Burned

Hopkins, Ellen. Burned. 2006. 532p. ISBN 1-44249461-1. Available at FIC HOP on the library shelves.

Pattyn Von Stratten has always been a good Mormon girl. The eldest of seven girls, she’s been helping her mother raise her sisters, and has often questioned the purpose God has for her. But when she has her first sex dream about a boy at her school, Pattyn suddenly finds herself moving away from God and the teachings of the Church of Latter Day Saints. It doesn’t help that her father is a violently abusive and alcoholic husband.

As she begins to experience love, Pattyn starts neglecting her familial duties and experiences a crisis of faith. Caught in a compromising position with a boy named Derek, her father sends Patty away to live with his sister for the summer. Aunt Jeannette and her father had a major disagreement when they were young. He had threatened to kill both her and her boyfriend at the time. Jeannette lives in rural Nevada hours away from a city. There, Pattyn meets Ethan, and soon the two are lovers.

Pattyn’s happiness soon collides with reality. Her mother is pregnant again, and about to deliver. Pattyn must return home to help her, but at the same time she will be returning to be tormented by her abuser. Is Ethan’s love strong enough to allow Pattyn to endure her situation until she turns eighteen?

This book is another great e. lockhart novel. If you enjoyed it, be sure to read We Were Liars by the same author.

Ice Dogs

Johnson, Terry Lynn. Ice Dogs. 2012. 279p. ISBN 978-0-547-89926-8. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

Victoria loves to run her dogs. A dog-sledder and a resident of Alaska all of her life, she’s built a special relationship with each one of her animals. Ever since the tragic loss of her father during one of his wilderness expedition, and blaming her mother for his death, Victoria has retreated within herself, racing with her dog team, trying to dull the pain and the loss. When she hears that a new dog might be available to purchase, she decides to head out. It is a distance to this man’s farm, but she should have plenty of time to gather her gear, hook up her dogs and make the return trip.

Only, she doesn’t have enough time. Running on the trail heading to Mr. Cook’s, the sky opens up and it begins to snow. Deciding to press on, Victoria comes to the site of a snowmobile accident. The sled is destroyed, and the rider is laying in the snow unconscious. Victoria checks him for injuries, and he awakens and stands up. His name is Chris, and he reveals he thinks he lives this way, pointing down a trail Victoria is not familiar with. Unfortunately the snow, which is coming down harder, has covered any tracks, and Victoria is not even sure Chris knows which way he came from. But since he’s convinced, she goes down the trail with her sled and dogs and Chris bundled up aboard.

Soon, it’s clear that they are lost, and in the middle of a blizzard. Victoria’s survival skills are the only thing that keep death away for her dogs, herself, and Chris. But as her father’s death proved, skills are sometimes not enough. Can Victoria, Chris, and her dogs make it back to civilization?

Fans of Hatchet and The River will enjoy this story of hope against all odds and the extreme measures Victoria takes to ensure the survival of her team. Victoria’s relationship and love for her dogs permeates the story, and even Chris, who’s not too keen on them at first, eventually warms up (literally and figuratively) to the animals. The author clearly possesses experience mushing as the descriptions of Victoria’s actions while driving the sled are vivid and energetic. The plot moves quickly, and the two teens move from one catastrophe to another until the ending. Reluctant readers and survivalists will appreciate this tale of an incredible fight against nature for survival. For another tale of dog running, take a look at Yellow Dog.

Falling Over Sideways

Sonnenblick, Jordan. Falling Over Sideways. 2016. 257p. ISBN 978-0-545-86324-7. Available as an audiobook on Overdrive.

An 8th grader in middle school, Claire’s life has not been easy. Her friends have graduated dance class and are now practicing with the high schoolers, while Claire remain stuck with the training bra crowd. Her brother Matthew, a junior in high school, is smart, dedicated and the clear favorite sibling in their household. She’s picked on at school, and even a once good friend, Ryder, is now her number one enemy, rubbing in when he makes the saxophone first chair and she only makes second.

But when Claire is the only person in the room when her father suffers a devastating heart attack, her life suddenly does a 180. She saved her father, and now she’s holding the family together. Her brother Matthew can’t handle the pressure and is starting to crumble in school. Her mother is convinced Claire’s father will get better and seems in complete denial. Dance, band, and school suddenly lose their urgency. And everyone who looks at Claire now see a different girl.

Claire doesn’t want any of this, however. She wants to return to the life she had before, when she was looking forward to her father joining her for the father daughter dance at her music studio. She wants a quiet 2nd chair band experience. She wants her friends back. But just like her father must work hard to regain some of his former strength, so must Claire. Can she survive being the hero?

Hex Hall

Hawkins, Rachel. Hex Hall. 2010. 323p. ISBN 9781423121305. Available both at FIC HAW on the library shelves and as an audiobook on Overdrive

At thirteen, Sophie discovered she was a witch. This explained a lot of things. Her mother and her moving all the time. The tingling she felt whenever odd things happened. Coming into her magical powers untrained was hard, though, and Sophie performed one too many spells when she tried to create a love spell matching two people during prom.

