The Eyes of the Amaryllis

By Natalie Babbitt
Rating: 4 1/4 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

When her grandmother breaks her leg, Jenny is given the chance to stay with her in her oceanside house for 2 weeks and help out. Jenny is thrilled because she has never seen the ocean before and she instantly feels drawn to it. Her father, although raised by the sea, hates it because his father's ship, the Amaryllis, went down right before his eyes when he was still a teen, with all hands lost. But Jenny soon finds that she isn't there to help her grandmother cook and clean. Instead, Jenny's job is to search the shore at every high tide for some kind of token to wash up from the depths of the ocean. Her grandmother believes that Jenny's grandfather will send a sign to her to show his love from the bottom of the sea. Jenny is quickly caught up in her grandmother's fevered tale, but isn't sure if she believes it or not until she meets Seward, the ghost of a drowned man that only Jenny and her grandmother can see. Seward is also searching the shores for it is his job to return to the sea anything it values that washes up. Then comes the day when Jenny finds something washed up, something of value. Her grandmother takes it as her long awaited sign, but Seward warns that the sea wants it back and will take it back by force if it must. Jenny finds herself in the midst of a ghost story where the ghosts are obedient to the sea and sea is not a force to mess with. How can you defend yourself from the mighty ocean? How can any of this be real? Readers will find themselves drawn into believing just as Jenny does, in the power of many things. A fascinating tale.

Whisper in the Dark

By Joseph Bruchac
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

Maddy lives in Providence and is part Narragansett Indian. She loves horror movies and scary stories, especially some of the ones from her Native American background. But one of the spookiest stories of all is about the Whisperer in the Dark. When he whispers to you four times, you know he is there to kill you. Of course, it is all just a legend...until someone starts calling Maddy on the phone, and then leaves a message carved into her back door...but will anyone but her friend Roger believe her when she tells them a creature from Narragansett legends is alive and well and coming after her? If you like spooky, scary suspense stories, you will love this one! It might even make you want to look up Native American scary stories for yourself.

Curse of the Bane

By Joseph Delaney
Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

This is book 2 in The Last Apprentice series. Tom Ward has been the Spook's apprentice for a bit over 6 months and he is training hard to be able to deal with the dark things in the world. This installment begins with Tom having to deal with a nasty boggart on his own, all to save a priest who happens to be the brother of Tom's master, Old Gregory. But when the brother dies of his injuries, Tom and his master travel to Priestown for the funeral. Unfortunately, Priestown has 3 things that are deadly to spooks like Tom and his master: a town full of priests; the Quisitor who likes to burn witches and warlocks (and spooks fall in that category for him); and the Bane, an ancient evil creature who is gaining in power and influence over the world above him. The Spook gets caught by the Quisitor, and so does Alice, a character from the last book who may or may not be a witch. Tom mounts a rescue mission to save them from burning, but the result is Alice falling under the power of the Bane and letting it loose into the world. Tom and the Spook must find a way to kill the Bane before it begins preying on the rest of the country. This is a marvelously chilling, exciting, spooky read that is hard to put down and will keep you guessing until the end. Anyone who loves a good, twisting plot with spooky happenings will enjoy this book and will be anxiously awaiting new additions to the series!

Revenge of the Witch

By Joseph Delaney
Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

For anyone who likes a deliciously scary story, you should pick up a copy of this book. Thirteen year old Tom Ward is finally being sent out from his family's farm to become an apprentice. His unusual status as the seventh son of a seventh son renders him able to be apprenticed to Old Gregory, the Spook. A Spook is a man who travels around to the different villages, ridding them of evil creatures like boggarts and witches, ghasts and ghosts. Tom's first test is to stay in a haunted house, where Old Gregory gives him 3 things to remember: don't open the front door to anyone no matter how hard they knock, don't be late going down to the cellar at midnight to deal with whatever resides there, and don't let the candle go out. Tom survives the spooky night, but he isn't sure he is going to survive his apprenticeship. For when Tom promises to do a favor for Alice (don't trust girls wearing pointy shoes!) in return for the favor she does for him, he gets trapped into helping one of the most evil witches is the area. And sometimes making a wrong right again opens up even more troubles. This is a fantastic page turner of a novel which will draw you pellmell to its conclusion. Readers will be happy to hear that evil is gaining power, because that will mean additions to Tom Ward's tales of becoming a Spook. Not a story for the faint of heart!

