When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (reviewed by LE)

When You Reach Me is a mystery story by Rebecca Stead. In this book, the main characters are Miranda, Sal, Julia, The Laughing Man, and Annemarie. Miranda is the main girl and the storyteller, Sal is Miranda’s old friend that she doesn’t talk to anymore, Julia is the snob who hates Miranda, The Laughing man is a homeless guy who is crazy, and Annemarie is Miranda’s new best friend.
This book is about a girl (Miranda) who gets these letters from someone, but she doesn’t know who. These letters reveal puzzling information that involves her future, her friends, and her family. Over time, she begins to realize how her life starts to change and how different she is compared to before. Throughout the book Miranda and Annemarie live normal lives (other than getting the letters!).
The setting is mostly at school but is also at Miranda house, Sal’s house, and Annemarie’s house. What I liked about this book is that it is told by Miranda and that along the way she gives some hints to what happens at the end. This was a good book for me and I recommend it to middle school girls who want to read a mystery book about a girl and her friends that has a twist at the end. I love this book and hope whoever reads it does too!

Slayed by J.P.

The book Slayed is by Amanda Marrone. This is a fantasy book because it has vampires and demons in it. It’s about a girl named Daphne. Her family works as vampire slayers, and Daphne hates it. She is always moving around the world, which means she has no friends. All she wants is a normal life.
One day they get a job in a big city because babies are being killed in the night. When they hear that the Harkers (another group of vampire slayers) are trying to steal their job, it becomes a contest of who can get more money. That night, Daphne goes to a bar and meets Kiki. As Daphne is followed by Kiki, a vampire attacks Daphne, and she is left with no choice but to kill the vampire right in front of Kiki.
After the attack Kiki wants to be a vampire slayer, and Daphne is forced to train her. As the contest goes on Daphne discovers that she is falling in love with Tyler Harker.
You might like this if you like vampires and some romance. I like this because it has to deal with vampires and friendship. My opinion is that it is good but in needs a bit more action.