Ferry, Steven. The Story of Boeing. 2000. 48p. ISBN 978-1-58340-000-1. 338.7 FER on the shelves of the library.
One of the largest aircraft manufacturing company in the world, Boeing has humble origins as the brainchild of Bill Boeing, owner of a lumber business. From the first flight of his original plane to the building of the 777, through two world wars, Boeing has always been focused on creating the best planes in the world.
This book presents information about Boeing and how it rose from the Great Depression to today’s building of advanced aircrafts and drones used to protect American forces and fight the war on terror.
Jackson, Robert. Warships Inside and Out. 2012, 160p. ISBN 978-1-4488-5981-8. 623.82 JAC on the library shelves.
Warships are the deadliest weapons delivery platform currently available to modern military. This book traces the development of warships from France’s revolutionary use of iron plates on the hull on the sail warship Gloire to the commissioning of the Daring, a British destroyer that uses state of the art stealth technology and advanced missiles and mine detecting equipment. From the 1850s to today, this book presents 24 warships, from submarines, frigates, aircraft carriers and destroyers. Every ship is fully illustrated with a data sheet and a mission recap. Fans of warfare or of ships, look no further than this book! Anyone with a fascination for military power will enjoy this quick and succinct read into one of the most powerful military arms a nation can deploy. Other books on the subject that can be enjoyed also include the Modern Weapons Compared and Contrasted series (Aircraft, Armored Fighting Vehicles; Artillery and Missiles; Naval Vessels; and Small Arms) as well as Warships Inside and Out,The History of Navies Around the World,The History of Marines Around the World, and The History of Armies Around the World.
Cooney, Caroline B. Three Black Swans. 2010, 276p. ISBN 978-0-385-73867-5. FIC COO on the library shelves.
Missy and her cousin Claire are the best of friends. Born a few days apart, they look strikingly similar, and they think alike. When they dress the same, Missy cannot but wonder there’s a stronger connection here. But she does not want to ask her parents. When she must complete a school project dealing with scientific hoaxes, she decides to uncover answers to her questions. With Claire, they film a clip that becomes an internet sensation, and that clip is seen by a girl else who recognizes the similarities not only between Missy and Claire, but also with herself. Suddenly, questions are answered, but these answers threaten to destroy everything the girls believed about themselves, their families, and their histories.
Beddor, Frank. The Looking Glass Wars. 2006. 358p. FIC BED on the library shelves.
Princess Alyss Heart is the proud daughter of Queen Genevieve, who rules over Wonderland following a bloody civil war. In the twelve years since she assumed the crown, the queen has tried to solve the kingdom’s problems and reconcile the Diamonds, Spades, and Clubs to restore prosperity. Unaware of the political undertones of her surroundings, she is caught by surprise when her aunt Redd, Genevieve’s sister, leads a coup on the 13th day of the 13th rotation of the 1313th revolution of the moon since the queendom was founded.
As her parents are mercilessly slaughtered by the Cheshire Cat, Alyss manages to escape through the Pool of Tears with Hatter Madigan, chief of the royal bodyguards. Unfortunately, they are separated in the pool and arrive in London in different locations.
Alone, frightened, poor, and in a world she does not know, Alyss ends up in a foundling’s hospital, where she is interned with other children deemed mentally ill. She is adopted by Reverend Liddell and his wife, and begins living an ordinary life as she tries to hang on to the memories of her former life, which may or may not have happened.
She meets Lewis Carroll, who compiles her tales into a bestseller book. Meanwhile, Hatter is looking all over for her, and back in Wonderland Alyssians are fighting for their lives, hoping against all hope that their Princess, the rightful heir, will return to lead them in the fight against Redd and her armies. Will Alysse be reunited with those who love her? Can they defeat Redd and her minions?
