The Mongol Empire

DeCarlo, Carolyn. The Mongol Empire. Part of the Empires in the Middle Ages series. 2018. 48p. ISBN 978-1-68048-784-8. Available at 950.2 MON on the library shelves.

The nomadic Mongols roamed the steppes of East Asia for centuries before they were united under the ruthless leadership of Genghis Khan. Skilled at combat on horseback and able to cover vast distances, Genghis Khan’s troops soon spread throughout China to the west and reached deep into Eastern Europe. In barely a few decades, the Mongol Empire covered a large swath of the globe, toppling monarchies and countries along the way.

Content to let the local rulers continue to govern as long as tributes were paid, the Mongols pushed East, West, and South, giving rise to several new states due to distances between the borders and the capital, including the Golden Horde which covered the nascent state of Russia, while Kublai Khan’s forces overthrew the Chinese Emperor and claimed the throne for their leader. Through it all trade boomed and contacts between East and West expanded.

Eventually, the Mongol Empire collapsed, to be replaced by states that incorporated many of their cultural elements, such as Persia, Russia, and modern China. Fans of history will appreciate learning about the significant events that led to the creation and the failure of the Mongol Empire.

Titles in the Empires in the Middle Ages series include:

• The Byzantine Empire
• The Crusades
• The Holy Roman Empire
• The Islamic Caliphate
• The Ottoman Empire

The Fake-Chicken Kung Fu Fighting Blues

Lam, Aaron. The Fake-Chicken Kung Fu Fighting Blues. 2018. 2018. 149p. ISBN 978-1-4594-1272-9. Available at FIC LAM on the library shelves.

Anthony loves his neighborhood in Toronto, right in Chinatown. He and his best friend Jackson enjoy playing with Old Mr. Chan’s fish, and they make movies of just about everything. When he finds out that his whole family is moving to Berksburg, in the middle of Northern Ontario, right after Christmas, he is completely crushed. It means a new environment, making new friends, and an angry grandmother who only speaks Chinese and is now lost in a town where no other Chinese people live. Attached to her customs and traditions, Po Po, Anthony’s grandmother, insists that they hang a chicken on the front door to counteract the train tracks across the house, as they look like a giant caterpillar.

Anthony is able to make friends at school, and disarms a bully with his fake kung fu moves. Po Po begins to teach tai chi to Anthony’s friends, and the local Chinese restaurant, which is run by a Jamaican, serves decent food. One thing is clear. Everyone loves hockey here. Kids play hockey out on the ponds. There’s a large arena in town. Berksburg is hockey-crazy. Po Po is completely lost and never leaves the house. Anthony decides to film parts of Berksburg to show her, but as the project grows it turns into documenting the whole town. As he does so, he meets interesting characters with unique stories. With his movie done, he shares it with his family, but his friends all come in and soon the house is full. He sends a copy to Jackson, who uploads to Youtube and soon enough it becomes a viral hit. His movie is good enough to be entered in a film competition for amateurs. Held in Toronto, it’s an opportunity for Anthony and his new friends to meet his old friends.

A short book, Anthony’s story of adaptation in a new environment is one that anyone who has ever needed to change schools or move will relate to.

Perfect

Shepard, Sara. Perfect. Book 3 of the Pretty Little Liars series. 2008. 298p. ISBN 0-06-088738-9. Available at FIC SHE on the library shelves.

Toby’s suicide in Flawless did not solve the girls’ problems, as A is still sending them taunting messages. And everything has gone from bad to worse for Spencer, Aria, Emily and Hanna. After attacking her father’s mistress and marking her with a painted A after reading the Scarlet Letter, Aria is kicked out of her house by her mother, who didn’t think this action was the way to go. She now has to stay with her boyfriend Sean, but she remains drawn to Ezra, her English teacher.

Feeling remorseful over Toby’s suicide, Emily decides she will tell the police all about A and what has been happening to the girls. Sure, it will reveal their secrets, but then maybe the harassment will end. Unfortunately, A beats her to the punch and outs Emily and Maya’s relationship to the entire school during a swim meet, much to her parents’ chagrin. She now must go to a church program where her desires will be “normalized.”

