Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett

Birdie loves mysteries. She reads them; she watches them. How cool would it be to have a real mystery to solve. When she starts working as a overnight clerk at an old hotel in Seattle, she may get her wish. A gentlemen, who may or may not be the famous reclusive writer Raymond Darke, frequently comes into the hotel, goes to a room and leaves in less than an hour. No one knows what Darke looks like, so could it really be him? And what is he doing at the hotel that only takes an hour?

How does Birdie even know about all this? Well, that's complicated. Birdie hangs out at a diner and one night she met Daniel and they went to his car and had sex and never saw it each other again. Birdie has tried to put it out of her mind, but, much to her surprise, Daniel works at the hotel. He tells her about the potential mystery (even though she tries to avoid interacting with him out of embarrassment).

The rest of Birdie's life is not so straight forward, either. She lives with her grandfather (her grandmother having just recently passed away). Her mother died when she was young. She has a quirky aunt who lives in an old theater. Birdie also has a sleeping disorder which causes her to doze off anytime (but she is not willing to get ant treatment for it).

Really, Birdie is a nice person who just trying to make sense of everything. Unfortunately, life is not a mystery where everything wraps up neatly. This is a fun read with interesting characters and those lingering questions about Raymond Darke. 

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

If Rock and Roll Were a Machine by Terry Davis

Bert Bowden wanted a motorcycle. His parents were against it, but he got one anyway. He doesn't feel like a motorcycle guy, but he feels good when he's riding it. It was something the he had to try.

Bert is not sure of himself anymore. He used to be a smart, outgoing kid until a teacher crushed his spirit. The teacher thought Bert was a know-it-all. He was personally irritated by Bert's classroom outbursts, so he turned the other kids against him. Since then, Bert has been adrift.

He tried out for football, but didn't make the cut. He tries writing for the school paper (his teacher even thinks he could write professionally some day). There's a girl he kind of likes, but he never expresses it.

This is a slice of Bert's life at a time when he seems to be finding his direction. Too often things happen in our early life that even we may not recognize at the time but have long lasting effects. Bert is lucky enough to find adults who want to help him and encourage him. Will riding a motorcycle help him? Maybe not, but riding one at least puts him on a road going somewhere.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

The Improbable Theory of Ana & Zak by Brian Katcher

Zak and Ana. They shouldn't even be hanging out together, in Ana's opinion anyway. Just look at him: shaggy hair and his scruffy attempt at a goatee. He plays role playing games after school; he and his friends even wear goofy hats. And he's kind of a slacker.

Zak wouldn't mind hanging out with Ana. Even her frizzy hair is kind of cute. She's obviously smart. She does seem kind of uptight with all her extra-curricular activities, but that's why she should have joined in the war game with his friends when Zak invited her.

And how will fate bring them together? Zak messes up a health quiz and, to save his grade, he is forced to join the academic quiz bowl team on their trip to a competition. Ana is the captain of the team. Zak is not looking forward to it, but resigns himself until he realizes the competition is the same weekend as Washingcon, a huge sci-fi convention that Zak has never missed.

A weekend that should have been boring (for Zak) and satisfyingly successful (for Ana) turns into a mess when Ana's 13 year old brother Clayton (also on the team) decides the sci-fi convention sounds cool enough to see for himself. So he travels the few miles from their hotel to the convention center to see all the things Zak has been describing to him.

Zak has been warned not to leave the hotel and Ana's parents are way strict (to the point where she has no life outside of anything that will not help her get into college). Having to go in search of Clayton is a huge risk for both of them, but it's better than telling their teacher.

Their quest at the con is chaotic, dangerous, suspenseful and really funny. They are chased, attacked, insulted, challenged...so many twists that you never know what is going to happen next. But through it all, Zak and Ana discover much about each other and that is really the story.


For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

I Swear by Lane Davis

Leslie is dead. She was a beautiful, smart, nice high school senior, and she took her own life. And the questions linger: why did she do it and is someone responsible?

Leslie was the new girl in school her freshman year. She immediately caught the attention of Macie who didn't like her because Leslie seemed to be getting too close Jake (who she met the summer before).  Macie assumed Jake would be hers. The bullying began right away turning Leslie's friends against her. All through high school, Leslie was tormented, isolating her from others. Words on her locker, rumors, Facebook posts were all used against her. 

Macie is the daughter of a successful politician and wields her own power and charisma to manipulate her world and the people around her. Jake never bought in to it and continued to hang out with Leslie hoping for a deeper relationship.   

When the hammer falls, Macie's friends find themselves giving depositions in front of lawyers. Will their families be sued or will criminal charges be brought against them. Katherine is the beauty pageant participant who is fairly new to the school, but was immediately sucked into Macie's circle. Beth is the petite successful gymnast who has her own secret she wants to keep . Jillian is Jake's twin and was once Leslie's friend.  

Fear, peer pressure, insecurity all play a role in the bullying of Leslie. There are no easy answers in this story.  Even with the flaws revealed in the teens, there is hope that they will learn and be better for it.                                                                                                     

For more information, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog.