Getting the Girl by Susan Juby

All the girls at Harewood High School live in fear of being D listed. “D” for defiled. No one is sure when or how the tradition started, but once a girl is on the D list no one talks to her or looks at her. She doesn’t exist. Mack is a 9th grader who is afraid the girl he likes will be defiled because she is dating an older guy who’s last girlfriend got D listed. There is only one thing he can do. Mack has to take on the case, and solve the mystery. He has to find out who the defiler is and make him or her stop.

This story is laugh out loud funny in some places. Mack is a very realistic 9th grade guy who likes to cook, loves girls, and is a little embarrassed that his mom is so young and pretty. Guys and girls will like this funny and sometimes serious mystery.

The River by Mary Jane Beaufrand

Veronica’s family left the big city and moved to the country to open an Inn and to escape the dangers of the city. When Veronica finds a dead body in the river behind their house the little town is turned upside down. What could have happened? Is is an accident or is it a murder?

This book is a page turner. The story unfolds quickly and the surprises never stop. It’s a must read for mystery lovers.

Revenge of the Homecoming Queen by Stephanie Hale

Aspen Brooks is popular, beautiful, smart, and things always work out for her.  She leads a charmed life, until some less popular, skanky, boyfriend stealing, CHEERLEADER, gets Homecoming Queen.  Aspen knows that something is not right with the world and her suspicions are confirmed when someone starts playing mean pranks on her.  This cute and funny story starts out light, but turns dark when people start disappearing.  It’s up to Aspen and the geek next door to solve the crimes and find the missing people. 

 This book seems like it would suck.  Why should we care about some girl who has got it all?  The problem is that she reminds the reader of Ell Woods from Legally Blond.  Just like Ell, Aspen is impossible to hate.  You may not lead her charmed life or have her perfect looks, but by the end of the book you will be cheering for her to win.

Invisible I by Melissa Kantor and Stella Lennon

 

Callie is one of the popular “i” girl crowd.  She doesn’t know why she was picked to be cool but she was.  Never mind that she’s not rich or very pretty.  All that matters is that she goes to the right parties and has the right friends.  So when she and two social misfits get called into the principal’s office she has no idea what’s going on.  When the principal tells the three that Amanda has not only disappeared, but that she has implicated all three of them in an act of vandalism prior to disappearing, it starts a chain of events that no one could have predicted. 

 Once the three figure out that Amanda has been a secret friend to each of them, they start trying to figure out what happened to her.  They even start a webpage that you can join and post to. 

http://theamandaproject.com/

 This is book one in the Amanda Project series.  It’s told from Callie’s point of view.  There will be several more stories to complete the series.  Each book will be from the point of view of a different secret friend.  The online content makes this a book for people who are fans of the Cathy’s Book series by Sean Stewart.

 This is a fun book even without the online stuff.  It’s about being yourself and not just doing what the crowd is doing.  It’s interesting and has a message without preaching to the reader.  I recommend it to people who like a light mystery and books about what high school is really like.  If you’re looking for 90210 drama it’s not in this book.

The Christopher Killer: A Forensic Mystery by Alane Ferguson

Cameryn is 17 and knows that she wants to be in forensics.  She wants to help the dead tell their stories and solve crimes.  Cameryn becomes the assistant to the coriner (her dad) in Silverton Colorado.  When a serial killer known as the Christopher Killer murders a girl in Silverton, Cammie and her dad are called in to process the body.  Cammie cares about facts, but when a psychic comes to town claiming to be able to talk to the dead girl she tracks down the lead.  What she discovers almost gets her killed.

The forensics in the story is incredibly accurate.  The autopsy scene is descriptive, but not gory.  This book is for anyone who likes mysteries, science, or smart strong female characters.