Maupin, Melissa. Coca-Cola. 2000. 48p. ISBN 978-1-58340-001-X
Coca-Cola is probably the most famous brand in the world. Served in more than 200 countries and consumed at a rate of one billion 8 oz servings a day, the soft drink brand has humble origins. Started by a pharmacist in 1886, Coca-Cola went from being served by mixing the syrup with water to the beloved carbonated fizzy drink known today.
Coca-Cola is also the story of marketing excellence and branding, because ultimately it is a syrup mixed with bubbles. But everything, from the logo to the merchandise, was designed to appeal to the consumer so that more Coca-Cola would be purchased and drank.
A short but packed with information, this book presents the rise of a drink giant.
Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Graphic Novel, vol. 1. 2009. 144p. ISBN 978-1608865000. GFX DIC on the library shelves.
In this illustrated dystopian world, most of humanity has migrated to the stars, leaving behind those who are too sick, too old, or not smart enough, to slowly rot on a war-ravaged Earth. To entice people to move off-world, corporations and governments are providing androids, robots who look humans and who become personal servants.
Unfortunately, some of these androids escape and make their way to Earth, hoping to achieve a level of freedom impossible elsewhere. Tests have been developed to distinguish androids from humans, as even the dumbest human has the capacity to show compassion for others, something androids are unable to do.
Rick Deckard is a bounty hunter whose job is to hunt these renegade androids and terminate them. Suffering from the loss of his animal, Rick is hoping that catching a batch of androids who recently infiltrated Earth will provide him with the funds needed to purchase a live animal and not have to continue the charade of having an electric sheep living on his roof. These androids, however, feature the Nexus-6 brain, the most evolved android brain ever, and they may very well be able to pass the empathy test. Rick must head to Seattle and test new androids from the Rosen Corporation to determine whether they can in fact be detected.
John Isidore lives alone in an abandoned building, spending him miserable life as a van driver for a vet service. He’s a special, one of those not smart enough to be allowed off the planet. He was smart once, but his ability to bring animals back from the dead was frowned upon. He was operated and now he’s lost a part of himself. When a girl moves into his abandoned apartment complex, John hopes to connect with her.
These two individuals are completely alienated from their own humanity, and yet as the novel progresses they begin to discover that there may remain vestiges of decency left in them. Their adventures continue in Volume 2.
O’Brien, Caragh M. Prized. 2011. 356p. ISBN 978-1-59643-570-4. Book 2 of the Birthmarked Series. FIC OBR on the library shelves
At the end of Birthmarked, Gaia fled the Enclave with her newborn sister Maya to escape the Protectorate and protect them both as much as with the faint hope of finding a rumored village across the wasteland. But weak and famished, they both would have perished in the desert had they not been found by an outrider. Brought to Sylum to face the Matrarc, Gaia is given an impossible choice: Give up her sister forever or be forced back into the wasteland where they will both die.
In Sylum, women rule, and an unknown sickness causes one girl to be born for every nine men. Gaia suddenly finds herself wanted by the men of the village, despite her scarred face. Her heart is pulled in different directions by Chardo Peter and his brother Will, and by the sudden arrival of Leon, the Protector’s son who also fled the Enclave and chased her through the desert.
Gaia is also confronted to unforgiving rules regarding behavior and expectations, which sets her up on a collision course with the Matrarc, the ruler of Sylum. Will Gaia fight for what she believes is right, even if this may lead to the destruction of Sylum? Will she be forced to choose one of the three boys vying for her attention? Will she become free again and be reunited with Maya?
O’Brien, Caragh M. Birthmarked: In the Enclave, Your Scars Set You Apart. 2010. 368 p. ISBN 978-1-59643-569-8. Book 1 of the Birthmarked Series. FIC OBR on the library shelves.
Accidentally burned just after birth and thus disfigured, Gaia Stone has trained all her life with her mother to become a midwife, one of the most vital positions in the service of the Enclave. Having delivered her first baby alone due because of her mother’s absence, Gaia’s simple understanding of her society falls apart. Her parents have been arrested as traitors to the Enclave, and she is alone. Worse, the Protectorat believes she is the only one who can decipher the secret encoded ribbon her father, the tailor, left her.
