Streams of Babel (2008)

One of the fears that arose after 9/11 was how vulnerable we are to terrorist attacks and how one of the easiest targets is our water supplies. Carol Plum-Ucci has brought us a scary and exciting book which addresses this threat. Cora's mother dies of a sudden brain aneurysm but she figures it was due to the drugs she abused. However, when the mother of one of her neighbors also dies of an aneurysm, suspicions are aroused.
On the other side of the world , a 16-year old boy in Pakistan reads messages posted in chat rooms between suspected terrorists and passes them on to American intelligence. His reports make them aware of a threat code-named Red Vinegar.
How do these people come together and are they able to head off catastrophe? Streams of Babel is an exciting book which gives us a peek into the world of computer spying and bioterrorism. I highly recommend this book to science fiction and action lovers.
My rating for this book: ++++

The Savage (2008)

People find different ways to deal with the untimely death of a loved one. This book by David Almond (illustrated by Dave McKean) shows how a boy named Blue deals with the death of his father. A school counselor advises him to write about his loss and he ends up writing a story of a boy who lives like a savage in the woods near his house. The book alternates between the Blue's voice and the story he is writing. His spelling is atrocious but the words make sense if they are pronounced out loud. Mr. Almond comes from England so "football" means soccer and there are other words that are British.

"She laughed and said, 'Will you, now? What kind of job?'

I didn't have a clue, of course.

'One that'll get me loads of dosh,' I said."

This is a very touching and surprising book. I highly recommend it for a quick and satisfying read to practically everyone.

My rating for this book: ++++

Spanking Shakespeare (2008)

Senior year in high school can be incredibly stressful for some students but few are as nerve-wracking as Shakespeare Shapiro's in this book by Jake Wizner. Shakespeare is very bright, creative, and sensitive. And he suffers embarassment at every turn. My favorite part of the book relates his first experience with marijuana. He forgot that he was going out to dinner with his family and aunt. He made a terrible mistake of asking his younger brother for help getting through the meal without getting in trouble. Oh, sure! The rest of the book has excerpts from his senior memoir which gives us insight into this tortured boy's endless succession of embarassing events.

While I loved Shakespeare's sense of humor and his fantastic creativity, I was a bit uncomfortable with the frequency of episodes of self gratification that peppers this story. In the end, he becomes concerned about a girl in his class who refuses to share information about her life. She finally shares that her mother had recently died and she is struggling to help her father and brother keep together in a very desperate situation. Rather than pity her, he tries to offer his help and tries to persuade her to accept help from others. Wisely, he knows that she should be taking care of herself and not shouldering her father's responsibility.

I would cautiously recommend this book to someone who likes to read about gutsy, creative people. I think a student might be embarassed to know I read this book so I will not admit to anyone that I read this. So, don't ask me about it!

My rating for this book: +++

What They Found: Love on 145th Street (2009)

Walter Dean Myers has writen many fantastic books such as Monster and Fallen Angels. A more recent addition to his list of hits is this collection of short stories about young people from Harlem. A teenager with a baby sees herself in a new light when an artist paints her picture. A young man learns a valuable lesson on his way to buying a gun. Another young woman gets a chance to be spotted by a college scout by playing in a men's game. A young man wants to buy his son a birthday present and holds up a lady in an alteration shop. What all of these stories have in common is Harlem. What we learn from the stories is how desperate life is and how life does go on.

I recommend this book to everyone. Hope and love are hard to find but the people in these stories are given small gifts that could lead to better lives. They show that we all may be so lucky and need to pay attention to what's happening around us every day.

My rating for this book: +++++

Caliber (2009)

The artwork of Garrie Gastonny and the story by Sam Sarkar go together to make this retelling of the Arthur and Merlin tale an amazing book. Set in the old west, Excalibur the sword becomes Caliber the six-shooter (don't you just love the pun?) and Merlin the magician is a shaman named Jean Michel. Arthur is Arthur and accidentally discovers that he is the only one able to use Caliber. He goes on to fight evil always standing up for the law, never giving in to feelings of revenge.

The artwork is positively stunning. The glossy heavyweight pages help make the detail stand out vividly. The only warning I have for readers is the graphic violence. However, the story and the era it is placed in were violent so it is to be expected.

I recommend this to all graphic novel fans and to readers looking for an interesting twist on an old story.

