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12 and up | Page 30 | LitPick Book Reviews
12 and up
American Panda
American Panda
An incisive, laugh-out-loud contemporary debut about a Taiwanese-American teen whose parents want her to be a doctor and marry a Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer despite her squeamishness with germs and crush on a Japanese classmate.At seventeen, Mei should be in high school, but skipping fourth grade was part of her parents' master plan. Now a freshman at MIT, she is on track to fulfill the rest of this predetermined future: become a doctor, marry a preapproved Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer, produce a litter of babies. With everything her parents have sacrificed to make her cushy life a reality, Mei can't bring herself to tell them the truth--that she (1) hates germs, (2) falls asleep in biology lectures, and (3) has a crush on her classmate Darren Takahashi, who is decidedly not Taiwanese. But when Mei reconnects with her brother, Xing, who is estranged from the family for dating the wrong woman, Mei starts to wonder if all the secrets are truly worth it. Can she find a way to be herself, whoever that is, before her web of lies unravels? From debut author Gloria Chao comes a hilarious, heartfelt tale of how unlike the panda, life isn't always so black and white.

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The Myth of Valcia and New Poems
The Myth of Valcia and new poems
Cameron Glenn
Sisters Selza and Delthi live in a beauty worshiping Island culture in ancient classical Greek era times. Every year on the beautiful mythical island of Valica a grand audition is held to select those most beautiful and talented who will be worshiped as "yet-gods" and live on the mountain where they are prepared to become "Eternal's"

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Jezebel and the Star Monster
Jezebel and the Star Monster
Cameron Glenn
A dark fairy tale for adults and young adults calling for struggle and hope among dispiriting times.

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The Star of the Serpent
The Star of The Serpent
If you were there… You would have heard a surprising story about the mystical star that today inspires the annual crowning of cultivated saplings and the proud decoration of many homes. A star believed by many sent to glorify a newborn king. But there is a sinister side to the tale many have never been told. It is the untold story of a manipulated star that led unsuspecting astrologers to a jealous king bent on eliminating a rightful ruler. An artful star that indirectly influenced a hidden infanticide that neither clerics nor profiteers want to talk about or remembered. A pretending star of light guided by one known as "the serpent".

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Mirror Me
Mirror Me
Hannah McCauley doesn't look at herself in the mirror anymore. After a rebellious past, she now attends a strict private school in a new town, where her recently divorced mother has put her on social lockdown. No driving. No bad grades. No skipping classes. No unapproved friends. No makeup. No boys. And the subject of her best friend from her old school is definitely forbidden. Hannah is being punished for something that happened a year earlier, something that she would like to put behind her. But strange occurrences frighten her, and she's accused of breaking rules and doing other terrible things without any recollection of them. No one believes her, so she starts distrusting everything, even her own reflection. Is she being haunted by her past? Stalked by someone with a grudge? Or is it all in her head? If she doesn't figure out what's happening fast, her existence could end up irreparably shattered.

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IDIOT GENIUS Willa Snap and the Clockwerk Boy

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Runs Good --No Reverse
Runs Good No Reverse
Mark Sills, 16, found the car on Craigslist --the ad read RUNS GOOD -NO REVERSE. He buys the car and, along with his pal Fred, decides to fix it up, but he doesn't have much experience. Oh, Mark once oiled the chain on his bike and Fred added a quart of oil to his Dad's car, but that was about it. A car with no reverse soon finds Mark in trouble with his girlfriend, her mom and his school's Vice Principal. He finds some new friends too -- an ex-Marine junkyard owner and an old lady named Agnes. The title describes the car, and also the boys --and a girl named Karen.

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From the Publisher

4.5 Years: Memoir of a WW2 POW
4.5 Years
'A fascinating Prisoner of War-Internee story. Dave's personality, technical skills, common sense and Scottish entrepreneurial attitude shine through.' Don Marshall, Military History Enthusiast The true story of a young Scottish soldier stranded in France during WW2 and sent to a Prisoner-of-War camp. Despite starvation, loneliness and the permanent threat of prison cruelty, Dave found the inner resources to keep going. He saw it as his duty to escape and he tried often enough, for long enough to explore France in unexpected ways, using his schoolboy French to good effect.    With his forced companions, he fought his own war to stay alive and keep his humanity. He played his accordion, invented a water-heater from prison rubbish, and communicated through mathematical formulae when there was no common language. Amid the defiance and savage punishments, there were also football, concerts and time to learn hand-stitching from a Jewish tailor.    The story of 4.5 years lost in a world where one egg is an illegal treasure, where knives are hidden and get used, where Jewish prisoners are glimpsed and, inexplicably, disappear. This book is a tribute to the human spirit. 

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Halcyon: A Sentinel Novel

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This Is Our Constitution: Discover America with a Gold Star Father
This Is Our Constitution
Khizr Khan
From Gold Star father and beloved Democratic National Convention speaker Khizr Khan comes a book for young people about the Constitution—what it says and why it matters for everyone.   Our Founding Fathers created the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights as a blueprint for American government and the rights of American citizens. This document is not merely a piece of parchment but a living, breathing promise of our deepest democratic values.Khizr Khan grew up in Pakistan, with few of the fundamental rights that are enshrined in the Constitution. He immigrated to America and became a citizen, raising his family to appreciate and honor all our nation has to offer. Khizr Khan is deeply passionate about the Constitution: the guarantees and protections it provides for each and every person and the beacon of light it shines throughout the world.This Is Our Constitution is a personal journey that Khizr Khan is taking with our nation’s young people.   The book includes: * A highly personal introduction and conclusion * Notes throughout that share Khizr Khan’s reflections on and connections to the U.S. Constitution * The fascinating history of why and how the Constitution was written *Article by article and section by section, an easy-to-follow explanation of what the Constitution means * A closer look at key amendments, including the Bill of Rights, and pivotal Supreme Court decisions * The complete texts of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution   This is a book about why the Constitution matters to you, and us all.

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