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May 2016

May's roundup of History titles includes FIVE PRESIDENTS, in which Secret Service agent Clint Hill reflects on his 17 years protecting the most powerful office in the nation, walking alongside Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford; VALIANT AMBITION by Nathaniel Philbrick, a surprising account of the middle years of the American Revolution, and the tragic relationship between George Washington and Benedict Arnold; THE ROMANOVS: 1613-1918, Simon Sebag Montefiore’s gripping chronicle that reveals the secret world of the Romanovs' unlimited power and ruthless empire-building; PAPER, Mark Kurlansky's definitive history of paper and the astonishing ways it has shaped today’s world; and DRIVE!, a revelatory new history of the birth of the automobile from Lawrence Goldstone, who tells the fascinating story of how the internal combustion engine, a “theory looking for an application,” evolved into an innovation that would change history.

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Early May 2016

Happy Monday! I hope you all remembered to treat your mothers, grandmothers, aunts and other special women in your life to a fun Mother's Day this weekend. I was lucky enough to snag an ARC of my mother's favorite author's newest book from the office, so we spent a lovely Sunday reading and eating way too many cookies (see above, and note that our pile was originally much larger).

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May 2016

A belated Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! Anyone else want to vote for it to be Mother’s Week? Still in the mood for being feted? Then check out our fabulous Mother’s Day Author Blogs, which are back for a seventh year! We’re sharing pieces from authors who talk about how their moms influenced them to become readers and writers, along with their own experiences as mothers and their views on motherhood. This year, we heard from Viola Shipman, Elizabeth J. Church, Helen Simonson, Martha Hall Kelly, Mary Volmer, Ruth Wariner and Beatriz Williams. One story is better and more inspiring than the next!

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The Misadventures of Max Crumbly by Rachel Renée Russell
Ages 9-13

A brand-new series from #1 New York Times bestselling Dork Diaries author Rachel Renee Russell! Introducing Max Crumbly! Max Crumbly is about to face the scariest place he’s ever been: South Ridge Middle School.

Miles Taylor and the Golden Cape Written by Robert Venditti with illustrations by Dusty Higgins.
Ages 9-12

What if superheroes were real --- and you had to become one? A boy is suddenly thrust into the role of a real-life superhero and tasked with saving Earth from an alien invasion in this action-packed series from New York Times bestselling author Robert Venditti and award-winning illustrator Dusty Higgins.

Pennyroyal Academy by M. A. Larson

Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave

May 2016

EVERYONE BRAVE IS FORGIVEN by Chris Cleave is based on the story of his grandfather’s service on Malta, as well as his grandmother’s life in the UK during the same time period.

Three characters --- Mary North, Tom Shaw and Alistair Heath --- bring the story to life here. Mary has volunteered to teach a small group of kids who have been left behind in the evacuation of the children, something I had not been aware of. The infirmed, those mentally handicapped and the non-whites typically were rejected by the families in the countryside who boarded the evacuees, or they were not sent at all. Tom is the school administrator who does not wish to join the war effort, preferring to stay behind and help those who were not wanted. Mary and Tom quickly become enamored with each other.

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Project (Un)Popular by Kristen Tracy
Ages 10-13

Popularity: who has it, who wants it, and who won’t get it is the topic of this story about two middle school friends who want to make the lives of their classmates more equitable, to disastrous results.

The New Neighbor by Leah Stewart

Ninety-year-old Margaret Riley is content hiding from the world. She rarely leaves her Tennessee home, finding comfort in the mystery novels that keep her company. Her new neighbor, Jennifer Young, is also looking to hide. On the run from her old life, she and her young son have moved to a quiet town where no one from her past can find her. In Jennifer, Margaret sees a potential companion for her loneliness and a mystery to be solved. But when Jennifer refuses to befriend her, Margaret crosses more and more boundaries in pursuit of the truth, threatening to unravel the life Jennifer has so painstakingly created --- and reveal some secrets of her own.

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The Extraordinary Journeys of Clockwork Charlie by David Butler
Ages 8-12