Long Way Down

Long Way Down
by Jason Reynolds

From the publisher:
"A cannon. A strap.
A piece. A biscuit.
A burner. A heater.
A chopper. A gat.
A hammer
A tool
for RULE

Or, you can call it a gun. That’s what fifteen-year-old Will has shoved in the back waistband of his jeans. See, his brother Shawn was just murdered. And Will knows the rules. No crying. No snitching. Revenge. That’s where Will’s now heading, with that gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, the gun that was his brother’s gun. He gets on the elevator, seventh floor, stoked. He knows who he’s after. Or does he?

As the elevator stops on the sixth floor, on comes Buck. Buck, Will finds out, is who gave Shawn the gun before Will took the gun. Buck tells Will to check that the gun is even loaded. And that’s when Will sees that one bullet is missing. And the only one who could have fired Shawn’s gun was Shawn. Huh. Will didn’t know that Shawn had ever actually used his gun. Bigger huh. BUCK IS DEAD. But Buck’s in the elevator?

Just as Will’s trying to think this through, the door to the next floor opens. A teenage girl gets on, waves away the smoke from Dead Buck’s cigarette. Will doesn’t know her, but she knew him. Knew. When they were eight. And stray bullets had cut through the playground, and Will had tried to cover her, but she was hit anyway, and so what she wants to know, on that fifth floor elevator stop, is, what if Will, Will with the gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, MISSES.

And so it goes, the whole long way down, as the elevator stops on each floor, and at each stop someone connected to his brother gets on to give Will a piece to a bigger story than the one he thinks he knows. A story that might never know an END…if WILL gets off that elevator. 

This is a very unique read for me for a couple of reasons. A. I don't like novels in verse. I find them very disjointed and choppy and I miss all the little details. B. I don't tend to read urban/inner-city/gang type books as they are (thankfully) so far out of my scope of experience. However, I read this one because I wanted to make sure of the content before talking it up to any of my students. Once started it is very hard to put down. Luckily reading about 67 seconds on an elevator only takes about an hour of your time. The choppiness of the verse fits the story, and the layout adds to the plot as well. This book will go through my 8th grade boys like wildfire. But what will it teach them? That is the problem I have with this book. The dead people Will sees on the elevator seem too happy to see each other and there is a lot of camaraderie between them all. What would a grieving 15 year old take from that? He's feeling lost, alone and scared. Too me it seems like it would convince him that he wants to be with those dead people. That is just my opinion, and I know most other reviewers (and I'm sure the Newbery Committee) disagree with me. It was gripping, it was real, but did it really get the point across and did it glorify violence just a little bit too much for me? Will teenagers get the subtext that "The Rules" are stupid, or will they just see all of the characters' complete adherence to them? I'm not sure. 

Areas of concern:
*There is quite a bit of cussing, but not as much as I was expecting. The "f" word appears once with a handful of all of the other cuss words. I don't remember any profanity.
*The book begins with a young person getting shot and killed and many other murders are discussed.
*There is talk of dealing drugs and stealing.
*The main character is planning on a revenge shooting.
*A complete lack of role models of any kind. 

Suggested Ages:

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 12+

School Library Journal - Grades 8+

Serafina and the Black Cloak

Serafina and the
Black Cloak
by Robert Beatty

From the publisher:
"“Never go into the deep parts of the forest, for there are many dangers there, and they will ensnare your soul.”

Serafina has never had a reason to disobey her pa and venture beyond the grounds of the Biltmore estate. There’s plenty to explore in her grand home, although she must take care to never be seen. None of the rich folk upstairs know that Serafina exists; she and her pa, the estate’s maintenance man, have secretly lived in the basement for as long as Serafina can remember.

But when children at the estate start disappearing, only Serafina knows who the culprit is: a terrifying man in a black cloak who stalks Biltmore’s corridors at night. Following her own harrowing escape, Serafina risks everything by joining forces with Braeden Vanderbilt, the young nephew of the Biltmore’s owners. Braeden and Serafina must uncover the Man in the Black Cloak’s true identity . . . before all of the children vanish one by one.

Serafina’s hunt leads her into the very forest that she has been taught to fear. There she discovers a forgotten legacy of magic, one that is bound to her own identity. In order to save the children of Biltmore, Serafina must seek the answers that will unlock the puzzle of her past."

I'm just going to start this by putting it out there that this book is quite scary and eerie. It starts out with a lot of discussion about rats. I have (luckily) never had a run-in with a rat, but since I am scared witless by mice, I was very disturbed by all of the rat talk. But that is just me, there is a lot more than rats here to terrify middle schoolers. I have a couple of students who LOVE the Lockwood and Co. books, and to tide them over between those books I think I'll steer them towards Serafina. There is definitely no lack of action and atmospheric creepiness. A black-cloaked, zombie-like monster who steals children, a creepy forest with an abandoned village and a mysterious and scary cemetery. Who can you trust? There are many people who could be suspect. 
The setting of the Biltmore estate was a fun part, and now I want to go visit it.... but NOT live in the rat-infested basement. 
I like the character of Serafina, she is brave and good and strong, but let's face it, sometimes pretty foolish. I felt sorry for her poor pa, who loved her and was always worried about her as she went off and left without telling him. I also liked Braeden and had a lot of compassion for his story. While I figured out some things quite easily, the way the author got around to explaining them was gripping. I really enjoyed this book, but it is not for the faint of heart. 

