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I haven't been reading that many books in the suspense genre lately, a disappointing fact I believe is due to the seemingly endless amount of picture books and middle grade fantasy fiction I still have to review, so this weekend I was determined to finish two that have been on my shelves for quite awhile, one young adult, one adult. Gotta get some more book shelf space cleared off before my little guy arrives!

Fakie, written by Tony Varrato is a very small book in size (at least the ARC I received was), but packs quite the punch. It's filled with action, from the moment the first page is opened and I was sucked in, quickly turning pages throughout the entire novel.

Several years ago, Alex Miller witnessed something he shouldn't have and as a result, a very dangerous man landed behind bars and Alex and his mother had no choice but to enter the Witness Relocation Program. They've moved countless times, and taken on many different identities, determined not to let such an evil man ever catch up with them. Alex's latest home is in Virginia Beach, where he has taken on the persona of a typical teen, slightly obsessed with skateboarding. He makes friends pretty quickly and manages to blend in very well, the ultimate trick to remaining in one place for more time. Unfortunately, the bad guys are close on Alex's trail and will stop at nothing to silence Alex forever.

If you have a reluctant reader in the house, namely a male one, this is a book to definitely put in their hands. It's short, coming in at only 143 pages and is so fast paced, the story just flies by. I think I finished this one in less than an hour! It was very enjoyable and one for the library shelves.

Forsaken, my adult selection in the suspense category is written by James David Jordan and set to be published in October of this year. It follows Taylor Pasbury, a former Secret Service agent, who has started her own security business and is subsequently given a very high profile first client. Simon Mason is a world famous televangelist who has begun receiving numerous threats from Muslim terrorists, needing Taylor to protect him and his family.

When the terrorists make good on one of their threats, Taylor and Simon both realize what is at stake in each of their lives. Both possess more than a few secrets and as fear levels get higher, some of those secrets are bound to come out. Taylor must work harder than she ever imagined to keep Simon and his family alive, not to mention herself.

The beginning of this novel started out great, describing the events that led Taylor to pursue the life she now leads. It was exciting and engaging until about the middle of the book, where I felt it stalled a bit. Taylor's character seemed a bit unbelievable at times, in her actions and dialog, though emotionally she also could come off as very real. Just me being nit-picky probably! Though, with the amount of books I read and review, it's hard not to be nit-picky! Overall, I did enjoy the book and if you are a fan of Christan suspense, you probably will too.

by Renee Kirchner, Teaching Tips Contributing Editor

We’ve all read tall tales before. The legends of Paul Bunyan and John Henry are examples of tall tales. The accomplishments of the hero in the story are larger than life or exaggerated. Read a few tall tales with your students so they can become familiar with the genre. Here are some good ones to start with:

Paul Bunyan by Steven Kellogg. HarperCollins Publishers, June 1985.

The story of the larger-than-life lumberjack, Paul Bunyan, is familiar to many children. Steven Kellogg writes about all of Paul’s exciting adventures with Babe the Blue Ox. His illustrations bring the book to life.

American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osborne. Random House Children’s Books, September 1991.

Nine folk heroes are introduced in this collection of tall tales by Mary Pope Osborne. Readers will meet Johnny Appleseed, John Henry, Paul Bunyan, and many others. The exaggerated stories of their adventures will delight children.

Dona Flor: A Tall Tale about a Giant Lady with a Great Big Heart.by Pat Mora. Alfred A. Knopf, October 2005.

Readers will meet, Dona Flor, in this tall tale about a giant woman. She makes giant tortillas for everyone to eat and they can use the leftovers as rafts and she lets children use her giant flowers as trumpets. When a large lion threatens the village, Flora sets off to find it.

Tall tales all have one thing in common - they’re probably as much fun to write, as they are to read. Why don’t you try your hand at writing a tall tale, or at least the beginning of a tall tale? We’ve written the start of the first sentence, now all you have to do is fill in the rest. Whether you write one sentence, a paragraph, or a whole story, make sure that you exaggerate. See how wild your imagination is.

1. Dan Magallan and his horse traveled the country _______________________________.

2. The locomotive sped toward the car that was stalled on the train track. It would take a miracle to save the driver. Suddenly __________________________.

3. A long time ago in a land far, far away there was a knight who was braver than all of the men in the land. He was called the dragon slayer and he _____________________.

4. The giant waves of the hurricane were no match for ____________________________.

5. Big Tex rode a twenty foot rattle snake when he came into town _________________.

6. Giovanni, the pizza maker was legendary in these parts. He used to ______________.

7. Leo the Great could tame any wild beast. He rounded up the wild animals of the jungle and _________________________________________________.

8. Billy Bob had an amazing set of lungs. He could blow all of the sand out of the Sahara Desert. With one breath, he could suck up all of the water in Lake Michigan. These amazing powers came in very handy when ______________________________________.