Warsaw, Lodz, Vilna: The Holocaust Ghettos

Altman, Linda Jacobs. Warsaw, Lodz, Vilna: The Holocaust Ghettos. 2015. 96p. ISBN 978-0-7660-6207-8. Available at 940.53 ALT on the library shelves.

The goal of eliminating the Jews was never far from Hitler’s mind, and even as the tanks rolled through Eastern Europe the Nazis created ghettos to confine Jews in the country they conquered. At first, most Jews believed this was an era similar to pogroms of the past, and that they would be mistreated but in the end would remain. No one could envision the evil and diabolical plans the Nazis were implementing. But as conditions got worse, Jews decided to fight back.

This book describes the history of the eastern ghettos, from their beginnings in late 1939 to their ultimate destruction in 1943-44. Daily life was harsh and cruel, with the Nazi lie that life would get better for the Jews so big that most wanted to believe it. Ghetto governance and collaboration is explored, but so is armed resistance and legacies of courage.

The actuality of the Holocaust remains, and the information contained in this book makes a great companion to Hunting Eichmann: How a Band of Survivors and a Young Spy Agency Chased Down the World’s Most Notorious Nazi and An Illustrated History of the Gestapo.

Other books in this series include Anti-Semitism and the "Final Solution." and Warsaw, Lodz, Vilna: The Holocaust Ghettos.

New England Patriots

Wyner, Zach. New England Patriots. 2015. 32p. ISBN 978-1-4896-0854-3. Available at 796.33 WYN on the library shelves.

So you think you know everything about the New England Patriots? Did you know that they have the record for most wins during a 10 year period? That they changed their uniforms? That Belichick and Brady have the most wins of any player / coach duo?

This short book presents an overview of one of the NFL’s powerhouse teams, describing its history and providing background information on everything from Gillette stadium, their uniforms, the mascot, and their records. The stars of today and the legends of the past are also explored, as is the coaching staff.

This book is a must read for fans of this great football team!

Shadow Scale

Hartman, Rachel. Shadow Scale. Book 2 of the Seraphina series. 2015. 608p. ISBN 9780375866579. Available both as a book at FIC HAR and as an audiobook on Overdrive.

In Seraphina the peace between the dragons and the kingdom of Goredd was shattered when assassins in the service of rebel dragons attempted to end the life Ardmagar Comonot, general of the dragons who was currently visiting the kingdom. With the dragons now broken into two camp, civil war engulfs both sides. On one side, those who support Comonot and his peace initiative with the humans. On the other, those who claim dragon superiority and who wish to purge their ranks of all aberrations as well as humanity.

Part dragon and part human, Seraphina finds herself on the front line of this clash of civilizations. She has built a garden where she keep grotesque representations of other half dragons, but now she must find them all in person so they can create the ultimate weapon to end this terrible conflict.

Unfortunately, others are also pursuing this end, and now Seraphina finds herself in a race against time, where she must muster enough support from the other of her kind to tip the balance and save Goredd. And her enemy is another half dragon just like her. Seraphina will need to make a terrible choice. Retain the relative safety that her life currently provides, or release her mind and, while putting herself in danger, reach her destiny?

A Book of Spirits and Thieves

Rhodes, Morgan. A Book of Spirits and Thieves. Razorbill. 2015. 368p. ISBN 978-1595147592. Available at FIC RHO on the library shelves.

Crystal and Rebecca are not getting along. The two sisters have drifted apart over the years, with Crys spending time engrossed in photography while Becca works at the family’s bookstore. But when a magical book sends Becca into a coma, Crys must help her come back. Becca, meanwhile, is transported to another land where magic exists, and where an evil queen reins. Only appearing as a ghost, she meets Maddox, a necromancer, and becomes party to a conspiracy to overthrow the queen.

Crys discovers that the book is somehow tied to a secret society, called the Hawkspear. This society long ago consumed her father, but now she must infiltrate it to help Becca. She meets brooding Farrell, one of the most trusted members of the society, and she must maneuver carefully among the dangers for her very life, and that of her sister, is at stakes.

