Super cute, nay tres chic, volume of five tales about a French thief who steals unique objects of art and literature from those who can readily stand to lose them. Using social media, her cute charm, and her ninja abilities, Bandette is a fabulously fun role model, perfect for any girl who prefers her heros to wear sensible flats and keep her bosoms contained. Presto!

Vic "the Brat" McQueen barely escaped from a psycho killer when she was 17. Her mind is split between how this happened. Did he kidnap her and drive her to Colorado, or did she seek him out using her special bicycle and her "powers?" Now that she is an adult with her own son, and having battled for years with what she believes is mental illness, the killer, Charles Manx, is back and looking to take her son to Christmasland for all eternity.

This is the scariest book I have read in many moons. So scary, yet so poignant. The characters are damaged, flawed, but all the more special because of this. I especially enjoyed Vic's relationships with her son's father, and her son (Bruce Wayne). Vic herself is an amazingly drawn character. She is just badass, with her motorcycle engine tattoo over her heart, and her sailor mouth.

This book also made me cry, the second this year. Eleanor and Park was the first. This is the second. Odd :)

Kippy's best friend Ruth was found murdered in a corn field and strung up like a scarecrow. Her small WI town is convinced they've found the murderer (Ruth's bonehead boyfriend Colt) but after reading Ruth's diary and finding some glaringly obvious clues, Kippy is determined to solve who actually killed Ruth even if the rest of the town is against it.

Unfortunately as a mystery, this book did not work in the least. I had to willingly suspend much disbelief as Kippy ever so conveniently stumbled upon what actually happened to her "friend" who really was more of a frenemey. Kippy is an odd little duck, who I did find endearing, but I never felt like I got to know her. Also, why throw in a haphazard 'love' connection? Not necessary.

Plus, even though the author is from WI originally, I felt she relied on overwrought stereotypes that anybody could pull from their hat. We don't all say "You Betcha." Please.

The cover was so awesome on this book, just a bit disappointed in the contents.

Two soul mates, one from the North Pole and one from the South, discover to their horror they cannot come within two feet of one another. Determined they will find the cure for their fate, they marry anyways. But, how does one pass the years with a mate you cannot touch? With stories and legends of course! These stories compose the bulk of the Encyclopedia of Early Earth as we find out how the Nordic Man and his whole universe came to be. Early Earth’s history is oddly familiar, with variations of the flood myth, the Tower of Babel, and others, yet is ruled by one jerk of a deity, BirdMan and his two children, Kid and Kiddo. Author and illustrator Isabel Greenberg’s pokes fun at the classic and familiar mythologies of our world and her irreverence is both hilarious and poignant. Each tale is lushly illustrated with Nordic inspired graphics and a muted color scheme that uses bright pops of color to capture your eye. This is a graphic novel not to be missed.

**Review based of an ARC received from netgalley.com

Laila is the daughter of a Middle Eastern dictator. He was brutally murdered by his brother, and Laila's mom and brother are brought to the United States by the CIA. While the country in this book is never named, it doesn't matter. Carleson makes you feel the effects of the Arab Spring. She also deftly weaves a tale of what it means to be of Middle Eastern descent in an American world and also what it means to love your father while hating what he did all. This is a great glimpse into how grey the world really is; which side is right? Which side is wrong? Should Laila's family receive money to betray their country? Should she be proud or ashamed of her past? Great discussion group questions can be drawn, and this would be a great addition to any YA collection.

Spare colors, beautiful art. I just felt the ending was a bit rushed, but maybe I just wanted more :)

EB and Lauren live on opposite coasts, but they will be randomly assigned roommates at UC Berkely in the fall. They strike up an email correspondence during the summer before their freshmen year, and various incidents threaten their friendship before they even start living together.

Really charming and authentic feeling story; Roomies really reminded me of the summer before my freshmen year of college. Many fears of change, including leaving old friends who you already feel like you are losing before you actually leave, new romances that may not be worth it when you are about to uproot your life, and family drama. Sometimes multiple authors can be problematic for me, but it really worked here.

**Review based off of a digital ARC received from www.netgalley.com

Darrow and his fellow Reds toil in the brutal mines of Mars, enslaved by the cruel Golds who promise their labor will someday make the surface habitable. Hope for a better future keeps the Reds working, but an incredible tragedy reveals Darrow’s entire world is a lie. To expose the Golds’ treachery, Darrow is thrust into an epic role of espionage. Can he trick the Golds and save his people?

I am super impressed by this work. I thought it would just be another dysopian tale (just set on Mars) but it has such deeper roots, including nationalism, rise against castes, and more. Darrow is a dark hero and I'm interested to see how his journey will go over the course of this series. I worry he will forget his roots, but I can't wait for more!

Sam and his geeky crew stay on the fringes of their Australian high school, keeping their heads down and just trying to make it through without provoking the ridicule of the popular kids. Too bad new girl Camilla doesn't understand the social order. Despite immediately being accepted by the popular kids, Camilla also seems to think Sam and his friends are worthy of her time. Can Sam get over his own prejudices and believe she actually likes him for him?

Filled with the best geeky references and dialouge, this book has EVERYTHING that I like. Camilla is a true to herself nerd at heart with an excellent life philsophy, but also with her own insecurities. Sam is adorable, sweet, and also very stupid when it comes to matters of the heart. He genuinely cares for his friends, Mike who is a ninja superstar and is gay, and Julian who is like a dorky Chunk who lives life loud.