Soul Eater, Vol. 6

Ohkubo, Atsushi. Soul Eater, Vol. 6. 2011. 192p. ISBN 9780316071093. Available in the graphic novel section of the library.

in Soul Eater, Vol. 5, Medusa and her crew headed down the catacombs under DWMA with a large vial of black blood to release the kishin that has been kept prisoner by Shinigami for all these years. Medusa and Dr. Frankenstein confront each other, while Maka is stalled in her fight with Crona. That leaves Black*Star and Death the Kid to stop Free and the witch Eruka.

Maka invades Crona's mind, and discovers that what he is looking for the most is a friend. She overcomes his defenses, and manage to finally defeat him, offering him her friendship. Frankenstein finds himself evenly matched with Medusa, but a special move finally ends the witch's life, but not before the Doctor confronts some truths about himself.

Meanwhile, Kid and Black*Star make it past Free, but are unable to prevent Eruka from injecting the kishin, Now free, it emerges from the catacombs only to fight Maka, whom he quickly defeats. Shinigami is waiting for him, however, and an epic battle ensues, until the kishin flees after realizing that Death is now forever tied to DMWA and cannot pursue. With their failure, the students of DMWA face an ugly truth. Madness will spread across the world, unless they can find a way to stop it ...

The story continues in Soul Eater, Vol. 7.

Black Cat, Vol. 16

 Yakubi, Kentaro. Black Cat, Vol 16. 2008. 200p. ISBN 9781421516073. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

With their forces divided in Black Cat, Vol 15, Train and Sven find themselves at opposite ends of the island of the Apostles of the Star. Sven and Silphy face Deak Slathky, who controls ice and freeze. Sven has an ace in his sleeve, however, and his vision eye now is the grasper eye, which allows him to see what will happen and dramatically slow time down. He can therefore avoid most attacks.

Train, meanwhile, has joined with River, and the two of them are learning to work together. They are confronted by Shiki, who harnesses the power of Tao to pours his strength and spirit into a bug-looking demon. Very powerful, the demon represents the most significant threat Train has confronted in recent times. River agrees to distract the demon long enough for Train to attack Shiki and hopes that he will be distracted enough to lose his control over the demon. Shiki, for his part, has a large chip on his shoulder and looks forward to the destruction of Chronos and all of the Sweeper, which will demonstrate the ultimate strength of Tao!

The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan

 Springer, Nancy. The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan. Book 4 of the Enola Holmes series. 2008. 183p. ISBN 9780399247804.

Following her resolution of the mystery of the bouquets and the disappearance of Dr. Watson in The Curious Case of the Mysterious Bouquets, Enola attempts to return to a semblance of normalcy. Secure in her knowledge that her enterprise of solving mysteries has not been detected by her brothers Mycroft and Sherlock, Enola nonetheless has put off finding her mother.

When she runs into Lady Cecily, from The Case of the Left-Handed Lady, she is very perplexed. Last time she had seen Lady Cecily she had revealed her true identity to the left-handed youth. Imagine her surprise, then, to see Lady Cecily flanked by two aristocratic matrons and being forced into an arranged marriage. Using a pink fan, Cecily manages to communicate her distress to Enola, who decides to investigate the manner.

Her inquiries reveal that Lady Cecily's mother has departed the family home with the children, and that Lady Cecily's father, concerned that his daughter is now damaged goods following her disappearance, has decided to marry her off to a less than desirable suitor. Enola runs into her brother Sherlock, who is on the same trail but possesses less information than she. Putting her grievances against her brother aside, the two of them team up to discover where Lady Cecily is being kept against her will. With the revelation that Lady Cecily is being held in an orphanage on the outskirts of London and that the wedding is this very day, Enola must infiltrate the place and device a plan to rescue Lady Cecily without being captured by her brothers!

Lost Nation

Lent, Jeffrey. Lost Nation. 2002. 370p. ISBN 9780871138439. 

In 1834, Blood has been living a hard life, moving from place to place as if pursued by the devil himself. In some ways, Blood indeed is being pursued, but it is his own mind he can't escape, the things that he did following a personal tragedy. For seventeen years, he's been on the run from his past, seeking the most remote places to hide. Clearly educated, Blood purchases Sally, a sixteen-year-old girl from a brothel in Portland, and he takes her and a wagon full of supplies on little traveled roads all the way north to Indian Stream, a parcel of territory wedged between Canada and the United States, neither wanted by the British nor by New Hampshire. The struggle to get to Indian Stream foreshadows the hard life the two of them will experience on the frontier.

