Malcolm at Midnight by W.H. Beck

When Malcolm becomes the latest classroom pet in McKenna School, everyone is delighted to have such a cute mouse join the menagerie of animals. The only problem is, Malcolm is not a mouse. He is in fact, a rat! He decides to keep his true identity a secret when he learns that rats are mistrusted by humans, as well as the Midnight Academy, who are a secret society of classroom pets. The Midnight Academy entrusts themselves with the task of keeping the children, or "nutters", as they call them, out of harm's way. But when Aggy, their iguana leader goes missing, Malcolm's true identity is revealed and he is blamed for her disappearance.

Malcolm must prove his innocence and also prove that rats can be trustworthy creatures despite their unsavory reputation. Along the way he meets a fellow rat named Clyde, who certainly does give rats a bad name, and a spiteful cat named Snip, who has her own particular revenge to exact.

This is a charming animal fantasy which will remind readers of other precocious pets such as Humphrey of Betty Birney's Humphrey Adventure series and Freddy of the I, Freddy series by Dietlof Rieche. Lovers of books about talking rodents, such as A Mouse Called Wolf by Dick King-Smith and The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo will surely enjoy this book. 2013.

P.Sassoon

Below by Meg McKinlay

 Below

The day 12 year old Cassie was born is a memorable one in the history of her hometown. It is the day that Old Lower Grange was purposely flooded by the town's mayor, in order to provide access to water for surrounding areas. Every building in the town was replicated in great detail and renamed "New Lower Grange." For Cassie, the mystery of the original town which now lies beneath a large lake, is irresistible, even though the town's inhabitants are repeatedly warned to steer clear of the area of the lake beneath which Old Lower Grange resides.

Despite not being a strong swimmer, Cassie decides to swim out to the forbidden area, just barely being rescued by a boy named Liam who also seems drawn to the mysterious waters. Together they unlock a secret that lies beneath the lake that provides some much needed answers for Liam's family and the true nature behind the mayor's seemingly friendly behavior.

While the story starts off seeming a bit like a futuristic type of novel, it is actually more of a mystery/suspense  story. The "big reveal", however, doesn't quite live up to the level up suspense that builds throughout story and leaves the reader wishing for more details behind the decision to "flood" the original town.

P.Sassoon. 2013.

Circle of Secrets by Kimberley Griffiths Little

Circle of Secrets

Eleven-year-old Shelby has never gotten used to her mother's leaving her to go live in the Louisiana bayou where she grew up. Shelby lives with her father and grandmother and has vowed never to speak to her mother again. But when her father must leave the country for work and her grandmother goes to the hospital, Shelby is forced to stay with her mother in the bayou, which is a place both wild and mysterious to her.

Things get even more mysterious when a strange girl named Gwen turns up in the bayou. She and Shelby vow to become best friends, but something seems not quite right with Gwen. Why has Gwen's family disappeared and left her? Why does she live in a crumbling house on a deserted island? And why is she leaving mysterious notes in bottles in Shelby's mother's blue bottle tree?

As Shelby slowly starts to piece together the clues to Gwen's strange existence, she also learns to stand up to the bullies at her new school and to once again open her heart to the mother that she never thought she could feel close to again.

This is a heartwarming story of finding strength in unusual places, as well as an engaging tale of mystery and suspense. The author does a good job of creating a sense of place as she details the spooky character of the bayou. Recommended for lovers of ghost stories. 2011

P. Sassoon

Theodore Boone, The Abduction by John Grisham

Theodore Boone, The Abduction

In this second book in the Theodore Boone series, Theo's best friend, April, has disappeared in the middle of the night. It turns out that Theo was the last person to speak to her, at 9:30 on the night of her disappearance, and the police wish to speak to him the next morning.

Theo, the only child of two lawyers, is very familiar with the law profession and spends a great deal of time at his parents' office, in their law library. He also spends a lot of time at the local courthouse, where he observes as many trials as he can.

April's disappearance, naturally, throws their small town of Strattenburg into a panic, as everyone hopes for April's safe return and worries that the other children in town may be in danger. April's family situation, of which Theo was aware but sworn to secrecy, comes to light. Her father, an aging and not very successful rocker, is on the road with his band. Her mother, who raises goats and peddles cheese from a old hearse that is painted yellow, stays out until all hours of the morning, partying. That is why she doesn't discover that April is missing until 3:30 AM. When both parents are home, they fight constantly and pay little attention to April.

