Rose Queen (Missing Persons, 1)

Rating:
Summary: Nancy Drew meet Judy Blume
Review: A sure hit for any pre-teen girl. They'll click off that TV for this cross between Nancy Drew and Judy Blume with a refreshing Jewish-girl-from-Queens flavor. Great pacing, suspense, and dry humor all conspire to make this one a page turner. Even tired 35 year olds who WISH they were 17 will stay up past their bedtime to make sure that Sam and
Sophie are OK in the end.

Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: M.E. Rabb is just fabulous! I can't remember the last time I was so excited about a new author. This story is funny and action-packed. I was up half the night finishing it. I can hardly wait to start the next one. Keep them coming!

Rating:
Summary: First book in an original new teen series.
Review: Orphaned now that their father is dead, the Shattenberg sisters, 17-year-old Samantha ("Sam") and 15-year-old Sophie know that their stepmother, who hates them, will take all of their father's money. Worse, they find she plans to send Sophie far away to boarding school. They decide to take their father's money, which should rightfully be theirs, and run away. They get new identities, leave their home in Queens, and head for the small town of Venice, Indiana, where they hope to start new lives. It's quite a challenge adjusting to life in a rural Midwestern town after living all their lives in the city. And shortly after they arrive, Noelle, a popular 16-year-old girl from Venice, disappears -- and Sophie and Sam are the prime suspects! Can Sophie and Sam find Noelle before it's too late, and keep their own true identities hidden?

I loved this first book in this new mystery series for teens. The plot was very original for a teen series. I particuarly enjoyed the writing style -- Sophie narrates the story in a witty, chatty voice, adding humor to the story. I highly recommend this new series to teens.

Rating:
Summary: Delightful New Mystery Series for Teens
Review: Seventeen-year-old Samantha (Sam) Shattenberg and her fifteen-year-old sister, Sophie, know exactly what they have to do when their beloved Father passes away, leaving them with his new wife, their evil stepmother. So, the two Queens, New York, natives create new lives for themselves. New identities, personalities, the works, and head to tiny Venice, Indiana. Everything is going fine for the two sisters there. They've met some new friends who couldn't be nicer, they both have steady jobs, and they're living in a quaint little house for not too much rent. But when Noelle McBride, a sixteen-year-old native of Venice, and Sophie's newest enemy, as well as the girl who is a shoe-in for this year's title of Rose Queen, Sam and Sophie are blamed with kidnapping her, and are at risk of their secret being found out. So the two of them decide to become detectives, and solve this little mystery themselves.

M.E. Rabb is a wonderful new voice in teen fiction who will be extremely well-received by male and female teen readers alike. The characters of Sam and Sophie are cute, and funny, as well as quirky and determined. Their contrasting personalities will have readers being able to identify with one or both of them, and their first adventure is sure to hook readers into reading the next books in the series. Overall this was a delightful new mystery, and I look forward to reading more books from the MISSING PERSONS series in the very near future.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

Rating:
Summary: Sophie Rules!!!!!!!!
Review: Sophie and Sam are two girls from New York City who lost their parents. To escape the clutches of their stepmother Enid they drive to Indiana and settle in a tiny town called Venice. They get blamed when a girl in town disappears and decide to solve the case. This is a great mystery for all ages and is very interesting. Look out Nancy Drew!!!

Rating:
Summary: Two Thumbs Up!
Review: This book is excellent. I couldn't wait to read it just from skimming the back cover. The book is hip, modern, and suspensful. The book is a 2004 Nancy Drew mystery for young adults. I love the way it's written for it actually has high school/college vocabulary in it. I was highly impressed with the novel. I'm so glad M.E. Rabb has started a series for I can't wait to pick up the second one.

Rating:
Summary: Funny!
Review: This book made me laugh so much. The book is about two teenagers, Sophie and Samantha from New York City who run away from home. They go to Indiana and are in hiding from their stepmother. Their experiences trying to stay hidden in the small town are hysterical. The book also touches on some topics that are not so funny, like their sadness over losing their parents. It also has romance in it, which i think is the perfect mix. This book is worth your time and a book you will regret for passing up. I bought the second one too and can't wait to read it.