Griffin Bing, known far and wide as "The Man With the Plan" is beginning to doubt his newest venture. It was supposed to be a big thing - a crowd of 6th graders staying overnight in a spooky abandoned house to prove to the adults of Cedarville, New York, that kids can and, more importantly, should have a voice in local politics. Now? It's turned into a joke, a pathetic night of 11-year-old Griffin and his best friend, Ben Slovak, trading ghost stories in a crumbling haunted house. Not exactly the revolution Griffin was hoping for.

Things take a turn for the much, much, much better when Griffin discovers an old baseball card hidden in a desk. Griffin's not sure how valuable the card might be, but he's certain it's worth something. And even a little bit would go a long way toward keeping the Bings in the house they can no longer afford. When Griffin takes the card to a local pawn shop, he's thrilled to get $120 for it. Until he discovers he's been swindled - the 1920 Babe Ruth card is rare and worth at least $200,000.

It's not so much the money that bugs Griffin, but the injustice. Once again an adult in Cedarville is walking all over a kid. It's not right. And The Man With the Plan is not about to let it go this time. With the help of a crack team of 6th graders, he's going to get his card back. No matter what it takes.

(Readalikes: Um, I can't think of anything. Can you?)

Grade: B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG

To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find

It's bad enough that Shelby's dad took a job in another country, but with her grandma in the hospital, Shelby's now forced to live with her mother. Which maybe wouldn't be so bad if: (1) Mirage Allemond hadn't left Shelby and her dad a year ago, (2) She didn't live out in the middle of a gator-infested bayou, and (3) She wasn't a swamp witch. As soon as 11-year-old Shelby arrives in tiny Bayou Bridge, Louisiana, she wants out, a feeling that grows stronger with each passing hour. Allemond's little bayou house creeps Shelby out and the huge blue bottle tree in the backyard seems almost alive. To make matters worse, Shelby feels like she's living with a stranger - a very strange stranger. The kids at school make fun of Shelby, laugh at her mother, and try to trick Shelby into playing a very dangerous game.

I've heard people describe President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) as elegant, poised, and witty. Also, hot. I'm not going anywhere near that last one - I don't want to risk my eternal salvation by commenting on an apostle's looks, good or otherwise - but I most definitely agree with the first three adjectives. Yet, what's always struck me most about the Czechoslavkian/German General Authority is the kindness and love that just radiate from his being. I feel it every time I see his face or hear him speak. Reading his newest book, Your Happily Ever After, evoked that same sense of warmth and affection. Every word of his message, which is directed at young women, is imbued with the love he obviously feels for them.

Using examples from popular fairy tales, President Uchtdorf reminds us that no one reaches "happily ever after" without experiencing some struggles. Just like Cinderella endured abuse from her stepmother/sisters, just like Belle faced a ferocious beast, just like the miller's daughter fought the cruel Rumpelstiltskin, we will all encounter challenges on our paths to eternal bliss. But, promises President Uchtdorf, problems can be overcome and happiness attained if we follow God's plan for us. By remaining true to what we know is right, we'll gain the most happily of ever afters.

(Note: Although this review will not contain spoilers for Under the Jolly Roger, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from earlier Bloody Jack novels. As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

It's appropriate that First Day on Earth, Cecil Castellucci's new (available November 1) YA novel, concerns aliens because I think the above description fits the book to a T. It's weird. It's strange. It's just ... alien. I'm not sure how to describe it, let alone react to it, but I'll try ...

The story revolves around Mal, a 16-year-old high school student nursing some serious angst. With his dad long gone and his mom mourning her abandonment with as much alcohol as she can find, Mal's usually left to his own devices. Since everyone thinks he's weird, Mal doesn't have any friends. Lonely, bitter, and confused about his place in the world, he seeks solace with a community support group. For survivors. Of alien abductions. Among the members of the group, Mal actually sort of fits in. The thing is, though, that none of the abductions other people describe during meetings resemble the experience Mal had with aliens. Or thinks he had. How else can he explain those hazy days when he disappeared back when he was 12? If the group can't help him make sense of what happened, who can? And if it wasn't aliens, what did happen to Mal? Most importantly, if the people in the group are crazy - and he strongly suspects they may be - then what does that say about Mal?

