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Mustaches for Maddie, the newest offering from Chad Morris and Shelly Brown, is a middle grade novel based on the authors' daughter's experience battling a brain tumor.  Despite its heavy subject matter, the book tells a sweet, uplifting story that's more stirring than scary.  While Maddie seems a little immature for a 12-year-old girl, she's a likable heroine who's quirky, brave, and caring.  Disease novels often get cheesy or saccharine; this one is touching without being at all syrupy.  I've met Morris and Brown, even been in their home, and what strikes me about Mustaches for Maddie is that it exudes the genuine warmth that radiates from these kind, down-to-earth authors.  I thoroughly enjoyed their book about kindness, compassion, and community and hope that everyone who reads it will wholeheartedly embrace its important message.

(Readalikes:  Wonder by R.J. Palacio; also reminds me of All Better Now by Emily Wing Smith)

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Ellingham Academy has never been a typical school.  Opened in 1936 by an eccentric millionaire who delighted in puzzles and games, the institution features trapdoors, dank catacombs, hidden rooms, and other surprises even its founder didn't know about.  Perched atop a craggy mountain in Vermont, its isolated campus wouldn't appeal to most teens.  An average adolescent would be put off not just by the school's remote location, but also by its haunted history.  Not long after the school opened, a villain dubbed "Truly Devious" struck, kidnapping the founder's wife and 3-year-old daughter.  Despite a paid ransom, only Irene Ellingham's corpse was returned.  While the body of a murdered student was also discovered, the fate of little Alice Ellingham remains unknown, the case long gone cold.  Even 80 some years later, it's enough to spook an ordinary kid.  Which Ellingham students certainly are not.  Still.

  

While the unsolved crimes—ancient though they may be—might make some students uneasy, Stephanie "Stevie" Bell cannot wait to get to Ellingham Academy.  A true crime aficionado, the 16-year-old is itching to have a go at the school's unsolved mysteries.  With unparalleled access to campus, she has everything she needs to find out what happened to Alice.  And she intends to do just that.

When "Truly Devious" strikes once again at Ellingham, however, Stevie's shaken to her core.  Turns out, murder isn't nearly as glamorous in real life as it seems in the movies.  Still, she knows she must put her detecting skills to use.  With two cases—one cold and one horrifyingly fresh—she has her work cut out for her.  

I'm a big fan of Maureen Johnson's Shades of London series, so when I heard she was penning a new series, I couldn't wait to check it out.  Truly Devious, the first installment in a planned trilogy, introduces the intriguing setting, its twisty mysteries, and a whole host of colorful characters.  There's a lot going on in this novel, it's true, but the story never feels cluttered, confusing, or dull.  On the contrary, it's engaging, funny, and—since you're never quite sure what exactly is going on—suspenseful.  Because Truly Devious is the first book, naturally it ends without answers to every question.  Still, it's a satisfying tale that will leave you salivating for its sequel.  If you can't tell, I loved this one.  My 16-year-old daughter didn't even wait until I finished the book to start devouring it herself.  She adored it as well.  Now we just have to wait patiently for A WHOLE YEAR before Book 2 comes out.  Argh.

(Readalikes:  Although there's no magic at Ellingham Academy, Truly Devious does feel a little Harry Potter-ish)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (1 F-bomb, plus milder expletives), violence, blood/gore, depictions of underage drinking, and mild sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of Truly Devious from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.

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Graphic—meaning illustrated, not explicit—memoirs are all the rage at my daughter's elementary school.  She's not a big reader, but she does get really into these comic book-ish volumes, as do hordes of her classmates.  A raging Raina Telgemeier fan, she's already devoured that author's middle grade offerings, so she decided to give The Dumbest Idea Ever! by cartoonist Jimmy Gownley a try.  So into the book was my girl that I had to tell her—repeatedly—to put it down so that she could eat dinner, do her homework, and go to sleep at a decent hour.  While I didn't find myself quite as enraptured by it, I still very much enjoyed Gownley's story about how he found his true calling in life.

