A First Time for Everything

Santat, Dan. A First Time for Everything. 2023. 320p. ISBN 9781626724150. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

As an only child, Dan loved spending time with his parents and with his friends. He loves drawing, but he discovers in Middle School that standing out makes you a target for bullies. So it's better to be invisible, even if this means denying part of who you are and what you want. Halfway through his last year in middle school, Dan discovers that his English teacher is organizing a field trip to Europe during the summer. With his mother being sick, his parents' idea of a vacation is to go some place, then take a picture of Dan there. They're not all that fun. 

Dan is surprised when his mother agrees he can go on the trip, but as the day nears, Dan is regretting his decision. He'd rather stay home. But it's too late, and Dan finds himself on a plane with girls from his school, who have been making fun of him for three years, as well as other American kids from Missouri. Though there are still people who claim to know him, Dan suddenly finds himself in Paris with kids who don't know anything about him. This is an opportunity to rediscover who he truly is underneath that layer of invisibility.

Falling in love with Fanta and the local food, Dan also meets Amy on the tour, and she's as interested in him as he is in her. The trip he dreaded becomes more interesting with every passing day, and slowly but surely Dan's life changes for the better, as he builds confidence and realizes that his past is not important in the grand scheme of things.

Inspired from the author's own trip to Europe when he was 14, A First Time for Everything relates the anxieties of growing up and leaving home, and then discovering that who you are is not tied to where you come from or what people think they know about you. The illustrations are amazing, and the story is engaging. If you've ever thought about traveling but were concerned, this is the book for you!

City of Light, City of Poison: : Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris

Tucker, Holly. City of Light, City of Poison: : Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris. 2017. 310p. ISBN 9780393239782.

In the 1670s, France was at its apogee. Louis XIV, the Sun King, had been ruling for decades. France had expanded through war, Versailles was under construction, and Paris was growing. Hoping to turn his capital into a beacon for the civilized world, Louis XIV assigned a dedicated public servant, Nicolas de la Reynie, to be the first chief of police for the city. Previously, law enforcement was divided among many jurisdictions, with the effect that the city was dirty, dark, and dangerous. When de la Reynie assumed his post, his first edicts were to literally clean the city of its refuse, and to install lanterns at every street corner, turning Paris into the City of Light.

de la Reynie then turned his attention to the criminals that populated the streets of the city. As he pursued dangerous individuals, he soon stumbled upon a group of poisoners, who, for a price, would provide a husband or wife with the means to "prune the family tree." This cabal was soon arrested and transported to the Chateau of Vincennes for interrogation, and de la Reynie learned that noble women were also using this group's services.

As de la Reynie investigates and conducts interrogations, he soon realizes that the currencies of violence and deceit are not limited to the lower classes. More nobles fall in disgrace or are executed as revelations rock the court of the king. Progressively, people close to the king become targets of de la Reynie, until he comes across a nefarious plot from the King's own mistress to poison the Sun King. How far can he push to get the whole truth?

A true story of passion and betrayal, of envy and destruction, City of Light, City of Poison illustrates a fascinating period in the reign of Louis XIV, where anything that could gain the attention of the King was worth gold. A spat of deaths and poisoning was followed by this investigation, which in turn was soon buried by the King for fear that France would never recover from the loss of trust and the embarrassment. Fans of history and of criminal investigations will devour this book!

All the Light We Cannot See

Doerr, Anthony. All the Light We Cannot See. 2014. 531p. ISBN 9781476746586.

Marie-Laure lost her sight at age 7. Living in Paris with her father, she spends her days wondering the Museum of Natural History, where he works as a locksmith, learning about the past and the present of animals and man's relationship with nature. Marie-Laure is especially attracted to seashells and the ocean, even though she's never been. Grumbles of war threaten their existence, however, as Germany rearms and seizes territories in Eastern Europe. Following France's declaration of war in September 1939 and a swift German invasion in 1940, Marie-Laure and her father flee to Saint-Malo, where he has family. Her father has been entrusted with a cursed jewel from the museum's collection, and he has been tasked with protecting it.