In Flawless, Spencer had ran out of time to write a paper, being preoccupied by A and all, so she instead turned in one of Melissa’s old essay. Unfortunately, this essay has been submitted by her teacher for a prestigious prize. Her plagiarism is revealed, but her family agrees to hush the whole thing so Spencer does not disgrace them. However, in a fit of rage Spencer blanks out and hurts Melissa. When she comes to, she realizes that maybe she’s the one who did kill Alison in a fit of rage and simply blanked the event out of her memory.

Hanna, meanwhile, has a falling out with her best friend Mona, and loses her invitation to Mona’s party. Crashing the party with new friend Lucas, she is instead thoroughly humiliated. When her phone receives a message from A, Hanna finally sees her chance to end this torment. A made a mistake and Hanna recognizes the phone number. Eager to tell the other girls, she meets them outside. Unfortunately for all of them, A has not played all of her cards ...

The story continues in Unbelievable.

#NotYourPrincess

Charleyboy, Lisa, and Mary Beth Leatherdale, eds. #NotYourPrincess. 2017. 109p. ISBN 978-1-55451-957-6. Available at 971.004 CHA on the library shelves.

In the collective imagination, Native American girls are either like Pocahontas, ready to help the White man and selling her people, alcohol-abusing dysfunctioning individuals living on remote reservations, or invisible members of society ignored and neglected. These images are simple stereotypes reducing people to the status of Other, those who are different from us. Modern Native American women possess powerful voices, and this book features a collection of thoughts, ideas, and feelings that express, through poems, art, essays, and narratives how they experience everyday life. These experiences feature abuse as well as humiliation, but also redemption and hope for a better future. Every single voice in #NotYourPrincess passionately describe lives that demand society make changes to empower not only Native American women but all women.

Providing a great snapshot in the daily lives of Native American women, #NotYourPrincess will be enjoyed by readers who are ready to hear empowered voices and gain insights into a community we often romanticize or ignore.

Midnight at the Electric

Anderson, Jody Lynn. Midnight at the Electric. 2017. 227p. ISBN 978-0-06-239354-8. Available at FIC AND on the library shelves.

In 2065, climate change has now irreversibly impacted Earth, and governments everywhere have pooled their resources to build a successful colony on Mars. Only a select few are sent on this one-way trip, hoping to create a new world and restore hope for humanity. Adri is one such lucky person. A teenager from Florida who lost her only family, Adri has no ties left with Earth, and is eager and ready to go. She will complete a grueling training program in Kansas, then head up to Mars with a small team. When she is informed that she will be staying with a relative during her stay in Kansas, Adri is surprised. She didn’t think she had any of them left.

Now living with her great aunt while she trains, Adri discovers a journal in the large farmhouse. In it, Catherine, a girl who lived over a hundred years ago, describes her hopes and fears during the Dust Bowl of 1934, a period that wiped many farms and towns in the middle of the country. Catherine is worried for her sister, who is sick from all the dust she has been breathing. When the Midnight Electric comes to town and promises eternal life, Catherine is desperate enough to spend money she doesn’t have and attempt it for her sister’s sake. Catherine is also intrigued by postcards her mother received decades ago, written by one of her mother’s friend, Lenore, from England.

In 1919, Lenore writes many letters to her best friend who has departed England for Kansas, relating her life and the impact that her brother’s death during World War I had on her family. Lenore describes her hopes and fears, and talks about the man she has met who lives in a run-down cottage on her family’s estate. Lenore missed her chance to immigrate with her friend, but is still hoping to travel to Kansas and be reunited.

The lives of three girls, in three distinct time periods, are about to meet through journals and postcards, showing that eternal life is indeed possible.

Told from three different points of view, each girl's journey is a product of her time, yet remains eerily similar. Fans of light mysteries and of introspective reading will appreciate how the girls' situations are deftly handled and nicely tie in together.

A Visual History of Ships and Navigation

De la Fuente, Alberto Moreno. A Visual History of Ships and Navigation. Part of the Visual History of the World series. 2017. 96p. ISBN 978-1-49946594-5. Available at 623.82 MOR on the library shelves.

