Fandel, Jennifer. Monarchy. 2007. 48 p. ISBN 978-1-58341-534-4. 321 FAN on the shelves of the library.
For most of history, a king has ruled the country. From the rise of the Sumerians in ancient Mesopotamia to the Queen of England, monarchies have organized and governed people for their benefits as well as that of their subjects. Explore the roles monarchy played in history through this book, an introduction to monarchy and its system of government.
With power inherited, rulers were often unresponsive to the needs of their subjects. Some kingdoms suffered revolutions and their monarchs were killed. Others took to power sharing, eventually evolving in constitutional monarchies. The United States established a Republic when it declared itself independent from England. Even today, about 50 monarchies remain around the world. This is an interesting overview of monarchies, how they operate and how they rule.
Shan, Darren. Zom-B Underground. 2013, 181p. ISBN 978-0-316-21412-4. FIC SHA on the library shelves.
In this sequel to Zom-B, B wakes up in an underground facility only to be immediately attacked along with other zombies by teens wearing leather and carrying flame throwers. When one of the attackers gets tackled by one of the zombies, B intervenes and saves the teen, who turns out to be a zom-head, a teen who was killed and was turned into a zombie but then somehow regained consciousness. B becomes one of the little group of zom-heads who are being studied in the research facility by Dr. Cerveris and a group of military officers. B remains conflicted about life as a zombie. The little things in life, like hair growing, grooming, and sleeping are replaced by daily teeth filing, tear drops to prevent eyes from drying out, and a gray tasteless goo eaten and promptly vomited as zombies can’t digest food. B misses the parental units, but still questions what happens with Tyler at the school. The zom-heads are used against other zombies to find anymore zom-heads, and their group dynamics replicate how they were in real life, with conflicts and fights among the characters. When the complex is invaded by zombies and the vile clown Mr. Dowling, B and the other zom-heads find themselves in the fight of their life, trying to escape the underground complex while being chased both by soldiers and by mutant zombies commanded by Mr. Dowling. Can B and company escape, or will they suffer a second and ultimate death?
Stephanie True Peters. Epidemic! The 1918 Influenza Pandemic. 2005, 70p. ISBN 0-7614-1636-6. 614.5 PET on the library shelves.
In 1918, in the midst of the First World War, a sickness like no other flew around the world and infected more than 2 billion people, killing between 20 and 40 million people, more than died during the entire war. The influenza pandemic struck young and old alike, and took a special toll on otherwise healthy young men and women in their late teens and early twenties.
The Spanish flu, as it became known, came in three waves and infected people at an alarming rate. Starting in army barrack, the flu spread through the military and civilian populations and as soldiers traveled the globe fighting against enemies on every continent, they bore the flu to these parts of the world. Three successive waves in 1918 and at the beginning of 1919 reduced entire populations and economies to inactivities and crippled war plans on both sides.
Stephanie Peters presents a well researched subject on what caused the flu, how it propagated, and what impact it had on the population. She also discusses information on how a pandemic could happen today and what effect it may have. This is a quick read with contemporary photos and advertisements for gizmos that in the end provided no protection at all.
Shan, Darren. Zom-B. 2012, 217 p. ISBN 978-031-621-4407. Available on the library shelves at FIC SHA, as an eBook and as an audiobook, both available from Overdrive.
When a zombie attack is reported in a tiny village of Ireland, B’s father thinks that it’s a blessing. He’s a racist, homophobic fascist who believes that England should only belong to white people. B shares the same ideas, but only because that’s what dad believes. Dad also likes to get drunk and beat his wife and B in the process when they disagree with him, so B has learned long ago to just go with it and not make waves at home.
B takes to school the attitudes found at home. B bullies those that are different, steals from stores, fails at school and is proud of the Fs earned by doing nothing in class. But when zombies show up at B’s school, B has some decisions to make. As the body count grows and all means of escape are blocked, B and the little group of friends who have so far survived find themselves in a race against time to find an exit before they are devoured by zombies or worse, turned into them.
This book an amazing read. B’s like is already like that of a zombie, devoid of thought before actions, and slave to what others think. I didn’t expect much from it, but the action is prevalent throughout the book, and B is such a lovable and despicable character all mixed in that it made for great reading. As the 1st in a 12 book series, Zom-B promises much and delivers even more!
