Hawkeye: Hawkeyes. Vol. 6

Lemire, Jeff. Hawkeye: Hawkeyes. Vol. 6. 2016. 136p. ISBN 978-0-7851-9946-5.

Both Clint Barton and Kate Bishop are much older. Time has passed since Hawkeye, Vol. 5, and their stormy relationship has not aged well. Past mistakes have broken their mutual trust, but a present danger once again pits them together to stop the Mandarin's dastardly plot. Reluctantly reunited once again, Clint and Kate need to work together and fix the mistakes they made in the past to deal with a threat that could destroy them both!

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein

White, Kiersten. The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein. 2018. 304p. ISBN 9780525577942. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Orphaned, Elizabeth Lavenza was entrusted to a group home where she was abused by the woman who was supposed to care for her. Rescued by Mrs. Frankenstein, who wishes her to be her young son's friend, Elizabeth meets Victor, and immediately realizes that the boy is very odd. He seems incapable to actually caring for other people. However, even at six years old Elizabeth realizes that Victor is her way out of the gutter, and she agrees to care and play with Victor.

Adopted by the Frankenstein, Elizabeth is not allowed to go to school across the lake from their manor residence, so she reads every book in the house, and listens to Victor retell his day and what he learned. They both are fascinated by how bodies work, and Victor is morbidly fascinated by death and how to prevent it. In their teens, they meet Henry, the child of one of the Frankensteins' creditors, and they soon form a trio of adventurers. Along the way Elizabeth rescues Justine, a child that was just like her, and Justine becomes the governess to Victor's two young children.

When Victor finally goes to University in Ingolstadt, Elizabeth is left behind with Henry. When he asks for her hand in marriage, and not having heard from Victor in months, she dispatches Henry to find Victor and secure his agreement, knowing that Victor will not give it. Henry does not return home, however, and Elizabeth despairs at not hearing from Victor. Along with Justine, they travel to Ingolstadt to track Victor. Elizabeth soon realizes that Victor has been experimenting on creating the perfect human being, but that instead he created a monster that is now causing havoc on the town.

As the monster gets closer to the Frankenstein, the family suffers one death after another. With her life in danger, will Elizabeth manage to escape the clutches of the Frankenstein monster?

Fans of Frankenstein will love this retelling, which, like the original story, explores what it means to be a monster, and what it means to be human. 

Suriname

Beatty, Noelle Blackmer. Suriname. Part of the Major World Nations series. 1997. 96p. ISBN 9780791047484. Available at 988.3 BEA on the library shelves.

Christopher Columbus was the first European to discover what would become Suriname during his third trip to the Americas. Soon colonized by the Dutch, the fertile coast became known as Dutch Guiana. Sandwiched by the French to the east and the British to the west, the small colony nevertheless prospered due to its profitable sugar plantations exploited through slave labor. Colonial powers traded the colony back and forth through wars in the 17th and 18th century, and the abolition of slavery in 1863 led to the importation of cheap labor from Java, another Dutch colony, as well as from China and India, leading to what is now a vibrant community of mixed racial and cultural heritage.

The discovery of bauxite, which is used to make aluminum, made Dutch Guiana an essential part of the war effort during the Second World War, and the colony was occupied by U.S. forces while the Netherlands were themselves occupied by Nazi Germany. Following the war, local residents gained the right to administer their own country, but the Dutch retained defense and international relations. It wasn't until 1975 that Dutch Guiana gained its independence. Renamed Suriname, the country experienced civil war and military governments, but has returned to a more democratic government. 

Still underdeveloped, the country struggles with a high foreign debt and a lack of transportation infrastructure. As 90% of the population lives on 3% of the land, most of the country remains forested, with over 2,000 species of trees making their home in Suriname. The culture, due to its ethnic mix, is vibrant but remains insular. Suriname has a lot going for it, and its future could be bright.

Teen Idol

Cabot, Meg. Teen Idol. 2004. 304p. ISBN 9780060096168. 

Jenny Greenley is everyone's friend at Clayton High School. Regardless of cliques, sports, or tastes in music, Jenny gets along with everyone, and no one has a bad thing to say about Jenny. She's so good, in fact, that no one has ever asked her out on a date. Who would want to date their friend? Despite this not so little hurdle, Jenny is enjoying her junior year. Her favorite activity is to serve as the school newspaper's anonymous advice columnist, a position that she takes very seriously. In fact, not even her best friend knows she's the person behind the Ask Annie column.

Jenny is surprised to be called to the main office to attend a hush hush meeting. During this meeting, the principal reveals that America's favorite actor and teenage hottie Luke Striker will be attending Clayton High School for a few weeks as an undercover student, and the principal would like Jenny to be his buddy. Luke is getting ready to film a high school comedy, and he wants to immerse himself in the life of a high school to prepare. Jenny is sworn to secrecy, but she's confused as to how no one will know it's Luke Striker, especially best friend Trina, who knows everything there is to know about Luke Striker! 

