Augustus

Baum, Margaux and Fiona Forsyth. Augustus. Part of the Leaders of the Ancient World series. 2017. 112p. ISBN 978-1-5081-7242-0. Available at B AUG on the library shelves.

The assassination of Julius Caesar caused a major upheaval in Rome. Two sides quickly coalesced. Caesar’s assassins believed they were doing the will of the Senate, but a triumvirate soon emerged to challenge them in the name of the people of Rome. Mark Anthony, one of Caesar’s generals made a deal with Octavian, Caesar’s great nephew and appointed heir, along with Lepidus. The three of them crushed the assassins’ faction and divided the Roman world among themselves.

Octavian had limited military experience, but was politically savvy and carried the people’s devotion for Caesar. Over the next decade, Octavian would skillfully maneuver himself into the position of first citizen of Rome, effectively achieving what Caesar had not. Through yet another civil war, this time against Mark Anthony, Octavian emerged victorious and in sole command of Rome’s sprawling lands.

Over the next decades, Octavian, who was renamed Augustus by the Senate, implemented a host of reforms to increase the bureaucracy’s efficiency, improve Rome’s military posture, and rebuilt the city of Rome through a massive public works program. He also influenced the morals of Roman society by leading an austere lifestyle. His contributions to Rome set up the pattern for the next three hundred years. As the first Emperor, Augustus remains one of the most famous persons of Antiquity.

Titles in the Leaders of the Ancient World include:

• Julius Caesar
• Cleopatra

• Augustus

• Cicero

• Nero

• Hadrian

• Constantine

The Usagi Yojimbo Saga

Sakai, Stan. The Usagi Yojimbo Saga. 2014. 619p. ISBN 978-1-63008-081-5. Available as an eBook from Overdrive.

Usagi Yojimbo is a fearless ronin samurai in 17th century Japan. He wanders the land, looking for opportunities to help in a land that was ravaged by a deadly civil wars between warlords for control of the country. In various stories involving assassins, ninjas, and evil men, an overarching tale of good, evil, treachery and revenge emerges in a beautifully rendered graphic format that still adheres to historical accuracy. Fans of graphic novels will enjoy Usagi’s adventures and exploits.

Closing Down Heaven

Choyce, Lesley. Closing Down Heaven. 2016. 176p. ISBN 978-0-8899-5543-1. Available at FIC CHO on the library shelves.

Hunter’s life is pretty unremarkable. No one ever truly looks at him at school, or pays attention to him. For sixteen years he’s felt on the outskirts of humanity, not truly a part of it. When a bike ride in the woods goes horribly wrong, Hunter finds himself in a warm and comfortable place. Archie welcomes him, but can’t really answer any of Hunter’s questions about what this place is or what he is supposed to do here. Hunter questions Archie if this is heaven, and Archie tells him it may be. Hunter is curious if there is a God, but Archie avoids the question.

Hunter then notices there is another person here. Trinity is a girl from his school, and they were in sixth grade together. She asks Hunter the same questions he had asked Archie, and he’s not sure how to answer. He shares with her how he died, and she tells him that she overdosed, but it happens almost three months later, yet almost no time has passed for Hunter.

Archie returns and informs Hunter that a decision was made to close heaven down, and therefore everyone must return to Earth, starting with the most recent arrivals. Trinity vanishes, and soon it’s Hunter’s turn. He awakens back by his crumpled bike, and is found by searchers. Hunter is bothered by fragments of thoughts he had while in heaven, and everything comes back to him. Can he save Trinity from her fate?

Told in free-verses, this short book will appeal to fans of poetry and those who are interested in second chances.

Stormy Seas: Stories of Young Boat Refugees

Leatherdale, Mary Beth and Eleanor Shakespeare. Stormy Seas: Stories of Young Boat Refugees. 2017. 56p. ISBN 978-1-55451-895-1. Available at 305.9 LEA on the library shelves.

