Book Review - They'll Never Catch Us

 📖Recommend for Grades 10 and up📖

They’ll Never Catch Us

by Jessica Goodman

Cross-country runners and sisters Stella and Ellie Steckler are determined to get scholarships to help them get out of their town. After events that unfolded last season, it looks like a scholarship may be out for Stella, but Ellie still has a shot. That is until a new girl, and star runner Mia joins the team. When she disappears, all eyes are on the Steckler sisters as suspects.

Alternating between Stella and Ellie’s perspectives, this book is part sports story, part mystery, and part suspense. It is also just as much about the sisters as it is about what happened to Mia. Readers aren’t likely to predict what is revealed but will have fun trying to guess. Warning, this book is a tad slow to start, but worth it in the end, if you can stick through it.

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Book Review - The Ivies

  📖Recommend for Grades 10 and up📖

The Ivies

by Alexa Donne

The Ivy League, also known as The Ivies, are eight prestigious universities in the North East United States. At Claflin Academy, The Ivies are also five girls who would do anything to get into an Ivy League Schools. When ringleader Avery gets rejected from Harvard, the student she believes took her spot suddenly turns up dead. Olivia is one of the Ivies and was also accepted to Harvard but knows better than to share that information. She suspects Avery and her friends may be behind the murder, and she is determined to prove whether it was them or not.

The story is told from Olivia’s point of view, and readers discover the book’s many twists and turns as she does. The characters are a mixed bag of likable and not, and Olivia is thankfully not painful to spend the whole book with. If you’re looking for a good mystery-thriller novel, this is one to highly consider.

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Book Review - The Box in the Woods

 📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

The Box in the Woods

by Maureen Johnson

Stevie Bell is back solving another mystery. Gaining fame for solving the Ellingham mystery at her boarding school last year, Stevie is asked to solve another case. The new owner of Camp Wonder Falls has asked Stevie to come to the camp and help the “Box in the Woods” murders that occurred years ago. So with her best friends Janelle and Nate along, Stevie is off to see if she can be the one to crack the case.

Stevie solved the Ellingham mystery over the course of three books, but readers will find out by the end of this one if she solves it and how. If readers haven’t read the three previous books, they won’t be lost, as this book can stand on its own. There are some returning faces, but readers will also meet several new characters. The story alternates between the present time and also the time of the murders. Readers will enjoy trying to solve the mystery with Stevie and may not see how the ending coming.

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Book Review - The Inheritance Games

📖Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖

The Inheritance Games

by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
When billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies, he leaves virtually everything to Avery Grambs. The thing is, she has never met the man and doesn’t know why he would leave her anything at all. For her to receive her inheritance, there are some catches. One of them involves moving into Hawthorne’s mansion with his family, which is filled with hidden passages, secrets, and puzzles. Avery soon discovers the biggest catch is surviving the year first.
Though a bit slow at the start, this book will soon hook you in. Hawthorne has left several puzzles and riddles to solve, and readers will have fun trying to figure them out themselves. The book is filled with several characters that will have readers questioning if they can trust them or not. While the ending is conclusive, readers will still find themselves itching for the sequel.

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Book Theme Graphic - Mystery

 

Book Review - They Wish They Were Us

  📖Recommend for Grades 10 and up📖

They Wish They Were Us

by Jessica Goodman 

In a fictional community on Long Island, everything looks perfect, but that isn't the case. Jill Newman is determined to make her senior year the best ever; she's one of the Players after all. The Players are a not-so-secret society at Gold Coast Prep, and being one is supposed to make things easy. However, three years ago, her best friend Shalia Arnold was killed by her boyfriend, Graham, during a Player task. Now, Graham's saying he's innocent, and it's Jill who his sister texts asking for help to prove it.

This story is a fantastic mystery that is great for fans of One of Us is Lying and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. Though predictable at times, the story will still keep you on your toes. The book's events and the characters may be out there, but that's what makes it all the more fun.

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E-books - More Mystery

• I Was Here by Gayle Forman

• Paper Towns by John Green

• Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

• Also available on Hoopla 

• All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban

• Now Entering Addamsville by Francesca Zappia

Book Review - The Leaving

📖Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖

The Leaving

by Tara Altebrando

After the first full day of Kindergarten, six children never came home. Now, eleven years later, five return with no memory of where they have been or the sixth child Max. Scarlet returns home, where her mother thinks aliens had abducted her. She seems to remember Lucas, who also seems to remember her. Lucas also returns to a life turned upside down. Then there is Max’s sister Avery. She can’t figure out why her brother hasn’t returned with the others and thinks they are hiding something.

Scarlet, Lucas, and Avery narrate this story with Scarlet and Lucas not exactly being reliable ones. However, wondering if they are lying or not is all part of the story. This book does have its flaws, but it is still a page-turner. Readers will be itching to figure out why the six had been taken, where they were, why they returned, where Max is, and why they don’t remember him. 

