Adult/High School—A satisfying cross-genre novel that has elements of historical fiction, suspense, and a tinge of romance. A sexual sadist is roaming the streets of Berlin during the post-World War II occupation, killing blond-haired, blue-eyed young women by torturing them. After each victim is found, Frei tells the story of her life before and during the war. The victims had a wide variety of experiences during the conflict and primarily represent Germans not involved in the Nazi party. The structure of the novel allows readers an interlude before returning to the investigation and murders. This is not a book for the fainthearted, and it is more appropriate for public libraries than for schools. However, teens will enjoy the novel, particularly those searching for earthy details of both war and violent crime. While not graphic, the sexual encounters are described in strong language. The pacing is good, and once involved in the story it is difficult to put it down. There are plenty of twists and turns, and a surprise assailant. The historical elements are compelling, particularly the division of Berlin and the relationships among the occupiers and the Germans. The weakest portion of the novel is the investigation itself, which relies on coincidence and luck for the eventual solution.—Mary Ann Harlan, Arcata High School, CA

Adult/High School—After a successful run in Britain, this first volume of Humphreys's "Revolutionary War" series of fast-paced adventure finally comes to the States. The title character is a fresh blending of Ian Fleming's James Bond and James Fenimore Cooper's Natty Bumpo, a man equally adept at hunting and Native American languages, along with more modern skills in code-breaking and espionage. During the pivotal Battle of Saratoga, England calls on retired Captain Absolute to use his contacts within the Mohawk tribes to convince the Native Americans to fight on the side of England. During his travels, he uncovers a secret organization known as the Illuminati that manipulates both sides of the conflict for its own dark purposes. Absolute seeks the identity of its ruler and leads readers through a series of red herrings filled with daring escapes and realistic battle scenes. Absolute holds the unusual point of view of sympathizing with the Colonial desires for freedom and liberty but still feeling the strong tugs of loyalty to the crown. The author does a solid job of using this character to illustrate the complex motivations on both sides of the war. Although full of intrigue and accurate historical detail, the novel is ultimately a straightforward adventure story that sends readers racing through the pages of Absolute's improbable but exciting captures, escapes, and fight scenes.—Matthew L. Moffett, Pohick Regional Library, Burke, VA

Adult/High School—When the 14-year-old born-again narrator of this book was a baby, her pastor prophesied that she was destined to do great works for God. Now that Melanie is older, those "great works" appear to be discovering the truth about this pastor, her family, and herself. Melanie looks at her world and sees that there is something wrong with the picture. Her unmarried teen sister has a baby, her brother listens to devil music, and their mother sees demons walking through the house in the night. Melanie tries to decipher the signs God is sending her. She decides that disproving Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is her duty, and that this will help her save her best friend and then the rest of the world. As Melanie examines Darwin's work, however, she also traces the origin and evolution of her family and learns why her mother obsessively cleans and that her father is not the saint she thinks he is. Melanie finds herself moving away from what her pastor and her parents believe. Readers will appreciate how difficult it is for the protagonist to be understood, and to understand. This is a sympathetic story about the search for true faith in the modern world.—Will Marston, Berkeley Public Library, CA

Adult/High School—This book is divided into two major sections. First, readers learn about the protagonist, Faith, and her family's life in England, and that her parents had emigrated from Jamaica on a banana boat, arriving at West India Dock on Guy Fawkes Night and really only knowing England from what they'd learned in school. Life is not exactly as they'd planned it, but over time Wade and Mildred adjust to their new home, get jobs, buy a house, and start a family. They are proud of their children, especially Faith's work in the costume department at BBC, but Faith, who is a credible but sheltered young adult, isn't quite so pleased, as she becomes aware of the hidden and public racism all around her. She decides to visit Jamaica, and the book moves into its second section. Faith meets the family she has known only through letters, photos, and the stories her parents have shared with her. Listening to her Aunt Coral's tales provides her with insight into her parents' lives that she never could have imagined. She makes connections with the people and places of their youth and returns to England with a different perception of her mum, her dad, and herself. None of Faith's Jamaican relationships seems to be deep, but readers sense that maturity is just around the corner, perhaps once she reconnects with her family in Britain.—Joanne Ligamari, Rio Linda School District, Sacramento, CA

