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The Plot to Kill Hitler by Patricia McCormick

25 Friday Jan 2019

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I don’t know how I managed to forget to post this after I reviewed it. This is the perfect book for fans of suspenseful non-fiction. This one is a page-turner narrative about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor and pacifist who became a most unlikely hero during World War II and who took part in a plot to kill Hitler.

This book was written by the a National Book Award finalist, Patricia McMormick, author of Sold and Never Fall Down. McCormick is also the co-author of the young reader’s edition of  I Am Malala. While it is primarily for younger readers, high school students will also gain from reading it.

It was April5, 1943, and the Gestapo would arrive any minute. Dietrich Bonhoeffer had been expecting this day for a long time. He had put his papers in order – and had left a few notes specifically for Hitler’s men to see. Two SS agents climbed the stairs and told the boyish-looking Bonhoeffer to come with them. He calmly said goodbye to his parents, put his Bible under his arm, and left. Upstairs there was proof, in his own handwriting, that this quiet young minister was a part of a conspiracy to kill Adolf Hitler.

This compelling, brilliantly researched account includes the remarkable discovery that Bonhoeffer was one of the first people to provide evidence to the Allies that Jews were being deported to death camps. The narrative takes readers from his privileged childhood to the studies and travel that would introduce him to peace activists around the world – eventually putting this gentle, scholarly pacifist on a deadly course to assassinate one of the most ruthless dictators in history.

The Plot to Kill Hitler provides fascinating insights into what makes someone stand up for the right when no one else is standing with you. “What should I do?” is a question each generation must answer over and over again.

With black and white photographs, fascinating sidebars and thoroughly researched details, this book should be essential reading for all middle school students.

Be the One by Byron Pitts

25 Friday Jan 2019

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In just a little over 100 pages, Pitts has given us six stories of young people who have overcome tremendous odds in their lives. These are true heroes. They overcame child abuse, bullying, psychotic parents and war.

Their stories are not just those of survival, but of true success in life. The stories are inspiring and are easy to read. Many of these heroes credit God for strength for their successes, but all knew that they had to “be the one” to make changes in their lives.

I strongly recommend this as an addition to middle school and upper elementary libraries.

Harry Potter: a History Of Magic

31 Monday Dec 2018

Posted by in Fantasy, History, Mythology, Uncategorized, Young Adult

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Harry Potter: A History of Magic (American Edition)
British Library and New York Historical Museum and Library

Once in a while, I run across a book that just makes me want to say, “WOW!” This is such a book.

It may be hard to believe, but it has been 20 years since, J.K. Rowling first introduced Harry Potter to the world. This anniversary edition is done by the British Library and The New York Historical Society. The book is actually subtitled; The Official Companion to the British Library Exhibition at the New-York Historical Society Museum & Library. I understand that there is an exhibit in New York of the history of magic going on now.

As one might suppose, the history of magic through the ages is presented to the reader, but is it done in a rather unique format. The chapters are arranged to lead the reader through the history as if he or she were taking classes at Hogwarts. The titles of each chapter is the name of a class that Harry would have taken at Hogwarts; i.e Herbology, Divination, and Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Most things presented in the text are actual historical items, but interspersed with the historical are copies of drafts of Rowling’s drafts for the texts of the Harry Potter series and actual artwork for those books. Some illustrations are pen and ink drawings by Rowling herself, but the fantastic color illustrations were done by Jim Kay for Bloomsbury Books.

The book is well-bound. It is delighting to the eye, interesting to read, and engaging for all Harry Potter fans, ages 6-60. It also could be used as a source for research into the history of magic. There is an index of the exhibits shown in the text and brief biographical sketches of Rowling and of the curators of the British Library Exhibit. I highly recommend the purchase of this book for public,middle, and high school libraries.

We Rule the Night by Claire Eliza Bartlett

16 Sunday Dec 2018

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This is a fantasy that focuses more on relationships than the magic powers of the characters. The setting is in a world torn apart by war. The Union of the North – very reminiscent of Russia – is trying to defend itself against the onslaught of the Elda forces that want to totally wipe out the Union.

     The two main characters are very different.  Linne’ is the daughter of one of the generals of the Union. She felt that her father didn’t notice her, so she bound her breasts and enlisted in the army as a boy. She has distinguished herself by her bravery in battles, but at the beginning of this story, she has been discovered and disgraced for trying to serve as a man. Linne’ has the power of sparking things. That means she can make engines move and start fires by using her magical abilities.

