Happy Halloween! I was hoping to have a Halloween picture for you of the awesome costume I thought up for myself, but, in actuality because I’ve started working again, I didn’t get around to putting together a Halloween costume for myself.

I know it’s a lousy consolation prize, but here are this month’s best jacket flaps instead…

Darth Paper Strikes Back (Amulet Books): “It is a dark time at Ralph McQuarrie Middle School. After suffering several Origami Yoda–related humiliations, Harvey manages to get Dwight suspended from school for being a “troublemaker.” Origami Yoda pleads with Tommy and Kellen to save Dwight by making a new case file—one that will show how Dwight’s presence benefits McQuarrie. With the help of their friends, Tommy and Kellen record cases such as “Origami Yoda and the Pre-eaten Wiener,” “Origami Yoda and the Exploding Pizza Bagels,” and “Origami Yoda and Wonderland: The Musical.” But Harvey and his Darth Paper puppet have a secret plan that could make Dwight’s suspension permanent . . . With his proven knack for humorously exploring the intrigues, fads, and dramas of middle school, Tom Angleberger has crafted a worthy sequel to his breakout bestseller.”

Hands down, the best thing about this one is the Star Wars references. Plus, it tells you the whole plot without giving too much of the detail away.

I’ll Be There (Little, Brown Books): “Sam Border wishes he could escape. Raised by an unstable father, he’s spent his life moving from place to place. But he could never abandon his little brother, Riddle. Riddle Border doesn’t talk much. Instead, he draws pictures of the insides of things and waits for the day when the outsides of things will make sense. He worships his older brother. But how can they leave when there’s nowhere to go? Then everything changes. Because Sam meets Emily. Emily Bell believes in destiny. She sings for her church choir, though she doesn’t have a particularly good voice. Nothing, she feels, is mere coincidence. And she’s singing at the moment she first sees Sam. Everyone whose path you cross in life has the power to change you–sometimes in small ways, and sometimes in ways greater than you could have ever known. Beautifully written and emotionally profound, Holly Goldberg Sloan’s debut novel deftly explores the idea of human connection.”

This one sounds pretentious, but in all actuality is dead on. And they did a great job of summing up a very difficult book to sum up.

The Name of the Star (Putnam Juvenile):”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.”

This one is intriguing. What are the secret ghost police of London? What’s the deal with the Ripper killer? It makes me curious enough to want to read it. Too bad the cover is so, well, ugh.

Other books read this month:
Angel in My Pocket
Lola and the Boy Next Door
The Eternal Smile: Three Stories
Cures for Heartbreak
Kendra
13 Gifts
Zazoo
Wonderstruck
Beauty Queens
Second Fiddle
Latasha and the Little Red Tornado
The Latte Rebellion
Terrier
Bloodhound
Mastiff