Humankind has used ships for thousands of years, with different crafts built for specific functions. Ships have moved voyagers, cargo, and armies throughout the world. From simple flotation devices at the beginning of antiquity to the Panamex and aircraft carriers of today, ships have benefited from numerous innovations and discoveries. The addition of rows of oars ensured propulsion even when there was no wind. The harnessing of wind increased the range of ships, and facilitated access to the rest of the world, and led to the colonization of “new” continents.

The invention of steam propulsion ensured steady propulsion and shortened trips across oceans, and greatly increased commerce on the seas. A revolution in cladding ships with iron suddenly made an entire class of warships obsolete and led to the creation of the battleship. Further transformations include the use of nuclear power for warships, the deployment of aircraft carriers, and the arrival of container ships.

Double page spreads provide images of different types of ships, from the first Phoenician merchants to the Korean turtle ship and iconic ships such as the Mayflower, HMS Victoire, and HMS Beagle. Fans of history and of navigation will appreciate the attention to detail and the quality of illustrations.

Other volumes in this series include:

• A Visual History of Soldiers and Armies around the World
• A Visual History of Ships and Navigation
• A Visual History of the World’s Enduring Mysteries
• A Visual History of the Great Civilizations

All Summer Long

Larson, Hope. All Summer Long. 2018. 170p. ISBN 978-0-374-31071-4. Available in the graphic novel section of the library.

As long as she can remember, thirteen-year-old Bina and her best friend Austin have spent their lives together. Living next door to each other, Bina and Austin have experienced the last five summers through the Summer Fun Index, a way to calculate how much fun they are having at any moment. This summer, thought, it will be different. Austin is going away to soccer camp, and for the first time ever Bina will find herself without her best friend. How can she live the Summer Fun Index without her partner in crime?

Bina is determined to have fun on her own, but it is proving difficult without Austin. Within the first week she exhausts her quota of streaming programming, and her parents cut off her access. She’s trying to do her summer reading, but her heart is not in it. She loves to practice guitar, and enjoys finding new acts to listen to, but she’s got no one to share this side of herself with, since even Austin wasn’t into music. Things look up when, returning home one day, Bina notices she lost her house key. Thankfully, Austin always keeps a spare in his room so he can feed her cat when she’s away. She breaks in his house, and is caught by Charlie, Austin’s older sister. Bina soon discovers that Charlie and her both share a love of music, and they begin to hang out. Perhaps her summer won’t be as bad as she thinks it will be. But why is Austin ignoring her texts and acting so weird when he does texts her? And if he’s too busy to text her, how come he’s not too busy to post on social networks? As the days pass, Bina learns that she’s the only one responsible for her happiness.

Told in a graphic novel format, Bina’s summer is filled with trials and tribulations. Readers will clearly relate to Bina’s experience losing a friend at the worst possible time, and her quest to establish new friendships and become more independent.

All the Crooked Saints

Stiefvater, Maggie. All the Crooked Saints. 2017. 320p. ISBN 9780545930802. Available both on the library shelves at FIC STI and as an audiobook from Overdrive.

In a dusty desert corner of mid-1960s Colorado stands Bicho Raro, a small ranch populated by the extended Soria family and by pilgrims, people who have come to Bicho Raro seeking miracles. Members of the  Soria family possess the unique ability to perform miracles. The first miracle reveals the truth about a person. The second miracle frees that person from that truth. There are three types of pilgrims: Those whose first and second miracle happen almost simultaneously, those who need time to deal with their issue and accept the truth, and those who never complete the second miracle. Travelers from all over the United States come here, sometimes with nothing but a sense of desire for change, guided here by the pull of miracles.

Daniel Soria is the current saint, but when he falls in love with Marisita, who is perpetually under a cloud of rain, and refuses to remove her wedding dress. Sorias and pilgrims are not supposed to mix, and anytime a Soria has attempted to help a pilgrim things have gone bad for the Soria, and three lifesize wooden statues of Soria ancestors demonstrate that. Having endangered himself, Daniel runs to the desert so his family cannot help him.

Beatriz and Joaquin Soria are cousins, and they have built a pirate radio station out of an old pickup truck. Cruising the desert at night, they broadcast a low signal to whomever is listening in their corner of the desert. When it becomes clear that Daniel took a radio with him and is listening to them, the cousins decide to keep broadcasting and invite Marisita to sit down for a live interview. Beatriz is emotionless and rational, much like her father, but deep down, could there still be hope for her? Joaquin wants to become a professional broadcaster, but who in the desert will ever hear his voice and give him a chance?