Children seeking refuge in another country were in the news during the spring of 2018, but this phenomenon is ancient. People, including children flee their homes for a variety of reasons, including wars, violence, climate change, and a lack of opportunities. For most, the decision to leave represents a hope that life will be better elsewhere. Others have no choice and did not want to leave.

Though every journey is different, most refugee stories share similarities of abuse and despair along one of the most harrowing trek anyone will ever make. Stormy Seas presents the journey five youths have made to a new home over the last eighty years. Each person tells his or her story in their own words, providing a vivid look at a reality most of us will never, thankfully, have to experience. Background information to each event is provided, and the gorgeous illustrations facilitate comprehension of this difficult topic.

Readers interested in resilience and the triumph of hope over despair will appreciate how each youth survived their journey and overcame the obstacles standing in their way to achieve a relative level of peace and security they would not have found at home.

Flawless

Shepard, Sara. Flawless. Book 2 of the Pretty Little Liars series. 2007. 330p. ISBN 0-06-088735-4. Available at FIC SHE on the library shelves.

In middle school, Alison, Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer were at Alison’s house, and they decided to prank Toby Cavanaugh, the town creep and step-brother of their friend Jenna. Toby was always lighting fireworks, so Alison sneaks to Toby’s treehouse and releases a firecracker. Unfortunately, it burns the treehouse, and Jenna, who was inside, is permanently blinded.

Now juniors in high school, the girls are receiving strange messages from someone referring to themselves as A, who threatens to reveal all of their secrets. They suspect that it is Alison, who disappeared back in 7th grade, but in Pretty Little Liars, Alison was found dead beneath the concrete floor of a gazebo in her backyard. Her four former best friends were relieved, but they are still worried because A is out there, knowing all of their secrets.

When they realized that Toby, Jenna’s step-brother, has moved back to town, the girls think he’s the one going by the initial A. Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer keep receiving messages, and their personal lives are slowly degrading. And Toby seems to be everywhere they look. Meanwhile, Aria is still attracted to her Ezra, her English teacher, but when the secret that her dad and one of his graduate students are sleeping together comes out, her mother can’t forgive her. Spencer is still attracted to Wren, her older sister’s former boyfriend, and she travels to Philadelphia to meet with him several times. But her heart’s about to be broken. And Hanna reconnects with her father, who has ignored her for the last few years. On a weekend getaway, he surprises her with the presence of his new wife and stepdaughter. Hanna had a bad experience with her the last time, but this time both girls appear to be cool with each other. Emily is still unsure of whether she is gay. She’s attracted to Maya, but her parents frown upon this relationship because of Maya’s race. They don’t know their perfect daughter is a lesbian, so Emily once again attempts to date a boy, and she and Toby become an item.

With the stakes even higher, the girls all try to keep their secrets from each other, but A’s taunts force them to once again gather and attempt to solve this mystery. If is it indeed Toby pretending to be A, how can they stop him?

The story continues in Perfect.

The Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire. Part of the Empires in the Middle Ages series. 2018. 48p. ISBN 978-1-68048-780-0. Available at 949.5 BYZ on the library shelves.

The Roman Empire’s expanse became ungovernable by one individual, and plans were made to split it into two different, more manageable parts. In the West, Rome eventually fell to barbarians in the 400s. In the East, Constantinople remained the seat of an evolving Roman power for another thousand years. The Byzantine Empire, descending Rome, was more oriented eastward. Its language was Greek, and it followed the Orthodox Church’s teaching instead of Rome’s Catholic Church. It survived as an entity by constantly adapting to its neighbors and by possessing an attractive culture. Its population was multicultural, and it contained numerous religions.

The emergency of Islam on the Empire’s southern borders led to numerous conflicts that continually cost it territories and treasure, and eventually led to its conquest in 1453. Relations with its European neighbors were not much better, with several Crusades diverted to conquer vast sways of the Byzantine Empire. Through it all, however, Constantinople and the Empire radiated culture, providing the world with massive monuments such as the Hagia Sophia. Its mitigated historical impact as the heir of Rome makes the Byzantine Empire an interesting study in the advantages and flaws of a cosmopolitan Empire.

Titles in the Empires in the Middle Ages series include:

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

Solo

Alexander, Kwame. Solo. 2017. 464p. ISBN 9780310761839. Available as an audiobook on Overdrive.

Rutherford Morrison is multi-millionaire star that struck it rich with amazing music, Morrison eventually lost his guiding star when his wife, died of a heart attack following an allergic reaction to a bee sting. Now addicted to drugs and hoping to accomplish a comeback that never concretizes, Rutherford is more famous for his antics and his myriad rehab stints than his music.

Morrison has two kids, Storm and Blade. Storm has released her own music album, but everyone except her find it a terrible mismash of sounds and a clear lack of talent. Blade is ready to graduate high school and move on. He misses his mother terribly, and he wishes his father would reconnect with the music he loved so much. Blade is in love with Chapel, a beautiful girl, but her parents have forbidden them seeing each other based on the pretext they don’t want her introduced to drugs, even though Blade is the opposite of Rutherford.

When the valedictorian bows out, Blade, as salutatorian, is expected to deliver a speech. A born songwriter and poet, Blade is encouraged by Chapel to write a song instead of a speech and perform it in front of his peers. Unfortunately, Blade’s performance never gets off the ground as his father, drunk and high, crashes graduation on a motorcycle accompanied by a scantily clad woman. In an event recorded by many and posted online, Rutherford ruins Blade’s graduation. During a particularly epic fight that night, Storm reveals that Blade is in fact adopted.

Crushed by this revelation, Blade turns to Chapel for comfort, only to discover her in someone else’s arms. Feeling abandoned by the love of his life and by a birth mother who gave him up and never looked for him, Blade decides to look for her. Unfortunately, she now works in Ghana as a missionary. Blade resolves to find her and forge a relationship with someone he didn’t know he missed until now. Will going to Ghana help Blade heal his mind and emotions from his chaotic life?

Filled with mentions of rock and roll and interspersed with original songs, this audiobook is a classic coming of age and finding oneself novel using a slightly different approach. Blade is self-centered, but he is a realistic teenager, and his desire to know more about his roots and reconnect to the music he loves drives this story. Readers who enjoy books about music will appreciate this tale.

Eyes & Spies: How You’re Tracked and Why You Should Know

Kyi, Tanya Lloyd. Eyes & Spies: How You’re Tracked and Why You Should Know. 2017. 135p. ISBN 978-1-55451-911-8. Available at 323.44 KYI on the library shelves.

Whenever you click on a like button, send out an email, walk down the street, or use a cellphone, someone is capturing this information and compiling and storing it somewhere. From governments monitoring communication channels and multiple video feeds to corporations following your online presence and accumulating information on your preferences so they can sell you more products, nothing in the digital world is truly anonymous. How much information is actually collected, however, remains a secret, but Eyes & Spies takes a critical look at several aspects of how information is collected, by whom, and how it is then used.

Six chapters each explore a specific topic, from surveillance cameras to surfing data collection, from online bullying to one’s privacy in their home. The information presented flows in an accessible language, and arguments defending both an increase in surveillance and an increase in privacy are presented after each issue. The reader is asked to reflect on what they read through prompts following specific real-life cases. Finally, controversial cases that have been in the news the last decade are explored.

Ultimately, defending one’s right to keep information private comes down to deciding how much freedom can be traded for security, and being aware of what governments, organizations, and individuals are doing.

Black Butler, Vol 14

Toboso, Yana. Black Butler, Vol 14. 2013. 192p. ISBN 978-0-3162-4430-5. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

With the Campania sinking, Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian are locked in a battle with three Death Scythes and an innumerable army of soulless revived bodies. During the battle in Black Butler, Vol. 13, Sebastian was struck by the Undertaker’s reaper scythe, and his life record is absorbed by the Undertaker, including Ciel’s summoning of Sebastian and how they returned to Phantomhive Manor.

