A book where you can't judge a book by its cover. I went into this book not even having read the flap (why can no info be on the back anymore) so to be honest I wasn't expecting anything, but by the cover I definitely wasn't expecting what I had ended up with. I even had to look at the cover of the book again to see if anything at all on there related to the book.. okay, the scissors I'll give you, the slight scrapbook style I will give you.. but for real, I think it could have been done so much better!

Onto the book - started out quite fast paced, and kept on trucking. Almost felt like Erick (oh my gosh I just read it and cant remember how to spell his name) shined brighter than her star .. I mean, really he was just super awesome!

The concept of the book was sweet though and I really enjoyed reading it (minus a few flaws I didn't like.. there was some meat in there I felt could have been trimmed) but it was streamlined well enough for my taste and it'll keep you interested straight through to the end. A definitely good read! ( )

A rich and complex teen novel that seamlessly combines American history, teenage angst, grief over losing loved ones, romance, a teensy bit of mystery, and a touch of the supernatural. After her brother is found dead with drugs in his system, Megan is left with a lot of questions. How could this happen?!?! Her brother didn't even drink. She has to get to the bottom of it, she's not going to let her brother's name get slandered. A curious ability developed after his death is helping her investigate. When she picks up certain objects she can see visions or memories associated with it. Armed with her new ability and two male friends, she sets off to get to the bottom, and in the process finds her wrapped up in a Abraham Lincoln conspiracy. It seems random and jumbled, but trust me, it just works. A fun and unique story. ( )

Literary Merit: Great
Characterization: Good
Recommended: Yes
Level: Middle Grades

Megan is blindsided by her brother’s death and if that wasn’t tragic enough the autopsy report says it was an overdose. Megan has to work through the grief and uses his things to do so. But when she touches his things, she can see the memory attached. This launches Megan into searching for who her brother really was and what was he doing to get himself killed. Using her new super power, seeing the memories attached to things, takes a toll on her well-being. Can she stand the horrible headaches long enough to find out what happen to her brother? ( )

Megan's brother Tyler was found dead in an abandoned building in an area of town where he would never go. And the autopsy report shows he died of an overdose. No way would Tyler be doing drugs. Now Megan is on a search to find out what really happened to her brother. As she is collecting Tyler's things from his locker and his car, when she touches certain objects, she gets hit with a flash of striking pain and sees visions of Tyler and events that have happened in the past. At first, she has no idea what is happening to her, but with the help of Dr. Brightman, a university professor who has the same condition, she is able to understand what is happening to her. Not every object she touches has this effect on her, but the ones that hold the strongest memories each give her a piece of a puzzle about what happened to Tyler. As she digs deeper in the mystery, she discovers there are people involved in Tyler's life and death who she never would have suspected, and whose lives will be ruined when the truth is told. But Megan wants her brother's name to be cleared, and she is willing to put herself on the line to do it. This book had me hooked from the first page. There are several interesting elements in this book, and they all come together in the end. One of the most intriguing ideas for me in the story was the idea that all objects hold memories and pieces of us and our lives. Maybe that is why sometimes we hold on to objects after people we love have died; we can still feel the energy they left behind. I have never heard of anyone being able to see memories or energy from objects, but that would be an interesting way to see the past. Good book and interesting ideas to think about. ( )

I am not a fan of magical realism, but I thought I would give "The Hidden Memory of Objects" a go as sounded promising and had good reviews on Goodreads, but I didn't like it. The pacing was wrong, Megan was a mess as a protagonist and I found her visions ridiculous. Not for me. ( )