Room One: a Mystery or Two

By Andrew Clements
Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

Ted lives in the tiny town of Plattsford, Nebraska, where he is one of only 9 students in a one room school and he knows almost everyone in town due to his paper route. Then one day while delivering papers, he sees a girl's face in the window of an abandoned house. Ted is a fan of mysteries and instantly decides to try and solve this one himself. But when Ted ends up meeting the girl and finding out about her problems, he realizes that a real life mystery isn't as cut and dried as the last chapter in a book. And when the girl and her family suddenly disappear, Ted finds that there is another mystery that needs solving and that it will take more than just detective skills to do what is right. This is ultimately a novel about kindness and trust. Readers looking for a more traditional mystery might be disappointed, but they might find that this story is ultimately more rewarding. An unusual and likeable tale that lets us glimpse small time life in the midwest.

The Case of the Missing Marquess

By Nancy Springer
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

Enola Holmes is the 14 year old much younger sister of the infamous brothers, Sherlock (the great detective) and Mycroft (the famous attorney)Holmes. Although she has only really seen them once, Enola calls them to her aid when her mother goes missing on Enola's birthday. Although after a quick investigation her brothers are convinced that their free spirited mother has simply gone off on a vacation of some sort, Enola still is unhappy about the disappearance. She discovers her mother left her quite a bit of money hidden round the house, and decides that rather than attend the boarding school threatened by her brother Mycroft, she'll make off to London to hopefully contact her mother and stay out of the reach of her brothers. Enola disguises herself as a widow and sets off with a very shaky plan, but en route to London she finds herself embroiled in the disappearance of the 12 year old Viscount Tewksbury. In the true deductive style of a Holmes, she figures out where Tewksbury has gone, and informs the authorities. But upon landing in London, Enola finds that her involvement in the case has really just begun, and that her true calling in life has been decided. Whether you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes stories or not, readers will be charmed by this spunky heroine and will eagerly await new mysteries for her to solve.

The Wright 3

By Blue Balliett
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

For those fans of Chasing Vermeer, Petra and Calder are back with a new mystical mystery and an addition to their group! Calder's old friend Tommy has returned to the area and he is living in an apartment right next door to one of the houses built by the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The Robie House is slated to be seperated into four sections and sold to different museums because the university cannot afford to fix it. But ghostly images and strange happenings keep occurring to the workmen in the house. The kids' teacher gets her classroom riled up about the impending destruction of the house, and Petra, Calder and Tommy, dubbing themselves the Wright 3, make it their goal to try and save it. There is some initial friction between Petra and Tommy as both vie for Calder's friendship, but the three end up using their own unique points of view to help solve the mystery of what's happening with the Robie House. There are strange connections with the book The Invisible Man, patterns in the glass of the house, a fish talisman, and ghostly voices. Readers will be eager to find out what is really going on at the Robie House and will be happily satisfied at the conclusion of the story. Another involving winner of a story by Blue Balliett. Read more about Ms. Balliett here.

Grooves: A Kind of Mystery

By Kevin Brockmeier
Genre: Mystery/Science Fiction/Funny
Rating: 3 3/4 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

After learning about how a record is made up of grooves with sound recorded on them in science class, 7th grader Dwayne Ruggles decides to experiment with other grooves around his house. The wallpaper, celery, the shampoo bottle cap all just make a skritch sound. Then Dwayne runs the speaker over his blue jean grooves and hears, "Please. You must help us. He's stealing the light from our eyes." Say what? Dwayne, his friend Kevin, and tagalong Emily also find a message on the grooves of potato chips, and the coincidence of both the jeans and the chips being made by the town's own Thigpen industries is too much. The threesome break into the factory complex and investigate. They find the factory workers acting like zombies while Howard Thigpen, the owner, has some mysterious lights dancing in his shadow. What is happening at the factory? And who is involved? Telling you any more will give it away! Readers will be engaged by this quick pageturner of a story that mixes elements of mystery, science fiction and humor. A fun read!

