Review: The Body under the Piano by Marthe Jocelyn

The Body under the Piano
by Marthe Jocelyn; illustrated by Isabelle Follath

Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition
Pages: 336
Publisher: Tundra Books
Publication date: February 2, 2020
Suggested tags: middle grade, historical fiction, mystery
Series: Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen (#1)



From the publisher:

"A smart and charming middle-grade mystery series starring young detective Aggie Morton and her friend Hector, inspired by the imagined life of Agatha Christie as a child and her most popular creation, Hercule Poirot. For fans of Lemony Snicket and The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency.

Aggie Morton lives in a small town on the coast of England in 1902. Adventurous and imaginative but deeply shy, Aggie hasn’t got much to do since the death of her beloved father . . . until the fateful day when she crosses paths with twelve-year-old Belgian immigrant Hector Perot and discovers a dead body on the floor of the Mermaid Dance Room! As the number of suspects grows and the murder threatens to tear the town apart, Aggie and her new friend will need every tool at their disposal — including their insatiable curiosity, deductive skills and not a little help from their friends — to solve the case before Aggie’s beloved dance instructor is charged with a crime Aggie is sure she didn’t commit.

Filled with mystery, adventure, an unforgettable heroine and several helpings of tea and sweets, The Body Under the Piano is the clever debut of a new series for middle-grade readers and Christie and Poirot fans everywhere, from a Governor General’s Award–nominated author of historical fiction for children."

A middle grade mystery series inspired by young Agatha Christie?? Yes yes YES. I was so excited to read this one! 

I think the historical setting and the characterizations were my favorite parts. I loved going around Aggie's turn-of-the-century town with her as she gathered clues. And Aggie and Hector are such cute little mystery-solving pals. It's fun to follow along as they try to do some important work in an age where all the adults were trying to get them to leave things alone. I loved young Hector/Hercule and his proper finicky ways even more than I loved young Aggie/Agatha, I think.

The mystery was well done, and I was definitely deceived at first! I did manage to piece it together before the reveal, but it was satisfying to see how it all came together. Some of the book I felt moved a little slowly, but I was definitely into the parts where it picked up.

There is quite a lot of detail put into some rather gruesome elements (the effects of a poisoning, dead bodies both human and animal, brains leaking out, etc) - Aggie is based on a mystery writer in the making, after all, and she does a lot of thinking about these shocking things she sees, describing them in her head with a mystery writer's touch. Some readers may be turned off by this, but I think most readers who are interested in a historical mystery are going to be just fine with it. My middle-grade-age self would have been ALL about this - I loved the morbid and macabre and all that good stuff (aaand maybe I still do).

Overall, I thought this was a brilliant idea for a book and I'm looking forward to joining Aggie and Hector for another mystery in the next book in the series, Peril at Owl Park, due out in September 2020!


Final verdict: I liked it! I thought this book was good! I enjoyed reading it and I would probably recommend it to others.

{ Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a review copy.
My reviews are honest and my opinions are my own; 

your reading experience may vary, so give it a read and see what you think. :) }

Pea-Sized Reviews: Spectacle

I'm on a serious graphic novel kick right now... I'm literally putting a hold on every new graphic novel my library gets in that remotely interests me. I love that I can binge-read these in like a day, and yet still get so completely sucked into the story and the world and the characters because the art brings it all alive. If you have any suggestions for great graphic novels, please send them my way!



Spectacle, Vol. 1
by Megan Rose Gedris

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 136
Publisher: Oni Press
Publication date: May 22, 2018
Suggested tags: young adult (ages 13-17), graphic novel, mystery, ghosts, circus/carnival



From Goodreads:

"Fan-favorite webcomic creator Megan Rose Gedris (Yu+Me Dream) crafts a compelling tale of magic, deception, and wonder in this stunningly illustrated graphic novel about the bond between sisters.

