The Story of Nike

Hays, Scott. The Story of Nike. 2000. 48p. ISBN 978-1-58340-006-0. 338.7 HAY on the library shelves.

When Philip Knight decided to write a graduate-level paper on how to design and sell track shoes, he had no idea it would lead to the creation of Nike, one of the world’s best-known shoes and sports apparel company.

From its humble origins in the early 1960s to today, Nike has grown from a one person operation selling shoes out of a car trunk to a multi-billion dollar corporation with enviable sales but a checkered record of labor and environmental violations in countries such as China, Vietnam and Indonesia. The story of Nike represents the American dream achieved at the expense of the rest of the world.

Portrait of a Marshal

Price, Lissa. Portrait of a Marshal. 2012. 30p. ISBN 0307978524. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

Jenna, the much-loved granddaughter of a Marshal, was killed after she became a donor at Prime Destination. Now the Marshal, out of leads with his private investigation and with more murders all linked to Prime, decides to go undercover and infiltrate the business. Can he discover who is killing Prime’s donors?

Told from the Marshal’s point of view, this short book provides an interesting view in the other side of of Starters and Enders series, especially the confrontation between the Marshal and the Old Man.

Zoe Letting Go

Price, Nora. Zoe Letting Go. 2012. 279p. ISBN 978-1-59514-466-9. FIC PRI on the library shelves.

Sixteen years old Zoe Propp is unceremoniously driven and dropped off by her mother at Twin Birch, a facility that welcomes teen dealing with anorexia. Zoe has no idea why she’s here. Surely this must be a mistake. The other five girls that are here clearly belong as their bones stick out and they are clearly too skinny. But she’s not. So why is she here, instead of back home spending the summer vacation with her best friend Elise?

Throughout her stay at Twin Birch, Zoe begins the process of exploring what has happened to herself and to Elise, and learns to deal with the other girls in the facility. She passes the time by writing letters to Elise, since telephone calls, cell phones, and the internet are not allowed. Will Zoe finally realize why she is here before it’s too late?

If you liked this book, consider reading Thirteen Reasons Why, Please Ignore Vera Dietz, We Were Liars, If I Stay, Black Box, The Vanishing Season, or Kiss of Broken Glass. All of these books feature a tragedy and a voyage of self-discovery as the central element of the plot.

Different Girl

Dahlquist, Gordon. The Different Girl. 2013. 240 p., ISBN 978-0424-42597-7. FIC DAH on the library shelves.

On a sunny desert island, four identical girls live and learn how to be girls. Veronika and her three sisters, Caroline, Isobel, and Eleanor, are robots, and they learn through a careful manipulation of their environment, their caregivers Irene and Robert always ready to encourage further questioning. The introduction of an unplanned variable, a shipwreck survivor is discovered by Veronika, changes their lives. The robots are confronted by a real girl, May, and the differences between the sisters and May become harder to explain. Can the girls, robot and human, learn to live together?

Though it is immediately clear to the reader that the girls are different, Dahlquist’s use of the first person allows a glimpse into Veronika’s learning and evolution from one of four into a unique individual with her own interests, developing a sense of right and wrong and drifting from her sisters as they acquire different knowledge. In what is assumed to be the first in a series, the action is slow to build, and even by the end it remains unclear what the purpose of the girls is, or why they were on the island. What the girls learn is intriguing, but without further hints in the writing about the wider world or what dangers dwell there for the robots, it may be hard for readers to stay with the story.

Heartbeat

Creech, Sharon. Heartbeat. 2004, 180p. ISBN 006-054023-0. FIC CRE on the library shelves.

Told in free verse, this short book packs a lesson in discovering the most unexpected in the smallest of life’s miracles. Anna likes to run barefoot in all seasons. She runs because she can, she runs for the pleasure of running. On her runs she is joined by Max, who runs with her part of the way. When she’s asked by her art teacher to draw an apple one hundred times over the next one hundred days, Anna is not sure her drawings will be any different. But as time passes, she notices details on the apple that she had not seen before. And with her grandfather slowly losing his mind, and the pregnancy of her mother, and Max’s anger and drive to win running competition, Anna realizes that everything becomes different when you look at it long enough. This is a book short on words, but not on life’s lessons.

The Moon and More

Dessen, Sarah. The Moon and More. 2013, 435p. ISBN 978-0-670-78560-5. FIC DES  on the library shelves.

It’s after graduation, and Emaline is making big plans. She’s heading to East U. with Luke, her boyfriend of three years. But she has one more summer to spend in Colby before making the big move. But in this too short of a time, her life changes completely. Her father, who has not been present in her life, returns to Colby to sell his aunt’s house and bring with him her half brother, Benji. She meets a new guy, Theo, at the same time as her relationship with Luke crashes. Her friends Daisy and Morris are also slowly floating away, getting ready to move beyond high school. Her work is busy and her step-sister Margo drives her insane. And, in the middle, is Clyde, the Colby artist Theo and his employer award-winning documentary director Ivy are here to film. The upheavals in Emaline’s life will make her a stronger person, and she may in the end find the moon and more, but only if she can survive the intense summer drama! 

For more Sarah Dessen, read my reviews of Lock and Key, and Saint Anything.

Death Cloud

Lane, Andrew. Death Cloud. 2010. 310p. ISBN 978-0-374-38767-9. Available at FIC LAN on the library shelves.

Young Sherlock Holmes is on break from school and staying with relatives in the country when he comes across the mysterious deaths of two men. The symptoms seem to indicate the plague, but there’s enough suspicious elements to prod Sherlock into investigating this mystery.

Quickly, Sherlock realizes that these men’s death is part of a conspiracy headed by a malevolent villain bent on bringing the British Empire to its knees for past grievances. Can Sherlock solve this puzzle in time to save himself and his friends from an unpleasant death?

Portrait of a Starter

Price, Lissa. Portrait of a Starter. 2012. 28p. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

This short story, told from Michael’s point of view, discusses what happens to Callie and himself during the two days prior to Callie going to Prime Destination for the first time. Drawing Callie while she sleeps, Michael cannot help but find the beauty in the girl living a homeless life with her younger brother. As he draws Callie over two days, he realizes that she is more to him than a friend, but he’s not sure how she feels about him. This a quick read to get a better portrait of one of the main characters of Starters and Enders.

Ship Breaker

Bacigualupi, Paolo. Ship Breaker. 2010, 326p. ISBN 978-0-316-05621-2. Available at FIC BAC on the library shelves.

In this dystopia, the Gulf Coast is where oil tankers went to die. Large crews work day and night removing oil, metals, and anything else that can be salvaged off these once proud ships just to earn enough for another day of hard labor. Teens are in high demand for hard of access spaces. Nailer works on a copper removal crew, eking out a harsh living with an angry father. When he discovers a richly equipped clipper crashed against the shore, Nailer is faced with a dilemma. Should he dismantle the ship in secret and become rich, or should he rescue the lone survivor, a wealthy girl who may lead him to a better life?

As Nailer decides to save the girl, many questions arise. Who is she? And why was she on board the ship? When armed assailants begin chasing them, Nailer is in the race of his life to save Nita and prevent her from falling into the wrong hands, either his father and his crew of low-life, or the criminals who are pursuing her.


A page turner from beginning to end, Ship Breaker will keep you on the edge as you run with Nailer and Nita. 

Fans of the dystopian novel will like this book, and might also enjoy the following: Arena 1, Starters, Maze Runner, Reboot, Not a Drop to Drink, Birthmarked and Divergent.

I Am the Messenger

Zusak, Markus. I Am the Messenger. 2002, 357p. ISBN 978-0375836671. Available as an

eBook on Overdrive.

Ed Kennedy leads a very ordinary life. At nineteen, he’s a cab driver without goals or ambitions. While others have continued on to school, or produced musical history, or discovered cures for diseases at nineteen, he’s stuck in his small city, with nowhere to go. Fortunately his friends Marv, Audrey, with whom he is hopelessly in love, and Ritchie are also going nowhere.

