Review: The Name of the Star

If you follow author Maureen Johnson (@maureenjohnson) on twitter, you know that she is a crazy ball of fun.  Her tweets never fail to put a smile on my face.  You also know that she is a fierce advocate for Young Adult literature (#yasaves), in fact creating a YA Saves tee-shirt with proceeds going to RIF (Reading is Fundamental----a wonderful program placing books in the hands of low socioeconomic children, a program which I benefited from as a child, but is losing its federal funding).

And because you're awesome and follow both me and Maureen on twitter, you know that she has a new book out, The Name of the Star (Shades of London series, Book 1).  If you haven't come across this book yet, here is the summary from Goodreads:
The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.
Soon "Rippermania" takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.


In her new book, Maureen takes us on a psychological journey to catch a mysterious killer.  I don't want to spoil it, but you won't believe who the killer is and why he's doing it. 

I loved this book!  I couldn't wait for it to arrive.  I read the first 78 pages online and knew that as soon as it came out, I had to have it.  It was a quick read for me, mainly because I couldn't put it down. 

Rory is hilarious.  There were times when I was actually laughing out-loud at things she did/said, but she wasn't dumb.  She was smart, determined and had a good heart.  She cared about her friends and family, she wanted to protect them.  I think my favorite character, though was Jazza.  She was just so sweet and nice (but not annoyingly so). 

One of the twists reveals itself pretty quickly, but the real identity of the killer is a surprise. 

I would have no trouble having this book in my classroom (in fact, I kind of wish I taught high school just so I could recommend it to students).

I loved it so much that I did a Friday Night Mental Movie post about it (and I don't do that for just any book!) 

Friday Night Mental Movie: The Name of the Star

Friday Night Mental Movies is a weekly meme (posting) hosted by yours truly in which I ask you to make your dream casting for a book you are currently reading (or have recently finished).  I try to cast mine with the people that I envision as I read the book.  If you'd like to join, grab the pic, make a post and link up! 

This week, my Friday Night Mental Movie is a casting of the major parts in Maureen Johnson's The Name of the Star.

Since its your dream movie (or the people you see in your head as your reading), it doesn't have to be current actors....last week I kept seeing (hearing) Audrey Hepburn (in her role as Eliza Doolittle) as one of the characters...just whoever you envision as you are reading.  I also don't always envision a British actor, I might see an American actor in my mind (who I believe can fake a great British accent)

As Rory, Shelley Hennig

As Jerome, Charlie Carrick

As Jazza, Evanna Lynch (I love her calm voice!)

As Charlotte, Molly Quinn

As Alistair, John Cusack (circa Say Anything)

As Collum, Abdul Salis (from Love Actually)

As Boo, Parminder Nagra (Jess in Bend it Like Beckham)

As Stephen, Sean Biggerstaff

As the house mother, Claudia, Melissa McCarthy (hey, in my mind, she does a killer British accent)

*I'm not going to cast "The Ripper" as its kind of a surprise and I don't want to ruin it for you.*

If you haven't watched it yet, here is the book trailer.

Who did you cast in your mental movie? 

In My Mailbox 27: Happy Labor Day!

 

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi, The Story Siren, where you post about the books you got that week, either bought, borrowed, were given, or however else you got it.  

This week, I got a bunch of freebies from my school library.  We got a new librarian this year and she was doing a complete overhaul of the library (mainly giving it a much deserved cleaning!) and just taking off the shelves books that probably haven't been checked out since before I was in elementary school.  There were some others there, too.  But, here is a cell phone picture of my haul:

I won off twitter a signed (squee!) copy of Under My Skin by Judith Graves (@judithgraves).  She had tweeted about a giveaway and I was one of the lucky winners!  I can't wait to read!  (Don't forget to follow me @maestra_amanda!)

I got some more books for my masters class:

-Finding the Right Texts: What Works for Beginning and Struggling Readers edited by Elfrieda H. Hiebert and Misty Sailors.

-The Reading Specialist: Leadership for the Classroom, School and Community by Rita M. Bean

I was able to read the first couple chapters of The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson (@maureenjohnson).  She's a tricky one.  If you follow her on twitter, you know what I mean.  If you don't follow her on twitter, then you should, she's hilarious.  She tweeted a link Saturday morning that took you directly to the book.  It was really good.  I'm probably going to pre-order it (because it might come signed!) 

What was in your mailbox?