The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

I have had this book on my DYING TO READ list since it came out but for some strange reason, I never got to it. This turned out to be positive in two ways: one, now there is less time for me to wait until the second book. Two, it will now be a connection to a wonderful trip to London for me.

Spending a few days in London on spring break, I naturally wanted to visit bookstores. I'd heard that Maureen Johnson (13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES, SUITE SCARLETT) had signed some books at Waterstones at Picadilly Circus the week before. I was pleased to find one still there and grabbed it.

I didn't get a chance to really start on it until the plane trip home, but that truly was the perfect time, as the story walked through all the places I'd just visited. But this (or the 7-hour flight) wasn't the real reason I couldn't stop turning pages. Holy cow. Great concept, great story and even greater writing. Johnson's dialog sparkles with her typical wit (if you don't follow her on Twitter @maureenjohnson, you're missing out).

Sprinkled with history, mystery and (finally about halfway through) mysticism, THE NAME OF THE STAR (2011, Putnam) takes Rory Deveaux out of her small town Louisiana home and plonks her down in a London boarding school located near Jack the Ripper's old stomping grounds. With a "crazy" aunt back home who makes a living from seeing angels, Rory is used to the odd -- but things turn macabre when murders that mimic the famous Ripper begin to occur. And now Rory has come face-to-face with the killer.

The police are stumped, and surveillance footage of the murders only creates more questions. Rory is their only witness as Rippermania takes a frenzied hold over London. Each subsequent murder follows the path of the original killer, until Rory realizes there is something even more terrifying about the man she saw outside the school the night of the second killing. What's more, she has the ability to stop him.

Equally gothic and modern, funny and horrible, TNOTS recreates the furor the Ripper had over London in 1888, with the instantaneous information of today's world. How could Jack get away with his crimes in a world filled with closed circuit TV cameras capturing the public's every move?

If you're not a fan of cliffhanger endings, prepare yourself. THE MADNESS UNDERNEATH (Shades of London, book 2) won't be out until January 2, 2013. Arrggggggggggg.........

UK jacket states recommended for 13+. The Ripper topic is obviously a violent one, so depending on temperament for these things, that age might skew a bit older.

Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson

Scarlett Martin is just your average ordinary 15 year old, who happens to live in a overdue-for-renovation Manhattan hotel which is run by her family. But after her summer adventures working with the actress-turned-agent Mrs. Amberson, and a topsy-turvy romance with Eric, an actor in her brother's theater troupe, Scarlett is headed back to school and determined to mend her broken heart.

Not an easy thing to do when the heart-breaker keeps turning up on her doorstep. Plus, Mrs. Amberson is running Scarlett ragged, her sites set on signing young flavor-of-the-week Chelsea -- whose brother happens to be Scarlett's newest classmate.

How can Scarlett be expected to deal with all this pressure, along with her brother's newfound fame, her older sister's on-again romance with a rich New York socialite, and her little sister's unusually kind and caring behavior (which raises all sorts of red flags Scarlett doesn't have time to investigate)?

Author Maureen Johnson re-captures the fun of Suite Scarlett, (Scholastic, 2008) in this follow up, leaving readers hanging at the end (WARNING, it's a major cliff hanger), with no pub date in sight for the third book. Ms. Johnson is just mean this way, but no doubt the conclusion will be worth the wait. (And that maniacal laughter you hear? That's her. I told you, she's mean! MEAN!)

4 bookmarks. For 12 and up.

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Okay, I'm a bit late discovering the books of delightfully snarky Maureen Johnson (but I've followed her on Twitter for some time thanks to Libba Bray and MJ's strong stance against banning books, does that count?) After reading 13 Little Blue Envelopes (2005, Harper Collins), I plan to be a fan for quite some time.

For grades 8 and up, the story of 17-year-old Ginny Blackstone is the perfect summer read: especially for those of us who would love to tour Europe but are shackled to home thanks to the big bad recession.

So, three years ago, Ginny's Aunt Peg up and left for Europe. Sure, there was the occasional postcard, but mainly, she was off being the flaky artist that Ginny had always known her to be. Then Ginny learns her runaway aunt has died of a brain tumor, leaving her favorite niece 13 little blue envelopes. The first one contains $1,000 and a set of rules that include Ginny's packing a bag and hopping a flight to London. She is only to open one envelope at a time, and never without fulfilling the instructions of its predecessor. Ginny, being the rule-follower that she is, goes along with it.

So off she goes, traveling through Europe, following the same path Aunt Peg took as she discovered herself, her art, and the illness that would eventually claim her. Ginny makes a few friends, learns a lot about both herself and her aunt, and experiences the kinds of things only a teenager backpacking through Europe with a ATM card and a passport can experience (read: boys).

Johnson's writing style is light and totally sucks you in, with descriptions of Rome, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Greece that are a vacation in themselves. (How I envy the author her research trip!!)

Other books (including Suite Scarlette, Devilish and the Bermudez Triangle) are now on my radar and will be voraciously consumed as soon as they are in my grasp. 4 bookmarks as I look forward to more.