Werner is a German orphan. Growing up, he is destined to work in the coal mines. Using scraps, he fixes a radio, and suddenly the orphanage catches music and words from around the world. Especially fascinating is a regular broadcast in French aimed at children, which the woman in charge of the orphanage translates for the children. His affinity for electronics and radio allows him to escape his future. He instead finds himself training in the German army to locate radio signals. Having left his little sister behind at the orphanage, Werner knows he is not suited for war, but fears the mines more. In 1944, following D-Day, his unit is sent to Saint-Malo to track down the signals of a resistance cell that is broadcasting German secrets to the allies.

Sergeant Major Reinhold von Rumpel is a gem appraiser who has been tasked by the Nazis to identify jewels and turn them in to the government to finance the war. von Rumpel searches for the gem that was hiding at the Museum of Natural History. Even though it is rumored to be cursed, causing no end of suffering for the person who owns it, it also possesses curative powers, and as he is dying from cancer, he would gladly trade suffering for healing.

As the allies intensify their bombing of Saint-Malo, the story of these three characters become intertwined in a deadly confrontation ...

Rook

Cameron, Sharon. Rook. 2015. 464p. ISBN 9780545675994.

When solar flares destroyed the technology that humans relied on for life, work, and entertainment, the world was once again plunged in the Dark Ages. Over eight hundred years have passed since plastics and electronics were in common usage. Humans adapted to this pre-modern lifestyle. In the Sunken City once called Paris, a new government opposed to technology such as the printing press has taken over. The minister of security, Leblanc, is a devotee of Faith, and leaves many of his most important decisions to randomness. The government has arrested and imprisoned hundreds of people in the infamous Sunken City prison.

Sophia Bellamy is ready to go through an arranged marriage to save the fortunes of her family. Her father dilapidated their earnings, and her brother just suffered an accident that threatens his livelihood. It is up to Sophia to get a dowry that will cover the family's expenses and allow them to retain control of their estate. Her marriage to René Hasard, from the Sunken City, will provide enough funds, but he is conceited and, aside from being beautiful, doesn't really bring much to the table intellectually. Sophia also has a secret she needs to hide. She's the infamous Red Rook, the person who has infiltrated the prison of the Sunken City and rescued countless individuals who were condemned to death by the guillotine, leaving behind nothing but a red feather. And René is cousin to Leblanc. Could he be an agent sent to rout her out?

Engaged in a dangerous game of cat and mouse, Sophia must plan to rescue her brother from Leblanc's clutches while discovering what René's endgame is without falling completely in love with him. She's about to be real busy!

Inspired by the Scarlet Pimpernel and the French Revolution, Rook explores issues of social violence and moral dilemmas. Both characters have secrets they are trying to hide, and though it is rather long, the story is a good allegory of the times that followed the collapse of the French monarchy in the 1780s. 

The Arab of the Future, Vol 1

Sattouf, Riad. The Arab of the Future, Vol 1: A Childhood in the Middle East, 1978-1984. 2015. 154p. ISBN 978-1-62779-344-5.

As a blue-eyed blond child, Riad is very comfortable in his life in France. His mother is French, and his father is Syrian, but has been studying in France for a while now and hasn't been back home to visit in a decade. His father loves France for its freedoms, but longs for a strong and united pan-Arab society he could lead. After one more encounter with racism in France, Riad's father exiles himself and his family to Libya, where he got a job at the university, so he can raise Riad in an Arab society. 

Things in Libya are strange. There are no locks on doors, and anyone can claim an empty house, something Riad's family experiences on their first night when they return from a walk only to discover someone now lives in their home. Riad meets new friends and begins to learn the customs of the country. Food is rationed, and people are not free to express themselves. Riad is visited by his grandmother and his uncle from Syria, who are mesmerized by his long blond hair. His maternal grandmother also visits, and soon the family returns to France, with a new baby on the way.

Back in France, a younger brother is born, and the family packs up again and this time moves to Syria. The contrast between the two societies is shocking to Riad, but like every child he is resilient and learns to adapt to a new society. His mother, however, is not thrilled to be here. Over the next two years they save a lot of money, but Riad has to navigate complicated family relationships with undertone of political strife and racism as he is called a Jew. When the family once again returns to France, Riad is excited. However, this is just a summer break, and they're heading once again back to Syria.

