Maximizing the One-Shot: Connecting Library Instruction with the Curriculum

Markgraf, Jill et al. Maximizing the One-Shot: Connecting Library Instruction with the Curriculum. 2015. 173p. ISBN 978-1-44223866-4. Available at PROF 025.5 MAR on the library shelves.

School librarians often have limited classroom contact with students. Unlike teachers who interact with their classes every day, librarians collaborate with teachers and staff and may not be in the classroom as much as they would like. Librarians are blessed when collaboration involve more than a classroom session, but for most of us the one-shot approach to coming in a classroom, presenting information, and then departing is more often than not the reality.

Aimed for the college librarian, Maximizing the One-Shot nevertheless provides excellent and adaptable advice to school librarians on how to better plan and use the one-shot approach to ensure that information delivery is effective and memorable. Their approach was to use the Lesson Study, where librarians and faculty collaborated together to develop one one-shot lesson to address specific skills necessary for students to successfully complete the class. Though they report that it took a lot of time, this was time well spent as it allowed all stakeholders to be on the same page as far as expectations and information needs, and it allowed the librarians to participate in the assessment of the skills taught.

The Lesson Study model approach to have multiple participants designing a unit lesson may be hard to accomplish in a K-12 environment, however the steps and recommendations can easily be used between one classroom teacher and one librarian to devise a truly collaborative one-shot lesson. Success can then be used as a model to build more collaboration with other classroom teachers.

Head Hunter

Howling, Eric. Head Hunter. 2017. 125p. ISBN 978-1-4594-0967-1. Available at FIC HOW on the library shelves.

As the captain of the football team and as the best defensive player, Colt Taylor has a lot of credibility with his teammates. The team’s coach, who is also Colt’s father, was a famed NFL player for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1980s, and has spent his retirement coaching high school football. Colt idolizes his dad, and they used to go to football games in Edmonton and watch it on television together. This year, however, Colt’s father suffers from bad headaches, is angry all the time, and takes it out on his team and on Colt at home. They haven’t been spending time together, and Colt now tries to avoid him as much as he can.

With the Warriors season in full swing, Coach Taylor is aiming for a undefeated season. His headaches are getting worse, and it’s becoming increasingly hard for Colt to please him. When the team is in danger of losing a game, Coach orders his defensive players to aim for the quarterback’s knees to cripple him. Colt refuses to do so, and Gunner is the only one who follows through. The quarterback has to leave the game. Colt feels horrible about what just happened, but doesn’t know how to deal with this situation.

As the season progresses, Colt finds himself confronted with more demands from his coach. Faced with the choice of hurting another player or being benched, what decision will Colt make?

Dealing with the consequences of concussions and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), this book examines the impact of CTE on people who no longer play the game yet remain affected by it.

Once and For All

Dessen, Sara. Once and For All. 2017. 357p. ISBN 978-0-425-29033-0. Available at FIC DES on the library shelves.

Working for her mother, Louna has seen all sorts of weddings. Her mother is Natalie Barrett, the locally famous wedding planner, and she and her partner William have the art of the wedding down to a science. Louna has been working with them ever since she was a young girl, and her role has evolved over time to include more tasks. When asked by a nervous bride if she believes in the fairy-tale wedding and a happily-ever-after, Louna can’t answer, because she doesn’t believe any of it. She’s seen too many happy couples fail, and combined with her mother’s cynicism, Louna knows she will never live a true love story, because they don’t really exist.

Then she runs into Ambrose at his mother’s wedding. Ambrose is everything Louna is not. He’s spontaneous, she’s not. He has no ambition nor plans, she has both. Soon Ambrose ends up working for her mother, and now she has to put up with his irreverence and clear lack of wedding business skills. Ambrose rubs her the wrong way, and yet, there’s something there. Louna is not ready to date, however, not after the whirlwind she experienced with Ethan, a beautiful night and a short passionate relationship that had no time to blossom due to a school shooting that took Ethan’s life. Louna is not ready to let go of Ethan, for no other relationship could compare. Ambrose too feels that there is something there, and he endeavors to kindle the flame that will lit up their relationship.

