Please enable JavaScript
All Books | Page 310 | LitPick Book Reviews
All Books
Falling Man
Don DeLillo
Synopsis: Falling Man is a magnificent, essential novel about the event that defines turn-of-the-century America. It begins in the smoke and ash of the burning towers and tracks the aftermath of this global tremor in the intimate lives of a few people.

There is September 11 and then there are the days after, and finally the years.

Falling Man is a magnificent, essential novel about the event that defines turn-of-the-century America. It begins in the smoke and ash of the burning towers and tracks the aftermath of this global tremor in the intimate lives of a few people.

First there is Keith, walking out of the rubble into a life that he’d always imagined belonged to everyone but him. Then Lianne, his estranged wife, memory-haunted, trying to reconcile two versions of the same shadowy man. And their small son Justin, standing at the window, scanning the sky for more planes.

These are lives choreographed by loss, grief, and the enormous force of history.

Brave and brilliant, Falling Man traces the way the events of September 11 have reconfigured our emotional landscape, our memory and our perception of the world. It is cathartic, beautiful, heartbreaking.
Publication Date: 06/03/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Nokosee: Rise of the New Seminole
Synopsis: Cultures clash, sparks fly, love blooms, people die, and two kids, one a little bit punk and the other way too country, see their lives changed forever. Stormy Jones has to spend summers with her father, an Everglades park ranger. Thinking it might build character, he drags her along to fight an Everglades fire and promptly loses her when it gets out of control. Stormy is helpless in the Natural World until Nokosee stumbles upon her. Raised deep in the Everglades, Nokosee has never seen a white person before, much less one with "sky eyes and flamingo hair." Built like a bronze Adonis, 17-year-old Nokosee and Stormy begin a series of amazing adventures as a modern day "Tarzan and Jane" and it's only a matter of time before they fall into a libido fueled mixed-up kinda love. Too bad for them. Nokosee's father is certifiably deranged. Nokosee is the first of the "New Seminole" whom he is grooming to take back the "Outside." The last thing he wants is for his son to fall for an "Outsider." You can learn more at: http://www.newseminole.com
Publication Date: 06/02/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Romance
Tyler Passes the Golden Key: Future Business Leaders
Guy Smalley, Jennifer Shelley, Jennifer Bouani
Synopsis: Teaching Kids how to be Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders. As Tyler fulfills his dream of sailing around the world, Giselle returns to Nessibus and the Solve-a-matic factory only to find a creepy man that lurks in a boat in nearby waters, an eerie (and stinky!) fog has settled in, and Tyler's customers have disappeared! The company is on the brink of bankruptcy and to complicate her worries, Tyler gets stuck out at sea with no wind to carry him back home. Giselle faces the greatest challenge of her life as she must figure out how to market the Solve-a-matic Machines to increase Tyler's sales and bring him home.
Publication Date: 06/02/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Lights, Camera, Amalee
Dar Williams
Synopsis: Amalee is making a movie—and trying to deal with her new crush! Sequel to Amalee!

Amalee’s making a movie--but there’s more going on behind the scenes than in front of the camera! Can Amalee deal with a very cute older boy, her wacky friends, and a bunch of other challenges? Sequel to Amalee!
Publication Date: 06/01/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Secret of the Sleepless Whales
Ana Maria Rodriguez
Synopsis: A high-interest series for reluctant readers details the strange and fascinating secrets of different types of animals, offering scientifically accurate descriptions of each animal's behavior and/or characteristic.
Publication Date: 06/01/08
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Environment
The Education of T.C. Mits
Barry Mazur, Hugh Gray Lieber, Lillian R. Lieber
Synopsis:

"A delightful book."—New York Times

"I have studied with pleasure [this] new book…Beautiful examples…Illuminating. I am convinced that [Lieber's] original enterprise will get the recognition it so richly deserves."—Albert Einstein

"The Liebers have written an ingenious, entertaining, and illuminating book."—Saturday Review of Literature

"The book should be 'required reading' especially for non-mathematicians."—E.T. Bell, author of The Development of Mathematics

First published in 1942, this whimsical exploration of how to think in a mathematical mood continues to delight math-lovers of all ages.

Do you know that two times two is not always four; that the sum of the angles in a triangle does not always equal 180°; that sometimes it is possible to draw two parallel lines through the same point? InThe Education of T. C. MITS, Lillian Lieber opens the door to the wonder of mathematical thinking and its application to everyday life. Lieber uses simple language and fanciful illustrations drawn by her husband, Hugh, to present fundamental mathematical concepts with a deft touch.

The new foreword by Harvard University mathematics professor Barry Mazur is a tribute to the Liebers' influence on generations of mathematicians.