Areas of concern:
*Children disappearing in a very scary way.
*Atmospheric tension
*Blood and gore play a small part.
*Animal attacks
*Very little parental supervision
*Rats! Creeping, crawling, being caught, being killed.

Suggested Ages:

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 8-12 (Wow!  8 years old?  Really?  Way too young, in my opinion.)

School Library Journal - Grades 5-7

Slow Dance in Purgatory

Slow Dance in Purgatory
by Amy Harmon

From the publisher:
"The hallways are empty, the school day long over, the din of lockers and youthful laughter have dissolved into silence. It's as if the very walls are waiting. And then through the intercom a song starts to crackle, the soundtrack of a forgotten life. And the band begins to sing - "Lovely Maggie falls for Johnny, a boy no one else can see. Heartthrob Johnny, 50s bad boy, trapped for eternity. Lonely boy and lonely girl, unsolved mystery. Maggie and Johnny, only high school sweethearts, because Johnny can't ever leave. Do wop, Do wop.." 

In 1958, a rumble goes down outside the brand new highschool in Honeyville, Texas. Chaos ensues, a life is lost, and Johnny Kinross disappears. But in 2010, someone finds him. Orphaned at the age of ten, 17-year-old Maggie O'Bannon finally finds a permanent home with her elderly aunt in a small Texas town. Working part-time as a school janitor, she becomes enmeshed in a fifty-year-old tragedy where nothing is as it seems and the boy of her dreams might vanish when the bell rings. 

This volatile and mismatched romance is doomed from its start, as Maggie struggles to hold on to yet another person she is destined to lose. Secret love and hushed affection are threatened by outside forces, resulting in a desperate race to keep a secret no one would understand. Deeply romantic, funny and tender, Slow Dance in Purgatory captures the heartache of a love story where a happy ending might be decades too late."

It's official. Amy Harmon could write the phone book and I would read it and love it. 
This one is very different from some of her others, being more Young Adult and paranormal-y, but it was still intense and addictive. Be warned, it ends on a huge cliffhanger so you'll want to have the next book on hand. And it is really hard for me to review because I read Prom Night in Purgatoryimmediately after I finished, so I'm afraid I'll give something away and say too much. Suffice it to say, I really liked it, it held my interest, it was unique and different, the writing is superb, I cared about the characters, and I ordered it for my middle school library.

Areas of concern:
*There is some cussing, it didn't seem overdone or gratuitous.
*There is talk of a mom who is sleeping around.
*Some kissing.
*A very violent story is underlying the whole book. There is talk of blood and staring eyes, gunshots and fighting.
*Ghosts are talked about and seen. 

Compulsion (Heirs of Watson Island, #1)

Compulsion
Martina Boone

From the publisher:
"Three plantations. Two wishes. One ancient curse.

All her life, Barrie Watson has been a virtual prisoner in the house where she lives with her shut-in mother. When her mother dies, Barrie promises to put some mileage on her stiletto heels. But she finds a new kind of prison at her aunt’s South Carolina plantation instead--a prison guarded by an ancient spirit who long ago cursed one of the three founding families of Watson Island and gave the others magical gifts that became compulsions.

Stuck with the ghosts of a generations-old feud and hunted by forces she cannot see, Barrie must find a way to break free of the family legacy. With the help of sun-kissed Eight Beaufort, who knows what Barrie wants before she knows herself, the last Watson heir starts to unravel her family's twisted secrets. What she finds is dangerous: a love she never expected, a river that turns to fire at midnight, a gorgeous cousin who isn’t what she seems, and very real enemies who want both Eight and Barrie dead."

I'm not sure why authors have a need to come up with unusual names for their characters. This is one of just several I have read recently where the main character's name is very strange. A girl named Lombard and called Barrie? Really? It was totally distracting to me, and never really explained beyond the fact that she came from San Francisco and was named after the curved street. And the male character's name is Eight. Hmmmmmm. I was also disappointed by the stereotypical southern-ness going on I'm not sure why authors have a need to come up with unusual names for their characters. This is one of just several I have read recently where the main character's name is very strange. A girl named Lombard and called Barrie? Really? It was totally distracting to me, and never really explained beyond the fact that she came from San Francisco and was named after the curved street. And the male character's name is Eight. Hmmmmmm. I was also disappointed by the stereotypical southern-ness going on. I'm pretty sure this author has never lived in the South before, because I didn't ever FEEL the South in her writing. This may have been the fault of the book I read right before this, which was Southern Gothic done right. Several times while reading Beware the Wild  I could almost hear the cicadas and katydids singing in the swamp, and feel the heat and humidity. So this book, with Aunt Pru's annoying habit of saying "sugar" every time she opened her mouth, got old pretty quickly. However, I did like Compulsion , I was just annoyed at a few things. The plot was interesting and the characters likeable, even though a couple of times I was a little confused by the families/relatives and who was who. I really liked Barrie and Eight (in spite of their names), and the character of Mark, although we never meet him in person - just through phone conversations, is so clearly drawn that I can completely picture him. The end was exciting and came to a conclusion (for the most part), which I appreciated. Areas of concern: Quite a bit of cussing, but definitely not an every page sort of thing.  No *f* word. Some pretty intense kissing. The character of Mark is a transgender cross-dresser. Several murders occur or are mentioned in the course of the book, and the main characters are put in a couple of very scary situations.

