With the gray, wet weather of rainy season, I always feel like curling up with either a good mystery, a spy story, or a good scifi tale. So that’s what I’m going to be bringing you with the next couple of Brainstorms. This week we’re starting off with some scifi mysteries. The next 2 Brainstorms will feature spy stories and a very specific subset of scifi mysteries, time-travel mysteries. Click on the titles to see my full reviews of each book including any content notes/trigger warnings. If you’re in a hurry, remember the new “In a nutshell” feature that summarizes each book in 1 sentence.
Attack of the ZomBees (Max Meow, #5) by John Gallager
In a nutshell: Superhero Max Meow must help handle a friend’s family misunderstandings, some robberies related to the mayoral campaign, and lots of bees.
More info: Mindy's Mom is running for Mayor, but when Mindy's brother Marty interrupts a debate with some bees some take it as a threat. Marty just wanted people to be aware that the new bridge construction was disrupting the bees' homes. He meant it as a peaceful protest. But Mindy is upset with him for hurting their mom's chances at the mayor's office. Soon, a whole bunch of bees invades another mayoral campaign stop and steal a necklace. Has Marty gone evil when no one listened to him? Or is someone else using bees for bad? It’s up to Max and Mindy to figure it out and save the day.
Extra thoughts: I like the lessons learned in this story, and the way it educates readers about bees and how they are important to ecosystems.
Target readers: Superhero Story Fans, Graphic Novel Fans, Pun Lovers, Bee Studiers, Mild Mystery Fans, Scifi Fans, Lower Grade/Middle Grade Readers
Battle for the Park (Futureland, #1) by H.D. Hunter
In a nutshell: When his family’s floating amusement park of the future seems to be falling into sinister hands and people start disappearing inside, Cam and some new friends must save the day.
More info: Cam Walker, his mom and dad, and his uncle have a very unusual and popular home. They live in and run Futureland, a floating futuristic amusement park that travels the world. Cam's parents invented all the rides and experiences in the park and are pretty famous. Which is why he feels super awkward about going to public school for the first time when the family decides to stay hovering over their home city of Atlanta for a longer stretch of time. Cam knows everyone will know who he is and want to get close to him just to get access to the most popular amusement park in the world. Thankfully, he does make some quick friends who help protect him from the sycophants. They also prove to be great allies when things start going horribly wrong in the park. Revs (robots) start acting weird, which is bad since they work all the rides and experiences in the park. Cam can't find his uncle anywhere, and he's becoming increasingly convinced someone swapped out his parents with revs. A local businessman says his parents added him to their management team, but Cam knows his parents would never do that. And worst of all, children and teens have gone missing at the park. Can Cam and his friends find proof of sabotage and save the park from falling into evil clutches and find the missing people before it is too late?
Extra thoughts: I love the imaginative concept of Futureland, it’s tech, and the pacing of the story. I also like that Cam is basically a third culture kid; the author did a good job portraying him adjusting to living in, what on paper at least, is his “home” but feels like a foreign place to Cam.
Target readers: Mystery Fans, Suspense Fans, Futuristic Tech Fans, TCK Story Fans, Amusement Park Fans, Upper Middle Grade Readers
Drifters by Kevin Emerson
In a nutshell: Jovie’s life starts getting really strange when she’s the only one who remembers her friend Micah who went missing a few months ago, her mom develops blinding cataracts overnight, and she finds odd tech that lets her see people no one else can.
More info: Jovie's best friend, Micah, disappeared a few months ago. Well, technically she was really her former best friend. Something happened and they hadn't hung out in a while before the day Micah disappeared. At first the police were all over Micah's case, but now it seems like Jovie is the only one looking for her. And it isn't just that people have given up hope. Every time Jovie talks to someone about Micah now they don't look at her with pity, just confusion. It seems like no one remembers Micah any more. The principal at school even calls Jovie in asking her why she's posting these missing person posters for a made up person and doesn't remember Micah until Jovie strongly encourages him to look her up in the school's system. He and Jovie are shocked and disturbed. How could he have forgotten? People forgetting Micah isn't the only strange thing in Jovie's life. Her mom suddenly develops horrendous, blinding cataracts overnight. And she finds an object in her bag at the emergency room that lets her see people no one else can see. What is going on?
