Hawkeye: Hawkeyes. Vol. 6

Lemire, Jeff. Hawkeye: Hawkeyes. Vol. 6. 2016. 136p. ISBN 978-0-7851-9946-5.

Both Clint Barton and Kate Bishop are much older. Time has passed since Hawkeye, Vol. 5, and their stormy relationship has not aged well. Past mistakes have broken their mutual trust, but a present danger once again pits them together to stop the Mandarin's dastardly plot. Reluctantly reunited once again, Clint and Kate need to work together and fix the mistakes they made in the past to deal with a threat that could destroy them both!

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein

White, Kiersten. The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein. 2018. 304p. ISBN 9780525577942. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Orphaned, Elizabeth Lavenza was entrusted to a group home where she was abused by the woman who was supposed to care for her. Rescued by Mrs. Frankenstein, who wishes her to be her young son's friend, Elizabeth meets Victor, and immediately realizes that the boy is very odd. He seems incapable to actually caring for other people. However, even at six years old Elizabeth realizes that Victor is her way out of the gutter, and she agrees to care and play with Victor.

Adopted by the Frankenstein, Elizabeth is not allowed to go to school across the lake from their manor residence, so she reads every book in the house, and listens to Victor retell his day and what he learned. They both are fascinated by how bodies work, and Victor is morbidly fascinated by death and how to prevent it. In their teens, they meet Henry, the child of one of the Frankensteins' creditors, and they soon form a trio of adventurers. Along the way Elizabeth rescues Justine, a child that was just like her, and Justine becomes the governess to Victor's two young children.

When Victor finally goes to University in Ingolstadt, Elizabeth is left behind with Henry. When he asks for her hand in marriage, and not having heard from Victor in months, she dispatches Henry to find Victor and secure his agreement, knowing that Victor will not give it. Henry does not return home, however, and Elizabeth despairs at not hearing from Victor. Along with Justine, they travel to Ingolstadt to track Victor. Elizabeth soon realizes that Victor has been experimenting on creating the perfect human being, but that instead he created a monster that is now causing havoc on the town.

As the monster gets closer to the Frankenstein, the family suffers one death after another. With her life in danger, will Elizabeth manage to escape the clutches of the Frankenstein monster?

Fans of Frankenstein will love this retelling, which, like the original story, explores what it means to be a monster, and what it means to be human. 

Suriname

Beatty, Noelle Blackmer. Suriname. Part of the Major World Nations series. 1997. 96p. ISBN 9780791047484. Available at 988.3 BEA on the library shelves.

Christopher Columbus was the first European to discover what would become Suriname during his third trip to the Americas. Soon colonized by the Dutch, the fertile coast became known as Dutch Guiana. Sandwiched by the French to the east and the British to the west, the small colony nevertheless prospered due to its profitable sugar plantations exploited through slave labor. Colonial powers traded the colony back and forth through wars in the 17th and 18th century, and the abolition of slavery in 1863 led to the importation of cheap labor from Java, another Dutch colony, as well as from China and India, leading to what is now a vibrant community of mixed racial and cultural heritage.

The discovery of bauxite, which is used to make aluminum, made Dutch Guiana an essential part of the war effort during the Second World War, and the colony was occupied by U.S. forces while the Netherlands were themselves occupied by Nazi Germany. Following the war, local residents gained the right to administer their own country, but the Dutch retained defense and international relations. It wasn't until 1975 that Dutch Guiana gained its independence. Renamed Suriname, the country experienced civil war and military governments, but has returned to a more democratic government. 

Still underdeveloped, the country struggles with a high foreign debt and a lack of transportation infrastructure. As 90% of the population lives on 3% of the land, most of the country remains forested, with over 2,000 species of trees making their home in Suriname. The culture, due to its ethnic mix, is vibrant but remains insular. Suriname has a lot going for it, and its future could be bright.

Teen Idol

Cabot, Meg. Teen Idol. 2004. 304p. ISBN 9780060096168. 

Jenny Greenley is everyone's friend at Clayton High School. Regardless of cliques, sports, or tastes in music, Jenny gets along with everyone, and no one has a bad thing to say about Jenny. She's so good, in fact, that no one has ever asked her out on a date. Who would want to date their friend? Despite this not so little hurdle, Jenny is enjoying her junior year. Her favorite activity is to serve as the school newspaper's anonymous advice columnist, a position that she takes very seriously. In fact, not even her best friend knows she's the person behind the Ask Annie column.