Fans of Lock and Key will appreciate this great book about love by Sarah Dessen, this story is told from Louna’s perspective and explores how one person can overcome the sorrows that have kept them from experiencing everything that life has to offer.

Information and Digital Literacies: A Curricular Guide for Middle and High School Librarians

Farmer, Lesley S.J. Information and Digital Literacies: A Curricular Guide for Middle and High School Librarians. 2016. 143p. ISBN 978-1-4422-3981-4. Available at PROF 028.7 FA on the library shelves.

The role of school librarian continues to be a vital one in schools, exposing students and staff members to the wealth of information present on the Internet as well as best practices to employ in the teaching of research and information gathering strategies. Designed to provide a curricular model for school librarians, this book is replete with information and features four curricula that can easily be implemented in any school program. Farmer parcels the skills and knowledge that students must acquire while in middle and high school and discusses ways in which this can be accomplished. Whether through school librarian teaching actual classes or through collaboration with other subjects, the twin goals of information literacy and digital literacy can be reached, ensuring that each and every student is functionally able to actively participate in today’s knowledge economy. Farmer also presents ways to implement systematic instructions on conducting research while meeting the Common Core State Standards.

Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 6

Adachitoka. Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 6. 2015. 181p. ISBN 978-1-61262-996-4. Available in the Graphic Section of the library.

The long awaited confrontation between Bishamon and Yato has now erupted, and the war goddess is overpowering the stray god with her strength and weapons. In Noragami Stray God Vol. 5, Yukiné was sliced in half, destroying Yato’s shinki. However, Yukiné’s single-minded devotion suddenly transforms him into a blessed vessel, and he regains form, this time in the shape of two swords. Bishamon’s shinkis are shocked that such as lowly shinki as Yukimé would be able to achieve such a high status.

Kugaha, Bishamon’s medicine man, continues to observe the titanesque combat between the two gods. Soon, the medicine he gave Bishamon will wear off, and her true blighted nature will reveal itself. To speed the process, he releases an angry Ayakashi amid Bishamon’s shinki, and the Ayakashi proceeds to devour them.

Kazuma and Hiyori, who were emprisoned in Bishamon’s dungeon by Kugaha, manage to escape and join the fray. As Bishamon weakens, Yato is poised to deliver the killing blow. Will the stray god triumph over the war goddess?

The Red Umbrella

Gonzalez, Christina Diaz. The Red Umbrella. 2010. 284p. ISBN 0-375-86190-4. Available at FIC GON on the library shelves.

Lucía and her family live in Cuba. Two years ago, Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries seized power, and up to the beginning of 1961 it has had limited impacts on Lucía and her younger brother. Her parents, however, have noticed the change. When soldiers show up in town and begin executing perceived enemies of the state, the Álvarez siblings are witnesses. School is cancelled for the rest of the year, as the government attempts to redefine what a Cuban education should be like. The imposition of communist values on her small town change life for the worse. People are now disappearing and are not being seen again. Neighbors begin to inform on other neighbors. Lucía loses access to her beloved American fashion magazines. Her father, who works at the bank, is under tremendous pressure to conform to new values.

As the situation degrades and oppression increases, Lucía feels the tension. When she stumbles upon the hanging body of the town pharmacist, it is too much. Her illusions are shattered. Her best friend, meanwhile, wholly adopts the communist outlook and is drifting away from Lucía. Her father loses his job at the bank and is arrested for hiding his money in the house’s floor. With all the uncertainty, the family is faced with a stark choice: Remain here and fight the oppression at the risk of their lives, or flee.

Lucía and her brother obtain departure visas and are sent to Nebraska, where they meet the Bakers, their foster parents. As things continue to get worse in Cuba, the children will now have to adapt to a new environment and a new language. At first they hope this exile will only be temporary but as time drags on they realize that their identity is already changing.

A coming-of-age novel coupled with a traumatic forced migration, The Red Umbrella focuses on Lucía’s growth as a person and her resilience in the face of life-changing events. Fans of Lucky Broken Girl, which also deals with Cuban immigrant attempting to adapt to life in a new country.

