Katzenjammer

Gr 9 Up–Cat’s always been different and an outcast, but she hasn’t always had a porcelain face. She’s not sure how that happened. She’s also not sure why she’s stuck living inside her high school with her classmates. Cat struggles to remember her past. While life is completely different, some things never change and the classmates have divided themselves into cliques. The teen begins to remember small pieces of her life before—pleasant memories like drawing, mixed with terrible memories of being bullied. She remembers meeting her best friend and how everything changed between them. But when one of the students is murdered, Cat takes it upon herself to find the culprit. She attempts to collaborate with the popular students—unsuccessfully. But she’s determined to uncover the murderer if it’s the last thing she does. Zappia’s novel is a dark story with dual time lines that come together quite nicely. While the book is filled with quirky characters, they are also vicious. Themes for the book include: harassment, bullying, sibling rivalry, art, friendship, and romance. The black-and-white illustrations add to the creepy atmosphere of the plot.