With Sebastian injured, two Juniors Death Scythes out of commission and the Undertaker leaving a necklace with Ciel before departing, the Campania breaks in half. Sebastian and Ciel find themselves in a lifeboat surrounded by the revived, who attempt to swarm the boat. Wishing to keep them away from the other survivors, Ciel orders Sebastian to attack and kill them all, something he does but at great cost.

A month later, having returned to Phantomhive Manor, Ciel finds himself visited by Elizabeth, who wishes to celebrate Easter the way they always did, with an Easter egg hunt. To increase the stakes, Elizabeth announces that the person who finds her favorite egg first will earn a favor. Victoria’s butlers choose this moment to break through the window. Disappointed that Sebastian is still alive (see Black Butler, Vol. 9), they nonetheless are excited to participate in the egg hunt. Sebastian comes up with the brilliant idea to pair groups, with each having to carry an egg in a ladle. If the egg breaks, the group is out of the running.

With the race on, who will find Elizabeth’s egg? And why are the Queen’s butlers here? The story continues in Black Butler, Vol. 15.

Every Last Word

Stone, Tamara Ireland. Every Last Word. 2015. 356p. ISBN 978-1-48470527-8. Available as an eBook from Overdrive.

Samantha McAllister suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and she often finds herself sinking in a pool of dark thoughts. When she drives, the last number on the odometer must be 3 before she can park. She focuses on the smallest worries and magnifies them. A junior in high school, Samantha has been part of a tight-knit group of girls called the Crazy Eights, even though there are only five of them left. The girls are toxic to their friends, mean to others, and exclusive, and Samantha knows she ranks 4th in the group. In the summer, when the group is split up, Samantha is most happy. She swims every day, and stands a good chance of earning a scholarship. She works tirelessly with her psychiatrist to develop coping mechanisms to her obsessions.

On the first day of her junior year, she is accosted by Caroline, who is a few lockers down from Samantha. Caroline is everything Samantha is not: makeup free, comfortable in her skin, and not caring about what others think of her. In the theatre, she notices a group of students leaving a custodian closet, and one of them mentions another meeting on Thursday. Intrigued and guided by Caroline, Samantha discovers the Poet’s Corner, a secret room built behind the custodian where a group of students who don’t fit in find shelter, contributing words and music. Samantha immediately knows she needs to spend more time here, but A.J., who holds the key to the Poet’s corner, was relentlessly humiliated by the Crazy Eights in 4th grade and has not forgotten. Samantha is turned away from the group but is convinced by Caroline to try again.

Over the next few months, Samantha successfully manages to become a member of the Poet’s Corner, and as he friendships grow with those kids, she feels herself becoming more distant with the Crazy Eights, a more than welcomed break and something that her psychiatrist has encouraged her to do for years. At the same time, Caroline has told Samantha to keep their relationship as friends a secret from her family and from her psychiatrist. As Sam’s relationship with A.J. evolves and grows into something more than friends, she discovers Caroline’s secret, a secret so powerful it could destroy everything Samantha has worked for.

Inspired from a true story, Every Last Word accurately portrays the actions of a girl lost in her own thoughts and often unable to climb out of her mind. Readers who enjoy unreliable narrators will appreciate Samantha’s story.

Cleopatra

Lowery, Zoe and Julian Morgan. Cleopatra. Part of the Leaders of the Ancient World series. 2017. 112p. ISBN 978-1-5981-7254-3. Available at B CLE on the library shelves.

Cleopatra is one of the most well-known figure of Antiquity. The last queen and last Pharaoh of Egypt, Cleopatra was a contemporary of Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony and Augustus, and more than anything else tried to preserve Egypt’s independence in an era where Roman power was spreading throughout the Mediterranean.

Egypt at the time was considered the breadbasket of the world, and produced important surpluses. These were sold throughout the Mediterranean, generating large wealth for the Egyptian rulers. Since Alexander the Great’s conquest, Egypt had been ruled by the Ptolemy dynasty, who descended from one of Alexander’s generals. These Greek rulers did not mix in with the local Egyptian population.

