Title: COLD FURY
Author: T.M. Goeglein
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons (a Penguin imprint)
Release Date: July 24, 2012
Number of Pages: 320
Source of Book: ARC from editor after IRA Convention

Jason Bourne meets The Sopranos in this breathtaking adventure

Sara
Jane Rispoli is a normal sixteen-year-old coping with school and a
budding romance–until her parents and brother are kidnapped and she
discovers her family is deeply embedded in the Chicago Outfit (aka the
mob).

Now on the run from a masked assassin, rogue cops and her
turncoat uncle, Sara Jane is chased and attacked at every turn, fighting
back with cold fury as she searches for her family. It’s a quest that
takes her through concealed doors and forgotten speakeasies–a city
hiding in plain sight. Though armed with a .45 and 96K in cash, an old
tattered notebook might be her best defense–hidden in its pages the
secret to “ultimate power.” It’s why she’s being pursued, why her family
was taken, and could be the key to saving all of their lives.

Action packed, with fresh, cinematic writing, Cold Fury is a riveting and imaginative adventure readers will devour.

COLD FURY is a non-stop action-packed thrill-ride of a novel with an intelligent heart. I wasn’t totally sure what to expect from this mob-based story, but it was more than I anticipated. At it’s heart is sixteen-year-old Sara Jane, who knows nothing about The Outfit and what her family really does at the beginning. She is just a private, introverted teenager who happens to have a talent for boxing. As we get to know her through the beginning of the book, we see a girl with some insecurities, but also a really likeable character who is highly intelligent. That is part of the strength of this book. If Sara Jane wasn’t so likeable, it wouldn’t have the appeal that it does as she finds her own strength. She’s also surrounded by a fantastic cast of secondary characters who are entertaining and loveable (sometimes) in their own right. The “Al” chapter is one of my favorites and had me laughing out loud.

I enjoyed the style in which this book is written. At the beginning, the chapters feel as if each one is a sort of vignette of something that has happened that has led to Sara Jane being the kind of person she has become. Each chapter provides a little bit of background, but is told as it’s own little story. The book then really starts to move once Sara Jane’s family goes missing and she starts to learn what her family has really been up to all this time. It moves toward more a traditional story arc at this point, but interspersed with entries and learning from “the notebook.” This is when the mobster-type of story gets going and as she is running for her life and trying to find a way to save her family, it becomes very hard to put the book down. T.M. Goeglein has created an intriguing version of the Chicago mafia’s evolving style and methods that seems well-researched and highly realistic. I found myself really enjoying some of the scenes and ways that Sara Jane uses her Outfit connections to try to put things back in order and find her place and way of keeping herself safe.

I would recommend this book to those looking for a strongly written character, mafia-type story with action-packed writing, and even though it has a female main character, I think it will have guy appeal (and especially those with ties to Chicago). With references to classic movies (especially mafia ones) and secret passages throughout Chicago, this is a book with lots of intelligence and action. Overall I enjoyed reading it; however, the ending felt a little bit abrupt to me because it seemed to leave it wide open for a sequel, which I wasn’t expecting. Going into it, I didn’t know it was the first in a trilogy-which would have been good to know so the ending wouldn’t have left me wanting a little more closure. I’ll definitely be getting the next two books to see how Sara Jane works out her balance and control of this world she’s fallen into.

*If you don’t want to wait until Tuesday to get started, you can read the first chapter for free right here from the author’s website!

Title: CAPTURE THE FLAG
Author: Kate Messner
Publisher: Scholastic
Release Date: July 1, 2012
Number of Pages: 240
Source of Book: ARC from IRA Convention

Three kids get caught up in an adventure of historic proportions!

Anna,
José, and Henry are complete strangers with more in common than they
realize. Snowed in together at a chaotic Washington D.C. airport, they
encounter a mysterious tattooed man, a flamboyant politician, and a
rambunctious poodle named for an ancient king. Even stranger, news
stations everywhere have announced that the famous flag that inspired
“The Star-Spangled Banner” has been stolen! Anna, certain that the
culprits must be snowed in too, recruits Henry and José to help catch
the thieves and bring them to justice.

But when accusations start
flying, they soon realize there’s more than justice at stake. As the
snow starts clearing, Anna, José, and Henry find themselves in a race
against time (and the weather!) to prevent the loss of an American
treasure.

I absolutely adore Kate Messner’s writing. I really enjoyed EYE OF THE STORM and CAPTURE THE FLAG was no disappointment either. One of the things I like most about Kate Messner’s books is that she writes smart, honest, real characters. In this book they read, they write, one is a genius at video games, but they all have many layers to their characters without getting overly emotionally involved as would happen in more young adult books. Her cast of characters is also multicultural allowing more kids to relate to the teens they’re reading about in the books. I also appreciate that although there is a main female character, there
are two male characters in prominent roles also, so there is
gender-neutral appeal to this book.

Another great thing about her books is the cross-curricular connections she makes. Especially in CAPTURE THE FLAG where there are many social studies/history ties to be made. In this book she has written a multilayered story with an intriguing mystery. I figured it out early on, but it is written for 3rd-7th graders, and I think it will appeal to them-especially if they’re fans of heist stories. It’s a fun story as the group is stuck overnight in an airport and as the kids band together to try to find the stolen flag, scene after scene builds up tension and humor as they find their way into all sorts of hidden places within the airport. It also has an exciting secret society aspect to it. I could see this turning into a great series. I know there’s a sequel, but I hope there will be more than just one more book in this series. These could be characters who could solve these National Treasure (the movie) type mysteries in all different kinds of situations and meet other members of the society.

Kate Messner just has great writing. There are wonderful descriptions of things and exciting scenes/action, but still written at a level that middle schoolers will easily understand. CAPTURE THE FLAG has a great title and cover design sure to appeal to the intended audience. If you haven’t read a Kate Messner book yet, and you’re interested in middle grades books, I encourage you to do so soon, and CAPTURE THE FLAG would be a great start!

Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life: Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners. 

There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long — and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous, and that is . . . the emerald is cursed.

Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all, she has her best friend — the gorgeous Hale — and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses and realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time.

Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules.

Imagine how excited I was then to hear that Ally Carter was writing a sequel. UNCOMMON CRIMINALS (Heist Society #2) will be released on June 21st and I know I’ll be celebrating this book’s birthday by buying and reading it!  So, with the 15 inches of snow piling up outside, I was pleasantly surprised last night to see Ally’s twitter link to her blog post showing this:

The cover reveal for the new book. I love how it fits in with the first one, but freshens it up also. I like the subtle clues to what the book might be about (jewel heist?). It’s obvious they’re part of the same series, and intriguing enough to make you want to read the book. Although, because heist books can appeal to boys also, I do wish the cover wasn’t so “girly” looking, but as I told my students when book-talking Heist Society, you can always figure out ways around that.

Summary of UNCOMMON CRIMINALS (from Goodreads):
Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life. Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners.

Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules.