"Morpheus Road" by DJ MacHale (YA Horror Fiction)

I have mixed feelings about "Morpheus Road".  Professionally, I think this book was very well done.  It is written well, has interesting characters and an intriguing plot.  This would be great for high school students or advanced middle school readers.  Personally, I thought the story was creepy.  Let me explain.  I'm not the type of person that likes to scare myself.  I don't enjoy haunted houses, slasher movies or Stephen King novels.  They just freak me out.  This book was written along those same creepy lines.  I'm sure those that enjoy the macabre will love the book and I didn't find anything objectionable about it other than the heebie jeebies.

"Morpheus Road" is the first book in a new trilogy by DJ MacHale, the writer of the popular Pendragon series.  In this book, we are introduced to a new cast of characters, one of whom is missing and another is being haunted by his own creation.  This creation seems to be able to possess people or force them to do his bidding and, his bidding is to kill off the protagonist.  In order to find out what happens and why, as well as solve the mystery of his friend's disappearance, you'll have to pick up the book...if you dare!

"Iorich" by Steven Brust (Fantasy Fiction)

I am a long-time fan of Steven Brust, however this latest edition to the "Jhereg" series, "Iorich" fell a little short of the mark for me.  I enjoy the fast paced action, well developed plot and characters, as well as the excellent dialog in his novels.  "Iorich" did have most of those qualities, but I found that it dragged on more than I would have liked.  Perhaps it was due to the mostly absent usual cast of characters, I'm not sure.  On the plus side though, this book got me thinking about how appropriate this series would be for middle and high school readers.  There isn't any sex or foul language in the book, and not even any overly descriptive violence.  The author even tries to incorporate social issues to get people thinking, which is great.

"Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer (YA fantasy)

"Artemis Fowl" is an interesting story of a 12 year old crime lord.  Artemis believes he has found a way to steal the power of fairies by using technology to translate their secret tome after tricking it from a fairy.  At the same time, Holly, a fairy, is the only female in the fairy police and has a habit of getting herself in more trouble than she can handle, such as being kidnapped by Artemis!  This is an interesting and engaging story for middle school students and perhaps for more advanced upper elementary students as well.  However, I do not recommend the audio version of this book as the change in perspectives from Holly to Artemis is difficult to follow at first when audio only.

"Heist Society" by Ally Carter (YA fiction)

"Heist Society" would be an excellent selection for middle school students.  It is a lighthearted romp through the seamy underworld of art thieves, but with a twist.  This time the art thieves are teens!  Kat's father is one of the greatest thieves of all time, and he is the prime suspect for stealing a mob boss's prized art collection.  In order to get it back, the mobster threatens Kat with her father's life.  Only Kat's dad didn't do it...he was committing another heist at the time of the theft, but no one believes him.  Kat assembles a motley crew of teens and they figure out who has the paintings, where they are and plot to steal them back.  However, there is more to the story than meets the eye!  Read on dear readers to discover all the twists and turns!