Wonton Terror

Wonton Terror is by Vivien Chien. The fourth book in the realistic fiction mystery Noodle Shop series. Lana and her family are branching out; they are now running a food truck stand at various street markets around the city. At one weekly festival she discovers old family friends are now running their own food truck. At the end of the night, their food truck explodes and Lana can't resist the urge to solve the crime herself - again. She must also deal with her aunt who has come for a visit and is constantly feuding with her mother. Fans of the series will enjoy this installment. 

Ratings: 9th grade - 7 out of 10. 

Ink & Bone

Ink & Bone is by Rachel Caine. The first book in the fantasy Great Library series. The Library now controls all information, owning books is forbidden and smuggling them is punishable by death. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver digital copies of books to "blanks," while the Library keeps all originals. Jess is the son of the most famous book smuggler in London, his father pays to buy him a place in the Library so he can use his position to smuggle books. Jess becomes a Postulate, and discovers that the Library is not all they have been taught. He and his friends, along with their teacher, are at risk of losing everything, including their lives. 

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

The Bat

The Bat is by Jo Nesbo. The first in the mystery realistic fiction Harry Hole series. Harry Hole is an Inspector for the Oslo Crime Squad. He is dispatched to Australia to assist the local police in finding the killer of a Norwegian woman who was found raped and strangled. Harry befriends one of the detectives and they begin to see a pattern; they may have a serial killer on their hands. A dark and depressing series with a strange cast and no end to the plot twists. 

Ratings: Adult - 3 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content) - V (violence). 

Rainbow in the Mist

Rainbow in the Mist is by Phyllis A. Whitney. Another great mystery realistic fiction novel from the master. Christy Loren has a "gift," she can touch an object and see visions about the person who possessed it. She has guided the police to the bodies of several murder victims, but her ability has taken a personal toll and she just wants to rest. She goes to visit her aunt in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains only to find herself trying to locate a missing woman. Can she find Deirdre and aid her tormented husband and son, or will she again arrive too late? 

Ratings: 9th grade - 7 out of 10. 

The Enemy of All Mankind: A True Story of Piracy, Power, & History's First Global Manhunt

The Enemy of All Mankind: A True Story of Piracy, Power, & History's First Global Manhunt. An interesting nonfiction tale of piracy and global politics. Henry Every joined the British Navy, took part in a mutiny, stole the fastest ship available, and sailed for the Indian Ocean to begin a career as a pirate. When he takes a treasure ship belonging to the Grand Mughal and commits horrid atrocities with the women they find on board, the East India Company and the English Crown begin the first global manhunt to bring him in. 

Ratings: 10th grade - 7 out of 10 - V (violence). 

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit is by Michael Finkel. A stirring biography of a man who doesn't fit into the modern world and how he tried to escape it. The residents of rural Maine have been dealing with a series of mysterious break-ins at their lakeside cabins for two decades. No valuables are taken, just food, batteries, books, back packs, sleeping bags, and assorted clothing. In 2013, a forty-year-old man is arrested at The Pine Tree Camp while he is stealing food. His name is Christopher Knight and he walked into the woods in 1986 and disappeared. Now as his strange story comes out, no one is sure what to do with him. He won't talk to anyone except a journalist who has won his grudging trust. A fascinating tale of a man who just wants to live his own life. 

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

The Lost Book of the Grail

The Lost Book of the Grail is by Charlie Lovett. A magnificent combination of realistic and historical fiction. Arthur Prescott teaches English at the University of Barchester in England; he is also hunting for the Holy Grail which his grandfather has led him to believe is in Barchester, not Glastonbury as legend has it. He hopes to find the key to his mystery in the medieval library in the local cathedral, but he must locate the missing Book of Ewolda which tells the story of the cathedral's founder, Saint Ewolda. Then an American shows up to digitize the library and Arthur decides to thwart her efforts until he discovers she is a kindred spirit and might be able to help him find the Grail. A booklover's dream and a wonderful story. 

Ratings: 11th grade - 9 out of 10 - P (profanity). 

Foxglove Summer

Foxglove Summer is by Ben Aaronovitch. The fifth book in the fantasy Rivers of London series. Two young girls are missing in the English countryside, Peter Grant is sent out to make sure there are no "magical" problems with the case. Initially he doesn't see anything suspicious, but decides to stay and help with the search. As the search continues, Peter discovers there might be a supernatural element to the case after all, and with the help of Beverly Brook, a river goddess, he tries to find the girls and return them unharmed to their parents, but is he running out of time? Fans of the series will enjoy this installment. 

