Spring Break Reading

I have been slammed at work and home, so blogging has, unfortunately fallen to the wayside.  I have still been reading!  I'm going to give quick reviews to my 3 latest.

Kippy Bushman lives in Friendship, Wisconsin, population 689.  When her best, and only, friend is found murdered, the police are quick to point the finger at Ruth's boyfriend, a serial womanizer and town troublemaker.  Using Ruth's diary, Kippy begins to think someone else murdered her best friend, and begins to try to unravel the mystery herself.
This was a very quirky book, many of the plot points coming out of left field.  I did enjoy it because you want to get to the end to find the killer.  Kippy is a cute character, but very different.  Maybe it's the small town Wisconsin in her?

The Madman's Daughter is a twist on Dr. Moreau's Island, a- a sci-fi novel written by H.G. Wells.  It was made into a movie in 1996, starring Anthony Hopkins and Val Kilmer.  It is also on the Texas Tayshas reading list, and I really enjoy historical fiction.
Juliet Moreau is struggling to survive in Victorian London.  Her mother recently died, and her father fled in shame when the horrors of his experiments were made public.  Juliet cleans the local university, but when she runs into Montgomery, her father's servant, he tells her he is alive on a small island in the Pacific.  Juliet makes the treacherous passage to the island.  Along the way, the crew find a castaway floating in the sea and take him on board.  Since he has no money, the captain makes him stay on the island with Juliet and Montgomery.  Once she is reunited with her father, Juliet begins to realize the extent of his experiments, and is horrified at what he has become.  She, Montgomery, and Edward begin to plot to escape, but a monster is killing the inhabitants and her father is making escape difficult.
I had seen the movie when it came out, and recognized the story of the island.  Many of the plot points are the same, but I definitely enjoyed Juliet's perspective.  Warning: this book can be very gory and bloody, with Juliet's interest in science, and her father's crazy experiments, but I did enjoy it and would recommend it.  The second book: Her Dark Curiosity, is available and continues  Juliet's story with a take on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  This book ending with a crazy cliffhanger, so I will pick that book up soon.

There is nothing to do during the summer in small town Carp, New York.  So, a game called Panic began.  Every high school student pays $1 everyday for the entirety of the school year.  That money goes into a pot that is then divided up between the winner and the anonymous judges.  The winner usually brings home $50,000.   It's called Panic because each stunt increases in danger with every elimination.  The game has even gone so far, there have been deaths.
To Heather, that money could finally get her, and her little sister Lilly, out of the trailer park and away from their drug and alcohol using mother. To Dodge, winning Panic would mean revenge.  His older sister, and best friend Dayna, was left paralyzed when she was playing the last round.  The game gets insane pretty quick, and Heather and Dodge are trying to remain in control.  Told in alternating voices, between Heather and Dodge, the reader really gets in on the action, and see parts of the story one narrator might leave out.
I loved this book.  It was very fast-paced and I think many students will enjoy it too.  Oliver also wrote one of my favorite series, Delirium, and she did not disappoint with this one.
I will try to keep this blog updated as much as I can!  Hopefully things will slow down soon.