Imprisoned in the Enclave’s prison, Gaia must unravel a tangled web of blood relations, with the future of the Enclave’s population at stakes For generations the first three babies born in any month have been delivered by a midwife, but because records were not kept, inbreeding has been the result with devastating and deadly consequences for the privileged and beautiful few who dwell in the Enclave. Solving the mystery of who belongs to whom will save Gaia’s life, but at the cost of continuing the Enclave’s dominion. She escapes from the Protectorat’s control, but not before she loses her loved ones.
O’Brien’s world is reminiscent of Carrie Ryan’s The Forest of Hands and Teeth, a similarly dystopian world where the heroine quickly faces dangers and enemies alone in a hostile environment. Well written and fast-paced, Birthmarked this novel explores several topics, including friendship and the will to fight against all odds. Fans of the dystopian novel will like this book, and might also enjoy the following:Arena 1,Starters, Maze Runner, Ship Breaker, Reboot, Not a Drop to Drink,andDivergent.
Gaiman, Neil. The Graveyard Book. 2008, 307p. ISBN 978-0-05-063093-8. Available at FIC GAI on the library shelves.
Nobody Owens’ parents were brutally murdered by the Man Jack, but their toddler escaped to the graveyard across the street. Now Nobody Owen has become the one living resident of this graveyard, which is full of adventures and intrigues. He can’t leave the graveyard, because the dead protect him from the man Jack and his associates in the Jacks of All Trades secret society. Bod, as he is known to the ghosts and other monsters who reside in the graveyard, is the only one who can defeat the Jacks and destroy their secret society. As Bod grows up, he gains abilities and powers, but eventually finds himself confronted to the Jacks in a desert land hidden beyond the graveyard. Bod and his allies are the only ones who can stop the Jacks once and for all, but will they be successful?
Pye, Michael and Kirsten Dalley. Lost Cities and Forgotten Civilizations. 2013, 262p. ISBN 978-1-4488-9251-8. 001.94 on the library shelves.
We have been taught that Christopher Columbus was the first one who came to the New World. How is it, then, that a pottery shard written in Hebrew about 2,000 years ago came to be found in a Native American earthen mound built about the same time in Tennessee? Did the paradise of Eden really exist? How about Atlantis? How do we explain the remnants of 10-feet tall red haired humans found in several different locations around the world dating 10,000 years ago? How is it that the Great Pyramid of Giza sits exactly at the center of Earth’s land mass, and has the same distance from the center of the Earth as to the North Pole? Who were all of the flying gods mentioned in the Bible and other holy texts? Could the ancient Picts living in what is now Scotland actually come from what is now Nova Scotia? A fascinating read into alternative theories, this book will make you question everything you know and will create more questions.
Fandel, Jennifer. Communism. 2008, 48p. ISBN 978-1-58341-531-3. 321.9 FAN on the library shelves.
With the industrial revolution inflicting crushing poverty on workers and peasants, political philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels presented a vision of what the world could be like if everyone lived in a communist society. Communist societies were thought to be perfect, breaking down the barriers between different social and economic classes, eliminating greed and want, and making government unnecessary. In practice, however, it didn’t work. Communist governments, from the Soviet Union to China, never function as perfect societies. Corruption, oppression, and political restrictions all contributed to the ultimate failure of these societies.
Charbonneau, Joelle. The Testing. 2013. 336p. ISBN 978-0547959108. Available as an eBook on Overdrive. Book 1 of the Testing series
Cia is one of the smartest students at her colony school, and she looks forward to being chosen for the testing, the yearly competition which selects incoming University students and future leaders of the United Commonwealth, the government that emerged out of the biological and chemical ravages of the Seven Stages War. But her father is concerned. Her village has not sent candidates for the last several years, because the tests are rumored to be brutal and even deadly. Her father remembers bits and pieces of the test, all of them involving death.