Down the Rabbit Hole

By Peter Abrahams
Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

Ingrid is a thirteen year old with no intention of trying to solve a mystery. She just decides to try to find her way to soccer practice by herself from the orthodontist's office and gets a little lost and ends up on the wrong side of town in the house of the woman they call Cracked-Up Katie. Unfortunately, Ingrid manages to leave her soccer cleats at Katie's house, and then Katie is found murdered. Ingrid doesn't go to the police--she just wants to sneak into that house and get her cleats back. But things seem to get more and more complicated. And when Ingrid gets chosen as Alice in the play of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, she should be the happiest kid on the block. Instead, she finds herself pulled deeper and deeper into the mystery, especially when it starts to affect the play and its director. What IS going on in Echo Falls? Although the story might be a little long and drags in a few parts, it is a very interesting mystery. Kids who like a complicated mystery plot will like Ingrid and her story.

Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief

By Wendelin Van Draanen
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Karen

Meet Sammy Keyes, a young detective, almost too curious for her own good. Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief is Sammy's first mystery. Bored and stuck in her grandmother's apartment, she watches people from the window through binoculars. While she's focusing on a 4th floor hotel window across the street she sees a man taking money from a woman's purse. Just when the burglar stuffs the money in his pocket he looks up and sees Sammy watching him. What does Sammy do next? She waves at the thief! Should Sammy go to the police or try to solve the case herself? The plot thickens as other characters create problems for Sammy, there's Mrs. Graybill, her grandmother's nosy neighbor, Heather, the school bully, and Officer Borsch, who treats Sammy like a pesky, little kid. Readers will enjoy the story's fast pace and humor as Sammy hunts for clues with her best friend, Marissa. Find out if she can crack the case before the thief finds her!

Sammy Keyes and the Dead Giveaway

By Wendelin Van Draanen
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Noelle



If you haven't read a Sammy Keyes mystery before, what are you waiting for? You might want to start with her Edgar Award-winning first mystery, Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief, but reading any of these books is fun and a good mystery to boot. In the Dead Giveaway, it is the end of Sammy's 7th grade year, and she's got a lot on her mind. Sammy has been walking Mrs. Willawaw's dog as a favor after school. She then finds out her house is getting bought out by the city so they can put in a new recreation center, only Mrs. W doesn't want to sell. Sammy also accidentally causes the death of her homeroom teacher's lovebird and witnesses her archenemy, Heather, stealing ballots for the popularity contest. Add in a looming first date at a dance, and Sammy has more than she can chew in one sitting! As always, Sammy may make some mistakes, but she is great at solving mysteries. She ends up meddling in politics, learns confession is good for the soul, goes one up on Heather, and finds a first date isn't quite as awful as she imagined it would be. If you have read some of her other books, you'll be more familiar with the history with some of the characters, but it isn't necessary. A good, fun mystery that readers will be sure to like.Read more about Sammy Keyes, the Shredderman series and the author at the Wendelin Van Draanen site.

Shakespeare's Secret

By Elise Broach
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

Sixth grader Hero is depressed about starting at a new school again. Her bouncy elder sister, Beatrice, seems to take it in stride, but Hero (named after a Shakespearen character), only seems to have bad luck. Until she has to return the garden shears to the next door neighbor, Mrs. Roth, and discovers there is a missing diamond and a mystery in her new home! Mrs. Roth tells Hero all about the previous owners and how a diamond that may have gone back to Elizabethan times might still be hidden in her house. Hero is joined in her mystery-solving by Danny, the police chief's son and the hottest boy in 8th grade. Mrs. Roth, Danny and Hero become fast friends, and in their attempt to find the diamond, they also discover a lot about William Shakespeare and themselves. This is a great mystery--very fast-paced and interesting. Hero is a good main character, and you can't help rooting for her to solve the mystery. One of my favorite books from 2005. Read more about the author and book here!

The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen

By M. T. Anderson
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Noelle





Do you like action? Do you like mystery? Do you like strange happenings? And above all, do you like silly? In this second installment of M. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales, Jasper, Katie and Lily all decide to take a vacation at the Moose Tongue Lodge and Resort. Jaspar and Katie are stars in their own series of books, and Katie is tired of solving mysteries and fighting off forces of evil. But no sooner do they arrive at the resort then the Hooper Quints, also of a book series, are kidnapped, and a priceless necklace is stolen while search parties head off to look for the Hoopers. Katie, Jasper and Lily all get into their own scrapes separately, but end up together by the end of the book to figure out who the culprits are. There are annoying characters, crazy characters, silly characters, ghostly appearances, bad jokes, and anything else you can think of, including the liberation of stuffed animal heads. Some readers may be confused by some of the book's references, but others will be highly amused and look forward to the next title, Jasper Dash and the Flame-Pits of Delaware.