All that changes during a bank robbery, when Ed becomes thrown in the limelight for foiling it. The next day, he receives a playing card in the mail, with three addresses. Not knowing what to do, he explores each address and realizes that the people who live there all need something from him. As he completes tasks, more cards appear. First, the ace of clubs, then the ace of diamonds. Third came the ace of spades, and lastly the ace of hearts. As the aces arrive, Ed encounters more difficult situations which in some cases threaten his own life. And these situations get closer to him until he must deal with his three best friends.

Ed Kennedy is only the messenger, though, and it is for us to discover what we need from him as we read this dark tale of teenagers learning to grow up into adults.

Albert Einstein

Heinrichs, Ann. Albert Einstein. 2005, 48p. ISBN 0-8368-5069-6. B EIN on the library shelves

Albert Einstein had one of the most interesting lives, and his impact as a scholar directly influenced the way we live today. Better known for his E=MC2 theory, Einstein’s discoveries also led to new advances, including the laser and quantum physics. There was also a dark side to his life, however. Einstein was a poor father and rather enjoyed spending time pursuing his own endeavors than caring for his children. His theories also led to the development of nuclear weapons, and he eventually failed to discover a unifying theory of everything. A great mind, Einstein will continue to inspire generations of scientists and curious people.

The Rise of the Nazis

Freeman, Charles. The Rise of the Nazis. 2005. 48p. ISBN 1-59018-608-7. 943.085 on the library shelves.

The rise to power of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party is a horrifying yet fascinating moment in history. The economic and political conditions were ripe for dictators to seize the moment and overwhelm the democratic states.

Freeman presents information that guides the reader from the end of the First World War to the election of Hitler and the Enabling Law. The death of Hindenburg, the last person whom could have stopped Hitler, allowed the latter to assume total power over Germany. The explanations provided indicate that by no means was the Second World War preordained, but that more vigilant action by Western powers may have prevented it.

Read this book to find out more about this dark period in Germany’s history.

Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer

Alender, Katie. Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer. 2013. 296p. ISBN 0545468094. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

Colette and her French class are taking a week-long trip to Paris. Her parents recently divorced, and her father moved to New York while Colette, her brother and her mother stayed in Ohio. Now Colette has no money, and attends her private school on a scholarship. Her rich friends are mean and catty, and Colette tries to fit in with them while on a budget.

On their arrival in Paris, they hear of two gruesome murders that have just happened. Two teens have been decapitated by a serial killer. At first Colette and her friends are not worried, but as the days pass by others continue to die. Soon, Colette realizes that there is a connection between herself and the murder victims, and that she very well may be the next one to lose her head. Could it all be related to Colette’s vision of a ghostly Marie-Antoinette roaming the sights of Paris?

A light-hearted mystery, mixed with romance, mean girls, and, of course, Paris, make for an exciting stand alone book. Fans of Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer will enjoy Famous Last Words, also by Kate Alendar.

Hunting Eichmann: How a Band of Survivors and a Young Spy Agency Chased Down the World’s Most Notorious Nazi

Bascomb, Neal. Hunting Eichmann: How a Band of Survivors and a Young Spy Agency Chased Down the World’s Most Notorious Nazi. 2009. 390p. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

At the end of the Second World War, many Nazis melted into the darkness and disappeared. Adolf Eichmann, architect of the Final Solution, shed his SS uniform and made his way through Europe, staying one step ahead of those who were hunting him. Eventually, he ended up in Argentina were he thought he was relatively safe.

In Israel and in West Germany, Nazi chasers were looking for Eichmann, but for years there was no actionable intelligence on his whereabouts. This all changed when a series of careless mistakes on the part of Eichmann and his family finally alerted the Mossad, Israel’s security services, to his location.