The police discover correspondence between April and a convict, who has recently escaped, named Jack Leeper. Sightings of him in the area, prior to April's disappearance, are reported and the police pursue the lead, finally picking Leeper up. He proves to be quite a slippery character. Next, a body is recovered from the river, lending more suspense to the tale.

Theo and his friend, Chase, pursue leads on their own, when they think the police are going in the wrong direction. They turn to Theo's uncle, Ike, when they need adult help to finish the case.

The first book in this series and this one was got mixed reviews, but this is a good mystery. It is a page turner, but without the gruesome violence that some mysteries have. Unlike some of the snarky protagonists that populate many of the books for this age group, Theo has a healthy respect for adults and turns to them for help when he needs it. 2011

R. Rauch

Pie by Sarah Weeks

Pie

Being in Aunt Polly's pie shop, helping her bake pies, is the place where Alice Portman feels most at home. Aunt Polly, the "Pie Queen of Ipswitch", is the only one in her family who shares Alice's quirky ways and imaginative personality. When Aunt Polly suddenly passes away, Alice finds herself in possession of her disagreeable cat, Lardo, who allegedly is the only one who knows the recipe for Aunt Polly's secret pie crust.

Dealing with her grief over Aunt Polly's death, is hard enough for Alice, but suddenly all kinds of disreputable characters are after Lardo and the townspeople are all hot to match the secret pie crust recipe and become the new prize winning pie maker of Ipswitch, Pennsylvania.

This is an intriguing mystery as well as a heart-warming small-town story set in the 1950's. Readers will be truly surprised to learn how a cat could be in possession of a secret, prize-winning recipe. As an added bonus, each chapter begins with a mouth-watering pie recipe! 2011.

P. Sassoon

The Trouble with Chickens: A J.J. Tully Mystery, by Kevin Cornell Doreen Cronin. Illustrated by

The Trouble with Chickens: A J.J. Tully Mystery

J.J. Tully is a retired search and rescue dog, trying to relax and enjoy his new life on a farm. His peace and quiet is disturbed when a hen, Millicent, and her two chicks, Dirt and Sugar, try to enlist his services to rescue her other chicks, who have been kidnapped.

The alternating narrator is Vince, the farm dog,who lives in the farm house and resents another dog invading his territory. The kidnapping is really ruse to set J.J. up to receive the medical procedure for which Vince is scheduled. He also plans to bump off Millicent and all her chicks, laying the blame on J.J.

Can J.J. figure out who is responsible for the kidnapping and lay waste to Vince's plans? Will Millicent, whom J.J. call Moosh for no apparent reason, and her chicks be a help or a hindrance?

This book is a quick read with plenty of the humor that we have seen in Doreen Cronin's picture books. While any mystery reader can enjoy it, it is a good choice for those patrons who approach mysteries with trepidation or are assigned a mystery book report and don't like them because they are scary. 2011.

R. Rauch

Dial M for Mongoose by Bruce Hale

Dial M for Mongoose

Chet Gecko and his detective partner, mockingbird Natalie Attired, are back for their fifteenth case. Serious shenanigans--a stink bomb, a fire and several thefts--are wreaking havoc at Emerson Hickey Elemetary and Chet's pal and supporter, Maureen DeBree, the head custodian, is taking all the heat. Principal Zero really has it in for her.

When Maureen gets fired and then the problems continue and escalate with a classroom collapse and the mysterious disappearance of several students, Chet and Natalie are determined to find out who is responsible and clear Maureen's name.

This is a fun read and a very light mystery. It is a good choice for anyone who wants a mystery but doesn't want to be too scared. Chet's 1940's style private-eye wisecracks are probably lost on kids, but can be amusing for any adults reading the book with or to children. 2009

R. Rauch

The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn

The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall

When Florence finds out that she is to leave Miss Medleycoate's Home for Orphan Girls to live on her great-uncle's estate in the English countryside, she is both excited and apprehensive. She is sorry to leave her friends at the orphanage but happy to get away from the meager existence and cruel grownups. She is sorry to learn that a cousin, Sophia, who was close to her age, died in an accident the year before. Sophia's younger brother still lives at Crutchfield Manor, so at least Florence won't be the only child living there.