By Your Side

West, Kasie. By Your Side. 2017. 342p. ISBN 978-0-06-245586-4. Available at FIC WES on the library shelves.

Autumn is looking forward to spending time with her high school girl friends at a remote cabin for the Martin Luther Day weekend. Before that, she and her friends spend an evening in the library working on a history project. With the library closing time fast approaching, Autumn and her group head to the underground parking lot. She places her bag in Jeff’s car, since they will all be going to a campfire in the woods before the girls head to the cabin. Considering the long drive, she decides to return to the library one more time to use the bathroom. Coming out, however, everything is black, and the library staff has departed, leaving her locked inside the library. With no phone, no computer access, no food, no change of clothes and all office phones locked, Autumn settles for a long night, until she realizes the long weekend means the library will not reopen until Tuesday. Worse, she’s not alone in the building.

Once she realizes that she’s locked in with druggy Dax Miller, she calms down a little. Mysterious Dax is quiet, and all she knows about him is that he got in trouble in the past and has spent some time in juvenile detention. And now he’s here with her, and unlike her, he planned on being locked in the library for the long weekend. Equipped with some food, a sleeping bag, toiletries, but also with a dead phone and no charger, there is no way to leave. The doors are locked, and only by pulling the fire alarm would people know someone is inside the library. Dax, however, does not want the police to get involved, and they most assuredly would.

Over the next three days, Autumn and Dax get to know each other better. But during watching television in the breakroom, Autumn sees a report about her disappearance in the car accident that injured Jeff Friday night, when he was returning to town from the campfire. Afflicted with panic attacks, Autumn enters full crisis mode, and Dax saves her by putting his own future in danger. He pulls the fire alarm. Now, Autumn owes Dax for saving her. Was the connection that they made over the long weekend real, or simply an arrangement for unfortunate circumstances?   

Rebuttal

Hariharan, Jyotsna. Rebuttal. 2016. 100 mins. ISBN 9780062663474. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Alex is an expert debater, but she’s not looking forward to the all-expense paid trip to Europe if she wins first place in the upcoming debate tournament. She’d rather win second place, because she would then be able to attend the Nottingshire’s Writer Retreat in London, where Mary Noelle Simmons teaches. Simmons is Alex’s source of inspiration for life, from her attendance at a small South Dakota college to her writing career. Unfortunately, she needs to win in the local debates first, and her partner has just bailed on her due to an unforeseen romantic crisis. Now she needs to find a partner, and quick, for the next round of debates starts in less than ten minutes.

Jeremy works with the AV club, and he’s in the auditorium bringing a cable when Alex sees him and asks him to participate in the debate. Since he really needs to pass AP biology, Jeremy agrees to help her, but only if she will help him get his average up in bio. A transactional friendship is thus struck, but begins to grow as the two of them realize they share many characteristics, from overbearing and demanding parents to the desire to escape the future that has been planned for them. As they prepare for debates and for biology, they also begin to plan for a future they had not dreamed was possible.

Winner of HarperCollins’ audio drama contest, Rebuttal takes the listener through a short adventure where both Alex and Jeremy discover that they are worth more than the sum of their parents and that big plans are not just pipe dreams but, with support from friends, can indeed take place.

Buddha Boy

Koja, Kathe. Buddha Boy. 2003. 128p. ISBN 9780142402092. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

When Justin first sees Michael, he finds him rather odd. Not wearing a coat in winter, and begging for food in the cafeteria, Michael, who goes by the name Jinsen but who is mocked and called Buddha Boy by the other students, approaches life with the thoughts of being at peace with the universe. Justin doesn’t get it. Why is Jinsen always smiling, despite the insults and physical abuse other students hurl at him?

Then the worst happens. Justin is paired with Jinsen during economics. They are to work together on a game. Jinsen invites Justin over to his house to work on their project, and Justin discovers that Jinsen lives in a nice house and owns more art supplies than Justin has ever seen. Very artistic, Jinsen designs the visual elements of the game, while Justin creates the paper. Impressed by Jinsen’s art, Justin tells him he should join art class. Jinsen does so, and joins Justin’s table, much to the dismay of his friends.

