Beyond the Bright Sea

Wolk, Lauren. Beyond the Bright Sea. 2017. 283p. ISBN 978-1-101-99-485-6. Available at FIC WOL on the library shelves.

Placed in a boat shortly after her birth, the baby girl was cast at sea. When found by a solitary man living on a small island off the larger island of Cuttyhunk, which is part of the Elizabeth chain of islands, the girl was named Crow. She not only survived in Osh’s gentle hands, but thrived and became an inquisitive girl.

At 12, Crow has spent her entire life on their island, living in a makeshift house but not wanting for anything. Everyone on Cuttyhunk assumes she came from Pekinese, Massachusett’s only leper colony, and treat her as a leper even though she has no symptoms. Crow has always been curious about where she came from, but both Osh and her other friend, Miss Maggie, who lives across the sandbar from them, has told her not to look into her past too closely as surely nothing good will come of it.

When Crow begins digging, however, she comes upon a dangerous mystery that involves a treasure left behind by the famous pirate Captain Kidd. Others are also searching the treasure, however, and as Crow seeks to unravel her past it throws the present into turmoil, with Osh, the father who is not her father, concerned that their relationship might change if she discovers who she truly is. But as she explores the dangerous past of the leper colony, Crow realizes that home and family are what you make of it, and not what others tell you they ought to be.

Beautifully written, Crow’s story will be appreciated by readers who enjoy a light mystery and those who like historical fiction.

When My Sister Started Kissing

Frost, Helen. When My Sister Started Kissing. 2017. 193p. ISBN 978-0-374-30303-7. Available at FIC FRO on the library shelves.

When Claire and Abigail’s mother died, the family was heartbroken. Spending every summer at a cabin on the lake, the sisters saw comforting reminders of their mother everywhere. Now that it is summer again, they dread returning to the lake. Their father has remarried, and his new wife is pregnant with their half-brother. Worse, all signs of their mother, from her old easel to her favorite chair to the board games and her books have disappeared from the cabin.

For Claire, however, all of these changes are nothing compared to what is happening with her sister Abigail, who insists on being called Abi. This summer, Abi is boy crazy, and her secrets mean that Claire must cover for her. Unsure of herself, Claire can’t help but wonder why Abi would act this way. As the summer progresses, and as Abi’s affections seem to be divided between two different boys, Claire decides she can’t make excuses for her anymore. But as their family seems to be drifting apart, the lake imparts lessons that just because things are changing doesn’t mean that they will not remain meaningful.

Written in verse, this short book features three points of view, that of Claire, Abi, and of the lake itself observing the sisters. A coming of age novel, readers interested in family relationships will appreciate the dynamics that are at play between two sisters struggling with new feelings and emotions.

Mark Twain’s The Diaries of Eve and Adam

Tiller, Jerome. Mark Twain’s The Diaries of Eve and Adam. 2017. 66p. ISBN 9781939846136. Available at FIC TWA on the library shelves.

If Adam and Eve had kept diaries after their creation, this book shows what they might have said about each other. This book combines two of Mark Twain’s funnier short stories into a package where each individual’s thoughts are presented against what the other is doing. While Eve is busy naming everything, Adam is wondering why she bothers him with her speech all the time. Women being from Venus and Men from Mars, the two of them find it hard to agree on anything, but eventually they realize that they belong together. Illustrations add to the story and provide more details. Fans of humorous texts will find their fill with this short read!

Small Arms Up Close

Dougherty, Martin J. Small Arms Up Close. Part of the Military Technology: Top Secret Clearance series. 2016. 224p. ISBN 978-1-5081-7082-2. Available at 623.44 DOU on the library shelves.

When the first firearms were developed, it represented a leap in warfare technology. Though not very effective, these weapons were deadly when used by trained personnel. Over the last five hundred years, small arms have developed into potent weapons used in every conflict around the world and by many people to protect themselves, their families and their properties.

