Sources: Metaliteracy: Reinventing Information Literacy to Empower Learners
Mind-Bending Mysteries and Thrillers for Teens: A Programming and Readers' Advisory Guide. By Amy J. Alessio. Chicago: ALA, 2014. 152 p. Paper $50 (ISBN: 978-0-8389-1204-1).
Teen librarian and lifelong mystery lover Amy J. Alessio draws upon her years of experience with teens to create this themed guide for readers' advisory and programming. This books lists 179 different titles from both YA and adult literature, and although the majority of the titles are fiction, nine nonfiction and true crime books are also cited. The author notes that this book should not be considered "a comprehensive overview of all teen mysteries" (viii); instead, she crosses genre boundaries to seek out less rigidly defined works with similar elements and appeal.
The first part of the book focuses on readers' advisory, and entries are coded into six main subgenres: "Realistic Mysteries," "High-Tech Whodunits," "Thrillers," "Fantastic and Paranormal Mysteries," "Mysteries in Time and Place," and "Romantic Suspense." These subgenres are then further divided into more specific topics, under which many titles are cross-referenced. Entries contain grade level, awards received, and a descriptive annotation. Each subgenre category also includes two book-talking examples, suggestions for covert marketing, and interviews with prominent authors. The three appendixes list "Titles and Series by Subgenre," "Titles and Series by Author," and "Mysteries in Graphic and Illustrated Novel Formats." However, the appendixes' usefulness is limited, as they merely relist the titles from the first part of the book, and no page numbers are included for quick reference to the full annotations.
The guide's second part details a variety of "mysterious" programming ideas, ranging from a simple classic movie series to a fully scripted murder mystery. One chapter details how to start a teen mystery club and describes many different issues that the club can investigate, such as secret codes or FBI profiling. Book discussion questions are also listed for ten different titles, and Alessio suggests creative marketing ideas, such as hiding puzzle pieces or bookmarks throughout the library. In total, more than 40 different programming ideas are described, and librarians looking for inspiration will definitely find it here.
Additional indexing would have made the book slightly more user-friendly, and further editing would have prevented minor errors, such as Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 being cross-referenced under a nonexistent subsection. But these small issues are greatly outweighed by the wealth of content contained within this deceptively slim volume. Although the guide's very specific theme may limit it to merely a supplemental purchase for some libraries, it is a must-read for teen librarians working with mystery lovers (or hoping to create some).—Jackie Thornton, Children's Librarian, East Baton Rouge Parish Library, Baton Rouge, Louisiana