Colin Fischer

Title: Colin Fischer

Authors: Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz

Rating: 4 stars

Summary: SOLVING CRIME, ONE FACIAL EXPRESSION AT A TIME

Colin Fischer cannot stand to be touched. He does not like the color blue. He needs index cards to recognize facial expressions.

But when a gun is found in the school cafeteria, interrupting a female classmate's birthday celebration, Colin is the only for the investigation. It's up to him to prove that Wayne Connelly, the school bully and Colin's frequent tormenter, didn't bring the gun to school. After all, Wayne didn't have didn't have frosting on his hands, and there was white chocolate frosting found on the grip of the smoking gun...

Review:  Colin Fischer is a fun YA mystery that appeals to all age groups. There's an engaging cast of characters, from Colin the modern-day Sherlock Holmes, Danny the angry and attention-deprived little brother, their parents who want to help Colin but sometime get frustrated, even Wayne, who turns out not to be so bad. The book is funny, fast-paced and sprinkled with footnotes. If you're looking for a laugh and a quick read, check out this book.

Unspoken

Title: Unspoken

Author: Sarah Rees Brennan

Rating: 4 stars

Summary: Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?



Review: This book was hilarious, as on laugh-out-loud at almost every other page. Kami is a witty, quirky, intelligent, and strong female protagonist.  Kami and Jared have been talking to each other in their heads their entire lives, and when they meet, they don't immediately start a romantic relationship! This is very exciting! The story was eery and Gothic, complete with magic and mysteries. It became very serious very quickly, though, and sometimes I became a bit lost. Overall a good story, and I will be looking for the second book when it comes out.