Andrews, Jesse. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. 2012. 295 p. ISBN 978-1-4197-0176-4. FIC AND on the shelves of the library.
Greg Gaines has always been invisible at school and in life. That’s the way he has engineered his entire existence: he’s not a part of anything, but no one bullies him either, despite his being short and squat. His closest acquaintance is Earl, who’s shorter and angrier. Together they have discovered classic movies, and they now make their own in secret. Rachel, a girl Greg dated in middle school, is now dying of leukemia, and his mother makes him spend time with her. When Greg volunteers to show her his movies, it forces him to become visible at school, and his peers begin to notice him.
This book is hilariously written by Greg himself, with Greg stating right at the beginning that there will be no lesson that was learned at the end, no happy ending, nothing but his foibles during his senior year. Laced with profanities, anatomical descriptions, sexual and drug references, this book nonetheless conveys great truths about life as an unpopular high schooler. Greg’s stream of consciousness and the movie scripts he writes in his head about his current situations are the same fascinating, self-absorbed monologs many teens have. It is sure to be popular with many boys, including reluctant readers. Fans of this book will appreciate Andrew Smith’s other books, Winger & Grasshopper Jungle; and Antony John’s Busted. For a hilarious look at one teenage boy's last two days before his (known) death, take a peek at Denton Little's Death Date. And for a close look at teen angst, rock and roll, sex, and a mystery rolled into one, check out King Dork.
Price, Lissa. Starters. 2012, 365p. ISBN 978-03857-4237-5. Available as an eBook from Overdride Media.
The world in Starters is a stark one. In the near future, the spore wars have wiped out most of the adults between the ages of 16 and 85, leaving behind only Starters, children and teens, and Enders, old people in the twilight of their lives. With the death of their parents, any Starter with no living relative becomes “unclaimed” and therefore belongs to the government until their 18th birthday. They are institutionalized in little more than prisons. Those who are not caught live day to day in the ruins of destroyed buildings, trying to stay away from the marshals while fighting off renegade teens with the help of their friendlies.
Cassie and her brother Tyler lost their parents two years ago, and have lived on the streets for the last 18 months. With Tyler sick and the siblings once again evicted from a building by the Enders and their marshals, Cassie is confronted with a stark choice. Michael, her friend, has helped her keeping Tyler alive. But now that winter’s coming and they have nowhere to live, Cassie must get money, and quick. The fastest way? Rent her body to Prime Destination, where an Ender will pay good money to relive their youth for a few days, weeks, or even up to a month. After three rentals, Cassie will find herself with enough money to buy a living space for her, Michael and Tyler.
Forced by her circumstances, Cassie leaves Tyler with Michael and joins the Body Bank. Her first two rentals, for three days and for a week, go well. While in rental her consciousness is removed from her body and the consciousness of an Ender replaces it. She remembers nothing of those days. When she must go for a third and final rental, however, she finds out it will be for a month. She will not be able to care for her brother, but she really needs the money.
That’s when something goes horribly wrong. Cassie comes to in the middle of the rental several times, only to realize that the renter is bent on using her body to commit murder. And she’s met a boy, Blake, whom she falls for. Now in a race against time, Cassie must prevent herself from killing someone important while at the same time solving the reasons behind the action, dealing with a love triangle, and staying one step ahead of Prime Destinations, who would dearly like to get her back in the Body Bank.
This was a page turner which sets up one of the most realistic dystopia since The Hunger Games. If you like reading about Katniss, you will love Cassie’s strengths and drive to save what’s left of her family. The series conclude in Enders. Fans of the Hunger Games will like this book, and might also enjoy the following dystopian novels: Arena 1, Divergent, and The Maze Runners.
Shan, Darren. Zomb-B Baby. 2013. 160p. ISBN 978-0-316-21420-9. FIC SHA on the library shelves.
After surviving the horrors of reviving and escaping clutches of the military, B has now found refuge among the Angels, a group of revived zombies led by the enigmatic Dr. Oystein. The Doctor professes to be on a mission from God to fight Mr. Dowling, the evil clown, and his mutants, whom Oystein consider to be the devil. B is uncomfortable working for one who seems to be a self-appointed prophet, and after discussions with Rage and the other zom-heads, B decides that the Angels may not be the best place to be.