As Justin gets to know Jinsen, he realizes that the boy is both talented and deeply committed to his faith. Justin begins to question himself on the value of faith and belief. He witnesses Jinsen being abused by other students on more than one occasion, but Jinsen always keeps a smile on his face. However, every instance of bullying challenges Justin to be more than a bystander. With his friendship with Jinsen deepening, Justin finds himself having to make a tough decision. Should he continue to remain quiet so he better fit in the social structure of his school, or should he stand up for someone who is so different but whose personality is such a ray of warm sunshine in an otherwise dreary life?

Friends and faith mix really well in this beautifully written book about the power of one individual to change the lives of many people. Fans of realistic fiction will enjoy exploring the world of Justin’s high school and the drama that Jinsen refuses to participate in.

Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 5

Adachitoka. Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 5. 2015. 164p. ISBN 978-1-61262-995-7. Available in the Graphic Section of the library.

Hiyori is concerned that Yato has not yet released her tie to the spirit world. She promises she will not forget him, but she needs to stop falling asleep at a moment’s notice as very important exams are coming up soon. Yato meanwhile is still escaping the clutches of Bishamon and her shinkis. When Kazuma’s treachery is discovered, he is imprisoned along with a captured Hiyori in Bishamon’s realm.

Meanwhile, Kugaha’s plot to overthrow Bishamon continues apace. His plan is simple. He has already weakened the goddess of war, and now, with Hiyori’s capture he can use her as bait to attract Yato. An encounter between the two should lead to Bishamon’s death, or at least her complete weakening. Yato has already destroyed her household once upon a time, after Bishamon has fallen victim to an ablution that had not cured her infection. Kazuma’s prayer to Yato to rescue Bishamon from the Ayakashi resulted in her shinkis’ death, which save her life. Since then, however, Bishamon has vowed to destroy Yato for what he did.

As the two confront each other, Yato’s shinki Yukiné is ready, but Bishamon’s myriad of shinki provide her with multiple options. Can the Stray God survive her relentless assault and desire for revenge?

The story continues in Noragami Stray God, Vol. 6.

Boy Meets Boy

Levithan, David. Boy Meets Boy. 2003. 185p. ISBN 0-375-82400-6. Available both at FIC LEV and as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Paul has always known he is gay. Even in kindergarten, Paul’s teacher knew and told his parents. Paul is fine with that, that’s just who he is. The kids at his high school are very accepting of Paul as well as of the other students with different gender identities. There is Kyle, who used to pine for Paul but their breakup left behind some scars. There’s Infinite Darlene, who is both the captain of the football team and homecoming queen (making many of the girls mad). There’s Jenny, who dates Chuck, much to Trevor’s dismay. And then there’s Noah. Gorgeous and smart Noah. Paul is immediately attracted to Noah when they first meet in a bookstore, and at first their relationship proceeds with caution.

Soon, however, the two of them become more involved, but one incident breaks up this relationship. Now Paul is devastated. To regain Noah’s trust, Paul will have to pull all the stops and cajole his friends in helping him achieve his goal of once again being part of Noah’s life.

An unrealistic school environment, the universe in which Paul and Noah operate nonetheless holds lessons in acceptance and understanding that apply everywhere, including in our own daily lives.

Felix Yz

Bunker, Lisa. Felix Yz. 2017. 282p. ISBN 978-0-425-28850-4. Available at FIC BUN on the library shelves.

Felix Yz (pronounced Is) was spending quality time with his father in his cutting edge laboratory when something went horribly wrong. During an experiment, a rift to the fourth dimension was opened, and an entity fused itself with Felix, provoking intense physical pain and modifying his genetic make up. His father was killed, and Felix was never the same again.

Now thirteen-year-old, Felix does not remember a time before the presence of Zyx, as the family has called the creature. Extremely intelligent and friendly, Zyx can easily communicate with Felix in his mind, but he can only express himself to the outside world through seizures or by using a keyboard to type messages. Zyx’s existence is known to only a few people, and must remain a secret to prevent government agencies from hearing about this new being.