Pragmatic engineer Anna works as a psychic in the Samson Brothers Circus, but she doesn't believe in anything supernatural—until her twin sister Kat is murdered and comes back as a very demanding ghost. Sharing a room with her sister was hard, but now they're sharing a body while trying to identify the killer. With few leads, a troupe full of secretive folk, and strange paranormal occurrences popping up around the circus, solving the case seems near impossible. But the murderer in their midst may be the least of their problems..."

I have a thing for books set in circuses or carnivals, plus I liked the murder mystery plot with a ghostly twist, so this one was a winner for me. I wasn't sure how I felt about the style of the art at first, but it did grow on me quite a bit. I actually loved the bonus art at the end with the circus posters. The story starts off kind of heavy with Anna discovering her twin sister Kat's murdered body... but it does get a little lighter and even humorous at some points. Kat finds that she can dive into Anna's body and kind of camp out there, so the two of them get down to the business of collecting clues and trying to solve Kat's murder. There are some mysterious things happening around the circus and it ends on kind of a wtf cliffhanger that made me want to pick up the next volume immediately (and after some searching, I discovered that more issues are available online! wheee!!).

Final verdict: I loved it!

{ My reviews are honest and my opinions are my own; 

your reading experience may vary, so give it a read and see what you think. :) }

Pea-Sized Reviews: A Map for Wrecked Girls, Spirit's Key, & Starstruck

Trying a new review style... Smaller bite-sized reviews. On a pea-themed blog. So, Pea-Sized Reviews, obviously! Eh? Eh??

Well, it's a work in progress. Let's move on...




A Map for Wrecked Girls
by Jessica Taylor

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 368
Publisher: Dial Books
Publication date: August 15, 2017
Suggested tags: young adult, contemporary, survival



From Goodreads:

"We sat at the edge of the ocean—my sister Henri and I—inches apart but not touching at all. We'd been so sure someone would find us by now.

Emma had always orbited Henri, her fierce, magnetic queen bee of an older sister, and the two had always been best friends. Until something happened that wrecked them.

I'd trusted Henri more than I'd trusted myself. Wherever she told me to go, I'd follow.

Then the unthinkable occurs—a watery nightmare off the dazzling coast. The girls wash up on shore, stranded. Their only companion is Alex, a troubled boy agonizing over his own secrets. Trapped in this gorgeous hell, Emma and Alex fall together as Emma and Henri fall catastrophically apart.

For the first time, I was afraid we'd die on this shore.

To find their way home, the sisters must find their way back to each other. But there’s no map for this—or anything. Can they survive the unearthing of the past and the upheaval of the present?"

Pretty much anything that's a "lost on a deserted island" story will end up on my TBR. I love survival stories. And I was really intrigued by the sisters storyline in the synopsis for this one. But... I don't know. It wasn't for me. It wasn't bad, it was just not really my style of writing (the synopsis gives you a good idea of what it's like - kind of choppy and sparse, which some readers may really like), and the flashbacks interspersed in the story didn't really work for me. I kind of felt like I was reading two separate books instead of a story with flashbacks. Also, I feel like this story would have been
better?just as good without the Alex and Emma romance - I would have been just fine if it was only Henri and Emma on the island together. So yeah, not bad, just not what I thought it would be, I guess? More of a romance and less of the sister story I was expecting, and the writing style and format didn't work for me, but it would probably be a winner with other readers.

Overall rating: I liked it! I may not buy it for myself but I'm glad I read it. I would probably recommend it to others.

{ Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways and the publisher for providing me with a review copy. }




Spirit's Key
by Edith Cohn

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 320
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publication date: September 4, 2014
Suggested tags: middle grade, mystery, paranormal



From Goodreads:

"Spirit's Key is a mystery with a bit of magic for fans of Savvy and Because of Winn Dixie.