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*Please note that UPL does not currently own a physical copy of this book but you can request it from another library

Book Review - All Your Twisted Secrets

📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

All Your Twisted Secrets

by Diana Urban

Six high school seniors thought they were invited to a scholarship dinner, but it was all a trap. Instead, they are locked in a room with a poison-filled syringe and a bomb ticking down the hour. If they don’t decide who to kill before the timer strikes zero, they all will die. Amber Prescott is determined for all six to make it out alive, but that is easier said than done. This group doesn’t exactly get along, and nobody knows how they are all connected and who would want them dead. Together they must retrace the events of the past year if they have any hope of all making it alive. This book is a mystery thriller that will keep readers on their toes with each page. The story alternates between the present and the past leading up to the night’s events with Amber narrating. Our six main characters bring different elements to the atmosphere of the room and the story as a whole. Readers will have fun trying to figure out who trapped them all in and why. Fans of One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus should be sure to give this a try.

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E-books

• The Leaving by Tara Altebrando
• One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
• People Like Us by Dana Mele
• Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver
• The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

Book Review - One of Us is Next

📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

One of Us is Next

by Karen M. McManus

In the time, since Simon passed in One of Us, is Lying, a ton of copycat apps have popped up but fizzled up. Now, this latest copycat seems to be here to stay with their Truth or Dare game. Everyone is a player forced to take the Dare or have the mysterious creator share a Truth about them. Phoebe, as the first target, didn't know what to expect. Maeve, having learned from what happened to Bronwyn last year, knows she can't rely on the police to figure it outtakes matter into her own hands. Knox tries to help Maeve, but when he gets pulled into the game, things aren't so innocent.

McManus has crafted another page-turning mystery. Fans of the first book will not be disappointed in the sequel. Maeve, from the first book, along with two new characters, brings this story to life. However, the Bayview and other minor characters from the book's predecessors are throughout the story. Readers trying to figure out who is behind the game and why they created it, will be kept on your toes. When you think you have it figured out, think again.

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Book Theme Graphic - Can You Solve the Mystery?

Book Review - Game Changer

📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

Game Changer

by Tommy Greenwald

An incident at football camp has landed thirteen-year-old Teddy Youngblood in a coma. His family, friends, and classmates support Teddy and his recovery by flocking to his bedside and posting on an online page set-up for him. Teddy's teammates say what happened to Teddy was an accident, but others think there is more to the story. It doesn't help that some of the players are being slightly suspicious.

Multiple voices tell this story in various formats such as dialogue, texts, transcripts, newspaper articles, and posting on social media. Readers will be turning the page to find out what exactly happened to Teddy and if he will recover while trying to put the pieces together themselves. Despite many of the character's connection to football or questioning the safety of it, this is more than just a sports story.

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Book Review - Truly Devious

📖Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖

Truly Devious

by Maureen Johnson

Aspiring detective and true-crime enthusiast Stevie Bell is thrilled to be attending Ellingham Academy in Vermont. The school was founded in the early 20^th century by Albert Ellingham and was closed temporarily when his wife Iris and daughter Alice went missing - the only clue a riddled letter signed Truly Devious. The case has remained unsolved and Stevie is determined to solve it. As Stevie tries to work the case, new mysteries seem to unfold.

If you are looking for a great mystery read, look no further. This page-turner will have readers wondering what happened to Iris and Alice. Stevie’s story in the present time alternates with a storyline at the time of the disappearance. The first in a planned series (The Vanishing Stair is out now) means not everything, if anything at all, is concluded in this book. There is still though, many twists and turns to keep readers occupied.

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Book Review - Missing

📖Recommend for Grades 10 and up📖

Missing

by Kelley Armstrong

            When people leave Reeve’s End, they don’t tend to come back and Winter Crane plans to do the same. A girl goes missing and Winter rescues a boy named Lennon who claims to know about her. Then Lennon disappears and his brother Jude turns up looking for him. Winter begins to question what is going on and if those who leave and never return are doing so by choice, or if something bigger is at play.

            A bizarre and suspenseful mystery you really need to pay attention to. Readers may find Winter annoying and the story “out there” but will still turn the page to find out what is going on.

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Book Review - Let Me Hear a Rhyme

📖Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖

Let Me Hear a Rhyme

by Tiffany Jackson

            Steph is gone. Killed before he could have the music career he dreamed of, that his two best friends and sister feel he should have had. But who says the world can’t hear Steph’s music? Using tracks Steph recorded before his death, Quadir and Jarrell hatch a plan to share and promote the songs under the alias The Architect. They enlist Steph’s sister Jasmine to help and before they know it Steph’s music is circling the neighborhood. As time goes on, the three realize that keeping their secret may not be so easy.