The laboratory where the experiment took place has been rebuilt, and scientists have been working hard on finding a way to separate both entities. Knowing full well that there is a risk he could die during the separation, Felix is nevertheless willing to go through it. He will miss Zyx, but he’s ready to live the rest of his life without another presence in his mind.

So the countdown begins to the Procedure. With only thirty days left, Felix has to prepare for the worst as he hopes for the best. Family truths will be revealed, his interest in another boy explored, he will play chess against a Grandmaster, and he will experience a hint of the fourth dimension where Zyx lives. When it comes right down to it, what are the most important things in Felix’s life?

Written as a blog where Felix document the last thirty days of his life before the Procedure, his feelings and emotions are raw and uncensored. Fans of introspection will appreciate Felix’ outlook on life and his desire to live to the fullest despite his accident.

Every Exquisite Thing

Quick, Matthew. Every Exquisite Thing. 2016. 288p. 296 mins. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Seventeen-year-old Nanette O’Hare’s life is unremarkable. Along with her friend Shannon, Nanette is the star of the varsity soccer team at her high school, and has scored more goals than all of the other players put together. In school, she is an average student, with no ideas on what her future will look like. During her junior year, her English teacher gives her his own personal copy of an old out-of-print book called The Bugglegum Reaper. In this book, the main character, Wrigley, rebels against society and bullies and rages about quitting, though it’s never made clear what he wants to quit. Nanette takes to the book and it instantly becomes her own personal bible.

When her English teacher mentions that the author lives in the same South New Jersey town they do, Nanette endeavors to meet him. A recluse, the author never allowed another run of his book to be printed and has chosen to prevent his work from circulating. He and Nanette strike an unlikely friendship. A few months later he introduces her to Alex, a poetic high schooler who also loves The Bubblegum Reaper. Soon the two of them are not exactly dating, but they are experiencing thoughtful conversations and moments.

Nanette can see that Alex is troubled, however, and when he decides to defend a middle schooler named Oliver just like Wrigley did in The Bubblegum Reaper, the law catches up with him and he is sent to Reform School. Nanette cannot contact him there. Troubled by this and by other experiences, Nanette soon discovers that to be true to oneself can be very expensive emotionally. As she burns bridges and experiences a meltdown of her relationships, Nanette feels even more lost than before. Can she muster within herself the courage to discover what she really wants and force the world to accept her as she really is?

A Separate Peace

Knowles, John. A Separate Peace. 2003. 204p. ISBN 0-7432-5397-3. Available at FIC KNO on the library shelves.

With the Second World War raging on, high school students at Devon, a prep school in southern New Hampshire know that most of them, as they graduate, will join the military and fight in Europe or in the Pacific. But for 16-year-old Gene Forrester and his fellow students, war is furthest from his mind. What he is concerned about are his academics and athletics performances. His best friend and roommate, Phineas, known as Finny, is the best athlete at the school, and Gene knows he will always be a distant second. In academics, however, Gene stands a reasonable chance of beating Finny.

During the summer session of 1942, when the students are given more leeway due to the regular staff being gone on summer vacation, Gene and Finny create the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session, a group whose members must jump from a tall tree overlooking the Devon River in a daredevil attitude. With most of the boys joining in, the Society consumes more of their time in ever expanding games and activities, until, during an initiation, Gene and Finny find themselves on the tree. Jealous of Finny’s easy successes, Gene bounces the branch, and Finny accidentally falls, resulting in a broken leg. Finny will never play sports again.

Aghast at what he has done, Gene tries his best to help Finny recover, but with more friends shipping out to war, their friendship has been damaged. Gene hopes to make it up to Finny, but how can he when he’s the one who ended Finny’s one true love? Will Gene have to courage to reveal his role in the accident? What will be the cost to their friendship?

A growing up novel where friendship and jealousy mix freely, A Separate Peace will remind the reader that, like Gene, being true to oneself is accepting the parts, good or bad, that we play in other people’s lives.

