Ghost in the Machine by Gwen Bartlett

Ghost in the Machine is a sequel to Skeleton Creek. You read part of the book, then watch a video clip on the internet. The book and the video clips give you clues to help you solve the mystery.

Leepike Ridge by N. D. Wilson

Eleven-year-old Thomas Hammond is in for the ride of his life when he's swept downstream and underground aboard a crumbling raft of Styrofoam. Washing up on a dark subterranean "beach," his only companions are an impulsive dog named Argus and a corpse, from which he takes a flashlight and an all-too-limited supply of batteries. What Tom finds under Leepike Ridge—a castaway, four graves, a tomb, and buried treasure—will answer questions he hadn't known to ask and change his life forever. Now, if he can only find his way home again. . . . An original mix of Robinson Crusoe, King Solomon's Mines, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and The Odyssey , N. D. Wilson's first book for young readers is a remarkable adventure, a journey though the dark of the grave and back out into the light.
From Shelfari

I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan

Julie, the cheerleader; Ray, her boyfriend; Helen, the TV Golden Girl; Barry the star quarterback are coming home late one night from a party, driving too fast, when a 10 year old boy on a bike appears in front of them. They hit him, but don't stop to help him. They call the police, but the boy died enroute to the hospital. They make a pact not to tell anyone what happened, but it affects all of their lives. One year later, Julie receives a letter - I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. Ray gets a copy of the newspaper clipping about the accident. Helen receives a picture of a boy on a bike and Barry, who was driving, is shot. Who is sending the messages and who knows about the accident? Should they go to the police and tell them what happened? Are all of their lives in danger?

This is a very good mystery, but it is really dated. It was originally written in 1973. One of the main characters has just returned from the Viet Nam war. The phrases used by the teenagers are dated. A comment is made about TV - if you don't have one, there's one in the lobby. The phone is out at one of the houses - no cell phones, of course. I just wonder if there are enough out of date things in the story that it would not be of interest to today's teens.

Paper Towns by John Green

Quentin, one of the high school nerds, has always been in love with his next door neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman, one of the cool kids. One night she appears at his window and convinces him to accompany her on a revenge motivated crime spree to get back at her ex-boyfriend. After their night together, Quentin expects to continue their friendship, but Margo disappears. Has she run away or committed suicide? Quentin and his geeky friends find clues to her disappearance and decide to find her, dead or alive. Some of their antics will make adult heads spin. I think teens will identify with Margo as having the guts to do what they would like to try. Older teens.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Winner of the Newbery Award 2009. As a toddler, Bod's entire family is murdered. He wanders out of the house and escapes. He ends up in a nearby graveyard where he is adopted and protected by the ghosts and witches buried there. He is adopted by a husband and wife ghost who always wanted to have children. A vampire becomes his guardian and a werewolf his tutor. He is educated by the entire graveyard and learns the ways of the dead. He meets only one other human, a girl named Scarlett, who becomes his friend. He is captured by ghouls and makes friends with a witch. As he gets older, he wants to attend school, but finds that his life is in danger. The man Jack who killed his family is still after him. Eventually, Jack finds him and tracks him to the graveyard where the ghosts and witches help him to destroy Jack and his friends. When he becomes 15, he loses his powers to converse with the dead and enters the world of the living.

Bonechiller by Graham McNamee

Danny and his father live in Harvest Cove in far northern Canada. One night after Danny and his friends, Pike, Howie, and Ash (short for Ashley - a girl) start home for the night, Danny is attacked by a huge monster animal. It's white, larger than a polar bear, with rows of razor sharp teeth. The monster stings Danny with its tongue, then let's him go. Danny comes to realize that the sting has affected him. He starts having dreams about the monster. His friend Howie is also attacked. As the boys start researching, they find that many teenagers have disappear suddenly from the area through the years. They come to realize that the monster is the Bonechiller of ancient Indian legend and has been killing young people for hundreds of years. Danny and Howie's dreams become stronger and stronger. The monster is pulling them to himself. As Danny and Ash's relationship develops, Howie and Pike come up with a plan to kill the monster, with Danny as bait. Will their plan work or will the monster kill them all?

