DARTH PAPER STRIKES BACK - Tom Angleberger
Dwight, the creator of Origami Yoda, is in a bind. Yoda gave advice and was helpful, but there’s a new finger puppet in town. Darth Paper. He and his creator, Harvey, are spreading darkness throughout the school, particularly by getting Dwight and Yoda in trouble. Dwight is suspended and may be expelled because of his finger puppet and his alleged disruptive behavior. Classmates can’t forget what a great guy he is and the endless wisdom given by Yoda. They make a case file to present to the school board to save Dwight from expulsion. I loved the characters, situations, and doodles across the pages. The speculation on whether Yoda was real and magical or just a piece of paper on a boy’s finger was interesting.
THE SECRET OF THE FORTUNE WOOKIEE - Tom Angleberger
Dwight is normal and boring? Is Origami Yoda no more? There's a new finger puppet in town, Fortune Wookiee, that's too good to be true. Here's another fantastic case file about McQuarrie Middle and Star Wars themed origami and kirigami. I loved the characters and middle grade voice in this book. This series keeps getting better and better. I enjoyed the first two books, but this was my favorite. Maybe I'll say the same about the next installment.
DOPE SICK - Walter Dean Myers
Lil J is on the run after a drug deal gone bad. If he’s caught, he’s in a whole lot of trouble since an injured police officer is involved. He hides out in a stranger’s apartment. The stranger, Kelly, knows a lot about him. He has a freaky remote control and TV that shows snippets of Lil J’s life. Lil J can leave the apartment as either a doomed or changed man. The two men are compelling characters and it was fascinating to see Lil J’s life, both past and present, unfold the way it did.
GO ASK ALICE - Anonymous
I read this in middle school and loved it. Rereading it as an adult, I still enjoyed the diary format, but was disappointed when I looked up the author and saw reports that this was fiction when ages ago I thought it was real. In addition, the ebook has quite a few typos. But if you’re interested in reading an account of a young lady spiraling out of control with drugs and sex in the 60’s, this is a great read. The way the character redeems herself is uplifting, while the bullying she undergoes in the last half of the book is alarming. I wanted the ending, in regards to how she died, to be more concrete.
THE GIRL WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE - April Henry
The story begins with a teenage girl who wakes up with no memory of who she is and how she got to where she is. Two of her fingernails have been pulled out, one of her teeth is loose, and there are two men nearby. One of them tells the other to finish her off. She manages to escape and life on the run is difficult.
The strangers who are after her know her location, frame her for a serious crime, and take on her online identity to post fake status updates. She learns her name is Cady. She meets a boy, Ty, who wants to help her since he’s been in bad situations himself. The mystery organization now pursues the both of them.
I don’t want to give away anything else since that would spoil the story. One of the things that made this book great were all the unexpected twists and turns. I read this in two sittings. It’s a fast and intense read. I couldn’t wait to see what happened with Cady’s memories and her plans to foil the bad guys. NetGalley and the publisher provided the review copy.