The Usual Rules - Joyce Maynard

Genres: General Fiction, Chick Lit
Recommended Grades: 9 Up

Sometimes, you just need to cry - that's right, I said it. You know, a lot of people think that a tough guy like me wouldn't cry, but to those people I would say "If crying is wrong, I don't wanna be right!" Don't get me wrong. I'm not walking around crying all day, everyday. In fact, I rarely cry. But sometimes, you just have to. The things that make me cry usually have to do with my family - thinking about the danger and sorrow my younger brother has faced during his three tours in Iraq, or the dream I had about my sister overdosing on drugs - those things will make me cry. Sometimes hearing or reading stories of people suffering can also give me that choked up feeling in my chest.

The Usual Rules by Joyce Maynard is one of those stories that got me really choked up. In fact, I would go as far as to say that the first third of the book is the saddest piece of fiction I have ever read. Wendy is a thirteen-year-old girl with a thirteen-year-old girl's problems - trying to fit in at school, dealing with her dorky step dad - but her biggest problem is her mom. Wendy's real dad lives in California and he has invited Wendy to come out and visit. Wendy's mom won't let Wendy go because the school year has just started. One fateful morning Wendy leaves for school without saying goodbye to her mom - they had fought about the trip the night before. It turns out that that morning was September 11, 2001 and Wendy's mom worked in one of the towers at the World Trade Center. Now all of Wendy's problems seem like nothing when she thinks about what her life will be like without her mom. In the last two-thirds of the book Wendy deals with the loss of her mother while at the same time facing a whole new set of issues - moving to her dad's house, starting life at a new school. This part of the book is not sad at all - in fact, much of it is uplifting.

This was a good book. I liked it, but I think younger girls will enjoy it even more. Wendy is a great character - she has her flaws, but what thirteen-year-old girl doesn't. I would recommend this book to any girl looking for a good read. It is a rather long book and the writing is a bit more sophisticated than your standard teen novel, so it will probably be more appealing to advanced readers.

The Case of the Missing Marquess: an Enola Holmes Mystery - Nancy Springer

Genres: Mystery, Adventure, Historical Fiction
Recommended Grades: 4-8

I'm sad to say that I don't have any anecdotes that will lead into this book, so rather than force it I am just going to get right to the review.

Enola Holmes wakes up on the morning of her fourteenth birthday with a little problem - her mother has disappeared. Fortunately for Enola her older brother is the famous detective Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock is on the case but Enola's problems are not solved. Her other older brother, Mycroft, also shows up - Mycroft decides that is time to make a lady out of Enola and arranges for Enola to be sent to a boarding school. Enola decides she would rather be searching for her mother, who has left behind a number of cryptic clues, so she runs away. Thus begins her adventure. As if the search for her mother is not enough, Enola inadvertently gets involved in another mystery - The Case of the Missing Marquess - one that puts her and the young marquess in several dangerous situations.

While Sherlock may be the most famous of the Holmes siblings, Enola is the star of this book, and rightfully so because she is a great character. Enola is a girl ahead of her times - she is more comfortable riding her bike and exploring riverbanks than she is playing with dolls and sipping tea - she would be more at home in the 21st century than in the 18th century. Enola is a great role model for young girls - she is smart, outspoken and not afraid of a little danger.

All-in-all this book was good. I would recommend it to preteens, particularly girls, that like adventure and mystery. This book appears to be the first in a series, so kids that like this story will have more books to look forward to soon.

One last thing - there appears to be some sort of encoded, cryptic message on the cover of this book. I have not been able to figure it out. If any of you out there can decipher this message please post your findings here for the whole world to see.