Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks

Imagine what Harry Potter would have been like if he had discovered that instead of being born to loving, though dead, parents, he was instead the son of Voldemort.  Harry would be heir to his entire evil empire, and sent not to Hogwarts, but to a school teaching all aspects of evil.  Essentially, that is Evil Genius.  Cadel Piggott gets into some trouble because he is too smart for his own good.  His adoptive parents are encouraged by the police to take Cadel to a therapist after he breaks into several different websites.  His therapist informs him that his biological father is the nefarious Dr. Darkkon, a supervillain currently in prison.  Cadel’s evil father begins to take an active role in Cadel’s education, teaching him the ways of the Force, as it were.  After graduating high school at 13, he is enrolled in the Axis Institute, a school to train future supervillains founded by Dr. Darkkon.

While the setup is very much like Harry Potter, with a poor little orphan boy with horrible surrogate parents being swept off to a school that embraces everything about him, Evil Genius is a very different beast.  Cadel Piggott/Darkkon is a hard character.  He’s not necessarily evil, he’s just super intelligent with no proper outlet for his ideas and interests.  He’s obsessed with systems, like traffic systems and the more complex system of human social interactions.  He learns about them by experimenting with them, and causing problems so that he can learn more.  If that’s by causing a traffic jam or setting off a chain of events that all of his classmates in his high school fail their final exams, it’s all in the interest of expanding his knowledge.  Again, he’s not evil or malicious, his intent is truly to learn, but it’s hard to empathize with him.  He’s almost so smart, he’s another species.

Keep reading, True Believers

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Premonitions by Jude Watson

This book deserves 5 stars.

This book had me from the very beginning to do its exciting outlook without the pish-posh of a slow novel beginning. I gave this book 5 stars because it deserves it; Jude Watson did an excellent job in the character development of Gracie. She appeared oddly normal so we could relate to her-however unique in her special premonitions. I would recommend this to young women though because i think young men would find this somewhat boring.

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Disappearance by Jude Watson

This book deserves 5 stars.

A quite intensive sequel. I was very interested in the way she picked up from the first novel’s abrupt ending and just continued on the plot. I don’t want to give anything away but i would definitely say that the mystery in this one is even better! strangely, this one had another abrupt ending so i would assume we are in for a third addition to the series-cant wait!

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Love Notes by Carolyn Keene

This book deserves 4 stars.

All Nancy Drew books are good in my “book”, but for young adults the Nancy Drew Files are more modern and relatable. Love Notes was about a piano competition, and how the main contestants were each attacked and almost weren’t able to compete in the finals. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt. However, there is danger, blackmail and lots of mystery. It is always fun to try to figure out who is the culprit before the end. I would recommend this and any other Nancy Drew book to mystery lovers, especially girls.

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A Model Crime by Carolyn Keene

This book deserves 4 stars.

This was a great Nancy Drew File! It was really interesting, especially if you are a girl. It had lots of details, and everything was described so well that you could actually picture everything in your mind. The plot is about how Nancy’s best friend Bess gets into the finals of a modeling competition. Nancy goes with her to Chicago, but in each photo shoot someone is sabotaged except for one girl. However, at the end it is not the person that you think it is who is guilty. THis is a fast read and a fun read, for someone wanting something light. It is a great mystery, so mystery-lovers watch for this book!

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The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

The Caldecott Medal, which is awarded to a children’s book based on its illustrations, has been awarded to The Invention of Hugo Cabret in 2008.  Controversy has arisen as most libraries have this book in their young adult collection.  That’s where my library has our copy.  Arguments aside on what type of book the medal should be awarded to, based purely on illustrations, this book is a winner.

Selznick’s book follows Hugo Cabret, a young boy living alone in a train station in Paris, France in the early 1900s.  Hugo becomes apprenticed to a bitter toy-maker and begins to unravel the mystery of his past, which involves a cryptic notebook, a mysterious mechanical man, and messages from his dead father.  Story is compelling and mysterious without becoming too big.

Where the work really shines, however, is in the illustrations.  Many have called this a graphic novel.  While not a comic book, its story definitely relies upon the illustrations to tell the tale of Hugo and his mysterious past.  There are no thought bubbles or words on the illustrated pages.  The wonderfully drawn black and white images convey exactly what they’re supposed to without saying a word.  Blocks of text flesh out the characters, but never run for much more than ten pages, if even that.

This book is an excellent example of the evolution that is occurring in graphic novels.  They don’t have to be filled with spandex-wearing superheroes.  Great artwork can be just as compelling at storytelling as great words.  Hugo Cabret’s illustrations are just as important to the story as the words.  The book comes highly recommended, with it’s intriguing story and wonderful illustrations.

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