W.A.R.P. The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer

Find it at the Chandler Public Library

Life in Victorian London is hard for anyone, but Riley has the special misfortune of being apprenticed to an illusionist turned assassin: Albert Garrick. Problem is, Riley doesn’t really want to be a murderer. So when Garrick’s latest victim transports him into the future in his dying moments, he’s somewhere between elated and terrified. Modern-day London is a pretty cool place, but Riley knows that his master is coming for him.

Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old FBI agent Chevron Savano is getting pretty tired of her new job in London. That is, until a young boy and a dead man from the past show up in the device she’s supposed to be guarding. Soon, her mentor is dead and she’s on the run with Riley, fleeing from an Albert Garrick who’s not only managed to travel to the future, but has also merged with and absorbed the memories of a scientist working on the time travel project. Garrick is eager to get back to his time and make a mint off all the technology designs he’s picked up from the future, but first he has to get rid of all the witnesses. Riley wants to be out of the shadow of his villainous master forever. And Chevron, who just wanted something interesting to do over the summer, gets a lot more than she bargained for.

This book starts out a bit confusing and tedious at first, but after it picks up the pace I was completely absorbed. Pretty much everything by Eoin Colfer is a guarantee for a good read, and this was no exception. It also helps if you’ve read one of his other book, Airman, because it makes the character Otto Malarkey much more interesting. - Susanna (Sunset Teen)

Book Review: Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

Find it at the Chandler Public Library

I’m sure may people have heard about this novel from the O’Reily Factor, and trust me, it does not disappoint. This book is one of the most well-written historic novels that I have ever read. If anybody is struggling to find a history book that doesn’t put them to sleep instantly, you’ve found your savior. The novel is an account of the assassination of Lincoln, the flight of John Wilkes Booth, and the furious search to find him. I had to write a report on the assassination of Lincoln for one of my classes during the school year, and I struggled to comprehend any of the information I was reading, because it was just lines and lines and lines of seemingly endless reading for me. Then I found this book, and everything changed. The one defining factor about this book is that it does not read like a history textbook. It reads like a thriller, because it tells the story of how the assassination came about, not just listing the facts. You can feel the entertaining of tale of the flight of John Wilkes Booth in your mind; O’Reily really does a phenomenal job of making the novel vividly describe his escape from the law. On top of that, it provides much historical insight on the actual manhunt, and the people involved in it. The author really gives you an insight on the eccentric actions of all the people involved. I would surely recommend this novel to someone else, as it makes historic reading interesting again. - Kshitiz (Sunset Teen)