The Diviners by Libba Bray

With every read -- A Great and Terrible Beauty, Going Bovine, Beauty Queens -- I am reminded that I truly and utterly adore author Libba Bray.

And now I also truly and utterly adore Miss Evie O'Neill. Evie has a secret, and a powerful one at that. Just by holding an object that belongs to you, she can tell you what you had for breakfast that day, or she can reveal your deepest secret. She doesn't flaunt this power, but sometimes when she's had a bit to drink and is trying to liven up a party, she might sneak in a reading or two. And this is precisely what gets her kicked out of Ohio.

Fortunately for her, her parents have sent her to live with her uncle in Manhattan. Manhattan! Where the world comes alive with speakeasies, flappers, dapper men, music, drinks, and glorious madness. And what also comes along with Manhattan, apparently, is a ghostly murderer.

The Diviners begins an intricate series that involves a group of individuals who each have special powers that they do not understand, and they do not know that others like them exist. This historical, supernatural mystery is fascinating in its storytelling, unbeatable in its character development, and completely intriguing in every way. You'll be left breathless for more! Recommended for high school and older.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.
And don't miss out on some amazing sights to see: http://thedivinersseries.com

Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury

Agnes Wilkins has little interest in her upcoming debut into society. She'd rather be listening in on the secrets of the house than being measured for ribbon to adorn her fancy new dress. And she'd much rather be reading than humoring the supposedly-amusing advances of high society men.

In the middle of entertaining the interest of one very highly-regarded prospect, Agnes finds herself in the middle of a much more interesting mystery. She has found something that it seems someone is going to great -- possibly violent -- lengths to recover, and if she doesn't figure out the final pieces of the puzzle first, there might be great consequences. 

This story is mixed with a great deal of mystery, romance, and history (both that of ancient Egypt and of the notorious Napoleon), not to mention thrilling adventure. Absolutely recommended to all. (Note: a few suggestive scenes might limit the novel to an older teen audience.) (And another note: The story gets off to a slow start, but it pays off to get through the first few chapters. You need the foundation in order to get wrapped up in the real meat of the novel.)

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt

Doug's life is not fun. Home life consists of his amazing mom, his distant and abusive father, his bully older brother, and another brother who is off fighting in Vietnam. School consists of bullies and a few close friends. When Doug's father decides to move the family to Marysville in hopes of a better job (one that won't fire him), Doug even loses those few friends. Now school consists of students and teachers who think that Doug's brother is a thief and that Doug's no good either. Good thing for Lil Spicer or life might be just about the most miserable that it could be.

You might not think that a pretty girl, Audubon's Birds of America, baseball, and Jane Eyre have a whole lot in common, but in this case you might be wrong. Those few things might be the best things in the whole wide world. At least for one teenage boy who is just trying to find some good in the world.

Recommended to all middle grade readers. This title is great for boys who might not love to read, and who also aren't necessarily into sports or cars or other "guy stuff." But all ages and all interests are sure to get something out of Doug's experience and his perseverance.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow

Karl Stern is a skinny kid who gets bullied by his high school classmates more than he would like, but he's always been able to hide in the background of life for most part. He's living in Berlin during the reign of Hitler and the Nazis, but having been raised in a family of no practicing religion, he certainly does not consider himself a Jew. And his fair looks do not broadcast his ethnicity either, something that separates him from his younger sister and her dark features.

But it doesn't take long for the fact that he is a Jew to get him expelled from public school, beaten, and even left for homeless. For a while he still has his boxing as a refuge, but even that gets taken from him eventually. Along with his parents and his sister, he must figure out how to survive even when it becomes harder and harder to believe that the injustice against Jews won't last forever . . ..

Recommended to mature middle grade and high school readers. Here is portrayed a unique perspective of Nazi-era history. The Berlin Boxing Club was named the 2012 Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Teen Readers and was placed on the YALSA 2012 Best Fiction for Young Adults list.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Prisoners in the Palace : A Novel of Intrigue and Romance by Michaela MacColl

Liza has been raised as a lady, to enter into London society, to meet and marry a gentleman, and to live a life of relative comfort. When her parents die in an accident during her seventeenth year, she is left in solitude and with a large debt with which she has no means to pay. 

