The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

The Name of the Star starts off with Aurora (aka Rory) leaving her small, swampy hometown in Louisiana to spend her senior year at Wexford, a boarding school in London’s East End.  Upon arrival, she finds the city abuzz with the information that a murder has taken place that is similar in fashion to the Jack the Ripper murders.  As Johnson paints a vivid picture of life at Wexford, we are quickly drawn into a fast-paced story of murder and mystery where Rory feels as if “the entire world is colluding to make [her] feel insane” and does a very good job of it.

When I first picked up The Name of the Star, I was drawn to it solely because it had a Jack the Ripper storyline; I have always been fascinated with this unsolved case so anything about the Ripper that is put before me I’ll devour.  What I was surprised to find, however, was how much I loved reading about Rory’s day-to-day life at Wexford.  Johnson did an amazing job at making the mundane seem interesting and, with Jack the Ripper in the background, every minute detail had me thinking, “Is this a clue?” This novel is one that really keeps the heart pounding and the pages turning as you want to know who the murderer is and why are certain things are happening only to Rory.

I would definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction with a touch of reality, meaning using a real life historical situation as the base for the book.  I would also recommend this to young adult female readers because Rory is a strong female lead character that I think many young girls would enjoy reading about.  This would also be a good read for readers who enjoy ghost stories. 

Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry

“It's important to know the past, but your survival depends on knowing the present” (81).  So begins Jonathan Maberry’s second novel, Dust and Decay, in the “Rot and Ruin” series.  The reader picks up a few months after they left off with Benny, Nix, Lilah and Tom preparing to head east out of gated Mountainside in search of the elusive jet.  Tom decides to take the three younger “warriors” and Benny’s friend, Chong, out on an overnight camping trip to show Chong the Ruin, but once the group steps foot outside the gate nothing seems to go as planned.  As the group is forced to split up, they each begin to learn more about themselves as well as the war that is about to break loose between good, evil and zombies.

            I really enjoyed reading “Rot and Ruin” so I was a little apprehensive about starting “Dust and Decay” because I know sequels are oftentimes a let down for readers.  What I truly loved about this book, however, was the shift it took from focusing on the relationship between different characters (Benny and Tom, Nix and Benny, etc.) to focusing on the growth of each of the characters as people.  I liked seeing the younger “warriors” grow up and be forced to make their own decisions without Tom and I liked seeing a more fierce side of Tom as well.

            I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys zombie novels, particularly “Rot and Ruin.”  I think this is a great sequel and does a lot for character development.  One of the things I did notice about “Dust and Decay,” however, is that it is a much more grown-up read than “Rot and Ruin.”  The jokes and the friendships are still there for younger readers to enjoy, but I think the older young adult readers will get much more pleasure out of it than their younger counterparts. 

Written in bone by S. M. Walker

Written in Bone is a nonfiction young adult book about forensic archaeologists that uncover the secrets of old Jamestown and colonial Maryland through the skeletons of its dead.  Throughout the book, Walker describes the different types of skeletons found as well as what the archaeologists learn about the people who died as well as the settlement of Jamestown by looking at the skeletons.  Along with giving insight into the history of Jamestown and colonial Maryland, Walker also provides readers with information into how forensic archaeologists are able to do their jobs as well as how they come to the conclusions they come to.

            Written in Bone does an excellent job of making such a complicated branch of science accessible to young adult readers.  Walker makes sure to define any terms that might be questionable to the reader and includes many pictures of the different types of digs and skeletons the archaeologists uncover.  This book is very engaging and does not spend too much time on one case or one skeleton, which, in turn, does not bog a teenaged reader down with too many details.

            What I found to be particularly interesting about this book is the fact that, although I love history, I never realized how much you could tell about a person or about a settlement just by looking at the bones of the dead and that sometimes archaeologists are able to even determine the cause of death of certain skeletons as well as find out if they were upper- or lower-class citizens in Jamestown.  This book has a certain macabre quality to it considering it is about examining the remains of some of the first English settlers in America, but if you can get past that then I think all types of readers will really enjoy this book.

            I would recommend this book to readers who might like things such as zombie fiction or mysteries, but are having difficulty getting into non-fiction.  Although zombie fiction might sound like a stretch, I think if the actual zombies are what the reader enjoys then they will find the skeletal remains of the settlers to be intriguing and the mystery readers will enjoy reading about the step-by-step discovery of the archaeologists.

The Wall by Peter Sis

The Wall is a nonfiction story about a boy who grew up in a world governed by Communism.  At the beginning, the boy says one of his passions is drawing and from that point on we see his narrative of the Cold War through his drawings and journal entries.  Sis’ heartbreaking tale of following orders (“After drawing whatever he wants to at home, he drew what he was told to at school” (5-6)) and being unable to cultivate his passions is a great history lesson for young adult readers who often have a hard time sitting down and reading more traditional non-fiction.

            Although The Wall’s story length is short compared to other nonfiction titles there is a lot to take in.  The drawings are elaborate and require a lot of time to examine and even more time to reflect on the personal and cultural meanings behind the drawings.  Sis’ visual triumph in both life (in leaving Communist Soviet Union) and in his work, as an award-winning author, provide young readers a glimpse into a lesser well-known global conflict that is a part of United States and global history.

            One of the things I really enjoyed about this book was the visual aspect of the narrative.  Sis did a great job including information about the Cold War and the Berlin Wall in a visual format as well as in literary format.  This book would be a great tool to use with various types of learners since it includes information for the literary and visual leaner.  

            I think readers interested in history and nonfiction will enjoy this book because of its coverage of a lesser known topic because it is not an overwhelming read, but takes a different, more personal approach to talking about the Cold War.  I also think that readers interested in art or book illustrations will find this book particularly intriguing.

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

The Monstrumologist tells a tale of orphan, Will Henry, working as an apprentice to famed monstrumologist, Pellinore Warthrop. Equal parts mystery and horror, we are thrown into the story with the mysterious arrival of a package in a dark and foggy night. From then on, we are taken on a heart-pounding monster hunt told through young Will Henry’s eyes. Along the way, we also learn much about Warthrop and Will Henry’s relationship and come to find that Will Henry very much blames Warthrop for the death of his parents in a fire. I feel it would be unfair to give away what the monster is because I found that a lot of the enjoyment of this book was learning about the monster through Warthrop’s late-night lectures in his laboratory.

            One of the things I really loved about this book was its fast-paced, “need-to-read” nature. When I say I couldn’t put it down, I literally could not put it down. I wanted to know more about every element of the story: the relationship between Will Henry and Warthrop, why is this terrible monster here, what is a monstrumologist and numerous other questions. I also thought that Yancey does a great job of providing a detailed, spooky atmosphere for which the monstrumologist hunts his prey. I felt like, no matter where I was in the book, I had a clear depiction of what Will Henry and Warthrop’s surroundings looked like. I always had an easy time of building the scenes in my head.

            On the outside this book is most definitely horror, but I think it provides more than that for readers, which is the relationship between Warthrop and Will Henry. I don’t want to give anything away, but, like in Rot and Ruin, things aren’t always as they seem, especially when it comes to matters of family. I found that the relationship between Warthrop and Will Henry is similar to that between Tom and Benny Imura in Rot and Ruin because we start off with these two very different characters, with the younger of the two blaming the older for the death of their parents, but as the novels go on we see the relationship turn in to respect and even a fierce loyalty to the elder of the pair.