This book describes some of the most widely known hand-held weapons, from the U.S. military’s M16 of the Vietnam era to the infamous Russian AK-47. These weapons are represented in a graphics format offering a 360 degree view, along with technical specifications and a brief history of each weapon, including how it was developed and its intended uses.

Fans of military history and of weapons will appreciate the thoroughness of this book and will gain a better understanding of the role these weapons have played in conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries.

The Military Technology: Top Secret Clearance series include Modern Warships Up Close, Warplanes of World War II Up Close, Military Jets Up Close, and Tanks of World War II Up Close.

American Born Chinese

Yang, Gene Lueh. American Born Chinese. 2006. 233p. ISBN 978-1-59643-208-6. Available in the Graphic Novels section of the library.

Jin Wang’s parents are Chinese, and arrived in America only a week apart, yet did not meet until a year and a half later. They dated and married, and eventually Jin was born. The family lived in San Francisco’s Chinatown for nine years before moving out. Jin went to a new elementary school, where he was the only Asian student in 3rd grade, aside from Suzy Nakamura. Jin had to acclimate to a hostile classroom where many of the kids picked on him. In 5th grade, he meets Wen Chen, a new student from Taiwan. Wen tries to make friends with Jin, but Jin is not interested, until Wen takes out a new Transformer. They then become best friends.

The Monkey King is one of the many deities of the Chinese. Rulers of all monkeys in Flower Fruit Mountain, he was denied entry at a deity party, and took it out on all of them by fighting them and winning. Already a Kung Fu master but feeling excluded, he decided to learn more and achieved even more enlightenment. Angry with him, the other gods try to arrest him, only to be defeated again. Eventually, Tze-Yo-Tzuh, He who was, is, and will ever be talked to him. In his hubris, the Monkey King defied his wishes, and was sentenced to lay under a pile of rocks for 500 years.

Cousin Chin-Kee comes to visit Danny once a year, and every time he manages to embarrass Danny so profoundly that he has to change school. This year is no exception. Danny is furious that his cousin is here. A perfect Chinese stereotype, Chin-Kee is smart, too eager, and mispronounces his Ls and Rs. And he manages to humiliate Danny at every turn by being too Chinese.

These three stories all merge to form one tale of acceptance of oneself and one’s ethnic heritage. In this fast-paced graphic novel, Jin discovers that to be happy he needs to be true to himself and his Chinese origins.

Felix Yz

Bunker, Lisa. Felix Yz. 2017. 282p. ISBN 978-0-425-28850-4. Available at FIC BUN on the library shelves.

Felix Yz (pronounced Is) was spending quality time with his father in his cutting edge laboratory when something went horribly wrong. During an experiment, a rift to the fourth dimension was opened, and an entity fused itself with Felix, provoking intense physical pain and modifying his genetic make up. His father was killed, and Felix was never the same again.

Now thirteen-year-old, Felix does not remember a time before the presence of Zyx, as the family has called the creature. Extremely intelligent and friendly, Zyx can easily communicate with Felix in his mind, but he can only express himself to the outside world through seizures or by using a keyboard to type messages. Zyx’s existence is known to only a few people, and must remain a secret to prevent government agencies from hearing about this new being.

The laboratory where the experiment took place has been rebuilt, and scientists have been working hard on finding a way to separate both entities. Knowing full well that there is a risk he could die during the separation, Felix is nevertheless willing to go through it. He will miss Zyx, but he’s ready to live the rest of his life without another presence in his mind.

So the countdown begins to the Procedure. With only thirty days left, Felix has to prepare for the worst as he hopes for the best. Family truths will be revealed, his interest in another boy explored, he will play chess against a Grandmaster, and he will experience a hint of the fourth dimension where Zyx lives. When it comes right down to it, what are the most important things in Felix’s life?

Written as a blog where Felix document the last thirty days of his life before the Procedure, his feelings and emotions are raw and uncensored. Fans of introspection will appreciate Felix’ outlook on life and his desire to live to the fullest despite his accident.

The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart

Burgis, Stephanie. The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart. 2017. 242p. ISBN 978-1-68119-343-4. Available at FIC BUR on the library shelves.