As Sally and Blood settle in their lives, both of them learn about themselves. Sally is uneducated, but is already wise to the ways of men and of the world. Blood chooses not to involve himself in the lives around him, but as tavern owner it is hard not to participate in his new community, especially since he is both revered and reviled by the locals. As spring turns to summer, events on Indian Stream begin to spiral out of control as state authorities seek to assert their laws against a group of men who fled governed territories. Blood is anew confronted by his past just as the spark that lit the fuse on war reaches the keg and explodes. When the smoke settles on Indian Stream, much will have changed, and the lives of Sally and Blood will be forever changed.

Come On In

 Alsaid, Adi, editor. Come On In. 2020. 315p. ISBN 9781335146496. 

Immigration to the United States remain a powerful political topic, and spurs controversy and division. Behind the issue, however, are human beings who often attempt a dangerous move to escape circumstances from violence to poverty to economic distress. In Come On In, editor Adi Alsaid compiles 15 stories that shine a light on individual circumstances of immigration or children of immigrant parents. 

The stories showcase various aspects of identity and immigration, from being in the country illegally to having a best friend who has no papers; from harassing airport security to restrictions on movement; from weddings to camping trips gone bad; from extended family members moving in to others moving out; and from seeking a higher education to struggling to complete high school. 

Told by authors who are also immigrants or kids of people who immigrated to the United States, these stories powerfully illustrate the experiences of immigrants and demonstrate their humanity. Fans of realistic fiction will appreciate the variety of voices and stories that seek to identify "who am I" and "where am I from?" 

Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 15

 Asagiri, Kafka. Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 15. 2020. 192p. ISBN 9781975359218. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

In Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol 14, the Armed Detective Agency had been framed for the murder of several officials in the government, and their members had been drawn into a trap. Surrounded by sharpshooters, the five agents on location come up with a plan to escape the building, and soon run away in a stolen car. The military sends in its special team, the legendary Hunting Dogs. With each individual possessing a powerful ability, the Hunting Dogs split up and chase the escapees. Kunikida and the rest of the group are soon confronted by two of the Hunting Dogs. Relentless and deadly, Kunikida sacrifices himself by jumping out of a helicopter sent by the Port Mafia and taking down Tetchou Suehiro.

Meanwhile, Atsushi and Kyouka also manage to escape the manor by hiding in the ceiling, and track down Fitzgerald, the leader of the Guild, to see if they can use the Eye of God. He initially refuses, but an attempt on his life may convince him otherwise. Meanwhile, Dazai is reunited with Dostoyevsky in a secret prison in Europe, looking to reveal the truth about the Armed Detective Agency ...

Picture Us in the Light

Gilbert, Kelly Loy. Picture Us in the Light. 2018. 361p. ISBN 9781484726020.

Living in California, high school senior Danny Cheng looks forward to attending the Rhode Island School of Design on a full scholarship. Danny is an amazing artist, and his friends always comment on how cool his art is. Danny especially appreciates his best friend Harry Wong, who's dating his other best friend Regina Chan. Danny has always had feelings for Harry, and he often sees hints that maybe Harry is returning those feelings, but it's all so confusing as Harry and Regina form a beautiful couple that everyone say belongs together. Then there's the suicide of another friend, a year ago, that colors everything they do,

Danny's parents have always been secretive, and never talk about their lives before immigrating to the United States from China, so Danny doesn't know much about them. His life is turned inside out when Danny discovers a shoebox containing photos, news clipping, and checks. His parents seem to have had a double life. When his father come home one day and announces they need to move, because he has left his job at the University and they can no longer afford the rent on their home. The family quickly flees to a miserable apartment far in the suburbs. Danny doesn't know what his parents did, but research show that his father assaulted a rich businessman years ago, and fled their former home in Texas, changed their names, and settled in California. Danny, and his parents, are illegal immigrants. They overstayed their visa and when assault charges were filed, they ran away. This realization threatens Danny's whole future.

Overnight, Danny finds himself forced to attend a new high school, instead of the art school where Harry and Regina go. Danny manage to con his parents and continues to attend his art school while looking for details on what really happened with his parents. As life crumbles around him, decisions Danny made in the past about Harry come back to haunt him. Will Danny have enough time to reconcile with his parents, discover what happened to the kidnapped sister he never knew he had, and come clean to Harry on his feelings for him?

Finding oneself is hard for most teens, and doubly so for LGBTQ+ teens. In Danny's case, the secret lives of his parents and the missing sister all add up to an impossibly complicated life. Fans of realistic fiction will appreciate how Danny eventually discovers who he is, and what his life is all about.