Maddie’s Ghost by Carol Saller

Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery
Source: I won a copy from the author through LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own.

When Lainie Stanton receives a call from a TV reporter inviting her to be interviewed as Ohio’s first millennium baby she is flattered. Her Uncs and father are not as thrilled. They see this as possible issue, especially if the reporter’s intentions are not true. Their worst fears come true.  During the  taping of the interview Lainie is faced with pictures of her great-grandmother’s hanging.  Seventy-five years before her great-grandmother was tried and convicted of murder.  Lainie blindsided by this reporter claims she has proof of her grandmother’s innocent. Now she has only a few weeks to make her lie a truth. 

I loved the complexity of this book. The flipping back and forth between historical documents and present time kept me reading. This is definitely a book I will read again in the future. It was just that good.  Definitely need a copy for my classroom shelves.

Little Boy Lost by Urcelia Teixeira

 

Genre: Adult, Christian, Suspense

Source: This was a free download to introduce the author's work

This novella will keep you on the edge of your seat.  All Michael Tanner wants is to see his son Archie. The problem is his ex-wife has not shown up for the second week in a row.  Living in this small town brings another problem for Michael. As the person in charge of safety at the fish manufacturing plant, he is blamed for an explosion that took the lives of several hundred people, including his wife's father and brother. Injured in the explosion with no memory of it his wife leaves him.  Now it seems she has left town with their son.  He goes to her house, even though there is a restraining order against him and discovers she has moved.  He knows he can't trust anyone in this town so he goes to the next town over. The sheriff believes him even when he is told that Michael has some major mental issues.  But how deep and sister will things get?

This was a great book that was not overly religious. We have characters that demonstrate their faith  through prayer. We have a believable main character that comes across as genuine and believable. Then we have Sheriff Hutchinson who give you that vibe that there is more to him than meets the eye and you'd better watch out for him.  The tension was perfect for this novella. Can't wait to get into the restt of her books.

Student Saturday: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery

Student Reviewer:  Levi M.

I read a book called the Westing Game, it is a murder mystery. The main character is an old man named Mr. Westing who passed away in his spooky old mansion. Mr. Westing was a wealthy man. In his will he names 16 people, all 16 of the people are split up into teams of 2. The goal for the people is to find Mr. Westings murderer and collect the inheritance. Each team is given one clue to help them figure out who the murderer is. In the beginning the partners on the teams did not like each other and did not want to work with each other. All the people were snowed inside their hotel for a few days. With nothing to do and nowhere to go they decided to work with their partners to try to solve the murder. Do you think the partners worked together to find the murderer and get the inheritance?
I would recommend this book to people who like murder mystery books, it has lots of twists and turns. I really enjoyed the book.