Sweet Treats & Secret Crushes by Lisa Greenwald

Sweet Treats & Secret Crushes is a cute novel about how friendships transition. Told in the voices of three girls (Olivia, Georgia & Kate) the novel relates each girls' perspective on their long-standing friendship, their crushes, and each other. Each girl is realistic and the story plays out well. I recommend this one for middle-school girls who worry that growing up means growing apart from their friends.

By the way, here's a fortune cookie recipe, in case this book makes you crave homemade fortune cookies, or if you want to duplicate Olivia, Georgia & Kate's idea.

Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin

They found Avery, covered in blood, by the bodies of her parents. She was trying to put them back together. Avery herself can’t remember anything that happened after dinner. Just blood. And silver. And something that moved inhumanly fast. The police are baffled. Who in the small town of Westlake could – would - do that to two people. Avery’s parent’s were liked, even though they lived in the woods and kept to themselves. Everyone has always said the woods were home to strange half-human creatures in their deepest, most unreachable heart. Could the woods be holding other secrets, too? Secrets that came from the woods and murdered Avery’s parents?


Low Red Moon is a very well-written and enjoyable read. There’s mystery and romance in the story, and just when you start to think the ending is predictable and obvious, Devlin throws in a plot twist. I sincerely hope there’s a sequel planned.

Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham

I really wasn't sure if I'd like this novel. Gee's Bend has never really interested me, and I wasn't sure if a white adult novelist would be able to convincingly tell a story as a ten-year-old poor black child. But everyone was raving about the book, and the author is from Alabama, so I gave it a go. And am I ever glad that I did!

Ludelphia Bennett is such a wonderful character. She jumped into my mind and heart and took over as I raced through her story. Secondary characters were just as developed, and Gee's Bend seemed to come to life in my mind. Not only am I now interested in the history of this amazing place, I find myself with the urge to quilt...

Nightshade by Andrea R. Cremer

Calla and Ren's destiny's have always been intertwined. At birth they were matched by the Keepers, and when they turn 18 they will be mated. Both alphas, they will then begin to form their own pack, patrolling the area to watch for and prevent an attack by the Searchers. Calla has always known this, but as Samhain, and her birthday, gets nearer she finds herself...restless. When she discovers an injured hiker while on patrol she starts down a path that will expose the deeply hidden history of the Guardians, Keepers and Searchers, and drive Calla away from everything she's ever known.

This novel was a refreshing twist on the werewolf theme. Though there are definite Twilight overtones, the heroine is much stronger and the plot is more thrilling. I stayed up late reading this book and absolutely cannot wait until the next book is published!

The Joshua Files: Invisible City by M.G. Harris

Josh's father has been reported dead in a plane crash. He had been searching for a lost Mayan Codex, a book that many  disappeared trying to find. And when the news comes in that Josh's dad died of strangulation before the plane crashed, Josh knows he has to go to Mexico to find the truth.

This first novel in the action-packed Joshua Files brings Josh to the depths of the Mexican jungle and into a secret society existing beneath an ancient Mayan Pyramid. Sucked into a vortex of intrigue, Josh becomes a target for danger as he learns that his family holds the key to solving the mystery of the 2012 prophecy. Can Josh find the missing codex in time to save mankind?

~from publisher's description

Nightmarys by Dan Poblocki

Timothy and Stuart have been best friends since grade school, but lately Stuart has been getting kind of obnoxious and negative. When Timothy accidentally chooses the new girl, Abigail, as his project partner Stuart is furious. He won’t talk to Timothy and begins tormenting Abigail, who just wants to be left alone by everyone. Then Stuart really starts freaking out. At swim practice he insists a monster is in the pool waiting for him. Then he practically drowns. Timothy and Abigail have also been experiencing some weird phenomenon – all of which is connected to their deepest fears. A little digging and they find out it all started with Abigail’s grandmother, her best friend’s disappearance, an evil professor and a powerful curse that has travelled down through the generations to Abigail herself. To unravel the curse Abigail and Timothy must find an ancient jawbone and destroy it before all of their worst fears come to life.

Three Black Swans by Caroline B. Cooney

Missy, a sophomore, and her cousin Claire, a junior, have always been close. Closer than cousins. More like sisters, really. And as they’ve grown older people have started remarking on their similarities. Though Missy is energetic and outgoing where Claire is somber and quiet the two girls are almost identical in appearance. They’ve always laughed about it. Until the day Missy hears a radio program on sisters separated at birth. Until she dreams up with a hoax that really isn’t a hoax. Until the day her dramatic video airs on YouTube and people nationwide are discovering what the girls have always secretly suspected – they aren’t cousins but identical twins.

When Genevieve sees the video she’s shocked. She watches herself on the computer screen, sees her smile, hears her voice and even recognizes the small gestures the two girls on screen make. How can there be two more Genevieves?

Could it be possible that Missy and Claire aren’t twins but two thirds of triplets?

Caroline B. Cooney writes intriguing novels that explore relationships. Like The Face on the Milk Carton, Three Black Swans delves into the minds of teens who find out that the people they’ve called Mom and Dad for sixteen years are strangers. Shaken to the core they begin to question their existence and long to know the truth. What they learn is that the truth isn’t always nice and family isn’t necessarily what’s on your birth certificate.