An autobiographical graphic novel, The Arab of the Future portrays a dysfunctional society and a father always seeking a better future just around the corner. Fans of Persepolis will enjoy the similarities between Riad's early life and that of Marjane.

The story continues in The Arab of the Future 2.

Salty, Bitter, Sweet

Cuevas, Mayra. Salty, Bitter, Sweet. 2020. 320p. ISBN 9780310769774.

Born of a Cuban-American father and a French mother, Isabella Fields has focused her entire life on cooking. An amazing cook and baker in her own right, Isabelle has won the right to participate in a summer competition designed to select next year's apprentice to world-renowned Chef Pascal Grattard. At seventeen, Isabella is traveling to France to spend the summer with her father, who divorced her mother last year following a torrid love affair with another French woman, and who is now expecting a baby. On top of grieving for the loss of her family, she's also mourning the death of her beloved grandmother, her father's mother. An exile from Cuba, her abuela taught her everything she knows about cooking and instilled in her a passion for the delicious.

In France, she's one of 13 competitors. She makes fast friend with the two other girls, but the guys studiously avoid all three of them. Chef Croissant supervises the competition, and Isabella is quick to run afoul of the myriad rules that govern the kitchen's operations. At her dad, she meets her pregnant stepmother's former stepchild, a hot Spaniard with a lovable albino bulldog. She finds him annoying and full of himself, but that doesn't seem to prevent her from falling for him. 

With eveyrthing that happening with her and around her, can Isabella focus long enough to earn the prestigious internship she has always wanted? Filled with memorable characters and a well-developed stories, readers who enjoy romance and cooking are about to be served a wonderful story about being true to oneself and question one's own desires and motives. Fans of books like Once and For All and P.S. I Love You will love Isabella and her trials and tribulations

Charlemagne

 Biel, Timothy Levi. Charlemagne. Part of The Importance Of series. 1997. 127p. ISBN 1-56006-074-3. Available at B CHA on the library shelves.

When the Roman empire collapsed in the 400s CE, a power vacuum was left behind. Germanic invaders had conquered the lands previously governed by Rome, and they set up small independent kingdoms. Over the next three hundred years, these kingdoms fought with each other and with invaders from the eastern prairies and from the Muslim south. Some of these kingdoms began consolidating in the 700s, but it wasn't until Charlemagne ascended the throne of the Frankish nation in 768 that feudal Europe truly came into its own.

Following the death of his father, Charlemagne was co-ruler of the Franks with his brother until he too died a few years later. Charlemagne consolidated his power, and focused his knights and nobles on yearly campaigns of expansion in Italy, Spain, Lombardy, and parts of what would eventually become Germany. He exerted his power over the pope in Rome and was christened the first Holy Roman Emperor, the first person to rule over Western Europe since the fall of Rome. 

He reformed the government, the system of laws, expanded religious orders but reformed the church, and promoted education. At the height of his power, his power stretched from the Atlantic to the eastern border of Germany, and down the Italian peninsula. He established the idea that kingdoms could be hereditary, paving the way for the divine rights of kings and the absolute monarchs of the 1600s. Even today, Charlemagne remains one of the most consequential historical figure.

The Paper Girl of Paris

 Taylor, Jordyn. The Paper Girl of Paris. 2020. 368p. ISBN 978-0-0629-3662-2. Available at FIC TAY on the library shelves. 

Alice is sixteen, and her grandmother Chloe recently died, leaving her an apartment in Paris her family didn't know existed. Alice was very close to her grandmother, and spent a lot of time with her, but every time the topic of her youth came up, her grandmother would stir the course of the conversation elsewhere. Now Alice is left to unravel a family history she didn't know existed. Arriving in Paris, Alice and her parents visit the apartment, and realize it is a time piece. No one has been here in nearly 80 years, and the place is filled with memories, including pictures of Alice's grandmother and what can only be her sister, Adalyn. Discovering a journal written by Adalyn during the war, Alice begins to investigate her secretive family and learn more before deciding whether to sell the apartment. The discovery of a 1942 picture of Adalyn with German officers shocks Alice. Her grand-aunt was a collaborator!

