The Amulet of Samarkand

Stroud, Jonathan. The Amulet of Samarkand. Book 1 of the Bartimaeus trilogy. 2003. 462p. ISBN 978-0-7868-1859-4. Available at FIC STR on the library shelves.

Being a demon can often be risky business, especially if your true name is known and recorded in a magical book. This allows magicians of all kinds, even third-rate ones, to summon you and force you to do their bidding. The djinni Bartimaeus is over five thousand years old, but he has had the misfortune of losing control of his true name.

When he is first summoned by a mere child, twelve-year-old Nathaniel, Bartimaeus is sure there has to be a hand pulling the strings of this puppet. Ordered to obtain the Amulet of Samarkand from another magician, Bartimaeus grudgingly complies. No self-respecting demon enjoys being someone's else errand boy, after all, and Bartimaeus begins plotting the boy's demise.

Ambitious and determined to be one of the best magicians, Nathaniel was entrusted at the tender age of 6 to the Underwoods, a mid-level magician in her Majesty's government in London. A precocious boy, Nathaniel soon learned all that his master had to offer, and then some. Whereas Mrs. Underwood was very nice to him, Mr. Underwood barely tolerated him and only allowed him to be his apprentice because he was required to do so. During an encounter at age 11 with Simon Loveland, an ascending magician in the government, Nathaniel showed promise by displaying his growing skills, but in turn antagonized Loveland, whose demon ended up spanking Nathaniel. Vowing revenge, Nathaniel pursued his studies and became powerful enough to summon greater demons. When he discovered that Loveland had stolen the Amulet of Samarkand, Nathaniel summoned Bartimaeus and sent his to retrieve it and bring it back to him. Unfortunately for Nathaniel, Bartimaeus discovers that this is indeed the boy's true name and not the fake one most magicians adopt, and this gives the demon leverage over the budding magician.

Unknown to both of them, the stealing of the Amulet causes them to accidentally infiltrate a great conspiracy led by Loveland to seize control of Parliament and the government machinery. As they begin to realize the consequences of their actions, they grow ever so closely to Loveland and his murderous demons. Will the two of them be able to outsmart magicians bent on overthrowing the rightful government?

The Gross Science of Bad Smells

Mooney, Carla. The Gross Science of Bad Smells. Part of the Way Gross Science series. 2019. 48p. ISBN 978-1-5081-8165-1. Available at 612.88 MOO on the library shelves.

Of all the human senses, smell is the one that influences us the most. From disgusting smells that identify rotting foods, to the sweet smell of cinnamon, smells influence us in many ways. But what is the chemistry behind smells? Smells are molecules that are perceived by millions of olfactory receptors in the nose that immediately transmit this information to olfactory bulbs and thence to the brain itself. Unlike the other four senses, smell is transmitted directly to the brain from the olfactory bulbs, and the information is not mediated in the cortex beforehand. The human nose is able to distinguish over twenty thousands smells, but that is nothing compared to cats, who are an order of magnitude better, and dogs, whose nose is even more sensitive.

This book explains how chemical information is processed by our smell organs, and why some smells are more offensive than others. It describes two different smell processes, as well as diseases that affect one's sense of smell. Filled with informative texts and illustrations, this book is a wonderful guide to learn more about how our sense of smell works!

Black Butler, Vol. 18

Toboso, Yana. Black Butler, Vol. 18. 2014. 155p. ISBN 978-0-316-37670-9. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

The elaborate scheme of the four prefects to hide the death of Derrick Arden in Black Butler, Vol. 17, has been orchestrated by the school's headmaster. This headmaster is well known to Ciel and Sebastian, as he turns out to be the Undertaker, first encountered in Black Butler, Vol. 13. But what is the Undertaker's game? As they confront the former Grim Reaper, he reveals that he knows a few secrets about the Phantomhive family. Ciel eventually realizes that one of the lucky death charms he managed to take from the Undertaker before the latter escaped belonged to one of his ancestors.

Reporting the whole incident to Queen Victoria, Phantomhive and his butler also attend a ceremony celebrating a marketing campaign for a woman's perfume at a department store Ciel owns. A series of humorous incidents lead to the perfume selling out. Amid all of this, Queen Victoria requests that her personal agent head to Germany to investigate the claims of a haunted forest cursed by a witch and protected by a werewolf. What secrets are hiding in this forest?

The Librarian of Auschwitz

Iturbe, Antonio. The Librarian of Auschwitz. 2017. 424p. ISBN 9781627796187. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Dita Kraus' youth ended when she was 9 years old. On that dark day in March 15, 1939, the German army, led by Adolf Hitler, invaded what remained of the Czechoslovakian Republic, sealing the fate of the Czech Jews. First imprisoned in the Terezín ghetto near Prague with her father and her mother, the entire family is sent to Auschwitz to be part of a Nazi experiment. Whereas most arrivals are violently sorted into those strong enough to work to death and those immediately sent to the gas chamber, they, along with other Czech Jews, will live in a family camp. Designed to be a "model" and a propaganda tool to assuage the international community, the B2B camp is still filled with the terror of SS guards, abusive kapos, starvation, and the every present lack of food.

