Adam Selzer. I KISSED A ZOMBIE, AND I LIKED IT

What a hoot!! I've loved all of Adam Selzer's books so far, and this one is no exception. His sense of humor is unique and surprising.

This is another book set in the fictional suburb called Cornersville Trace. (I think all his books are set there, and I find this fascinating and totally something I would do if I was an author). Alley the main character is a smart, witty girl who would never date a guy her age, because they're all idiots. She hangs out with a group called the Vicious Circle. They all write for the school newspaper (actually an online blog). It's called the vicious circle because they make fun of people in brilliant and witty ways. Oh, and they now live in the post-human era. There are still humans, of course. But now all the vampires have come out of the closet, or "coffin" so to speak. It all happened after the Megamart created a bunch of zombies to work as slaves for them. It became such a big deal that the vampires advocated for them and in the process made themselves known, along with the werewolves.

Obviously, all the girls would die to date a vampire or zombie. It's a major status symbol. Alley thinks it's all so stupid...until she meets one herself. She doesn't realize that Doug is a zombie at first. (And I guess this would be a spoiler, if the title didn't already give it away). But after she's already fallen hard for him, she realizes the truth and doesn't care. She even begins considering wildly different options for her life than she had planned all along - all for love.Will she come to her senses or will she be like all the other girls who lose themselves for a guy?

This is a hilarious satirical look at the huge popularity of the undead out there including vampires, werewolves, zombies, etc. I found it to be the perfect combination of sweet romance and funky paranormal. Alley is an intriguing character. And the jokes and funny lines! I could go on and on. But you should just read it for yourself!

For more on Selzer, go here for his website. And be sure to check out this website for more about the book (and tons of funny bits). And go here to see all the books I've reviewed by Selzer, which should be all of his books. I think I've read them all; someone let me know if I've missed one!

Gary Paulsen. MUDSHARK

When I think of Gary Paulsen, I think about the outdoors as in HATCHET or his Iditarod books. But Mr. Paulsen has quite the funny bone too. Exhibit #1: MUDSHARK. This is a terribly funny book! I love it!

Mudshark (or properly Lyle Williams) is a talented twelve-year-old. He can find anything. If a kid lost his homework, Mudshark can remember exactly where the kid was 3 days before and what he was doing and therefore place exactly what the kid did with said homework. He's known as the local detective, but Mudshark simply pays attention - way more than anyone else, so he remembers everything. All the kids come to him to find their missing balls, pets, a parent's car, etc.

But when an even bigger mystery begins to develop in the school, the principal himself has to enlist Mudshark's help. Will Mudshark come through on his biggest case yet?

There are so many hysterical aspects in this book, I'm not sure where to begin. Let me just say that among the smarty-pants parrot, the multiplying crayfish, the hidden art connoisseur, the mysterious faculty bathroom and triplet sisters of Mudshark, you will find much to laugh at!

Entertaining and unique! Highly Recommended!

Go here for more about the talented and amazing Gary Paulsen.

Lisa Graff. UMBRELLA SUMMER

Annie Richards lost her brother suddenly. He died from a rare heart condition that no one could have known about. That event caused Annie to because extremely cautious in everything she does. When she bikes she wears not only her helmet, but also various pads and tape for her her ankles. She's even been caught wearing her helmet while walking down the street. She becomes engrossed in a book about preventing disease. She figures since they didn't catch what was wrong with her brother that she could easily catch something too. If she feels slightly bad, she fears she has various conditions like African Sleeping Sickness. Plus, she avoids foods she used to love like hot dogs, because they may have e coli. She doesn't see how this is causing her to miss out on her life and normal 10-year-old fun. Her friends and family notice her caution, but aren't able stop her behavior.
Then a very special neighbor moves in across the street. Mrs. Finch has recently lost someone too, so maybe that's why Annie listens to her. They become friends and Mrs. Finch is able to help Annie see how to embrace life again. And maybe Annie can now help her parents learn to move on after her brother's death too.
This was a lovely, charming and funny book. Annie is quite the character. She is able to make you see how all of her precautions make perfect sense. Her voice fells like an authentic 10-year-old girl.
I also love the sense of community and friendship in this book. You won't regret reading this sensitive, hopeful book.

Click here for more about the author & to check out her other books.

Tom Dolby. SECRET SOCIETY

The prologue intrigues you immediately. A body turns up dead at Cleopatra's Needle in  Manhattan's Central Park. Maybe not so unusual in New York City? However, the small tattoo on the back of his neck in the shape of an ankh, the Egyptian symbol for life, is sort of unusual.  

Three juniors at Chadwick, an exclusive private school in Manhattan,  become friends because they all receive the same cryptic text message directing them to show up at an address at a specified time. 

The find out they've been invited to a special club. They aren't sure why they were picked. The also get the impression they weren't really invited, but actually have become members through coercion. 

Pheobe is new to New York and Chadwick. She figures that it might be a way to make some friends. Nick has heard about this society from his dad over the years and realizes that it's probably his destiny to be a part of the exclusive organization. Lauren is thrilled at first because the society begins granting her secret wishes. However, after a few months of secrecy and hidden agendas, the three teens begin to ask questions. Questions that are looked upon unfavorably by the society. When one new member ends up dead, the three get worried. 

To add more drama, Nick's friend Patch wasn't invited to the society. Patch is a video blogger and decides that he will infiltrate the society. Will this put Patch's life in danger or worse - will all of the teens be in danger when Patch does his digging? 

This was definitely a page-turner! It kept me up late at night. I enjoyed all of the main characters, especially Nick & Phoebe. The ending left me wanting to read the sequel. And I recently found out that it is due out next February.

Click here for more about Tom Dolby and all of his books.

Rachel Vail. JUSTIN CASE: SCHOOL, DROOL, AND OTHER DAILY DISASTERS

The last book I read from Rachel Vail was a YA called LUCKY. I loved it! (I still need to read the sequel). When I saw the cover of this one, I was immediately drawn to it, especially since my move to elementary librarian.

Justin is a bit of a worrier. A week before third grade begins, he cannot sleep. He worries about not getting into a good schedule. He worries about what teacher he'll get and whether or not his best friend will be in his class. When school starts, the kids notice his worrying one day when he's devising a back up plan for their project and they nickname him Justin Case. Justin had always wanted a nickname, but not anymore.

The novel is written in a diary format, so we really get to know Justin and all of his idiosyncrasies. He has a community of stuffed animals and they are fighting over who will be mayor. He is terrified of dogs, yet he is more terrified of robbers, so he still begs his parents for a dog. He is an adorable, funny kid, with an equally adorable family. His sister is precocious and sweet. Here is an example of her personality:
After her mom tells her that there are no boyfriends or girlfriends in elementary school, she says, "I know that, Mommy, but I have three boyfriends anyway."

Because Justin is such a worrier, this leads him to believe that he isn't brave. He encounters several situations in the book that cause him to grow and become the boy he needs to be.

I loved Justin, his family and everything about the book! The illustrations were delightful and totally matched the mood of the book! I hope Rachel Vail writes more children's books. I would love more about Justin!
Click here for my review of her YA book LUCKY. Click here for her website.