A news series based on the Falling Kingdoms, Rhodes tells the tale through multiple perspectives and two different worlds which connect together at the end of the book. Knowledge of the previous series is not necessary, however. The main characters are well developed and possess conflicting emotions and desires. The plot moves quickly, and the evolving relationships between Crys and Farrell and Becca and Maddox promise more conflicts in the future. Amateurs of fantasy will appreciate the mesh of our reality and a magical world, and will look forward to the next installment.

For a similar book, read The Accidental Highwayman.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock

Quirk, Matthew. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock. 2013. 273p. ISBN 978-0-3162-2133-7. Available at FIC QUI on the library shelves. This book has been nominated for a Flume Award in 2015.

Leonard Peacock is not blessed with many things. His name is strange. He’s bullied at school, and he hates most of his classes. His mother moved to New York City for her fashion career, while his washed-out rock star father fled to Venezuela years ago and hasn’t been heard since. His only friend is the old neighbor, Walt, with whom he watches old Humphrey Bogart movies.

Today, however, everything is going to change. Because today is Leonard’s 18th birthday, and he plans to celebrate with a bang. Literally. Before the day is done, he will kill Asher, his former best friend. He’ll do it with the P38 pistol his grandfather took from a Nazi officer he had killed in World War II. Then he will kill himself. For nobody cares about Leonard, and the world would be a better place without him. Even his mother will not remember his birthday.

Armed with the gun and with four gifts, Leonard goes to school bent on carrying out his plan. But first he must give his gifts to the four people who made a difference in his life. To his friend Walt he gives a Bogart hat. To Baback, who plays the violin beautifully and who let Leonard listen to him practice for more than two years, he will give a check worth six figures to support freedom fighters in Iran. To Lauren, the Christian homeschooler he encountered outside the train station and who remains his crush, he will give a silver necklace with a crucifix. And to Herr Silverman, the only teacher Leonard respect at school, he will give his grandfather’s Bronze Medal.

And to Asher, he will give a bullet. But as the day progresses, and as Leonard introspects the events that led him to this point, we discover that there is more to his anger and angst than meets the eyes, and that secrets, lies, and a lack of compassion can eventually eat someone alive.

Loch Ness Monster

Karst, Ken. Enduring Mysteries: Loch Ness Monster. 2015. 48p. ISBN 978-1-60818-403-3. Available at 001.94 KAR on the library shelves.

The Loch Ness monster is one of these enduring myths that haunt our imagination. The possibility, even as remote and unlikely as it is, that a large beast from the dinosaur era survived to today and dwells in Scotland’s deepest lake has intrigued and captivated the world. Many explorers have spent time and money searching the lake from top to bottom with nets, sonars, and divers, and yet have found nothing. Unfortunately, all of these technologies are as of yet unable to fully map the lake and determine what really lives in it.

This book presents all current information on Nessie and provides a closer look at the environment in which the monster supposedly dwells. Cryptozoology is explored, and possible candidates for the role of Nessie are shown. Several new facts are introduced, including the discovering in the late 1990s of a coelacanth specie of fish, a kind of fish thought to have died out millions of years ago. Finally, other monsters rumored to live in lakes throughout the world are discussed. If you love the strange and the weird, you will like this book!

Conversion

Howe, Katherine. Conversion. 2014. 402p. ISBN 9780399167775. Available at FIC HOW on the library shelves.

Colleen Rowley is in the middle of her senior year at all girls St. Joan’s Academy, the elite religious school she attends. Life is very stressful for Colleen and her friends. There are college applications to be sent out and decisions on where to attend made. There are relationships and boyfriends. Colleen herself is in a battle for the valedictorian spot, with a mere 0.1% separating her from her rival. There are issues with parents and siblings at home. Even with all of these activities, however, everyone, including Colleen, is expected to remain polite, graceful, and dedicated.

Upon returning for the 2nd semester, Colleen’s AP history teacher is gone and has been replaced by a substitute. And though they were going to read The Crucible, the substitute informs them that they will no longer do that. Her friends Deena and Anjali are shocked, but her best friend Emma seems to hold something back.

