Joint Review: Mojo by Tim Tharp

by:  Tim Tharp
published by:  Knopf Books for Young Readers
publish date:  April 9, 2013

All Dylan wants is mojo. What is mojo? It's power. The ability to command respect. It's everything Dylan doesn't have. He gets no respect at school, and when he finds the dead body of a classmate, even the police push him around. All the thanks he gets for trying to help the investigation with his crime drama skills is a new nickname at school: Body Bag. So when Dylan hears about a missing rich girl from the other side of town, he jumps at the chance to dive into this mystery. Surely if he cracks a case involving a girl this beautiful and this rich, he'll get not only a hefty cash reward, but the mojo he's looking for. 
I think the summary I read (which is not the one above) led me to expect something totally different.  I was expecting a much darker book.  I wasn't disappointed though, it turned out to be a nice little YA mystery. 

The audiobook is narrated by Jesse Bernstein, who isn't my favorite audiobook narrator because I find him to be kind of juvenile.  However, he worked for this book.  I thought he captured the characters well, especially Randy. 

I would definitely recommend this one to the mystery fans among the YA readers.  I thought it was a fun book.

I, too, was expecting a completely different book.  I really enjoyed it.  I think the thing that appealed to me the most was the main character.  Dylan isn't the most popular kid.  He is just your average teen trying to make it through high school intact.  He isn't spoiled and has parents that pay attention to him.  Even if he thinks they are lame.  It's a real coming of age story.  Through the mystery, he learns who is true friends are and what is really important in life.  Mojo isn't all it's cracked up to be.  

I will say that I kind of had parts of the mystery figured out before the reveal, there were still a couple of surprises.  The other characters in the book were great as well.   I also found some great LOL moments in the book.  Like Autumn said, it's a fun book and definitely one you shouldn't miss!