Naruto, Vol. 21: Pursuit

Kishimoto, Masashi. Naruto, Vol. 21: Pursuit. 2007. 216p. ISBN 9781421518558. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

Determined to pursue his brother and avenge himself, Sasuke tried to leave Kohona to rejoin Orichimaru's elite squad, a group he encountered in Naruto, Vol. 20. His exit is interrupted by Sakura, who confronts him and declares her love for him. She even promises to follow him into battle if he will allow her to be with him. Sasuke knocks her unconscious and departs the village.

When his absence is discovered the following morning, Lady Tsunade has no choice but to send ninjas after him to bring him back. Unfortunately, all of the high level ninjas are already out on missions or defending the village, so she turns to Shikamaru, a newly minted chunin, to assemble a team to track and retrieve Sasuke. Shikamaru turns to Naruto, Kiba, Neji and Choji. Sakura and Lee both want to join the team, but Lee is still recovering from the recent battles, while Sakura has already failed, and therefore cannot join them.

Chasing Sasuke, Shikamaru's team soon encounters Orichimaru's elite ninjas, the Sound Ninjas, and while three of them carrying an inconscious Sasuke flee, one remains to challenge the team. One versus five is not a fair fight for Shikamaru and his team, who soon find themselves overwhelmed. Can Choji deploy his secret weapon and save them all?

The story continues in Naruto, Vol. 22.

What Makes Us

Mittlefehldt, Rafi. What Makes Us. 2019. 352p. ISBN 9780763697501

Eran Sharon, a high school senior passionate about social justice, finds his life turned upside down when a video of a heated moment during a protest goes viral. This inadvertently exposes a dark secret from his past: his father, who abandoned him as a baby, was allegedly involved in a terrorist event fifteen years prior. Suddenly, Eran is labeled as potentially similar to his father, and faces suspicion and scrutiny from his community.

Forced to confront his family's hidden history, Eran grapples with his own identity and legacy. As he navigates the fallout of the viral video, he must grapple with the prejudices and fears within his community, while also exploring his own beliefs and values. 

What Makes US delves into the complexities of family, identity, and the impact of past events on the present, prompting readers to consider the power of perception and the importance of understanding.

The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening

Shapiro, Ari. The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening. 2023. 256p. ISBN 9780063221345.

In The Best Strangers in the World, NPR host Ari Shapiro delivers a moving collection of essays that serve as both a personal memoir and a heartfelt ode to the power of journalism. Shapiro transports readers around the globe using captivating narratives, recounting poignant encounters that range from heartwarming to heartbreaking. He shares intimate experiences, such as accompanying President Obama on Air Force One and tracing the harrowing journeys of Syrian refugees fleeing the Syrian Civil war. 

Shapiro's insightful reflections on his career as a journalist offer a valuable perspective on the challenges and rewards of navigating an increasingly polarized world. The book underscores the crucial role of journalism in fostering understanding and promoting dialogue. By sharing his own experiences and observations, he invites the reader to engage more deeply with the world around them and to seek out meaningful connections with others, even those who may seem vastly different.

With a profound understanding of the divisive forces shaping our world, Shapiro emphasizes the importance of bridging divides and fostering empathy. He passionately advocates for active listening and finding common ground amidst our differences, reminding us of our shared humanity that transcends religion, nationality, and political affiliations. The Best Strangers in the World is a testament to Shapiro's unwavering commitment to "Considering All Things" and his dedication to sharing the stories that connect us all and serves as a powerful reminder of the enduring importance of human connection and the transformative power of storytelling.

Batman: Dark Victory

Loeb, Jeph and Tim Sale, illustrator. Batman: Dark Victory. 2014. 392p. ISBN 9781401244019.

Bruce Wayne began his crimefighting career a year ago, working with Detective James Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent to put a dent in the criminal underworld of Gotham City. But Falcone, the mob boss, destroyed Dent's face and his sanity when he threw acid in the District Attorney's face. Since then, the man that was Harvey Dent has become Two-Face, a criminal mastermind. 

A year later, a criminal known as the Holiday Killer has returned, and individuals connected to Harvey Dent are turning up dead. The suspicions fall on Dent as the killer, but Alfred Falcone, the real Holiday Killer and one of the sons of the former mob boss, is at Arkham Asylum. His sister Sofia Falcone is now crippled and in a wheelchair. On the anniversary of Dent's attack, the Asylum is assaulted by unknown criminals, and every psychotic individual in Gotham escapes. Vicious killers are back on the street, and Batman has his hands full, pursuing Dent while chasing villains like the Joker and Poison Ivy.

Sometimes helped by Catwoman, often hindered by her, Bruce Wayne descends deeper into the role of Batman and slowly loses his humanity as the Holiday Killer strikes once a month. Bruce adopts the orphan son of slain circus performers, and soon Dick Grayson joins him as Robin. As Gotham's villains fight the mob, the body count rises, dead cops are eliminated by the Holiday Killer, and Batman finds himself at a crossroads in his relationship with Dent. Can Batman solve the mystery of the Holiday Killer before the bloodbath spreads further?

Wicked Little Things

Arnold, Justin. Wicked Little Things. 2022. 226p. ISBN 9781739983475.

Sixteen-year-old Dane Craven grew up in the small town of Jasper Hollow, but his mother couldn't wait to get out of there. His family still lives there, however, and he often came to visit his cousins when he was younger. Unfortunately, on his last visit his cousin Grant outed him, and, to avenge himself, Dane made Grant run through the woods wearing a dress. Unfortunately for Grant, he was attacked by a killer wearing a rabbit costume, and though he dialed Dane, Dane did not answer at the time, something he regrets now that Grant has been murdered.

Things go from bad to worse for Dane. Though he sometimes feels like he will burst in flames, and his temper can get the better of him, it's because he's a witch who possesses magical abilities. He's also supposed to be part of a coven of teen girls, who all wear red and are referred to as the Reds. Grant's sister is bitter as her brother's disappearance, and though she suspects Dane and him had a falling out, she doesn't know what really happened between the two of them.

Dane is visited by his familiar, a raccoon named Aloysius who speaks like a British butler. As Dane tries to wrap his head around being a witch, he's also trying to solve Grant's murder, and, as if this was not enough, he's also falling for EJ, a boy his age who works in the local coffee shop. With magic on the loose and a killer lurking, no one is safe in Jasper Hollow, and it's up to Dane and the coven to solve this mystery before it is too late!

The characters are over the top, but the plot moves along quickly and the story culminates in a thrilling confrontation. Dane learns that there are positive elements to his hometown, a place he looked down on before. He learns more about himself, and grows as a person. 

Fans of mysteries and whodonit will love this murder mystery caper and will enjoy watch Dane make mistakes and learn from them.

Aloha Wanderwell: The Border-Smashing, Record-Setting Life of the World's Youngest Explorer

Fink-Jensen, Christian and Randolph Eustace-Walden. Aloha Wanderwell: The Border-Smashing, Record-Setting Life of the World's Youngest Explorer. 2016. 425 p. ISBN 9780864928955.

In 1922, a rebellious 15-year-old French convent student, yearning for adventure, responded to an advertisement posted by an already famous explorer, for a traveling secretary. This audacious young woman soon became known to the world as Aloha Wanderwell. She possessed an uncanny confidence and a burning ambition. She wanted to become the first woman to circumnavigate the globe by car. 

Despite facing immense challenges, including scarce roads, a lack of gasoline stations, and a hostile world largely unfamiliar with automobiles, Wanderwell embarked on this audacious expedition. Equipped with a specially modified Model T Ford and working with a small crew, she traversed continents, encountering diverse cultures and personalities, from the Eiffel Tower to the Sphinx, from Mussolini to a Detroit ticker tape parade. By the age of 25, she had achieved international fame as a pilot, actress, peace advocate, and a pivotal figure in a captivating California murder mystery.

However, this extraordinary tale of global exploration harbors a significant secret. The celebrated Aloha Wanderwell was, in fact, Idris Hall, a Canadian woman who meticulously crafted a persona to fuel her adventurous spirit. Drawing upon a wealth of sources, including diaries, travel logs, films, photographs, and even declassified government documents, "Aloha Wanderwell" unveils the remarkable true story of this enigmatic explorer, revealing the astonishing life and daring exploits of one of the most audacious and captivating figures of the 1920s.

Hellboy Omnibus, Volume 1: Seed of Destruction

Mignola, Mike. Hellboy Omnibus, Volume 1: Seed of Destruction. 2018. 368p. ISBN 9781506706665. 

Summoned through a dark Nazi ritual conducted by the evil wizard Rasputin in December 1944, Hellboy spent time being examined in a U.S. research facility before joining the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. Now a veteran field investigator, Hellboy goes where dangerous mysteries strike others dead. Through many encounters with mythical creatures, Hellboy and his teammates discover that Rasputin's Ragna Rock conspiracy is alive and well, and that Nazi agents have survived to the 1980s and still seek to use Hellboy to open a portal to the Serpent, a mythical being banished and imprisoned long ago.

From a haunted castle in the United States to a Romanian village and a Scottish site, Hellboy confronts deadly frog humanoids, agents of Rasputin who obey his every order. Other creatures and mythical beings have their own agenda, but all agree that humans must be destroyed for a new world to emerge out of its ruins. Even slaying Rasputin does not remove the threat, as his spirit endures and recruits new servants to free the Serpent. Will Hellboy resist the call of his true nature when presented with the ultimate decision to learn his true origin? 

Fans of graphic novels and paranormal activities will appreciate the complex plot that plays over many chapters, and will cheer for Hellboy to triumph over evil.

The story continues in Hellboy, Omnibus Vol. 2: Strange Places.

The Shadow Sister

 Meade, Lily. The Shadow Sister. 2023. 336p. ISBN 9781728264479.

Casey and her older sister Sutton have never gotten along. Sutton fondly remembers the days when she was the only child. She is judgmental, perfect, and an A student. From church to school to the community at large, everyone loves Sutton. Casey is different. She's nowhere close to perfect, and she hates Sutton just as much as her sister hates her. She can't relate to people who talk about having great relationships with their siblings. She can't believe that people don't see how manipulative her sister can be. She even stole the grandmother's heirloom bracelet Casey received after her death, then threw her own laptop down the stairs and blamed Casey for it so she would have to pay for a new one.

When her sister goes missing, the entire community gets behind the effort to find her and bring her back. Usually, people don't spend much effort on finding a missing Black girl. And in the last few months, three of them have disappeared. Casey is not sad to see her sister gone, but deep down she misses es her a little. Is Sutton gone because of their fight over their grandmother's heirloom bracelet? A bloody shoe is found in the park where Sutton likes to run, and the family fears the worst. A week later, Sutton is found bloodied and disoriented. She doesn't remember what happened to her, her best friends, her boyfriend, or even her childhood. She does remember Casey, however. 

With Sutton back, Casey expects things to return to normal and thinks that Sutton is faking it to get back at her. But when her mood doesn't change, Casey is forced to acknowledge her sister is different. She now hums old spirituals, and she's fascinated by her new fish. Casey begins to dig into her sister's old and broken computer. The more she discovers, the more worried she gets. Her sister was investigating her cheer coach for abusive practices. She lent her boyfriend her car. Then she disappeared on the same day. What terrible thing happened to her sister while she was gone? Where are the other missing girls? Why doesn't anyone seem to care? As Casey delves deeper into the mystery surrounding her sister's disappearance, she uncovers a web of secrets, lies, and danger.

Fans of mysteries will appreciate exploring a dysfunctional family and the sibling rivalries taking place between Sutton and Casey. Told in alternating fashion from Casey's perspective from Sutton's disappearance and from Sutton's perspective prior to her disappearance, the reader will enjoy the suspenseful and thought-provoking narrative.

Uranium

Gardner, Jane P. Uranium. 2018.64p. ISBN 9781422238479. Available at 546.43 GAR on the library shelves.

Uranium, a dense, silvery-white metal, was first discovered by Martin Klaproth, a German chemist, in 1789. He isolated uranium oxide from pitchblende, a mineral found in the Joachimsthal silver mines in Bohemia. The discovery of uranium marked a significant milestone in the field of chemistry and physics, as it paved the way for further exploration of radioactivity and nuclear energy.   

The true potential of uranium as a powerful energy source was not realized until the 20th century. Scientists discovered that certain isotopes of uranium, particularly uranium-235, undergo nuclear fission, releasing immense amounts of energy. This process, known as nuclear fission, is the basis for nuclear power generation. Nuclear power plants harness the energy released during fission to generate electricity, providing a low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels.  The same process could also be used to fuel bombs, however, and humanity entered the nuclear age when atomic bombs were dropped on Japan in 1945. 

The use of uranium also raises concerns about nuclear proliferation, vulnerability of plants to environmental hazards like Fukushima or to human error like Chernobyl, and the safe disposal of nuclear waste. Scientists and engineers are continuously working to develop advanced nuclear technologies, such as nuclear fusion, which promises to be a cleaner and more sustainable energy source. By addressing these challenges and advancing nuclear technology, we can harness the power of uranium to meet our energy needs while minimizing environmental impact.