Lillian Lieber was the head of the Department of Mathematics at Long Island University. She wrote a series of lighthearted (and well-respected) math books in the 1940s, including The Einstein Theory of Relativity, Infinity, and Mits, Wits & Logic.

Hugh Gray Lieber was the head of the Department of Fine Arts at Long Island University. He illustrated many books written by his wife Lillian.

Barry Mazur Barry Mazur is a mathematician and is the Gerhard Gade University Professor at Harvard University. He is the author of Imagining Numbers (particularly the square root of minus fifteen). He has won numerous honors in his field, including the Veblen Prize, Cole Prize, Steele Prize, and Chauvenet Prize.





Publication Date: 06/01/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Humor
The Otherworldlies
Jennifer Anne Kogler
Synopsis:

Fern communicates with her dog, blisters from just moments in the sun, and has correctly predicted the daily weather for more than two years. Even so, she's always seemed to be a normal twelve-year-old girl . . . until one day when Fern closes her eyes in class and opens them seconds later on a sandy beach miles away from school. When Fern disappears again, this time to a place far more dangerous, she begins to realize exactly how different she is.

With the help of her twin brother, Sam, Fern struggles to gain control of her supernatural powers. The arrival of a sinister vampire in town—who seems to have an alarming interest in Fern's powers—causes Fern to question her true identity. Who is she? More importantly, who can she count on? Soon Fern finds herself in the middle of a centuries-old battle—one that could destroy Fern and endanger everyone she loves.

Publication Date: 06/01/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Fabulous Terrible
Sophie Talbot
Synopsis:

Last month you shipped off from Hatterly, your old home town, and changed lives: from foster kid to fulltime student at Trumbull Woodhouse, the most elite all-girls boarding school in the country. Wise move? You hope. Big change? Defnitely.

From the minute you arrive on campus, the deans and faculty emphasize how special Trumbull Woodhouse girls are, how lucky you all are to be here. Sulum Puella Est Donum "Every Girl Is Gifted" goes the school motto. Since the frst class graduated in 1882, TW grads have gone on to lead the most distinguished and glamorous lives possible from Wall Street CEOs (14) to Oscar-winning flm stars (3) to Nobel prize winners (1). But a mystery lurks on the grounds of this revered institution. A society sworn to uphold the founder's deepest secrets has become divided. A war for power burbles just under the campus's placid calm. Is the legend true, did Founder Emma Woodhouse see the future and write down her predictions? Or is the rumored Apocryphon just some old book, the musings of a dying woman trying to control her creation from beyond the grave? Who would steal the book? And why?

In your frst month at TW, as a mysterious enemy tries to undermine your every efforts to belong, you come to suspect your new alma mater has a past as strange and troubled as you do. Both you and Trumbull Woodhouse are bent on keeping your secrets from the public eye, but as we all know, the public eye is most interested in the girl who's on top.

Publication Date: 06/01/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Crossing 13
Carrie Stark Hugus
Synopsis: :Crossing 13 is a captivating coming-of-age story about a 13-year-old girl whose life is instantly altered upon finding her father dead from suicide. As she rides the emotional waves of, shock, guilt, confusion, shame, and the obsession with WHY, she begins to embrace her new normal life. Through each struggle, you share her journey of complicated grief in the aftermath of a sudden loss. This story will give you insight to what it takes for teenagers to survive the self-inflicted death of a parent and the compassion to understand and support them
Publication Date: 06/01/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Sorceress of the Himalayas
Scott Erwert, Ketaki Shriram
Synopsis: The year is 1800. After her village is torched by agents of an evil force, a cryptic note from her guardian sends young Tien Ming, a girl of mixed race, on a perilous quest for a spellbook that will give the holder immense power, wealth, and immortality! Accompanying her are two magical creatures - a shapeshifting owl and golden snow leopard - each with their own reasons for possessing the book. Through a myriad of unexpected twists and turns, Tien shows her bravery and strength of character. Thwarted by supernatural evil forces, ghosts, a human villain, and heart-wrenching betrayals, Tien journeys on, finding hope, redemption, and unlikely friendship by voyage's end.
Publication Date: 06/01/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Geek Magnet
Kieran Scott
Synopsis: Due to her naturally kindhearted nature, KJ Miller has become the focal point of every geek in school, yet wanting to become popular in the hopes of getting cool Cameron to notice her, she turns to queen-bee Tama who encourages her to become mean in order to achieve the cool status she desires.
Publication Date: 05/29/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Night I Freed John Brown
John Michael Cummings
Synopsis: A haunting adventure, a brilliant new author.