When Cleopatra was born, the country was being squeezed on all sides by Rome’s expansion. Accepting to become a vassal state of the Roman Republic, Cleopatra’s father paid 6,000 talents to the first triumvirate, made up of Caesar, Crassus and Pompey, around 60 BCE. This bought peace between the two states, but when civil war erupted between Pompey and Caesar following the death of Crassus and Caesar’s crossing of the Rubicon with his legions, Egypt found itself on the wrong side. By this time Cleopatra had ascended the throne, succeeding her father.

A triumphant Caesar entered Alexandria and was smitten by the Egyptian queen. Their torrid love affair became a scandal in Rome and eventually contributed to Caesar’s downfall. A second triumvirate, made up of Octavian, Caesar’s heir, Mark Anthony, and Lepidus, emerged following the defeat of Caesar’s assassins, and Egypt once again found itself in the middle of a conflict between Roman factions. Unfortunately for Cleopatra, Egypt chose the wrong side, and Octavian’s army forced Cleopatra and Mark Anthony back to Egypt, where they both committed suicide.

Always seeking to protect Egypt from the world, Cleopatra ultimately failed but continues to be remembered for her dedication and powerful personality. Fans of Roman history and of strong women will love reading about the life of the last Pharaoh.

Titles in the Leaders of the Ancient World include:

• Julius Caesar
• Cleopatra

• Augustus

• Cicero

• Nero

• Hadrian

• Constantine

Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 8

Adachitoka. Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 8. 2015. 159p. ISBN 978-1-63236-102-8. Available in the Graphic Section of the library.

Yato was bursting with joy when Hiyori offered him his own (albeit small) shrine in Noragami Stray God, vol. 7. Finally, he had made it to the rank of a recognized god. Unfortunately for him, his former stray led him into a trap. Now finding himself a prisoner in Takama-ga-hara, the gods’ dwelling place, Yato is confronted by demands made by his father. Wishing to return to Earth before Hiyori, his only follower, forgets about him, Yato agrees to run one more mission for his father.

Meanwhile, the entire Divine Council has gathered, to discuss the issue of the masked Ayakashis. The seven gods of fortune are held prisoner, as the other gods suspect that Ebisu is the one responsible for the naming of Ayakashis. After investigating and finding the masks on his estate, they tell the other gods of fortune that they will only be released when Ebisu is stopped.

Hiyori is told by the god of knowledge that she really needs to live her life and not spend so much time in divine space. She reluctantly agrees to go on triple dates with her friends. One of the boys is really interested in her, and his attention distracts her from thinking about Yato. Slowly she begins to forget him.

On his last mission, Yato finds Ebisu, and is advised by his stray that they must protect him. But Ebisu seems bent on dominating Ayakashis. Will the cost of remaining in Takama-ga-hara be that Hiyori, Yato’s only follower, will forget him?

The story continues in Noragami Stray God, vol. 9.

An Uninterrupted View of the Sky

Crowder, Melanie. An Uninterrupted View of the Sky. 2017. 289p. ISBN 978-0-399-16900-7. Available at FIC CRO on the library shelves.

Bolivia is at the center of the worldwide cocaine production. The United States, the biggest consumer of cocaine, pressured Bolivia to pass stringent narco trafficking laws to address the problem at the source instead of at its destination. Known as the 1008, this law strips Bolivians of their assets and their due process, even though this violates the Bolivian constitution.

In 1999, Francisco lives a middle class life. His family rents a house, he goes to school, and he’s about to graduate in a few weeks. Francisco’s real passion is soccer, and his ultimate goal is to start a soccer apparel shop with his best friend Reynaldo, but his father, who drives a taxi, insists he continues his studies. His 8-year-old sister sister Pilar adores him, but they share a bedroom and Francisco wishes he had more privacy.

When his mother arrives in a panic by the soccer pitch to retrieve him, Francisco knows something is wrong. His father has been arrested under the 1008 for being a suspect in transporting cocaine. The taxi has been seized, and the family can no longer afford their rental property, much less hire a lawyer to defend him. Overnight the children are forced to move in the prison with their father, while their mother simply abandons the family behind.

