Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman

Odd is a very unlucky boy: his father died in a Viking raid, his leg was shattered in an accident, and his step-father has no time for a crippled step-son.  Add to that the fact that Winter  - Odd's least favorite season - is slow to leave his village this year, threatening the death of animals and humans alike.

So Odd sets off into the woods, where he encounters a fox, a bear, and an eagle - who are not who they appear to be.  In fact, they are the gods Loki, Thor, and Odin, having been tricked out of their immortal bodies by the Frost Giants who have taken over the gods' realm of Asgard.  It is up to Odd to lead them back to their mythical kingdom and defeat the Frost Giants so that Spring might finally come to earth.

Odd and the Frost Giants is a fun, quick read that serves as a nice introduction to Norse mythology.  And it's ultimately a very sweet tale about being what you're meant to be.  The author, Neil Gaiman, is one of my favorite writers, whether he's writing for children or adults!

Wonder by R.J Palacio

It’s a good read; but it’s a hard one.

10 year old August Pullman is a one in four billion. A combination of a chromosomal abnormality and an illness has caused a rare craniofacial deformity. To quote Auggie, “Whatever you’re thinking it’s probably worse.” And that’s after dozens of surgeries. Auggie’s parents have decided the time has come to enroll him in school for the first time. Though being a new kid is hard; being a new kid with a jaw dropping face is even harder.

It’s raw, brutally honest and written with a sense of humor. The short chapters and shifting point of view make reading this one a breeze. Wonder is told from a total of six of perspectives, which is one of my favorite aspects of the novel. Each one is surprisingly insightful. We read of how Auggie’s face effects his friends, his sister and his sister’s boyfriend.

One of Palacio’s continuing themes throughout Wonder is that everyone has a story. Author R.J. Palacio released a follow-up e-novella this past March entitled The Julian Chapter: A Wonder Story which follows Auggie’s bully. This is available through our library via MyMediaMail. Next, on August 26th, Palacio releases 365 Days of Wonder: Mr Browne’s Book of Precepts.

The World Wars by Paul Dowswell, Ruth Brocklehurst and Henry Brook

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I.  When I heard that fact on the radio recently, I started to think about what I knew about the war originally known as "The Great War."  What I realized is that I didn't know much at all.  So I decided to do some research at the library.

Fortunately, I found The World Wars: An Introduction to the First and Second World Wars, published by Usborne.  Not only did  I learn a lot about WWI, I learned about WWII as well.  But what really makes the book outstanding is that it presents what happened after WWI that led to WWII, and how the effects of both wars are still with us today.

Most historians point to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Gavrilo Princip as the flash that started the war.  But neither of their countries even existed after the war (Franz Ferdinand was from Austria-Hungary; Princip was from Serbia)!  How the map of Europe (and indeed the world) got re-drawn after WWI - and again after WWII - is nothing short of fascinating.

The book is lavishly illustrated and presented in two-pages spread about each particular aspect of the war.  In that way, not only does the reader come to understand the politics behind the wars, but also gains an understanding of the experiences of the soldiers, the civilians, the commanders, and even those opposed to the wars.

If you've ever wondered how there could have been not just one but TWO world wars - and only 20 years apart - this book will tell you.  If you've ever wondered what Serbian nationalism has to do with the formation of the Soviet Union, this book will tell you.  If you've ever wondered how Hitler could have ever come to power, this book will tell you. If you've ever wondered why there's unrest in the Middle East, this book will tell you.

If you've ever had ANY question about WWI or WWII, this book will likely tell you!  An outstanding resource for anyone interested in world history.

You can find it in the Non-Fiction Section, 940.3J/DOW

Smile by Raina Telgemeier

As a survivor of “dental abuse,” I can guarantee Smile is the perfect gift for the “brace-face” in your life. I can say “brace-face” because I not only had braces as a tween in the early 90s (like Raina in Smile), but am wearing them again now as an adult.

That retainer your dentist gives you when the braces come off? Use it.

Oh, and I also had a freakish six wisdom teeth pulled. But I digress. Needless to say Smile appealed to me because Raina, like myself, is on close terms with the “dontists.”

One evening after a girl scout troop meeting, 6th grader Raina trips, falls and knocks out her two front teeth. A four-year nightmare of dentists, endodontists, periodontists and orthodontists ensues. Smile is a coming of age graphic novel based on the life of the author Raina Telgemeier. Remarkably, Telgemeier is able to make painful dental work funny. Granted, there is more to the story than just headgear and root canals. Raina has boy troubles, earthquakes and mean “friends” to come to terms with.

It’s a nice quick read with bubbly, colorful illustrations. I especially enjoyed the depictions of overzealous dentists and the San Francisco skyscape.

You can find Smile in our collection as well as Telgemeier’s second graphic novel entitled Drama under 741.5J/TEL. Raina returns with the August 26th release of Sisters.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

This is a haunting story without ghosts ... or is it?

 

Cadence Sinclair Easton comes from a extended family of old-money.  Each summer she and the “Liars” spend the summer on their family’s private island vaguely off of Cape Cod.  She and her cousins and their friend Gat are inseparable, until they turn fifteen.  Something mysterious happens to Cadence .  The reader is left to figure out exactly what.  She seems to suffer from amnesia, horrible headaches and the rest of her family treat her as if she was breakable. 

The story moves back and forth in time as the reader starts to see hints of what may have happened.  This story is so suspenseful it’s hard to put down as the pieces start to fall into place and the tragedy of what happened becomes clear.  Everyone I know who’s read this book loved it—even The Fault in Our Stars author John Green!


JYA/LOC