Surprisingly, however, though everyone notices Luke, no one identifies him as the actor. Everyone wants to know who the cool guy is, but that's about it. Luke, however, is surprised at the behavior of students in the cafeteria in particular, and in classrooms in general, and he points out to Jenny that she could effect changes if she wanted. Will Jenny accept advice from a stranger, change life at her school, and find true love in the process?

Fans of romantic comedy will appreciate this fun story. Though it's hard to believe Luke would not be recognized, the characters are all too human, with their strengths and weaknesses, and their foibles are entertaining throughout the story. Let all jazz hands unite and enjoy Jenny's junior year!

Pinheads and Patriots: Where You Stand in the Age of Obama

O'Reilly, Bill. Pinheads and Patriots: Where You Stand in the Age of Obama. 2010. 288p. ISBN 9780062010605. 

Every person can be a pinhead or a patriot, sometimes at the same time, but most often each individual tends towards one side of the spectrum over the other. Designed as a critique of the presidency of Barack Obama, O'Reilly examines several factors that, according to him, make the 43rd president mainly a pinhead, though he does acknowledge that the president also has strengths. From bungling the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to pushing through Obamacare, O'Reilly compares Obama to other presidents and scrutinizes these decisions before claiming that they are hurting the country.

O'Reilly also takes aim at other presidents and influential historical figures, however, and dissects their performances as being more pinhead or patriot. Presidents who did not hesitate to use the machinery of government to improve America are considered patriots, while those who, in O'Reilly's view undermined it are pinheads. Though leaning conservative, the author's point of view are grounded in historical facts.

Fans of history will appreciate this early look at the Obama presidency, and can, with the passage of time, decide for themselves whether Obama was a pinhead or a patriot.

The Pretenders

Harris, Charlaine. The Pretenders. Book 1 of the Cemetery Girl Trilogy. 2014. 128p. ISBN 9780425256664.

Calexa doesn't remember who she is. That's not even her name, but rather the name of someone dead she borrowed as a temporary identity until she can discover who she really is. When she woke up battered and bloodied, finding herself in a cemetery, her first thought was that she was dead. Whomever had hurt her clearly wanted her dead, given the amount of blood and her injuries, yet Calexa managed to survive, making the cemetery her home and adopting names from the dead that lay beneath the ground. Calexa found refuge in an old crypt, and she set to avoid human contact like the plague, not knowing who out there would know her and would want to finish the job they had started.

Calexa also noticed something unusual. She can see the spirits of those who have passed on, so as she observes many burials, she learns more about this power. The cemetery grounds keeper knows she's here, and he leaves food out for her to steal. Calexa has also made a friend in an elderly woman who lives near the cemetery, and who provides her with food and some of life's necessities.

 One night, a group of teenagers trespasses in the cemetery and, after vandalizing a grave, they sacrifice one of their own, a girl unwilling to be killed to bring back her dead brother. Her departing spirit invades Calexa, who was watching the scene, and demands justice. Calexa now faces a difficult choice. Bring those responsible for the girl's murder to the police would reveal that she exists, but doing so would jeopardize her safety. Can Calexa devise a plan to reveal the dead girl and her assassins while remaining hidden?

The Forgotten Girl

Brown, India Hill. The Forgotten Girl. 2019. 250p. ISBN 9781338317244. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

As an Indian-American, Iris is used to be ignored at her middle school. Her parents do not receive the email that there was a ceremony acknowledging all of the sports captains, and Iris is not invited. When the school's clean-up group is interviewed by the local television station, Iris is not invited. Is it the color of her skin? Iris consoles herself in the presence of her best friend, Daniel, who lives across the street.

One night, both of them leave their homes to play in the freshly fallen snow, despite the misgivings that Daniel's grandmother, Sugar, has about winter. She believes the spirit of the snow kills, and she does not want Daniel to play outside during the dark months of the year. While making snow angels in the woods near their home, Iris and Daniel realize they are standing in a small cemetery. They had no idea it even existed.

Soon Iris finds herself plagued by the ghost of a girl not much younger than she and Daniel are. Her name is Avery, and she died over 70 years ago. No one seems to remember Avery in town. Iris senses that Avery's ghost is angry, and she resolves to help her find peace. Using a social studies project at school, her and Daniel research abandoned cemeteries where African-Americans were segregated, even in death. As she finds more information, the danger posed by Avery grows. Will Iris discover the secret of the forgotten girl before the spirit of the snow takes her?

A thrilling mystery and ghost story, The Forgotten Girl is a page turner that middle school readers will enjoy.