            Set in the ’90s not long after the death of Tupac and Biggie Smalls, this book is a love letter to Brooklyn and Rap Music. The story alternates between Quadir, Jarrell, and Jasmine’s narration as well as insights from Steph’s perspective prior to his death. Readers won’t know where the story is going and what will happen with the secret our main trio is keeping. This book is a must-read for many.

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Book Review - 2 for 1 - One Of Us Is Lying and Two Can Keep A Secret

📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

One of Us is Lying

by Karen M. McManus

            Five students go into detention, but only four come out alive. The school outcast and gossip blog runner Simon is dead and now his fellow detention mates are under suspicion. There’s Bronwyn, the brainy good girl, drug dealer Nate, Cooper, the baseball star, and homecoming queen Addy. They all have the secrets that Simon was about to expose on his blog, which gives them all not only an opportunity but a motive.

            It’s The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars. Alternating between each of the four teens, readers will get a well-rounded aspect of this who-done-it. As much as you may want to, don’t skip to the end to find out who the liar is.

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📖Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖

Two Can Keep a Secret

by Karen M. McManus

            Twins Ellery and Ezra are moving to Echo Ridge to live with their grandmother. Echo Ridge is a town known for disappearances and murder. When she was seventeen, the twin’s aunt went missing, five years ago the homecoming queen was murdered and upon their entry into town they discover the science teacher’s dead body. As the teens settle into their new town, including jobs at the Halloween themed amusement park, Ellery is nominated to the homecoming court, another nominee has gone missing and there are new threats to be had. Ellery decides to try and figure out the mysteries and gains an ally in Malcolm, whose older brother is suspected of the murder years earlier.

            Despite none of the characters being real stand-outs, readers will still like them. With multiple mysteries, this story is a real page-turner. There is the question of if any or all of these mysteries are connected, and if so, how?

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Book Review - Monday’s Not Coming

📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

Monday’s Not Coming

by Tiffany D. Jackson

            Claudia and Monday are best friends who are inseparable except for when Claudia goes to spend the summer with her grandmother. Upon Claudia’s return one summer, she can’t seem to get a hold of Monday and worry start to set in when Monday doesn’t show up for school. Nobody seems to know where Monday is and what’s more, everybody but Claudia seems to be giving up on finding her.

            An intriguing mystery that will keep you turning the page. Without giving too much away, this book is not light and does deal with the topic of child abuse. Readers will still enjoy trying to figure out what happened to Monday.

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Book Review - 2 for 1 - This Is Our Story and The Lying Woods

📖Both Books Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖

This is Our Story

by Ashley Elston

            Five boys go hunting in the woods but only four make it out alive. While only the shooter knows who killed Grant, they all make a pact to keep quiet. Kate is devastated when she finds that the boy she has been texting is dead, but she can help get him justice through her internship. The deeper she digs, however, the more she discovers she may not have known Grant as well as she thought.

            This mystery will suck you in with the first few pages. The chapters from Kate’s perspective are wonderfully supported by the unknown killer in a way that is full of information, but leave no hint of his identity. Readers will be turning the page to find out just who shot Grant. The only flaw in this book is the idea of Kate being so involved in this case is completely unrealistic.

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The Lying Woods

by Ashley Elston

When Owen Foster’s mom shows up at his elite boarding school, his world is turned upside down. Turns out, his privileged life has been funded with stolen money, and now his father has disappeared, leaving Owen and his mother with nothing. The business his father owned employed many people in the town, leaving them with no jobs or money and hate towards Owen and his mom. The only place Owen can find solace is at a pecan orchard where his father once worked and the man running the place is willing to take a chance on him.

            A riveting story that will keep readers on their toes. The story alternates between Owen’s story in the present and the summer of ’99 when his parents met. Although Owen may irritate readers at times, he is ultimately a likable character and readers will feel for his and his mother’s situation.

        

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Book Review - Broken Things

📖Recommend for Grades 10 and up📖

Broken Things

by Lauren Oliver

            Five years ago Summer was found dead and everyone thinks her two best friends Brynn and Mia, along with her boyfriend Owen, are the killers. As the town gears up to remember Summer on the fifth anniversary of her death, Brynn and Mia just so happen to be reunited after Summer’s death caused them to drift apart. When a clue is discovered by Mia that may help find the real murderer, both girls reconnect with Owen and the three try to find the real killer together and just how the book they were obsessed with plays a role.

            This mystery will truly leave readers guessing. Woven into the story are snippets from the (made up for the story) book Summer, Brynn, and Mia are obsessed with, as well as the parts of the sequel they were writing before Summer’s death. The story also alternates between Brynn and Mia’s perspectives of today with some of the past woven in. At times Mia and Brynn can come across as irritating and jaded but it is excusable based on their backstory.

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