An ingenious plan was hatched to capture Eichmann, smuggle him out of Argentina and take him to Israel to stand trial. In a book worthy of a spy novel, Bascomb bring to life one of the seminal moments that brought the Holocaust back into public consciousness. Those who enjoy spy thrillers or information on the Holocaust or the Second World War will devour this book.

Behind the Wheel: Poems About Driving

Wong, Janet S. Behind the Wheel: Poems About Driving. 1999. 44p. 811 WON on the library shelves.

This collection of thirty-six poems all involve driving, from being behind the wheel to travelling as a passenger, from falling in love with the sound of the engine to breaking up. These short poems are sure to evocate strong feelings for anyone who’s ever loved a car.

The Story of Sony

Hays, Scott. The Story of Sony. 2000. 48p. ISBN 978-1-58340-007-9. 338.7 HAY on the library shelves.

Created in 1945 as Tokyo Tsuchin Kogyo K.K. by engineer Masaru Ibuka, Sony had a complicated beginning. The company was founded in the ashes of the Second World War, and took time before it began manufacturing a product people would buy. In the process, Sony changed the world’s perception of “Made in Japan” from cheap knockoff products to top-of-the line quality items.

Sony also perfected marketing techniques to make people realize they needed the company’s products. Using the newly invented transistor in the early 1950s, Sony invented a portable radio, and the company took off.

Now a major electronics conglomerate, Sony remains one of the most experienced and quality-driven corporation. Its dedication to quality ensures that the name survives in a line of electronic products from televisions to radios to computers and gaming stations. The Story of Sony provides an overview of the company’s rise and how dedicated engineers overcame the problems of war and economic devastation to create one of the best known companies in the world.

The Last Echo

Derting, Kimberly. The Last Echo: A Body Finder Novel. 2012. 368 p. ISBN 978-0-06-208219-0. FIC DER on the library shelves

In this third installment of Violet Ambrose’s adventures, she finally finds herself at home working with Sara’s team of other individuals with paranormal powers. Violet, who can sense the echoes left by a violent death on both the victim and the perpetrator, is now attempting to stop the Collector, a deranged man who “collects” victims, whom he calls his “girlfriends” before he creates yet another victim. Her relationship with Jay remains solid, but she finds herself attracted to the enigmatic Rafe. And as Violet becomes the next target of the Collector, she must make choices that will have dramatic consequences for her life.

Derting follows her successful recipe from the two previous books, with chapters that present both Violet’s story as well as that of the Collector as their paths intersect and head for a confrontation. Violet’s character is extremely well developed, with the supporting cast also consisting of believable teenagers dealing with their own issues while trying to solve this mystery in time. The situations presented in the Collector’s chapters involve forcible confinement, torture, and drug use, and are better suited for older teens as some of the descriptions are fairly graphic. There is no sex, however, and except for one instance the language remains appropriate throughout the story. Fans of Derting will appreciate this third volume, and the conclusion indicates that a fourth volume may be forthcoming.

The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain

Sis, Peter. The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain. 2007, 48p. ISBN 978-0-374-34701-7.  B SIS on the library shelves.

Peter Sis grew up behind the Iron Curtain, the physical and social wall that separated Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe from Western Europe. An artist, Sis constantly drew images of life behind the wall, and relates in this book what it was like living under Communist rule. Illustrated throughout with a few journal excerpts, Sis conveys through drawing more than words could possibly describes. If you’re interested in what life was liked under a dictatorship, look no further than this quick read!

Click here for a link to book trailer. 

Beauty Queens

Bray, Libba. Beauty Queens. 2011. 396p. ISBN 978-0-439-89597-2. FIC BRA on the library shelves.

Adina, Miss New Hampshire, is on a plane with 49 other girls heading to the Corporation’s Miss Teen Dream pagent when it crashes on the beach of a deserted island. Sixteen girls survive the crash, and find themselves stranded. Adina, who only joined the pageant to expose its dark underside for the school newspaper, finds herself quickly outvoted for leadership in favor of Taylor, Miss Texas. At first, the girls attempt to maintain their pageant routine and continue to backstab each other, but as it becomes clear that they will not be rescued, the girls begin to adapt to their environment.