Adult/High School—During an English summer of record-breaking rains, a peat bog in the Lake District opens to reveal a 200-year-old body bearing South Pacific island tattoos. The area, home to Romantic poets, is where Jane Gresham, Wordsworth scholar, grew up, and she finds her interest piqued by the news. She has long believed that Fletcher Christian, HMS Bounty mutineer, didn't die on Pitcairn Island but returned to England. She has theorized that Christian recounted his adventures to his old schoolmate Wordsworth, who wrote them down, and those documents and a related poem, now worth millions, lay forgotten in a local home. In the race to retrieve the valuable manuscripts, Jane finds herself competing against sinister forces that would stop at nothing, including murder, to reach them first. The suspenseful story and its subplots, which include Jane's friendship with 13-year-old poetry-loving Tenille, who lives in Jane's London public housing project, create an absorbing thriller. McDermid establishes a strong sense of place in the atmospheric and pastoral Lake District that contrasts sharply with the sprawling housing project. Historical and literary references to Wordsworth's life and work and to the South Pacific adventures of the Bounty mutineers all help to make this novel come alive. Teens will enjoy the lively characters, brisk pace, and careful unraveling of the centuries-old mystery with its satisfactory conclusion.—Susanne Bardelson, Kitsap Regional Library, WA

Adult/High School—John and Mary Keane, good Irish Catholics raising four children and sharing their lively family with a spinster "aunt," feel the impact of the 1960s on their family: the sudden freedom of the sexual revolution, the controversy and tragedy of the Vietnam War, and the growing irreverence of popular culture. Their story, which spans the years from the end of World War II to the 1970s, is as ordinary as it is compelling and as suspenseful as it is inevitable. The characters are so human and sympathetic that readers can barely leave them on the last page. The narrative unfolds in economical yet rich language, using flashbacks and foreshadowing to provide insight into characters, hints at world events, and exquisite images. The story is episodic: the meeting and marriage of Mary and John, outings at the ocean, a frightening storm and a fallen tree, the death of their firstborn in Vietnam, the pregnancy of an unmarried daughter, the renovation of the neighborhood church. These mostly ordinary events become extraordinary in the telling, making this a fine read for teens who appreciate family stories.—Jackie Gropman, Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA

Adult/High School—Rennison covers the "life" of fictional Sherlock Holmes in depth while providing entertaining reading for anyone who has met the detective in print or on screen. There have been numerous Holmes mysteries written by authors other than Conan Doyle over the years, some of which have added to what we "know" about Holmes. Nicholas Meyer's The Seven Percent Solution (Norton, 1993), any of Laurie R. King's excellent series, or Michael Chabon's The Final Solution (HarperCollins, 2004) are a few of the good ones that preceded this clever extrapolation. Rather than presenting a Holmesian mystery, Rennison takes the history of a legendary man with extraordinary powers of deduction and attempts to demystify him. In presenting Holmes's life, he lays historical events side by side with Watson's related tales and shows how, by thinly veiling names and adjusting small facts, one can work out a real time line for Holmes's activities. This is a thoughtful and fun addition to the Sherlock Holmes canon, and a must for everyone who enjoys the greatest detective of all time.—Dana Cobern-Kullman, Luther Burbank Middle School, Burbank, CA

Adult/High School—Each story in this collection by 29 contributors is introduced in a note that gives readers some background such as why/when it was written and/or why Resnick chose it for this anthology. Some are send-ups of specific types of writing, such as space opera (Harry Harrison), fantasy/romance crossover (Esther Friesner), academic literary criticism (Connie Willis), and Greek myth (Harry Turtledove). Others are the imagined results of certain situations: LSD in New York City's water supply (written in the mid-'60s by William Tenn), contemporary California girl meets dangerous alien (Robert Silverberg), simultaneous periods and PMS in a village of warrior women (Jody Lynn Nye), an alien on a talk radio show tells certain truths to the human race (Nick DiChario). All are truly funny. Fans will recognize many of the authors listed above and others such as Joe Haldeman, Robert Scheckley, Jane Yolen, Jack McDevitt, and David Gerrold. Despite the humor, this collection will appeal primarily to science fiction readers.—Sandy Freund, Patrick Henry Library, Fairfax County, VA

