Snowden: Review Haiku

A primer, with an
agenda. Is he a
patriot? Or traitor?

Snowden by Ted Rall. Seven Stories Press, 2015, 224 pages.

To Catch a Cheat: Review Haiku

The Baby Rat Pack
is back, with new enemies
but the same swagger.

To Catch a Cheat by Varian Johnson. Levine/Scholastic, 2016, 256 pages.

Tricky Twenty-Two: Review Haiku

Too easy to figure
out, but the flea collars
were pretty inspired.

Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich. BDD, 2015, 304 pages.

Most Dangerous: Review Haiku

As election season
starts, remember how bad
politics can be.

Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin. Roaring Brook, 2015, 370 pages.

All the Answers: Review Haiku

Just in time for
test season: a moral
meditation on ethics.

All the Answers by Kate Messner. Bloomsbury, 2015, 256 pages.

Seconds: Review Haiku

If she could turn back time . . .
she'd probably not tick off
the house spirit.

Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley. Ballantine, 2014, 336 pages.

IRL: Review Haiku

Gamer girl figures
out the rules aren't always
black-and-white. Hardcore smarts.

In Real Life/IRL by Cory Doctorow, illustrated by Jen Wang. First Second, 2014, 192 pages.

Shoplifter: Review Haiku

Personal fulfillment
in the modern workaday
world. Plus stealing.

Shoplifter by Michael Cho. Pantheon, 2014, 96 pages.

Petty Theft: Review Haiku

Weirdo novel about
weirdo people stealing books
and being French.

Petty Theft by Pascal Girard. Drawn & Quarterly, 2014, 104 pages.

Over Easy: Review Haiku

Eggs, bacon, cocaine --
just your average 1970s
diner fare.

Over Easy by Mimi Pond. Drawn & Quarterly, 2014, 272 pages.

Kill My Mother: Review Haiku

Crazypants fever
dream of a noir-ish mystery.
Femme fatales rule.

Kill My Mother by Jules Feiffer. Norton, 2014, 148 pages.

The Great Greene Heist: Review Haiku

Is it creepy that
I want Jackson to be my
boyfriend? Probably.

The Great Greene Heist by Varian Johnson. Scholastic/Levine, 2014, 240 pages.

Hole In My Life: Review Haiku

I know, I'm the last
one to read it -- and yes,
it's really that awesome.

Hole In My Life by Jack Gantos. FSG, 2004, 208 pages.

The Life of Ty: Review Haiku

Hard-luck kid tries to
do the right thing. It doesn't
quite work out that way.

The Life of Ty: Penguin Problems by Lauren Myracle. Dutton, 2013, 128 pages.

Wanderville: Review Haiku

Sweetly old-fashioned,
like a Mickey Rooney/
Judy Garland movie.

Wanderville by Wendy McClure. Razorbill, 2014, 211 pages.

Bad Houses: Review Haiku

Love among the ruins:
estate sales and hoarding,
graphically told.

Bad Houses by Sara Ryan, illustrated by Carla Speed McNeill. Dark Horse Comics, 2013, 160 pages.

Genius: Review Haiku

Publish or perish
with Einsteinian background.
Moody and thoughtful.

Genius by Steven T. Seagle. First Second, 2013, 128 pages.

Zero Tolerance: Review Haiku

Smart, thoughtful, and real
take on mistakes and their
consequences. Good stuff.

Zero Tolerance by Claudia Mills. FSG, 2013, 232 pages.

P.S. EXCEPT EXCEPT EXCEPT: Anne Frank died in Bergen-Belsen, not Auschwitz, as claimed on page 161. This is a) widely known; and b) TOTALLY EASY TO FACT-CHECK. RAAAAAGE.

Pastors' Wives: Review Haiku

Praise the Lord and pass
the sweet tea: rich, nuanced
women of/not of God.

Pastors' Wives by Lisa Takeuchi Cullen. Plume, 2013, 368 pages.

Moxie and the Art of Rule Breaking: Review Haiku

Fast-paced what-if mixes
Whitey, lost Gardner art,
and Boston landmarks.

Moxie and the Art of Rule Breaking by Erin Dionne. Dial, 2013, 256 pages.