AU REVOIR, CRAZY EUROPEAN CHICK by Joe Schreiber

Perry is finishing his senior year of high school near New York City.  His family has hosted a foreign exchange student from Lithuania this school year, and Perry's mother is making him take Gobi (the Lithuanian student) to prom.  When Gobi decides to attend prom in a traditional Lithuanian costume, Perry is ready for a night of ridicule and humiliation.  However, the night turns out nothing like he planned.  Gobi is not really an 18-year-old exchange student; she is really a trained assassin from Lithuania and forces Perry to drive into Manhattan so she can complete the killings she has been planning for the last 9 months.

This is one of the few books that I've read in one sitting.  It is predictable and unrealistic, but great fun.  The tone is one of light-hearted escapism--even with the violence and serious motivations of Gobi. 

THE WORLD BENEATH by Cate Kennedy

Teenager Sophie does not know her father, Rich, but when he suddenly contacts her and invites her to join him on a 6 day backpacking trip through the Tasmanian wilderness, Sophie agrees.  Sandy, Sophie's mother, is suspicious of Rich but reluctantly agrees to the trip.  As the hike begins, Sophie soon realizes that her father is not quite the outdoorsman that he thinks he is, and this over-confidence leads to a disastrous chain of events on the trip.  The story is told through the alternating perspectives of Sophie, Rich, and Sandy as each presents him/herself to other people as something other than what they are actually feeling.  Each has the desperate need to connect to others but struggle with how to do that. 

I enjoyed the book and couldn't put it down during the last 75 pages or so.  I found the main characters to be a little irritating, but I think that was deliberate on the part of the author.   Sophie will appeal to teen readers, but adults will identify with Sandy's and Rich's struggles with with middle age and the lost dreams of youth.

THE WATCH THAT ENDS THE NIGHT: VOICES FROM THE TITANIC by Allan Wolf

This novel in verse form tells the story of the Titanic from around 25 perspectives.  We follow passengers from first, second, and third class including millionaire John Astor,  a young boy from Scotland, and a teenage girl from Lebanon.  We also follow crew members including the captain, the ship's wireless operator, and the ship's baker.  Sprinkled throughout are verses from the ship's rat and the iceberg as it awaits the ship.  The writer successfully builds suspense even though we know the eventual outcome.  But we keep reading wondering what happens to these passengers and crew members we come to know and care about.  Who survives? Notes at the end of the book present the known facts about the people that this historical fiction is based on.

The sinking of the Titanic continues to intrigue us.  The format of this book makes it a quick read with much emotional impact, but the historical accuracy is not compromised.  Highly recommended.