When Cia is selected, she’s happy to be going with others from her school, including her best friend Tomas. In the capital, Cia quickly realizes that she is participating in a series of challenges designed to kill those who fail. With this competition designed to select the 20 best candidates, whom can Cia trust to survive this ordeal? Cia's story continues in Independent Study.
Shan, Darren. Zom-B: Gladiator. 2014. 162p. ISBN 978-0-316-21407-0. FIC SHA on the library shelves.
Following B’s disturbing meeting with the Zom-B baby, she decided at the end of Zom-B: Baby to return to the Angels at Country Hall, and join Dr. Oystein in his fight against the evil Mr. Downing. B settles into the routine of inspecting buildings around the hall, and every time they discover humans they bring them back to the Hall so they can be safely removed from the city.
On one such encounter, B meets a mother and her young child. After the initial scare and much discussion, the angels and the mother decide to go back to the Hall, but B follows Cian to get a toy in one of the many abandoned toy stores around London. There they get separated, and B is captured by Barnes and Coley, American hunters B had a run in with in Zom-B City. This time B is captured, and turned over to the Board, a coterie of human villains who are bent on dominating what’s left of the world but in the meantime, for lack of a plan, like to entertain themselves by holding gladiator games.
B is pitted against combinations of zombies three to five times a day, and every fight exhausts B’s strength a little more. Caught in the cruel clutches of the Board and of Dan-Dan, a serial child murdered, will B continue to fight against all odds or will it become time for death?
Shan, Darren. Zom-B Angels. 2013, 182p. ISBN 978-316-21414-8. FIC SHA on the library shelves. Book 4 of the Zom-B series
B survived her trip through London in Zom-B City. After escaping one more encounter with Mr. Dowling and crew of mutant zombies, B follows red Z signs on walls and arrives at the Commons, a large building in the center of London. B meets Dr. Oystein, a zom-head. Housed in this vast complex are the angels, a force of revitalized zombies assembled by Dr. Oystein to fight Mr. Dowling’s forces and make the world safe for the living.
B encounters Rage again, the same one who left the zom-heads to fend for themselves in the underground military base. They must now learn to collaborate together as the origin of the zombie plague is revealed if they ever wish to defeat the evil clown. This sequel to Zom-B City is sure to keep you turning the pages!
Cooney, Caroline. If the Witness Lied. 2009, 213p. ISBN 978-0-385-73448-6. FIC COO on the library shelves
Jack’s younger brother Tris was born out of controversy. Their mother was ill with cancer but elected not to undergo chemotherapy until she had delivered the baby. Her struggle made headlines, and her death after the delivery was tragic. Now the family has been hurt again. Tris caused an accident when, at 2, he removed the emergency brake and their was crushed by the car. Now the entire family, Jack, Tris, and their two sisters Smithy and Madison, live with aunt Cheryl who moved in.
The deaths caused the family to break apart, with the girls living away from home at school, and Jack barely hanging on. When Cheryl decides that she wants to celebrate Tris’ third birthday by participating in a reality show, Jack and his sisters must act to protect Tris from media exposure, but in the process their grief will come back to the fore, and they will have to deal with this tragedy and discover what really happened the day of their father’s accidental death.
Butler, Rupert. An Illustrated History of the Gestapo. 1992, 240p. ISBN 0-95271-280-6. Available at 363.2 BUT on the library shelves.
During the Second World War, no organization was as feared or as hated as the Gestapo, the German State Police. First created by grouping together various police and political Nazi units together, the Gestapo went on its efficient way to enforce Nazi laws throughout Germany, then the rest of conquered Europe.
In this book, Butler outlines the rise of this evil organization from minuscule party operators determined to enforce party discipline to a gargantuan state apparatus controlling most aspects of German life. Led by Himmler, head of the SS, the Gestapo was directly responsible for the arrest and execution of Jews, political prisoners, and anyone else they suspected of being anti-Nazis. In the catalog of evil committed by humans on fellow humans, the Gestapo clearly stands at the top.