Jenny is surprised to be called to the main office to attend a hush hush meeting. During this meeting, the principal reveals that America's favorite actor and teenage hottie Luke Striker will be attending Clayton High School for a few weeks as an undercover student, and the principal would like Jenny to be his buddy. Luke is getting ready to film a high school comedy, and he wants to immerse himself in the life of a high school to prepare. Jenny is sworn to secrecy, but she's confused as to how no one will know it's Luke Striker, especially best friend Trina, who knows everything there is to know about Luke Striker! 

Surprisingly, however, though everyone notices Luke, no one identifies him as the actor. Everyone wants to know who the cool guy is, but that's about it. Luke, however, is surprised at the behavior of students in the cafeteria in particular, and in classrooms in general, and he points out to Jenny that she could effect changes if she wanted. Will Jenny accept advice from a stranger, change life at her school, and find true love in the process?

Fans of romantic comedy will appreciate this fun story. Though it's hard to believe Luke would not be recognized, the characters are all too human, with their strengths and weaknesses, and their foibles are entertaining throughout the story. Let all jazz hands unite and enjoy Jenny's junior year!

Pinheads and Patriots: Where You Stand in the Age of Obama

O'Reilly, Bill. Pinheads and Patriots: Where You Stand in the Age of Obama. 2010. 288p. ISBN 9780062010605. 

Every person can be a pinhead or a patriot, sometimes at the same time, but most often each individual tends towards one side of the spectrum over the other. Designed as a critique of the presidency of Barack Obama, O'Reilly examines several factors that, according to him, make the 43rd president mainly a pinhead, though he does acknowledge that the president also has strengths. From bungling the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to pushing through Obamacare, O'Reilly compares Obama to other presidents and scrutinizes these decisions before claiming that they are hurting the country.

O'Reilly also takes aim at other presidents and influential historical figures, however, and dissects their performances as being more pinhead or patriot. Presidents who did not hesitate to use the machinery of government to improve America are considered patriots, while those who, in O'Reilly's view undermined it are pinheads. Though leaning conservative, the author's point of view are grounded in historical facts.

Fans of history will appreciate this early look at the Obama presidency, and can, with the passage of time, decide for themselves whether Obama was a pinhead or a patriot.

The Pretenders

Harris, Charlaine. The Pretenders. Book 1 of the Cemetery Girl Trilogy. 2014. 128p. ISBN 9780425256664.

Calexa doesn't remember who she is. That's not even her name, but rather the name of someone dead she borrowed as a temporary identity until she can discover who she really is. When she woke up battered and bloodied, finding herself in a cemetery, her first thought was that she was dead. Whomever had hurt her clearly wanted her dead, given the amount of blood and her injuries, yet Calexa managed to survive, making the cemetery her home and adopting names from the dead that lay beneath the ground. Calexa found refuge in an old crypt, and she set to avoid human contact like the plague, not knowing who out there would know her and would want to finish the job they had started.

Calexa also noticed something unusual. She can see the spirits of those who have passed on, so as she observes many burials, she learns more about this power. The cemetery grounds keeper knows she's here, and he leaves food out for her to steal. Calexa has also made a friend in an elderly woman who lives near the cemetery, and who provides her with food and some of life's necessities.

 One night, a group of teenagers trespasses in the cemetery and, after vandalizing a grave, they sacrifice one of their own, a girl unwilling to be killed to bring back her dead brother. Her departing spirit invades Calexa, who was watching the scene, and demands justice. Calexa now faces a difficult choice. Bring those responsible for the girl's murder to the police would reveal that she exists, but doing so would jeopardize her safety. Can Calexa devise a plan to reveal the dead girl and her assassins while remaining hidden?

The Forgotten Girl

Brown, India Hill. The Forgotten Girl. 2019. 250p. ISBN 9781338317244. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

As an Indian-American, Iris is used to be ignored at her middle school. Her parents do not receive the email that there was a ceremony acknowledging all of the sports captains, and Iris is not invited. When the school's clean-up group is interviewed by the local television station, Iris is not invited. Is it the color of her skin? Iris consoles herself in the presence of her best friend, Daniel, who lives across the street.

