How Teens Win: The Student's Guide to Accomplishing Big Goals

Acuff, Jon, L.E. Acuff and McRae Acuff. How Teens Win: The Student's Guide to Accomplishing Big Goals. 2024. 240p. ISBN 9781540903822.

One of the most dreaded questions teens face is "what are you going to do with your life?" Most don't know what to wear today, so to ask them to think about what the future will be like can be a step too large to take. However, there are plenty of ways to discover what matters to us, even when we are teen. We can then use this information to shape our future and take steps towards accomplishing the goals we don't know we have. 

In How Teens Win, teens sisters describe what they learned from their father and from their experiences, and how they applied this knowledge to ensure they minimize the amount of missed opportunities, these moments in life when you wish you had done something different. It comes down to four different areas of life. Everyone one has interests in money, experiences, friendship, or self, but one of these areas is more important to you than the others. Once you figure this out, you suddenly will find it easier to formulate goals and take the measures necessary to reach them. You're more interested in being an entrepreneur? Focus on money. You like experiences? Attend those concerts! 

Once you know where your interests lay, then it is easier to take tasks and break them into short-term (this week), medium-term (up to 90 days), and long-term goals (anything longer than three months. Hoping to climb a mountain can't be the goal. You have to aim smaller, with something you can get done this week, but that builds up towards reaching that goal, eventually. And once you are on your way, it's easier to get there!

Written by teens for teens, How Teens Win is a great read, full of applicable advice on how to live one's life so you can maximize your future. All teens should read this book!

Hoops: A Graphic Novel

Tavares, Matt. Hoops: A Graphic Novel. 2023. 224p. ISBN 9781536201369. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

Inspired by a true story, Hoops tells how, in 1975, Judi and her friends joined the first ever girls basketball team, the Lady Bears, at their school as seniors. The passage of Title IX obligated school districts to offer similar sports for boys and girls, so for the first time basketball was opened to all. Judi, who unlike her friend Stacy had always wanted to join the basketball team instead of being a cheerleader, participated in the first tryouts. Without a coach at first, 8 girls practiced despite obvious disparities, such as the lack of training time in their own gym, no uniforms, no busses, and no laundry service. 

As the team started to win, more and more fans started showing up to watch their home games. A sponsorship ensured the games would be broadcasted on the radio, and the enthusiasm built as the team headed into the finals tournament with an undefeated record. Despite being behind, the Lady Bears win the local and regional tournaments and head to Indianapolis for the state championship, which ends with Judi scoring the winning basket to deliver victory and a state title to the school's first ever girls basketball team.

During the season, the girls fought against inequity, requesting similar accommodations tot he boys. Eventually, the girls received a bus for transportation, which was used by their fans as they continued using their RV. The athletic director acknowledged he was wrong when he did not provide laundry services. And all of the team members of the Lady Bears became hometown heroes, blazing a path for girls to participate in organized sports.

Warmly illustrated with beautiful colors, this fast-spaced sports story demonstrates that dedication and persistence can in fact change hearts and an entire culture for the better. 

The Great Ghost Hoax

Ecton. Emily. The Great Ghost Hoax. Book 2 of the Great Pet Heist series. 2021. 272p. ISBN 9781534479913. 

The excitement of the heist has now worn off following The Great Pet Heist, and Butterbean is bored. There's only so much adventure she can muster in the apartment, and she is itching for another good mystery to solve. When Mrs. Third Floor knocks on Mrs. Food and Madison's door in a panic, Butterbean and the other animals perk up. Is another mystery afoot? Mrs. Third Floor tells Mrs. Food and Madison she's experienced paranormal activity in the other apartment she owns on the 5th floor, and she doesn't know what to do. Mrs. Food, accompanied by Madison and all of the animals, head up to the 5th floor to investigate.

The animals discover that their friend rat Wallace has moved into that apartment, but though he's responsible for some of the food being eaten, he did not eat all of the fish in the aquarium, nor has he inflicted some of the damage to the apartment. It turns out that Mr. Wiggles, a famous octopus who performs tricks, has tired of the zoo life, and has escaped to this apartment thanks to a helping tentacle from his friend Chad, another octopus who lives in the building. Mr. Wiggles is the one haunting the apartment, and Butterbean and her friends are not necessarily pleased to find out he's living there.

When Mrs. Third Floor involves a duo of television ghost hunters who seem eager to rip her off, the animals must step forward to prevent her from being fleeced. Can they figure out how to remove their unwelcome guest and prevent Mrs. Third Floor from losing her savings to a bunch of crooks?

Hope by Terry Fox

Adhiya, Barbara. Hope by Terry Fox. 2024. 328p. ISBN 9781770416819.

For most Canadians, one of their best known fellow Canadian is Terry Fox, a young man who was struck with cancer in 1977 when he was 18, and who lost a leg in the process of attempting to save his life. Terry Fox lives in the imagination of the country as a symbol of resilience and courage. But who was Terry Fox, and what motivated him to raise funds for the fight against cancer by crossing the country from east to west and running a marathon every day with an artificial leg?

An athletic individual, Terry was light hearted and always saw the positive in people and events. A diagnosis of cancer did not change his outlook on life, and he refused to succumb to despair. After the shock of losing his leg, Terry relearned to walk. During these sessions, he started planning for a cross-country trip as a way to channel his energy and communicate with people why this was important. 

Starting in Newfoundland, Terry began his Marathon of Hope in relative obscurity, but as word spread out, and people became more aware, huge crowds lined the streets to see him go by. Millions of dollars were contributed for cancer research, and the news coverage reached every corner of the country. Through his unwavering determination to defeat cancer, Terry caught the hearts of Canadians, and cemented his legacy as one of the greatest Canadians to live.

Though his cancer eventually forced him to stop short his cross-country race, Terry's efforts continued to live on in multiples of events every year, including races across the country and around the world, to raise more funds for cancer research, and to honor the memory of a great Canadian!

Berserk Deluxe Edition, Vol. 2

Muira, Kentaro. Berserk Deluxe Edition, Vol. 2. 2019. 704p. ISBN 9781506711997. 

In Berserk Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1, we were introduced to Guts and his quest to punish those who did him harm. In Berserk Deluxe Edition, Vol. 2, the story jumps back in time and tells of Gut growing up, how he ended up serving as a poor boy learning the skills of a soldier from Gambino, only to be sold to satisfy the needs of one of Gambino's soldiers. Having killed Gambino, Guts escaped and eventually ran into Griffon's Hawks, a famous mercenary outfit led by an overly ambitious and skilled soldier. Guts was subdued by Griffon in combat, and agreed to join the mercenary band. Casca, Griffon's second-in-command, was not pleased. 

Over the years, Guts and the Hawks fought in countless wars as mercenaries, defeating enemies on the battlefield. Guts got better, but he keeps on being used by those around him. As Griffin climbs the ladder of political power, Guts finds himself learning that he is but a pawn in a well thought-out game. Encountering Zod, a supernatural demon, Guts and Griffin were all but defeated when Zod noticed the behelit hanging around Griffin's neck and left the battle.

With power on the line, an attempt by the King's brother is made to assassinate Griffin, but its failure leads Griffin to instead unleash Guts on the general. Not everything goes according to plan, and Guts ends up slaughtering plenty of the members of the general's household during his escape. Meanwhile Casca is not thrilled by the direction Griffin seems to be heading ...

Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf

Moulton, Deke. Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf. 2024. 304p. ISBN 9781774880524.

Benji Zeb comes from a family of werewolves. They live on a kibbutz which also serves as a wolf sanctuary, but their relationship with the town folks can sometimes be tense. The wolf sanctuary welcomes real wolves, but also allows members of his family the ability to roam and live part of their lives in the form of a wolf in a safe and secure environment.

Except that Caleb Rutherford, a student at Benji's school, hates the wolves, almost as much as his adopted father, a rancher who has been lobbying the town to get rid of the dangerous beasts. Benji finds Caleb infuriating, especially since he has a slight crush on the boy. When Benji discovers that Mr. Rutherford has allied himself with a provocateur who plans on creating an incident by letting the wolves loose, the survival of the kibbutz is now at stake. And the stakes raise even more when Caleb shows up on their doorstep ... as a wolf.

With Caleb in danger from his own father, Benji must show him the ropes of living as a wolf, while protecting his family and friends, saving the sanctuary from a dangerous fanatic, and maneuvering through his feelings for Caleb. Foir an axious kid, the pressure just got worse ...

A sprinkling of paranormal heightens this story that provides a remarkable look at living inside a kibbutz, and explores several of the Jewish myths and legends surrounding the wolf. Fans of action and of paranormal novels will enjoy this fast-paced adventure!

Aluminum

Csiszar, John. Aluminum. Part of The Chemistry of Everyday Elements. 2018. 64p. ISBN 978-1-4222-3837-0. Available at 546.67 CSI on the library shelves.

Aluminum is one of the most prevalent materials in our environment, but we often ignore how much of it there is, and how it is used. First isolated through chemical reactions, aluminum's properties of low density and high resistance to corrosion make it an excellent metal for industrial applications. Aluminum is never found in the environment, as it chemically reacts with things around it. Once purified, aluminum is present in lightweight structures, electronics, cars, and wind turbines. It is present in trace amounts in our food.

Aluminum's excellent corrosion resistance is due to the formation of a thin, protective oxide layer on its surface, which acts as a barrier against further corrosion. This property makes aluminum suitable for outdoor applications and environments with high humidity. Additionally, aluminum is malleable and ductile, meaning it can be easily shaped and formed into various products. Its high thermal conductivity makes it an efficient conductor of heat, making it a popular choice for cookware, radiators, and heat exchangers. Finally, aluminum is recyclable and can be recycled indefinitely without losing its properties, making it an environmentally friendly material.

Bleach, Vol. 3: Memories in the Rain

Kubo, Tite. Bleach, Vol. 3: Memories in the Rain. 2004. ISBN 9781591164432. Available in the graphic novels section of the library. 

When Rukia purchased a soul to take over Ichigo's body while he himself was busy being a soul reaper in Bleach, Vol. 2, she did not realize the soul was defective and was in danger of being destroyed. Now that soul, Kon, lives in a teddy bear until he is needed.

Ichigo and his siblings head to the cemetery to acknowledge their mother, who died protecting Ichigo when he was a young child. Every year, their father closes the clinic, and the entire family head up the hill outside of town to spend an afternoon having a picnic and celebrating the person they lost. Ichigo hates this specific day most, for he is certain he is responsible for his mother's death. Rukia and Kon follow them, in case Ichigo needs to confront a Hollow.

Ichigo's backstory is explored, and as he reflects on what happens, he realizes he was ambushed by a Hollow, a creature he could not have named at the time. And the same Hollow remains at the site, attacking unsuspecting people. Ichigo's sisters are ambushed, and Ichigo intervenes, hoping to slay the monster that killed his mother. Unfortunately, the Hollow escapes his wrath, and rejoins another power whose hatred for soul reaper has no bounds ...

The story continues in Bleach, Vol. 4. 

Kwame Crashes the Underworld

Farmer, Craig Kofi. Kwame Crashes the Underworld. 2024. 336p. ISBN 9781250900265.

There are times twelve-year-old Kwame regrets that his grandmother immigrated from Ghana decades ago. Like when he has to visit Ghana, where he stands out like a sore thumb with his general lack of Ghanian cultural awareness, his desire for American food, and his embarrassment at wearing the dashiki his grandmother made especially for him. But he loves his grandmother, who acts as his anchor to a world he does not quite know, so her death shakes him to the core. 

It's been three weeks since her passing, and the family is traveling to Ghana to participate in a celebration of life for her. Kwame doesn't believe there is an afterlife, and he feels really lonely without her stories. On his last night before flying out to Ghana, Kwame spends the night at his best friend's house. Autumn is deaf and wears hearing aids, but the two of them usually communicate in ASL. That night, as Kwame stresses about the upcoming trip and wishes he didn't have to go, he has a strange dream of a being he recognizes as Mother Earth from Ghanan myths, and when he awakens, his hand glows a faint gold. At the same time, a strange monkey breaks into Autum's house and steals Kwame's dashiki before sprinting out again.

Chasing the monkey, which Kwame now recognizes as an aboatia, a mythical monkey from Akan, Kwame reaches the pier, closely followed by Autumn who grabbed a sword Kwame didn't know she had. When Woo the abotia (that's what Kwame named it) jumps into the water with the dashiki, Kwame does not hesitate and follows, with Autumn right behind. Which is when Kwame finds himself in the Asamando, the place where dead Ghanans travel to following their death, in the middle of an election campaign for a new Mother Earth to replace the one who died 12 years ago. There, he encounters his grandmother in a much younger form, and together they set up to unravel a divine plot by nature gods who plan to destroy humanity ...

A great immersive experience in a culture most readers are not familiar with, Kwame Crashes the Underworld is fast-paced and action-packed, and explores such issues as cultural alienation, differently-abilities, intergenerational relationships, identify, and love.