Almond, Steve. Candyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America. 2004. 288p. ISBN 978-1-565-12421-9. Available as an eBook on Overdrive
What were your favorite candy bars as a child? Do you still enjoy eating chocolate bars? Explore life through the eyes of a self-professed candyfreak, Steve Almond, as he traces the history and demise of many a candy bar and his travels through the United States looking for small manufacturers of regional chocolate bars. It’s a fascinating read in the making and eating of the candy bar, and it very well may make you want to go out and buy one, or a dozen!
Stiefvater, Maggie. The Raven Boys. 2012. 408p. ISBN 978-0-545-42492-9. FIC STI on the library shelves.
Unlike the other members of her family, Blue does not have psychic abilities. Her talent is to enhance the energy connection between the psychic and their targets. Ever since she was born she has been told that she cannot kiss anyone for her true love will die after she kisses him.
Blue is thus surprised when, on St. Mark’s Eve, she sees the outline of a spirit walking the Corpse Road. Every year, she and her mother have come to this little ruin of a church to meet those who will be dead within a year, and though Blue has felt them she has never seen them, until now.
The spirit reveals that his name is Gansey, and Blue can tell that he’s an Aglionby boy, one of the rich elite students at the local private school. Blue is instantly drawn to him, and despite entreaties from her mother, intertwines her fate with Gansey’s as well as that of his three friends, Ronan, Adam, and Noah.
Gansey is on a quest for the lay line that will lead him to an ancient Welsh king, Glendower. But others seek the lay line as well, and everything is not quite as it seems in the little town of Henrietta. When Blue gets involved, she sets in motion events that will lead to someone’s violent death, but also redeeming love and self-discovery. The story of Gansey and his friends continue in the Dream Thieves.
Rossi, Veronica. Through the Ever Night. 2013. ISBN 978-0062072061. Available as an eBook from MA’s Overdrive.
Months have passed since Under the Never Sky, the last time Aria and Perry were together. But as the Aether storms threaten the tribe, Aria returns to the Tides with the mission of finding the Still Blue for Consul Hess, head of security for Revery. In exchange, Aria hopes to secure the release of Talon, Perry’s nephew.
Aria’s return splits the tribe in two as she is selected to be marked. As a new aud, Aria can hear better than most, and Perry agrees she would be better able to circulate on the outside if she bore the appropriate markings. An attempted poisoning leaves her weak, and Perry’s rash reaction splits the tribe in two.
With the Aether storms becoming fiercer, Perry faces a difficult choice. He cannot wait for the location of the Still Blue, but must move the tribe now. Maren’s appearance after his defeat at Delphi helps Perry to fix the caves by the water so that the tribe can use them as refuge.
At the same time, Aria and Roar made their way to see Sable, the Blood Lord of the neighboring tribe to whom Liv, Perry’s sister, was to wed. He is rumored to know the location of the Still Blue. Finally, Aria reconnects with Soren, the boy who attacked her at the beginning of the series and the reason she was banished in the first place.
With action and destruction at every turn, and with the death of a major character, readers will remain on edge as Aria and Perry attempt to negotiate this difficult new world at the same time as their responsibilities to their people threaten to undermine their love for one another.
Caper, William. Gladiators: A Guide to the Deadly Warriors. 2012, 44p. ISBN 978-1-4296-6602-2. 796.8 CAP on the library shelves.
Along with the many wonderful architectural buildings, laws, and languages we inherited from the Romans are the ideas of games and gladiators. In Gladiators, Caper presents information on the first athlete superstars of the world and explains how they trained, lived, competed, and died. A short book full of pictures, this is a quick read that will surely peek your interest in all things Roman.
Ventura, Marne. Google Glass and Robotics Innovator: Sebastian Thrun. 2014. 32p. ISBN 978-1-4677-2459-3. B THR on the library shelves.