By now, twelve-year-old Spirit Holden should have inherited the family gift: the ability to see the future. But when she holds a house key in her hand like her dad does to read its owner's destiny, she can’t see anything. Maybe it’s because she can't get over the loss of her beloved dog, Sky, who died mysteriously. Sky was Spirit’s loyal companion, one of the wild dogs that the local islanders believe possess dangerous spirits. As more dogs start dying and people become sick, too, almost everyone is convinced that these dogs and their spirits are to blame—except for Spirit. Then Sky's ghost appears, and Spirit is shaken. But his help may be the key to unlocking her new power and finding the cause of the mysterious illness before it's too late."

I wasn't sure what to expect with this one, but it turned out to be good! I loved the island setting, the talent that Spirit and her dad have for telling the future, and the idea of ghost dogs?? I want one!! It was a little heavy, with the dogs on the island dying, but it was a decent mystery story (although the reveal of whodunnit was a little meh for me). Nice themes of friendship, belonging, and doing what's right. I'd recommend this to middle grade readers who need a little something supernatural in their books (like my younger self... I would have loved this kind of book as a tween!), but who won't be too heartbroken over dying animals.

Overall rating: I liked it! I may not buy it for myself but I'm glad I read it. I would probably recommend it to others.

{ Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways and the publisher for providing me with a review copy. }




Starstruck
by Rachel Shukert

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 339
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication date: March 12, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, historical fiction, 1930s, California



First in the Starstruck series. From Goodreads:

"Every week they arrive in Los Angeles--beautiful and talented young hopefuls who dream of becoming stars. It's all Margaret Frobisher has ever wanted—and when she's discovered by a powerful agent, she can barely believe her luck. She's more than ready to escape her snobby private school and conservative Pasadena family for a chance to light up the silver screen.

The competition is fierce at Olympus Studios and Margaret—now Margo—is chasing her Hollywood dreams alongside girls like Gabby Preston, who at 16 is already a grizzled show-biz veteran caught between the studio and the ravenous ambition of her ruthless mother, and sultry Amanda Farraday, who seems to have it all--ambition, glamour . . . and dirty secrets. Missing from the pack is Diana Chesterfield, the beautiful actress who mysteriously disappeared, and there are whispers that Diana's boyfriend—Margo's new co-star—may have had something to do with it. Margo quickly learns that fame comes with a price, and that nothing is what it seems.

Set in Old Hollywood, Starstruck follows the lives of three teen girls as they live, love, and claw their way to the top in a world where being a star is all that matters."

I'm so into historical fiction, and also books that follow the storylines of multiple characters, so this one made my TBR with no second thoughts. It reminded me a lot of the Luxe series by Anna Godberson, where you get a peek at the lives of different girls, which includes much secrecy and gossip and romance and etc that keeps me flipping the pages long past my bedtime. The setting in 1930s Hollywood was really interesting to me and seemed accurate enough, from the limited knowledge I have of it. It's probably not something I would reread, but I liked it well enough and I think anyone interested in this time period or this type of dirty-little-secrets book should give it a read.

Overall rating: I liked it! I may not buy it for myself but I'm glad I read it. I would probably recommend it to others.

{ Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways and the publisher for providing me with a review copy. }

{ My reviews are honest and my opinions are my own; 

your reading experience may vary, so give it a read and see what you think. :) }

Review: 13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough

13 Minutes
by Sarah Pinborough

Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 320
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Publication date: October 3, 2017
Suggested tags: young adult, mystery, thriller



From Goodreads:

"Natasha’s sure that her friends love her. But does that mean they didn’t try to kill her?

Natasha is the most popular girl in school. So why was she pulled out of a freezing river after being dead for thirteen minutes? She doesn’t remember how she ended up in the icy water that night, but she does know this—it wasn’t an accident, and she wasn’t suicidal.

Now Natasha’s two closest friends, who are usually her loyal sidekicks, are acting strangely. Natasha turns to Becca, the best friend she dumped years before, to help her figure out the mystery.

At first Becca isn’t sure that she even wants to help Natasha. But as she is drawn back into Natasha’s orbit, Becca starts putting the pieces together. As an outsider, Becca believes she may be the only one who can uncover the truth…which is far more twisted than she ever imagined."

