Two 13-year-old boys, Arthur and Logan, set out to solve the mystery of a murder that took place some years ago in the old house Logan's family has just moved into. The boys' quest takes them to the highest and lowest levels of society in their small Maryland town, and eventually to a derelict amusement park that is supposedly closed for the season. - Blurb from Amazon.com

Mary Downing Hahn does a good job of introducing some scariness without actually frightening the readers who would read her book. There was just enough suspense, just enough scariness and a bit of humor mixed in. The character of Arthur brought most of the humor. 

I liked him. He was that type of character that was quirky enough to be endearing but also slightly annoying. I didn’t know whether to dislike him or become his friend, which is what the main protagonist Logan felt. The main plot of the story was interesting enough, but I think it was the awkward friendship of Logan and Arthur that made the story. They had an interesting dynamic that worked.

Click here to purchase.

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day. - Blurb from Amazon.com

I thought this was an interesting concept for a book. What I like at first was that the story started in the middle of “A’s” journey. By the time we meet “A”, s/he has already been living this life of jumping into a new body every day. Therefore, it’s us as readers who have to catch-up to what’s happening. 

While some of the plot points were traditional of contemporary stories: teenager falls in love, then there’s drama, until a conclusion is realized. But what made the traditional different was the concept. “A” loves this girl regardless as to what body s/he was in and while female bodies were difficult for Rhiannon; she becomes to realize that it’s not the body that matters, but the soul within. Can we truly love someone no matter what? I think this story touches upon that theme with grace and dignity.

Click here to purchase.

Shailene Woodley is everywhere and it's no wonder since she is one of the best upcoming young actors at the moment. Alongside her Divergent co-star, Ansel Elgort, Woodley and Elgort bring to life the main characters from John Green's heartbreaking story of young love.

I actually enjoyed this adaptation. While there some changes here and there, they kept true to the themes of the story: loss, love, family, friendship and all that in between. I only have two things I wish they movie maker's didn't do:

1) Reduced the family interaction. There were two scenes in the book I loved that were no present in the movie. The dinner scene with Hazel's and Gus' parents and the scene with all of Gus' sisters. Both scenes have funny moments as well as heartbreaking moments and it was great to see how the families were dealing with the tragedy of the kid's having cancer. Especially, Gus' family at the end when he gets sick. 

2) The Limo Scene. This was not in the book. Instead, this scene replaced the one where Hazel and her mom go to Gus' house and overhears an argument happening. It was the first time Hazel saw Gus as anything but optimistic. It was the first time the readers saw that and I always felt it was a good hint that even the most optimistic people have moments of doubt and conflict. 

Not having either of these scene didn't deter from the story that was told, but it would have been nice to see them.