Life in prison is terrible. Francisco and Pilar are allowed to leave every day, but must be back by 6 pm. There are other kids who live here and also attend their schools. The prison also houses criminals as well as suspects, and many of them are dangerous. Francisco cannot believe that the government would allow this travesty to happen, but every day he wakes up wondering what will happen next. And if Francisco found his lack of privacy difficult before when sharing a room with his sister, it’s nothing compared to sharing a cell with his sister and father. Now Francisco has a goal. He needs to study to become a lawyer so he can help his dad, but going to school while living in prison is hard. His father has a plan for the family. He wants them to go live with his parents, in the Bolivian mountains, but dark-skinned peasants are considered uncultured and uncivilized, and Francisco doesn’t want to go live with them, away from the city. With his fate and that of his sister in his hand, Francisco has difficult choices ahead of him, if only he can survive another day in prison.

Inspired by true events, Francisco’s story will inspire while confronting the harsh reality of a justice system unable to deliver true justice. Readers who enjoy tragic losses will appreciate Francisco’s changes of circumstances for the worst and the steps he takes to try and fix the scales of justice, but don’t expect a happy ending, just an uninterrupted view of the sky.

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

Dweck, Carol. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. 2006. 278p. ISBN 978-0-345-47232-8. Available at 153.8 DWE on the library shelves

There is a wealth of self-improvement books available in any good library, but this is one of the few that present a simple yet very effective way to alter one’s life for the better. Mindset is how one perceives the world and shapes thoughts to interact with it. Mindset is a spectrum that stretches from a fixed mindset where one believes abilities never change and cannot be improved on, and a growth mindset where one believes abilities can be improved and developed, and what matters is not one’s talent and abilities but how they are used to flourish as a person.

The dichotomy between fixed and growth is not necessarily an either or proposition, but rather a continuum. All of us at times can be fixed minded or growth minded. What Dweck advocates is an awareness and an understanding of what it means to have a growth mindset. She also provides concrete steps that anyone can take to infuse growth mindset thinking into their everyday interactions. Everyone benefits when there is more growth mindset being used!

Dear Martin

Stone, Nic. Dear Martin. 2017. 210p. ISBN 9781101939499. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Justyce McAllister is the top student at his private school, and is ready to graduate and attend an Ivy League school. A free scholarship student, Justyce managed to escape the thugs and drugs from his neighborhood, and is on the path to a valuable contribution to society. Coming back from a party, he notices a girl from his school passed out by the side of her car, and he helps her into the back seat. The police arrives at the same time, and the officer witnessing this scene handcuffs Justyce despite his protestation that he was just helping the girl. As an African-American, Justyce is keenly aware of the prejudices that many police officers have, but he is still surprised that it would happen to him. This incident is eventually dropped, but it mars Justyce’s conscience.

Throughout his senior year he writes letters to Dr. Martin Luther King, challenging the Reverend’s teachings on race relations and hopes for the future. Unfortunately all of the letters are one-sided, as Dr. King can’t write back. The police officer that arrested Justyce is killed, causing more questions to be asked. When Justyce and best friend Manny, also African-American, go for a ride in Manny’s Range Rover, they have a deadly encounter with another white police officer who turns out to be the partner of the first officer who arrested Justyce. Manny is shot to death at the wheel of his vehicle, and it takes Justyce all of his willpower to survive the fallout and the following court case. Throughout it all, Justyce questions the value of a life, the negative issue that plaque society, and his role in it. Can Justyce find some justice in what happened?

Dear Martin deftly addresses several current issues, including race relations, social media exploitation, gang violence, and police shootings of unarmed African-American men. Readers interested in the immediate impact and aftermath of a shooting, as well as those attracted by social justice will appreciate Justyce’s quest to find answers to his questions and see if Dr. King’s teachings remain valid fifty years later.

For a similar take on social justice and solving a gross miscarriage of justice, take a look at This is My America.