The Hunt for the Seventh by Christine Morton- Shaw

Jim and his family move into a haunted mansion, after his father becomes the head gardener. There is a stone garden and stone statues located throughout the grounds. The spirits are children who keep telling Jim to “Find the Seventh” No one believes him, the owners autistic son Einstein. Jim has to figure out the clues that the ghost children are leaving for him and solve the prophecy before it’s too late. However, things aren’t always as they appear. This book reminded me a lot of the movie “The Sixth Sense” as far as not seeing what is coming until the end. Throughout the whole book Shaw did wonderful job of tying all of the clues together, without being predictable at all. Also, the aspect of Jim’s family dynamics and how everyone is coping with their mothers’ sudden death adds another dimension to the story. This was a book that I couldn’t put down and kept me guessing till the end, a definite recommendation to reluctant readers.

The Season by Sarah MacLean

Seventeen- year old Lady Alexandra was raised in a house full of brothers, so the last thing she cares about is behaving like a proper aristocratic lady and getting married. Alex and her two best friends Ella and Vivi, get into all types of trouble and in the process Alex even finds love. Of all the books that I’ve read recently, this was by far one my favorites. It had a little of everything that makes the recipe for a good story, things such as romance, murder, adventure, espionage, etc. Plus Alex and her two friends were extremely relatable because of their way of thinking and frank conversations you really get to see what is going on in the girls’ heads. This book is definitely more geared towards young women who like mystery, romance and characters they can relate too.

Slob by Ellen Potter

Owen is twelve years old and the fattest kid in school, yet he is also the brightest. He is trying to find an answer to the question of who killed his parents by building a machine to see the past. In addition to this he is being picked on at school, his little sister wants to be a boy and someone keeps stealing his Oreos! I thought this book was very well written. In the beginning I didn’t understand the title. I thought it had to do with the main character being obese, yet the way the meaning is revealed at the end really pulls at your heart strings. Potter did a wonderful job with the foreshadowing and combined it with a very humorous but sad story. This would be a good book for anyone who has ever lost someone close to them.

POP by Gordon Korman

Marcus is a HS football player who moves to a new own during the summer. One of his first friends is a former NFL linebacker named Charlie, who teaches him not to fear being tackled. He realizes that something is not quite right with Charlie and that his family is trying to keep it a secret. However, he puts his own future on the line so that his Charlie can have one more memorable experience. I am personally not a huge football fan and was worried that I would find it boring. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that even though most of the scenes were set against football backdrops and lingo, it was a very touching story. Korman did such a good job of intertwining a heartfelt story and the game of football. Sometimes you wanted to laugh and other times you felt sorry for the characters. It was a very fast paced story and since it was written in the first person, Marcus is a very believable character. This would be a good book to suggest to reluctant or struggling teenage boys who don’t like to read.

Donut Days by Lara Zielin

Both of Emma’s parents are evangelical ministers who are on the verge of losing their church. In addition her parents have told her that she must go to a Christian college or they won’t pay for it. Emma decides to enter a contest to write a feature story for the local paper about the new donut shop opening and win the scholarship money so she can go where she wants. In the end everything works out, but not as you would expect. The biggest strength in this book was that voice of Emma was very revealing and poignant. She asked some very tough questions about religion and came to some revelations about herself, her spiritual life and her relationships with others. Overall, Emma seemed very relatable and I think many young adults could relate and have probably asked some of the same questions.