Cruel Beauty

Hodge, Rosamund. Cruel Beauty. 2014. 352p. ISBN 9780062224736. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

For nine hundred years, the Gentle Lord has ruled over Arcadia. The Lord of Bargains, he protects the inhabitants (mostly) from the shadow demons that lurk on the edge of the world. Sundered from the rest of the world, Arcadia has been mostly at peace, but even while protected there are weak minds and hearts who are willing to pay any price to obtain favors. And thus these mortal men and women seek the Gentle Lord and agree to foolish bargains with him.

At seventeen years old, Nyx and her younger twin sister Astraia should have all their lives in front of them. Unfortunately, this is only true for Astraia, for Nyx is to marry the Gentle Lord. Seventeen years ago, her father made a bargain with the Gentle Lord: Let his wife have children, and in exchange he would marry his daughter to him. The wish was granted. Nyx and Astraia were born, but their mother died in childbirth. Thus, their father was deprived of his love. And as Astraia looks more like her mother and Nyx more like her father, it has been easier for him to not love Nyx and instead prepare her for the day she would be taken away by the Gentle Lord.

Trained to kill and to destroy the Gentle Lord’s house, Nyx is apprehensive when the day comes. But she quickly realizes that the Gentle Lord is in fact more than a cruel demon. Though all powerful, he does not force himself upon her, but instead sets her on a quest to discover how to free both of them from this prison that is Arcadia. Ignifex has a slave, a shadow called Shade. Nyx discovers that Shade is the last prince of the kingdom, forever enslaved to Ignifex nine hundred years ago by the gods for his offense. Both Shade and Ignifex share many characteristics, and Nyx is the only one who can save them both while rescuing her country from its isolation.

But when the choice comes, will she choose the Lord, the slave, or Arcadia? Based on the Beauty and the Beast myth, this story also incorporates several elements of Greek mythology. Fantasy readers will enjoy this love triangle in an exotic locale, and will certainly be clamoring for more.

Hitler's Last Days: The Death of the Nazi Regime and the World's Most Notorious Dictator

O’Reilly, Bill. Hitler's Last Days: The Death of the Nazi Regime and the World's Most Notorious Dictator. ISBN 9781627793964. Available as an audiobook on Overdrive.

When the Second World War started, Hitler was at the height of his power, and Germany was on the winning path. But by early 1945, the German armies had been crushed and were being pushed back on all fronts, and Hitler himself was but a shadow of his former self.

Hitler’s last days were numbered, and he had less than four months to live. Meanwhile, the Allies were rushing towards the Rhine river and Germany’s heartland. This book tells the tale of how Hitler spent his last days with the movements of Allies armies to end the war as quickly as possible. The darkest drama of the 20th century, the last days of the war changed the world and influenced the way we live today.

The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline

Springer, Nancy. The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline : an Enola Holmes Mystery. Book 1 of the Elona Holmes series. 2009. 160p. ISBN 978-0-399-24781-1. Available at FIC SPR on the library shelves.

The adventures of Enola Holmes, younger sister to Sherlock and Mycroft, continue in this 5th volume of the series. Trying to stay one step ahead of Sherlock, Enola has taken lodging in a small room in East London. Her landlady, a Mrs. Tupper, is a widow who survived the Crimean War. Hard of hearing and a horrible cook, Mrs. Tupper nonetheless is the closest person in Enola’s life.

When a scary letter arrives telling Mrs. Tupper to turn in the secret message that was supposed to be delivered to the Bird, Enola is perplexed. Who could possibly want something from old Mrs. Tupper? This letter is then quickly followed by an abduction, and Enola returns home to find her landlady gone. Is the secret message connected in any way to Mrs. Tupper’s trip to Crimea?

Now it is up to Sherlock’s little sister to solve the mystery. What is that secret message? How does Mrs. Tupper’s abduction connect to Florence Nightingale, the world famous nurse who revolutionized healthcare? What did happen to poor old Mrs. Tupper? And, more importantly, why is her brother Sherlock involved?

A great mystery, middle school students will appreciate Enola’s brand of humor and decency as she attempts to resolve her investigation in a short volume. Fans of Sherlock Holmes will also appreciate his feminine version.

The story continues in The Case of the Left-Handed Lady.

