Catalyst by Tracy Richardson

Genre:  Young Adult, paranormal, Science Fiction

Source: I received an ARC. The opinions expressed here are my own.

 Marcie, her brother Eric and his girlfriend Renee are spending the summer with their mother. She is the head of an archeological dig  called Angel Mounds. Marcie has been having some strange feelings since she stepped foot on the site. These are enhanced when she meets Zeke and Lorraine who are their team leaders.  Their team leaders reveal to Marcie, Eric, Renee, and another young man named Leo that they have a purpose. They are special, connected to the Universal Energy Field and have a role to play in saving the earth.

 This story kept me reading. No matter what your spiritual belief system is, the underlying message was that we as humans have trashed the earth and if we don’t do something now then we can expect it to destroy itself.  The setting was in my home state of Indiana. I have been away from there for so long that I was not aware that they were fracking up there. I grew up on a farm and could only imagine how I would have felt if  they had come by our farm trying to buy up the rights to frack on our land. We had an artisian well. The thought of it being contaminated by fracking made the story more personal for me. The story line was well written and the characters were well developed. This was an interesting book by an author I have read before. I will recommend this book.

The Case of the Christmas Counterfeiters by Mike Mains

Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery

Source: Purchased

Jeffrey and his friends are in big-time trouble. Their last case finding a treasure almost got them killed. Jeffrey’s parents have grounded him for life.  Jeffrey’s parents really believe he thinks he is smarter than anyone and therefore goes looking for trouble. To tell the truth Jeffrey does believe he is smarter than most people and his friends agree. It is only a few days before Christmas and Jeffrey and his best friend Pablo are raking an elderly neighbor’s yard. When they uncover a body covered in the leaves and discover he is still alive they call the police.  But, that is never enough for this pair. They go to the hospital to see if they can find out more. Here they are witnesses to the person who they believe finished killing the man they had discovered. Once again by calling the police and speaking with them they are in trouble with their parents.

This is another case of Jeffrey and his friends getting themselves into trouble trying to do the right thing. In this book the danger is much stronger. There is stronger cases of violence so this is not recommended for elementary kids who have a higher reading level. This book touches on not only the mystery at hand but a class of cultures and cultural beliefs including religious beliefs.  All the way through I kept wondering how they were going to get out of the situation.  This is another wonderful mystery that I highly recommend.

The Case of the Dead Man’s Treasure by Mike Mains

 

Genre:  Middle Grade, Mystery

Source: Purchased

 

When I read the first book in this series I was immediately taken back to my childhood and reading Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy mysteries.  As an adult reading these books I am drawn to books by Max Elliot Anderson and Tim Shoemaker. The reason is simple; these are books that are not only a great mystery but also carry a faith-based message.

 In book number two we find Jeffrey Jones and his friend Pablo are on another case and this time they are being paid. When their teacher is injured in a hit-and-run accident, he pays them to track down the car. The police don’t seem to have any interest in it, saying that there are way too many cars to be able to find this one. He has faith that this genius boy who was able to take him down in class in a game of logic will solve this case.  What he couldn’t see coming was  Jeffrey and his friends stumbling on a case that may just cost them their lives.

 I have to say that my response to Jeffrey besting his teacher through logic was not what most people would expect. As a teacher, I have taught kids from all over the world. If any of them could explain why they wrote something the way they did and it was logical then I gave them credit for it and then taught them the correct way. Sometimes perspective really does matter. Jeffrey has earned his first-ever “F”. He asks the teacher why and the teacher proceeds to read the question, tell him the correct answer, then read Jeffrey’s answer to the whole class. Unfortunately, Jeffrey’s answers are correct based on his logic.  It didn’t help that Jeffrey keeps badgering his teacher about the unfairness of the situation and how it did matter because it would affect his permanent record.  The flustered teacher gives him a riddle with the understanding that Jeffrey has only 60 seconds to solve it. If he is successful, he will change Jeffrey’s grade to an “A”.  I was cheering Jeffrey along. I have come across too many teachers who believe they are always right and students are always wrong.

 This kept me on the edge of my seat as I tried to figure out the clues. Needless to say, all these years of reading mysteries I am not much better. Out of all of the clues I was able to get only one of them correct and only a part of it.  My students are going to love these books.