Wow. That was a ride. Also my first Sarah Pinborough book - where have I been?? WHAT HAVE I BEEN MISSING???

Summary: I'm not sure I can summarize it any better than what's above without giving something away... and this is one of those where you don't want to know too much ahead of time.

What I liked: From start to finish, I kind of had an idea about where things were going or who was involved... but then everything changed and all my ideas were proven wrong and I had to start all over. I love books that do that to me - make me feel like I know what's happening and then rip the rug out. This one was kind of like a slow build-up, rather than an abrupt rug-ripping, which I enjoyed.

I mean, come on, you have to love the Mean Girls vibe that runs through most of this. The Natasha-Becca-Hayley-Jenny thing was just so strained and uncomfortable. The barbs they throw at each other, both subtle and not, were so fierce. I mean, I don't miss that part of high school and I certainly don't want to have any drama like that in my life ever again, but I'd be lying if I said I don't love reading about it.

And I really, really loved what I felt was the tipping point... the part in the theater (SPOILER - highlight to read: where Becca's new friend (crap I already can't remember her name) is killed by the light falling on her and Natasha is like "I REMEMBER" and you're like WAIT THIS SEEMS SUSPICIOUS and it all unravels from there)... *shudder* yeah that was good.

What I didn't: It was maaaybe just a little too long? I got halfway through the book and there's like a faux-reveal where it seems like everything's resolved but you know obviously it's not because you've still got a chunk of book left in your hand... and part of me was kind of wishing I didn't have that much left. Granted, it turned out to be exciting and fast-paced, but at the time I was feeling a little "ugh" about having that much to go.

And while I don't usually mind too much about smoking or partying or tasteful sex scenes in my YA, in this one the smoking scenes are written so it's almost glorified, to the point where I as a very-much-non-smoker found myself thinking, "Is it really that great? What am I missing?" It's written in just such an incredibly alluring way... So if you or the teen you plan to recommend this to are sensitive to being influenced, that's just something to keep in mind.

TL;DR: This is my first Sarah Pinborough book, but it definitely won't be my last. I'm really getting into YA thrillers lately and this was a great one.


Final verdict: I loved it! I thought this book was great! I might buy it for myself and I would definitely recommend it to others.


{ Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways for providing me with a review copy. My reviews are honest and my opinions are my own; your reading experience may vary, so give it a read and see what you think. :) }

{ Follow Sarah Pinborough }

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New Release Round-Up: March 9-15, 2015

Young Adult


The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B
by Teresa Toten

Release date: March 10, 2015
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 304
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Suggested tags: young adult, realistic fiction, contemporary



From Goodreads:

"Deep, understated, and wise, this engaging YA novel, winner of the Governor General’s Award in Canada, is about more than the tough issue of teens dealing with obsessive-compulsive order. It also has romance, and a whodunit element that will keep readers guessing. Perfect for readers who love Eleanor & Park!

Adam Spencer Ross is almost fifteen, and he’s got his hands full confronting the problems that come with having divorced parents and new stepsiblings. Add to that his obsessive-compulsive disorder and it’s just about impossible for him to imagine ever falling in love. Adam’s life changes, however, the instant he meets Robyn Plummer: he is hopelessly, desperately drawn to her. But is it possible to have a normal relationship when your life is anything but?

Filled with moments of deep emotion and unexpected humor, The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B explores the complexities of living with OCD and offers the prospect of hope, happiness, and healing."

Vanishing Girls
by Lauren Oliver

Release date: March 10, 2015
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 368
Publisher: HarperCollins
Suggested tags: young adult, mystery, thriller



From Goodreads:

"New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver delivers a gripping story about two sisters inexorably altered by a terrible accident.

Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before the accident that left Dara's beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged. When Dara vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl, nine-year-old Madeline Snow, has vanished, too, and Nick becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances are linked. Now Nick has to find her sister, before it's too late.

In this edgy and compelling novel, Lauren Oliver creates a world of intrigue, loss, and suspicion as two sisters search to find themselves, and each other."