When Mal strikes up an unlikely friendship with Hooper, a mentally-challenged homeless man who's waiting for the Mother Ship to beam him up, Mal thinks he may finally have found his savior. The only problem: Mal has to somehow convince Hooper's aliens to take him with them when they come. And if they don't show up? Then, Mal will know for sure what he's always suspected - he's officially insane.

See what I mean? Strange premise (although I like the whole I'm-a-teen-who-feels-like-a-stranger-in-my-own-body-maybe-I-was-abducted-by-aliens idea), strange plot, strange execution. The whole story weirded me out so much that I couldn't connect with it at all. It's not exactly cheery either - the hopeful ending seems tacked on, not convincing. So, although I liked the book enough to finish it, overall, First Day on Earth was a really odd read for me. It left me feeling flummoxed and not much else.

(Readalikes: Um, I really can't think of anything. Can you?)

Grade: C-

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for strong language (1 F-bomb, plus milder invectives), lewd humor and mature themes

To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of First Day on Earth from the generous folks at Scholastic. Thank you!

Why would Polly Portman, the most generous woman in Ipswitch, Pennsylvania, leave a recipe worth millions to her cat? That's the question on everyone's mind when the beloved baker's shocking bequest becomes public knowledge. No one's more disturbed by the news than Polly's sister, Ruth Anderson, who had big plans for the money she'd make auctioning Polly's secret recipe off to the highest bidder. Ruth's daughter, 11-year-old Alice, couldn't care less about being a millionaire - she just wants her aunt back. Like everyone else in the small town (excluding bitter, jealous Ruth), Alice adored Polly, who showered her with the kind of affection she never got at home. Now, all she's got left of her aunt is Lardo, Polly's fat, cantankerous cat.

As the annual Blueberry Award baking competition creeps closer, Ipswitch buzzes with excitement. With Polly Portman, winner of 13 consecutive Blueberrys, out of the way, someone else has a chance to be crowned Pie Queen. Everyone's baking like mad, but one person wants a leg up on the competition, the kind of advantage than can only be had by finding and stealing Polly's secret recipe. When a series of strange events shows Alice just how far that someone's willing to go, she knows it's up to her to catch the would-be thief. With her friend Charlie by her side, Alice puts her detecting skills to the test. And winds up making some big discoveries - about family, about friendship and about herself.

As warm and sweet as its title suggests, PIE by Sarah Weeks is a light, funny mystery that will appeal to readers of all ages. Whether you're after heart, humor, or just some mouth-watering pie recipes, you'll find it and more between the covers of this uplifting middle grade novel. It's a fun little mystery with a solution I should have seen coming, but didn't - a situation that always delights me. An all-around treat, PIE is, in a word, delectable.

(Readalikes: Hm, I can't really think of anything. Can you?)

Grade: B+

If this were a movie, it would be rated: G

To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of PIE from the generous folks at Scholastic. Thank you!

(Note: While this review will not contain spoilers for Pumpkin Roll, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from earlier novels in the Sadie Hoffmiller series. As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Whoopie Pies

1 box devil’s food cake mix*
1 (3.4-ounce) box instant chocolate pudding
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
3/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together with an electric mixer until smooth and thick—at least 2 minutes. Drop six large spoonfuls of batter onto silicone mat-lined, parchment-lined, or well-greased cookie sheets.

Use the back of a spoon if necessary to flatten slightly so that each pie is no more than three-fourths of an inch tall.

Bake for 11 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool on pan 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before assembling pies.
Store leftovers in refrigerator. Freeze individually wrapped cakes in wax paper.

Makes 8 to 10 pies.

*Can substitute any other type of cake mix, but if so, change pudding flavor to vanilla or another, more suitable,flavor.

