The Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt, St. Martin's Griffin, 2008, 330 Pages.

The Buddy Files: The Case of the Lost Boy by Dori Hillestad Butler. 2010, Albert Whitman & Company, 125 pages.

Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief by Wendelin Van Draanen. Yearling/RH, 1998, 163pages

Edgar award winner- a Sammy Keyes mystery. Ms. I from bookclub wanted to read a mystery and i always wanted to read Sammy who does not move as well as she should.

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd. David Fickling Books, 2007. 322 pages.

The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene. Simon and Schuster, 1930. 180 pages.

True Blue by Deborah Ellis.Pajama Press, 2011, 229 Pages.

Casey and Jess are high school seniors, outsiders and best friends for years. Casey is arrested and charged with murder in a high profile case that sets almost the entire town against her. Jess struggles to remain a good friend-- and the story of what happened at summer camp that led to the murder of a camper- is told through flashbacks as Jess struggles with her feelings about Casey. Does she believe Casey is innocent? A YA crime/noir/mystery that  we do not expect from Ellis, famous for social justice realistic fiction. It starts off very strong- i really loved it at first-- very Lois Duncan, ti thought. but it ends weakly-- i thought it was disappointing at the end when i really did not care about Jess or her struggles. Very strong start, good middle, weak and didactic end-- i hate to say so. i wanted to love it and did at first. i am curious to see what kids say about it.

Shine by Lauren Myracle. Amulet Books, 2011. 359 Pages.

A good teen read-- not great literature but a dark mystery taking place amid rural poverty, meth addictions, gay bashing, coming of age, hope amoung the hopeless, friendships, secrets, lies, rape and abuse. 17 year old Cat is entering her senior year. She has isolated herself from everyone --including her supportive friends-- because she was sexually abused by a local boy from a powerful family (a theme that runs throught the work). She is compelled to reengage, however, when her formerly best friend, Patrick, is found comatose and near death strung up to a gas pump with the nozzel shoved down his throat and SUCK ON THIS carved into his torso.While the church ladies blame the victim and the sheriff looks for gay bashing outsiders, Cat begins her own investigation, certain the answer is to be found in the local red neck posse and friends who,like all bullies, operate in plain view of the adults who never see a thing. i like the mystery and the setting and the inclusion of gay characters. it is good teen lit but not great-- i solved the mystery long before the book ended and the ending is very very neat and too happy for the rest of the book (left me wondering if publisher or focus group told her to lighten it up at the end.) i am also disturbed by the relationship she ends up having with her abuser. He is not a monster and a little unhappy with the redemption and acceptance of him or of her abuse-- i will think on this for a while. let me know how you see it. still, i will recommend with caveats.


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Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan. Laurel Leaf (1990), Mass Market Paperback, 224 pages

A group of high school seniors, afraid that the most unreasonable teacher in school, Mr. Griffin, will prevent them from graduating, plan to kidnap him in order to scare him and to send a message to him that he had better lighten up. They plot to enlist the help of Sue who agrees against her better judgment to help because she has a crush on David. But nothing is as it appears to be and Mr. Griffin fights back hard; He warns Sue to run thinking she was being victimized too; Griffin has a heart condition and dies and the ringleader of the group, Mark, is a psychopath who will kill anyone who gets in his way. As things continue to go wrong the kids are sucked deeper and deeper in as they try to cover their tracks. I enjoyed the quick and easy read. It is a dark read, and I couldn’t help noticing that Sue would absolutely be looking at time if it were written today. The kidnapping scene and death were gruesome. For me, the most horrifying part was that only Sue seemed to have any compassion at all for Griffin or his wife.