Owning It: Our Disabled Childhoods… in Our Own Words

Campbell, Jen, editor. Owning It: Our Disabled Childhoods… in Our Own Words. 2025. 368p. ISBN 9780571380022.

Owning It is an essential anthology of twenty-two autobiographical stories that capture the experience of growing up with a disability. It serves as a vital companion for young people with disabilities, who may often feel isolated, even when surrounded by supportive friends and family. This collection of stories offers a sense of shared experience, showcasing firsthand accounts of navigating common childhood challenges, from participating in school sports and dealing with the awkwardness of being given free items, to balancing hospital visits with a social life.

Owning It provides a powerful and much-needed perspective for both disabled and non-disabled readers. For children with disabilities, the stories offer a welcome sense of community and validation. For their non-disabled peers, the collection provides an invaluable "own-voice" perspective, helping to build empathy and understanding. Through these honest and intimate stories, the anthology creates a bridge of connection, highlighting what it's truly like to grow up with a disability.

Kid Olympians: Winter: True Tales of Childhood from Champions and Game Changers

Stevenson, Robin. Kid Olympians: Winter: True Tales of Childhood from Champions and Game Changers. 2025. 240p. ISBN 9781683693932.

All over the world, athletes dedicate their lives to breaking records and defying incredible odds to compete in the winter games—and many of these champions began dreaming and training when they were kids. Kid Olympians: Winter explores the childhood stories of these legendary athletes, providing an intimate look at their early dedication and drive.

The book highlights the surprising and inspiring beginnings of legends such as figure skater Michelle Kwan, who was so dedicated that she slept in her skating clothes to steal a few extra minutes before her pre-dawn lessons. Readers will also meet Cindy Ouellet, one of the few remarkable athletes to have competed in both the Winter and Summer Paralympics, and speed skater Apolo Ohno, who was initially inspired to take up the sport after seeing the speed skaters look like superheroes.

Featuring accessible, kid-friendly text and vibrant, full-color illustrations, this book is designed to inspire readers to dream bigger, faster, and higher than ever before. Readers who enjoy learning about young athletes and those who love sports biographies will find these stories to be motivating, featuring role models filled with dedication, hard work, and overcoming challenges. The focus on the early lives of famous winter sports stars makes it a highly appealing and encouraging book for aspiring competitors.

Naruto, Vol. 36: Cell Number 10

Kishimoto, Masashi. Naruto, Vol. 36: Cell Number 10. 2011. 192p. ISBN 9781421521725. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

The battle against the Akatsuki, which proceeds in Naruto, Vol. 35, reaches a fever pitch as Asuma’s new team and the former members of Cell Number 10 (Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji) confront Hidan. A fanatic and sadistic warrior, Hidan possesses a terrifying, ritualistic ability that makes him perhaps the most unstoppable foe the Konoha ninja have ever encountered. As the fight turns desperate, it becomes clear that this encounter could mean the tragic end for one of Naruto’s longest-standing and most beloved allies.

While the battle rages, the wider world is thrown into chaos as the Akatsuki finally begins to reveal its master plan for the Tailed Beasts. As Naruto pushes himself through grueling training to prepare for the growing threat, the loss on the battlefield forces the young ninja of the Leaf Village to grow up faster than they ever imagined. The lines are drawn, and the stage is set for a massive confrontation that will reshape the future of the ninja world.

The story continues in Naruto, Vol. 37. 

Rising Tide

Shaara, Jeff. The Rising Tide. Book 1 of the World War II: 1939-1945 series. 2006. 576p. ISBN 9780345461414.

During 1941, as Hitler's armies swept across Europe, England stood as a lone holdout. The global conflict expanded dramatically when Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor drew America into the war. The United States joined its British ally to fight against Japanese conquest in the Pacific and to turn the tide against the German forces in Europe. The early battles of this new alliance were fought in the harsh deserts of North Africa and the rugged landscape of Sicily. It was here that new forms of warfare, like massive tank battles and the deployment of paratroopers, were tested in a way the world had never seen before. These campaigns began to shift the momentum of the war, paving the way for the decisive Allied invasion of France.

Rising Tide provides an intimate look at the heroic and tragic figures who shaped this conflict, from the well-known to the obscure. It paints a vivid picture of key military leaders, including the efficient administrator Dwight D. Eisenhower and his subordinates, such as the clashing personalities of George Patton and Bernard Montgomery. The narrative also features the brilliant German general Erwin Rommel, known as "the Desert Fox," who handed the Americans a humiliating early defeat. Through the perspectives of soldiers, from tank drivers to paratroopers, the story brings the battles to life in stunning detail, offering a deeper understanding of the individuals who fought in this monumental global war.