Filling Choices*

Buttercream

1 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons milk

Cream butter and powdered sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix until fluffy. Add flour and milk and mix until well blended. Use additional flour or milk to get the correct consistency—a thick but airy frosting. Layer fillingbetween two cakes, bottoms together.

Marshmallow

3/4 cup Crisco shortening (do not use butter Crisco)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 (7- to 8-ounce) jar Marshmallow Fluff

Beat shortening and powdered sugar together until smooth. Add vanilla and Marshmallow Fluff. Mix until wellblended.

*Can add 1/2 teaspoon of a flavored extract to filling: mint, lemon, strawberry, orange, etc.

My thoughts on the recipe: I know this isn't a new or exotic kind of recipe. Lots of people make Whoopie Pies all the time, but I never had, so I decided to try it. And they were good. Very good. I used the cake recipe as written as well as the buttercream frosting (since the only jar I had of Marshmallow Fluff has, I think, judging from the 1/2 inch of yellow liquid lurking at the bottom of the jar, been around since last Christmas). Next time I make them, though, I'll ignore the instructions to drop "six large spoonfuls of batter" onto the cookie sheet - my cookies turned out way too large. I would recommend just making them a standard cookie size. Also, the frosting recipe makes TONS. Either halve the recipe, make double (or triple) the amount of cookies, or use the extra frosting for another baking project. Speaking of frosting, next time I make these near a holiday, I think I'll dye the frosting a different color - orange for Halloween, red for Christmas or Valentine's Day, green for St. Patrick's Day, etc.

Standing Against the Wind by Traci L. Jones is a get-up-and-cheer kind of novel, one that makes you root hard for the plucky heroine who, you just know, is going to triumph over all her troubles. Although it takes a hard, unsentimental look at inner-city life, the story gathers warmth and heart from its strong, engaging characters. Hopeful and touching, Standing Against the Wind had me laughing, crying, and running to Amazon to purchase a copy for myself. Would it be redundant to say I loved it? Probably. But still ... I loved it.

(Readalikes: Reminded me of Silhouetted By the Blue by Traci L. Jones; What Can't Wait by Ashley Hope Perez and a little of With the Might of Angels by Andrea Davis Pinkney)

Grade: B+

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for language (no F-bombs), sexual innuendo/content, and mature themes

To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find

What do you do when your BFF comes home after spending the summer at a swanky Florida beach house - where she completely ignored your emails and texts, by the way - transformed into someone you hardly recognize and bragging about her gorgeous new boyfriend? What do you do when her exciting love life gets her all kinds of attention from the popular girls, leaving you feeling totally cast out? If you're a spunky 12-year-old like Tori Barnes, you fight back.

Tori's pretty sure Sienna's lying about Antonio, the boy she says she met while on vacation, but no matter how she tries, she can't get Sienna to 'fess up. Tired of listening to her friend go on and on about how great her guy is, Tori decides to make up a boyfriend of her own. Not only is Sebastian better looking than Antonio, but he's more debonair, more thoughtful, more romantic (Hey, if you're going to go to all the trouble of making up a boyfriend, you might as well go for broke, right?). It's not easy for Tori to keep up the charade, especially when her friends expect her to bring the fabulous Sebastian to the next school dance. Sienna doesn't seem to be freaking out about the dance - Could her amazing boyfriend be for real? Has Sienna made a huge mistake? What will happen when everyone finds out she's been lying? Will she have any friends left?

My Fake Boyfriend Is Better Than Yours by Kristina Springer is a light, funny book that brings back all the drama and angst of junior high. In a good way. Tori's a snarky, authentic narrator, who's as real as she is lovable. Her story could be anyone's, which is why it's so easy to identify with her. Maybe the novel doesn't have a lot of depth, but it's a quick, enjoyable read about the (sometimes ridiculous) lengths we'll go to in order to keep a friend. Although I wouldn't go back to seventh grade if you paid me, I enjoyed revisiting those awkward, in-between years through the eyes of spirited Tori Barnes, who proves that a good friend is worth it. Every time.

