The Circle of Blood

The Circle of Blood is by Alane Ferguson. The third book in the Forensic Mystery series. Cammie is trying to get to know the mother who has recently come back into her life. But when a young girl is murdered and her mother is arrested, Cammie must put herself in danger to save her mother. Another exciting installment in this excellent series.

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

Closed for the Season

Closed for the Season is by Mary Downing Hahn. When Logan's family moves into a new house, the boy next door tells him a lady was murdered there. Logan & Arthur decide to find the money embezzled from a defunct amusement park and solve the murder. 

Ratings: 6th grade - 7 out of 10 - V (violence).

Picklemania

Picklemania is by Jerry Spinelli. Pickles and his friends are waiting for it to snow so they can make use of the new sled Pickles has built. They must also figure out all the problems associated with middle school.

Ratings: 4th grade - 6 out of 10.

The Mind's Eye

The Mind's Eye is by Oliver Sacks. A book of case studies about people able to navigate life after losing what many if us consider vital abilities such as the power of speech, the capacity to recognize faces, the sense of three-dimensional space, the ability to read, and the sense of sight. A fascinating look at the ability of human beings to adapt.

Ratings: Adult - 8 out of 10.

The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood

The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood is by Helene Cooper. Helene was born in Liberia to a rich and influential family descended from freed slaves sent from America to found a country in Africa. Then in 1980, a coup changes her life forever. Her family flees to America where she attends school and becomes a journalist. After a near death experience covering the Iraq war, she decides to return to her homeland and face her past.

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

The Yard

The Yard is by Alex Grecian. The first book in the Scotland Yard's Murder Squad series. Scotland Yard is in turmoil; they failed to find Jack the Ripper and the populace of London has lost faith in them. A new "murder squad" has been created to deal only with murders. Now another killer has surfaced and is killing policeman and Inspector Day and the other detectives must catch him before they are next on the list. Dr. Bernard Kingsley, the Yard’s first forensic pathologist, is a totally enjoyable character. A great vacation read!

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

Reached

Reached is by Ally Condie. The final book in the Matched trilogy. Xander, Cassia, and Ky are all working for the Rising, but as the Rising finally begins to take over they begin to wonder if there is more to the Rising than meets the eye. As a plague sweeps the provinces, the trio begins to wonder how it came about and is the Rising's cure, really the cure. This finale really brings home the point that often times in politics there is not a clear line between the good guys and the bad guys. A very satisfying conclusion.

Ratings: 8th grade - 9 out of 10 - V (violence).