Allison Recommends

I was sold on this book when I read the tagline "Welcome to Her Majesty's supernatural secret service." Myfanwy Thomas wakes up in a park with no memory, surrounded by dead bodies. Fortunately, through a series of notes she's left for herself, she's able to piece together her life before the amnesia -- and the hilarious, complicated, and dangerous bureaucracy of the supernatural  MI6, The Chequy. She finds she not only has to battle mind-controlling fungus and deal with creepy (and possibly undead) co-workers, but also solve the mystery of who wiped her memory and wanted her dead. Reminiscent of Jasper Fforde, this book is a ton of fun.

Can a book about kids with cancer be funny? If the author is John Green, then the answer is yes... and heart-wrenching, beautiful, witty, spontaneous, tragic, and messy. The Fault in Our Stars is full of characters so rich and real that you want them to be your best friends. They're dealing with cancer, yes, but also what it means to be a teenager, to be young, to be in love, and to have dreams, even if you know they are likely to be cut short.

This book was excellent and a really fun read. Echoes of Holly Black's White Cat and Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union this book re-imagines a turn-of-the-century New York City where magic is as common and diverse as the growing immigrant population. The main character is Sascha, a Russian Jewish immigrant who discovers that he has the ability to see magic, and is recruited by the magic-crimes police division, the Inquisitors. This book was funny, tongue-in-cheek, inventive, and at moments, even haunting. It seems to set itself up for sequels, of which I hope there will be several.

This book has a little something for everyone, plus a good dose of mystery and adventure. Three children cross paths and become friends as they solve mysteries together. Throw in a hunt for lost treasure, a clockwork man, a seance, a magical violin and you won't be able to put this down until you see how it all comes together.

This book will make your mouth water! Bauermeister doea a masterful job bringing the sensory experience of food to life. The novel follows the interwoven stories of a group of cooking class students as they find healing friendship, and connection. This is a delightful book that will stick with you!

Spellbinding! A very cool alternate history where magic is common but illegal. Cassel appears to be the only normal one in his family of "curseworkers"... that is until he almost sleepwalks off the roof of a school building. Has he been "worked"? Is someone trying to kill him? As he sets out to uncover his family's secrets, he finds much more than he bargained for. Realistically written and full of dark mystery, this is definitely worth a read!