Pete is on his way from Oklahoma to Bicho Raro because he saw a sell ad for a pickup truck. He’s picked up by a disc jockey from Philadelphia, who’s also pulled towards Bicho Raro for his own reasons. A hard worker, Pete is the only person at the ranch who is neither a Soria nor a pilgrim. All he wants is to purchase the truck, but now it’s used as a radio station. And why is Beatriz so alluring?

As miracles are performed, and the Soria family struggles with rescuing Daniel from the desert, a disparate cast of characters works through their issues and darkest fears, hoping to ultimately find themselves and shed what holds them back from a better life.

Stiefvater once again offers a masterful book with excellent character development and an engaging plot. Fans of The Scorpio Races and of the Raven Boys will enjoy this standalone story of a dysfunctional family with a hint of paranormal activity.

Nero

Lowery, Zoe and Julian Morgan. Nero. Part of the Leaders of the Ancient World series. 2017. 112p. ISBN 978-1-5081-7256-7. Available at B NER on the library shelves.

Famously known for his evil ways and for fiddling while Rome burned, Nero is a complex character that earned a reputation for wanton violence. However, all that we know of him was written by critics following his death, so there are several questions as to the legitimacy of these claims of villainy against him. There are no questions, however, that his reign as emperor of Rome was plagued with deaths and that the economy suffered as a result.

A descendant of Julius Caesar, Nero was to be the last emperor to be related to Caesar and Augustus. His mother, Agrippina, was a schemer who worked tirelessly so that her son would inherit the throne. When this was finally secured following the death of Claudius, she helped Nero govern. He eventually tired of her, however, and had her poisoned. One of the few restraining hands on his propensity for violence, her removal effectively allowed Nero to do whatever he wanted.

Unlike most Romans, Nero was fascinated by sports and by the arts. He played instruments and engaged in acting, two activities that were considered by upper-class Romans to be undignified. Nero spent time in Greece indulging in these passions, while Rome drifted. He rebuilt Rome following a fire that destroyed most of the city, but he also took several prime properties to build himself a large palace. He persecuted Christians, not for their religious beliefs but for the political expediency of having a group he could scapegoat.

His return to Rome heralded yet more deaths as his critics were either killed off, exiled, or forced to commit suicide. The execution of popular generals led to an open revolt from the army, which marched on Rome. Nero’s lack of military experience, his desire for self-aggrandizing, and his lack of respect for Roman dignity and customs meant that he had no allies when assassins finally came for him. A complicated figure, Nero remains one of the most controversial Roman emperors.

Titles in the Leaders of the Ancient World include:

• Julius Caesar
• Cleopatra

• Augustus

• Cicero

• Nero

• Hadrian

• Constantine

Warcross

Lu, Marie. Warcross. Book 1 of the Warcross series. 2017. 353p. ISBN 978-0-399-54796-6. Available at FIC LU on the library shelves.

Ever since the death of her father, Emika Chen has had to fend for herself. Left with massive gambling debts, she was sent to the orphanage, and eventually ran away. The only solace she has found is the game Warcross, an online virtual reality platform that has grown to become the new Internet. Though Warcross brought thousands of new business ideas and entertainment options to the world, it also brought a seedy underside, and law enforcement worldwide has been trying to catch up with the criminals that have abused Warcross. A dedicated hacker in New York City, Emika turned to bounty hunting to support herself, chasing down low level criminals that the police has no time or manpower to catch. She barely hangs on, though, and she’s behind on her rent.