One night, both of them leave their homes to play in the freshly fallen snow, despite the misgivings that Daniel's grandmother, Sugar, has about winter. She believes the spirit of the snow kills, and she does not want Daniel to play outside during the dark months of the year. While making snow angels in the woods near their home, Iris and Daniel realize they are standing in a small cemetery. They had no idea it even existed.

Soon Iris finds herself plagued by the ghost of a girl not much younger than she and Daniel are. Her name is Avery, and she died over 70 years ago. No one seems to remember Avery in town. Iris senses that Avery's ghost is angry, and she resolves to help her find peace. Using a social studies project at school, her and Daniel research abandoned cemeteries where African-Americans were segregated, even in death. As she finds more information, the danger posed by Avery grows. Will Iris discover the secret of the forgotten girl before the spirit of the snow takes her?

A thrilling mystery and ghost story, The Forgotten Girl is a page turner that middle school readers will enjoy.

Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit

Estabrook, Barry. Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit. 2011. 240p. ISBN 9781449401092.

Most of us enjoy a red juicy tomato, especially when it comes from the garden. However, there are times where we need to purchase them from the store, and for the most part, those tomatoes are pale imitations of the vegetable we think of when we think tomato. The grocery store tomato industry is a $5 billion enterprise based in Florida that takes many shortcuts in order to achieve profitability, at the expense of both its workers and its customers. 

Among some of the practices that are deleterious to health, tomato fields are sprayed with more chemical per square foot than any other vegetable, and the safety application procedures are often ignored because they slow down the work. Tomatoes are harvested while they are still green, and are then artificially turned red by the use of additional chemicals in warehouses, before being shipped to the grocery store. Today's grocery store tomatoes have measurably less amounts of calcium and vitamins A and C, while containing over fourteen times the amount of sodium than tomatoes from thirty years ago.

Workers are also being exploited on tomato farms, with most of the workforce being undocumented. Workers are at the mercy of work gang chiefs, who exploit and oppress their laborers, leading to several documented court cases and guilty pleas of modern-day slavery.

Readers who enjoy knowing where the food in their plate came from will appreciate this sordid tale of exploitation, and may make better informed choices when they go to the grocery store. Consider taking a look at The Dorito Effect or The Truth Behind Factory Food for additional looks at this topic.

Grand Theft Horse

Neri, G. Grand Theft Horse. 2018. 240p. ISBN 9781620148556. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

Gail Ruffus was one of thirteen children. Her father was a military officer, and her mother managed the household. The family moved a lot due to her father's postings. As far back as she could remember, Gail loved horses, and when the family moved to Texas and purchased a ranch, her dream finally came true when her parents offered her Spice, a beautiful horse.

Unfortunately the stay was too short for Gail, and soon the family was uprooted to move to Spain, so that her father could manage a military base there. Gail was forced to sell Spice. While living in Europe, Gail took dressage lessons, and learned to manage and train horses. Returning to the United States, Gail eventually found herself training horses. When she met a horse called Urgent Envoy, she immediately knew he was a race winner. Soon, Gail and Clayton, her lawyer, become co-owners of Urgent Envoy, and Clayton agrees to let her train him until he is ready to race.

However, Clayton soon starts thinking that Gail is taking too long to get Urgent Envoy ready, and through legal maneuverings he takes the horse away from Gail, and bans her from the race track. Urgent Envoy is raced, and is injured. Despite the doctor requesting months of recuperation, Clayton plans on racing Urgent Envoy again, which could lead to an even more serious injury, and possibly even death. 

So, on Christmas eve, 2004, Gail broke into the race track, and she took Urgent Envoy. What followed became a legal and emotional rollercoaster, with Gail accused of stealing her own property, and brought in on charges of Grand Theft Horse, a statute that had not been prosecuted since the 1850s in California. Through heart-ache and dedication, Gail eventually triumphs over Clayton, but Urgent Envoy never races again.

A wonderful story, Grand Theft Horse tells the true story of Gail Rufus and Urgent Envoy, and explores the seedy side of horse racing. Beautifully illustrated and quick-paced, fans of graphic novels will appreciate this story of grit and resilience.

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin

 Larson, Erik. In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin. 2011. 448p. ISBN 9780307408846. 

Following the ascension of Hitler to power in Germany in 1933, a new US ambassador was named to represent the American government in Berlin. William E. Dodd, a professor from Chicago, becomes President Roosevelt's man in Berlin at a time where Nazi Germany is rearming and threatening its neighbors, along with its Jewish population. Dodd moves to Berlin in the middle of an economic Depression, with limited funds and almost no support from the State Department back in Washington. 

Accompanied by his wife, his son, and Martha, his adult daughter, Dodd soon grasps that the portrait Germany is broadcasting of a society reordering itself and crushing the Depression hides an uglier truth, with opponents imprisoned, disappeared, or shot, and all forms of oppositions eliminated. The new Germany is a violent Germany that doesn't respect the rights and the customary laws of foreign affairs.

For Martha, however, the Third Reich is filled with young vigorous men who are zealous Nazis but who are attracted to her. Enjoying their presence, she has several affairs, including with the head of the Gestaop, Rudolf Diels. She also meets a Soviet agent whom she falls in love with, and eventually travels through the Soviet Union with him.

Dodd and his family have a front-row seat at the establishment of a Nazi dictatorship, and his warnings to the State Department and to his fellow Americans about the dangers that this new Germany pose remain ignored until it was too late.

This scholarly yet riveting account of the decade between 1933 and 1940 showcases the blindness that affected many leaders at this time, who sought not to understand what Hitler was really up to. Fans of history will appreciate this descent into madness and the cruelty that will eventually lead to the Second World War.

Soul Eater, Vol. 9

Ohkubo, Atsushi. Soul Eater, Vol. 9. 2012. 208p. ISBN 9780316071130. Available in the graphic novel section of the library. 

Tasked by Medusa to discover the vault where the demon tools are stored under DWMA in Soul Eater, Vol. 8, Crona is slowly breaking under the pressure of divided loyalties. He doesn't really want to help Medusa, but her psychological hold on him is too powerful to override, so he searches desperately for the vault, hoping she will leave him alone after he finds it.

Death tells Frankenstein to step up the training of the level one students. Kid, Maka, and Black*Star must learn to attune together so that they can work more effectively as a group, but Black*Star's desire to be the best is undermining this training. Their conflicting egos are standing in the way of them becoming DWMA's best team ever.

Meanwhile, Arachne dispatches a team to retrieve another demon tool, this time in Alaska. DWMA sends an assault team, and the students must stand guard outside while Stein and Marie infiltrate the ancient witch facility. Not everything is as it seems, however, and while the forces of Arachne and those of DWMA fight each other, the witches wait in the wings ...

Brian's Winter

 Paulsen, Gary. Brian's Winter. Book 3 of Brian's Saga. 1996. 144p. ISBN 9780440227199.

What if, in Hatchet, Brian had in fact not been rescued by the end of the summer? What if he had to spend the winter in the wilderness? In Brian's Winter, this is exactly what happens. As summer days slowly go by, Brian at first does not notice that the days are getting shorter and the temperature cooler. But one morning, when he wakes up shivering and able to see his breath, he suddenly realizes he will have to content with the unforgiving winter without any cold gear.

His first order of business is to make his shelter as weatherproof as possible. With too much of a draft, he will need significantly more firewood than if he uses mud to seal all the cracks. Then there's the question of clothing. His t-shirt, pants, and sneakers will not be enough to survive the drop in temperature. He will need to salvage furs, and sew his own clothing with rabbit and deer pelts to resist the below freezing weather. Finally, he will need food. Lots and lots of food. With the lake freezing, Brian is not able to fish, so he must quickly find a new source of food. Using his ingenuity and his creativity, Brian builds arrows and a better bow, able to take down bigger game. Which is a good thing, because the wolves are sniffing on the border of his land, and bears don't care about borders at all. 

With night getting longer, Brian abandons all hopes of rescue, and instead focuses on surviving a winter in the wilderness. Will the lessons learned during the summer in Hatchet be enough for him to make it through?

The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History

Wood, Thomas E. The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History. 2004. 270p. ISBN 9780895260475.

Taking a right-leaning political view, this history book reviews seminal events in American history and reveals how we may not have been learning our history correctly. Starting with the Revolutionary War, the author examines several historical myths and unravels what really happened from the beliefs that sprung alongside each of them. 

Drawing from books and from scholarly research, the author reveals that in his opinion students and the general public have been misinformed about several key events in the history of the United States. The Revolutionary War was not revolutionary at all, but rather a conservative exercise in maintaining the rights and privileges of the landowners and prosperous colonists against English interference. Unlike the French Revolution, or other bloody coups in world history, the American Revolution sought to protect what already existed in the face of dramatic changes. In the First World War, the United States professed to be neutral, but its transfer of munitions and its attacks on German submarines prior to the Congress' declaration of war made it a belligerent in everything but name. Speaking of Congress, the President has usurped the Congress' power to declare war, and now routinely commits American military actions without approval from the proper constitutional authority.

Fans of history will appreciate this perspective on several key moments in American history and will enjoy comparing what they learned in school to the views portrayed in this book.

The Final Reckoning

Jarvis, Robin. The Final Reckoning. Book 3 of the Deptford Mice series. 2003. 304p. ISBN 9781587172441.

Having escaped from his oblivion in The Crystal Prison, Jupiter has returned to once again destroy the world. Now even more menacing than ever, the ghostly cat is slowly regaining his physical shape, and this time he means to destroy both the moon and the sun, plunging the world in eternal darkness. 

Audrey has barely enough time to return home and enjoy life that this new threat presents itself. First, the bats fly away, sensing Jupiter's return to London. The Starwife, leader of the squirrels, is then attacked by ghostly figures and barely survives, warning the mice of the danger that awaits them. Morgan the rat returns, this time in command of an army he voluntarily delivers to Jupiter so they can be turned into ghosts. And Picadilli continues to long for Audrey, despite all indications that she does not like him. An epic battle is brewing, one that will change the mice's lives forever!

The conclusion to the Deptford Mice trilogy, The Final Reckoning ties up some loose ends, and manages to drop hints about subsequent events. Favorite characters meet their death in this book, but it helps propel the story forward. Fans of fantasy will appreciate that the story does not end with "and they live happily ever after," but rather features a satisfying and realistic ending.

Fascism: A Warning

Albright, Madeleine. Fascism: A Warning. 2018. 289p. ISBN 9780062802187.

The word fascist has regained currency in the last decade, and is being bandied about to label one's opponent with a wide brush indicating that they are against liberty. As a result, the word has lost some of its historical importance, and its power has been diminished. Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State and a survivor of the Holocaust, wrote Fascism to remind us of the ugliness and evil behind the word and to provide a historical perspective on its return to the political scene in the United States and abroad.

Albright defines a fascist as someone who is unconcerned with anyone's rights but their own, who claims to speak for the whole nation, and who is willing to use violence or any other means necessary to achieve their goals. Fascists sought to harness the power of the nation in an us versus them mentality, with anyone opposing fascists being labelled as unpatriotic and enemies of the nation. The 20th century saw the trend of early fascists like Mussolini and Hitler, only to be replaced after the Second World War by neo-fascists governments in South America and Africa. Ideas that should have been rejected as wrong and evil continue to thrive to this day, and are being advocated by governments and political leaders around the globe.

Albright's warning that fascism remains strong and alive in today's American society is a warning shot to us all not to drop the ball and allow the return of a murderous ideology aimed at gratifying the ego of the leader, not. as it usually implied, in saving the nation. Fans of history will appreciate this deep dive into a political trend and the dangers that it presents for us today.

Naruto, Vol. 1

Kishimoto, Masashi. Naruto, Vol. 1. 1999. 187p. ISBN 9781569319000. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

Born an orphan, Naruto aims to be the best ninja ever, so that he can protect the village but, more importantly, so that everyone will finally acknowledge him. In his village, Naruto has the reputation of a troublemaker, a mischievous kid always going the extra mile to be outrageous. But that's just his way of getting attention.

What Naruto doesn't know is that twelve years ago, a spirit in the form of a nine-tail fox attacked the village and almost destroyed it. When the inhabitants were finally able to defeat it, the spirit was bound to a newborn, and the villagers were instructed to never speak of it. So they didn't speak to Naruto, Naturally, their children noticed this, and they also didn't speak to Naruto, so he's lead a lonely life.

Attending Ninja Academy, Naruto is eager to pass the course and become a shinobi, but even his ninja centerforld move is not enough to let him pass. In danger of flunking out, Naruto is convinced by another instructor to steal the village's sacred scroll, so that he can learn a new move to impress the school. But that instructor wants the scroll for himself, and Naruto soon discovers the truth about himself and about that instructor's true nature.

Finally awarded membership in the ninjas, Naruto sets out to train with Sakura and Sasuke, two other ninjas from his school. His goal? To become the best Hokage, leader of the village!

The story continues in Naruto, Vol. 2.