In May 1940, Adalyn is sixteen, and she should have the world in front of her. The daughter of a university professor and of a socialite, Adalyn and her younger sister Chloe live a life of privilege in Paris. For years, however, the clamors of war have been growing, and back in September 1939 Adolf Hitler unleashed war on the continent, and now the German war machine is hitting France and the country is in disarray. Soon finding herself in occupied territory, Adalyn vows to resist the German invader but also resolves to keep her hot-tempered younger sister safe by not involving her in her schemes. After she meets a like-minded group of teens, Adalyn joins the Resistance and plans even more daring acts of opposition and sabotage. As a socialite, Adalyn is welcomed in the ranks of German officers, and she plays the part to obtain vital information on troop movements and weapons deliveries. The more she compromises with the Germans to accomplish her objectives, however, the greater the frictions between herself and Chloe and the more in danger she finds herself.

As Alice spends time in Paris dealing with her mother's depression and searching for more information on her family, she meets Paul, a lovely French boy who helps her in her research, and who seems to like her as much as she likes him. Her family's past continues to haunt her, however, and Alice desires answers to what happened to Adalyn and Chloe and why the family broke apart. Her quest may unravel that mystery, but it could also break up her own family and bring to light sordid collaboration. It is, however, a risk Alice needs to take to fully understand her grandmother.

Fans of historical fiction will appreciate this story. Alice is a conflicted teen, and she is driven by realistic emotions and desires. Adalyn is likewise relatable in the decisions she makes. This novel is perfect for a different teen perspective on the Second World War, one not at the front but rather of resistance in occupied territories.

All These Monsters

 Tintera, Amy. All These Monsters. Book 1 of the Monsters series. 2020. 464p. ISBN 9780358012405. Available at FIC TIN on the library shelves.

In the recent past, a breed of underground monsters called scrabs have emerged throughout the world. Three variants of them exist in Asia, Europe, and North America. Squat and armor plated, scrabs are hard to kill. They dig holes and emerge in populated centers, trying to kill, maim, and destroy as much as possible. Most of the scrabs in North America have been killed, but Europe remains plagued with them.

Greyson, a millionaire teen famous for being rich, has decided to assemble mercenary teams and send them to Europe to fight the scrab problem, now that the United States has pulled its military back to the country, and people are flocking to the trials.

At seventeen, Clara does not like school. She's too focused on surviving her abusive father and her always-in-denial mother, so when the chance presents itself Clara escapes her stifling Dallas life and travels to Atlanta on no money, with the hope of making the team. She's not the best fighter, or the most dedicated, but she's driven and she makes the cut and is assigned to Team 7, the only team of teens from the United States.

Scrabs are deadly, however, and soon members of the team are killed in battles. Clara falls for Julian, the 19-year-old in charge of Team 7, while the rest of the team tries to figure out how to work together. As they continue to fight monsters, however, Clara realizes that a conspiracy is afoot to smuggle European scrabs back to the United States. Scrabs may be violent, but they may not be the worst enemies ...

Fans of dystopian fiction and those who liked Reboot will appreciate Tintera's new series.

Six Armies in Normandy: From D-Day to the Liberation of Paris; June 6 - Aug. 5, 1944

Keegan, John. Six Armies in Normandy: From D-Day to the Liberation of Paris; June 6 - Aug. 5, 1944. 1994. 365p. ISBN 9780140235425. Available at 940.53 KEE on the library shelves.

On June 6, 1944, two massive armies met on Europe's doorstep. An invasion force composed of Americans, British, Canadians, French, Polish, and other European expatriates landed in Normandy and found themselves against what was dubbed the impenetrable Fortress Europe guarded by the Germans. The Second World War had started almost five years earlier, and Nazi Germany had swiftly conquered most of Western Europe before Hitler had turned his hungry eyes towards Russia.

Over the years, knowing an invasion attempt would take place, the Atlantic littoral was fortified, and the Germans dug in to offer a stiff resistance and the hope that such an attempt would be crushed on the beach. When troops landed, the Germans were prepared but unable to throw the Allies back in the water. Their forces had been depleted on the Eastern Front, and what remained behind were second-tiered divisions. These still fought doggedly, preventing the Allies from achieving the breakthrough they had hoped for. 

