an awkward kid who lives only a few blocks away and has a fascination with knives and violent video games. And can Alexis and Ruby find a way to help clear the boy's name before it's too late?
Detective Inspector Ian Hamilton is no stranger to Edinburgh's darkest crimes. Scarred by the mysterious fire that killed his parents, he faces his toughest case yet when a young man is found strangled in Holyrood Park.
Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why--or even who Tobias Hawthorne is.
Whenever another kid goes missing in October, the kids of Pender know what is really behind it: a monster out in the marshes that they call the Mumbler. Clara doesn't believe in the Mumbler — but it's hard to shake the feeling that there really is something dark lurking in the shadows.
Teenagers keep disappearing, and everyone assumes they're runaways. But Piper and her best friend Hazel suspect something more sinister is going on and suddenly find themselves locked away in a secluded building where every room is a test to see if they can make it out alive.
Luke Chase made history as a child when he escaped a kidnapping. Now, all he wants is to be a normal teenager. So when he sneaks out to the woods one night to drink with friends, he's excited to feel some freedom. Except the next morning, one of their teachers is found murdered in the exact same spot where they had been partying.
It's been two weeks since Polly St. James went missing. The police, and even her parents, have ruled her a runaway. But not Maren, her best friend and roommate. She knows Polly had a secret — something to do with the elite, ultra-rich crowd at Torrey-Wells Academy.
Willow is alone, confined to a bed with restraints. An old lady appears in her room to feed her twice a day. Granny doesn't talk, but Willow can hear thumping from somewhere beyond her door. But freeing herself from her bed is only the beginning...
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.
Autumn and Finn used to be inseparable. But then something changed. Or they changed. Now, they do their best to ignore each other. That still doesn't stop the way Autumn from confronting how life might have been different if they had never parted ways...
When Max receives a mysterious invite from the untraceable, epic prank-pulling Chaos Club, he has to ask: why him? After all, he's Mr. 2.5 GPA, Mr. No Social Life. He's Just Max. And his favorite heist movies have taught him this situation calls for Rule #4: Be suspicious. Is he being set up?
Alissa, Sky, Miles and Mint are ready for a night of fun at the Escape Room. It's simple. Choose their game. Get locked in a room. Find the clues. Solve the puzzles. And escape the room in 60 minutes. But what happens if the Game Master has no intention of letting them go?
It's not surprising when Excelsior Prep seniors Bernie Kaplan, Isobel Rothcroft, and Skyler Hawkins are nominated as Legacies; their family pedigrees have assured their membership since birth. But scholarship kid from Queens Tori Tasso? She's a surprise nominee. What did she do to secure her place?
Adina Walker has known this the entire time she's been on scholarship at the prestigious Edgewater Academy, but it's her chance to enter the Finish, a high-stakes contest with a larger-than-life prize that can only come at an even greater cost.
A beautiful and distinguished family. A private island. A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy. A group of four friends — the Liars — whose friendship turns destructive. A revolution. An accident. A secret. Lies upon lies.