The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Rory, a teen from small town Louisiana, moves to London for a year to attend school at Wexford. The same day she arrives, a murder takes place. A murder in the style of Jack the Ripper.

Rory doesn't pay a lot of attention to that. Until she almost chokes and dies. Now she's seeing people no one else can. Her new friends think she's either making things up or going crazy.

The murderer is also curious about Rory and begins to follow her around. Not sure what's going on, she turns to the only people who may be able to help. Unfortunately they are also in a little over their heads.

The ghosts and terror in the story are very real, but there's also humor and a solid central story. I liked Rory and thought her narration was easy to follow. Another amazing book by Maureen Johnson!

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

Scarlett just turned 15, and in her family, that means she's in charge of one of the rooms at the small hotel her family owns and runs. She's given the key to the Empire Suite, one of the best rooms, and the least likely to have a guest.


That's before Mrs. Amberson appears and wants the Empire Suite. Soon Scarlett is not only taking care of the Suite, she's become Mrs. Amberson's personal assistant. When her older brother's acting group is in trouble of shutting down their production, Mrs. Amberson steps in to save the show. But her assistance comes with a price, one that Scarlett may end up regretting. She puts everything on the line...Spencer's job and her family's livelihood. But the show must go on...and anything's possible in New York City.


I enjoyed the story, but the main star was New York City. It's described so well that most of the time, I felt I was running around with Scarlett. There are many dimensions to the story here, and I enjoyed sitting back and watching everything unfold. Dynamic.