Other YA new releases for this week:

Middle Grade


Ms. Rapscott's Girls
by Elise Primavera

Release date: March 10, 2015
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 272
Publisher: Dial Books
Suggested tags: middle grade, fantasy, adventure



From Goodreads:

"Fans of Mary Poppins will love this whimsical tale of a boarding school for children of very busy parents, where an extraordinary headmistress teaches them life lessons about courage, adventure, friendship . . . and the importance of birthday cake.

Nestled inside a lighthouse, Great Rapscott School for the Daughters of Busy Parents takes its motto from Amelia Earhart: Adventure is worthwhile in itself. Headmistress Ms. Rapscott couldn’t agree more, but her students, who are shipped to the school in boxes, could use a little convincing. Still, despite their initial reluctance, the students are soon soaring through the sky and getting lost on purpose. In addition to learning what birthday cakes are and how best to approach a bumbershoot tree, the students also manage to learn a little something about strength and bravery.

Bestselling author Elise Primavera has created an irresistible, richly illustrated story about finding your way."

Nightbird
by Alice Hoffman

Release date: March 10, 2015
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 208
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Suggested tags: middle grade, fantasy



From Goodreads:

"An enchanting novel from bestselling author Alice Hoffman: a charmed New England village, a family secret, and a friendship destined to defeat a witch.

"Some things could only be found in Sidwell it seemed: pink apples, black owls, and my brother, James."

Twelve-year-old Twig's town in the Berkshires is said to hide a winged beast, the Monster of Sidwell, and the rumors draw as many tourists as the town's famed pink apple orchards. Twig lives in the orchard with her mysterious brother James and her reclusive mother, a baker of irresistible apple pies. Because of a family secret, an ancient curse,Twig has had to isolate herself from other kids. Then a family with two girls, Julia and Agate, moves into the cottage next door. They are descendants of the witch who put the spell on Twig's family. But Julia turns out to be Twig's first true friend, and her ally in trying to undo the curse and smooth the path to true love for Agate and James."

Other Middle Grade new releases for this week:

New Release Round-Up: January 19-25, 2015

Young Adult


Alex As Well
by Alyssa Brugman

Release date: January 20, 2015
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 224
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Suggested tags: young adult, realistic fiction, LGBTQ



From Goodreads:

"Alex is ready for things to change, in a big way. Everyone seems to think she’s a boy, but for Alex the whole boy/girl thing isn’t as simple as either/or, and when she decides girl is closer to the truth, no one knows how to react, least of all her parents. Undeterred, Alex begins to create a new identity for herself: ditching one school, enrolling in another, and throwing out most of her clothes. But the other Alex—the boy Alex—has a lot to say about that.　

Heartbreaking and droll in equal measures, Alex As Well is a brilliantly told story of exploring gender and sexuality, navigating friendships, and finding a place to belong."

Twisted Fate
by Norah Olson

Release date: January 20, 2015
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 272
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Suggested tags: young adult, mystery, thriller



From Goodreads:

"When Alyson meets Graham Copeland, the new boy next door, she instantly feels like he’s a kindred spirit—shy and awkward like her, someone who has trouble making friends. It’s impossible to resist having a crush on him.

As usual, her sister, Sydney, sees things differently. In Sydney's mind, Graham's odd personality and secretive past scream psychopath, not sweetheart. Her gut is telling her to stay away from him, and to protect a love-struck Alyson from her own naïveté. But despite her instincts, Sydney is surprised to realize that a part of her is drawn to Graham, too.

And the more Sydney gets to know him, the more she realizes just how right—and wrong—she is about everything.

Perfect for fans of Michelle Hodkin, and E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars, Twisted Fate is an unputdownable novel, teeming with suspense."

