Brown, Dan. ANGELS AND DEMONS. Pocket Star Books, 2000. ISBN 0-671-02736- 0. $7.99. 569 pp. In Rome, the Pope has just expired and the four Cardinals favored to take his place have turned up missing. Robert Langdon , a symbologist is summoned to Europe when Vittoria Vetra’s father, an important scientist is murdered and his project stolen. The Illuminati, an ancient group of pagan scientists has just been resurrected with the intent to kill all four Cardinals using Vittoria Vetra’s father’s science experiment as a weapon of mass destruction. Langdon and Vetra speed through Rome solving clues left by an ancient text in an attempt to catch up with the killer before he succeeds in carrying out his mission. This face paced thriller leaves no stone unturned when it comes to following clues and connecting dots. No need to be a history buff to love this book, it is perfect for mystery, murder and love story fanatics as well. (Adult Bestseller)

Brown, Dan. THE DA VINCI CODE. Doubleday, 2003. ISBN 0-385-50420-9. $24.95. 454 pp. Robert Langdon finds himself in Paris in the middle of a brutal murder investigation. He and French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, granddaughter of the deceased Louve curator and former member of the Priory of Sion, must connect history to the present in order to solve the grandfather’s murder. Along the way, the two uncover startling historical secrets concerning Sopie’s family and the one thing most Christians hold sacred. The perfect follow-up to Angels and Demons, this book is not intended for the closed minded. A good read for puzzle enthusiasts, code breakers and those who love a good conspiracy. (Tayshas Reading List)

Colfer, Eoin. THE WISH LIST. Thorndike Press, 2000. ISBN 0-786-26383-0. $23.95. 454pp. Meg has had her share of hard knocks over the years. Through a series of events she falls in with "the wrong crowd" and ends up involved in the attempted robbery of Lowrie McCall’s home. After a fatal accident, she and her partner in crime, Belch parish. Belch is immediately sent to Hell, however, Meg is in limbo. It is decided that Meg deserves another chance to prove herself as a good and decent person. Meg is sent back to Earth as a ghost with the task of helping Lowrie McCall accomplish his list of regrets in life. Given the subject matter, I found this book to be a real attention grabber. One of the biggest weaknesses I encountered was that it is unclear on what is good and what is evil, I found there to be many gray areas. This book would be most appropriate for a High School audience. (Instructor Pick)

Gantos, Jack. JOEY PIGZA SWALLOWED THE KEY. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998. ISBN 0-374-33664-4. $16.00. 154 pp. Joey Pigza lives with his mom, but was raised by his grandmother for a good part of his life. Joey is the definition of ADHD which is the root of his behavior issues at school. Through a sequence of events, Joey is sent to a Special Ed annex where he meets people who help him get the right medicine so he can get back on track and rejoin his regular class. On one hand, I see this as an excellent book for those bouncing off the wall kids who suffer from ADHD and need something or someone they can relate to. On the other hand, I could see this book supplying kids with a lot of teacher terrorizing ideas they might not otherwise have come up with on their own! Overall, I found this book to be quite entertaining and look forward to reading other Joey Pigza books. (Series book)

Johnson, Angela. THE FIRST PART LAST. Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2003. $15.95. 144pp. Bobby is not a typical 16 year old New York teen. He has just brought his newborn daughter, Feather home from the hospital. Nia, Feather’s mom suffers severe pregnancy complications that leave her in a permanent vegetative state. Despite original plans to put the baby up for adoption, Bobby decides to hold on to all he has left of Nia and raise their baby himself. I found this book to be moving and inspiring. I loved the way Johnson’s chapters alternated from "then to now. " The flashback element made it difficult to put this book down for even a moment. This would be an appropriate book for parents to share with their teens while discussing teen pregnancy issues. (BBYA, Quick Picks, Tayshas)