When Carla, one of the most appreciated students at school suddenly falls ill in school and must taken away in an ambulance, everyone is concerned for her. But then more and more girls begin to fall sick, with fits, shakes, and visions. Suddenly everyone knows someone who is getting sick. When the media hear of this story a frenzy ensues.

Meanwhile, three hundred years earlier, Anne Putnam is square in the middle of the Salem witch trials. She, along with a few younger girls, is responsible for setting the whole thing in motions and now she doesn’t know how to get out of it.

The two stories quickly intertwine and connect both Colleen’s and Anne’s lives in parallel ways. Is witchcraft real? And, if not, what is affecting Colleen and the girls at St. Joan’s?

Tower of London

Von Finn, Denny. The Scariest Places on Earth: Tower of London. 2014. 24p. ISBN 978-1-60014-951-1. Available at 133.12 VON on the library shelves.

Once the castle of kings, the Tower of London later became a gruesome prison and execution ground where those who had displeased royalty were sent to die. The dark past of England is still said to haunt the Tower, as ghosts and spirits are rumored to circulate through the empty hallways.

This short book presents some of these ghosts and explain what happened to them. It also describes the history of the Tower itself, including its use today. This is the perfect short book for a gruesome history lesson!

Red Queen

Aveyard, Victoria. Red Queen. Book 1 of the Red Queen series. 2015. 383p. ISBN 9781409151173. Available at FIC AVE on the library shelves.

In a world where red blood is normal and weak, and where silver blood rules, the lives of Reds are cheap, violent and short. At 17, Mare Barrow’s life is already all laid out in front of her. As a Red, she will head out to war through the draft, and either be killed in action, or eventually return home, maimed, to eke out a meager living, while Silvers will lead from behind and enjoy the fruits of riches and leisure. In the meantime, she’s a thief, stealing from other inhabitants of the Stilts, her village. Her three brothers are already at the front, and her father is a survivor of the war but has been crippled by it.

When Kilorn Warren, her best friend loses his job prospects and receives his draft notice, Mare decides she must save him from the war. Accompanying Gisa, her younger sister to her job as a seamstress in the summer capital, she plans on stealing enough money to pay the smugglers’ fees and save him. Unfortunately she is unable to do so for the Scarlet Sun, a Red rebel group, explodes bombs, throwing the entire town into chaos. In the fray, Mare and Gisa make it to the gate, but not before Gisa is caught attempting to steal from a silver, and has her hand broken.

With her sister now out of work, Mare is crestfallen. Kilorn will ship out soon, and her family will continue to struggle. That very night, she steals from Reds coming out of the tavern, only to be caught by a sharp-eyed boy. He gives her a couple pieces of silver, and the next morning an agent of the summer palace comes for her. Worried at first she has finally been caught, she is instead informed that she has been offered a job as a servant. And the boy from yesterday turns out to be the Crown Prince Tiberias Calore, next in line to the throne.

Now in the palace with the Crown Prince, Mare must make a choice. Help the crown, or stand up for the Reds. But as a mix of both Red and Silver abilities, where do Mare’s loyalties lie? A skillful mix of Graceling, the Hunger Games, and the Selection, Red Queen will not disappoint fans of dystopia. For a fantasy take on this theme, take a look at Ash Princess. The story continues in Glass Sword.

The Program

Young, Suzanne. The Program. 2013. 405p. ISBN 9781442445802. Available at FIC YOU on the library shelves.

Suicide among teens has become an epidemic, with over one in four teens taking their life. At a loss, adults have turned to the Program, an intensive therapy involving involuntary commitment, heavy doses of sedatives and other chemicals, and forgetting one’s own memories. So far, the Program claims a 100% success rate in preventing suicide in teens who have been admitted and released.

But the Program is hated by all teens because it robs them of their memories and of their personalities. Teens that come out of the Program and are reinserted in society do not remember key events of their lives, and in many cases their personalities have changed.

