Jasper Jones (310 pages)

Craig Silvey is an Australian writer, and this is the first book of his I've read. It's definitely a High School read, and it won't be the last book of his I'll read! There were moments when I laughed out loud, and moments when I cried. Let me give you a couple of laughs. Charlie Bucktin's best friend is Jeffrey Lu. Jeffrey and his family are from Vietnam and live down the street from the Bucktins. The two boys are constantly teasing each other and one of their favorite things to do is to create a play on words. So Jeffrey will say, "Cheeses Christ, Charlie!" or Charlie will leave Jeffrey saying, " I bid you fond a Jew." There are several more of these that come out of nowhere and just make the reader giggle...if s/he picks up on them! In their town, there is a teen who is the town's "bad boy." His name is Jasper Jones, and one night he knocks on Charlie's window asking for help. Charlie knows Jasper only by reputation, but Jasper is very convincing, and Charlie leaves his room via his window and follows Jasper to a secret place near the edge of a river. There they come upon a young girl hanging from a large tree. Now, Jasper is definitely NOT a bad boy (even though he smokes and drinks every chance he gets), and the girl hanging from the tree was the love of his life. She was also the oldest daughter of the town's mayor. The mystery of how she was killed, what happened to her body, and how it all effects Charlie is a spine-tingling read. The language is a bit raw, but this is a great read and I think both boys and girls will enjoy it very much!