Nickel Plated by Arc Davis YP FIC DAVIS

Nickel lives life like a coin flip.  At 12 he is a survivor of horrid abuse and a runaway.  He lives by drug dealing, blackmailing online predators, and working as a private detective (but the first two are really to pay for the PI gig).  He takes on a case of a missing sister of a pretty girl named Arrow.  When he starts investigating the safe suburban streets she lived on he finds dark secrets hidden there and grown men more than willing to kill a 12 year old private eye to keep them.

Finally! A young adult noir that is actually true to noir.  Too many pretenders have come and gone copying the dialogue style of noir but forgetting how to put the hard in hard boiled. Nickel Plated is a dark edgy book that doesn’t flinch from showing that sometimes the most horrible things happen to the most vulnerable people: kids.  Nickel survived all that and learned how to navigate a world of crime to achieve a higher justice.  He is an original anti-hero that needs a series of his own. He isn’t just a street smart gumshoe that noir has had far too many of, he has a genuine warmth and heart that comes from never wanting to see anyone else hurt the way he was.  Besides having my favorite breakout new character of the year, the plot is fast paced and suspenseful, the characters appropriately scummy and menacing, and the dialogue is fresh and snappy without ever seeming like a send up of classic noir.  This won’t be everyone’s cup of tea due to the violence, criminality, and a good deal of darkness, but I think readers should give it a chance. 

She Thief by Daniel Finn YP FIC FINN

Baz (Girl) and Demi (Boy) are master pickpockets in the Barrio. They take their loot to Fay, the woman that watches over all the childhood thieves in the Barrio. It’s almost like a family. Almost. But almost doesn’t nearly cut it when Demi steals the find of a lifetime, a gigantic blue ring. Now the cops and the underworld are all looking for Demi and it seems like Fay is going to sell him out. Now Baz is on her own for the first time and has to get to Demi and make it out of the Barrio before they’re both killed.

This is an interesting novel. The dialogue is original and unique. The thieves talk in a sort of slang that can be hard to follow at first, but works in instantly making the reader a part of their world. This isn’t a thrill a second read and is mainly about the characters interactions and betrayal, but if you stick with it the story builds steam and pays off really well in the end. And even when the book isn’t fast paced, Finn does such a great job describing the city and its corruption that you don’t really mind. A great read for fans of gritty life on the streets type fiction.

I will say that I am disappointed in the cover. Both the main characters of the book are dark skinned, so I have NO IDEA why the main faces of the cover are so light skinned.

Me and Death: An Afterlife Adventure by Richard Scrimger

Jim is sort of a punk, but that’s okay he’s dead now. Killed by a passing car on his way to bully his favorite victim, he is whisked to a dingy hotel in the sky to see his past and learn the error of his ways. As it turns out he isn’t totally and completely dead yet and he gets a second chance at life to not end up a punk, but will he take it and can he make it?

Yes! Another Dead or Dying Teen Book! I like that this one has a real jerk for the dead teen, it makes it an interesting read. This is a short book that clocks in at less than 200 pages, so even if you hate it you get through it quick! The books length is both a strength and a weakness as Jim isn’t in the afterlife all that long and they don’t explain much about it. All in all this wasn’t the best Dead or Dying teen book, but it was cool to read one that was a little edgier and had more laughs.

Pluto:Volume 1 by Naoki Urusawa YP FIC URUSAWA

Far in the future robots are so advanced that they can pass for human and are integrated into daily human life. A new robot has appeared and is systematically destroying the world’s Seven Greatest Robots. The European detective robot Gesicht has been charged with finding and stopping the malevolent robot, but is also a target on the hit list. He meets and teams up with several other of the world’s strongest robots, including a Japanese robot the world famous Astro Boy in this brilliant reimagining one of Ozama Tezuka’s most famous Astro Boy stories.

Part murder mystery, part political thriller, part philosophical statement about the nature of man and free will, all awesome. This is an unparalleled series. It is smart, deep, beautifully drawn, and takes everything that made Astro Boy such a powerful and important series, and updates it for an older audience. Pluto looks at all sorts of serious questions about life and society all wrapped up in a seriously compelling mystery. The characters are so fully realized that you’ll feel real emotional attachment to them, despite them being robots. The villains are super creepy and loathsome and the series goes through lots of twists and turns until building to a world shattering climax. Once you jump into this world of cover ups, intrigues, and robots that want to be alive you will be hooked. We have the first three volumes, so you can see if it’s your cup of tea.

Num8ers by Rachel Ward YP FIC WARD

Jem has seen the numbers since she was born, projected on her brain whenever she looks into someone’s eyes. But it wasn’t until the day her mom died of an overdose that she figured out what the numbers mean: the day the person will die. Knowing this, Jem tries to avoid meeting anyone’s gaze or forming any attachment, but a strange boy named Spider is slowly growing on her, which makes the fact he has only one month to live a constant pain for Jem. When spider and Jem are both near a horrible crime, they have to flee and Jem is determined to find a way to save Spider. But can anything beat the numbers?

This book is rough and tough stuff. Jem and Spider live in poverty in England and are surrounded by crime, drugs, and hopelessness. The novel works so well because Ward really brings these characters to life and lets the reader get to know their world without judging them or writing them off. Because the the novel feels so gritty and real it doesn’t really seem like Sci Fi even though Jem has a unique power. The fact that Jem tries so hard not to use it makes it all the more interesting when she does. I think this is a great read for fans of Ellen Hopkins (YP FIC HOPKINS) and Kevin Brooks (YP FIC BROOKS) or other authors that write stories about seriously troubled teens. This is not a super fun action read, but if you want something a little more serious and unique, give Num8ers a chance.