Grounded in archives and discussions with surviving veterans, Rising Tide vividly describes the North African and Sicilian campaigns, as well as the experiences of living through war. Fans of military history will appreciate this exploration of the Mediterranean as a battlefield during the Second World War. 

Gettysburg: Great Battles

Smith, Adam. Gettysburg: Great Battles. 2025. 662 minutes. ISBN 9781696618083.

The battle of Gettysburg, which occurred in the middle of the American Civil War, is often deemed to have been the high water mark of the Confederacy. In Gettysburg, a historical analysis of this battle in July 1863 places this confrontation between the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Virginia within the broader context of the Civil War. It explains how this unplanned and bloody encounter became a pivotal moment with dramatically high stakes for both the North and the South. In the years following the conflict, Gettysburg was then re-imagined and romanticized, becoming a microcosm of the war itself. This narrative, Gettysburg argues, served the interests of both sides: Confederates could believe that different tactical choices would have led to victory, while Northerners could attribute their win to valor rather than simply to superior resources.

The summary also emphasizes that the war and the Battle of Gettysburg were fundamentally about slavery. While the battle's history has been shaped by various interpretations, its true significance lies in its role in the ultimate defeat of the Confederacy. Gettysburg also highlights Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, delivered just four months after the fighting, and his hope that the Union victory would lead to a "new birth of freedom." 

Fans of history will appreciate this overview of the battle, what led to it, and, more importantly, the impact it still has in American society. The ongoing historical debate about the battle continues to reflect a deeper contest over the meaning of this freedom.

The Champagne War

McIntosh, Fiona. The Champagne War. 2020. 413p. ISBN 9780143795452. 

In the summer of 1914, tensions that have been simmering for years flare into all-out conflict as the First World War begins. Vigneron Jerome Méa, certain he’ll be home by Christmas, heads off to war. His new bride, Sophie, a rebellious, fifth-generation champenoise (champagne maker), remains behind in Épernay, her ancestral manor in France. She is fiercely determined to ensure that the forthcoming vintages will stand as a testament to their love and the powerful resilience of the people of Épernay, especially its strong women. As the years of the Great War drag on, however, Sophie receives devastating news: authorities advise that Jerome is missing and presumed dead.

Meanwhile, when poison gas is first deployed in Belgium, British chemist Charles Nash immediately enlists. After being injured, he is brought to Reims, where Sophie has helped establish an underground hospital deep within the dark, ancient champagne cellars. In the confined, evocative darkness, their stirring emotions take both Sophie and Charles by surprise. While Sophie tirelessly battles to keep her vineyard operating through relentless bombings and the war’s hardships, a critical sugar shortage forces her to strike a dangerous bargain with an untrustworthy acquaintance. However, nothing will ultimately test her courage more than the final, harrowing news that filters through regarding the true fate of her heroic Jerome.

Fans of historical fiction and romance, particularly those set during World War I. will enjoy this story, which features a resilient, determined female protagonist and a narrative set against a unique, evocative historical backdrop. The Champagne War successfully combines themes of wartime sacrifice, lost love, moral compromise, and the perseverance of tradition and community during global conflict.

The Chimera

Roger, Matt. The Chimera. Book 2 of the Black Forces Shorts series. 2018. 132p. ISBN 9781980540281.

For months, a chilling secret has been hidden high in the mountains of Bhutan, within the ancient, abandoned depths of a monastery. Here, a sinister group of individuals is tirelessly slaving away at makeshift workstations to concoct a terrifying pathogen: The Chimera virus.

Meanwhile, Colt Griffin, an ambitious former Special Forces operative, is in the midst of a personal journey in Bhutan's Paro Valley, attempting to find himself before embarking on a career in government black operations. His solitude is shattered when he is contacted by the mysterious organization known as Black Force. Colt is informed that the paramilitary group responsible for creating the Chimera is about to escape the monastery with the virus, which could unleash global catastrophe. Despite his lack of formal experience in black operations, Colt is identified as the only person capable of successfully infiltrating and storming the isolated, heavily fortified monastery in time. His first unexpected mission becomes a brutal race against the clock, carrying the weight of the world, and it may very well be his last ...

Fans of military thrillers and high-octane action adventure enjoy the exotic, remote setting of Bhutan, which provides a unique and visually compelling backdrop for intense paramilitary action. The plot elements of a biological weapons threat, a secret organization, and relentless action make it a gripping read for anyone seeking a fast-paced story with global stakes.