What Happened to Cass McBride?

Giles, Gail. What Happened to Cass McBride? 2006. 212p. ISBN 978-0-316-16638-6. Available at FIC GIL on the library shelves.

Cass McBride is the queen of her high school. As a freshman, her poise, enthusiasm, and looks made her the envy of every girl, and the desire of every boy. She dates sport captains based on the season. And she’s looking forward to being the first junior ever elected to Prom Queen. Friendly but reserved, outgoing but secretive, Cass is like her father, callous and driven.

Imagine her surprise when David Kirby, the school loser, asks her out. She turns him down gently, but she writes a caustic note to her best friend about the bottom feeder who even dared to talk to her, and leaves it in her desk to be found next period. Too late, however, she realizes that David has grabbed the note and read it.

The next morning, Cass finds out that David has committed suicide and had pinned a death note to his chest. Was she the cause of his suicide? David’s big brother, Kyle, certainly thinks so, and vows revenge on Cass.

Kyle kidnaps Cass, and buries her alive. He wants her to suffer as much as he and David did. With a miserable home life and dysfunctional parents. Kyle and David were each other’s support, but when Kyle left for college David was left alone to fend his mother’s verbal and emotional assaults. Now, it’s time to avenge all the wrongs in the world, and Kyle doesn’t care how far he will have to go to derive satisfaction.

With Cass in the ground and time running out, can the police find out who abducted her and rescue her from her grave before she dies in it?

A great psychological thriller, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time, even if the conclusion leaves you wanting. For more, consider All the Bright Places.

Happily Ever After

Cass, Kiera. Happily Ever After. 2015. 416p. ISBN 978-0-06-241408-3. Available at FIC CAS on the library shelves.

A companion volume to The Selection series and The Heir, Happily Ever After presents short novella about events that happened in the main books from the point of view of different characters. In “The Queen,” Amberly, Maxon’s mother, describes her courtship with Prince Clarkson and the evolution of their relationship during her own Selection. “The Prince” presents several events that take place in the story from Maxon’s point of view and the reader can see and feel his budding relationship with America, providing another look and another interpretation of events.

In “The Guard,” Aspen describes his feelings about being a guard in the royal palace and how he protects America. His feelings for Lucy are also explored. Marlee, America’s best friend, also gets her own novella in “The Favorite,” which describes how she fell in love with a guard and was punished for it by King Clarkson, as well as her ultimate redeeming when Maxon ascended the throne.

Finally, a few more stories, illustrations, and a map are included in this volume, with the most interesting being three scenes from the Selection and the Elite written from Celeste’s point of view.

Fans of the series will enjoy these different looks at critical parts of the novels and how others perceived the same events.

The Sinking of the USS Maine

Crompton, Samuel Willard. The Sinking of the USS Maine: Declaring War Against Spain. 2009. 114p. ISBN 978-1-60413-049-2. Available at 973.8 CRO on the library shelves.

The battleship U.S.S. Maine was one of the first ships to join the new steel Navy. Built in 1889, the Maine was assigned to the Atlantic fleet and made several trips in the Caribbean. It would come to symbolize America’s anger at Spain.

Long a strong imperial power, Spain had colonized all of Central and South America, but beginning at the turn of the century the Spanish Empire lost its colonies one at a time until only Cuba and Puerto Rico remained under their control. The Cuban people revolted in a bloody civil war that solved nothing, so a few decades later a new civil war began. This time, both sides were brutal in their attacks and their treatment of local populations. Concentration camps were erected, and many starved to death.

Seeing this misery, and agitated by a strong Cuban lobby in New York City, the United States expressed its wishes that peace would come to the island, and by an expansionist vision of US dominance of the American hemisphere. To protect American interests the Maine was dispatched to Havana.

On February 15, 1898, an explosion rocked the Maine, and the ship quickly sank, killing 260 sailors. Amid tensions between the two nations over the status of Cuba, the sinking of the Maine, attributed at the time to a Spanish mine, led down the path to war between the United States and Spain.

Over the course of the year, the United States and Spain fought a series of one-sided engagements which led to the defeat of the Spanish fleet near Santiago, Cuba, as well as of the Pacific squadron near Manilla, in the Philippines. American forces occupied Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines, and in the end acquired a colonial empire.