Revna is the other main character. She is a factory worker who lost both of her legs in a tragic accident. Her father was very skilled in working with living metal, so he fashioned artificial legs for her from the scraps at the factory. The only problem with that is ALL of the living metal, including the scraps, are considered government property. He was tried and convicted as a traitor because the courts argued that his use of the metal impeded the war efforts of the Union. The government did not take Revna’s legs from her so, she went to work in the factory where her father had been working.

Revna has the gift of using the Weave, a type of strand that connects the universe. She can locate and pull objects along the strands Weave. Both girls are recruited to serve in an experimental airborne division for the war effort, and all the men expect them to fail.  Revna and Linne’ do not like each other, but they are thrown together because no one trusts Linne’. They think she is a spy, and no one else wants to fly with Revna because they see her as a liability who might get them captured because she can’t run if they crash.

All the girls fear the two Sakrov officers that come to their camp. The fact that Linne’ used to serve with them only makes the girls fear her more. The Sakrov are like the CIA, and they deal mostly in intelligence and torture. The Union has a strange philosophy that if a soldier goes down behind enemy lines and then manages to escape then they must be a traitor, so they are tortured upon their return and then killed or taken to work in the mines. All of the girl aviators are allowed to only fly at night so their presence won’t demoralize the men.

One night Revna and Linne’ crash deep in enemy territory. How they get out and what they learn about each other is the main point of the story. While the book comes to a satisfactory ending, I think there is a possibility of more to come. Even though there is occasionally a bad word, and some smoking and drinking, I recommend this book for middle school and highs school libraries.

Mummies Exposed by Kerrie Logan Hollihan

16 Friday Nov 2018

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This first book in a new series, Creepy and True, is one of the most fascinating factual books I have ever read. Get ready to have your knowledge about ancient civilizations challenged. The author thoroughly researched each mummy presented in the book, and full color photographs accompany each selection. Some examples of mummies that are very unusual are the mummies of the Tarim Basin, dubbed Witches of Subeshi because they were dressed in outfits which match the description of our Halloween witches down to the tall pointy hats they were wearing, and they are called “myag” which means “magician” or “magi.”. The other one was a man, also discovered in the Tarim Basin. This place is in western China, but he is very European looking, round eyes, long nose, long arms and legs, and he is wearing pants and boots – not at all Chinese. Other mummies from around the world are covered and the history of their lives – down to the last meals they ate – can now be ascertained by scientific methods. The ancients are not to only mummies presented. The soap lady of Philadelphia who was discovered 1874, and the mummies of Lenin and Eva Peron are also discussed. Hollihan also has included delightfully informative “Factlets” in nearly every chapter. These tidbits add to the knowledge of the reader as he/she progresses. The book includes a glossary, chapter notes, a bibliography for each chapter which makes research on an individual mummy much easier. An index will conclude the book. The next two books in the series, Ghosts and Skeletons should prove to be equally thought-provoking. Readers of the supernatural and the macabre will be drawn to the title. They won’t be disappointed. I highly recommend the purchase of this book for middle and high school libraries.

Hollihan, Kerrie Logan. Mummies Exposed. 2019, 208pp, $16.99 hc. Abrams Books for Young Readers, 9781419731679. Grades 6-12

The Knowing by Sharon Cameron

23 Thursday Nov 2017

Posted by in Science Fiction, Uncategorized, Young Adult

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  This book is actually a sequel to The Forgetting, but it can totally stand alone. In this story over 300 years have passed since the first pioneers from Earth arrived aboard Centauri I at the planet they had called Canaan.  Now explorers from Earth have once again arrived on a ship called Centauri III.  Their job is to see how the original pioneers have done in building a new civilization on the new planet. They are directed not to interact with the inhabitants – only to observe and report their findings.

Of course, Beckett and Jillian, the two young observers from the ship, find themselves in a situation that demands that they get involved. How they interact with Samara, a girl from the city of New Canaan, moves the story along to a most unexpected conclusion.

The people who live inside of New Canaan are incapable of forgetting anything – even pain and emotions.  They remember everything except for what happened 300 years ago.  This constant bombardment of remembering leaves them incapable of developing emotional attachments because the loss of someone they love causes them tremendous emotional pain every time they think about that person.

On the positive side, they never forget anything that they have read, seen or heard which makes Samarra extremely important as Beckett and Jillian as they try to find out what really had happened to the people on Canaan and to keep the rest of the explorers on board Centauri II safe.

There is nothing about this book that would cause reservations about its purchase for the high school library. It does contain violent scenes, but sex and language are absent. If you have not already read The Forgetting, you will want to do so after reading this book.