Life as a dragon can be very exasperating, especially when you have older siblings. Aventurine is tired of being hidden in the mountain by her parents. Her mother and grandfather have informed her on occasions too many to count that she can’t leave the mountain for it is dangerous out there, and humans could harm her. Only when her scales have thickened enough to protect her from most every bullet and magic will she be allowed out. But that’s in about a hundred more years, and she’s had enough playing with her older brother, who is more interested in reading human books anyway. Plus, Aventurine has an older sister who has left the mountain years ago, and she’s just so perfect that Aventurine can never compare in the eyes of her mother.

So when the opportunity presents itself, Aventurine sneaks out of the mountain to go hunting by herself. This task proves more complicated than she thought it would be, however, and she’s unable to catch prey. Until, that is, she smells a human sheltering in a cave. She follows the scent, only to discover that he’s cooking … hot chocolate. Entranced by the amazing smell, Aventurine agrees to spare the human’s life until the hot chocolate is ready. Unfortunately, he turns out to be a food mage, and as she drinks the hot chocolate, which is amazing and tastes nothing like she’s ever had, she is transformed into a puny human.

Unable to return home (grandfather tried to roast her when she approached the mountain), Aventurine makes her way to the capital of the kingdom in search of chocolate. She soons becomes an apprentice to the cantankerous Marina, whose uncompromising baking and cooking style and her infuriating personality fit perfectly with Adventurine’s own. Soon, she’s learning more about chocolate than she ever thought possible. But the dragons in the mountain have stirred, and they’ve been spotted as far as the outskirts of the capital. And when an entire flight of them bears down on the city, striking panic and fear in the inhabitants’ hearts, only Adventurine can save them all.

Between Shades of Gray

Sepetys, Ruta. Between Shades of Gray. 2011. 344p. ISBN 0-399-25412-9. Available at FIC SEP on the library shelves.

It is 1941, and Lithuania has just fallen into the Soviet sphere. When Eastern Europe was divided between Hitler and Stalin, the Russian dictator acquired all of the Baltic Republics and quickly invaded them. Now Communist rule has been imposed, and enemies of the State are disappearing.

Lina is an average teenager. At fifteen, she loves to draw and paint, and she has enough talent that a long career as an artist awaits her. Except that her father works at the University, and he is both educated and middle-class, two things that the Soviets hate. In the middle of one night, Soviet NKVD officers barge into their house and order Lina, her brother and her mother to pack up their things and be ready in 20 minutes. Her father has already disappeared a few days ago, and Lina is worried about what happened to him.

Put into cattle trains, they leave Lithuania under cramped and dangerous conditions and make their way east, to Siberia. With Hitler violating the pact he made with Stalin and the Germans attacking the Soviet Union, the country finds itself at war and yet is able to spare resources to insure that its enemies remain imprisoned. Lina and her family spend a winter at a makeshift camp. Through it all, Lina hangs to her art and draws information on handkerchiefs, hoping that they will eventually get to her father.

Refusing to sign a confession, they are soon transferred to another camp, this time north of the Arctic Circle. Facing horrible conditions, Lina is forced to decide how far she is willing to go to survive.

Teen Guide to Credit and Debt

Blohm, Craig E. Teen Guide to Credit and Debt. Part of the Teen Guide to Finance$ series. 2017. 64p. ISBN 978-1-68262-060-3. Available at 332.74 BLO on the library shelves.

Recent surveys show that 1 in 4 teens do not know what an overdraft fee is or where it takes place, and nearly 1 in 20 teens believe they do not have to pay back credit card debt. With the economy roaring back, teens increasingly have more disposable income and are working harder. However, college spending keeps increasing, and most teens will incur a heavy load of student loans before they even graduate. More frightening, many teens do not understand how credit works. This book aims to remedy that fact by presenting information on credit and how it is used in the life of teens.