This book tells the story of the Maine, as well as the actions taken by several major historical figures such as Clara Barton and Theodore Roosevelt that led to war, then an uneasy peace with Spain, and in the process vaulted the United States to the rank of world powers to be taken seriously by the old countries in Europe.

Vampire Assistant

Shan, Darren. Vampire Assistant. Book 2 of the Cirque du Freak Series. 2000. 256p. ISBN 9780316905725. Available at FIC SHA on the library shelves.

In Living Nightmare, Darren Shan was turned into a half-vampire by Mr. Crepsley in exchange for saving his friend’s life. He had to abandoned his family and faked his own death. Now, the two of them are living together, moving from place to place and never staying long. But Darren has not reconciled himself to the life of a vampire, and he continues to harbor the wish to kill Mr. Crepsley. He also refuses to drink the blood of a human.

After an unfortunate encounter with human boys his own age (he almost kills one of them by accident), Darren and Mr. Crepsley are forced to move on again, and Darren realizes he will never have friends again. Mr. Crepsley decides to rejoin the Cirque du Freak.

Darren is reunited with Evra Von, the Snake Boy, who’s not much older than he is, and they strike a quick friendship. The two of them also meet a local boy, Sam Grest, who wants to join the Circus to be with them. Unfortunately, Steve doesn’t know that they have special “talents” and that, as a regular human, he cannot become a member of the troop. The three of them run into Reggie Veggie, an eco-warrior there to oppose the building of a new road. Though RV, as he calls himself, is quirky and fun, he also is very interested in how the animals at the Cirque are treated, and he is especially concerned with the fate of the Wolfman.

As the Cirque gets ready for its final presentation in the countryside, everything is about to go wrong and change Darren’s life forever….

Goodbye, Gasoline: The Science of Fuel Cells

Lew, Kristi. Goodbye, Gasoline: The Science of Fuel Cells. 2009. 48p. ISBN 978-0-7565-3521-6. Available at 621.31 LEW on the library shelves.

The recent push for reducing the world’s carbon footprint is leading towards the invention and refining of existing technologies to both improve performance and reduce their environmental impact. Gasoline, the liquid that powers today’s cars and trucks, has not changed in the last several decades. And though vehicles get better gas mileage now than they did even ten years ago, gasoline still remains a polluting and non-renewable resource. It this therefore time to move beyond gasoline.

Several technologies are competing to be the next motor of the economy, but none are as promising as the fuel cell. Based on combining hydrogen and oxygen, and resulting in water, the power that comes from combining these two elements is enough to power today’s car, trucks, and even buildings.

There are several problems that remain, however, before fuel cells become the future of transportation. First, the size of the cells continue to be a problem. Second, the lack of an hydrogen infrastructure such as fueling stations and processing centers continue to be a detriment to the rapid spread of this technology. Finally, costs continue to be higher than conventional gasoline engines.

Nevertheless, this short book accurately presents the current state of fuel cells and how, in the near future, they should revolutionize how we consume energy. Only time will tell if the predictions come true (still waiting for that flying car), but fuel cells are a promising type of technology.

Brave New World

Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. 2006. 259p. ISBN 0-06-085052-3. Available both on the library shelves at FIX HUX and an eBook on Overdrive.

The Nine Years War destroyed the world and the society that arose from its burning ashes set out to completely redesign it to eliminate conflicts and social upheavals. Thus, the ideal society was born. Now everyone comes from test tube bottles, everything is conditioned, and life is perfect. People are born into a class and remain there their entire life. They are physically and psychologically trained to fit in one set of thoughts peculiar to their class, and they live their lives without much thinking. All except for the Alphas, who run the society and who have been given more latitude to enjoy live, within a certain set of parameters.

Bernard Marx is one of these Alphas, but he does not feel comfortable in his own society. Plagued with self-doubt and a misfit among other Alphas, Bernard decides to step out of his comfort zone and makes a date with Lenina, a woman he works with. They vacation to New Mexico, where they partake of one of the last remaining zones where humans live their lives in ways similar to those of before the Nine Years War.

