The Wild Girl

The Wild Girl is by Kate Forsyth. A masterful work of historical fiction. Dortchen Wild and her family live across the street from the Grimm family. One of six sisters Dortchen's father is an apothecary, who does not approve of the poor Grimm family. Dortchen has loved Wilhelm Grimm all her life and tells him some of the stories he so loves to collect, even facing her father's disapproval. The story takes place in the small German kingdom of Hesse-Cassel before, during, and after the Napoleonic Wars. Forsyth draws from the true history of the Grimm brothers and the Wild's who lived next door. It does contain some very mature subject matter, as do the original Grimm fairy tales. Lovers of Grimm's fairy tales should read this book as well. 

Ratings: Adult - 8 out of 10 - AC (mature thematic content). 

Lost and Fondue

Lost and Fondue is by Avery Aames. The second book in the realistic fiction Cheese Shop Mystery series. When her friend Meredith asks Charlotte to help cater a fundraiser at a local mansion that Meredith is trying to turn into a college, Charlotte warily agrees. She has a lot on her plate. Her cousin/business partner's ex-wife has returned to town, her boyfriend wants to plan a trip to France, and a body has been found in the cellar of the mansion turned college. Charlotte can't resist the urge to solve another mystery, but this time she might have bitten off more than she can chew. 

Ratings: 10th grade - 7 out of 10. 

The Bookish Wife of Nina Hill

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill is by Abbi Waxman. A charming realistic fiction comedy. Nina works in a bookstore and lives alone with her cat. Her mother never married her father and refuses to tell Nina who he was. One day a lawyer arrives to tell Nina her rich father has died and left her a portion in his will. He also tells Nina she has a very large eccentric family. Nina must decide if she wants to be a part of a family who may not want her, and what she received from her father and what she wants to do with it. She also has to decide what to do with her trivia team nemesis with whom she is smitten. This is a delightfully funny romantic comedy. 

Ratings: 10th grade - 9 out of 10 - AC (some mature thematic content). 

Collected Verse of Edgar A. Guest

Collected Verse of Edgar A. Guest is by Edgar A. Guest. A book of collected poems by one of my favorite poets. Some find his poetry kitschy, but I have always found it redolent of typical Americana. 

Ratings: 8th grade - 8 out of 10.  

Behemoth

Behemoth is by Scott Westerfeld. The second book in the steam punk science fiction Leviathan series. The airship Alek and Deryn are on reaches Istanbul, where the eggs it is carrying are meant for the sultan. Once there Alek manages to escape and join a band of rebels who are fighting the Germans. Deryn, who everyone still believes to be a boy, is charged to head up a secret mission. When everything goes south, they both find themselves hunted by their enemies. Fans of the series will enjoy this installment. 

Ratings: 8th grade - 8 out of 10. 

Everything I Never Told You

Everything I Never Told You is by Celeste Ng. A magnificent realistic fiction novel. Lydia's father is Chinese, her mother is white; not a common sight in 1977 Ohio. When Lydia is found dead one morning, her family must struggle with the reason for her death and come to terms with issues the family has long ignored. A tragic tale of a family who really doesn't understand one another at all, but will be brought together, or torn apart, by one tragic event. 

Ratings: 11th grade - 9 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content). 

The Japanese Lover

The Japanese Lover is by Isabel Allende. A wonderful realistic fiction novel. The story begins when Alma Belasco is at the end of her life in an expensive care facility in San Francisco. Her new caregiver, Irina, and her grandson, Seth, set out to learn her history before it's too late. The saga weaves back and forth in time from Alma's tragic history as a Jewish child in Poland, to her trip to America, and her love for a Japanese gardener which will shape the entirety of her life. A beautifully written and moving tale of love and tragedy and how to overcome. 

Ratings: 11th grade - AC (mature thematic content). 

The Rook

The Rook is by Daniel O'Malley. The first book in the fantasy Rook Files series. Myfanwy Thomas awakes to find herself in a London park surrounded by dead bodies with no memory of who she is or how she got there. In her pocket she finds a letter from her former self giving her instructions on who she was and what she will need to do to survive. Myfanwy belongs to a secret organization called The Checquy and someone in the organization is trying to kill her. Only her former self doesn't tell her who, can Myfanwy unravel the mystery before it's too late? A wonderfully different and suspenseful thrill ride.

Ratings: 11th grade - 9 out of 10 - V (violence) - AC (some mature thematic content).  

Moon Over Soho

Moon Over Soho is by Ben Aaronovitch. The second book in the fantasy Rivers of London series. Peter Grant, member of London's Magical Crime Unit, discovers that jazz musicians in Soho are being murdered by a mysterious creature. He and his mentor, Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, must hunt down the killer before it can kill again. But everything in Soho is not as it seems, and there is more going on than Peter originally suspects. Fans of the series will love this installment. 

Ratings: 11th grade - 8 out of 10 - AC (mature thematic content) - V (violence). 

Talon

Talon is by Julie Kagawa. The first book in the fantasy Talon series. Ember and her twin brother Dante are dragons. They belong to a secret group called Talon that seeks to preserve dragons and keep them from being discovered by humans. Ember and Dante are brought to California to practice integrating into human society like regular teenagers. Dragons of Talon are hunted by the Order of St. George, who have been seeking out and killing dragons for centuries. Garrett and his partner are sent to California to seek out the dragons believed to be hiding there and kill them. When Ember meets Riley, a rogue dragon who has left Talon, she begins to see that Talon is not everything she has been led to believe; and when she meets Garrett, they both have decisions to make that could change their lives forever - if they survive. 

Ratings: 8th grade - 7 out of 10. 

