This is a story of feuding families, superstition, love, and a hint of magic. While it may strike familiar chords, this is a beautifully written storyThis is a story of feuding families, superstition, love, and a hint of magic. While it may strike familiar chords, this is a beautifully written story not to be missed. The Corbeau family, descendants of tight-rope walkers, has a traveling act that showcases their balancing skills as they artfully jump from one slender branch to another in the tallest trees they can find, imitating flight with their hand-constructed wings. The Paloma family’s act creates magic with underwater mermaid shows whose artistic flair disguises the carefully orchestrated choreography. A tragedy from more than a generation ago fuels the current feud, and warned of the dark magic the other family possesses, the children are forbidden to touch anyone from the other family with one exception—physical altercations are acceptable. Each unaware of the ancestry of the other, Cluck, an ostracized Corbeau, and Lace Paloma have a chance meeting when she intercedes to stop her cousins from beating up a boy that she believes to be a townie and tends to his wounds. Later, Cluck saves Lace’s life when disaster strikes the small town where the two families are performing, and the repercussions of his act of courage are far-reaching for Cluck, Lace, and their families. Told in alternating points of view by Cluck and Lace and incorporating French and Spanish titles respectively, this story of forbidden love and family secrets is likely to enchant adult and teen fans of Erin Morgenstern’s "The Night Circus" and Maggie Stiefvater’s "Raven Cycle."
Simon is just a typical, well-adjusted teenager. He does well in school, has a stable and supportive family and has a great group of friends. There's
Simon is just a typical, well-adjusted teenager. He does well in school, has a stable and supportive family and has a great group of friends. There's just one thing the people in Simon's life don't know about him: he's gay.
After another young man at Simon's school comes out of the closet on a social media site, he and Simon begin emailing back and forth but both keep their identity hidden from one another. Over the course of several months, Simon and his pen pal (known as Blue) bond over being the only gay students (that they know of) at their Atlanta-area high school, but their friendship evolves into mutually amorous feelings. After another student "outs" Simon to the rest of the school, he's forced to come out to his friends and family. Blue also deduces Simon's true identity, but still chooses to remain anonymous himself, which upsets Simon and drives a wedge between the two.
This book was a great read for several reasons. For one, I loved the cute, back-and-forth email romance that Simon and Blue develop over time, which I found to be original and really showcased how perfect they would be as a couple. I also thought Simon's family members and friends were all well-written, thought-out characters that helped draw me in and make the story seem realistic. Overall, this book was a fun, quick, quirky romance with a lot of personality!
When the reader first meets Minnow Bly, she is being arrested for beating a homeless man. From that moment on, we are swept into the world of Minnow BWhen the reader first meets Minnow Bly, she is being arrested for beating a homeless man. From that moment on, we are swept into the world of Minnow Bly. When Minnow was young, her family joined a the Cult of Kevin. Being a Kevinian meant believing the stories that the Prophet told about God and the outside world, including the fact that the those on the outside are waiting to kill any member of the cult. Minnow, who prowls the woods, happens upon Jude and his family, also living off the grid for their own reasons. Jude and Minnow enjoy their secret time with each other, learning to be friends.
At the same time, we see Minnow's trial and imprisonment for the beating. She bonds with her cellmate, Angel, and learns how the detention facility works. In addition, she is visited by Dr. Wilson, a forensic psychiatrist, who is trying to understand exactly what happened the night Minnow left the Community. Was Minnow responsible for starting the fire that destroyed the Community? Did she kill the Prophet? Who really is to blame?
In the end, Minnow is finally able to tell her story of fear and learns to tell reality from the lies that that had surrounded her inside the cult. In doing so, she understands that sometimes what we call justice is not just and that the innocent who try to protect themselves are often the ones who end up imprisoned. Stephanie Oakes has created a deeply wounded character in the person of Minnow Bly and in the process shows us that the line between reality and imagination, between lies and the truth sometimes only depends on who you believe. Oakes's cast of supporting characters are equally well developed and believable, especially Angel, Minnow's cell mate who is serving time for killing her uncle.
"The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly" has been nominated for a Morris Award, honoring a book by a first time author. I encourage you to give Minnow Bly a chance to tell her story. You won't regret it.
Entering her senior year of high school, Gabi, a Mexican-American girl, tries to make sense of her teenaged world. Gabi's life is not short of drama: Entering her senior year of high school, Gabi, a Mexican-American girl, tries to make sense of her teenaged world. Gabi's life is not short of drama: her best friend Cindy is pregnant, her other best friend Sebastian just got kicked out of his parents house after coming out, her dad is addicted to meth, and Gabi feels shamed for being a girl by her over-bearing Mexican mother. The book is told through Gabi's journal entries and is hilarious and heart-breaking at the same time. Recommended for any teens looking for a funny, intelligent, finding-your-place type of book.
This powerful debut from Cat Winters is unforgettable! Set in 1918 during the peak of the Spanish influenza pandemic, the story follows Mary Shelley BThis powerful debut from Cat Winters is unforgettable! Set in 1918 during the peak of the Spanish influenza pandemic, the story follows Mary Shelley Black, who moves to San Diego after her father's arrest. Mary Shelley moves in with her widowed aunt, who is fascinated by séances and a local spirit photographer. Mary Shelley struggles with the constant fear of the flu, her conflicting feelings about her father's arrest for his anti-war views, and the death of her first love Stephen. But a series of paranormal occurrences make Mary Shelley rethink her perspective on life and death as she fights to uncover the truth behind Stephen's death. Winters recreates the horrors of life in the fall of 1918, and makes her readers think about the lasting effects of war with each turn of the page. Aspiring photographers (and many readers) will enjoy the archival images displayed throughout the book, as well as the detailed descriptions of photography in the early 20th century. This debut novel was a finalist for the Morris Award and received accolades from the "School Library Journal."
Marathon County Public Library
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