When one of his friends died in a car accident, Sebastian Thrun vowed he would make cars safer. Originally from Germany, he graduated with degrees in computer science, economics and medicine before moving to the United States and working as a research computer scientist and as a computer science teacher at Stanford University.
Working with a small team, they entered a contest for a self-driving car, and they won the competition. This project eventually led to Google’s self-driving car, which has logged over 140,000 miles of driving without an accident. He also created Google Street View and has participated in the development of Google Glass.
Read Thrun’s fascinating life in the world of computers and discover the passions that led him to accomplish all of these projects.
Shan, Darren. Zom-B: City. 2013, 166p. ISBN 978-0-316-21436-0. FIC SHA on the library shelves. Book 3 of the Zom-B series.
B escaped from the underground complex where the zom heads were kept by the military. Now B finds the world outside to be worse than any twisted imagination could have crafted. London has been devastated by hordes of zombies killing all living beings in the city, including cats and dogs. Buildings have burned down to the ground, cars have been overturned. In the six months B has been locked up, the city has become ruins.
B locates a radio and finally gets news from the outside. All major cities were attacked simultaneously: New York, Tokyo, Moscow. Over four billion people have died in the zombie onslaught. Taking shelter, B returns home, but Mum and Dad are not here. From the clothes left behind, it appears they departed in a hurry. That pleases B. When the radio announces a rescue attempt in the middle of London, B decides to go. Maybe scientists can discover what causes some zombies to revitalize if they study what’s left of B. The rescue takes place as planned, but as other people start making it on board the military helicopters one of them is shut down by Mr. Dowling the zombie clown, and a horde of mutant zombies attack. There’s nothing freakier than zombie clowns, and B is completely disgusted but unable to flee. Will this be the end of B. Smith? Read on to revel in the master of horror’s newest chapter in the B saga, following Zom-B and Zom-B: Underground.
Stone, Tanya Lee. The Good, the Bad and the Barbie: A Doll’s History and Her Impact on Us. 2010, 130p. ISBN 978-0-670-01187-2. 688.7 STO on the library shelves.
We all know the plastic toy many little girls love to play with, and many little boys love to destroy. However you feel about the doll, do you know how Barbie came about? This book is a fascinating read about the woman behind the doll, the creation of Barbie and her friends, the evolution of the doll’s looks and clothes. Its impact on society is explored, alongside the powerplays and corporate struggles at Mattel.
Barbie has been used as art and was immortalized by Andy Warhol. She has been stripped of her clothes by most of us at one time or another. Some suggests that she is responsible for how many women feel about their bodies. But in the end, as the author points out, she’s just a plastic doll. We imbue her with our emotions, feelings, and roles she should or should not play in society.
For a quick read behind an amazing toy, look no further than this book!
Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. Dairy Queen: A Novel. Dairy Queen Series, Book 1. 2006. 275p. FIC MUR on the library shelves.
D.J. Schwenk is literally running the farm all by herself. After her father’s accident, she has taken care of the twice daily milking, the haying, and the cleaning of the animals. And in the summer, she has to work twice as hard. Her two older brothers are off working at football camps, while her younger brother completes a baseball season. D.J. is the only one around.
The Schwenk are a football family. Everyone plays, and everyone watches. D.J.’s brothers Wen and Bill were star players on their team, and Curtis holds the promise of another great player. She’s grown up around football and witnessed how much effort her brothers put into the sport.
When the football coach from rival Hawley asks her to train Brian Nelson, their star quarterback, D.J. is not so sure. He’s stuck up, rich, and blames everyone else but himself for his poor playing. But as they work together over the summer, fixing the barn in the morning and training in the afternoon, they become closer.
That’s when D.J. decides to do something completely out of character. Brian and her had several conversations about her being a cow, always doing what others told her she needed to do. To do something only for her, she decides to join the Red Bend football team, with Hawley as arch-enemy. Can D.J. and Brian’s budding relationship survive the meeting of two players on the field? Fans of DJ will enjoy Lucy's adventures in Playing with the Boys.