There Bernard and Lenina meet John, who was born of a woman from their own society. It turns out that Linda was abandoned by the current Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning, one of Bernard’s rivals. Seeing the opportunity to humiliate the Director, Bernard returns to London with John and his mother. As a man born from a woman, John becomes the sensation of this civilized society, but at what cost?

A critique of fascism and authoritarian societies, Brave New World continues to fascinate decades after its first printing and presents an excellent dystopian view of the imperfections of a “perfect” society.

Day of the Assassins

O’Brien, Johnny. Day of the Assassins. Book 1 of the Jack Christie Adventure series. 2009. 224p. ISBN 9780763645953. Available at FIC OBR on the library shelves.

Jack Christie is a regular teenager. His father left when he was three, and he’s lived his whole life with his loving mother in Scotland. At fifteen, Jack loves playing video games, and his current favorite is Point-of-Departure, a World War I simulation. His best friend Angus also likes to play it, and they often talk about what life would have been like then. It’s a typical teenage life.

When Jack receives a history book from a father he doesn’t know, however, that things are about to change drastically. Jack and Angus discover a secret workshop in Jack’s basement, and the boys learn that there is a conflict between two secret organizations, both of which possess time machines. The first group seeks to travel back in time and fix some of the errors of the past, while the second group believe in non-intervention in past affairs.

Pawns in the fight between these two groups, Jack and Angus travel back in time to August 1914, and find themselves in Belgrade as Archduke Ferdinand is visiting. The boys know that the assassination of Ferdinand is the match that lights the First World War. They now face a most difficult choice: Prevent the assassination and irrevocably change world history (and their own!) or let the assassination take place and live with the knowledge that they could have stopped a world tragedy. What choice will they make?

This book is a great “what if” book, and features plenty of action and adventure to boot. Fans of the First World War will enjoy the world setting and the experience of “being” there.

Tips & Tricks for Analyzing Structure and Evaluating Ideas

Athans, Sandra K. and Robin W. Parente. Tips & Tricks for Analyzing Structure and Evaluating Ideas. 2015. 64p. ISBN 978-1-4777-7535-6. Available at 428.4 ATH on the library shelves.

With the Common Core Standards now in place in many states, the emphasis on reading has switched from focusing on literature to concentrate on informational texts. Students are now being asked to recognize varied reading structures such as headlines, chapter headings, and other clues offered by the text. They also must analyze the content and ideas in the text to derive both meaning and understanding of specific information.

This book provides the reader with specific techniques and advice on how to successfully read both informational and literature texts. Three scientific articles are examined, along with poems by Robert Frost and Edgar Allan Poe and demonstrate these techniques. From looking at the headings and the pictures included with a text to reflecting on your understanding of what you just read, the suggestions provided by the authors better prepare the reader for school and career readiness.

This is a great way for readers to refresh their reading techniques as well as acquire new ones and examine how reflecting on their own reading skills can help them become better readers.

Other books in this series include:

• Tips & Tricks for Comparing and Contrasting Text
• Tips & Tricks for Analyzing Ideas, Events, and Individuals
• Tips & Tricks for Evaluating an Argument and its Claims
• Tips & Tricks for Analyzing Structure and Evaluating Ideas
• Tips & Tricks for Analyzing Text and Citing Evidence
• Tips & Tricks for Determining Point of View and Purpose
• Tips & Tricks for Evaluating Multimedia Content
• Tips & Tricks for Summarizing Text

Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps

Warren, Andrea. Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps. 2002. 146p. ISBN 9780060007676. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

Jack Mandelbaum is Polish and lives with his well-to-do family on the shores of the Baltic Sea, but the rumbles of war with Germany are getting louder. Hitler gained power six years ago, and has been clamoring for both more land and for the destruction of Jews. Jack’s family is not very religious, but all the same, Jews are becoming stigmatized.

As Poland mobilizes for war, Jack and his family are sent to the country to live with relatives. His father will catch up with them the following week. Unfortunately, Germany invades, and the family is permanently split.

Life becomes increasingly difficult for the Jews, and even those who are not living in urban ghettos are beat and starving. Jack works as hard as he can, making sure to always keep busy. But eventually, even Jews in the country are rounded up. Jack and his family are violently separated, and he ends up in the Blechhammer concentration camp. Thus begins a horrific life, living one moment to the next with the goal of staying alive one more day.

