When Rain’s former best friend Wendy is found brutally murdered in Central Park (yes, this is based on the ‘Preppy Murder’ of 1986), she takes it upon herself to find out what exactly happened. At the prestigious Alcott School she starts investigating other people who knew Wendy, lusted after Wendy, and hated Wendy, and discovers the true colors of those she thought she knew. The Girl in the Park, by Mariah Fredericks, is a riveting and breezy mystery novel that I could not put down. Even though I may have figured it out early on, the string of red herrings and the moral quandaries of our protagonist kept me voraciously turning the pages until the killer was revealed!

When Rain’s former best friend Wendy is found brutally murdered in Central Park (yes, this is based on the ‘Preppy Murder’ of 1986), she takes it upon herself to find out what exactly happened. At the prestigious Alcott School she starts investigating other people who knew Wendy, lusted after Wendy, and hated Wendy, and discovers the true colors of those she thought she knew. The Girl in the Park, by Mariah Fredericks, is a riveting and breezy mystery novel that I could not put down. Even though I may have figured it out early on, the string of red herrings and the moral quandaries of our protagonist kept me voraciously turning the pages until the killer was revealed!

Words can’t express how wrapped up I was in Melina Marchetta’s Froi of the Exiles, the second book in the Lumatere Chronicles following Finnikin of the Rock. Tears were shed, meals were skipped and social calls were ignored as I followed Froi on his new adventure. Whisked away from his adopted home of Lumatere, he’s sent on a secret mission to Charyn, where he finds a troubled people, a half-crazy princess, and many secrets to unravel–one that may hold the key to his own mysterious past. The novel’s brilliant portrayal of a homeland–and finding a place where one belongs–echoes true and burrows deep down into one’s soul. Marchetta’s development of Charyn’s civil strife and political tangles can be compared to the fantasy greats, and the many (many!) beloved characters make this a difficult book to finish without immediately aching for the next volume.

Words can’t express how wrapped up I was in Melina Marchetta’s Froi of the Exiles, the second book in the Lumatere Chronicles following Finnikin of the Rock. Tears were shed, meals were skipped and social calls were ignored as I followed Froi on his new adventure. Whisked away from his adopted home of Lumatere, he’s sent on a secret mission to Charyn, where he finds a troubled people, a half-crazy princess, and many secrets to unravel–one that may hold the key to his own mysterious past. The novel’s brilliant portrayal of a homeland–and finding a place where one belongs–echoes true and burrows deep down into one’s soul. Marchetta’s development of Charyn’s civil strife and political tangles can be compared to the fantasy greats, and the many (many!) beloved characters make this a difficult book to finish without immediately aching for the next volume.

Published simultaneously as a full color paperback and an interactive app, Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral is an innovative approach to storytelling. Its format—a collection of photos, drawings, notes, IM chats, song lyrics and other media—is visually stunning, and its narrative—at first glance a love story between piano prodigy, Glory, and the Argentinian boy next store—is both sexy and sweet. Many readers will return to the app or book to pour over details buried in the images and notes, and may find that on second look the story is not what it seems. Is this a teenage romance, a chronicle of a young piano prodigy’s descent into madness, both, or neither? Readers may never know for sure. They will, however, leave with the tune of chopsticks stuck in their heads.

Published simultaneously as a full color paperback and an interactive app, Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral is an innovative approach to storytelling. Its format—a collection of photos, drawings, notes, IM chats, song lyrics and other media—is visually stunning, and its narrative—at first glance a love story between piano prodigy, Glory, and the Argentinian boy next store—is both sexy and sweet. Many readers will return to the app or book to pour over details buried in the images and notes, and may find that on second look the story is not what it seems. Is this a teenage romance, a chronicle of a young piano prodigy’s descent into madness, both, or neither? Readers may never know for sure. They will, however, leave with the tune of chopsticks stuck in their heads.