Extra thoughts: This is a huge doorstopper of a book, but the pacing and the gripping mysteries of just what is going on keep those pages turning fast.
Target readers: Gripping Mystery Fans, Scifi Fans, Unique Plot Fans, Fans of Emerson’s Other Books, Doorstopper Tome Fans, Middle Grade/Young Adult Readers
The Mutant Mushroom Takeover (Maggie and Nate Mysteries, #1) by Summer Rachel Short
In a nutshell: When dangerous mushrooms start taking over the town and turning people and animals into zombies, science nerd Maggie and crypto enthusiast Nate are on their own to find a stop to the infestation.
More info: Mags is hunting for a grand science specimen that will cinch her win of the Vitaccino Junior Naturalist Merit Award. This is step 1 in her grand plan of getting her dad's job back at Vitaccino so he doesn't have to work way far away in Yellowstone. Mags loves her Gran and all, but she desperately misses her father. So she's on the hunt for something spectacular with her best friend, Nate, who is also in search of some weird phenomenon for his crytpo/supernatural/conspiracy theory Youtube channel. When they hear about weird glowing mushrooms at Old Man Bell's, they decide this is worth risking getting caught trespassing for. But they stumble into more than they bargained. These mushrooms don't just glow, they are variations of a mushroom that makes zombies out of ants in the Amazon and they are starting to take over the town's plant, animal, and even human population. But they seem to be the only ones who notice, and who's going to listen to some kids talking about dangerous mushrooms?
Extra thoughts: I loved the solid, real science basis for this slightly creepy scifi mystery. It has also been an easy sell for reluctant readers.
Target readers: Scifi Fans, Mystery Fans, Science Lovers, Zombie Story Fans, Mildly Creepy Story Fans, Friendship Story Fans, Middle Grade Readers
Pete the Cat and the Space Chase (Pete the Cat: Agent Meow Readers) by Kimberly & James Dean
In a nutshell: Agent Meow investigates strange lights and an abandoned spaceship at the playground.
More info: Agent Meow gets a call about strange lights on the playground at night. While investigating, he comes across an alien spaceship. No aliens appear to be around so Agent Meow takes it for a spin. But who left the spaceship there and why?
Extra thoughts: Don’t worry, there are only friendly aliens involved in this Pete the Cat/Agent Meow little mystery. Pete’s little jaunt through space is fun.
Target Readers: Pete the Cat Fans, Mystery Fans, Scifi Fans, Space Adventure Fans, Spy/Detective Story Fans, Leveled Reader Fans, Picture Book Readers
Prime Directive by Davis Bunn
In a nutshell: Lt. Amanda Bostick is sent to investigate a rash of sudden deaths at scientific outpost on a remote planet, and it is very clear someone (or someones) doesn’t want her investigating.
More info: There have been 16 unexplained deaths in a very short period of time on the scientific outpost on the planet Loria, and those in residence there only brought it up because they are asking command for replacements. Commander Rickets is very concerned, but because of galactic politics at the time, others want to ignore the event. So Rickets is sending in the only person who also seems concerned about a whole slew of deaths on a distant outpost, Lieutenant Amanda Bostick. Bostick is given a promotion (so that she outranks anyone on the science base on Loria), and sent with two soldiers, Hamoud and Nasim, with combat experience (and motives to prove themselves in this mission). But they only have 10 days. Others in the Galactic Space Arm are obviously trying to sabotage their mission, Bostick has no previous mission experience, there are rumors of pirates in the area around Loria, there are decidedly weird things going on on Loria, and the locals and scientists on Loria actively resist any investigation. This investigation could very well get them all killed.
Extra thoughts: Bunn pulls off an impressive amount of world-building in under 200 pages. I thoroughly enjoyed this classic-feeling little scifi mystery adventure with clever games of wit.