She is lucky enough to secure a position at Kensington Palace as a maid to sixteen-year-old Princess Victoria and her Baroness, even though such a position is inappropriate for a lady. Liza doesn't much enjoy bathing in cold dank quarters with the servants or wrestling with her own dresses. But because of her education and knowledge of languages, the Baroness asks Liza to spy on the princess's mother, and as a result Liza uncovers a very deliberate plot is brewing to keep the princess from establishing her own regency when she turns of age. Having empathy for the princess, as well as knowing that her mistress might be the only one who can restore Liza's financial independence, Liza reaches out to a few key players -- a spy with knowledge of the palace, a newspaper man, and the maid whose position she replaced -- and if all goes well everyone might end up getting exactly what they deserve.

This charming story of the pre-Victorian history of the London regency has it all -- colorful characters, espionage and trickery, kidnapping and murder, true friendship, and true love. Recommended to most middle grade readers.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

The Apothecary by Maile Meloy

The ideal selection for all middle grade readers excited about spies, magic, and science:

The Blood Lie by Shirley Reva Vernick

On September 22, 1928 in Massena, New York, the Jewish Community is eagerly preparing for and anticipating the solemn holy day of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It's also Jack Pool's sixteenth birthday and he's got his eyes on a driver's license and a pretty girl; unfortunately for Jack, the driver's license is the only thing that might be within his reach. Emaline Durham is Christian, so being friends is the only thing they can ever be, even if they both long for more.

It only takes a moment for everything to change. Emaline's little sister Daisy never arrives back at home and Jack Pool is accused of murder. The townspeople get wrapped up in a lie that the Jews collect the blood of a Christian child to use in their holy day ritual, and neighbors begin to distrust neighbors in an attempt to explain the disappearance of missing Daisy. Jack is caught in a whirlwind of adult irrational behavior and discovers for the first time in his young life the complete destruction that can result from intolerance.

This is a short mystifying novel about a very real Jewish experience in American history. An eye-opening author's note at the conclusion of the story relays an important message to all middle great readers.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Soldier Bear by Bibi Dumon Tak

This short novel for tweens is based on a true historical occurrence: during World War II, a bear joined the ranks of the Polish Army. 

One day, soldiers of the Polish 22nd Transport Artillery Supply Company, Peter, Stanislav, Pavel, Janusz, and Lolek, were sent to transport a truckload of equipment, and on the way the boys decided to take a break from the heat of the truck to sit outside in the shade and share a snack. It was during this break that they saw a young Iranian boy holding a blanket, and wrapped inside was a tiny bear cub. They paid the young boy with food in exchange for the bear, and from that moment on vowed to care for and raise the bear - named Voytek - as their comrade and their mascot. With some convincing, Voytek was even officially named a Private in the Polish Army.

This is the story of Peter, Voytek, and their friends during their years in service against the Nazis during World War II. It's a fascinating and almost unbelievable story that is told in an approachable way for all young middle grade readers to enjoy.

Wojtek with artillery ammo – sign painted on 22nd Artillery Supply Company vehicles. (image from Wikipedia)

For more information, start here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wojtek_%28soldier_bear%29

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Hawksmaid by Kathryn Lasky

Matty is the daughter of Nottingham's most famous falconer.  After her mother is brutally murdered by Prince John's men, her father teaches her many things to help her not only survive, but thrive as well.  It turns out that Matty is exceptional at falconry in her own right, at times it seems as though she is almost part bird, and she certainly is able to communicate with them through sound and feeling.  As Matty grows up, Prince John becomes more powerful and when the good King Richard is captured and held for ransom, she and her friends decide that they must do something to help their country.  So Matty becomes Maid Marion to secure a place working in the castle, and her friends form into a band of Merry Men: Robin Hood, Little John, Rich, and Will Scarlet.  Together they must find their own power, strength, and ability to ensure that good wins over evil.

