Set in an elementary school, with characters who are the animals their names sounds like.

Quillan Lu Hedgeson aka: Q (a hedgehog) and her best friend Ray Ratzberg (a rat) are school age wanta be detectives. As the scene opens, Q is in disguise and fooling the school as a new student from France. Q’s classic French beret, clothes, and raccoon eye mask  are very convincing, but her mannerisms quickly cue Ray into her deception. Later, the school has an assembly featuring a magic show starring the Great Dan Revealo. Ray has some magic background. Ray explains to Q at lunch how the tricks are done through distraction and misdirection.

A few days later the school goes on a field trip to the Elm Tree Art Museum. There they will have a chance to see the famous Mola Lisa by the famous artist Leonardo da Squinty. Suddenly the lights go out. When the lights come back on the painting is gone! Ray  and Q find two clues inadvertently left behind- a piece of confetti (like that used in the magic show) and a store receipt from a magic shop.  Ray & Q follow the clues. They lead to fingerprints left at the scene by Ms. Boar, who was in charge of the field trip. They quickly rule her out as a suspect. Then the clues lead to Ms. Easel the art teacher. Ray and Q think Ms. Easel was in disguise as the Great Dan Revealo for the assembly, but they do not have any strong evidence connecting her to the art theft. As Ray and Q fit the clue pieces together, Ms. Easel finally admits, ” ‘ The Mola Lisa should be mine. I’ve written papers on it. I’ve written poems about it.’ ” (42)

In one last disguise, Q finally fools Ray with her newspaper reporter disguise thanks to a trench coat hiding the stilts Q is using to double her height.

Readers will enjoy matching the characters in and out of their disguises, especially the curves of their noses, in this first book in the graphic novel series.

Page 48 contains FUN FACTS about the real Leonardo da Vinci.

Love is Love is a YA LGBTQ story involving Emma, who gets sexually involved with a popular classmate in an effort to boost her weak self esteem. Overweight with a low self-image, she thought this relationship would help her social standing. She soon realizes that the guy is merely using her, and she escapes this humiliation, and her unhappy home life, she leaves home in Winnipeg, MB to stay with her uncle and family in Vancouver, BC. Once she is staying with her cousin, a girl she perceives as perfect, and spending time with Paige’s cool friends, Emma is surprised to learn that the friend that she thinks is the coolest of them all is transgender. Emmy is attracted to Jude (formerly Judy), and spends time at shop where Jude works. She puts herself out there, beyond her normal comfort level, to impress him, and even performs at the poetry slam Jude hosts at the coffee shop.

Emmy worries about how Jude feels about her, and has doubts that such a cool and popular guy would actually be interested in her. She receives warnings from her mother back home, as well as from her cousin. Both try to warn her, telling her that Jude likely is just using her.

Will she succumb to his sexual advances, or will she find the confidence to wait until she finds someone who really does love her?

A short, quick read, this book will appeal to readers who are interested in LGBTQ issues, and those who appreciate “teens in trouble” stories.

Things I Should Have Known is a coming of age story featuring two sister. Chloe is a popular teen whose older sister, Ivy, is on the autism spectrum. Ivy is lonely and Chloe decides what Ivy needs is a boyfriend. Ethan, a very nice kid in Ivy’s special needs class, is the perfect match.
Problems arise with Ethan’s brother, David, who Chloe thinks is a real jerk.
Things are complicated by Ivy and Ethan not being comfortable going out on their own, resulting in both Chloe and David having to tag along on to movies and frozen-yogurt shops.

This is an enjoyable YA romance that authentically portrays autistic teens and their families.

Trigger Warning: This book deals heavily with suicide and suicidal thoughts.
The Rapids is the story of a fourteen year old girl, Tamika, who has been living in foster care. While standing on the banks of the Missouri river in a deep depressive state, she encounters Jesse and Mala, a young couple on a kayaking trip. They are voyaging from the source of the river down to the sea. She joins the couple, although this makes her a runaway. As they kayak down the river, the group encounters a series of dangerous situations on the river, and Tamika is faced with whether she will carry out her plan of drowning herself, or if she will decide to live.

This is a fast-paced, easy to read, large font book that will interest readers who like adventure and “teens in trouble” plots.

Just a Normal Tuesday is the heartbreaking story of the aftermath of the suicide of sixteen year old Kai’s older sister. Reeling with grief, Kai is now the only child in her family. She cannot make sense of her sister’s decision to end her life, and Kai loses control. She skips class, lashes out at those closest to her. She even takes the same pills that caused her sister’s death. As she bottoms out, her parents search for help, and find a grief camp for teens. Kai doesn’t want to attend this summer camp, but once she gets there, she finds comfort in meeting other teens who have suffered similar losses.

This “slice of life” story was written by Kim Turrisi, who reveals in the acknowledgements that she lost her own sister to suicide. Turris is known for writing the ABC Family’s webisode series Pretty Dirty Secrets, the online companion piece to the Pretty Little Liars.

Niko with his dog, Tag, and copilot, Radar, are on their way out to his spaceship buried in the snow when Niko spies a Snow Monster (who looks like his sister). Suddenly Radar is missing and they have to get into the spaceship to look for him. Could the Snow Monster have taken Radar? Then his dog is captured by the Snow Monster. Niko must defeat the Snow Monster and the Killer Bunny to find his friends. Written in a comic book style with comic book style illustration this would appeal to those who like a mixture of picture book and graphic novels.

I love my fluffy, puffy curls.

I’m so happy they are mine.

When I believe in myself,

They shimmer and they shine.

Princess Truly has sparkling curls that take her to new and exciting places. She has a race with dinosaurs, visits the pyramids, climbs into a submarine to explore the ocean, and zooms off in a rocket to visit space. Written with rhythmical, rhyming text, the author spreads the message that if you believe in yourself, you can achieve anything. The watercolor illustrations are bright and create the sense of wonder and imagination.

This is a beginning nonfiction book. The text contains one to two simples sentences per page with a full page photograph. There are a few informational text features such as color words, headings, table of contents, index and a picture glossary. The information contained in the text is very basic, but would work well for younger students to attain informational text reading skills.

James L. Swanson is true to form in his research regarding Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassin. This book, like all of Swanson’s others is rich in historical information, primary source documents and images. For someone who doesn’t gravitate to nonfiction, I was thoroughly caught up in the investigative reporting for this piece. Swanson is a great story teller, not only is this book about the murder of King, it also chronicles in great detail the events and significance of his life. While reading the book, one feels catapulted back in time to the heart of the Civil Rights Movement. Also impressive is the last 1/3 of the book where Swanson lists all references used in the creation of his work. Those interested in the subject will have a wealth of other sources to look into due to the extensive bibliography provided. This is a must have book for all middle and high school libraries.

Nominated as a Teen Top Ten book for 2018, The Book of Lies grips the reader from start to finish. Twin sisters Quinn and Piper do not meet until the age of seventeen at their mother’s funeral. Neither of the sisters knows much about the other. Once they meet they become even more curious about their backgrounds and try to unravel the mysteries of their pasts. This novel presents strange, memorable characters – some of which are downright creepy. The dark setting and circumstances leave the reader with a lot of questions and squeamish feelings. Recommended for grades 9-12. This is one is highly recommended.