Target readers: Quick Read Fans, Classic-Feeling Scifi Fans, Mystery Fans, Space Adventure Fans, Mystery on the Remote Science Outpost Fans, Adult Readers (though approachable to YA)
Recorder (Children of the Consortium, #1) by Cathy McCrumb
In a nutshell: A government recorder (carefully raised human linked to a drone) is sent to document a disaster that wiped out most of a remote science outpost, only the trouble is still there, she gets separated from her drone, made to question her position in the world and human rights, and solve a disaster/murder mystery without her normal tech.
More info: Recorder was given to the Consortium at birth to be raised for one of several public service positions. As a Recorder, it is her job to observe and archive events without interfering. To help her better fulfill her role, she has been bonded to a drone that also helps her to regulate her emotions and make sure she does not interfere, but just observe. Recorder has been sent on a mission with the crew of the Thalassa to retrieve records from the science station on the moonlet Pallas and see if there are any survivors. All that they know is a flu of some kind wiped out most of the population. They do not know if anyone made it into stasis in time to be saved, or if there is still power to maintain the stasis pods. Recorder has her own mission to retrieve the remains of Pallas' Recorder and her drone, in addition to the station data. Recorder knows that the rest of the recovery crew is anxious being around her. But she does not know each of their pasts with Recorders that has made them that way. As their recovery mission goes badly wrong, Recorder is gravely injured and her drone is destroyed. She awakes back on the Thalassa totally lost without her drone. She must learn how to read and interact with other humans without a computer interface, and they start to realize Recorders are just as human as they are. They also realize that at least 1 person was murdered before the flu hit on Pallas. Time is ticking before they arrive back to where they must report to the Consortium. All of them have much to learn about what it means to be human, question what they always took for granted in the Consortium's ways, and solve a murder mystery. The plot points in this book continue for 2 more books. The trilogy is now complete.
Extra thoughts: This whole series is excellent for the world building, character development, intense action sequences, exploration of topics to get you thinking, the way Christian characters and values are woven in, and the compelling mystery. Oh, and the cats.
Target readers: Dystopia Fans, Mystery Fans, Suspense Fans, Scifi Fans, Space Adventure Fans, Mystery on the Remote Science Outpost Fans, Human Rights Story Fans, Thought-Provoking Story Fans, Christian Fiction Fans, Adult Readers (though approachable to YA)
This Town Is Not All Right (This Town Is Not All Right, #1) by M.K. Krys
In a nutshell: Beacon finds his new home town disturbingly odd, from cars breaking down for no reason to the inhumanly well-behaved kids at school, and no one else seems disturbed except the town outcast.
More info: After the tragic death of their older brother, Beacon and Everleigh's dad has decided they all need a fresh start in a brand new town. He's moving them pretty much as far away from LA as possible to a small town in the middle of nowhere New England. Beacon is trying to be as positive as possible about the move in order to compensate for his twin's extra negativity, but he really has to work to find good things about Driftwood Harbor. Their car breaks down for no good reason as soon as they cross into town. The inn where they are staying until they can find a house looks like it's all ready to be the town Haunted House for Halloween. Beacon swears he sees a girl drowning in the ocean the first night, but no one believes him and the girl is fine the next day. And the rest of the kids at school are...odd. They are the perfect students, and don't so much as whisper even before the bell has wrung. It feels eerie. And then the school calls Beacon and Everleigh down for vitamin D shots their first day at school saying it is required because of the heavy cloud cover. Beacon hates shots so he manages to evade it that day, but Everleigh gets it and suddenly goes from the girl who loves to pretend to be sick to skip classes to work on cars to the pink skirt wearing goody goody who suddenly follows all the rules. And no one but Beacon seems concerned about his sister's radical change in behavior or all the weird things going on in town except a kid named Arthur who tells him the strange things are related to a UFO crash in town in the 1960s which he's trying to track with his homemade alien energy tracker... Who does Beacon believe? The town outcast, his gut, or the adults?
Extra thoughts: This is a hard-to-put-down lightly creepy mystery that has a solid scifi base which I can't tell you about without spoilers. Every student who has picked this up has devoured it and its sequel just as quickly as I did.
Target readers: Odd Town Mystery Fans, Scifi Fans, Lightly Creepy Story Fans, Sibling Story Fans, Upper Middle Grade Readers
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