This retelling of the legendary Robin Hood is in the capable hands of Kathryn Lasky, and middle grade and middle school readers who like adventure stories, historical fiction, and action will enjoy this read.  Though it's a relatively quick read, it's packed with death, destruction, and a little bit of a love story.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Sources of Light by Margaret McMullan

Samantha and her mom have just moved from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Jackson, Mississippi in the year 1962, when segregation is still firmly established in much of the south.  Sam's dad died a war hero, and they decided to move closer to her dad's hometown, where Sam's mom got a job as a professor at a local white college.  When her mom decided to give a series of lectures at Tougaloo, an all-black college in Jackson, the two slowly begins to turn against them, warning Sam and her mom that they don't like "outsiders."  In the meantime, her mom's friend, Perry Walker, teaches Sam how to look through a camera lens to not just take pictures, but to capture stories in the people, places, and things around her, even when those things are ugly or scary or dangerous.

This is a compelling account of American race relations that is recommended to middle grade readers; many will relate to the feeling of being an outsider or as the one who seems to see and look at things different than others, and girls will especially relate to Sam's relationship with Stone.  Another great historical fiction novel by Margaret McMullan is When I Crossed No-Bob.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Threads and Flames by Esther Friesner

We meet Raisa in Poland, living alongside the only family she has left since her sister left for New York City a few years before, and we are beside Raisa when she decides she must travel to try to rejoin her sister.  We follow Raisa by ship though her journey to America, where she meets and cares for young Brina after her mother dies aboard the vessel.  And we struggle along with her as she tries to find her place alone in a vast strange city, filled with people, words, and streets that she cannot understand . . . until she finds Gavrel, a young Jewish man with dreams of being a Rabbi, who brings Raisa and Brina home to his family and to their small Polish shtetl.  Raisa soon finds work making shirtwaists in the city's warehouses, ultimately joining her friends at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.  When a terrible fire engulfs the building, her American dreams all but shatter.

By far one of the most enthralling historical fiction titles I've read lately.  It's in a completely different ballgame from one of my recent favorites, Revolutions by Jennifer Donnelly, but it's equally amazing in its character development - especially if you consider the physical setting a character, which I very often do, if the setting is done well enough!  Recommended to all ages, and particularly those who like to get sucked into the world of historical fiction.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Wildthorn by Jane Eagland

I was entranced by this novel, but think that there is no better introduction to reading it than through the words of the author herself:

Wildthorn was inspired by a true story I came across in a book called Against Therapy by Jeffrey Masson. I learned that Hersilie Rouy, a nineteenth century French woman, was incarcerated in asylums for fifteen years despite the fact that she was sane. She was deprived of her true identity and the more she protested about this and about her treatment, the more this was taken as evidence of her insanity.

How terrible, I thought. And then, What must it have been like for her?

The injustice of what happened to Hersilie appealed to something deep in me and directly inspired my depiction of Louisa.

The asylum is a dark place and what Louisa experiences there is frightening. But despite the secret that threatens to undermine her confidence, she has courage. I hope you enjoy accompanying her on her journey as she struggles to face up to the truth about herself and at the same time tries to unravel the mystery that lies behind her imprisonment.

Find this and more on the author's website: www.janeeagland.co.uk

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Julia Jarmond is an American journalist living in Paris with her French husband and their eleven-year-old daughter, Zoe.  Throughout her research for a journalistic piece about the 60th anniversary of the roundups of Jews by the French police during World War II, Julia discovers the story of Sarah Starzinski.  Sarah was 10 years old in 1942, at a time when the yellow star on her chest didn't hold much meaning to her until she and her family were forced into camps outside of Paris because of it.  As Sarah's story unfolds, Julia becomes entrenched in its many folds, and discovers more connections between Sarah's life and her own than she ever expected.  Sarah changes Julia's life tremendously, and Julia ensures that Sarah's story will never be forgotten.

I'd recommend this story for older high school and adult readers, along side Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly.  While each story has it's own unique appeal, matched by different atmospheres, character attitudes, and foundation for the events that  make up the world of the two books, they each have some similar traits.  In particular, both novels are told from dual perspectives: one is the voice of an American transplant now staying in contemporary Paris; the other a young girl living in Paris during a tumultuous period in history.  And both stories are told beautifully through audio.  *I still think I like Revolution better than Sarah's Key, and I was only intrigued enough to read Sarah's Key after seeing the interesting movie previews, but I'm glad that I allowed myself the opportunity to share in in both Andi's and Julia's worlds -- both for their similarities and their differences.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

family by Micol Ostow

Melinda Jensen left home at seventeen to make her way to San Francisco, the city of freedom and acceptance.  What she found was a bench on the street to sleep on, and that's where Henry finds her.  Henry is able to offer Mel the one thing she craves the most deeply.  She's never had a real family, only a mom who wasn't all that interested in being a mom, and her mom's boyfriend who molested and berated her most of her life.  Henry takes her in, brings her to his home, introduces her to her new "sisters," one of which becomes her confidant, her comfort, and her legs to stand on.  How would Mel survive without them?