A valuable tool for a stable financial life, credit helps people purchase big ticket items such as homes, cars, and college. However, misusing credit can lead to severe consequences including ever mounting debt, a ruined credit score, and even bankruptcy. Learning about how to use and manage one’s credit is one of the most important skills that any teenager will ever have, and this book does an excellent job of covering the positive and negative aspects of credit.

Wires and Nerves

Meyer, Marissa. Wires and Nerve. Part of the Lunar Chronicles series. 2017. 238p. ISBN 9781250078261. Available at FIC MEY on the library shelves.

With Cinder now the rightful queen of Luna, there is high hope that peace can finally be restored. However, many of Queen Levana’s wolf-hybrid soldiers have gone rogue and refuse to accept the order to return to Luna. They instead have disappeared, and they are striking Earth targets at random, keeping fear and terror alive.

With Lunar personnel suspect on Earth, Cinder decides to send Iko to chase down the wolf soldiers. In many respects, she’s the best person for the job. She’s as quick as a human, and is nearly indestructible. Plus, she can’t be mentally manipulated. Iko relishes the opportunity to prove that robots can be more than helpful servants.

The wolves are not as disorganized as they were. Alpha Steele, a former Operative, seeks to unite all wolves and take the war back to Cinder and Luna. Seeking a cure for their wolfness, the former Lunar soldiers come up with a simple plan: Capture Cinder and Kai at the upcoming Commonwealth ball.

Meanwhile Cinder’s other friends all have missions to accomplish on Earth, from delivering the Letimosis vaccine to negotiating agreements. But the wolf problem could throw everything in disarray.

This graphic novel explores Iko’s quest for humanity and her desire to escape the limitations of her programming. Cinder’s friends all appear in this book, but the story focuses on Iko and her development into a major character. Fans of the Lunar Chronicles will thoroughly enjoy watching their favorite characters move on the pages of this fast-paced book.

Eldest

Paolini, Christopher. Eldest. Book 2 of the Inheritance series. 2005. 681p. ISBN   0-375-82670-X. Available at FIC PAO on the library shelves.

Eragon survived the assault on the dwarven city of Tronjheim but was maimed by Durza the Shade before killing him. Known as the Shadeslayer, Eragon looks forward to heading to Ellesmera, capital of the Elves, to complete his training as a Rider of Dragons. Now that Eragon and Saphira have joined the Varden and with the destruction of his army, Nasuada decides it is time to take the fight to King Galbatorix, he who singlehandedly eliminated the Order of the Riders.

As the Varden moves south to Surda, Eragon, Saphira, Arya and Orik head north to Ellesmera. There Eragon and Saphira discover that they are not the last riders aside from the King. Oromis,  the Crippled Who is Whole and Glaedr his dragon still live in the forest, having hidden themselves from Galbatorix. Together and with limited time, they begin the process of training Rider and Dragon in the art of magic, flying, and fighting.

Meanwhile, in Carvahall, Roran and the villagers are visited by the Ra’zac, who are here to seize him. Refusing to surrender, Roran hides in the forest, but the soldiers accompanying the Ra’zac soon begin making the villagers’ lives miserable. When one of them dies at the hands of a soldier and is returned as nothing but a pile of bones, Roran is so incensed that he leads the villagers in battle against the Ra’zac and the soldiers, and soon the soldiers are forced to abandon Carvahall. Getting ready for a siege, the villagers fortify all access points and wait for the Empire’s assault.

Eragon’s training proceeds apace, but his desire for Arya, whom, he discovers, is the daughter of Queen Islanzadí, soon turns the elf against him, and she departs to return to the Varden. Meanwhile, Roran’s love, Katrina, is kidnapped by the Ra’zac following her father Sloan’s treachery, and with the knowledge that more soldiers is on the way, the villagers soon face a stark choice. Remain behind and be enslaved, or tempt their chance through the Spine to the ocean to secure passage down to the Varden and Surda.

As forces mass on both sides, and with an ally of Galbatorix ready to take the field against the Varden, will Eragon and Saphira’s training be completed in time to save his friends from complete destruction?

The story continues in Brisingr.

