I Hunt Killers

I recently found out that Barry Lyga, author of Archvillain (a middle-grade novel series) and Mangaman, among many other titles, has written a trilogy of young adult novels about the son of a serial killer. I sampled the first, I Hunt Killers. Although a bit outré in premise, Lyga’s characterization keeps the book readable. Jasper “Jazz” Dent was trained by his father, a now-imprisoned killer responsible for 124 bodies, in the fine arts of murder and hiding the evidence. (Is […]

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The Crimes of Dr. Watson: An Interactive Mystery

Several years ago, Quirk Books put out three Interactive Mysteries, handsome, retro-themed hardcovers that told new stories using familiar characters. The gimmick is that various documents germane to the story are included in facsimile form. Imagine Griffin and Sabine, with its letters in envelopes, with more emphasis on murder. The Crimes of Dr. Watson is credited to John H. Watson, MD, but the writer is Duane Swierczynski (who has also written Judge Dredd, Birds of Prey, and Godzilla comics, among […]

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The Girl With All the Gifts

Out next week in the US is a dystopian science fiction novel by M.R. Carey (who is better known to comic readers as Mike, author of Lucifer, Hellblazer, The Unwritten, and X-Men). The Girl With All the Gifts set after the human race has almost been destroyed by a plague that takes over the nervous system, turning people into cannibalistic “hungries” that exist only to infect others. (So, zombie apocalypse, kind of, as is so popular now.) Ten-year-old Melanie is […]

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I Kill the Mockingbird

Kids will relate to this YA novel about being assigned summer reading. I Kill the Mockingbird is short — just over 100 pages — and easy to read, although that means a certain lack of depth to the characters. Although they have dramatic events in their backgrounds, it doesn’t make up for how the reader never gets a sense of the cast as real, substantial people. Perhaps that allows for more identification with the kids, imagining themselves as part of […]

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The Here and Now

Ann Brashares, author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, tackles YA science fiction with The Here and Now, the story of time-traveling Prenna and her struggles to do what’s right for the world. I was strongly reminded of Rogue Touch, last summer’s superhero novel tie-in, with the romance between Prenna, girl from the future, and modern-day Ethan as they try to save the future world. The book is on the short side, under 200 pages, and a bit sketchy […]

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Attachments

All it took was reading one of Rainbow Rowell’s books, and I became a devoted fan. Attachments is her first (so far) adult novel, and it’s a fun, satisfying read. Lincoln had his heart broken by his first, high school girlfriend. He’s now back living with his mother and working nights in IT security for a newspaper. The paper just put in internet connections, and since the higher-ups are nervous about employees wasting time surfing, everything is being monitored. (I […]

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Breakfast Served Anytime

I knew I had to read this YA novel when I found out that it was set at a nerd camp, a summer program for gifted and talented students. I’m an alum of geek school myself, and I was eager to read another story of the experience. Sarah Combs surpassed my expectations in her portrayal of friendship among several creative and entertaining young people in Breakfast Served Anytime. When we meet Gloria, aspiring actress, she and best friend Carol are […]

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Far From You

This young adult novel was surprisingly engrossing for blending several stories — teen romance, a murder mystery, dealing with loss, and most importantly, a young woman learning to handle her pain and be honest with herself — with skill. Sophie’s story in Far From You is told in interwoven flashbacks, as she copes with first, recovering from a serious car accident that required rebuilding her leg and back. She, her best friend Mina, and Mina’s brother Trev were all affected, […]

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