Gownley's tale starts in junior high with him trying to convince the nuns at his Catholic school that his beloved comic books are legitimate reading material.  Largely unsuccessful, he nonetheless continues with his own quest to become a comic book writer/artist.  He'd rather draw than do almost anything else, but he can't seem to come up with an original story idea that everyone likes.  In the meantime, he's struggling with his grades, his friends, and getting girls to notice him.  When a friend suggests a radical idea that just might change everything, Gownley decides to take a chance.  As he experiences the ups and downs of pursuing a dream not everyone understands, he comes to understand the power of perseverance and of being true to oneself in the face of doubt, rejection, and fear.

The Dumbest Idea Ever! offers a funny, engaging story with colorful illustrations that make it come alive.  It's an encouraging, empowering tale that teaches valuable lessons about not giving up in spite of repeated failures and staying humble in spite of success.  Misunderstood artists and reluctant readers will especially appreciate this book, but really, it's the kind of read anyone can pick up and enjoy.  My 9-year-old gives it two thumbs way up! 

(Readalikes:  I'm guessing Gownley's Amelia Rules! series is similar, although I haven't read it.  I'm also reminded of books by Rainia Telgemeier; Real Friends by Shannon Hale; and Janet Tashjian's [fictional] Cartoonist series)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

To the FTC, with love:  I borrowed a copy of The Dumbest Idea Ever! from my daughter's elementary school library as part of my volunteer work with the school's reading program.

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Shuffled from place to place as a foster kid, Sloan never felt at home anywhere—until she met the Krauses.  When she married Mac fifteen years ago, his parents and brother welcomed her with open arms into their lives, their family, and their beer-making business.  As one of the few who "has the nose" for beer, she's made a name for herself as the first female brewmaster in the region.  Her ingenuity is partly responsible for the continuing success of the Krause's renowned brewery in Leavenworth, Washington. 

When Sloan finds Mac in a compromising position with a young barmaid, she's furious and hurt.  Although she's pretty sure her marriage is over, she can't stand the thought of any awkwardness between her and her loving adopted family.  To create some distance, Sloan takes a job at Nitro, a hip nano-brewery that's just opened up in town.  Its owner, a handsome software engineer from Seattle, is thrilled to have Sloan's help, but it's not long before the pub's successful start turns sour.  Sloan discovers the dead body of a rival brewmaster floating in Nitro's fermenting tank.  Temperamental Eddie Deluga wouldn't have won any popularity contests in Leavenworth, but who hated him enough to kill him?  The police suspect Mac.  Sloan's still raging over her husband's betrayal, but she knows he's not a killer.  To clear his name, she'll have to find the real murderer.  With no end of possible suspects—including her new boss—it won't be an easy job.

I'm not a huge fan of cozy mysteries, but when I need a break from dark, gory police procedurals, I often find myself hunting for a lighter, less depressing alternative.  Someone mentioned Ellie Alexander as a possibility, so I picked up Death on Tap, the first installment in her new cozy series.  The jacket art spoke right to my PNW-loving soul and, indeed, the setting is probably my favorite part of Death on Tap.  Alexander does an admirable job of bringing Leavenworth to life in all its quaint, charming glory.  She also seems very knowledgeable about the beer business, of which I know absolutely zilch.  I found the details fascinating.  Unfortunately, the main characters—Sloan, Mac, Garrett, etc.—aren't nearly as developed.  Without a lot of personality, most of them are likable but not memorable.  The plot of Death on Tap is fairly straightforward, with a killer who's pretty obvious from the get-go.  Still, this is a quick, enjoyable read.  It's just not as well executed as I wanted it to be.  I'll continue reading the series because it's clean, fun, and atmospheric, but I really hope it gets better as it goes.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of books by Joanne Fluke, M.C. Beaton, and Karen MacInerney)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for violence, and brief/mild language and innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find