With the Warcross Championship starting, Emika decides to hack into Warcross’s Opening Ceremony through a vulnerability she discovered and steal a power-up, which she can then sell on the black market. Everything goes according to plan, except for the appearance of her avatar in the Ceremony. Now the entire world wants to know, who is Emika Chen? Such a feat is sure to send the police to her doorstep, but in the morning she is surprised to only see the media outside. Her phone has several dozen messages, asking her to contact a Warcross corporate number. When she finally does, she receives an offer she can’t refuse. Hideo Tanaka, the young billionaire owner and inventor of Warcross, wants to fly her to Japan to meet with him. Emika has always dreamed of meeting Tanaka, but never thought it would happen. Now, she flies in a private jet around the world, and meets with Tanaka. As serious in person as he is on screen and in his media appearances, Tanaka is impressed with her hacking skills, and offers her a job. She will be entered in the Warcross draft as a wildcard, and will be selected by one of the international teams competing for the Warcross Championship. Her mission is to uncover the identity of a hacker named Zero, something Warcross’ best corporate hackers have been unable to do. Zero plans something big for the Warcross championships, and Tanaka wants to prevent him from reaching his goal.

As Emika digs in the profiles of contestants and snoops around the Dark layers of Warcross, she begins to unravel Zero’s sinister plot, which could cripple the Warcross platform. Now falling for Tanaka, every step Emika takes brings her closer to a confrontation with the obscure Zero, putting her and Tanaka in more than virtual danger...

Escape!: The Story of the Great Houdini

Fleischman, Sid. Escape!: The Story of the Great Houdini. 2006. 210p. ISBN 0-06-085094-9. Available at B HOU on the library shelves.

Dead for almost a hundred years, Harry Houdini remains one of the greatest magicians to ever practice the art of the illusion. Known for his escape artist routine, Houdini was also an accomplished pilot (the first one to fly a plane in Australia), a movie pioneer, a debunker of pseudo-scientific experiments, and a self-taught didactic individual who took the world by storm and never accepted “no” as an answer.

Erik Weisz was born to a Jewish family in Budapest in 1876 in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Emigrating to the United States in 1878 to rejoin his father, who had arrived earlier, they settled in Appleton, Wisconsin. Already a showman by age 9, Weisz changed his name to Houdini to honor his role-model, Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin and performed anywhere he could. Working with his younger brother, he met his wife, Bess, and soon the two were married and part of an act called the Houdinis. His escape routine finally attracted the attention of a show promoter, and soon the Houdinis were traveling throughout the United States and Europe.

While in Europe Houdini continued to study locks and perfected several acts. Returning to the United States, he started a magic monthly, the Conjuror’s Monthly Magazine, filled the house wherever he performed, and became involved in making movies to promote his act. During one of these movies he learned to fly a plane. He then purchased an aircraft, shipped it to Australia, and became the first one to fly a plane down under.

Always protecting his brand, Houdini sued his imitators, and sought to debunk spiritualists. Still touring in the 1920s, Houdini was stricken by a ruptured appendix and died in Detroit. An avid collector of all things magical throughout his life, Houdini left his collection of books and pamphlets to the Library of Congress. The greatest escape artist could not escape from death, but left behind an impressive legacy.

Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 9

Adachitoka. Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 9. 2015. 159p. ISBN 978-1-63236-128-8. Available in the Graphic Section of the library.

Yato and Ebisu finally locate the woman who knows the Word to bind the Ayakashis. Named Izanami, she has been stuck in Yomi and craves companionship. She agrees to give them the Word, but only if one of them stay with her for eternity. Yato and Ebisu are thus forced to fight each other, but even winning doesn’t mean escaping Yomi.

At the same time, the gods have dispatched the Heavenly Guard to hunt Ebisu down. The six remaining gods of fortune agree that they cannot allow the death of one of their own, and they break free of the compound and launch their own chase.

Hiyori and Yukiné retrace Yato’s footsteps so they too can find him, unaware of what is happening in the heavens. Hiyori’s research has revealed that Yato is not mentioned anywhere, and that no feat are attributed to him. While looking for Yato in the forest leading to Yomi, they come across Kugaha, the stray that almost destroyed Bishamon. Kugaha reveals a painful truth to Yukiné ...

The story continues on Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 10.

This Is Really Happening

Chack, Erin. This Is Really Happening. 2017. 234p. ISBN 978-0-448-49358-9. Available at 973.92 CHA on the library shelves.