At the same time, the Corporation is planning an illegal arms deal with MoMo, dictator of the Republic of ChaCha, and is using its secret volcano lair on the same island to effectuate this transaction. The girls’ presence complicates the matter for the Corporation, but Agent Jones, who is charged with this operation, does not believe the girls to be a threat.

Based on Lord of the Flies, over the course of this book the girls explore and master their environment, deal with different ideas of beauty and sexuality, confront gender roles, rescue TV pirates, and eventually must confront the Corporation head on. The lesson, that girls can be whatever they want to be, is well crafted in a hilarious storyline that will leave you wanting more.

Kissing Tennessee and Other Stories from the Stardust Dance

Appelt, Kathi. Kissing Tennessee and Other Stories from the Stardust Dance. 2000. 118p. ISBN 978-1-415-53656-8. SC APP on the library shelves.

Kissing Tennessee tells a story from the perspective of different 8th graders attending the Stardust Dance, the formal dance on the last night of the school year. From conflicted teenagers dealing with major issues to the lighter who’s attracted to who, these well-written stories read quickly and demonstrate that one never knows what others are thinking.

In Dance with Me, Tim Hernandez really wants to dance with Lucy, but he’s too afraid to ask her. Rachel’s Sister, Mary, recounts how she and her sister escaped from her fundamentalist and abusive father and how she now enjoys looking beautiful. Russ Mills dances with Brooke but wishes he was getting Just a Kiss, Annie P. In Starbears, Cub Tanner is attracted to Trent, and he must ask himself The Question. Becca wonders how she became the victim of an assault in The Right Word, while Peggy Lee and Tennessee share a kiss in Kissing Tennessee. And at Midnight, the janitor will begin cleaning the cafeteria as the new graduates will go home and start their summer vacation.

Straight Punch

Polak, Monique. Straight Punch. 2014. 256p. FIC POL on the library shelves.

Tessa loves to tag buildings with her brand of graffiti art, but when she gets caught for the third time tagging the principal’s garage, she gets assigned to New Directions, a school in Montreal North for at-risk teens. Mornings are dedicated to academic work, but in the afternoon students train as boxers and play bouts against each other.

Tessa, who has always been afraid of violence and bullies, is intimidated at first by the other students but she slowly learns their stories and how they ended up there. With her controlling and jealous boyfriend, and a incensed neighbor trying to close what she perceives is a school for delinquents, Tessa must step in a leadership role to save the school, and herself.

Monique Polak wrote another compelling story called What World is Left about a Dutch Jew girl during Second World War.

Busted: Confessions of an Accidental Player

John, Antony. Busted: Confessions of an Accidental Player. 2008. 264p. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

Kevin Mopsely is a high school senior, but more importantly, he’s a geek and a dork. He plays the flute and only has one friend, Abby. She’s also a senior, she lives next door, and she plays with Kevin in a quartet at school. They’ve never dated, but they’re together all the time.

With two months to go before graduation, Kevin overhears the popular crowd discussing the upcoming meeting for the graduation rituals. Uncharacteristically, he decides to attend. His very presence is immediately noted by Brandon, the alpha senior, who entrusts Kevin with the task of writing the Book of Busts. Kevin has less than a month to get the mensurations of every senior girl in class.

Thrust in a position of power, Kevin quickly begins to get dates with the popular girls, as they hope to inflate their figures. But as the weeks progress, Kevin begins to notice that he’s turning into a monster. His relationship with his mother begins to slide. Worse, his friendship with Abby moves to shaky grounds. All the girls hate him, and even the boys begin to drift away. This assignment is turning into a nightmare, and Kevin is not sure how to get out of it with some of his dignity and self-worth intact.

Fans of this book will appreciate Andrew Smith’s books, Winger & Grasshopper Jungle and Jesse Andrews’ Me, Earl and the Dying Girl. And for a close look at teen angst, rock and roll, sex, and a mystery rolled into one, check out King Dork.