Every Exquisite Thing

Quick, Matthew. Every Exquisite Thing. 2016. 288p. 296 mins. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Seventeen-year-old Nanette O’Hare’s life is unremarkable. Along with her friend Shannon, Nanette is the star of the varsity soccer team at her high school, and has scored more goals than all of the other players put together. In school, she is an average student, with no ideas on what her future will look like. During her junior year, her English teacher gives her his own personal copy of an old out-of-print book called The Bugglegum Reaper. In this book, the main character, Wrigley, rebels against society and bullies and rages about quitting, though it’s never made clear what he wants to quit. Nanette takes to the book and it instantly becomes her own personal bible.

When her English teacher mentions that the author lives in the same South New Jersey town they do, Nanette endeavors to meet him. A recluse, the author never allowed another run of his book to be printed and has chosen to prevent his work from circulating. He and Nanette strike an unlikely friendship. A few months later he introduces her to Alex, a poetic high schooler who also loves The Bubblegum Reaper. Soon the two of them are not exactly dating, but they are experiencing thoughtful conversations and moments.

Nanette can see that Alex is troubled, however, and when he decides to defend a middle schooler named Oliver just like Wrigley did in The Bubblegum Reaper, the law catches up with him and he is sent to Reform School. Nanette cannot contact him there. Troubled by this and by other experiences, Nanette soon discovers that to be true to oneself can be very expensive emotionally. As she burns bridges and experiences a meltdown of her relationships, Nanette feels even more lost than before. Can she muster within herself the courage to discover what she really wants and force the world to accept her as she really is?

Warplanes of World War II Up Close

Jackson, Robert. Warplanes of World War II Up Close. Part of the Military Technology: Top Secret Clearance series. 2017. 2016. 224p. ISBN 978-1-5081-7078-5. Available at 940.54 JAC on the library shelves.

The birth of the airplane at the beginning of the 20th century led to its utilization as a war machine during the First World War, and legends were made. But for all of their prowess, these airplanes were slow and more of an afterthought of army leaders on all sides of this conflict. It is not until Hitler’s invasion of Poland triggers the beginning of the Second World War that the airplane truly comes on its own as a machine of death and destruction.

The airplanes imagined in the 1930s, from the famous Royal Air Force Spitfire and the Japanese Mitsubishi Zero to the lesser known German Messerschmitt Bf 109, all began the war as technological marvels, but as the conflict progressed and tactical situations on the ground changed, these aircrafts were quickly surpassed by better armored and equipped airplanes possessing longer range and the ability to conduct electronic warfare. The evolution of bombers wrecked havoc on civilian populations and military installations, and in turn new fighters were constructed to chase and shoot them down.

This book presents 34 of the best known airplanes of the Second World War through three dimensional models providing a 360-degree view. Technical specifications are included, as well as a short history of each airplane’s development and successes during the war. Fans of the Second World War will enjoy reading about these deadly machines.

The Military Technology: Top Secret Clearance series include Small Arms Up Close, Modern Warships Up Close, Military Jets Up Close, and Tanks of World War II Up Close.

All’s Faire in Middle School

Jamieson, Victoria. All’s Faire in Middle School. 2017. 217p. ISBN 978-0-525-42998-2. Available in the Graphics Novels section of the library.

Imogene’s family is rather unique. Both her mother and father live for the Florida Renaissance Faire, and they work there throughout the year, she as one of the shop owners, and he as Sir Hugo, Lord of the Dragon and the villain of the story. Imogene has grown up among the Renaissance Faire folks her entire life, and she has been homeschooled. This year, she decides she wants to go to middle school with other normal kids instead of pursuing her education with the Faire people. Simultaneously, Impy has been promoted at the Faire to the role of Squire to Sir Hugo.