My rating for this book: +++++

Paper Towns (2008)

John Green has already been recognized for Looking for Alaska which won the Printz Award for Young Adult books. Paper Towns is about a high school senior, Quentin, and the girl who lives next door, Margot. She wakes him up in the middle of the night and draws him in to helping her wreak havoc on her ex-boyfriend and other classmates. The next day, she vanishes. The police officer that interviews Quentin mentions that she previously left clues when she ran away but they were unable to find any this time. Quentin is intrigued, however, when someone pulls down the shade in her bedroom (across from his bedroom) and there is a poster of Bob Dylan taped on the outside. This message takes him on a quest to try and discover where she is hiding, if she is indeed still alive.

I recommend this book to mystery lovers, both boys and girls. The road trip that Quentin and his friends take is a bold, desperate attempt at finding Margot and binds them together.

My rating for this book: ++++

Midnight Magic (2004)

A reluctant magician, his assistant, a princess in a castle, a ghost, an evil count, secret passages and a missing prince are the ingredients of this delicious little book by Avi. The king calls for the magician, Mangus, to help get rid of a ghost that is haunting his young daughter. Mangus' assistant, Fabrizio, helps solve this mystery by exploring the castle, meeting people, and reporting back to his master. Mangus uses his knowledge of human behavior to try and discover the truth behind the ghost before the princess has to marry the evil Count Scarazoni.
This story takes place in medieval Italy and gives the reader a good idea of what life in a big castle was like. The cover and fly leaves of the book are decorated in medieval style illustrations which attracted me to the book. I enjoyed following Fabrizio around the castle, in and out of secret passages, eavesdropping on, and meeting the other residents of the castle. The ending was not a terrific surprise but I loved following the plot to the end.
A combination of historical fiction and mystery, this book would amuse someone looking for a quick read.
My rating for this book: +++

A house Called Awful End

One of the fun aspects of working in a library is finding things that people have left in their books. I have found IDs, money, notes, and scraps of paper. When I opened this book, an index card fell out. Perfect, I thought, a book mark. Drawn on the card was a face with a dark grimace on it. I hoped it wasn't an omen.

This book by Philip Ardagh is very, very, very similar in style to the wonderful Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events. The author takes time out of the story to explain expressions to the reader and at one point, the characters of the story even refer to the page number of the book. Unfortunately, the ratio of explanations to story is much higher and much less charming in this story about Eddie Dickens, a young man who has to leave his home to stay with his crazy aunt and uncle until his parents recover from illness. Eddie has none of the gumption of the Beaudelaire children and is pushed around in this book like a empty soda bottle in the ocean. He is even as transparent and empty as the bottle. One thing I liked about Awful End was the explanations about life in England at the time of Charles Dickens.

This book was written for a younger audience and may be enjoyed by readers who also enjoyed the Snicket books.

My rating for this book: ++

A Guide to the Birds of East Africa (2008)

Is there any bigger pleasure than reading a book that gives you a smile? I had one in my mind the whole time I read this book! As a big fan of the series of books written about Precious Ramotswe that take place in Botswana, I was drawn to this book written by Nicholas Drayson that takes place in Kenya. Mr. Malik is a member of a bird watching club headed by Rose Mbikwa, a woman he admires but he is too shy to approach. He is challenged by a more assertive man to a bird counting contest, the winner of which has the honor of asking Rose to the Nairobi Hunt Club Ball. All does not go well for Mr. Malik as events prevent him from getting to the best bird watching places.
I was not able to put this book down as I commiserated with and cheered for Mr. Malik's quest to be Rose's escort.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants a break from books about mean and violent people. If you are a fan of birds, this makes the book even more of a treat.
My rating for this book: +++++

The Beekeeper's Apprentice (2007)

Shame on me! Almost a month since my last post! It was a busy time but I was still able to fit a couple of books in.

Laurie R. King's book introduces a young woman, Mary Russell, who meets Sherlock Holmes (trips over him in fact) and becomes his very able sidekick. This story takes place after the stories in the original books written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes is almost in hiding since his friend, Dr. Watson, has publicized his cases in the papers. Mary is an orphan, living with a grouchy aunt, and studying so she can attend Oxford. He appreciates her quick mind and takes her under his wing and she helps him solve cases.

It is no secret I love Sherlock Holmes stories and to pair him with a young woman is a real pleasure for me. I will keep an eye out for more of King's books.

I recommend this to Sherlock Holmes fans and mystery lovers.

My rating for this book: +++++