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McNamee, Graham
7 Reviews
(4)
YA
Tyne finds a long-undiscovered body in the Toronto "slum tower" where her father is the super. When the body immediately disappears, she investigates, fearing a connection to her troubled family history. While the father-daughter relationship provides a strong emotional heart, the mystery relies on serendipity and info-dumps.
Reviewer: Claire E. Gross
(2)
YA
Seventeen-year-old Jane has always sensed her ghostly part, a shadow making her do bad things to herself; more than once she's "danced with death, wrestled with the Reaper. And won." Jane and best friend Lexi are the Creep Sisters, living a dark fairy tale. With this story of ghosts, evil, murder, and redemption, McNamee proves himself a master of well-plotted chilling tales.
Reviewer: Dean Schneider
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2012
(3)
YA
Danny lives in remote Harvest Cove, Canada. After being attacked by a monster, he and his friends try to escape the terrible fate awaiting them. Elements of horror, romance, and mystery will sustain interest. Whether he's facing down the metaphorical demons of his past or the supernatural demon of the title, Danny wins readers' sympathies with his rapid-fire first-person, present-tense narration.
Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt
(3)
YA
Working in the lost-and-found department of Toronto's subway system, teenage Duncan stumbles upon a diary in which a man reveals he is stalking a woman and plans to kill her. Duncan himself has a guilty secret--his failure to save a girl from drowning--that propels him to become personally involved in preventing the murder. Written with mounting tension and suspense, the fast-paced novel is hard to put down.
Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta
(3)
4-6
After spending a year in a special needs class, Todd is back in the regular fifth-grade classroom. Teased by students who call him "Mr. Retardo" and "Gump," Todd distances himself from his old friends in Special Needs and worries about his consistently poor grades. Related in Todd's authentic first-person voice, this episodic novel succeeds as a realistic, yet hopeful, character study.
Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta
(3)
4-6
Keath, the only white kid in his class, identifies with his best friend's three-legged dog. Both are misfits, but both manage to survive. Lots of happy endings here--the dog earns a ribbon in a show for dogs with disabilities, and Keath overcomes the school bully, realizes he has friends, and comes to terms with his grandmother's stroke. This is a quick, easy, and undemanding read that's satisfying nonetheless.
Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth
(4)
YA
Alice's voice was permanently damaged when her abusive father severely choked her. Now an aspiring songwriter, teenage Alice has not seen him in many years. When she learns he is dying, she visits the hospital and confronts him about his past actions. Although the characters and theme are superficially developed, Alice's narration is distinct and sympathetic and will gain readers' attention.
Reviewer: Roger Sutton
7 reviews
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