Young Josh knows there is something about the tall Victorian House on the Harpers Ferry Hill, the one his father grew up in, that he can’t quite put his finger on—ghosts he can’t name, mysteries he can’t solve. And his impossible father won’t give him any clues. He’s hiding something. And then there’s the famous John Brown. The one who all the tourists come to hear about. The one whose statue looms over Josh’s house. Why does he seem to haunt Josh and his whole family? When the fancy Richmonds come to town and move right next door, their presence forces Josh to find the answers and stand up to the secrets of the House, to his father—and to John Brown, too!

The historic village of Harpers Ferry comes alive in this young boy’s brave search for answers and a place of his own in this brilliant first novel by John Michael Cummings.
Publication Date: 05/29/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Mystery
Devil May Care
Sebastian Faulks
Synopsis: Bond is back. With a vengeance.

Devil May Care is a masterful continuation of the James Bond legacy–an electrifying new chapter in the life of the most iconic spy of literature and film, written to celebrate the centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth on May 28, 1908.

An Algerian drug runner is savagely executed in the desolate outskirts of Paris. This seemingly isolated event leads to the recall of Agent 007 from his sabbatical in Rome and his return to the world of intrigue and danger where he is most at home. The head of MI6, M, assigns him to shadow the mysterious Dr. Julius Gorner, a power-crazed pharmaceutical magnate, whose wealth is exceeded only by his greed. Gorner has lately taken a disquieting interest in opiate derivatives, both legal and illegal, and this urgently bears looking into.

Bond finds a willing accomplice in the shape of a glamorous Parisian named Scarlett Papava. He will need her help in a life-and-death struggle with his most dangerous adversary yet, as a chain of events threaten to lead to global catastrophe. A British airliner goes missing over Iraq. The thunder of a coming war echoes in the Middle East. And a tide of lethal narcotics threatens to engulf a Great Britain in the throes of the social upheavals of the late sixties.

Picking up where Fleming left off, Sebastian Faulks takes Bond back to the height of the Cold War in a story of almost unbearable pace and tension. Devil May Care not only captures the very essence of Fleming’s original novels but also shows Bond facing dangers with a powerful relevance to our own times.
Publication Date: 05/28/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
Jack: Secret Histories
F. Paul Wilson
Synopsis:

Ever come across a situation that simply wasn't right--where someone was getting the dirty end of the stick and you wished you could make things right but didn't know how? Fourteen-year-old Jack knows how. Or rather he's learning how. He's discovering that he has a knack for fixing things. Not bikes or toys or appliances--situations….


It all starts when Jack and his best friends, Weezy and Eddie, discover a rotting corpse--the victim of ritual murder--in the fabled New Jersey Pine Barrens. Beside the body is an ancient artifact carved with strange designs. What is its secret? What is the secret of the corpse? What other mysteries hide in the dark, timeless Pine Barrens? And who doesn't want them revealed?


Jack's town, the surrounding Barrens, his friends, even Jack himself…they all have…Secret Histories.

Publication Date: 05/27/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Crossroads
Chris Grabenstein
Synopsis: ZACK, HIS DAD, and new stepmother have just moved back to his father’s hometown, not knowing that their new house has a dark history. Fifty years ago, a crazed killer caused an accident at the nearby crossroads that took 40 innocent lives. He died when his car hit a tree in a fiery crash, and his malevolent spirit has inhabited the tree ever since. During a huge storm, lightning hits the tree, releasing the spirit, who decides his evil spree isn’t over . . . and Zack is directly in his sights.

Award-winning thriller author Chris Grabenstein fills his first book for younger readers with the same humorous and spine-tingling storytelling that has made him a fast favorite with adults.


From the Hardcover edition.
Publication Date: 05/27/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Cruel Summer
Alyson Noël
Synopsis:

"This was supposed to be my best summer yet, the one I've been working toward since practically forever. Now I'm being banished from everything I know and love, and it just doesn't make any sense."

Having recently discarded her dorky image--and the best friend that went with it--Colby Cavendish is looking forward to a long hot season of parties, beach BBQ's, and hopefully, more hook-ups with Levi Bonham, the hottest guy in school. But her world comes crashing down when her parents send her away to spend the summer in Greece with her crazy aunt Tally.

Stranded on a boring island with no malls, no cell phone reception, and an aunt who talks to her plants, Colby worries that her new friends have forgotten all about her. But when she meets Yannis, a cute Greek local, everything changes. She experiences something deeper and more intense than a summer fling, and it forces her to see herself, and the life she left behind, in a whole new way, in Alyson Noël 's Cruel Summer.

Publication Date: 05/27/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction

Pages



RECENT BOOK REVIEWS