In This Issue

Cynthia's Picks

In the heart of the sea : the tragedy of the whaleship Essex - by Nathaniel Philbrick

Publisher: Viking
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 5/1/2000
ISBN: 9780670891573
ISBN-10: 0670891576

Setting off on a routine voyage from Nantucket in 1819 to hunt whales, the unthinkable happened to the Essex. It was rammed and sunk by a very angry sperm whale in the South Pacific. Fearing cannibalism among the local population, the survivors set off for South America, enduring misfortune, starvation and cannibalism of their own sort along the way. As well-known a story in its time as that of the Titanic today, this real life adventure was the inspiration for Melville's Moby Dick.

First Chapter Table of Contents

Sea venture : shipwreck, survival, and the salvation of the first English colony in the New World - Kieran Doherty

Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 5/15/2007
ISBN: 9780312354534
ISBN-10: 0312354533

Another story that inspired great literature (Shakespeare's "The Tempest") is the saga of the Sea Venture, sent to deliver vital settlers and supplies to Jamestown in 1609. Blown off course by a massive hurricane, the ship instead crashed in Bermuda. An epic tale of perfect storms, shipwreck, survival and the founding of the first English settlement in North America, this tale is packed with high adventure and larger than life characters.

First Chapter Table of Contents

Island of the lost : shipwrecked at the edge of the world - Joan Druett

Publisher: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 6/8/2007
ISBN: 9781565124080
ISBN-10: 1565124081

In 1864, two ships, the Grafton and the Invercauld, ran aground on the same island in the freezing seas south of New Zealand. Shipwrecked on opposite sides of the island, the two ships' survivors' experiences were also completely different. The crew of one survived and even thrived, while the crew of the other succumbed to infighting and starvation, leaving only 3 survivors of the original 19. What made the difference between life and death?

Batavia's graveyard : The True Story of the Mad Heretic Who Led History's Bloodiest Mutiny - Mike Dash

Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 5/1/2003
ISBN: 9780609807163
ISBN-10: 0609807161

In 1628 the Batavia, flagship of the Dutch East India Company, set out on her maiden voyage to Java loaded with gold, silver and gems. Plans for mutiny and escape with all the treasure were thwarted by an untimely shipwreck off of Australia. But when the captain and skipper set off in a tiny lifeboat for Java and help, the hapless survivors were left with the frustrated mutineers, whose reign of terror was just beginning.

First Chapter

Ghost ship : the mysterious true story of the Mary Celeste and her missing crew - Brian Hicks

Publisher: Ballantine Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 6/1/2004
ISBN: 9780345463913
ISBN-10: 0345463919

Many a ghost story has been inspired by the tale of the Mary Celeste, found adrift in the vast ocean with not a soul on board. There was no sign of distress, a struggle or indeed any evidence at all as to what might have happened to her crew. One of maritime history's greatest mysteries since 1872, Hicks does a fine job of bringing the ship and her crew to life and in detailing an amazing yet plausible account of what might have happened.

First Chapter

The pirate hunter : the true story of Captain Kidd - Richard Zacks

Publisher: Theia
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 6/1/2002
ISBN: 9780786865338
ISBN-10: 0786865334

This tale of successful New York sea captain William Kidd -- actually a pirate hunter and not the bloodthirsty pirate history has labeled him -- and his nemesis Robert Culliford, the real pirate, brings to vivid and raucous life the world of the men who sailed the high seas for profit, glory and other more nefarious ends in the golden age of ocean adventure.

First Chapter

Rebecca's Picks

Bark, George - Jules Feiffer

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 5/1/1999
ISBN: 9780062051851
ISBN-10: 0062051857

George’s mother wants him to bark like a puppy should. Instead of barking George moos like a cow, quacks like a duck and makes various other animal sounds. George’s mother takes him to the vet and they discover the cause of George’s unusual sounds.

Sorcery and Cecelia, or, The enchanted chocolate pot : being the correspondence of two young ladies of quality regarding various magical scandals in London and the country - Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer

Publisher: Magic Carpet Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/1/2004
ISBN: 9780152053000
ISBN-10: 015205300X

In a Regency England, where magic exists, two cousins write letters to each other. They find intrigue, magic, danger and romance while having tea, walking in the park and attending balls.

First Chapter

The seduction of water - Carol Goodman

Publisher: Ballantine Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 1/1/2003
ISBN: 9780345450906
ISBN-10: 0345450906

Mystery, folklore and romance intertwine in this novel about an author and teacher investigating the decades old death of her mother. Iris’ mother was also an author and died before her third novel was finished, when Iris was still a child. While working on a biography of her mother, Iris returns to the hotel that her parents ran. As she researches and talks to people who knew her mother, Iris begins to wonder if there was a third novel and if her mother’s death has something to do with the selkie story she wrote about and told Iris as a bedtime story.