Over the next three years, Jack moves from camp to camp, and experiences the despair of human violence on other humans. As the Holocaust moves along, unlikely friendships with other camp dwellers and the thought of being reunited with his family is what keeps Jack alive through it all.

This biography of Jack’s life provides a provoking look at life under the most horrible conditions of starvation, violence, and hopelessness and shows that, beyond all of this, there can be redemption and not only surviving but triumphing over oppression.

A Treasury of Victorian Murder Compendium II

Geary, Rick. A Treasury of Victorian Murder Compendium II. 2015. 400p. ISBN 1561639079. Available on the library shelves at 364.152 GEA.

Before modern forensics and criminal investigation techniques, horrendous crimes were still investigated using methods of the day. The Victorian era was not any different than any other time in history, but the rapid expansion of literacy and news media help propel some events to the national consciousness.

This book features five stories of true crime that occurred in Victorian America and Scotland. The double ax murder of the Borden family patriarch and his wife is eventually linked to their daughter Lizzie. Mary Rogers, a lively woman is found dead in the Hudson River and all fingers point to her boyfriend. The Benders run an inn, but most guests never seem to come out alive. Madeline Smith loves a man but is forced to abandon him when her father threaten to disown her. Unfortunately, he then drops dead of poisoning. Finally, President Lincoln predicted his own assassination.

These true crime stories are well illustrated and documented, including biography of resources used by Geary to recreate them in ink. Not for the faint of heart, these stories still fascinate today. Fans of illustrated history like The Battle of the Bulge will enjoy the style of this book.

Zeroboxer

Lee, Fonda. Zeroboxer. 2015. 360p. ISBN 9780738743387. Available at FIC LEE on the library shelves.

At nearly eighteen, Carr Luka is an up-and-coming star on the zeroboxing circuit. For the last ten years, Luka has been training hard, and two years ago he moved from Earth to Valtego, one of the many large space stations orbiting many of the inner planets of the solar system. There, in a zero gravity environment, he has become one of the best fighters in the Cube, the zeroboxing arena.

With such a meteoric rise, the ZGFA (Zero Gravity Fighting Association), recognizes Carr’s marketability and star power and appoints a brandhelm to propel his career to the next level. Risha is a driven and knowledgeable half Martian / half Terran and will provide him with a personalized marketing strategy that will make him the most popular athlete in the solar system. Their relationship also evolves and they become involved in a torrid love affair.

The power of celebrity draws challenges from far, however. Amid rising political tensions between Earth and Mars, A tournament is organized to fight for zeroboxing supremacy between the two planets. As the face of Earth, Carr is ready to stand against the Martians, the best zeroboxing fighters in the system. But suddenly he becomes embroiled in a conspiracy that could at the very least cost him his career, and, at worse, could destroy the careful balance between Terrans and Martians. What tough choices will Carr and Risha make?

A great science-fiction novel, the universe and zeroboxing will never be the same.

Evil Librarian

Knudsen, Michelle. Evil Librarian. 2014. 346p. ISBN 9780763660383. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

At sixteen, Cynthia is the star tech of her high school’s drama department, and now that her school is putting together Sweeney Todd, she will be very busy. Hopeless in the romance department, Cyn pins for Ryan, the star of the show, but can’t even imagine how she would approach him.

Suddenly everything changes at school. Cyn’s best friend, Annie, falls madly in love, but there’s a big problem. Annie’s love is young, hot, and … the school librarian? This relationship is just plain wrong, and Cynthia is convinced Annie will soon see the light and realize this is crazy. And, there’s something not right with Mr. Gabriel. Entering the library one afternoon after rehearsal, she stumbles on a demonic sight. Quite literally. Mr. Gabriel is a demon from down below, and he’s here at school feeding off the teenage population. And Annie is madly in love with him!

Cynthia and Ryan finally connect but they can’t move their relationship to the next level with a demon in the school. As the only two who know Mr. Gabriel’s true nature, it is on them to prevent a complete soul sucking from happening at school. Cynthia must find a way to rescue Annie, deal with her feelings for Ryan, and solve the intricate technical issues that surround Sweeney Todd’s barber chair. It’s going to be a busy fall!