But Henry has more grand powerful plans in this world than just being a father, brother, and lover to Mel and her sisters.  And when Mel is included in on a murderous plan, she becomes more and more confused about what it means to be part of a family. 

The language of family is gorgeous, and the book is based loosely on the Manson Family murders of 1969.  The story is told in episodic verse, tying in elements of poetry with pure emotion, and the characters are purely original.  The format and the topic are sure to draw in the interests of a broad variety of high school readers.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Strings Attached by Judy Blundell

Kit Corrigan grew up in a nontraditional poor Irish family of five: she's one of three triplets, "the Corrigan Three,"  raised by her father and his sister.  As an oddity in the 1940's, they preformed and played parts for local advertisements and shows.  While Muddie was "the shy one" and Jamie the adventurer, Kit was always the beautiful, charming little girl in the spotlight.  And it suited her well.

At nineteen, she's trying to make it big in New York City, trying her hardest just to land small roles in small theater shows.  When her boyfriend's (ex-boyfriend's?) father, Nate Benedict, a wealthy lawyer, offers her an apartment to stay in while she's looking for more work, promising it as an apartment that she can share with Billy when he returns home after completing his duties in the Korean War, she doesn't see how she can refuse.  But she soon finds that the apartment doesn't come with "no strings attached" as promised.  She's conveniently offered a job as a dancer at the Lido Club and is asked to spy on regulars and report back to Nate.  When one of the regulars turns up murdered, she's terrified to learn that Nate is defending the hitman and what role she herself might have played in the whole thing.  How did she get mixed up with Nate "No Witnesses" Benedict, and how will Billy react when he uncovers the truth?  What exactly is the truth?

A mix of 1940's and 50's mob history with romance, mystery, and adventure is sure to grab the attention of more than one type of reader.  This story throws a lot of punches and leaves a few bodies in its wake and these aren't characters that will be easy to forget.  Recommended to all readers looking for an enthralling telling of underground business and everyday life.  And as an added bonus, like What I Saw and How I Lied by the same author, this is one of the best-told stories I've read in some time.
Call number: YA BLUNDELL; YA CD BLUNDELL (Teen Room)

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Revolution sucked me in from the first chapter and basically blew my mind by the time the epilogue whipped around.  I listened to the audiobook -- beautifully read by Emily Janice Card and Emma Berling -- and it was one of the few experiences I've had with a book-on-CD that didn't feel at any time like it was dragging or taking too long to finish up.  I wanted this story of Andi and Alex to go on forever. 

Andi is from Brooklyn and because of her own depression, her severely depressed mom, and her rapidly failing academics, she's being forced to stay with her dad in Paris for a short time while he works on some DNA research.  Andi and her dad don't get along all that well, and she's PISSED about the arrangement.  Alex lives in Paris, or she did two centuries ago anyway, during the time and tragedy of the French Revolution.  Andi finds Alex's diary and immediately gets entrenched in the past, in Alex's pain, in her determination, and in her inevitably short future.  Just as Andi loses herself in Alex's world, it's possible for readers of Revolution to get lost in Andi's.  The dark undertones of the book can be overwhelming, but the beauty that emerges within the characters and the setting is worth the muddy road to get there.  This book ended just exactly the way I wanted it to, the way I needed it to.

I just discovered that the audiobook version of this title was noted as an Honor pick by the American Library Association Odyssey Award Committee.  The Odyssey Award is one that recognizes excellence in audiobook production for children and/or teens.  (I guess I'll have to listen to Adam Rex's The True Meaning of Smekday next to try to figure out just exactly why Revolution didn't WIN!)

