Suite Scarlett

by Maureen Johnson

Scarlett Martin has no idea what just happened to her.  On top of that, the hotel her family owns, the Hopewell, is falling into disrepair. And, as Scarlett must frequently point out, owning the Hopewell does not mean her family is rich. Not by a long shot. That's not all. After two years of searching, her older brother Spencer has just snagged a role in an off-off-off Broadway production of Hamlet...under the condition that the cast can rehearse without Scarlett's parents' knowledge in the basement of the Hopewell. To Spencer's dismay, her older sister Lola is dating quite possibly the most blissfully ignorant old-money boy New York has to offer. Her cancer-survivor younger sister Marlene is acting like she owns the world (as usual) and Sarlett's friends are nowhere to be found.
Enter Amy Amberson, the middle-aged eccentric full-time Hopewell guest who seems to have become Scarlett's sole responsibility. Among her attempts to take New York by storm, Ms. Amberson takes on the co-directorship of Spencer's play and asks that Scarlett assist her. Scarlett doesn't mind though, because into the cast and into her basement comes hottie Eric Hall, the NYU freshman with a Southern accent and a knowledge of physical comedy that rivals Spencer's. Hilarity ensues.
Johnson has again astounded readers with Scarlett's down-to-earth nature and dry wit. Avid chick-lit fans will devour this book, as well as the sequel, Scarlett Fever (review coming soon!) with enthusiasm. Sparkling with romance, humor, and drama, Suite Scarlett is a must for teenage girls, especially those interested in city life or the theater.
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The Night She Disappeared

By April Henry

     The only car that Gabie Klug's über-strict surgeon parents will allow her to get is a Mini Cooper. Gabie doesn't mind the car, because it lets her work delivery hours at Pete's Pizza, a small cafe in a Portland strip mall. One night, her coworker, Drew, takes an order for three Meat Monster pizzas to go. Kayla, the universally accepted senior and born leader among the Pete's employees, takes the delivery. And doesn't come back. It's only after the police have pronounced Kayla officially missing that Drew confides in Gabie. That maybe the kidnapper wasn't after Kayla at all. That the man who made the order asked if the girl with the Mini Cooper was working that night. With the help of each other, some covert sleuthing, and a whole lot of self-discovery, Gabie and Drew find clues that are almost certainly contradictory to the police force's idea that Kayla is dead, her body dumped in the rushing river and in the ocean by now.
     The Night She Disappeared is a mystery thriller that throws more than a few plot curveballs. Told in a strangely haunting 3rd person omniscient narration that gives the opinion of heroes, villains, suspects, cops, and victims in a poignant day-to-day style, this novel hooks crime fans from the first syllable and reels them in tightly until the last letter. Anyone looking for cliffhangers, suspense, and just a bit of romance should pick this off the shelves.
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