Florence arrives at Crutchfield Hall and discovers that her uncle's sister, Great-Aunt Eugenie, loved Sophia almost obsessively and isn't happy that her brother has invited Florence to live with them. Furthermore,Florence's cousin, James, is a sickly boy and she is not allowed to visit or play with him, so she is very lonely in the big house that sits so far out in the countryside.

It doesn't take long for Florence to discover that Sophia's ghost roams the estate and that she blames her brother, James, for her death. She has plans to return to the world of the living and send one of those living at Crutchfield to their death in return. Can Sophia involve Florence as a pawn in her scheme?

Mary Downing Hahn's ghost stories never fail to create eerie suspense and this one doesn't disappoint. 2010

Renee Rauch

Girl's Best Friend, by Leslie Margolis

Seventh-grader Maggie Brooklyn has a lot on her mind -- her ex-best-friend Ivy is now her enemy, she is hiding her dog-walking business from her parents, and, worst of all, dogs in her neighborhood are disappearing and she's worried that Milo, the boy she has a crush on, is responsible. Then there's the odd way her landlady is behaving... It's a good thing that Maggie has studied Nancy Drew and knows a thing or two about being a detective.

This book, the first in a series featuring Maggie, is an enjoyable, well-written mystery set in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Written from Maggie's viewpoint, it builds up the clues about the mysteries well, while at the same time developing Maggie's personality and introducing us to her friends and family. Fun, intelligent and entertaining, Girl's Best Friend will leave readers happily anticipating the release of the next book in the series. 2010.

M. Adams

The Crossroads, by Chris Grabenstein

Zack sees ghosts all around him in NYC, including the ghost of his mother, who haunts his apartment. His dad's remarriage to a nice woman named Judy and their move to his dad's old hometown in Connecticut do nothing to relieve Zack of his contact with ghosts. A terrible bus accident 50 years ago has left the souls of the bus riders wandering the area. The malevolent ghost of the hot-rodder, Clint, who caused the accident, is trapped in the huge tree at the crossroads of Routes 13 and 31, on the edge of Zach's property. Gerda Spratling, Clint's fiancee, still mourns his passing and brings fresh roses to the the tree every Monday.

Zach's first friend in North Chester is Davy, himself a ghost, who is trying to free the spirits of the bus crash victims, although Zach doesn't realize that Davy is a ghost at first. Clint is determined to come back to life and to have his revenge on Zack, the descendant of his old nemesis, Zach's grandfather.

The chapters alternate between the characters' points of view and carry the action forward at a page-turning pace. As the relationship between Zack and his stepmother develops, it is a nice counterpoint to the spine-tingling suspense of the main plot. Definitely recommend this book to fans of ghost and mystery books. 2008

R. Rauch

Trash, by Andy Mulligan

Raphael, Gardo and Rat lead lives that are unimaginable to most of us. They live in a huge garbage dump, making their shelters out of discarded boxes and metal pieces that they find in the dump-site; their food and clothing come from the same source. Not having parents, the three boys look after each other. All day, every day is spent sorting through the garbage for anything that can be taken to town and sold. The three are remarkably cheerful despite their dreary, awful circumstances. They never give up the hope that one day they will find something so valuable that it will change their lives forever.

One day that very thing happens. Raphael discovers a bag containing a wallet, a city map, a key and an ID card as well as eleven hundred pesos. He and Gardo realize that what they have found must be quite valuable when the police arrive the next day and offer a large reward to anyone finding the bag. However, the boys are suspicious. If they turn the bag over to the police, they are sure they will never collect the reward; the police are corrupt and have nothing but contempt for the people living in the dump-site. Raphael is soon brought to police headquarters for questioning and receives a beating when he does not divulge any information. He is released, a bloody mess, and returns to tell Gardo and Rat of his ordeal. All three are more determined than ever to solve the mystery of why the contents of the bag are so important to the police.