Sloane and James, her brother’s best friend, have been dating for a while now, but when her brother committed suicide James was the only one left. As more and more people in her circle of friends succumb to the epidemic, Sloane worries that the Program will come for them. James is the first to crack, and is hauled away. When he returns eight weeks later, Sloane barely recognizes him. Feeling bitter and antagonized from society, she heads down a dark path. Her mother, worried for her daughter, has her committed to the Program.

Alone and terrified, Sloane tries to resist the therapy mandated by the program, but finds it more and more difficult. But then she meets Michael, another patient in the Program. He’s not James, but he wants to help Sloane. Can Sloane survive the eight weeks of treatment, and, more importantly, will she remember who she loves, and who she really is?

The Bone Chapel

Gordon, Nick. The Scariest Places on Earth: The Bone Chapel. 2015. 24p. ISBN 978-1-600-14-946-7. Available at 393.1 GOR on the library shelves.

The Bone Chapel is one of the creepiest places on Earth. Found in the small town of Kutná Hora, the Chapel’s interior walls have been decorated with the bones of more than 40,000 people. Built in the 1200, the town became famous when a local monk returned from Jerusalem with dirt from the Holy Land. Suddenly, everyone wanted to be buried here. The Black Death added even more bodies. Eventually, the area became saturated with bones, and as new bodies were buried older ones were taken out, and their bones piled in the Chapel, transforming it in a giant crypt.

In 1870, Frantisek Rint was commissioned to deal with the bones. He created a morbid yet fascinating display of bones throughout the Chapel, with columns, chalices, a coats of arm, and even a chandelier, all made of bones.

Tourists today continue to visit this site, and most report an eery feeling of death but also of calm. You won’t believe the pictures in this book!

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

Han, Jenny. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. 2014. 355p. ISBN 9781442426702. Available at FIC HAN on the library shelves. This book has been nominated for a Flume Award in 2015.

Lara Jean is the middle of three sisters who have always been together. When their mother died a few years ago, it was Margot, the eldest, that took the responsibility of running the household for her family. Margot cooks, plans the shopping, and raises Katherine, or Kitty, their 9 year-old sister. Their surgeon father works hard, but is clueless when it comes to girls.

Margot has now graduated, however, and is moving to Scotland to study. This leaves Lara Jean in charge of the household. A junior, Lara Jean has loved five boys during her short life. When love is not reciprocated, Lara Jean writes a letter to the boy she loved explaining why she loved him. She never sends these letters, but keeps them in a secret hat box in her closet. Her hardest crush was on Josh, who lives next door. Unfortunately for her, he fell for Margot before she could muster the courage to ask him out. So she wrote him a letter.

Margot has broken up with Josh, however, and now something terrible has just happened to Lara Jean. Somehow her secret letters have been mailed to the five boys she loved, and now she is confronted by the recipients of the letters. It’s time for Lara Jean to grow up and learn to deal with her feelings.

Rebel Belle

Hawkins, Rachel. Rebel Belle. 2014. 345p. ISBN 9780399256936. Available at FIC HAW on the library shelves.

Beautiful and refined, Harper Price is the poster child for the Southern Belle. President of the Student Government, head cheerleader, with the perfect boyfriend and the perfect life, Harper is looking forward to this year’s Cotillion, which will mark her debut.

Perfection, however, is only a facade. Harper’s older sister died in a car accident after she got behind the wheel drunk. Her relationship with Ryan is on the rocks. And with her junior year in full swing, she’s already thinking about colleges and her future. And winning this year’s Homecoming Queen award is only one more milestone.

A fortuitous encounter in the bathroom just before the grand announcement changes her entire life. The school janitor storms in, bleeding. Before Harper knows it, he kisses her and dies. The door opens again, and her history teacher enters, carrying a sword. He attacks her, but she manages to kill him. The whole incident terrorizes her, but she regains her composure enough to realize that the scene of the bloodbath is completely clean. Is Harper going crazy?

It turns out that she has become a Paladin, part of a lineage going all the way back to Charlemagne. Imbued with superhuman strength, and trained in the arts of fighting and killing, she has been charged to protect the Oracle. Unfortunately for her, the oracle is David, her nemesis and long-term enemy.