Senior editor at Buzzfeed, Erin Chack begins her memoire with her cancer diagnostic at age 19. She explains that movies and television shows had prepared her for what was to come, including the pain and the chemotherapy, but it had not prepared her to reveal this information to her friends. Over the course of this book, Erin discusses snapshots of her story that were significant and that influenced who she is today. From meeting her boyfriend and soulmate when she was 14, to talking about her trip around the continental United States with two friends, a beat up car and no money, Erin’s remarks are incisive and hilarious, and reflect the experiences that millenials live through every day. Fans of true stories will appreciate how Erin presents both her strong side as well as her vulnerable side, providing a look into her quirky mind and outlook on life.

The Hate You Give

Thomas, Angie. The Hate You Give. 2017. 444p. ISBN 978-0-06-249855-7. Available at FIC THO on the library shelves and as an eBook on Overdrive.

Starr Carter lives in Garden Heights, a neighborhood now considered a Black ghetto, where drug dealers and gangbangers rule. Her father served time in prison and missed the first part of her life. Her mother works at a clinic. Her older half-brother, herself, and her younger brother attend a suburban prep school half hour from Garden Heights, but every night they return to a life where they must lock all doors and shelter in the den when gunfire is heard outside. Starr is dating Chris, a rich White boy who also attends her school. She saw her best friend being shot in a drive-by when she was ten. To say that she has to function in two completely different worlds would be an understatement.

Attending a party in Garden Heights with her friends, Starr hears gunshots and departs with her childhood friend, Khalil. As they drive away, she questions him about his new shoes, and though he doesn’t admit to be dealing, he doesn’t deny it either. Pulled over by a White police officer, the encounter quickly escalates and Khalil is fatally shot in the back while leaning in through his car door to reassure Starr. Becoming national news, Khalil’s death sparks riots in Garden Heights. As the only witness on the scene aside from the police officer, Starr can contradict the police statements, but doing so can put her family, her entire neighborhood and herself in danger.

With one world exploding in violence, and with the other world not comprehending the experience of living in Garden Heights, can Starr reconcile these two parts of her life?

Inspired by the #BlackLivesMatter movement and the shootings of unarmed Black across the United States, The Hate You Give does not hold back and puts the reader straight in the middle of a social and racial conflict. Realistically written and heart-wrenching, Starr’s story will sadden but ultimately inspire.

The Radical Element: 12 Stories of Daredevils, Debutantes & Other Dauntless Girls

Spotwood, Jessica, Ed. The Radical Element: 12 Stories of Daredevils, Debutantes & Other Dauntless Girls. 2018. 320p. ISBN 978-0763694258. Available at FIC SPO on the library shelves.

Girls have always been bound by social conventions, but they often seek to escape these strictures and reach for their interests and talents. Fleeing religious intolerance, Rebekah becomes a teacher of other Jewish girls. Vilatte joined the Mormons but with her leaders’ execution, she reveals her inner strength. A stevedore on a steamship cruising the Colorado River, Ray hides both her gender and her goal, that of finding her real family. Rose, confined to a wheelchair, and her black friend Pauline, are responsible for the appearance of Lord Firebrand, who undermines the Confederacy. Ruby takes the plunge to join the circus. Grace, a Mexican-American hoping to become a star, realizes that beauty is not what society prescribes. Carrie wants to practice law so she can prove that each person deserves sovereignty over themselves. Emma’s family uses magic to stay out of events, but in 1943 the Nazis threaten the world and she goes against her parents’ wishes to protect her small Black community in Martha’s Vineyard. Rosemary wants to break in the men’s world of comedy writers for the nascent television industry. Lana Luau seeks to win a talent show for Miss Sugar and a chance to appear on sugar packages, an honor usually reserved to white girls. Susana’s Cuba is but a distant memory, but the arrival of her grandparents threaten to change her life here in the United States. Soheila has left Iran and must decide whether to follow her parents and her aunt’s wishes or blaze her own path.

The girls in these twelve stories pushed beyond recognized girlhood borders and sought to fulfill their own potential as human beings. From the stories of first- and second-generation immigrants to those of girls with diverse origins, sexual preferences, and abilities, each author showcases engaging writing and well-developed characters. Edited by Spotwood, these stories provide a look at 150 years of American history through the exploration of events and circumstances that are not well known. Readers who like to cheer for the underdog will appreciate the variety of tales told and will realize that they too, can become radical.