Belle of the Ball

Casta, Mari. Belle of the Ball. 2023. 320p. ISBN 9781250784131. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

Regina is driven and dedicated. As a senior who's already mapped her future, Regina is both an overachiever who needs high grades to become a surgeon, the head cheerleader for the school varsity cheer team, and, of course, the school's most popular girl. Regina's girlfriend, Chloe, is by far the school's best soccer player and all around athlete, but academics are not her strengths. She'd rather play sports, videogames, or go to renaissance fairs. She most likely will get recruited to play in college, but she's got to finish her senior year first. Hawkins is the school's mascot. She tried out for the cheer squad in 9th grade, but found hiding in the mascot costume easier emotionally. Also a senior, Hawkins doesn't have a roadmap in front of her. She's not sure what she wants to do with her life in the future, but for now she wishes she and Regina could be a couple.

Hawkins gets her chance when she hears the rumor that Regina and Chloe have broken up. Unfortunately, they're already back together, but Regina, always the schemer, sees this crush as a great opportunity. Hawkins offers tutoring services, and Chloe desperately needs to pass her English class. Plus, Regina is pretty sure her charms will convince Hawkins to do it for free. Unfortunately for Regina, her plan works too well. Hawkins and Chloe start spending a lot of time together, and, unbeknown to Regina, both of them knew each other as children in elementary school, way back when Hawkins used to dress up as a princess every day, and Chloe was strangely attracted to her. 

As Chloe and Hawkins' relationship is rekindled and grows into something more, Regina struggles with identifying what she really wants from life. With the end of senior year getting closer with every passing day, with prom and other events quickly filling up their calendar, will Hawkins, Chloe, and Regina figure themselves out?

Attack on Titan., Vol. 2

Isayama, Hajime. Attack on Titan, Vol. 2. 2012. 189p. ISBN 9781612620251. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

With the Second Wall now breached in Attack on Titan, Vol, 1, the 104th Training Corps is thrown into the battle, despite having just graduated. Unaware that Eren has fallen and has been swallowed by a Titan, Mikasa, the best fighter to ever come out of training, leads a platoon of troops, looking for her brother and protecting civilians. Mikasa's traumatic childhood is explored, including Eren rescuing her from slavers who murdered her family and who were bent on selling the last Asian to the underground flesh market. 

At the second gate, a merchant and his cargo are blocking the evacuation route for remaining civilians, and Mikasa intervenes, letting the merchant know in no uncertain terms that if his death is the cost of letting people through, she will gladly pay it. The merchant agrees to let the civilians flee.

Meanwhile, Titans are attacking the Second Wall's headquarters, where the gas necessary for the 104th Training Corps to scale the wall to relative safety of the Third Wall is stored. With no gas, Mikasa leads her troops to battle to rescue those under siege with a daring plan. But then a strange thing happens. A Titan ignores the humans, and instead begins to attack other Titans, causing enough of a distraction to allow the humans to rescue their friends and refill their gas canisters. It is almost as if the aggressive Titan wanted to protect Mikasa ...

The story continues in Attack on Titan, Vol. 3.

Guinevere's Gift

McKenzie, Nancy. Guinevere's Gift. Book 1 of the Chrysalis Queen Quartet. 2002. 327p. ISBN 978-0-375-84345-7. 

Young Guinevere is living at the court of Gwynedd, where her aunt Alyse is Queen. Her mother, a Queen in her own right, died in childbirth, leaving Guinevere alone. When she was born, a local witch prophecized that she one day would wed a great King and become the highest lady in Britain. Guinevere has never particularly liked that prophecy, and does not put much stock in it. At seven, when her father the King died, she was sent to her aunt to learn court etiquette and complete her education. Now thirteen, Guinevere has not yet blossomed into a young woman, unlike her cousin Elaine, who cannot wait to get married. Unlike her cousin, Guinevere would rather wear boys' clothes and ride her horse out in the forest, though she does like her studies. 

During one of the rides, she meets Llyr, a member of the tribe that lives in the hills, outside of the kingdom. Llyr reveals that the prophecy is real, and that the hill people have been guarding her since her birth. As a result of these revelations, Llyr is exiled from his community, since he shared a secret that was not his. 

King Pellinore, Alyse's husband, has brought his men and they joined young King Arthur's army in his campaign against the Saxons. During his absence, Queen Alyse runs the kingdom. Since the beginning of spring, cattle and lambs have been stolen out of the King's fields, and no one seems to know who is responsible. Queen Alyse tasks the house guard's second in command, Marcus, to investigate in secret.

Sir Darric, the youngest son of one of King Pellinore's earls, comes to visit Gwynedd, and brings several men with him. Offering his services to Queen Alyse, he promises to catch the thieves who have been cattle rustling. Elaine is instantly attracted to Sir Darric, but Guinevere finds him dark and slimy. 

As Marcus investigates, he realizes that Sir Darric is behind the cattle stealing, and he plans on overthrowing Queen Alyse and taking control of the kingdom of Gwynedd before Pellinore comes back. With Sir Darric putting the final pieces of his plan in place, Guinevere, Marcus, and Llyr can stop this coup, but they will need to risk their lives!