The boys work quickly and cleverly, thanks to Rat's unerring ability to find his way in and out of the city. The police are always right behind them, making for many tense moments and narrow escapes. The boys are nothing if not street-smart, and their survival skills are honed to a high level. These chapters are the most exciting in the book. There is a tautness to the writing that keeps the suspense level very high.

The stakes, as the boys come to realize, are high--six million dollars to be exact. They never lose their sense of purpose, or their loyalty to one another, or their charitable impulses. The ending of the book raises some interesting questions, the most interesting of which would be: what would you do with six million dollars? 2010.
M. Cooney

Moon over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool

Abilene Tucker and her father, Gideon, have spent the last ten years on the move, never staying in the same place for long. Frequently they caught rides on freight trains, hopping on and off open boxcars, as many of the homeless did during the Depression. But as Abilene approaches adolescence and after she was injured jumping off a train, Gideon decides that this is not a proper way of life for a soon-to-be young woman. He sends her off to live in Manifest, Kansas with his friend, Shady Howard, with whom Gideon once lived as a boy. Shady is a part-time Baptist minister and part-time saloon keeper, somewhat paradoxical callings.

Abilene misses her father terribly and doesn't understand why he sent her off to live with Shady, but she does hope to find out more about his life as a young boy and about the time he spent in Manifest. She is soon caught up in small town life and an incredible cast of characters, including a very wise fortune teller, an omniscient Catholic nun/schoolteacher, a very creepy undertaker and a warm-hearted, folksy newspaper columnist, just to name a few.

In her search to find out more about her father, Abilene and her new friends, Ruthanna and Lettie, soon stumble on a mystery in Manifest's past, 18 years earlier, during World War I and the influenza epidemic of 1918. What happened to Ned and Jinx, who was the "Rattler", what is the strange grave in the woods and why will no one answer any of her questions about Gideon?

Abilene is an unforgettable character--spunky, but vulnerable and with a heart of gold. In her search for her past and her place in this world, she pulls the people of Manifest out of their inertia, as they help her finally find a place where she belongs. The book is a page turner, as it weaves its two plotlines, Abilene's story in 1936 and Ned and Jinx's story in 1917-1918, together.

Not since Sal, of Walk Two Moons, has the main character of a Newbery Award winner captured my imagination or stayed with me when the book was done like Abilene has. I rarely read books twice because there is just so much to read, but I will definitely read this book again. 2010

R. Rauch

We the Children, by Andrew Clements

Benjamin Pratt's life has been difficult lately, with his parents' separation, but it takes an unexpected turn when the dying school janitor presses a gold coin into his hand and extacts Benjamin's promise to defend and protect the school. The Duncan Oakes School has been sold to a developer for an amusement park, but now it is up to Benjamin and his friend, Jill, to try and save the school and preserve their town as they know it. What is the secret that Duncan Oakes hid in the school and can they find it in time? This is Book 1 of the "Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School" series. 2010
R. Rauch

The Tilting House, by Tom Llewellyn

The only reason Josh's family buys the house known as the Tilting House is because it is so inexpensive. And the reason it's inexpensive is because it's so weird. All the floors tilt three degrees, and the walls are covered with cryptic diagrams and scientific equations. This book describes the family's life in this new house as they discover its secrets. Although the house sounds spooky, the book is not very frightening, despite some hints of dark doings. The chapters are presented as a series of almost separate events, although they do string together into a coherent plot. Magical events such a talking rat and a disappearing house are presented as mildly surprising, but not extraordinary. This is a fun, lighthearted read. 2010.
M. Adams

Belly Up, by Stuart Gibbs

When Henry the Hippo, the star attraction of FunJungle amusement park is found dead, Teddy is the only one who suspects foul play. Teddy, who lives at the park with his scientist parents, is determined to uncover the true cause of Henry's death. The trouble is, Henry was not the beloved mascot that the public thinks he was. His temper, awful smells and unpredictable behavior may have caused more than one staff member to wish for his untimely death. Teddy, along with Summer, the zoo owner's daughter, is determined to uncover the culprit. The smart, funny dialogue and rollicking mystery will keep readers interested in finding out the true reason Henry the Hippo went "belly up!" 2010.
P. Sassoon