Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon

Looking for a new author and a good mystery that is a fast read? Try Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon.

While filling up her car on her way to a job interview Rhonda Farr sees a person dressed up in a rabbit suit, kidnap a little girl out of a parked car in front of the service station. Rhonda is so shocked to see rabbit that she does nothing to stop the crime at the time.

Rhonda feels guilty over doing nothing to stop the kidnapping. She tries to help the police with the investigation. When Pat, the owner of the service station, sets up a search center hotline for little Ernie Rhonda volunteers to answer phones from people claiming to have seem the missing child.

Rhonda discovers things she does not want to believe about her close childhood friend Peter, who the police suspect is involved in the kidnapping. In the end Rhonda has to deal with her feelings from the past, present, and possibly future feelings for all family members and friends.

L. Phillips

Lake Station-New Chicago Branch

Promise of the Wolves by Dorothy Hearst

Reading Level: Adult
(4 out of 5) WHAT IS THE PROMISE OF THE WOLF?

Never consort with humans. Never kill a human unprovoked. Never allow a mixed-blood wolf to live. At least that’s what the wolves of the Wide Valley believe. Until a young wolf dares to break the rules—and forever alters the relationship between wolves and the humans who share their world. Born of a forbidden mixed-blood litter and an outcast after her mother is banished, Kaala is determined to earn a place in the Swift River pack. But her world is turned upside down when she saves a human girl from drowning. Risking expulsion from their pack and banishment from the Wide Valley, Kaala and her young packmates begin to hunt with the humans and thus discover the long-hidden bond between the two clans. But when war between wolves and humans threatens, Kaala learns the lies behind the wolf’s promise. Lies that force her to choose between safety for herself and her friends and the survival of her pack—and perhaps of all wolf- and humankind (taken from http://www.dorthyhearst.com/).

I actually put this book on hold thinking it was about werewolves. When I received the book and read the synopsis I realized I had been mistaken. At first I didn't know if I wanted to read a book about wolves, but I started reading the first page and then the next and so on until the book was finished. I really enjoyed this book. The emotions and everyday turmoil that wolves go through, people go through. Kaala is not accepted by her pack but she is determined to earn respect. She fights from a early age for her survival. She wants to follow the rules but by breaking them she learns more and more. What she learns is that not everything is what it seems.

Undercover by Beth Kephart

Reading Level: Young Adult

(3 out of 5)

Elisa has a way with words. When the boys at her school need help wooing a girl they come to Elisa for her poetry. Elisa is like a modern day Cyrano de Bergerac. She sits on the sidelines discretely watching the world go by. Then one day Theo asks for Elisa's help. He likes Lila and not to long after Elisa likes Theo. Along with that her parents are having some problems of there own. So Elisa finds solace at a pond near her house. When the pond freezes over she teaches herself how to skate and she starts to come alive. Elisa doesn't want to be invisible anymore and you watch Elisa come out of her shell.

I liked this book but I didn't really enjoy the ending. Ms. Kephart left it to unfinished for me. I want to know if x, y, z happens with a, b, c. I'm not sure that make sense but I don't want to give the story away.

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

"My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again. All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. I don't even know what that means anymore. It started on the day I saw my first ghost-and the ghost saw me." (Book Jacket)

When Chloe encounters her first ghost she freaks out. It's hard to blame her for freaking when the ghost is chasing her and his flesh is falling off. The freak out though lands her at Lyle House. A home for disturbed teens. There she meets Tori, Rae, Liz, Derek, and Simon. They all have clinically diagnosed problems but there may be something else going on. Chloe soon finds out that the Lyle house is not what it seems.

This book was a fast read and it keeps your attention. It is the first in a trilogy called The Darkest Powers. You can check out Chloe Saunders website: http://www.chloesaunders.com/. The authors website is: http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/.

Reading Level: Young Adult

(4 out of 5)

Ghost Soldier by Elaine Marie Alphin

Reading Level: 4-6 grades

(4 out of 5)

Young Hoosier Award winner Ghost Soldier is a ghost story with historical twist. Dealing with the fact that his mother walked out on him and his father three years ago, Alexander, age 13, still hopes for her return. So when his father plans a vacation to North Carolina to visit a widow and her children, Alex is upset. While the group is touring a Civil War battlefield, Alex’s gift of seeing ghosts of events long past reappears.

Richard Francis Chamblee cannot rest in peace until he finds out what became of his family after the war. Reluctantly Alex agrees to help Rich discover the fate of his family whose homestead was in the path of Sherman’s march. Through Rich, Alexander learns some history of the Civil War, from the south’s point of view and finds answers to questions over one hundred years old.
Rich also helps Alex accept his mother’s exit from his life and his father’s need to move on.

Ghost Soldier is a book of mystery, paranormal and history. It was the Young Hoosier Award winner for the school year 2003 – 2004 selected by students in the intermediate grades. The author, Elaine Marie Alphin is an Indiana author.

M. Churley

City of Bones and City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Reading Level: Young Adult
(4 out of 5)

Sometimes you can't go by what a book review says about a book. The review I read about this series almost made me not read it. I think it said something about the story getting bogged down by lengthy explanations but I didn't get that impression when I read the books. I really enjoyed them and I am anxiously awaiting the third book called City of Glass. It comes out in March of 2009. Just keep in mind that just because so in so doesn't like it doesn't mean you won't. You can miss out on a lot of good reading that way.

The main character is Clary. She is fifteen and her best friend is Simon. When they go to a club one night Clary sees three teenagers sporting tattoo's and weapons and they are about to kill another teenager. Clary goes to stop them and the three teens are in shock that Clary can see them. They are Shadow Hunters and they hunt demons. The teen about to be killed is a demon disguising himself as a boy.

Clary doesn't understand what is going on but she soon finds out that her mother has been hiding a terrible secret and she is kidnapped. Clary must trust the Shadow Hunters (Jace, Alec, and Isabelle) because they know things that could help get her mother back. Ms. Clare has created an intriguing world full of vampires, werewolves, Fae, and people that were born to fight the evil in the world. Clary is one of those people. Once you read the first book you have to get your hands on the second one.

Just when Clary and Jace may have feelings for each other they find out they may be brother and sister. Clary's father whom she thought was dead is alive and evil. Everything normal in her world is falling apart. If you are into fantasy then you should read these books.

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Reading Level: Young Adult
(4 out of 5)









Well this was it. The last book in the Twilight series that has taken the world by storm. I think it sold over a million books on it's first day out. Amazing! I'm a little jealous of Stephenie Meyer right now. She has created some wonderful fiction that I will enjoy reading over and over again. I can't say that about many other books that I have read. I was excited to read this book but at the same time a little sad. I knew that Bella and Edward's adventure was coming to a close. I just hope that Mrs. Meyer decides to continue writing stories that incorporate some of the other characters from the Twilight series. I would enjoy that.


Breaking Dawn blew me away. It was nothing like what I expected it to be. Every page I read continued to keep me on my toes and some of it thoroughly shocked me. I thought this last book would be about whether or not Bella went through with the wedding and the vampire change. I figured it would take the whole book. Boy was I wrong. If I was the betting type I would have lost big time. I think why I liked the book so much was because it was so different from what I imagined. If only I could been a fly on the wall when Mrs. Meyer wrote this so maybe I could understand why she took the book in the direction she did. If I ever get to meet her I'm going to thank her for not making the book predictable. I had no idea how it was going to end and I like that in a book. I'm not really going to give much detail about this last book because I don't want to spoil it for anyone. I stayed away from reviews and the Internet while reading this book because I didn't want any spoilers.


Let me know what you thought of this book. I would love to get your opinions.