Check out the following new titles in the Young Adult collection on the main floor.
The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black features Hazel
and Ben, siblings from the town of Fairfold, who have always lived with a
healthy respect for the magical powers of the "folk" who live in the surrounding
forest. After all, there's a horned boy sleeping in a glass coffin in the
forest, much like the fairy tale character Snow White, who has fascinated the
pair since childhood. Hazel's biggest problem at the moment is that she
has a reputation for kissing all the boys, except the one she really likes, and
Ben can't seem to find a suitable boyfriend. Everyday worries are soon
put aside when the school comes under attack by Sorrow, a horrible tree-like
creature that puts anyone nearby under a spell of sadness. At the same
time, the horned boy is released from his enclosure in the forest and finds his
way to Fairfold, meeting up with Ben, and putting the brother and sister team
into the middle of a fairy war. Secrets from the past are revealed in
both mortal and fairy families as the adventure widens to include a vengeful
fairy king and the magical creatures he controls. Holly Black delivers
another exciting teen fantasy full of romance, imagination, and adventure.
Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit begins when Anna,
only seven years old, finds herself alone on the doorstep of her locked
apartment as her father, a linguistics professor, is rounded up with other
intellectuals by German soldiers during the Nazi takeover of Poland.
Her father’s friend, Herr Doktor Fuchsmann,
deserts Anna when he realizes that her father is not returning from his meeting.
A tall thin man, later named Swallow Man by
Anna, recognizes her plight and sees potential for disguising himself, so he acts
as her father as they both escape from the city.
While keeping mostly to the forest for
safety, the pair meets a Jewish musician, a peddler of questionable character, and
an unscrupulous physician.
There’s
danger around every corner and the suspense never stops. Anna learns something
from each of the father figures in the story, but the most valuable lessons
come from her philosophical conversations about war and humanity with the
Swallow Man.
Communication is the
overriding theme of the story.
Anna’s father
is a linguist who taught Anna to be fluent in several languages.
Swallow Man also knows several languages,
including “road,” an adaptation to local language that allows you to blend in
and acquire what you need to survive while traveling.
He also knows the chirping language of birds
and what the vocalizations mean in the natural world, another skill for survival.
This book is a study of relationships, how
they evolve when war replaces the rules of civility, and the part of our human
nature that is “hope.”
The recipe for outstanding historical fiction like
Salt to the Sea begins with author Ruta Sepetys, who just happened to be doing some
family research and discovered the sinking of the ocean liner, Wilhelm
Gustloff, near the end of World War II (1945), an incident that is not well
known by Americans.
Add four substantial
characters with different backgrounds and perspectives (and secrets of their
own) who each tell their tales, filling in bits of history to make the story
complete. Florian, Joana, and Emilia are all refugees who end up traveling
together to reach the northern coast of Poland, where they can board a ship to Germany
- and safely.
The journey is arduous,
especially for Emilia whose pregnancy becomes more apparent with every day, and
forces them to modify the social and moral boundaries of their previous lives.
The fourth character is Alfred, a young
follower of Hitler and a bully, who thinks he’s finally found his place in the
world as a Nazi supporter.
Four stories
intertwine to narrate the suspenseful journey through occupied territory to gain
a chance for survival on the refugee ship.
In addition to the historical information at the back of the book, learn
more about the Wilhelm Gustloff at www.wilhelmgustloff.com.
X: A Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon is
categorized as historical fiction because it’s the storyteller’s version of
Malcom X’s biography.
The book is
written by Malcolm Little’s daughter, who had knowledge of family stories,
along with Magoon, award winning author of young adult novels, which may
explain why this book was crafted as a work of fiction.
The story, told in first person narrative,
covers the years from 1930 to 1948, flashing back to Little’s childhood
surrounded by family in Lansing, Michigan during the Great Depression.
His traditional upbringing disintegrates with
the loss of Malcolm’s father, the redistribution of the family by social
services, and his experiences in foster care.
As a teen, he becomes involved in illegal activities and heads out to
the east coast, ending up in Harlem and finally in prison.
With the help of the authors, Malcolm’s story
becomes more than just a case study from American history.
It’s a story full of childhood memories and
emotions experienced by a young black man in segregated America, leaving clues
as to why he transformed into Civil Rights leader, Malcolm X, in his later
years.
--Lynette Suckow, Reference Desk.
The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black features Hazel
and Ben, siblings from the town of Fairfold, who have always lived with a
healthy respect for the magical powers of the "folk" who live in the surrounding
forest. After all, there's a horned boy sleeping in a glass coffin in the
forest, much like the fairy tale character Snow White, who has fascinated the
pair since childhood. Hazel's biggest problem at the moment is that she
has a reputation for kissing all the boys, except the one she really likes, and
Ben can't seem to find a suitable boyfriend. Everyday worries are soon
put aside when the school comes under attack by Sorrow, a horrible tree-like
creature that puts anyone nearby under a spell of sadness. At the same
time, the horned boy is released from his enclosure in the forest and finds his
way to Fairfold, meeting up with Ben, and putting the brother and sister team
into the middle of a fairy war. Secrets from the past are revealed in
both mortal and fairy families as the adventure widens to include a vengeful
fairy king and the magical creatures he controls. Holly Black delivers
another exciting teen fantasy full of romance, imagination, and adventure.
