YA, nice voice. The kid's newfound interest in old movies is well done--it integrates with the story but isn't heavy handed. ( )

Dani (13) lives in a nothing of a town and is obsessed with 1940s noir film. Her parents are recently divorced, after her father cheated on her mother, and is now living with the "other woman."
Now she discovers that her older high school friend Jackson, who is dating her older former babysitter friend Elissa, is possibly cheating on her.
Dani decides to become a 1940s style detective, find proof of his cheating, and save Elissa.
The book suffers from two problems. One should be a problem for anyone, the other, maybe just a problem for me and those like me.
The "case of the possibly cheating Jackson" is presented like a mystery to be solved. But everything that appears perfectly obvious from the outset turns out to be exactly as the reader assumed it would be. No surprise.
Personally, I enjoy books with likable main characters. This is even more pronounced with the book is told in the first person, as so many YA books are. I need to like the person telling the tale. Dani is not very likable. She's selfish, inconsiderate, and smart-alecky. By the end of the book, she's acknowledged some of these aspects of her personality, but she certainly doesn't redeem herself.
So: Writing good, plot, so-so, protagonist, nope. ( )

Kat Rosenfield, author of Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone (a great book, by the way) spoke AmeliaAnneto a group of YA librarians the other day (http://2headstogether.wordpress.com/2012/07/16/2-short-ones-from-two-heads-together/). Amelia Anne was her debut novel and although it's been up for some awards, such as the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Mystery, I'd still consider Ms. Rosenfield an 'under the radar' author. So, I asked her for some other under the radar authors and she recommended Nova Ren Suma, describing her as 'literary'. Ms. Suma has written four books one of which is housed in our children's area and the rest in Young Adult.

DaniNoirI started with her debut novel Dani Noir, the children's book and will read them in order of publication. Although I probably wouldn't classify it as 'literary', it was certainly well written and totally enjoyable. Danielle (Dani) Callanzano's life is in turmoil. Her parents are recently divorced (after her father cheated on her mother). Her father is remarrying. Her mother is constantly crying and Dani can't forgive her father. She's spending her summer at the Little Arts Theater in upstate Shanosha, NY watching Noir movies and envisioning her life as movie scenes, with Rita Hayworth as the femme fatale. Dani definitely has trust issues...if her father lied to her, who else is lying to her.

When Dani sees a girl with polka dot leggings leaving the theater projection booth (manned by Jackson, who is Dani's friend Elissa's boyfriend) Dani goes into noir mystery mode, trying to find out what the story is. Along the way, she learns a few things about herself, about friends, life and love.

Now, if you've learned anything about me from reading this blog it's that I'm totally into pulp mysteries. (I found a few more anthologies to add to my collection. Some people, Susan, might call me obsessed.) And guess what...some of those pulp era mysteries (The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, Laura, The Postman Always Rings Twice) have been made into some of the best movies. So, not only did I read a fun book, but I came away with a list of 17 Noir movies I need to watch. (I'm starting out with Gilda (with Rita Hayworth) and The Postman Always Rings Twice (with Lana Turner). If these stars don't qualify as femme fatales, I don't know who would.)

I am totally looking forward to reading Ms. Suma's second book, Imaginary Girls. ( )

I ended up enjoying this children's middle-grade novel once I realized that it wasn't really a mystery. Dani, the titular classic movie-lover (she worships Rita Hayworth) and amateur sleuth, spends the summer trying to figure out if Jackson, the older boy working at the movie theater in their small town, who Dani has connected with over old films, is cheating on his girlfriend. This matters not just because she likes Jackson and his girlfriend, but because Dani's still dealing (or not dealing) with the fact that her dad cheated on her mom and is now living with his new girlfriend and her daughter. Most readers will know right away that Jackson is cheating on his girlfriend, so it's not really a mystery -- it's more about Dani learning to accept that sometimes people you care about let you down, but that doesn't mean you stop caring about them, or them about you. She also learns a little more about not taking people for granted, not being selfish and blind to the needs of others (friends and family).

As this book is mostly a character-driven novel, it succeeds or fails based on whether you are invested in Dani or not. I think Dani is great character with a very unique voice -- she wants to be inscrutable and haughty like Hayworth, but instead she comes off as prickly and self-centered (and she is), but she remains likable. She does a lot of growing up in this book, but it‰ÃƒÂ›Ã‚ªs really the amazing descriptive, unique writing that makes this book. I think this is a stand-out title, as long as you know right off the bat that it isn't really a mystery (which disappointed me for about 50 pages once I figured that out).

Also, how great is this cover? It includes important images from the book (the movie marquee, the purple tights) and captures the kiddie noir feeling of Dani's narrative with the angles and the lighting. Perfect. ( )

I liked Dani's passion for old movies and old movie stars as well as her flair for the dramatic. She is dealing with issues, growing and changing but refreshingly lacking in the heavy angst of teen novels. ( )