First Chapter

Crocodile on the sandbank - Elizabeth Peters

Publisher: Mysterious Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 1/1/1988
ISBN: 9780445406513
ISBN-10: 0445406518

While traveling in Egypt near the turn of the century, Amelia Peabody finds herself entangled in the lives of two British archaeologists, a disgraced heiress and a mummy that has returned from the dead. None of this daunts Amelia who, armed with her parasol, is ready to take on any foe and solve any mystery. This is the first in the Amelia Peobody mystery series.

Fire and hemlock - Diana Wynne Jones

Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 5/1/2002
ISBN: 9780060298852
ISBN-10: 0060298855

Polly flips through a book instead of preparing to return to university, but the book doesn’t seem to have the stories that she remembers. She begins to realize that she has two different sets of memories and no one seems to remember her friend Thomas Lynn. Polly strives to figure out what her true past was and to fix the terrible mistake she made that allowed her memories to be changed. The stories of Tam Lin and Thomas the Rhymer are intertwined in a modern setting.

Nichole's Picks

The Black Sheep - Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout

Publisher: Hyperion
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 5/1/2007
ISBN: 9781423101567
ISBN-10: 1423101561

Kendra is so sick of her parents overbearing rules and on a whim, she sends an application to the Black Sheep, a reality show where she would switch places with another teen. Never in a million years did she think she would actually get chosen, but she does! Quickly she is whisked from New York City to Monterey, California, in hopes of shedding some light on her life. She realizes that maybe her family isn't so bad, and maybe she'll find true love . . . all with cameras in her face. This unique teen story had me laughing out loud, and the local Monterey flair made it even better.

Jinx - Meg Cabot

Publisher: HarperTeen
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 8/1/2007
ISBN: 9780060837648
ISBN-10: 0060837640

Jean has bad luck, so bad she has the family nickname of Jinx. She is spending her summer in New York, with her cousin Tory . . . who has a penchant for what she thinks is witchcraft. Is it possible that Jean isn't a Jinx, she is a witch? Throw a good looking guy in the mix and you have an interesting story.

The secret life of Sparrow Delaney - Suzanne Harper

Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 7/1/2007
ISBN: 9780061131585
ISBN-10: 006113158X

Sparrow comes from an interesting family, all the women are psychics. She tries hard to hide her talent to talk to dead people, because she just wants to fit in. When the chance comes up, she decides to transfer schools for a fresh start. There she finds a new best friend, and even a boyfriend. All seems to be going well, until she is visited by a boy, a dead boy that won't go away! The family dynamic in this book is great, I loved seeing Sparrow interact with her eccentric mother, grandmother and sisters.

Music from Regions Beyond - Tiger Army

Publisher: Super D / Phantom Sound & Visi
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 6/11/2007
UPC: 04547366030303

It's about time this band hit it big. This is by far one of my favorite CD's of the year. A cool combination of psychobilly, punk, and even a little Latin flair give this band a unique and inspiring sound.

Vampire knight - story & art by Matsuri Hino ; [translation & English adaptation, Tomo Kimura]

Publisher: Viz
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 1/9/2007
ISBN: 9781421508221
ISBN-10: 1421508222

Nobody knows that Cross Academy by night is actually a high school for vampires, nobody except the guardians. Yuki and Zero are guardians, whose job is to protect the night class from being exposed. Both hold deep secrets inside . . . especially Zero. This new exciting manga series is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

Sarah's Picks

In war times - Kathleen Ann Goonan

Publisher: Tor
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 5/15/2007
ISBN: 9780765313553
ISBN-10: 0765313553

Is war inevitable? Can people be changed at the molecular level to cause them to prevent war? Can societies thrive and prosper without war? Are there certain people and events that are the focus of systemic change in the world? What are the connections between music, especially jazz, and physics? These are the questions that this multi-stranded alternate history novel asks, as it blends bebop, physics, molecular biology, politics, and ethics into a compelling story of one family's journey through the 1940s, 50s, and 60s.

First Chapter

The mysterious Benedict Society - written by Trent Lee Stewart ; illustrations by Carson Ellis

Publisher: Little, Brown
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 4/1/2008
ISBN: 9780316003957
ISBN-10: 0316003956

This is a book for young fans of Harry Potter, Lemony Snicket, and Roald Dahl. Four children, all orphaned or otherwise abandoned, answer an ad recruiting “gifted children looking for special opportunities” and eventually find themselves sent by the eccentric Mr. Benedict on a secret mission to save the world. The book is full of mysteries, puzzles, adventure, and schemes, with several surprising twists along the way.