The Demon Lexicon

Brennan, Sarah Rees. The Demon Lexicon. Book 1 of the Demon Lexicon trilogy. 2009. 322p. 610 mins. ISBN 1-41696379-0. Available both on the library shelves at FIC BRE and as an audiobook from Overdrive.

At sixteen, Nick Ryves already towers over his scrawny and crippled older brother Alan. They have been on the run for as long as Nick can remember, as their mother, Olivia, is a magician and is being hunted by the Obsidian Circle, an order of magicians she used to belong to. She reportedly stole talismans from the Obsidian Circle, and the order wants them back. Their father died protecting the family, and every few weeks or, at most, months, the three of them move to another ramshackle apartment. With Olivia in a perpetual state of psychosis, they have to fend for themselves.

Nick has never liked school, and has trouble reading. Unlike Alan, who loves to read books, Nick would rather practice with his sword and knives, ready at any time to fight magicians and demons. The two of them have kept their mother alive, and together they have managed to stay alive. But when they are contacted by two teenagers from Nick’s current school with an occult question, everything changes. Mae and her brother Jamie have experienced several strange events recently, and Jamie bears the three marks of demon possession. If he doesn’t get help soon, he will succumb to the demon seeking to take control of Jamie’s body.

Nick doesn’t want to get involved, but Alan volunteers their help. Soon, everything Nick thought he knew about the world, his past, his mother, and his brother turns out to be a lie. With the Obsidian Circle hot on their trail, who can Nick trust to survive?

Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 4

Adachitoka. Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 4. 2014. 200. ISBN 978-1-61262-908-7 . Available in the Graphic Section of the library.

Having successfully dealt with Yato’s blight in Noragami Stray God, Vol. 3, Hiyori and Yukiné return to a normal existence. Yukiné takes a job working at a corner store so he can help pay the fees required by the deity that requested for saving Yato’s life. Hiyori has taken it upon herself to continue Yukiné’s education. Yato, meanwhile, still struggles with discovering a way to untether Hiyori so she can fully return to her world and not spend anymore time in the spirit world before it is too late for her to come back to her old life.

But all of these concerns pale in comparison to the plot Stray has unleashed on Bishamon. Her goal is to remove the current holder of the title of Bishamon, and to do so she is exploiting Bishamon’s weakness of having too many shinkis, thus weakening her energy. Kazuma, Bishamon’s trusted assistant, realizes that something is amiss, but will he have enough time to discover what is plaguing Bishamon before it’s too late?

The story continues in Noragami Stray God, vol. 5.

Bent Not Broken: Madeline & Justin

Schultz Nicholson, Lorna. Bent Not Broken: Madeline & Justin. Part of the One 2 One series. 2017. 218p. ISBN 9781988347035. Available at FIC SCH on the library shelves.

When they were eight, identical twins Becky and Madeline went on a bike ride. Even though they were wearing both wearing helmets at the time, Madeline fell on her head. She doesn’t remember any of the accident. For her, it’s the before and after. Having suffered a traumatic brain injury, Madeline has spent the last seven years of her life slowly regaining abilities she once took for granted. Walking can be difficult, and she often has to remind herself to put one foot in front of the other. She often loses her cool when the pressure builds inside her head and she will slam her head with her hands. Her speech pattern is slurred and slow. She’s not dumb. She knows exactly what she wants to say, but her brain can’t communicate it fast enough to her mouth. What hurts the most, though, is that she and Becky have drifted apart. They did everything together, dressed the same, talked the same, but now Madeline can only follow Becky, and sometimes not even then. Her parents are divorced, and Becky has new friends who smoke and drink.

Part of a Best Buddies at school, Madeline spends time with Justin, a senior who’s helping her with activities and social skills. They play cards, participate in gym activities with the other differently abled students at school, and sometimes share feelings. For Justin has also suffered a loss when his younger sister Faith, an autistic child who starved herself to death following a bout with anorexia and bullying at school. Justin and his parents have never quite recovered from her death a year ago.

