The Bold Bookmark

Another week, another Mystery Book Drop at CKMS!

This week’s mystery books included:

Dungeons & Drama, by Kristy Boyce. I admittedly knew almost nothing about D&D before reading this one (other than that my son is starting to get into it), but after reading this and Boyce’s Dating & Dragons, I’m starting to understand the appeal (though I learned that a D20 die is not particularly easy to draw…)! Yes, this leans into classic “fake dating” and “enemies to lovers” territory — but those tropes exist for a reason! This was a genuinely sweet, fun read.

The Island #1: Shipwreck, by Gordon Korman. Korman remains one of the absolute masters of getting readers invested in characters almost immediately. Personally, I prefer when all parts of a story are contained in one book because I hate reaching a cliffhanger and realizing I now need to track down book two immediately. But there’s no denying this format works well for many readers, especially those who prefer faster-paced, shorter books. This one packs a lot of adventure into a quick read.

The Stream Team, by E.C. Myers. I’m trying to include at least one graphic novel in each Drop to appeal to as many different readers as possible. I was slightly intimidated drawing the game controller and headset for this one, but I ended up really liking how it turned out!

One Wrong Step, by Jennifer A. Nielsen. Historical fiction continues to be incredibly popular with students. For readers who love authors like Alan Gratz and want something with a similar high-stakes feel, books by Jennifer Nielsen (and Andy Marino) are excellent choices.

Faces blurred for student privacy.