Larklight, or, The revenge of the white spiders!, or, To Saturn's rings and back! : a rousing tale of dauntless pluck in the farthest reaches of space - as chronicl'd by Art Mumby, with the aid of Philip Reeve ; and decorated throughout by David Wyatt

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/19/2006
ISBN: 9781599900209
ISBN-10: 1599900203

The title gives you a pretty good idea of what you're getting here: an adventure story that takes place in an alternate version of Victorian England, in which the British, thanks to Sir Isaac Newton, have achieved space flight. Art Mumby and his sister Myrtle live on Larklight, which orbits the earth. When strange spider-like creatures arrive one day and attack their father, Art and Myrtle escape, and ultimately are aided by the notorious (teenage) pirate, Jack Havock, and his crew of creatures from various planets. Another rousing adventure.

Knitting rules! - Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Publisher: Storey Pub.
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 3/1/2006
ISBN: 9781580178341
ISBN-10: 1580178340

Pearl-McPhee is a Canadian knitter also known as the Yarn Harlot. She has a popular blog (www.yarnharlot.ca/blog) on which she discusses her knitting and her adventures in traveling the world talking about knitting. In fact, she is one of the best humor writers out there. Even non-knitters find her funny. I know this, because I can't read her books without reading passages out loud to anyone nearby. Knitting Rules contains helpful advice and neighborly support for knitters everywhere.

An abundance of Katherines - John Green

Publisher: Dutton Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/21/2006
ISBN: 9780525476887
ISBN-10: 0525476881

Colin is a former child prodigy, anagram aficionado, and recent high school graduate who always seems to fall for -- and get dumped by -- girls named Katherine. Nineteen Katherines so far, in fact, although admittedly that includes the one in third grade that lasted for about three minutes. So he decides to take a road trip with his best friend, Hassan, while he tries to come up with a mathematical formula that will predict the duration of a romantic relationship. This funny and charming book (don't skip over the footnotes!) was a Michael L. Printz Honor Book winner this year.

Cindy's Picks

Bunnicula : a rabbit-tale of mystery - by Deborah and James Howe ; illustrated by Alan Daniel

Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 8/8/2006
ISBN: 9781416928171
ISBN-10: 1416928170

Howie the dog and Chester the cat must contend with a new addition to the family: a mysterious rabbit named Bunnicula. Why do vegetables suddenly appear drained of their juices? How does Bunnicula get out of his cage at night? If you enjoyed this book, the first in the series, also try: Howliday Inn, the Celery Stalks at Midnight, Nighty-Nightmare, Return to Howliday Inn, Bunnicula Strikes Again!, and Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allen Crow.

First Chapter

Into the firestorm : a novel of San Francisco, 1906 - Deborah Hopkinson

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/12/2006
ISBN: 9780375836527
ISBN-10: 0375836527

Nicholas Dray escapes from a Texas orphanage and a life of cotton picking to travel to San Francisco. He's always heard about this wonderful city from his teacher, and he manages to find a job at a stationery store, taking care of the owner's dog. Unfortunately, the great earthquake hits, and Nicholas must look after the dog, the store, his neighbors, and run from the fire started by a broken gas main!

First Chapter

The young person's guide to the opera : with music from the great operas on CD - book written by Anita Ganeri and Nicola Barber

Publisher: Harcourt
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/1/2001
ISBN: 9780152164980
ISBN-10: 0152164987

This is a great introduction to opera, and includes a history, a description of the types of opera, and a summary of some famous operas. The book even comes with a CD with excerpts of music from some of the operas mentioned, such as the Magic Flute.

Table of Contents

The magic flute - retold by Anne Gatti ; illustrated by Peter Malone

Publisher: Chronicle Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/1/1997
ISBN: 9780811810036
ISBN-10: 0811810038

The Magic Flute is one of the world's most famous operas by the renowned composer, Mozart. Learn the story of a brave prince, a very silly bird catcher, a beautiful princess, a wise high priest, and an evil queen.

Chickens to the rescue - John Himmelman

Publisher: H. Holt
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/3/2006
ISBN: 9780805079517
ISBN-10: 0805079513

For every day of the week, there is always someone in trouble at the home of the Greenstalks. Guess who will save the day? Will it be the horses? Will it be Ernie the duck? Will it be the pigs? Read this book to find out, or refer to the title.

Career day - story by Anne Rockwell ; pictures by Lizzy Rockwell

Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 5/1/2000
ISBN: 9780060275655
ISBN-10: 0060275650

Mrs. Madoff's class brings parents and grandparents to show and tell about all the different jobs one can do. There are parents who are grocers, artists, construction workers, and professors.