Madeline spends a lot of time every week with therapy horses, especially Willow, a miniature horse. Madeline takes care of Willow and help the other kids attending the stable therapy programs. Willow does not judge, and moreover she loves the attention. When she invites Justin to come with her to the therapy stable, Justin thinks it’s too soon. His sister used to attend a similar program. But being Best Buddies president, he agrees. On his first day there, he realizes that this is what he’s been needing, and soon he gets his mother, who is suffering from a major depression, to also participate. The family healing begins.

Everything is going wrong for Becky, however. She sneaks out at night, hangs with the wrong crowd, and is picking fights with her mother and with Madeline. Madeline feels left behind and begins questioning the bonds that tie her and her sister. Becky harbor a dark secret, however, and it will take a crisis to finally reveal it. Will Madeline be there for her and help her reconnect with her family when the time comes?

Going Bovine

Bray, Libba. Going Bovine. 2009. 480p. ISBN 978-0-375-89376-6, Available at FIC BRA on the library shelves and as an eBook on Overdrive.

During a trip to Disney World when he was 5, Cameron Smith jumped out of the It’s a Small World ride to join the land of the Innuit. At the time, he and his twin sister Jenna were best friends and did everything together. That trip was the highlight of Cameron’s life. Now at sixteen, Cameron is a loser. He’s failing school, he’s high at least once a week, he has a lame job at Buddha Burger, he doesn’t have a girlfriend and he has no prospects whatsoever, and his sister Jenna hates him. She’s one of the popular and smart kids at school.

His parents are concerned about him, but the only thing that lights Cameron up is the Great Tremolo, a Portuguese singer who uses a recorder. The music is so bad Cameron can’t get enough of it. When Cameron begins to see hallucinations, he first ascribes it to the drugs he’s doing, but soon the fire giants that haunt him feel more real. A series of medical tests later, Cameron is discovered suffering from Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, otherwise known as mad cow disease. Always fatal, Cameron now finds himself in a hospital bed with no hope.

That’s when Dulcie shows up. An angel he saw at Buddha Burger, Dulcie tells Cameron that he must leave the hospital and take a road trip to find Dr. X. Dr. X discovered how to travel to other realities, and he unwittingly unleashed the fire giants on this world. Only Dr. X can provide Cameron with a cure. Accompanied with Gonzo, a high school acquaintance who occupied the hospital bed next to him, Cameron must now cross the United States looking for random events that seem out of place. Chased by men of the United Snow Globe Corporation, Cameron and Gonzo will rescue a Nordic god named Balder currently caught in the body of a lawn gnome, discover great music, find religion, meet the love of their lives (at least, they think), all the while with the fire giants and the Wizard pursuing them. Can Cameron find Dr. X before it’s too late?

A humorous and sometimes confusing book, Cameron never seems to know whether he is still hallucinating in the hospital or whether he is in fact traveling on the road. Fans of King Dork will appreciate the musical references and the contemporary language Cameron uses to explain away his mediocrity and his disease.

Great Teacher Onizuka: 14 Days in Shonan, vol. 3

Fujisawa, Toru. Great Teacher Onizuka: 14 Days in Shonan, vol. 3. 2012. 200p. ISBN 9781932234893. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

In Great Teacher Onizuka, Vol. 2, Onizuka managed to rescue Katsuragi from the group that had kidnapped her with the help of her police father and motorcycle gangs he was once affiliated with. Still at the White Swan, Katsuragi reconnects with her father, who has resigned his position with the police force to spend more time with her, and they take tentative steps toward normalized family relations. This success, however, is tempered by the fact that Shinomi, an old flame of his, also works at the White Swan. The two of them don’t reconnect at all, and Onizuka finds himself having to rebuild bridges in his very inadequate way.

Meanwhile, he’s also concerned about Seiya. Abused by his mother’s boyfriend, the middle schooler has acquired a gun and plans on shooting both of them. And in the background, the man who supervises the White Swan along with several other institutions and who is enamored with Ayame, the director of the White Swan, and he’s concerned that she will find Onizuka attractive. With both of these challenges in front of him, Onizuka is about to be even busier than he has been!