What Happened to Cass McBride?

How long could you stand being shut in your house? Your room? A closet? A coffin?

Cass McBride has it all… status, popularity, and stunning good looks. She knows how to get what she wants, and she’ll stomp all over anyone or anything to get it. She’s at the top of the “food chain,” as she puts it. Enter David, a shy, awkward, withdrawn boy who thinks he might have a chance with Cass because she was nice to him one day. So he asks her out, and she turns him down spectacularly. He later finds a note from Cass to a friend, making fun of David asking her out… she couldn’t believe that someone so low on the food chain would ask her out.

This humiliation is enough to put David over the edge, and he hangs himself from a tree in his front yard. David’s brother Kyle blames Cass for his death and plots an amazing, horrifying revenge. As the police try to unravel the mystery of what happened to Cass, time is running out for her. She must use all her wits to keep herself alive.

You will be gasping for air along with Cass as you read this suspenseful psychological thriller. This book was published in 2006, but don’t discount it because it’s not new. You will be glued to your seat and unable to put this down—make sure your homework is done before you start. Pick it up at your local bookstore, or better yet, check it out of your local library.

When you finish this book, check out Gail Giles’ other books: Dead Girls Don’t Write Letters, Playing in Traffic, and Right Behind You at any CADL location. Most of her books are for high school students. She also has a website where her humor and sarcasm come through. You can learn a lot of quirky things about Alaska, where she lived for a few years.

Go find a copy of What Happened to Cass McBride, read it, and post your comments on a great suspenseful read for high school students.

A New Harry Potter Book?

Well… almost. Those of you who read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows might remember the book that Dumbledore left Hermione in his will – a collection of Wizard fairy-tales that revealed the legend of the Deathly Hallows. That book contained other stories, but we never got the chance to read them… until now! The Tales of Beedle the Bard will include five complete short stories, written and illustrated by J.K. Rowling herself, with notes by Albus Dumbledore. The worldwide publication date is set for December 4, but you can place your hold today by clicking here.

Summer Blockbuster Edition: DARK KNIGHT vs. BIG RED

Two furious-fisted comic book heroes are duking it out at the box office this summer!

In corner one, we have Hellboy, star of Hellboy II: The Golden Army, from creator Mike Mignola and director Guillermo Del Toro (Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth). Hellboy’s tale began with the graphic novel Seed of Destruction. The most recent volume, number eight, is Darkness Calls. The Weird Tales and B.P.R.D. series expand Hellboy’s universe, and there’s also an impressively huge art book called (surprise, surprise) The Art of Hellboy.

In corner two, we have the Batman, star of The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins). In addition to the novelization by bat-scribe Dennis O’Neil, we’ve got enough Batman-related books to fill multiple bat-caves! The Dark Knight Archives are perfect for anyone who wants to see how Batman really began … but if the film left you in the mood for more Joker, try Batman: Secrets or No Man’s Land, Vol. 5. You can also check out Batman: Faces, for a great Two-Face story.

Still hungry for more movie-related multimedia? You can investigate The X-Files with Mulder and Scully, groove out to the Mamma Mia! soundtrack, keep an eye on the Watchmen, learn to draw Wall-E, raid the Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, or even take a Journey to the Center of the Earth.

It’s all here at your local CADL location!