Impy now finds herself in uncharted waters. Middle school is not what she expected. The kids are mean and vindictive. They bully each other. As the outsider, Impy does not fit in any cliques but manages to acquire some friends. At the Faire, being a squire is hard work and she has trouble adjusting to her new role. Anita, a student at her school, is bullied because she is smart and doesn’t hide it, but at the Faire she dresses as a princess. Impy feels she can connect with her there, but not at school where Anita is treated as a pariah. Trying to fit in with odd clothes and odder manners, Impy does everything she can to ingratiates herself to her crowd, even if it means drawing mean pictures of teachers and students, including one of Anita. But when that picture spreads around school, following the knight’s code of chivalry, honesty and bravery proves harder than she thought, both at school and at the Faire.

Beautifully illustrated, Imogene’s tale of woes and redemption when joining middle school will entertain readers experiencing similar adaptation to a new environment as well as those who lived through those awkward years.

A Crack in the Sea

Bouwman, H. M. A Crack in the Sea. 2017. 358p. ISBN 978-0-399-54519-1. Available at FIC BOU on the library shelves.

Kinchen and Pip live with old man Ren, on the outside of Tathenn, the capital of the islands of Second World. When she returns home to discover that her 11-year-old brother has been invited to tea with the governor and the Raft King, Kinchen immediately worries. Pip can breathe underwater and can talk to fish, yet he has the worst time distinguishing between humans. They all look the same to him. For his part, the Raft King rules Raftworld, a large city constructed out of thousands of rafts that float tied together and powered by hydraulics.

The Islanders and the Raftworlders have always been at peace and meet every few years to exchange and trade. People willing to leave their home are welcomed with the other nation. The Raft King, however, is looking for a door so he can return to the First World, where his mother, Amelia, came from, and Pip is the one that can find this door by asking the fish.

Meanwhile, Thanh and his sister Sang are escaping warfare and Communist rule in Vietnam like so many, by boarding a small boat and risking the open sea to make landfall in Thailand, Malaysia or the Philippines. Accompanied by two adults, a baby, and another girl called Mai, they eventually stumble upon a doorway in the open sea held open by a Kraken, and are propulsed in the Second World.

Intermingled in their stories is the story of Venus and Swimmer, two African children who escape from a slave ship and live with a man they name uncle Caesar for a while, before being captured again and taken out onto another slave ship bound for Jamaica. Able to walk underwater, Venus rescues more than a hundred slaves, including her brother and her uncle, and they walk for days underwater before discovering a door leading to a new world.

These three stories all tie in together in a beautifully told tale of hope and redemption. Fans of intriguing fantasy will appreciate the well crafted main characters and the setting of the Second World.

A Separate Peace

Knowles, John. A Separate Peace. 2003. 204p. ISBN 0-7432-5397-3. Available at FIC KNO on the library shelves.

With the Second World War raging on, high school students at Devon, a prep school in southern New Hampshire know that most of them, as they graduate, will join the military and fight in Europe or in the Pacific. But for 16-year-old Gene Forrester and his fellow students, war is furthest from his mind. What he is concerned about are his academics and athletics performances. His best friend and roommate, Phineas, known as Finny, is the best athlete at the school, and Gene knows he will always be a distant second. In academics, however, Gene stands a reasonable chance of beating Finny.

During the summer session of 1942, when the students are given more leeway due to the regular staff being gone on summer vacation, Gene and Finny create the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session, a group whose members must jump from a tall tree overlooking the Devon River in a daredevil attitude. With most of the boys joining in, the Society consumes more of their time in ever expanding games and activities, until, during an initiation, Gene and Finny find themselves on the tree. Jealous of Finny’s easy successes, Gene bounces the branch, and Finny accidentally falls, resulting in a broken leg. Finny will never play sports again.

Aghast at what he has done, Gene tries his best to help Finny recover, but with more friends shipping out to war, their friendship has been damaged. Gene hopes to make it up to Finny, but how can he when he’s the one who ended Finny’s one true love? Will Gene have to courage to reveal his role in the accident? What will be the cost to their friendship?

A growing up novel where friendship and jealousy mix freely, A Separate Peace will remind the reader that, like Gene, being true to oneself is accepting the parts, good or bad, that we play in other people’s lives.