(Readalikes: I'm sure there are a million similar stories out there, but I can't think of one. Help?)

Grade: B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG

The House of Enlightenment stands at the center of life in the small, Southern town of West River. It's a conservative, evangelical church that preaches traditional family values, decrying sin in ways that are sometimes very ... colorful. Like the annual Hell House production. The religious carnival vividly dramatizes the dangers of indulging in licentious behavior, like drunk driving, sleeping around, and homosexuality. Members of the church aren't exactly zealots, but they're certainly dedicated.

Perennial good girl Lacy Ann Byer counts herself among the believers. The 16-year-old obeys her parents, refrains from swearing, even wears a purity ring to announce her commitment to wait for sex until marriage. Her one vainglorious ambition? To play Abortion Girl in this year's Hell House performance. The role's usually given to a high school senior, but Lacy thinks she has a shot at it even though she's only a junior. She can't tell anyone she's trying out - What would people think? - so she's keeping her secret longing to herself. At least until she knows if she got the part.

Lacy's intense focus on Hell House shatters when she spots a handsome newcomer in town. She's not supposed to lust after guys, even really hot ones like Ty Davis, but his attention is making her hormones spin out of control. Her parents don't approve, especially since Ty seems less than committed to the House of Enlightenment. When Ty's skepticism starts making Lacy question her own faith, everyone's concerned. Especially Lacy. As she begins to see her church's doctrines in a less forgiving light, Lacy must decide for herself what she believes. And, like all major decisions, this one's more than a little complicated.

(Readalikes: Reminded me a lot of Angela Morrison's YA trilogy [Taken By Storm, Unbroken Connection, Cayman Summer] about a Mormon girl who questions her faith when she falls for a non-Mormon boy and a little of Back When You Were Easier to Love by Emily Wing Smith)

Grade: B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for language (no F-bombs), sexual innuendo and mature subject matter

To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find

I'm going to spend my Friday ignoring my miles long to-do list in favor of something much more fun: the Book Blogger Hop. Care to join me? Just click on over to Crazy For Books to get all the details.

Anyone who reads this blog with any regularity knows I love me some YA dystopian. I can't get enough of it. Except, the thing is, I'm starting to get impatient with the same ole, same ole. At this point, with doomsday fiction flooding the market, I'm craving originality. Or at least some good storytelling. And maybe some complex characters, surprising plot twists, snappy dialogue? Is that too much to ask? Maybe.

Case in point: Eve by Anna Carey. The novel, the first in a new dystopian trilogy, begins in a cloistered society of young women. At the School, the girls are kept behind guarded walls, safe from the soldiers and scavengers who live in the wasted world beyond. Through education, they're being groomed to become society's next doctors, scientists, and saviors. At least that's what they've been told. When 17-year-old Eve discovers what really happens to the School's graduates, she's horrified. It's only a matter of hours before she, herself, will be advanced into the City.

Refusing to accept the awful fate that's befallen her classmates, Eve sets out on a perilous journey. Traveling across the ruins of what was once Northern California, she's determined to reach the ocean, where a safe haven is said to exist. But the king of New America's taken a strange interest in young Eve and he's not about to let her roam free. With royal guards chasing after her, she's reluctant to trust anyone who might be punished for helping her, but when Eve meets Caleb, she takes the risk. With both of their lives on the line, they make for what was once San Francisco. Getting there will not be easy, it may not even be possible. Especially when the all-powerful king has chosen Eve for his own.

Plot sound familiar? I've read it 100 times (give or take). Carey does break the dystopian pattern a little - Eve discovers her society's big secret in the first two chapters, then spends the rest of the book running. Usually it takes the heroine a little longer to "get it." The problem with this divergence is that it actually rushes the plot, not giving the reader enough time to get acclimated to the story's dystopian world or to get to know Eve and her friends well enough to care about them. The reader's thrust right into the action, which isn't a bad thing except when it comes at the expense of character development. In Eve, it certainly does. This, coupled with flat characters, melodramatic dialogue, predictable plot twists, and an underdeveloped setting, made the novel another generic dystopian copycat.