Military forces are examined, engagements are described, and the composition and history of each of the national armies that participated is presented. Military strategies are analyzed, and the lives of various leaders are explored. D-Day and the Battle of Normandy remains important today, as they, more than any war since, show what a European conflict between Russia and the United States would look like. Fans of history will appreciate this incredibly detailed work.

Beast

Napoli, Donna Jo. Beast. 2004. 272p. 381 mins. ISBN 9780689870057. Available as an audiobook on Overdrive.

As the future Shah of Persia, Orasmyn has been training his entire life. He as completed the pilgrimage to Mecca, and he is dedicated to the teaching of Islam. A gentle soul, Orasmyn does not reproach his father, the Shah, the ability to hunt, but he prefers plants, especially roses. His father is thrilled because he has received a lion and lionesses from India, and he looks forward to the possibility of slaying a lion with his bare hands.

On the Feast of Sacrifices, Orasmyn makes the call to sacrifice a camel that is not pure. As a result, a vindictive Peri sentences him to die at the hands of his father the very next day, unless he can find a woman who will truly love him. Scared that he might perish in the lion hunt, Orasmyn tells his father and decides to hide for the entire day, hoping to avoid the Peri’s curse. Unfortunately, when Orasmyn awakens he has been transformed into a lion.

Still retaining his human mind, Orasmyn manages to avoid the hunters but realizes that he has in fact been killed by his father, for even if he escapes now he can never return, and his father has lost his son and heir. Learning to be a lion is difficult, and Orasmyn makes his way slowly to India, hoping to find a woman who will love him, or, at any rate, the company of other lions. But the prides do not welcome him, and he is forced to return to Persia. Along the way he remembers a conversation with a Frenchman that the roses in France are the best in the world, so he decides to make his way to France.

The trip is perilous, and it takes him years to make it to the South of France, but when he discovers an old uninhabited castle he knows it will be home forever. He plants roses, hoping to attract a woman who will love him. But when a man seeks shelter in the castle, Orasmyn discovers that he can prey on the man’s fear and force him to send his youngest daughter to him instead. Perhaps she will be the one who will love him and break the curse.

Telling the other side of the beauty and the beast story, Beast describes Orasmyn’s transition from man to beast, the depth of his despair, and the strength of his desire to regain his humanity while surviving as a lion in a foreign country with a different language and customs.

A Tale of Two Cities

Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. 2004. 470p. ISBN 0-7434-8760-5. Available at FIC DIC on the library shelves as well as an audiobook from Overdrive.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Thus begins Dicken’s A Tale of Two Cities, a story about the French Revolution and the impact it had on the world, as well as on two different families. The story begins in 1775, as Jarvis Lorry, one of the managers of Tellson’s Bank in London, is heading to Paris to collect a prisoner whom was secretly imprisoned in the Bastille, in Paris. That prisoner, Alexandre Manette, was a doctor who witnessed a horrific crime and was put away before he could share what he saw. His daughter, Lucie, always believed her father had perished, but when she is reunited with him she is relieved beyond belief.

Five years later, a French immigrant in London, Charles Darnay, is accused by the British Crown to provide material support to the American cause, as the Revolutionary War is in full swing. The prosecutor relies heavily on testimony from two men who find themselves discredited by Darnay’s lawyers, and Darnay is acquitted. In contact with Jarvis Lorry, Darnay meets Lucie Manette, and soon the two of them are wed.

France, meanwhile, undergoes its own bloody revolution. The Lafarge are revolutionaries who are connected to incidents involving Doctor Manette and which led ultimately to his imprisonment. Through circumstances, Darnay is tricked into returning to France, where he is arrested and put up in front of a revolutionary tribunal. He is saved by Doctor Manette’s impassionate speech, built on the strength of his imprisonment in the Bastille, but Darnay is soon arrested again. Assisted by his London lawyer, Darnay manages to escape Paris with his family and returns to London.

A condemnation of the terrors that follow revolutionary zeal, A Tale of Two Cities continue to be relevant in today’s fractured and violent world.