Amid all of the chaos and the pains of war, teachers at the camp have been able to start a school, educating the children. Among their meager possessions are eight books. Books are forbidden, and owning a book in the camp is punishable by death. Books offer knowledge and hope, and the Nazis want neither present in the camps. Dita, who worked at the library in the Terezín ghetto shelving books, is recognized by one of the teachers, and is asked to work at the school. She quickly creates a system to hide, handle, and distribute the books to the various teachers throughout the barrack. She soon becomes known as the librarian of Auschwitz. Almost caught on numerous occasions, Dita nonetheless perseveres and keeps the hope that they will be free of the Nazi terror alive. As the war grinds to its conclusion, can Dita continue to protect the books and survive?

Flavorings, Colorings, and Preservatives

Perritano, John. Flavorings, Colorings, and Preservatives. Part of the Know Your Food series. 2018. 64p. ISBN 978-1-4222-3736-6. Available at 641.2 PER on the library shelves.

Most readers have fond memories of colorful breakfast cereal that would change the color of milk. Or of attractive shades of orange on chips and other finger foods. Even the inside of some bakery products are very visually appealing, with bright and vivid colors rarely seen in nature. Of course, these colors are additives, chemical elements that were manufactured by humans and then used in foods to alter a specific aspect, such as color, flavor, or length of time it can live on a shelf. Flavorings, colorings, and perservatives are thus a big business, and they are present in just about everything we eat.

The history behind these chemicals is a fascinating one, from humble developments by chemists searching ways to make food taste better and last longer to the public outcry that followed as some of these turned out to be unsafe for humans. The science behind flavorings, colorings and preservatives is explained, and its various uses are described. Learn about what makes the food you eat so colorful!

Release

Ness, Patrick. Release. 2017. 277p. ISBN 9780062403193. Available as an eBook from Overdrive.

With his senior year starting soon, Adam Thorn is looking forward to finally leaving his small Washington State town and finding other people like him. Coming from a deeply religious family, Adam has known most of his life that he was gay. His father, a local preacher, does not want to hear of this and studiously ignores his son's many hints. Unlike his older brother who is the family's golden boy, Adam is charismatic but filled with anxiety and worries about the past, the present, and the future.

Today is not going to be a normal day. There is a party in the evening celebrating Enzo's departure. Enzo, Adam's first boyfriend, has been a large part of his life and Adam's first love and first sexual encounter. But their relationship fizzled, and Enzo dumped Adam. Adam hasn't quite gotten over this rejection, but good things came out of it because he met Linus, and the two of them are now in love. Adam's best friend in the whole world, Angela, is also leaving soon, going aboard for a year to study.

In one day, Adam gets sexually harassed at work by his boss and is fired for not accepting his boss's proposition. His brother got an African-American girl pregnant. His father studiously ignores the fact that Adam is gay. With his life falling apart, Adam doesn't know where to turn or what the best choices are for his life.

At the same time, the spirit of a girl who was killed by her friend who was high on drugs has been accidentally captured by the queen of the world beyond, and now she is driven to explore her death and discover what truly happened to her. Like Adam, she is bound to this world, and like him she needs to be freed from what is holding her back. As the two stories merge, can they both be released from their pain and misery?

Crash: The Great Depression and the Fall and Rise of America

Favreau, Marc. Crash: The Great Depression and the Fall and Rise of America. 2018. 189 mins. ISBN 978-0-316-46489-5. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Midway through 1929, no one imagined that six months later the world's economy would have collapsed and businesses and industries would ground to a halt. Life was rich, and wealth was building through the stock market. The Roaring 20s were looking forward to even more prosperity in the next decade. Even as a recession was growing and unemployment was increasing, there was little doubt in people's expectations that the economy would continue to grow.

When a massive selloff on Wall Street at the end of October burst the illusion of a great economy, people's life savings disappeared overnight, causing businesses to pull back, run on banks, and a sense of dread. The federal government determined to let relief in the hands of private interests and charities, which caused further pain and suffering. By 1931, millions of people were unemployed, many had lost everything, and large segments of the population was on the move, seeking ever dwindling work opportunities.

The despair forced President Hoover out, and elected Franklin Roosevelt president. As soon as his Inauguration in 1933, he and his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, got to work to immediately involved the federal governments in employment schemes. The result, the New Deal, created a multitude of federal agencies, and put American workers back to work. The Great Depression slowly receded, but it was not until the devastating impact of the Second World War that the American industrial giant fully emerged from its economic woes and entered a decade of economic prosperity.

Well researched, Crash presents information that fans of history will appreciate, and enable the reader to relate to specific individuals who experienced first-hand the pain and suffering that the Great Depression wrought on the United States and the world.