I wanted to like Eve, I really did, but I just didn't. Maybe the story will improve over the next two books. Maybe it won't. It doesn't matter because I won't be sticking with this one long enough to find out.

(Readalikes: Eve's got similar themes as The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood; Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien; Delirium by Lauren Oliver; etc.)

Grade: C-

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of Eve from the generous folks at HarperTeen. Thank you!

When a therapist suggests that 16-year-old Amy Richards start a journal to help her deal with things, she scoffs at the idea. She's not really the "Dear Diary" type. When she starts writing her entries as letters to her best friend, though, she can't stop. Amy will never send the notes - heaven doesn't have a mailbox - but writing them helps her to remember Julia. They help her cope, help her grieve, help her move on. Sort of. The thing is, Amy knows she's responsible for Julia's death and that's something she won't get over. Ever.

Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott is one of those hard-hitting issue novels that's as evocative as it is disturbing. Amy tells it like it is in a raw, authentic voice that will speak loud and clear to teenagers. The book packs a powerful message, without sounding too preachy. I didn't love Love You Hate You Miss You, but I think it's an important story and one that will resonate with anyone who's had to live with the soul-crushing guilt and regret that come from letting someone down. And, really, isn't that all of us?

(Readalikes: Reminded me a little of Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher)

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for language (1 F-bomb, plus other, milder invectives), sexual innuendo, and depictions of underrage drinking and illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Love You Hate You Miss You from the generous folks at HarperTeen. Thank you!

I've read some disheartening novels in my time, but I'm not sure I've ever encountered one as depressing as Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell. From its icy blue cover to its frigid setting to its crusty characters, the book's as cold and bleak as a Missouri winter. Which is, I guess, the point. But still - talk about depressing.

The story revolves around Ree Dolly, a 16-year-old girl living in the hills of the Missouri Ozarks in a community full of her ne'er-d0-well relatives ("...dead to wonder by age twelve, dulled to life, empty of kindness, boiling with mean. So many Dolly kids were that way, ruined before they had chin hair, groomed to live outside square law and abide by the remorseless blood-soaked commandments that governed lives led outside square law" [8]). She plans to escape her poverty-stricken life the second she's old enough to join the Army, but for now, she's stuck taking care of her two young brothers and her mother, whose mind took a hike years ago. It's a hard, squalid existence, one Ree stoically endures while dreaming of something better.

All Ree's hopes are dashed one glacial winter morning when Johnny Law comes nosing around, asking about her father. A notorious crank chef, Jessup Dolly has skipped town, presumably to avoid his upcoming court date. He's posted the Dolly's home and timber acres as his bail bond; if Jessup doesn't appear in front of the judge, Ree and her family will lose the few assets they have. Knowing she can't keep her family together without a roof over their heads, Ree vows to drag her father home, no matter what it takes. It's a dangerous task, involving confrontations with the vilest Dollys the Ozarks have ever produced. With little choice, the determined teen sets out across the frozen hills on a life-or-death quest to save the only things in her world that are worth redeeming - her still-innocent brothers. And, maybe, herself.

As hardened as Ree is, she's an admirable character, one who's easy to root for if difficult to like. She is, in fact, the only (semi-) bright spot in the brutal, arctic landscape of Winter's Bone. Woodrell's raw, unsympathetic look at families steeped in the Ozark drug culture is both vivid and compelling, just not particularly uplifting. The novel's a quick read, to be sure, but not an easy one at all. If it had been one page longer, or if I hadn't been too sick to get out of bed when I read it, I wouldn't have finished Winter's Bone. It's well-written, just not my cup of tea. Like at all.

(Readalikes: Although the settings are vastly different, Winter's Bone reminds me of The Road by Cormac McCarthy)

Grade: C

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for strong language, violence, sexual content and portrayals of illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love: I bought Winter's Bone from Borders (*sniff*) with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.