Suggested Ages:
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 12+
School Library Journal - Grades 9+

The Screaming Staircase

The Screaming Staircase
by Jonathan Stroud

From the publisher:
"When the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in . . .

For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.

Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.

Set in a city stalked by spectres, The Screaming Staircase is the first in a chilling new series full of suspense, humour and truly terrifying ghosts. Your nights will never be the same again . . .   "

Who ya gonna call? Lockwood & Co.! That is what was going through my mind the whole time I was reading this book. It is like Ghostbusters with children as the main characters. But is has scarier ghosts (no Stay Puft Marshmallow Man here), and ectoplasm that doesn't just slime you, it can kill you. I actually really liked this book. I don't usually read scary ghost stories, and as a middle-schooler this would have scared me to death, (I read Jane-Emily in Jr. High and still get creeped out just thinking about it), as an adult it just made me a little leery of dark, cold places.

The main characters were really likeable and were at times brave, funny, and heart-wrenching. The whole premise of the book is that young children are more receptive to psychic experiences than adults, so when The Problem of hauntings arises, children are used to hunt the ghosts. In talking about her companions when she first entered "the business", main character Lucy says,
"I was close to them. We worked together. We had fun. We saved each other's lives a bit. Their names, if you're interested, were Paul, Norrie, Julie, Steph, and Alfie-Joe. They're all dead now."
There is a lot of talk of the death of children in this book.

I found it kind of strange that there was no mention of a screaming staircase until about the 60% mark of the book. However, there is action a-plenty from page one. If you like a creepy, spine-tingling ghost story, this one's for you!

Areas of concern:
The *d* word was used a handful of times.
The main characters are all children living together without any adult supervision - that is actually a main part of the storyline. I wish that there could have been at least one positive adult figure.
High spookiness factor - not for sensitive readers.
Suggested Ages:
Kirkus Reviews - Ages 11-13
School Library Journal - Grades 6-9

The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing

The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing
by Sheila Turnage

From the publisher:
"The eagerly anticipated follow-up to the Newbery honor winner and New York Times bestseller, Three Times Lucky

Small towns have rules. One is, you got to stay who you are – no matter how many murders you solve.

When Miss Lana makes an Accidental Bid at the Tupelo auction and winds up the mortified owner of an old inn, she doesn't realize there's a ghost in the fine print. Naturally, Desperado Detective Agency (aka Mo and Dale) opens a paranormal division to solve the mystery of the ghost's identity. They've got to figure out who the ghost is so they can interview it for their history assignment (extra credit). But Mo and Dale start to realize that the Inn isn't the only haunted place in Tupelo Landing. People can also be haunted by their own past. As Mo and Dale handily track down the truth about the ghost (with some help from the new kid in town), they discover the truth about a great many other people, too.

A laugh out loud, ghostly, Southern mystery that can be enjoyed by readers visiting Tupelo Landing for the first time, as well as those who are old friends of Mo and Dale."

How I love Miss Mo LoBeau and her companion in all things, Dale Earnhardt Johnson III! This is the second book about the charming, quirky town of Tupelo Landing, the first being the Newbery Honor book, Three Times Lucky .   If the author doesn't continue writing books about Tupelo Landing, my one request is that she at least fast-forward 7 years so we can see what happens when Mo can finally date her beloved Lavender (if Lavender hasn't been snatched up by one of the big-haired twins or Miss Retzyl's sister!).

I have decided that all that is really necessary in a review of a Sheila Turnage book is to put in quotes from the book. How can you not want to read a book with these quotes?!

"If I'm not mistaken, Buddha's a family name," Miss Lana said in a voice shaved from ice. It was quasi-true.  Bubba is a family name. Buddha's mama is dyslexic.

"I'm Jake Exum," he said. "This is my brother Jimmy. Until now we been homeschooled."
"Mama expelled us," Jimmy added.

"Stress focuses you right up until it sucks your brain dry. Standardized testing taught me that."

"It's Friday," I reminded her. "We prefer our homework to age over the weekend, making it tender."

"Nice posture. I'm more of a slumpist myself."

Is there a more quotable author than Sheila Turnage? I doubt it. I just know I will continue to read whatever books she writes and hope they live up to the Tupelo Landing books.

Suggested Ages:
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 10+
School Library Journal - Grades 4-6
*Once again, Ms. Turnage has written a book that is for everyone!