North African and the Mediterranean

Jeffrey, Gary, illustrated by Allesandro Poluzzi. North African and the Mediterranean. Part of the Graphic Modern History: World War II series. 2012. 48p. ISBN 9780778741930. Available at 940.54 JEf on the library shelves.

In the summer of 1942, the Germans had triumphed on all fronts, and were deep in the Soviet Union. Allies had been pushed out of Europe, and in North Africa Rommel and the Afrika Korp were driving towards Egypt. Three key moments of the Mediterranean campaign have been illustrated in this short volume. The 1941 German conquest of Crete, an island off the coast of Greece, was the first aerial paratrooper assault in history. Thousands of Germans jumped out of gliders and secured airports that could be used to land more troops. But in 1942, the Allies stopped the German advance towards Egypt, and began to push back, eventually defeating the Germans and securing the south shore of the Mediterranean. In 1943, the invasion of Sicily saw the Allies expand in Italy and begin the slow process of moving up the peninsula towards the south of Germany.

Fans of the Second World War will appreciate the details provided by this brilliantly illustrated book. 

Blue Exorcist, Vol. 9

Kato, Kazue. Blue Exorcist, Vol. 9. 2013. 192p. ISBN 9781421554778. Available in the graphic novels section of the library. 

Following the deployment of all exorcists in Kyoto in Blue Exorcist, Vol. 8, the battle against the Impure King concludes as Rin finally realizes that in order to win he must acknowledge that he is in fact the son of Satan, and call on the powers that come with that filial link. Using the Koma sword he was finally able to pull out of its scabbard, Rin defeats the Impure King, and saves his friends from ruin. Injured individuals are taken back to the temple and the inn, where they are nursed back to health. Yukio's confrontation with Saburota Todo triggered something inside him, and he no longer trust his older brother Rin to do the right thing. 

Rin and his friends get to enjoy a day of sightseeing in Kyoto, before being dispatched to a nearby beach. A Kraken has been spotted, and the exorcists prepare countermeasures to defeat it. Meanwhile, Shura remains suspicious of Mephisto Pheles and his motives behind pushing Rin to exploit his powers. What plan is the president of the Exorcism Cram School working towards?

The story continues in Blue Exorcist, Vol. 10.

Global Warning

Frank, Steen B. Global Warning. 2023. 272p. ISBN 9780358566175.

Young people are generally optimistic, but as the climate changes, they are the ones who will suffer the most from the planet warming. And unfortunately for them, they cannot vote and influence the policy of their countries. But what if they could make meaningful changes to improve the climate? Sam Warren is a special 6th grader. His friends and him were previously involved in a law case on homework that made it all the way to the Supreme Court. This time, they decide to tackle climate change. Their strategy is simple, yet extremely difficult: They will seek an amendment to the United States's Constitution that will save the planet from pollution.

The students set out on the trip of a lifetime across the United States and the world, bringing attention to their demands and raising awareness of their proposed constitutional amendment. Working with the children of government officials, with lawyers, with environmental activists, and with other children in the United States and beyond, they set out to change the world for the better.

A fast-paced fun story about what could be if children could organize, Global Warning offers a simplistic solution to a convoluted problem, but nevertheless illustrates a path that could be taken if only there was the political will.

The Dean of Shandong: Confessions of a Minor Bureaucrat at a Chinese University

Bell, Daniel. The Dean of Shandong: Confessions of a Minor Bureaucrat at a Chinese University. 2023. 208p. ISBN 9780691247120.

A renowned Canadian scholar of Confucian studies, Dr. Daniel Bell was nominated in 2016 to serve as the Dean of the School of Political Science and Public Administration at Shandong University in China, effective January 1, 2017. As a fluent speaker of Mandarin and lover of the Chinese culture, Bell found it an honor to be the first foreigner appointed to serve in a politically sensitive position in a Chinese university. 

In his position as Dean, Bell had to navigate the bureaucracy of a university, coupled with the restrictions imposed by the Communist Party. Publications in Chinese journals had to be run through the censors before being approved. Publications in foreign journals did not. Despite decades of learning the language and the culture, Bell still found himself committing faux pas that led to misunderstandings.

His appointment catalyzed views from the West that he might be too pro-Beijing, and his interviews and opportunities to speak to Western reporters decreased as the years went by. Though he himself had not changed, his perceived connection to the Communist Party line was enough to reduce his engagement with the political and journalistic world of the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Despite all these restrictions, however, Bell provides a unique view on current Chinese academics. He describes a society changing rapidly, but that still clings to traditional modes such as hair dying for leaders, to avoid the optic of getting old. He explains how leadership is more collective, and compares and contrasts the relative strengths of the Chinese system versus Western democracies.

Fans of China will appreciate Bell's deep dive behind the headlines to explore what life in Communist China is really like and how Chinese citizens perceive the Western powers.