Recommended to all teen readers -- in addition to the fascinating history, the romance will capture the girls and the adventure and mystery will intrigue the boys.  The heartache will touch all.
Call number: YA DONNELLY; YA CD DONNELLY (Teen Room)

Reviewed by kate the librarian

Hitch by Jeanette Ingold

Seventeen-year-old Moss Trawnley’s main focus is providing for his family, despite what sacrifices he needs to make. The Depression has made times hard for everyone, and once he loses his job, Moss figures that the best way to help his family is to find his father who ran off years ago, deserting his farming business, wife, and children. He does find his father, only to find him drunk, jobless, and homeless. Moss realizes that he wants to do better for himself than his father has done, and when the opportunity comes along for him to join the Civilian Conservation Corps, he accepts it. During his six-month commitment to the Corps, he makes a diverse, loyal group of friends, and along the way, he is also faced with making choices that may save – or destroy – an entire community of people. In the midst of formidable conditions, Moss reminds his fellow enrollees, “we came here [to the CCC] and saw how, by working together, we’ve got the power to change things. You want to give that up?” Moss truly comes of age, having learned that he has a place in the world and that through hard work, dedication, and heart, a man can make a difference in the world.

Call number: YA INGOLD (Teen Room)

Unresolved by T. K. Welsh

In this historical novel, Welsh uses a supernatural flair to help describe the days following the tragedy of the General Slocum steamship disaster on June 15, 1904. Fifteen-year-old Mallory Meer is one of many residents of New York City’s Little Germany who died aboard the steamship on the East River. Mallory acts as the narrator as she finds herself in the spirits of others, knowing their memories, feeling their pain, and even recognizing their joys. She witnesses the townspeople as they struggle to find someone to blame for starting the fire that resulted in the destruction of the General Slocum. Most are quick to lay blame on Dustin, the young Jewish boy that shared in Mallory’s first kiss moments before her death. The time and place are well-drawn in this brief detailed novel, and the similarities of the pain and destruction in New York City between June 15, 1904 and September 11, 2001 are touching.  This story of the steamship disaster is told with a unique feel that readers will likely enjoy.

Call number: YA WELSH (Teen Room)

Eva Underground by Dandi Daley Mackall

An American professor brings his eighteen-year-old daughter to Communist Poland to assist in the underground freedom movement, and they have to watch each step they make so that the militia will not be suspicious of their reasons for being in the country. Although Eva misses everything back home in Chicago, she comes to understand why her father needs to help, and she eventually falls in love with Tomek. Despite all her misery at the beginning of the novel, Eva chooses love over the comforts of home when she is offered the chance to leave the struggles of Poland and return to her old life.

A love-beats-all-odds romance may attract teenage girls, though there is an assumed understanding of what life was like in Communist Poland, without further information to reinforce the story’s historical context. The inclusion of some Polish words adds to the authenticity of the setting, and a list of vocabulary is provided.

Request this title from another BCCLS library!

The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon

Thirteen-year-old Sam and older brother Stick are the sons of civil rights activist, Roland Childs, who is well-known for his work with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and their commitment to nonviolence.  The Childs family is pretty well-off, but they live in Chicago, a socially diverse community, and many of the black kids who go to school with Sam are caught up in trying to improve conditions for themselves and their families.  And even those who aren’t politically-inclined are still living with many of the consequences of their race.  Sam’s brother Stick is increasingly frustrated with how black people are treated, and when their friend Bucky is arrested for assaulting a white police officer (despite the eye-witness account from Sam that Bucky is innocent), Stick and his friends just can’t let the injustice go unanswered.  Ignoring his father’s plea for nonviolence, Stick believes more firmly in the Black Panthers’ methods of standing up for themselves.  Sam is caught in between loyalty to his brother and respect for his dad, and ultimately he realizes that he must find is own path – he can’t be both the rock AND the river.

Told from Sam’s point of view, the reader travels the distance from innocence to experience, and discovers that experience necessitates both losses and gains.  The background information about the civil rights movement of 1968 and the development of the Black Panther Party becomes timeless in Kekla Magoon's careful descriptions (including a short author’s note), and most readers will learn something as they get involved with the characters in the story.

Recommended to all middle grade readers, including those who might not think the topic sounds interesting – once you get this story started, you might not want it to end so soon.

Call number: YA MAGOON (Teen Room)

Reviewed by kate the librarian.