You Don’t Even Know Me: Stories and Poems about Boys by Sharon G. Flake YP FIC FLAKE

In nine stories and 13 poems, Sharon G. Flake brings the experience of African-American males to gritty unflinching life. There is Tow-Kaye marrying his pregnant girlfriend at only 16 and wondering if his life is over, Tyler explaining what it means to be a player and have game, La’Ron revealing in a letter to his uncle what it’s like to find out you have HIV, and several more that are funny, sad, hopeful, and raw.

Sharon G. Flake is an excellent writer that seems truly keyed into urban life. Her writing never feels faked or forced and her characters seem so real that you could imagine meeting them on any street. She more often writes female lead characters than male, so this book is a welcome change for male readers that like African American Lit. My favorite stories in this bunch were Getting’ Even about a young man’s decision about if he will try and find and kill his grandpa’s murderer and Girl’s Make you Weak, about how to be a player. I think I may even take notes. If you are a fan of realistic fiction about African American books this is a very good read.

The Dying Breath: A Forensic Mystery by Alane Ferguson YP FIC FERGUSON

Cameryn Mahoney is turning 18 in just a week and can’t wait to begin her life as an adult, but before she can she must solve her deadliest mystery yet. Her ex-boyfriend Kyle O’Neill has come back and says he’ll love her to “her dying breath,” which might be sweet if he wasn’t also a sociopathic murderer leaving a dead body next to a love note. Cameryn will have to use all her skills and knowledge of forensics to stop the killing and find Kyle before he kills her and the man dearest to her.

This is the fourth book in the Forensic Mystery series. It does a really good job of catching the reader up on the backstory, so it’s easy to jump into. There is some pretty creepy and gruesome stuff in these books, but nothing worse than what you’d see on CSI. The characters take center stage in this volume and Cameryn and her maybe-boyfriend Justin are more of a focus sometimes then the mystery itself. I think the characters were interesting, but it would have nice to have more forensic scenes in this volume. However the scenes they do have are top notch and the book is very suspenseful overall. If you are fan of the million or so forensics shows on TV then you really should check this series out. The previous books can also be found in YP FIC FERGUSON.

Vanishing Girl by Shane Peacock YP FIC PEACOCK

A wealthy girl disappears in the middle of a crowded London street without a single witness to the crime. Sherlock Holmes, age 14, is on the case. Sherlock must race against the clock and his perfidious rival, the young criminal Malefactor, to save the girl and win the acclaim his genius is due. Before the case is over he will have to scour London for clues, brave a haunted house, dodge exotic and deadly creatures, and outwit everyone. The game is afoot!

This is the third book in the series about Sherlock Holmes as a boy. The book does an excellent job catching up readers, so this is a good title to jump into the series. Peacock really has a good take on what Holmes would have been like as a child. Holmes has all the brooding seriousness and arrogant drive for greatness that will define him as an adult. I found him both fascinating and sad. Peacock clearly did his research and brings 19^th century London to life. Class conflicts and prejudices of the time play a role in the story and make the world much realer. All the characters have realistic motivations and seem genuine. The only thing that some readers may not like is the pace of the book. It has some very exciting and tense moments but it also has some places that are slower and more thoughtful. I thought it worked, but some readers may want a faster pace. If you like mystery books or historical fiction I would definitely read this book.

Very LeFreak by Rachel Cohn YP FIC COHN

Very LeFreak is very Very. Very busy (starting flash mobs, making playlists, planning parties), very connected (iPod: check, iPhone: check, laptop: check), and very popular (with a trail of broken. Unfortunately, this doesn’t make much time for studying and she’s also very close to flunking and her love them, leave them, forget them attitude is leaving her with almost no real friends. When all this catches up with her it’s time for a very dramatic breakdown and a mandatory trip to Electronics Detox. When Very is unplugged for the first time in years she has to decide if she’s ever really connected to anything or anyone.

I found Very fun, funny, and interesting but not terribly likeable. It’s not just that she has a pretty scandalous life, but also that she just doesn’t treat people very well. As I read the whole story and learned Very’s past I found myself understanding her, but still not entirely liking her. I think the problem is that Cohn has Very’s rehabilitation happen pretty fast and that always seems sort of fake to me. On the bright side the book is filled with Cohn’s excellent dialogue and realistic characters, so if you are a fan of her work you may find plenty to enjoy in this book as well. Overall I like but not loved this one. Like most Cohn novels it’s a good for older readers that like witty gals and their wild lives.

I Kissed a Zombie, and I Liked It by Adam Selzer YP FIC SELZER

Algonquin “Alley” Rhodes is so not into vampires. They’ve become the hottest thing since the world found out that they, zombies, and werewolves were real, but she thinks they’re just immature moody jerks. She thinks that about most guys and is waiting for college in a few months to blow town and never look back, then she meets Doug and everything changes. He’s real Goth, not just some poser, and he’s way more mature then any guy she’s met. Sure he smells funny and has weird health problems, but nobody’s perfect! But when Alley learns that her new boyfriend’s ‘quirks’ are due to his zombieism she has to make some serious choices. Can you break an undead heart? Should she become a zombie too? What to do about the vampire cadre that’s all the sudden decided they want her in her undead gang? Love may live forever, but can it unlive forever?

This may just be the Anti-Twilight as Alley spends a good deal of time making cracks about what losers vampires are and how the people that fall in love with them are total morons, so any Bella and Edward fans should be forewarned. While, it does have a quirky and sweet supernatural romance it’s ultimately a story of NOT rearranging your entire life for first love. Alley is very witty and there is some really clever patter between her and her friends. I sometimes thought Alley was a little too witty and aware of references that are way before her time to be completely believable, but I guess she’s just super cool like that. If you like supernatural romances, but are looking for something a little different this is a fun and easy read.