The September Society

The September Society is by Charles Finch. The second book in the historical fiction Charles Lenox mystery series. When the son of a society family vanishes without a trace from his room at Oxford, his mother Lady Annabelle seeks Charles' aid in finding him. The search leads him to a mysterious group called The September Society. What is this group? Did they kill the missing young man, and if so why? Fans of the series will thoroughly enjoy this installment. 

Ratings: 10th grade - 8 out of 10 - V (violence). 

Sunburn

Sunburn is by Laura Lippman. A thrilling realistic fiction suspense novel. Polly has left her husband and child and is hiding out in a small town working for cash at a local bar. Adam is a private detective hired to find Polly, but he wasn't hired by her husband. As Adam gets to know Polly he begins to fall for her, but is anything about her real? Can he trust her at all, especially since he has his own secrets. A thrill ride to the very end. 

Ratings: Adult - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content) - V (violence). 

Landline

Landline is by Rainbow Rowell. A charming realistic fiction rom-com with a touch of magical realism. Georgie is a television writer, her husband Neal is a stay-at-home dad. Two days before they are to leave to spend Christmas with Neal's parents, Georgie tells Neal she can't go as she has to stay and work on a script that could be her big break. To her surprise, Neal and the kids leave anyway and she is left alone. Heartbroken and torn, she returns to her parent's house where she discovers that the landline in her old room allows her to speak to Neal at a time in the past before they were ever married. Can Georgie use this chance to work out their present issues before they are even married? Is there still a chance to work things out? A charming novel. 

Ratings: 12th grade - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity). 

Vinegar Girl

Vinegar Girl is by Anne Tyler. A charming realistic fiction re-telling of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew". Kate lives with her scientist father and teenage sister Bunny. Their mother has died and Kate takes care of her father, who is completely consumed by his research, and her boy-crazy sister. She left college and works in a pre-school; even though she is not happy, she doesn't really seem motivated to change things. Then her father's brilliant research assistant discovers his visa is up and he will have to leave the country. Kate's father decides to solve this problem by having him marry Kate, so he can stay. Hijinks ensue! This book is funny and moving. People aren't always as they seem. 

Ratings: 9th grade - 9 out of 10. 

The Library Book

The Library Book is by Susan Orlean. A wonderful nonfiction book. In 1986 the Los Angeles Central Public Library burned. The fire lasted seven hours and destroyed over 400,000 books and damaged 700,000 more, many other items on microfilm, pictures, rare, and historic items, etc. were lost forever and can never be replaced. A young man was arrested, but was never brought to trial. Orlean traces the story of the fire itself, as well as the accused arsonist, but she also tackles the history of California libraries and the changes the modern world has brought to libraries in general. If you have ever used a public library or wondered what librarians really do all day, this is the book for you. 

Ratings: 10th grade - 8 out of 10 - AC (some mature thematic content). 

Crooked River

Crooked River is by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, The 19th installment in the realistic fiction mystery Pendergast series. Pendergast and Constance are on vacation, until over a hundred severed feet encased in green shoes wash up on a remote Florida beach. Then he finds himself involved in a case that might lead to the highest levels of government. Fans of this series will not be disappointed. 

Ratings: Adult - 9 out of 10 - P (profanity) - V (violence). 

Idaho

Idaho is by Emily Ruskovich. A realistic fiction novel that is uplifting and sad at the same time. Anne and Wade live a rugged life on a mountain in Idaho. Anne used to teach music and Wade trains hunting dogs and makes knives. Wade is descending into dementia and as Anne tries to care for him and deal with his memory loss, she also tries to understand the truth about what happened to Wade's first wife Jenny and their two children. The book bounces back and forth in time, which is a struggle at times, but I found it quite enjoyable. 

Ratings: 11th grade - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content). 

Southern Cross the Dog

Southern Cross the Dog is by Bill Cheng. A strange and compelling historical fiction multi-cultural novel. The young children and their families are caught in a great flood in 1927. Robert Chatham, and the two others, embark on an odyssey which leads them throughout the South of the late 1920s to the early 1940s. This book is a powerful look at what it was to be black and poor in the Deep South during the Great Depression. When Robert is brought back together with his two friends at the end of the novel, it is distressing and sad. 

Ratings: Adult - 6 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content) - V (violence). 

Melmoth

Melmoth is by Sarah Perry. Another beautifully written realistic fiction novel by this author. Melmoth, the Witness is a mythical woman who wanders the Earth witnessing man's inhumanity to man. Helen Franklin lives in Prague, where she works as a translator. When a friend, Karel discovers documents that purportedly give historical accounts of Melmoth, he gives them to Helen and the result brings all of her guilt and fears to the fore where they must be dealt with. This novel is much creepier than The Essex Serpent, but just as beautifully written. It is a dramatic look at what guilt can do to a person unless it's dealt with. 

Ratings: 11th grade - 10 out of 10 - V (violence) - AC (some mature thematic content). 

Whisper

Whisper is by Alyson Noel. The final installment in the fantasy novella Riley Bloom series. Riley is given her most challenging Soul Catch. She must travel to the Coliseum in Rome to lead an ancient gladiator over the bridge to the Here and Now. Other Soul Catchers have tried and have never returned; can Riley succeed or will this be her final mission? A charming ending to this series. 

Ratings: 7th grade - 8 out of 10. 

Dreamland

Dreamland is by Alyson Noel. The third novella in the fantasy Riley Bloom series. Riley decides she wants to go to Dreamland and contact her sister Ever in the real world. She wants advice on how she can prepare to be a real teen. But Dreamland, is not the happy place she imagines, and she finds herself trapped by a truly lost soul. Fans of the series will enjoy this book.

Ratings: 7th grade - 7 out of 10.