Other YA new releases for this week:

Middle Grade


Story Thieves
by James Riley

Release date: January 20, 2015
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 400
Publisher: Aladdin
Suggested tags: middle grade, fantasy



First in the Story Thieves series. From Goodreads:

"Life is boring when you live in the real world, instead of starring in your own book series. Owen knows that better than anyone, what with the real world’s homework and chores.

But everything changes the day Owen sees the impossible happen—his classmate Bethany climb out of a book in the library. It turns out Bethany’s half-fictional and has been searching every book she can find for her missing father, a fictional character.

Bethany can’t let anyone else learn her secret, so Owen makes her a deal: All she has to do is take him into a book in Owen’s favorite Kiel Gnomenfoot series, and he’ll never say a word. Besides, visiting the book might help Bethany find her father…

…Or it might just destroy the Kiel Gnomenfoot series, reveal Bethany’s secret to the entire world, and force Owen to live out Kiel Gnomenfoot’s final (very final) adventure."

Other Middle Grade new releases for this week:

New Release Round-Up: October 20-26, 2014

Young Adult


Beware the Wild
by Natalie C. Parker

Release date: October 21, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 336
Publisher: HarperTeen
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal, romance



From Goodreads:

"It's an oppressively hot and sticky morning in June when Sterling and her brother, Phin, have an argument that compels him to run into the town swamp -- the one that strikes fear in all the residents of Sticks, Louisiana. Phin doesn't return. Instead, a girl named Lenora May climbs out, and now Sterling is the only person in Sticks who remembers her brother ever existed.

Sterling needs to figure out what the swamp's done with her beloved brother and how Lenora May is connected to his disappearance -- and loner boy Heath Durham might be the only one who can help her.

This debut novel is full of atmosphere, twists and turns, and a swoon-worthy romance."

Famous in Love
by Rebecca Serle

Release date: October 21, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 336
Publisher: Poppy
Suggested tags: young adult, romance, contemporary



First in the Famous in Love series. From Goodreads:

"When seventeen-year-old Paige Townsen gets plucked from obscurity to star in the movie adaptation of a blockbuster book series, her life changes practically overnight. Within a month, Paige has traded the quiet streets of her hometown for a bustling movie set on the shores of Maui, and she is spending quality time with her costar Rainer Devon, one of People's Sexiest Men Alive. But when troubled star Jordan Wilder lands the role of the other point in the movie's famous love triangle, Paige's crazy new life begins to resemble her character's.

In this coming-of-age romance inspired by the kind of celeb hookups that get clever nicknames and a million page views, Paige must figure out who she is -- and who she wants -- while the whole world watches."

Other YA new releases for this week:

Middle Grade


Centaur Rising
by Jane Yolen

Release date: October 21, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 272
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Suggested tags: middle grade, fantasy



From Goodreads:

"One night during the Perseid meteor shower, Arianne thinks she sees a shooting star land in the fields surrounding her family’s horse farm. About a year later, one of their horses gives birth to a baby centaur. The family has enough attention already as Arianne’s six-year-old brother was born with birth defects caused by an experimental drug—the last thing they need is more scrutiny. But their clients soon start growing suspicious. Just how long is it possible to keep a secret? And what will happen if the world finds out?

At a time when so many novels are set in other worlds, Jane Yolen imagines what it would be like if a creature from another world came to ours in this thoughtfully written, imaginative novel, Centaur Rising."

Jake and the Giant Hand
by Philippa Dowding

Release date: October 21, 2014
Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 136
Publisher: Dundurn
Suggested tags: middle grade, mystery



From Goodreads:

"Why is Grandpa acting so weird? And why are there so many giant flies?

Jake spends every summer on his grandpa's farm. But this year, things are a little weird. First, there are huge flies everywhere. Second, Grandpa is acting kind of funny. And third, Jake's friend Kate keeps trying to scare him with creepy stories. Last year's tale about the swamp creature was bad enough, but this year's story about a hand that someone found in a farmer's field is even worse. And it wasn't just any hand either. It was a giant's hand!

It might just be the creepiest story of all. It can't be real. Can it?"

Other Middle Grade new releases for this week: