The Secret Library

Magoon, Kekla. The Secret Library. 2024. 384p. ISBN 9781536230888.

Since her grandpa's death, eleven-and-a-half-year-old Dally's life has become dull and restricted, with her exacting single mother already preparing her to take over the family business. Craving adventure, Dally uncovers a mysterious envelope her grandpa had left for her, containing a map. This map leads her to an ancient vault—a library of secrets where each book acts as a portal to a specific moment in time. Dally eagerly "checks out" various adventures, including an exhilarating outing with pirates, which soon leads her to delve into her family's hidden history.

As Dally escapes the demands of her present life by visiting this magical library daily, she discovers that the library itself harbors its own secrets and intentions, which could shape her future as profoundly as her mother's meticulous plans. This masterful middle-grade fantasy skillfully blends mystery and adventure, exploring a biracial child's journey to understand her identity alongside the legacy of the past. The narrative is praised for its crackling prose, playful plot twists, and timeless themes, offering a satisfying read that revolves around Dally's pivotal choice between her pre-ordained path and the allure of the unknown.

Poor Girls

Whitfield, Clare. Poor Girls. 2025. 416p. ISBN 9781837930869.

It is 1922 in London. Twenty-year-old Eleanor Mackridge chafes against the limited future society has prescribed for her: serving the upper classes or a conventional marriage. Having experienced the independence and better pay of working in a munitions factory during the war, Eleanor rejects the post-war societal push to put women back "in their place." Her encounter with a member of the infamous female-led Forty Elephants gang opens her eyes to a different path, one of boldness, luxury, and taking what she desires, embodying the belief that men will only let you down. Diamonds are forever.

Eleanor transforms into "Nell" and joins a cell of the Forty Elephants, embracing a life of sophisticated thievery alongside Effie, Lily, and Charlie. Poor Girls vividly exposes the criminal underbelly of 1920s London, offering not a morality tale but an adventure for the willingly wicked."Through richly drawn, albeit fictionalized, characters, the book provides an authentic portrayal of how this real-life gang operated, shedding light on the social and economic constraints faced by women in the 1920s and celebrating the resilience, wit, and complex nature of women who defied societal expectations.

Economics in America: : An Immigrant Economist Explores the Land of Inequality

Deaton, Angus. Economics in America: An Immigrant Economist Explores the Land of Inequality. 2023. 280p. ISBN 9780691247625.

In Economics in America, Nobel Prize-winning economist Angus Deaton offers candid reflections on his profession and his experiences as a naturalized U.S. citizen. Upon immigrating to the United States in the early 1980s, Deaton was struck by both America's strengths and its profound societal inequalities. The book clarifies how economics addresses contemporary issues, from poverty and retirement to healthcare, while weaving in Deaton's personal narrative as an academic navigating this new landscape.

Deaton's witty and incisive reflections delve into the daily lives of economists, sharing both their successes and failures. He provides an insider's account of the Nobel Prize journey that led to his own recognition and critically examines the persistent tensions between economics and politics, questioning whether the field transcends the political biases of its practitioners. Ultimately, Deaton explores the extent to which economists might be accountable for America's increasing despair and rising populism, offering a disarmingly frank critique of his own discipline alongside illuminating observations on his adopted country's policy triumphs and shortcomings.

Fans of economics will enjoy Deaton's descriptions of our society, and will appreciate how he constructs a critique of the current system and ways in which we can improve on wealth building in this country.

How to Eat Well for Adults with ADHD: A Practical, Non-Diet Guide to Feeding Your Body & Mind When You Have ADHD

King, Rebecca. How to Eat Well for Adults with ADHD: A Practical, Non-Diet Guide to Feeding Your Body & Mind When You Have ADHD. 2025. 192p. ISBN 9780760392096.

It can be overwhelming to figure out how to properly nourish your body and mind when you have ADHD. Challenges related to executive function, impulsivity, and dopamine regulation often lead to issues with finding the motivation to cook, remembering to eat, or overeating for stimulation. These struggles can have serious consequences for both physical and mental health. How to Eat Well offers a comprehensive approach to navigating these difficulties by providing practical, shame-free solutions for common problems that adults with ADHD experience regarding food, cooking, and nutrition.

How to Eat Well is not a diet plan, but a solutions-oriented guide rooted in an intuitive eating philosophy. It offers strategies for managing emotional eating, sensory issues, and other common challenges. The guide includes practical ADHD-friendly hacks for shopping, meal-planning, and food prep, as well as simple formulas for creating easy meals and snacks. With 40 delicious and straightforward recipes, this resource aims to help adults with ADHD build a better, thriving relationship with food without shame or pressure.

Fire Escape: How Animals and Plants Survive Wildfires

Stremer, Jessica. Fire Escape: How Animals and Plants Survive Wildfires. 2024. 128p. ISBN 9780823454426.

In a surprising look at an escalating global problem, Fire Escape explores how a variety of seemingly unconnected elements are crucial tools in the fight against wildfires. From using goats and beavers for prevention to deploying drones and parachutes for fighting fires, and even understanding the role of pinecones and beetles in adaptation, humans have come up with innovative and often unexpected ways to tackle this growing threat. The traditional wildfire season has been extended due to factors like droughts and warming weather, making this an urgent matter of life and death for global wildlife.

Fire Escape takes a unique approach to this "hot topic" by focusing on compelling and lesser-known angles. It explores injury rehabilitation efforts for animals caught in fires and examines species that have evolved to use wildfires to their advantage. Furthermore, it highlights practical ways to aid area repopulation after a fire and details the specific animals that actively help to prevent and fight wildfires, offering a fresh perspective on a critical environmental issue.

Bleach, Vol. 10: Tattoo on the Sky

Kubo, Tite. Bleach, Vol. 10: Tattoo on the Sky. 2005. 200p. ISBN 9781421500812. Available in the graphic novels section of the library. 

With the assistance of Kūkaku, whom they met in Bleach, Vol. 9, Ichigo and his companions are now closer to their goal of infiltrating the Soul Society to save Rukia from execution. To successfully execute Kūkaku's plan, Ichigo faces a critical challenge: he must gain control over his immense spiritual energy, a task that comes with the significant risk of causing extensive collateral damage during their entry. This obstacle underscores the difficulty of their mission and the potential consequences of his powerful, yet volatile, abilities.

While Ichigo's team prepares, the Soul Society is far from idle. They have quickly assembled and dispatched a delegation of captains to meet the incoming "unwanted visitors." This formidable welcoming committee is poised to provide the rudest possible reception, setting the stage for a series of intense and dangerous confrontations that Ichigo and his allies must overcome to reach Rukia.

The story continues in Bleach, Vol. 11.

His Face is the Sun

Corpora, Michelle Jabès. His Face is the Sun. Book 1 of the Throne of Khetara series. 2025. 525p. ISBN 9781464224584.

The kingdom of Khetara is simmering with unrest, mirroring the intense heat of the Khamsin winds. When the pharaoh's wife gives birth to not one but three children, she receives help from three strange ladies who each bless a child. The eldest son becomes the crown prince. The middle child, the daughter Sita, becomes a princess becomes a bargaining chip to marry to another kingdom to support Khetara. The youngest son joins the temple. 

Karim, a tomb robber from the Red Lands, spends time with a group called the Jackals. When plundering an ancient tomb, Karim inadvertently awakens an ancient evil, a pharaoh who was stricken from history more than a thousand years ago. Now Karim is on the run, pursued by a malevolent monster. 

Neff is the only child of the local scribe. When she experiences a powerful vision from a goddess, she is noticed by the high priestess and brought back to the capital's temple where she can train. But her visions are very powerful and prove true. She connects with the young prince who now lives in the temple, but she's unaware that other, more sinister magic is at work within the grand temple.

Raetawy is a farmer's daughter who keenly feels the burden of the pharaoh's exploitation of her people and land. Wondering who will dare challenge the pharaoh, Rae finds that she might be the best suited person to do so after all.

The pharaoh's unexplained illness fuels whispers of rebellion, creating a volatile atmosphere throughout the land. Concurrently, a long-forgotten oracle in the quiet desert begins to manifest, unleashing a dark prophecy that intricately connects the destinies of Sita, Neff, Rae, and Karim. With an ancient evil now roaming the land, and with a corrupt and murderous crown prince claiming the throne of Khetara, bloodsheed looms over the land! Can these four strangers discover what prophecy binds them together and save Khetara before it is too late?

The Frozen Hours

 Shaara, Jeff. The Frozen Hours. 2017. 527p. ISBN 9780345549228.

In June 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, igniting a brutal conflict. The United Nations, led by the United States, intervened and pushed back the North Korean forces past the 38th parallel, the de facto border between the two countries. As US forces continued to move towards North Korea's border with China, the troops were told they would be home by Christmas. The conflict escalated dramatically in November 1950, however, when hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops, who had secretly entered Korea, sprung massive traps on the unprepared Allied forces. Already battling extreme cold, the Allied troops found themselves encircled and caught off guard around the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. A force that had been on the verge of victory now faced imminent destruction, fighting for survival against overwhelming odds and unimaginable weather, despite General Douglas MacArthur's assurances of being home by Christmas.

The Frozen Hours vividly recounts this harrowing battle through multiple perspectives. Readers experience the strategic challenges faced by Oliver P. Smith, commanding general of the American 1st Marine Division, who famously reframed their retreat as "advancing in a different direction." The raw, brutal realities of combat are brought to life through the eyes of Marine Private Pete Riley, a World War II veteran thrust into his greatest fight. On the opposing side, the immense pressure on Chinese commander Sung Shi-Lun is palpable as he endeavors to annihilate the surrounded Americans, constantly aware of Chairman Mao Tse-Tung's watchful eye. 

Readers are immersed in a critical moment of America's "Forgotten War," where soldiers battle both the elements and a relentless enemy for the fate of the Korean Peninsula. Fans of military history will appreciate the level of details and the vivid descriptions of battles and survival amid one of the most violent confrontation of the Korean war.

Slow Violence: Confronting Dark Truths in the American Classroom

Ray, Ranita. Slow Violence: Confronting Dark Truths in the American Classroom. 2025. 336p. ISBN 9781250288301.

When Dr. Ranita Ray began studying a specific school in Las Vegas, she was initially focused on resource shortages and budget cuts. However, she quickly uncovered a far more insidious problem: "slow violence." This concept describes the routine psychological, emotional, and physical harm inflicted upon vulnerable students by the very educators and administrators meant to care for them. Her research reveals how a pervasive culture of indifference, verbal abuse, and harassment acts as a significant impediment to a child's well-being and academic success, laying bare the profound, lasting damage caused behind closed classroom doors.

Slow Violence presents several compelling case studies to illustrate this slow violence. We meet Nazli, a bright student told to use "grit" to overcome her brother's death; Reggie, a curious scholar whose future is derailed after an unfair accusation of being a predator; Nalin, a new Filipina student whose potential is ignored due to an academic stereotype; and Miguel, a sharp Latino boy incorrectly diagnosed with autism by his teachers. These stories go beyond common discussions of funding or achievement gaps, offering a crucial new perspective that argues for a fundamental change in how we approach education reform by first addressing how children experience the classroom.

The Shadow of War: A Novel of the Cuban Missile Crisis

Shaara, Jeff. The Shadow of War: A Novel of the Cuban Missile Crisis. 2024. 368p. ISBN 9781250279965.

When the Soviets moved nuclear ballistic missiles to Cuba in 1962, this was for them simply another step in the Cold War. But the situation quickly unraveled into the very real possibility that nuclear war would occur between the Soviet Union and the United States. The Shadow of War connects events from the Bay of Pigs to the building of the Berlin Wall, contextualizing the crisis within the broader geopolitical tensions of the era. This wasn't the only issue Kennedy was managing, as Civil Rights confrontations were simultaneously escalating across the American South. By alternating between US and Russian perspectives, The Shadow of War gives readers a unique look at the same event from both sides, from those in positions of power down to the common man, painting a detailed and immersive picture of the high-stakes situation.

The Shadow of War excels at humanizing key figures, showing that Kennedy was still learning on the job and was willing to admit his mistakes, while Khrushchev was trying to avoid the mistakes of Stalin. This approach generates a palpable sense of tension and suspense, even for readers who know the ultimate outcome. The detailed discussions and thought processes of the characters give readers a real sense of who they were, what stances they took, and how both leaders had to be the "calm in the center of the storm" while many on both sides were ready to start World War III. The book also underscores the striking difference between the news media of that time and today, noting how news outlets were willing to withhold reporting until after a presidential address to the American people.

Fans of history will love this fast-paced historical narrative that could have led to the planet's destruction.

Naruto, Vol. 33: Secret Missions

Kishimoto, Masashi. Naruto, Vol. 33: Secret Missions. 2011. 192p. ISBN 9781421520018. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

Now in position by the bridge after Naruto, Vol. 32, Naruto and his team await the results of the meeting between Yamato posing as Sasori and Kabuto. But Orochimaru anticipated this move, and he intervenes to capture Sasori. In the following confrontation, Naruto undergoes a terrifying transformation, his powers escalating to a point where he loses control and shockingly turns against his own teammates. This unexpected and dangerous shift throws his allies into immediate peril, forcing them to confront a vastly more powerful and unpredictable Naruto. The reasons behind this violent metamorphosis remain unclear, leaving his friends bewildered and struggling to understand the sudden betrayal by someone they trust.

Amidst this conflict and chaos, Orochimaru reveals a terrifying and far-reaching plot. His machinations, long shrouded in secrecy, are unveiled to have caused a staggering number of deaths, far exceeding what anyone had previously imagined. The revelation of Orochimaru's deadly scheme casts a dark shadow over the events, suggesting that Naruto's transformation might be intrinsically linked to this larger, more malevolent plan that threatens the entire ninja world.

The story continues in Naruto, Vol. 34. 

Geo's Fortune

Mucha, Amy. Geo's Fortune. 2025. 272p. ISBN 9781682636718.

At 13, Geo has lived with her goth mother her whole life. Her father died when she was very young, so ever since then it's been the two of them against the world. When her mother needs to secure employment to avoid foreclosure on the house, Geo suddenly sees that her life could change irrevocably, since her mother cannot find work locally. With a move on the horizon, Geo is in urgent need of money, so she decides to start a fortune-telling business with her best friend Lana. Using Lana's rock collection as props, Geo launches herself into interpreting what the rocks say about people who pick them, despite having no belief in psychic powers or knowledge of rocks and crystals. Geo is content to offer fake fortunes to anyone willing to pay, prioritizing quick cash over genuine mystical abilities. 

However, Geo's seemingly harmless scheme takes an unexpected turn when her fabricated predictions begin to mysteriously come true. Her friends quickly become convinced of her psychic abilities, a notion Geo desperately tries to refute. She firmly believes in logic and dismisses concepts like psychic powers, healing energies, or manifesting. Now, she's left questioning her own beliefs as her fake fortunes manifest into reality, challenging her rational worldview. Can Geo figure out what is happening to her before she goes too far?

A delightful tale, all of the characters in Geo's Fortune are realistically portrayed. Geo is insecure but knows how to get things done. Lana doesn't want to lose her best friend. Feather is spacey and out there, but she brings a passion and an explanation to the story. Fans of friendship stories will appreciate Geo's efforts to avoid moving and start a new life elsewhere.

Black Power Scorecard: Measuring the Racial Gap and What We Can Do to Close It

Perry, Andre. Black Power Scorecard: Measuring the Racial Gap and What We Can Do to Close It. 2025. 256p. ISBN 9781250869715.

Black Power Scorecard redefines the understanding of Black Americans' pursuit of power. Moving beyond the traditional focus on legal equality to emphasize its inherent connection with economic influence and ownership across various facets of life, the author utilizes extensive research and statistical data to quantify the actual power Black Americans wield in the United States, arguing that true power in the U.S. extends far beyond basic democratic freedoms.

The book comprehensively evaluates Black power across critical areas, including property, business, wealth, education, health, and social mobility, assessing communities nationwide. Perry calculates how this translates into fundamental means of power, including life itself and the longevity of Black communities. In doing so, he identifies crucial, often overlooked areas where investment could significantly narrow the racial gap, ultimately benefiting all of society and offering a fresh, data-driven approach to addressing structural inequality.

More than 150 years after the end of the Civil War, racial injustices continue to afflict the United States, preventing the nation from achieving its true potential.

Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945

Hastings Max. Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945. 2011. 729p. ISBN 9780307273598.

World War II, a conflict of unprecedented scale, involved tens of millions of soldiers and claimed an average of twenty-seven thousand lives daily, totaling sixty million fatalities. Inferno crafts a uniquely intimate portrait of the world at war through strikingly detailed personal stories, weaving together the experiences of diverse individuals, including soldiers, sailors, airmen, British housewives, Indian peasants, SS killers, and the citizens of Leningrad who endured cannibalism during its two-year siege, as well as Japanese suicide pilots and American carrier crews. Simultaneously, Inferno traces major strategic developments—such as Hitler's refusal to retreat from the Soviet Union, Stalin's ruthless use of population to wear down the German army, Churchill's leadership in the dark days of 1940-41, and Roosevelt's steady hand—placing them firmly within their real human context.

Inferno sheds light on some of the war's darker and less-explored aspects. It delves into the conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland, highlighting the Finns' fierce and surprising resistance against Stalin's invading Red Army. It further examines the devastating Bengal famine of 1943-44, an event that claimed at least one million lives and which, in Nehru's words, served as "the final epitaph of British rule" in India. This expansive approach offers a nuanced understanding of the war's far-reaching impact, extending beyond its most commonly recounted battles.

Unlike many histories of World War II, Inferno draws extensively from journals and letters of individuals who lived through this frightening period in history. The personal touch of living the war through the eyes of participants builds a strong foundation for the history told by Max Hastings. Fans of history will find this volume one of the best history of the Second World War.