The Domino Men, by Jonathan Barnes

Henry Lamb thinks he is just an ordinary file clerk in an ordinary office where mounds of paper are sorted and filed for various government departments in London. But one day he is suddenly transferred to the “Directorate” and finds himself fighting supernatural beings in human disguise as well as members of the Royal Family who are part of the plot to bring London to irreversible ruin. I listened to the book on cd and the narrator, Gerard Doyle was excellent.

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RATING: * * * A good read
Reviewed by: kh

The Santaroga Barrier, by Frank Herbert

This book is creepy, mysterious, and eloquently written.  It is about a young psychologist who takes an assignment in a too perfect town in a valley, Santaroga, that has no juvenile delinquency, barely any cigarette smoking, no mental illnesses, and barely any crime.  He is assigned to investigate these mysterious circumstances.  He also has other motives behind accepting the assignment.  His girlfriend, Jenny, lives in the valley.  He enters the valley and is almost killed twice.  Alarmed, he decides to investigate a mysterious substance that the Santarogans consume in almost all of their foods, Jaspers.  The more he pries, the more danger he puts himself in.  Can this lone psychologist figure out the mystery behind the “Santaroga Barrier?”

RATING: * * * * Very, very good

Reviewed by: YA/Teen reviewer, K.G.

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When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead

Twelve year old Miranda lives in 1970′s Manhattan, with typical concerns about friends, boys, school–and helping her mom win the game show The $20,000 Pyramid. Then she starts receiving mysterious unsigned notes that give her instructions, appear to predict the future, and contain vague mentions of danger.   What do they mean?  Miranda’s favorite book is Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, and fans of that book (or the Time Traveler’s Wife) will enjoy this one, too.

Rating:  **** Very, very good
Reviewed by:  stc

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Update, January 2010:  When You Reach Me was awarded the 2010 Newbery Medal.