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

Homegoing

Homegoing is by Yaa Gyasi. An epic historical fiction multi-cultural journey spanning eight generations. Two half-sisters are born in Ghana in the 1700s in two different villages; they are completely unaware of each other. One marries a white slaver and moves to Cape Coast Castle never knowing her half-sister is below in the dungeon waiting to be sold as a slave in America. This magnificent story traces the story of their family down eight generations from tribal conflict to the founding of modern Ghana; from the plantations in the American South, to the Civil War, to the Jazz Age in Harlem, up to the modern day. 

Ratings: 12th grade - 7 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content) - V (violence).    

The Deep

The Deep by Alma Katsu. A totally creepy historical fantasy set on both the Titanic and her sister ship the Britannic. Two maids from the Titanic, who survived the sinking, find themselves serving on the Britannic as nurses during WWI. Both served as maids in the first class section on the Titanic; Annie remembers many mysterious happenings in first class before the sinking. Now on the Britannic she meets another survivor from the Titanic, now a soldier injured in the war. Will the curse of the Titanic follow them onto her sister ship? A thoroughly enchanting ghost story, based on the historical sinking of both the Titanic and the Britannic during the early 1900s. Katsu weaves both fictional and historic characters into her story. 

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

The Starless Sea

The Starless Sea is by Erin Morgenstern. Another amazing fantasy from the author of The Night Circus. Zachary Ezra Rawlins finds a mysterious book in the library at his college; as he reads the book he discovers one of the stories in the book is about himself. Confused, he sets out to discover who wrote the book and why it contains a story from his childhood. He finds mysterious clues (a bee, a key, and a sword) that lead him to a fancy dress party in New Your City, a secret club, and a doorway which leads to an ancient library beneath the earth. Zachary's story is interspersed with other stories from various books he reads, which also link to Zachary's adventures. Fans of The Night Circus will not be disappointed. 

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

The Revenge of Seven

The Revenge of Seven is by Pittacus Lore. The fifth book in the science fiction Lorien Legacies series. Five has betrayed the Garde, Eight is dead, and Seven wants revenge. John is near Washington, D.C. trying to rally factions within the government to defy the Mogs. Six, Nine, and Marina work their way through the Everglades after the horrible betrayal by Five. Meanwhile, Ella, who has been captured by the Mogs makes discoveries of her own. Fans of the series will enjoy this installment. 

Ratings: 9th grade - 7 out of 10. 

The Fall of Five

The Fall of Five is by Pittacus Lore. The fourth book in the science fiction Lorien Legacies series. The members of the Garde are hiding out at Nine's penthouse in Chicago. When they receive a signal from Five, the last remaining member of the Garde, they head out to find him/her and bring them to Chicago. But is it all a trap, and could one among them be a traitor? Fans of the series will enjoy this book.

Ratings: 9th grade - 7 out of 10. 

Broken Homes

Broken Homes is by Ben Aaronvitch. The third installment in the fantasy Rivers of London series. Peter Grant and the other officers at the Folly are still hot on the trail of the Faceless Man. When a mutilated body turns up, a city planner mysteriously jumps in front of a tube train, and a famous stolen grimoire appears, Peter decides all the cases may be connected to some very odd happenings at a housing estate. Fans of the series will enjoy this book.

Ratings: 11th grade - 7 out of 10 - P (profanity) - V (violence) - AC (mature thematic content). 

Redbone: The True Story of a Native American Rock Band

Redbone: The True Story of a Native American Rock Band is by Christian Staelber. An amazing graphic novel multi-cultural biography of the band Redbone, most famous for their hit "Come and Get Your Love." Redbone was the first all Native American rock band in America; this is the story of their rise to success. The art is beautifully done. 

Ratings: 9th grade - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content). 

The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu

The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu is Sax Rohmer. The first in the classic historical fiction multi-cultural Dr. Fu Manchu series. Dr. Petrie is drawn by his friend Nayland Smith into the hunt for the evil Dr. Fu Manchu, a doctor/scientist from China who is responsible for the numerous murders in London, as well as in other countries. As the pair gets closer to proving Fu Manchu's crimes, they also find their lives at risk. These classic books are a fun and enjoyable read. 

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