Blink's not sure what exactly he saw outside of the CEO's hotel room, but it didn't look to him like Jack Niven was taken by force. The businessman appeared to be calm, unharmed. That's all Blink means to tell Jack's daughter when she calls on the Blackberry her father left behind - he doesn't want to start talking to her, doesn't want to be confiding in her, and, most of all, doesn't want to trust her. Except he does. As much as Blink needs to walk away, he has to help Alyson Niven find her father and not just because he feels bad for her, but because she'll pay him to do it.

(Readalikes: Reminded me a little bit of The Client by John Grisham)

Grade: B

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for strong language, violence, and some sexual innuendo/content

To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of Blink & Caution from the generous folks at Candlewick Press. Thank you!

The story begins in Michigan's Waucamaw Wilderness, where 17-year-old Alex Adair is hiking in the woods. She's toting camping gear, her father's Glock, and a black case that holds all that remains of her parents. The tent and sleeping bag are necessities for the days-long hike to Lake Superior, where she plans to spread the ashes. And the pistol? Well, that's just in case. Just in case she finally finds the guts to blow the cancerous, inoperable tumor out of her head once and for all.

Before Alex has time to make it anywhere near the lake, it happens. An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) lasers the Earth. A flock of birds drops out of the sky, dead. A terrified doe bolts off the edge of a cliff. The kindly, old hiker Alex had just been talking to collapses and doesn't get up. Alex is alive, but ... changed. The haze in her head, a constant reminder of the cancer inside her, is gone, replaced by a weird sense she doesn't understand and can't explain. She doesn't have time to worry about it, either, because the world's gone crazy in the most inexplicable way possible and now she's fighting for her life on a remote mountain in the middle of nowhere. To make matters worse, she's now got 9-year-old Ellie to take care of. And precious few supplies. When they meet up with Tom Eden, a 20-year-old soldier on leave from an assignment in Afghanistan, the makeshift family has to find someplace to hide. The forest is crawling with wolves, coyotes, and something much more sinister. Something that looks human, but isn't. Not by a long shot.

While the trio hides out in the woods, they try to make sense of what's happening in the outside world. Widespread damage, they know that. Millions of deaths, they know that, too. Then there are the teenagers, who didn't die, not exactly, but changed into rabid zombies. Why Alex and Tom were spared they don't know. The hunt for answers takes them out of the mountains, into what was once civilized society. Now, it's more like a war zone. All the rules of safe, normal life have flown out the window. Everything has changed.

Desperate for food, shelter and medical help, Alex heads for the nearest settlement of survivors. No matter how crazy the world's gone, it's human nature to take in the helpless. No matter what she's seen, she has faith in people's innate goodness. No matter what, she has to get help. The heavily-guarded village of Rule offers that, but not without some strings attached. Alex will do anything to keep Ellie and Tom alive - even if it means living by strict, unfathomable laws. But the longer she stays in the town, the more unsettled she grows. Something's very wrong in Rule. Only one question remains: Will she survive longer in Rule or outside of it?

Grrr. My measly summary doesn't even come close to describing Ashes with any kind of accuracy. The book's hard to classify since it's part surival story, part sci fi adventure, part horror story, part psychological thriller, and 100% post-apocalyptic, dystopian awesomeness. Mostly, though, it's the story of a tough, courageous girl finding her will to survive in a world devoid of hope. Tense, taut, riveting, engrossing, unputdownable ... Oh, forget it, I give up - just go read the book.

You can thank me later.

(Readalikes: Reminds me of a bunch of dystopian novels - The Passage by Justin Cronin, The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, Birthmarked and Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien, the Chaos Walking series [The Knife of Never Letting Go; The Ask and the Answer; Monsters of Men] by Patrick Ness, the Last Survivors series [Life As We Knew It; The Dead & The Gone; This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer, Wither by Lauren DeStefano, Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry, and lots more)

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for language (a couple of F-bombs, plus milder invectives), violence and gore