The author leaves the reader wondering about what happened to the ship Centauri II. Another spellbinding tale must be forth-coming.

Beyond Clueless by Linas Alsenas

25 Monday Apr 2016

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beyond clueless

Whenever teenagers have changes in their lives, they may not always be able to process everything about them and to make good judgements in the face of such changes.  This is true of Marty Sullivan. She has just started high school at a private, single sex Catholic high school, and she is not at all sure of how she will fit in.  Of course, her best friend, Jimmy, goes to another school, so she must find her way without her best support.

She becomes involved in her high school musical.  There are parts for boys in the musical, and the guys are allowed to come from any school in the area.  Since several guys are needed, she gets Jimmy to come try out.  He brings his new boyfriend, Derek.  Derek gets two friends of his, Kirby and Oliver, to try out also.

Marty is drawn to Oliver, but she knows this is ridiculous because he is gay.  Marty thinks that Kirby is Oliver’s boyfriend.  Another boy from a neighboring school seems to be drawn to her, so she goes for him. She, along with her new friend, Xiang, learn that high school isn’t all bad and that things are seldom as they seem on the surface.

This is a great coming-of-age story for teen readers.  One thing I would like to point out is that, while the story is supposed to take place in a suburb of Cleveland, the author calls the town Bracksville.   There is a real town named Brecksville; it is a suburb of Cleveland. I don’t know if the misspelling is intentional or accident.  In any case, I do recommend it for high school libraries, unless your audience would have problems with the reference to gays.

Black River Falls by Jeff Hirsch

13 Wednesday Apr 2016

Posted by in Science Fiction, Uncategorized, Young Adult

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black river falls Cardinal Cassidy is one of the lucky ones in Black River.  He has managed to escape the virus that has ravaged the town.  This virus causes amnesia of events in people’s lives without destroying their scholastic ability.  Families have been torn apart because they no longer recognize each other, and Cardinal’s family is no different.  No one, except Cardinal, remembers who they are, where they worked, or what the world outside of Black River is like.

The National Guard has been sent in, wearing haz-mat suits, to keep the town in quarantine until the scientists can come up with a cure or, at least, a vaccine so that the rest of the world will not be infected by contact with the survivors.  If no cure or vaccine is found, the National Guard is going to insure that no living human being leaves Black Falls.

Hector Gonzolez finds Cardinal living outside of the town.  He realizes that Cardinal is not infected, so he gives him a breathing mask to enable him to go into the town and look for his family.  The mask also enables Cardinal to help little children who cannot remember their families, but they are so young that they need help in surviving.

Cardinal takes these children to his hideout on the mountain because it is not safe for them to be in the town.  Hector keeps Cardinal’s secret, and even helps him with some necessary supplies, but one day the National Guard is ordered to pull out and a private company comes in to take over the control of the quarantined town.  This new group has a totally different approach to solving the problem of the memory virus.

This is a very good sci-fi story, and will cause the reader to examine the possibility of a man-made dangerous virus.  It is written for middle school and/or high school readers.  I definitely recommend it for those readers.

Dead Girl Moon by Charlie Price

30 Wednesday Dec 2015

Posted by in Mystery and Suspense, Uncategorized, Young Adult

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Any reader of this book will never look at small-town America and its foster care systems the same way again.  In the beginning of the book, Grace plots out how she can kill her sexually abusive brothers and get away from her family. She finally decides to grab all the money in the house that she can find and leave.

She ends up in a small town in Montana when her money runs out, and she is forced to ask for help from an agency.  She is sent to live with a dysfunctional foster family.  The father deals in drugs. The mother spends most of her time in an alcoholic stupor, the son, Jon, obviously has behavioral issues.  The only nearly normal one is another girl, J.J. who is actually a niece of the woman.

Grace meets Mike, a young man who is on the run with his petty thief father, but she doesn’t find that out right away.  Mike wants nothing more than to settle down and live a normal life.  Grace has no idea of what normal looks like, but she is fairly content with the way things are going for her. That is, until the kids find a dead body in the river.

The kids don’t think they can tell anyone about the body without getting themselves in trouble, but Mike calls 911 anonymously so the body can be found and identified. An innocent comment by J.J. and a big mouth comment by Jon turns their world upside down and forces them to run away.

Finding truth and safety were not easy.  Running seems to be the only answer. How these teens solve their problems and solve a murder will keep the reader enthralled to the end.

I recommend it for the teen-age reader.dead girl moon