Can the two of them get along quickly enough to prevent David’s death? Will putting everything on the line for David cost Harper everything she has worked for? Fans of this book should also read the Hex Hall trilogy.

Hollow City

Riggs, Ransom. Hollow City. Book 2 of the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series. 2015. 416p. ISBN 9781594747359. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

Barely escaping with their lives from Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children on the island of Cairnholm at the end of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Jacob and the orphans are now being chased by Wights and their servants the Hollows. Dressed as soldiers, the Wights hunt the children throughout 1940s Wales and England, trying to capture them for their own nefarious purposes.

Emma and Jacob had rescued Ms. Peregrine, but she is unable to transform out of her bird shape back into her human form due to being poisoned by the Wights. They therefore endeavor to find another loop, since only one of Ms. Peregrine’s sisters can help her regain her human form.

Chased through the countryside, the peculiars are rescued by a group of Gypsies, and manage to reach London at the height of the Blitz. But with time running out to save Ms. Peregrine, Emma, Jacob, Enoch, Horace, Millard, Bronwyn, Olive, and Hugh will have to confront the worse the Wights have to offer while surviving the city’s destruction.

With many enemies, but also unexpected allies, the peculiar children are in the race of their lives!

The story concludes in The Library of Souls.

The Heir

Cass, Kiera. The Heir. 2015. 342p. ISBN 978-0062349859. Available at FIC CAS on the library shelves.

When America Singer competed in The Selection and managed to conquer Prince Maxon’s heart, she did not realize she would change history. With the death of Maxon’s parents, the king and queen of Illéa in The One, she ascended the throne and became Maxon’s queen

Twenty years later, the country has changed. The caste numbers have been eliminated, and massive programs have taken place to allow people freedom of choice to live their lives how ever they wanted. The king and queen have had four children, including oldest twins Eadlyn and Aaron. As the firstborn (7 minutes before her brother), Eadlyn will inherit the throne.

At eighteen, Eadlyn is not in any hurry to unite her life with a husband. Unrest in the country lead her parents to suggest to her that it would be a good show of unity if she were to participate in her own selection. After much arguing she gets Maxon to agree that she doesn’t have to marry any of the candidates.

With the heavy responsibility of the crown soon to be hers, Princess Eadlyn must play the part and pretend to be interested in the three dozen boys who have been selected. Unlike her parents’ love that grew out of meeting during their selection, Eadlyn expects nothing, and in fact would rather not share even a sliver of herself. But as the selection proceeds and the stakes mount, Eadlyn finds that even when your mind is dead set against falling in love, her heart may not agree...

A companion book, Happily Ever After, features several novellas about beloved characters from the series.

Reached

Condie, Allie. Reached. Book 3 of the Matched series. 2012. 512p. ISBN 9780525423669. Available at FIC CON on the library shelves.

When they abandoned the Society, Cassia, Indie, and Ky had different hopes. Cassia was looking for a way out and to reach the Rising, the rebel outfit planning to bring down the Society. Ky just wanted to be with Cassia and hoped to make a life for themselves outside of the Society. Reaching a rebel camp at the end of Crossed, they find themselves enrolled in the Rising.

Dispatched to Central, Cassia is told to continue working as a sorter but to look for variances in the patterns. The Rising is about to strike, and those variances will be the signal that it has begun. Ky and Indie are pilots, and are flying ships around the country. Meanwhile, Xander continues his work as an official, but he too is looking for the telltale signs that the Rising has begun.

When a plague is unleashed on the Society and more and more citizens fall victims to the debilitating disease, the Society can no longer hide that it is falling apart. Cassia reports the rise of the plague, while pilots begin to fly in the cure to the plague, as both were engineered by the Rising.

Unfortunately, the plague mutates, and suddenly the Rising itself is in trouble, unable to provide enough medicine for everyone. As people begin to die, people grumble that the Society would have taken better care of their citizens. Cassia, Ky, Indie, and Xander find themselves in the middle of a pandemic that threaten to completely eliminate human life. Can they work together to discover a cure before it is too late? Can the Rising survive the very plague it unleashed to topple the Society?