History in a Murder Mystery!

31 Bond Street by Ellen Horan - a murder mystery with a complex interplay of characters within the main storyline and those on the periphery. There is no obvious answer to the crime!
This story is based on a true event that happened in New York City in the 1850s. The death and the trial was the talk of the town!

Depth and complexity in Crazy by Han Nolan

Crazy by Han Nolan is a well-written story with thoughtful and complex dialogue between Jason and his “friends.” The dynamic interplay that brings to life the voices in Jason’s head reflects a sensitive and acute awareness of the reality of one’s life with such circumstances.

Through no conscious effort of his own, Jason has caught the attention of his English teacher and, as a result, will have to meet with Dr. Gomez, the school social worker, on a regular basis. He’s not sure how he can hide his real life from Dr. Gomez and the other students in the group. The silver lining is that these friends may be just the therapy he needs to reconcile the loss of his mother, and quite possibly, the loss of his father.

A book not to be overlooked by teenagers or adults.

Han Nolan is winner of National Book Award for Dancing on the Edge.

To Keep A Secret....is this the right thing to do?

Our Little Secret: The TRUE story of a Teenage KILLER and the SILENCE of a Small New England Town by Kevin Flynn and Rebecca Lavoie is quite the suspense story. Heck, the words capitalized in this post are capitalized on the cover of the book, which is a compelling visual.

One Saturday afternoon Daniel Paquette is murdered in his backyard. The shot is believed to have come from the forest that is behind his house, which makes the investigation difficult. The investigation remained troubling, so much so that it was not solved for 20 years.

Understanding how and why the step-daughter of Paquette and her friend Eric turned on a step-father and stranger explains what transpired leading up to and beyond the murder. Many more people were involved….as bystanders. Are bystanders just as guilty as the one who pulled the trigger? Is the step-daughter guilty for her ideas and involvement, even though she didn’t pull the trigger?

One may find this story hard to believe, but that which is hard to believe may also be intriguing. With Eric, Melanie, and others in this community, the line between right and wrong becomes a zig-zag; black and white become grey; memories change to protect self and others; reality becomes what people want or create it to be.
Secrets are only secrets when never shared. Guilt can be a heavy burden to carry, even if you did nothing wrong.

The Abraham Lincoln Award: Illinois' High School Readers' Choice Award

ISLMA describes the Abraham Lincoln Award:

The Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book AwardThe Abraham Lincoln Award is awarded annually to the author of the book voted as most outstanding by participating students in grades nine through twelve in Illinois. The award is named for Abraham Lincoln, one of Illinois' most famous residents and himself an avid reader and noted author. The award is sponsored by the Illinois School Library Media Association (ISLMA).The Abraham Lincoln Award is designed to encourage high school students to read for personal satisfaction and become familiar with authors of young adult and adult books.

Linda Straube recently shared the 2012 Abe Lincoln Award Nominees and we'll  have print copies available at both Winnetka and Northfield libraries. Judy Macnab will be ordering the titles in ebook version for the library Kindles.

Recent purchase in hardcover at the New Trier Library: I live in the future & here's how it works

A Highlight and Note from Michael Stephens

Just like me, the generation coming of age in this digital society doesn’t see or perceive much difference in types of media. Video? Words? Music? Computer code? It doesn’t matter. The actual tools used are irrelevant. It’s the end result—the storylines, the messages—that matters. This generation thinks in pictures, words, and still and moving images and is comfortable mixing them all in the same space.

Note: the tools are irrelevant. this speaks well to transliteracy

Shared on February 25th, 2011 from Kindle

The overdone memoir . . .

Everyone's writing memoirs! NYT Book Review