Now the Council, which governs witches of the world, has decided to send her to Hex Hall, a reformatory boarding school for witches, shapeshifters, faeries, and the odd unlucky vampire. There, students are expected to learn how to control their power before their 18th birthday and release into society. They are also prepared to fight the Eye, a secretive organization dedicated to eliminating the Prodigium, also known as all paranormal creatures.

Once at Hex Hall, Sophie discovers that unlike everyone else here, she is not versed in the history or conflicts of the Prodigium. For instance, her father, whom she’s never met, is the head of the Council, and therefore most students hate her. By the end of her first day, she’s made powerful enemies of a dark witch coven who want her to join. She’s also annoyed some of the shapeshifters. She’s smitten with a sexy warlock who happens to be dating the head of the coven. And she’s rooming with the school’s only vampire, who is both hated and suspected of killing her previous roommate. What could possibly go wrong?

Hex Hall is a very entertaining book about paranormal beings experiencing very human emotions. Fans of Hawkins other books, such as Rebel Belle, will thoroughly enjoy the secrets and twists that Hex Hall harbors.

Persian Myths

Sarkhosh Curtis, Vesta. Persian Myths. 1998. 80p. ISBN 0-292-71158-1. Available at 299 CUR on the library shelves.

Occupying a strategic between India and China to the East and the Mediterranean world to the West, Iran has always been a land of conflict and contrast. Like other great civilizations before, the Iranians have foundational myths that explain the rise of the nation and the battles it had to fight to secure its existence. Traditional tales feature confrontation between holy kings and mighty heroes against armies led by evil men, demons and dragons. Supernatural creatures such as Simergh, a magical bird from the tallest mountain, or Rakhsh, the mightest horse of the hero Rustam, populate these tales and attempt to explain the world as it was.

The arrival of Islam in the seventh century saw a shift from Zoroastrianism to Islam, but the myths and legends of ancient Iran were too powerful to disappear and were instead coopted by the new religion. These tales, which include the original Thousands and One Night, were distributed orally through minstrels, storytellers and religious leaders, but were eventually documented in several books such as the Avesta, the holy book of the Zoroastrians, as well as the Shahnameh, the Book of Kings.

These myths and legends fueled Iranian art over more than six centuries and continue to provide inspiration for modern adaptations. Fans of myths will enjoy reading familiar tales of good versus evil in an unfamiliar setting, and will appreciate the rich culture of ancient Iran.

Great Teacher Onizuka: 14 Days in Shonan, vol. 2

Fujisawa, Toru. Great Teacher Onizuka: 14 Days in Shonan, vol. 2. 2012. 200p. ISBN 9781932234893. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

Already on his first day at the White Swan, Onizuka has managed to reach some of the troubled teens who live there. But Katsuragi refuses to let him get closer to her. Having survived a battle with a gang of thugs paid by Katsuragi to assault him, he kidnaps her and brings her to his favorite spot, a radio and television antenna high up in the heights above the city. From here they can see all of Shonan. Katsuragi reveals that her father, the prefect of police, has no time for her and would rather work than take care of her, which is why she is at the White Swan.

After a confrontation between Katsuragi and her father, she decides to run away. Rescued from a group of hooligans by a nice guy, he turns out to be a kidnapper who feeds a sex slave network broadcasting abuses on the Internet. It is up to Onizuka to find Katsuragi before it is too late, but regular law enforcement measures won’t be effective. He will have to contact his friends in the biker gangs. With the police also looking, a confrontation is looming between the two groups ...

The story continues in Great Teacher Onizuka, Vol. 3.

Careers in the US Navy

Kiland, Taylor Baldwin. Careers in the US Navy. Part of the Careers in the US Armed Forces series. 2016. 128p. ISBN 978-0-7660-6949-7. Available at 359 KIL on the library shelves.

When John Paul Jones, aboard the Bonhomme Richard, uttered the words “I have not yet begun to fight,” little did he know that he was starting a maritime tradition of excellence and dominance. The United States Navy is present on every ocean, and provides military protection to American allies and deterrence to its enemies. From its humble beginnings as a small navy fighting the British for the colonies’ independence to a nuclear-powered fleet, the Navy exerts many roles.

This book presents information about the history of the Navy, and how it operates in today’s world. The various organizational structures of the Navy are discussed, and the role that diversity plays in Navy staffing is explored. Naval operations are presented, while vignettes of famous sailors and recipients of the Medal of Honor are peppered throughout. Navy specialties are explained, and service requirements are described. Finally, the book discusses Navy’s future in an uncertain world.

Individuals interested in joining the Navy or learning more about will appreciate this book.

Titles in this series include:

• Careers in the US Air Force
• Careers in the US Army
• Careers in the US Marine Corps
• Careers in the US Coast Guard