B returns to the center of the city and reconnects with Timothy Jackson, a painter B had met earlier while wandering through London. He shows her his new paintings, and also a puzzling discovery he made. In a crib, in a locked room, is a baby. This baby has no pupils, razor sharp teeth, and no gender. A metal bar sticks in its head. B instantly recognizes it as one of the horrors that afflicted B’s nightmares while alive, before the zombie invasion.
When B pulls the bar out, the baby begins screaming, alerting all zombies in the area. It looks at B, and it tells B to follow him. The zombies break in the building and kill Timothy, and B barely escapes with her life. Taking this appearance as a sign of God as surely He had sent the premonitions, B decides to return and join the Angels and fight Mr. Dowling.
Sorrells, Walter. White-Out: A Mystery. The Hunted Series, Book 3. 2009, 312p. ISBN 978-0-525-42141-2. FIC SOR on the library shelves.
In book 3 of the Hunted Series, Chastity and her mother have found refuge in the small town of Greenville, Minnesota. Hunted by a determined killer her whole life, Chastity is finally getting used to living in the same place for more than a few weeks. She’s made friends in her new high school, and she has become part of the community. Unfortunately for her, a blizzard comes through the town and shuts everything down, including communication with the outside world. Not being from northern climates, Chastity still goes to school that day, but when she stumbles upon the dead body of the music teacher in the parking lot, she realizes that her past has caught up with her again. With the school burning down and a killer in town, Chastity decides that she’s had enough of running, and that it’s time to stand up and fight. Now she will do everything she can to protect her mother but fight the killer. Only, she’s got to find him first before he finds her. What follows is an action packed thriller ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat as you travel with Chastity and her friends through blizzard conditions in a deadly game of cat and mouse.
Black, Holly. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. 2013. 419p. ISBN 0-316-21310-1. FIC BLA on the shelves of the library.
Tana wakes up from an all-night party and finds herself in the bathroom with a huge hangover headache. She doesn’t even remember passing out here. But when she steps out of the bathroom, she realizes that it’s late in the day, and, to her horror, the other teens who attended the party have been slaughtered by vampires. All except her ex-boyfriend Aidan, who is now infected and tied to a bed, and a vampire who has been chained to a radiator just far enough so he can’t reach Aidan.
Tana recovers her wits enough to free Aidan and Gavriel as the sun begins to fade and the vampires still in the house begin to stir. Knowing that Aidan is infected and will turn into a vampire if he bites another human, and aware that no humans have enough self-control to resist the attraction, Tana drives Aidan and Gavriel to the nearest Coldtown, a walled city where vampires, infected, and human groupies co-exist.
As they ride there, Tana tries to figure out who Gavriel is, and why other vampires had him chained. They meet Midnight and her twin brother Winter along the way, and they manage to enter Coldtown. But those that go in don’t come out, and even with her freedom marker obtained for turning in a vampire, Tana is not sure she will ever be able to leave.
A creepy story set in a dysfunctional society, Tana must fight vampires and wannabes as well as her own fears and personal history to save those she loves, including herself. Will she manage to survive Coldtown and retain her humanity?
Castellucci, Cecil. Boy Proof. 2005. 203 p. ISBN 0763623334. FIC CAS on the library shelves
Victoria Jurgen, also known as Egg, knows all of the right answers to life. She’s always in control of herself and of her environment. She also can’t be bothered with friends as the emotional investment is just too high for people she really can’t relate to. She’s renamed herself Egg, after her favorite character in her favorite movie Terminal Earth, and dresses like her: shaved head, highlighted eyebrows, large black cloak. She spends time once a week with her father in his workshop. He creates masks and makeup designs for major Hollywood movies. The rest of the week she’s with her mother, former movie superstar Ursula Denton, who is too preoccupied with her own career to pay much attention to Victoria. And that’s the way Victoria likes it: invisible, boy-proof.
When newly arrived Max Carter sits next to her in Global history class, Victoria’s world begins to fall apart. Her invisibility disappears and her boy-proof shield begins straining under the relentless attention that Max gives her. For her part, Victoria is also interested, but can’t bring herself to break the personality she constructed to protect herself from the world. Will Victoria manage to surface again from the shadows where she hid herself, or will she remain Egg and ignore the world and those who would be her friends and more?
