The Running Bibliophile

The Girl in the Castle by James Patterson and Emily Raymond is a young adult novel centered on Hannah Doe, a teenage girl who claims she can time travel between present day New York City and the year 1347. After a frightening incident that police believe to be a mental health episode, Hannah is taken to Belman Psych, where doctors diagnose her as schizophrenic. But as Hannah’s story unfolds, the question lingers ... is she truly mentally ill, or is something far more extraordinary happening? Thank you to NetGalley and LittleBrown Books for Young Readers for providing a digital Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Girl in the Castle . I was genuinely excited and grateful to be selected to read and review this book ahead of its publication. The synopsis immediately caught my attention, and the cover art was striking. Going into the novel, I wasn’t entirely sure what direction the authors would take, and I initially expected a young adult fantasy. There was a brief moment of disappointmen...

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2) by J.K. Rowling opens with Harry Potter stuck at the Dursleys’ house for the summer, where he is once again treated terribly and made to feel unwanted. Things take a strange turn when Harry receives an unexpected visitor: Dobby, a house-elf who dramatically warns him not to return to Hogwarts because terrible things will happen if he does. Of course, Harry ignores the warning and heads back to school, where everything quickly begins to unravel. Mishap after mishap follows, and before long students at Hogwarts start mysteriously being turned to stone, sending fear and suspicion through the school. Although Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was published in 1998, just after my nineteenth birthday, I don’t remember hearing much about it, or even the first book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, at the time. I vaguely recall kids and teens talking about how good the books were, but that was about it.  It wasn’t unt...

Wish You Were Here: France by Robin O’Neill follows a teen tour group run by Getaway Tours, a company that sends teenagers on week-long, chaperoned trips to destinations around the world. For this particular excursion, Tim and Francine Atkinson serve as the tour guides as they lead five girls and two boys through the south of France. Their journey begins in Carcassonne, located in the Languedoc region, a place steeped in medieval history. While exploring the area, Luci, Jay, Glin, and Logan learn about the legendary Cathar treasure that is rumored to be buried somewhere nearby. Intrigued by the mystery, they set out to uncover the truth behind the legend and discover where the treasure might be hidden. In high school, I stumbled across a new book series by Robin O’Neill called Wish You Were Here, and it immediately captured my attention. The first book in the series, Wish You Were Here: France , was originally published in July 1996. However, the release timing must have bee...

When Jenny Thorns original plan for her boyfriend Tom's birthday party had to change, she has to scramble to come up with something that will interest every one in their small group. Coming across a store called "More Games", she's not sure she'll be able to find something that will please the entire group. When the store clerk Julian suggests a game in a white, unmarked box, Jenny decides to buy it, and the entire group is in for a huge surprise. See you at nine . . . Not sure she heard Julian correctly, Jenny has second thoughts about the game once she gets home. However, she's overruled by the group. Part Jumanji and part Nightmare on Elm Street , the friends are in for the ride of a lifetime.  I stumbled across The Hunter (The Forbidden Game, #1) by L.J. Smith while I was in high school. Ecstatic that one of my favorite authors had another book out, I immediately bought this book. I loved this book as a teenager and read this book and th...