The Time Machine

Wells, H. G. The Time Machine. 2000. 118p. ISBN 0-03-056476-X. Available at 823 WEL on the library shelves and as an eBook on Overdrive.

Having invented a machine that allows travel through time, an English scientist informs his dinner guests of the fourth dimension of time and claims that he will prove it with his machine. The following week, when the guests return to the scientist’s estate, they are more than puzzled to find him dirty, bruised and haggard. He reveals to them that he has traveled over 800,000 years in the future.

Through an unbelievable tale, the Time Traveler describes his encounter with the children-like people of the Eloi, a society of indolent humans descendents who seem to have neither curiosity nor desire to improve their lot. At first the Time Traveler is enchanted by their lack of work and their diets based on fruit, yet he can’t escape the conclusion that this is what happens when humans no longer need strength and intelligence. When he discovers that his time machine has been move in a building with locked doors, the Time Traveler panics. He must retrieve the machine otherwise he will never be able to go home.

Discovering the presence of another race of human descendents he dubs the Morlocks living in the depths of the world, the Time Traveler realizes that they are responsible for removing his machine. Having saved the life of Weena, an Eloi who was drowning, the Time Traveler and the girl travel through the forest to visit ancient sites, but are attacked on their way back. Now armed with matches and a weapon, the Time Traveler fights the Morlocks back, but Weena disappears in the process. Ready to return home, he realizes that the doors to the building where his machine is kept are opened, but it most likely is a Morlock trap.

The first novel to make extensive use of the concept of time travel, The Time Traveler opened the door to a new genre of science fiction still popular to this day.

The Second Summer of the Sisterhood

Brashares, Ann. The Second Summer of the Sisterhood. Book 2 of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. 2003. 373p. ISBN 0-385-72934-0. Available at FIC BRA on the library shelves.

Last summer a pair of jeans from the thrift store saved four girls from a terrible summer apart. At nearly seventeen, the four friends find themselves heading in different directions again. Lena will be working all summer. She and Kostos broke off their relationship, but she soon discovers that Kostos has come to the United States to pursue an internship in New York City. They can see each other every weekend, when he will make the trip down to Washington. Kostos, however, has a secret that will crush Lena.

Tibby is attending a summer program at Williamson College. There she struggles with acceptance by friends she perceives as cooler, and ignores Brian’s overture towards more than friendship. It takes making a mockery of her mother for her first production to realize that the story she really should tell is Bailey’s, her young friend who died of leukemia last summer.

Bridget dropped out of soccer during the year, blowing her chance at scholarship from a big university. When she discovers letters her maternal grandmother wrote her family, she decides she must reconnect with her and learn more about her own dead mother. She travels to Alabama, where she pretends to be someone else but soon finds herself living under that new identity with her grandmother, helping her clean the attic and removing personal memories that help Bee reconstruct a better view of her mother. As the same time, her abandonment of soccer was premature.

Last summer Carmen made an impression on Krista, her step-sister. Krista runs away to live with Carmen. At the same time, Christina, Carmen’s mother, re-enters the dating scene with a co-worker, throwing Carmen for a loop. Has she been holding her mother back all this time?

Through it all, the four best friends exchange the jeans. For the first part of the summer, the jeans are not used, but when Christina wears them Carmen throws a fit and decides to break her relationship with David so she will not be left alone. As the summer progresses, however, and as each girl’s relationship deepens, the jeans once again help make everything right. And as tragedy strikes, all four friends will be reunited and able to support each other.

The Great Fire

Murphy, Jim. The Great Fire. 1995. 144p. 151 mins. ISBN 9780439203074. Available as an audiobook on Overdrive.

Sunday October 8, 1871 was a day like any other in the great town of Chicago. People had been out enjoying church, spending time with their families, or working in one of the many industries scattered through town. The weather had been extremely hot and dry for this time of year, and no measurable precipitation had fallen in months. With most of the city built of wood, fires were a constant danger and several procedures had been developed over the years to prevent widespread destruction. When a fire erupted in the barn of the O’Leary family in the southern part of Chicago, it spread quickly to adjoining structures, but all witnesses assumed that it would be put out quickly like the fire that had struck the city the previous day.

The alarm was triggered, and firefighters responded. A series of human errors led them to the wrong place, and by the time an effective firefighting force was assembled it was too late. Despite their best efforts, the harsh winds quickly spread fire from house to house, even leaping over the river to the other side. By Monday morning, the extent of the destruction was clear to everyone. Chicago had been ravaged by the fire, which continued to burn. It would take 36 hours to finally control and put of the fire, but by then over 79,000 buildings had been destroyed and more than 100,000 people were homeless. More than 300 people perished.

With the city devastated and winter fast approaching, measures were needed to ensure that food, water, and shelter were available to the residents who had lost everything. A profound economic recession stopped the rebuilding of the city, and by the time the economy improved six years later new fire and construction codes were in place, ensuring that new buildings would be fireproof.

The riveting story of the Great Fire of 1871 will fascinate readers of history as well as those who are interested in catastrophes and disasters. Fans of this book should take a look at Blizzard of Glass, the destruction of Halifax, Canada, during the First World War by what was at the time the largest man-made explosion in history.

Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 3

Asagiri, Kafka. Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 3. 2017. 188 p. ISBN 9780316468152. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

Following Atsushi’s rescue of Port Mafia assassin Kyouka Izumi after she made an attempt on a train, he must deal with the consequences of sparing her life. After all, she is wanted by the authorities for over 35 lives lost during the bombing, and at the same time the Port Mafia wants to kill her to prevent her to talk. Having spared her life, he is now responsible to decide what to do with her. Before he can decide, however, he is ambushed by Ryuunosuke and is thrown in the back of a truck. Hoping to deliver Atsushi’s head to a bidder, Ryuunosuke boards a ship with the shapeshifter and congratulates Kyouka’s unwilling role as an accomplice.

The Armed Detective Agency does not react well to Atsushi’s disappearance. The president of the Agency himself orders all personnel to participate in their newest recruit’s rescue. At the same time, Dazai finds himself in the hands of the Port Mafia, chained to a wall. Carrying a death wish, Dazai is visited by his ex-partner, Chuuya Nakahara. Dazai and Chuuya have a tense confrontation, but Chuuya suddenly realizes that Dazai meant to be here at this specific time. Dazai frees himself and investigates who would put such a high price on Atsushi’s head.

Meanwhile, a battle between a damaged Atsushi and a powerful Ryuunosuke erupts aboard the ship carrying them out of the country. Will Atsushi manage to resist Ryuunosuke’s attacks and save Kyouka?

The story continues in Bungo Stray Dogs, vol 4.

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.

Brisingr

Paolini, Christopher. Brisingr. Book 3 of the Inheritance series. 2008. 763p. ISBN 978-0-375-82672-6. Available at FIC PAO on the library shelves.

In Eldest, Murtagh reappeared as a dragon rider under the control of their enemy, King Galbatorix. Eragon and Saphira now find themselves at the center of events affecting Alagaësia. Having nearly been defeated by Murtagh and Thorn on the battlefield, Eragon knows he is hopelessly outmatched against the magical skills of the king. He will need more training in order to gain enough strength to overthrow Galbatorix. Fortunately, the Varden was able to win the battle in the end, and now Nasuarda and her troops are on the offensive, moving deep in the Empire.

Hoping to save Katrina, Eragon and his cousin Roran set out on Saphira to Hellgrind, the Ra’zac’s lair. Discovering the fell beasts and their parents, the trio triumph and dispatch the monsters, rescuing Roran’s love in the process. Unfortunately, Eragon finds that Sloan, Katrina’s father, is a prisoner of the Ra’zac. Having been rendered blind and tortured, the butcher is in bad shape, but Eragon knows he cannot be both judge and jury on the penalty he should suffer. He lets Roran and Katrina escape on Saphira, while he rescues the old man and sends him on a quest to seek shelter in the land of the elves.

Trekking back on foot, Eragon is reunited with Arya, who departed the Varden to meet up with him when Nasuarda learned what had transpired at Hellgrind. Together they travel back to the Varden. There Nasuarda sends him out to travel to Farthen Dur, the dwarves’ capital, to convince them to elect a king and support the Varden’s efforts. Saphira, meanwhile, stays back and runs patrols in the sky to let the Varden and its supporters believe Eragon is still with them.

Following the election of King Orik and his support to the cause of freedom, Eragon travels back to Ellesméra to meet once again with his teacher, Oromis. There Eragon and Saphira finally discover Galbatorix’ secret of collecting dragon heart of hearts. Filled with the consciousness of a dragon before he or she died, these items are powerful magic and the evil king has been drawing off them to oppress the people of Alagaësia.

With Roran fulfilling several dangerous missions for the Varden, and with Eragon, Saphira, Oromis and Glaedr heading back to the various battlefronts, the fate of an entire continent rests in the efforts of this motley crew.

Eragon tries to uphold the oath he made to save Katrina from King Galbatorix, while being pulled in different directions by the needs of the Varden, elves, and dwarves--all of whom need his help and strength to overcome the tyranny of the king.

Snow Soccer

Trifunov, David. Snow Soccer. 2017. 125p. ISBN 978-1-45941224-8. Available at FIC TRI on the library shelves.

The civil war in Syria has upended many lives. Samirah and her parents lived in Aleppo before it became a battleground for the various factions. Fortunately, her father recognized the danger and they were one of the first families to flee to a refugee camp in Turkey. Passionate about soccer, Samirah plays as much as she can, and she’s very good. When she discovers that the family has been accepted as refugees by Canada, Samirah is anxious, but looks forward to a new life.

Arriving in Saskatchewan, Samirah quickly discovers the rude winters that blast Arctic-cold winds on the Canadian prairies. The locals are not all welcoming of the Syrian refugees, but Samirah still quickly integrates in her school and local community. The kids play soccer at recess all of the time, and her new best friend plays on an elite girls’ team as well. Samirah joins in, much to the dismay of Tamsen, another girl and the captain of the girls’ team. When snow finally arrives, Samirah is shocked to learn that the kids continue to play outside, in full snow gear. Wearing a thick winter coat and heavy boots is tough on her game, but she quickly realizes that it’s not much different than playing in the sands of Syria or Turkey.

Observed by the coach on the girls’ team, Samirah is given a position. Tamsen remains opposed to her presence, however. It will take more than skills for Samirah to win over Tamsen’s respect and to prove that her participation in the biggest city tournament of the year is not because of Canadian charity towards Syrian, but because her skills and talents for the game she loves are good enough to play at the elite level.