Falkner, Brian. Brain Jack. 2009, 349p. ISBN 978-0-375-84366-2. FIC FAL on the library shelves.
Terrorists destroyed Las Vegas, and ever since America has been on edge. Black helicopters patrol the skies of major cities, seeking out threats. In this dark future, Sam Wilson is a teen hacker who likes to spend as much time as possible into an immersive online environment. All he needs is a neurojack headset, and he can cruise the internet at the speed of thought. When a new system is released, Sam can’t resists and he hacks into a corporate system to purchase one. Unfortunately, the hacker got hacked, and he finds himself working for the country’s cyber defense forces, where he must defeat a group of hackers who have taken control of the worldwide communication systems. But in a world where you connect your consciousness, what prevent others from hacking into it?
Kaufman, Amie & Meagan Spooner. . These Broken Stars. Book 1 of Starbound series. 2013. 379p. ISBN 1-42317102-0. FIC KAU on the library shelves.
Major Tarver Merendsen is a hero of the galaxy, having managed to save an entire platoon singlehandedly on a remote planet. At eighteen, he has seen more action in the last two years of colonial wars than many of the vanity guards currently stationed on the Icarus, an intergalactic cruise ship. He is on board the ship to act as a promotional material for the military among the rich and powerful.
At another yet boring evening event, he encounters a pretty girl, and he sits and talks with her for a while following a strange incident with a disheveled man who had accosted her. When her friends arrive, he takes leave, ignoring the snickers.
What Tarver doesn’t know is that he has been talking to Lilac LaRoux, daughter of the most powerful man in the galaxy. LaRoux Industries builds starships and terraform planets, and the Icarus is its proud flagship. Lilac knows that she can’t entertain the thought of seeing the major again, as her father has ruthlessly eliminated anyone who has ever shown an interest in her.
But when the Icarus is wrenched out of hyperspace and crashes to the ground of an unknown planet, Lilac and Tarver find themselves the only survivors on a strange world, obviously terraformed and occupied by humans at some point, but now utterly abandoned.
With the fiery wreck in the distance, can they survive the harsh conditions of the planet until rescuers arrive? More importantly, can they survive each other’s presence? And is whatever scared the colonists off the planet still here?
Zarr, Sara. Story of a Girl. 2007. 192 p. ISBN 978-0-316-014533. Available at FIC ZAR on the library shelves
Deanna Lambert started high school with a ruined reputation. As all of the town knew, she was the 8th grade girl whose tryst with a senior was interrupted by her father in a remote beach location on a Tuesday night at 11:00 pm. In her head at the time, she pictured herself as a surfer girl who had paddled too far from the shore and was unable to come back. Now, in the summer following her sophomore year, Deanna will try to rebuild her life and not let a mistake that took place three years ago define who she really is.
When she gets a job at a local pizza parlor, she suddenly finds herself able to mend her broken past. With the help of her best friend Jason, she will confront Tommy, the senior who took advantage of her. She will also help her brother Darren, his girlfriend Stacy and their young daughter April deal with their own problems. Finally, she will attempt to reconnect with her father, who hasn’t talked to her since the day he pulled Tommy off her. Can she right everything, and become the surfer girl who came back to shore?
Cormier, Richard. Tenderness. 1997. 228p. ISBN 0-385-32286-0. FIC COR on the library shelves.
At fifteen, Lori has a hard home life and has the overwhelming desire to be loved, to have someone who will give her the tenderness she craves. When she sees him being released from prison after spending time there for his parents’ brutal murders, she remembers him from years past, when she had encountered him in the woods. At the time he had made an impression on her as a gentle gentleman. Now, Lori will find him and she knows he will give her tenderness.
At eighteen, Eric is a calculating murderer who likes to tender with his murder victims. He has killed many girls, dark haired, tall and beautiful. Each of them has given him tender moments as they died in his powerful arms. Now that he is free from juvenile prison for the murders of his mother and her boyfriend, Eric hopes to have more tender moments with the girls he likes to watch.
As they cross path again, will Lori manage to make Eric love her, or will she just become his next victim? You will not be able to put this psychological thriller down. Fans of this book will enjoy I Hunt Killer, told from the perspective of the son of America's most notorious serial killer.