Who Killed Mr. Chippendale? a mystery in poems by Mel Glenn

This mystery novel in verse begins with Mr. Chippendale, an English teacher at Tower High School bumping into a student as he gets ready for his morning run. A few minutes later, Mr. Chippendale is shot as he runs around the track. The rest of the novel/poems are written by different students and teachers, explaining how they feel about Mr. Chippendale. Some students felt like he was a great teacher, some hated him. Angela Falcone, the guidance counselor, is a major character as she interacts with students, teachers, the police detective, and the principal. The book climaxes in a memorial service for Mr. Chippendale after which one of the students confesses to Ms. Falcone that he was the murderer. There is an epilogue poem at the end telling where the characters are 13 years later as a new English teacher enters the building.

Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard

After a freezing blizzard, Sheriff Nathan Shellenberger and his sons Rex and Pat find the body of a young girl frozen to death in their pasture. It's a girl that Rex and Pat both know as well as their friend Mitch. They hide her identity and she becomes known as the Virgin of Small Plains, the name of the town in Kansas where they live. The town develops a legend about her - that she can cure illnesses and grant wishes. Years later, some of the members of the community decide they want to find out who the girl really was and what happened to her. When they start stirring up old memories, other deaths begin to occur. Who was the Virgin of Small Plains and what really happened to her. Good adult mystery by a Kansas author.

The Sword Thief

This is the third book in the 39 Clues series. The books chronicle the adventures of two orphans who are searching the world for the clues that will lead to a Cahill family secret that could change the course of human history. They are battling mysterious forces, as well as their own relatives to reach the clues and solve the mystery. This particular book takes them from Italy to Japan after they discover ancient swords and their next clue. The series is being written by many authors; each of the first three books have had a different writer, but all of the books have flowed together perfectly. The books all read very fast too which makes them fun for all levels of readers.
Reviewed by Sarah Berblinger

Endymion Spring by Matthew Skelton

Endymion Spring is a young man working for Johann Gutenberg in Germany in 1492 when he is inventing his printing press. Johann Fust came to visit and in his possession he had a book - a magic book. The pages were made of dragon skin and it contained secret knowledge of past, present,and future. Endymion Spring opens the book and takes a few of the magic pages.
600 years later, Blake Winters finds these pages in the Bodleian Library in Oxford, England. He can read the riddles contained in the book, but to others, including his sister, Duck, the pages are blank. Blake learns that there is another book - The Last Book and the two parts must be joined. He and his sister decide they must find the Lost Book and return the lost pages, but others in the library world are also searching for the book. The book tells Blake that there is a Person in Shadow who will try to kill him to get the pages. Is it Professor Jolyon Fall, the book expert; Sir Giles Bentley, the book collector; Psalmanazer, the homeless man; or Diana Bentley, Sir Gile's wife. Some of these characters seem to be helping Blake and Duck but can they be trusted?
Great mystery! Both boys and girls would like it. Flashbacks are well marked.

Having reluctantly accompanied his academic mother and pesky younger sister to Oxford, twelve-year-old Blake Winters is at loose ends until he stumbles across an ancient and magical book, secretly brought to England in 1453 by Gutenberg's mute apprentice to save it from evil forces, and which now draws Blake into a dangerous and life-threatening quest. - OCLC

Sneak Peek: "" You've stumbled on to something much larger than you can possibly imagine." "In the dead of night, a cloaked figure drags a heavy box through snow-covered streets. The chest, covered in images of mythical beasts, can only be opened when the fangs of its serpent's-head clasp taste blood. Centuries later, in an Oxford library, a boy touches a strange book and feels something pierce his finger. The volume is blank, wordless, but its paper has fine veins running through it and seems to quiver, as if it's alive. Words begin to appear on the page--words no one but the boy can see. And so unfolds a timeless secret . . . . "From the Hardcover edition.

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

Alex Rider's parents are both dead and he is living with his uncle, Ian Rider.  When Ian dies in a car accident, Alex discovers that Ian was murdered and that Ian was a spy for MI6, similar to the CIA, in England.  MI6 contacts Alex and forces him to take Ian's place on the mission he was investigating.  Alex is sent to investigate Stormbreaker, a new revolutionary computer that is being given to all of the schools in England.   Ian had discovered something wrong at the factory and Alex has to find out what it is.  When he goes to investigate, his life is also in danger.  With only seconds left, Alex stops the biohazard that is contained in the computers.  There are six more books in the series.  In each one, Alex works with MI6 to solve crimes and investigate unusual circumstances.