Tween Tuesday Review: Wig in the Window

 * Comes out June 18th *

Sophie and Grace host midnight spy missions to improve their spy skills. Grace has wanted to spy on Sophie's school counselor Dr. Agford for ages. Grace has always found her suspicious, but Sophie never wanted to get too close. Dr. A has a reputation at school and Sophie doesn't need her attention.

They decide to peek in her windows, a one time exception. They see blood everywhere - and immediately call emergency services claiming to have witnessed a murder.

The next day at school, Sophie's called to the principal's office where her parents, Dr. A, and a police officer gather to talk about the incident the night before and the proper punishment. Now more than ever Sophie distrusts Dr. A. Could she be hiding something significant? If so, can Sophie figure it out without getting into more trouble?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book: spies, potential murder, and the investigation made it hard to put down. I wanted to uncover the truth about Dr. A. The many twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. The relationship between Sophie and Grace added tension. With Sophie being a public school and Grace being home-schooled, they had various view points of both school and social interactions. They also had different groups of friends. I found Trista entertaining, especially her prank. I hope there are more Young and Yang myseries planned as this was fantastic!

Cover Thoughts: Great
Source: Sent for review

Contest: Wherever Nina Lies giveaway

Out now in Paperback:
Wild child Nina went missing two years ago and Ellie can't let her go. In one random moment, she finds a drawing of Amanda's at a second hand store. Immediately, she knows it's a clue. She takes off on a whirlwind adventure looking for her sister with a boy she just met. Instantly she feels a connection to him because he knows her pain - his brother died. Each clue they find brings Ellie hope that she'll find her long lost sister but could she be on another wild and dangerous goose chase?

There are twists in this amazingly book that I never saw coming and they blew me away. A wonderful tale for a debut author. I can't wait to see what she cooks up next. I loved the sisterly moments of flashbacks between Nina and Ellie. I loved watching the relationships unfold and the danger escalate.

Debut Author:
Lynn Weingarten spends a lot of time writing in coffee shops while occasionally reading strangers’ laptops over their shoulders. In the past she has been a book editor, a barista, a counter girl at a bakery in Ireland, a waitress at a bar, and a seller of tiny homemade clay animals. She lives in New York City. Wherever Nina Lies was her first novel. Please visit her online at www.lynnweingarten.com.

Photo by: Jena Cumbo.

Check out her interview with Kristi at the Story Siren

Sneak Peek

"The guy walking toward me is good-looking in an obnoxious way, like he’d play the hot jerk in a TV movie about why drunk driving is bad or how it doesn’t pay to cheat on the SATs. He’s got these big wrap-around sunglasses on and a shiny black short-sleeved button-up shirt filled out with the kind of insanely sculpted arm muscles a person only gets when they spend most of their time lifting weights in the mirror and grunting at themselves."

If you'd like to be entered to win one of three copies:

• leave a comment telling me a an awesome mystery you read
  
• plus your email address.

* the contest will end at midnight on Friday March 12th and winners will be announce Monday the 15th. *

Good Luck!

Sherlock Holmes: a review

I found this enjoyable - witty, clever, loved the banter between Holmes and Watson, liked the superior intelligence of Holmes. Rachel McAdams was charming and amusing. The double crossings and knowledge sharing reminded me of the Ocean's 11 movies. I adored the scenery, the quaint English city and buildings. Plus, the ending's left for a sequel or two.

This will be one to show in the library.
Have you seen it?
What do you think?

Suzi Clue: The Prom Queen Curse

Suzi Clue has a locker right next to the school's Queen Bee Gigi (and Prom Queen shoo- in). Right before the prom queen candidates are announced, Gigi meets with an unfortunate accident. She declines the nomination for prom queen because of a note claiming this year, the prom queen will be cursed. Suzi overhears Gigi and her clique talking about the note in the bathroom. Immediately her ears perk up. She wants to know who scared the Queen Bee and why. It's clear she's not going to get much help from Gigi who can't be seen conversing with a lowly freshman. Instead, as the candidates start dropping out of the competition, Suzi steps in. She doesn't want to win - not that she could anyways. Will something stop her too from becoming prom queen and solving the curse?


Seems like it's mystery week here on the blog. I didn't plan it, but I really do enjoy a good mystery. I'm happy that more mysteries seem to be appearing for teens. Most of my mystery reading consists of adult series. Suzi Clue: great title, great cover, lots of fun. Plus it surrounds prom - which is something girls in my library can't get enough of. It's currently sitting on my prom display. I bet it won't be there for long before someone gobbles it up. It's a fun entertaining read with a snarky best friend, a crush on a foreign exchange student, and a rebel girl who likes Nancy Drew.

Happy Release Day: Death by Denim

Linda's hosting a fabulous party on her blog. Check out all the stuff you can win including a signed copy of the book!

As soon as I get my hands on the book, I'll post a review here. Meanwhile if you haven't read the first too: Death by Bikini and Death by Latte get caught up!

You've Got Blackmail

Lauren "Lozzie" Cracknell can't help but get into trouble. She's unfortunately emailed everyone in the school a doctored picture of the school bully. She's also forgotten to mail her mother's exlcusive party invitations. She's not sure who wants to kill her more. On top of that, her sister's mad at her for "borrowing" all her stuff, her parents are in the middle of divorce, and it's possible that her mom might start dating...her English teacher. Could her life get an worse? Lozzie discovers that someone is blackmailing her teacher. Lozzie's determined to uncover the blackmailer's identity. But as things get harder - hiding from the school bully, her room gets ransacked, and her mother opening acknowledges that she's ready to start dating again. Can Lozzie and her friends solve the mystery before things get worse - or before she gets into any more trouble.


I love both the cover and the title (confession: together they made me buy the book). The cover is fresh and striking while the title makes me giggle. I loved the book, the mystery was fun. The friendship between Lozzie and Dex and I love British humor (perfect for fans of Rennison's books). However, I did wish there were more suspects in the mystery, everything wrapped up too soon for me.

Death By Latte

Aphra lied to her father and hopped a plane to Seattle to try to catch a glimpse of her mother - whom she hasn't seen in four years. She finds her in the market place, selling pottery. But when her mother looks up and notices her daughter, her first reaction isn't happy. Immediately she takes her daughter back to her apartment base and looks into a flight back. Where her mother looks at her child and sees danger, Aphra just wants to see her mom. On the way back to the airport, her mom receives a phone call. Since there's time before the flight Alphra doesn't mind her mother running an errand. But the errand turns into something much more dangerous involving hiking down a rocky mountain side, kayaking through treacherous waters, and escaping rogue CIA agents gunning for them.

This is the Sequel to Death By Latte and as far as I'm concerned Death by Denim can't come out quickly enough. I want to find out: what happens with Seth and Aphra, what her father thinks of the whole mess, and if the agents are still after Aphra. The action made me fly through the book, hooking me at every possible point. if you're into suspenseful mysteries, give this one a try.

Also try: Killer Cruise, Sleepless, and Fake ID