Adult/High School—This is an expanded and newly translated version of a privately published book, Angels of Memory. Agosin's poetry is a cathartic cry against the Holocaust and present-day wars and atrocities. The writer begins with a short prose introduction to the story the poems will tell of her grandmother's journey from the Nazis of Vienna to her new home in Chile. Immediately well oriented, readers are quickly drawn in through the poems' intensely personal and touching tone. Her deceased grandmother speaks plainly through her granddaughter as Agosin admits: "I take dictation./And you, on the other side of the words,/in the resonant clarity of light,/smile." So intimate, the poems seem to whisper, as in, "telling you this story/distresses me,/I can only say it in a poem/as I am unable to tell it to anyone." The bilingual format creates an additional sense of closeness, allowing readers to experience the poet's pieces in her native tongue. Her poems are sometimes angry, sometimes tenderhearted, always brutally honest, and their accessible intensity will capture teen readers.—Joy Murphy, Berkeley Public Library, CA

Adult/High School—This volume includes selections from the ongoing series that pays tribute to pop-music albums. Some contributors discuss the production values and personnel on specific albums, such as Neil Young's Harvest. Others examine individual song structure and songwriting. Michaelangelo Matos's chapter on Prince's Sign 'O' The Times picks the album apart song by song. Still others describe personal experiences during which an album seemed to serve as the soundtrack. The authors are unabashed music geeks who take their obsessions seriously, and most chapters display journalistic rigor and flair. Musicians, journalists, professors, and others contribute their varied perspectives to the enrichment of the collection. Pop music is worthy of serious consideration, a welcomed revelation to many teens. There are plenty of books on rock music, but this anthology's focus on individual albums is unique. The music expands beyond the personality cults of rock superstars, and readers see all of the other people who contributed to the final masterpiece and the greater cultural and historical context from which it emerged. This is a collection of excerpts from longer works, and many pieces needed some rewriting to make them stand alone. The book includes this year's winning essay from the "Under 21" contest, a nice way of encouraging young writers to join the conversation.—Emma Coleman, Berkeley Public Library, CA

Adult/High School—Domesticated, docile pets or dirty, disease-ridden hangers-on? Pigeons are not a neutral subject. They have lived in unison with humans since ancient Egyptian times, a relationship that historically was productive but sadly has deteriorated into a fine mess. Pigeons routinely went to war as messengers; their dung was used as fertilizer for farmers or manufactured into saltpeter, an ingredient in gunpowder. Since the Industrial Revolution, these birds have clustered in urban areas. With an easy food supply and ample shelter, their populations have soared, as has the desire to trap and shoot, poison, and relocate them. Blechman introduces readers to their many advocates and adversaries. His whimsical style and the colorful cast of experts on either side of the debate make this exhaustive study enjoyable reading. Teens don't have to be particularly passionate about pigeons to pick up this book for social-science, scientific, or literary inquiry.—Brigeen Radoicich, Fresno County Office of Education, CA

Adult/High School—Bridges opens the family scrapbook, searches the "licorice-colored pages," probes deeply into the lives of the "people folded away like paper dolls," and, with considerable eloquence and dignity, explores the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of four generations of the "family who waited for me in the grape-leaf green album." Employing simple and fresh language, the poems consistently get to the core of the many relationships among these family members of African and Native American descent. Readers will find a truly American story of great pain and despair, but one not lacking in reward and pleasure. Some of these people are weak, but more are strong. Some are self-centered, but more are family-oriented. And most join rather than merely watch the figurative (and literal) Dance. Bridges writes that Grandma Ellen "wore her quietness/like a Sunday bonnet," that she lived in a South "dredged in slavery/and inhabited by quiet women both/black and white who wore shells of gentility," and yet Ellen "spoke against slavery, had opinions/in a time when women were seen/and not heard." Readers learn that the Easter-time marriage of "pale Albert" and "chocolate Rhoda" was "full of colored eggs/sons, daughters, my grandfather Austin." With this testimonial to the lives of her predecessors, Bridges not only gives them a lasting voice, but also probes the character of a particular time and place, as well as universal concerns of all people. This superb, accessible collection deserves a wide audience.—Robert Saunderson, Berkeley Public Library, CA

Adult/High School—This collection of short essays is a real treasure. Davidson explains the origins of 15 myths, including werewolves, dragons, mermaids, unicorns, where Sinbad actually sailed, and the phoenix. He agrees with Kipling, whom he quotes as noting: "There are nine and sixty ways/Of constructing tribal lays/And every single one of them is right!" Kipling is just one of the many authors, historians, and philosophers to whom the well-read and eclectic Davidson turns to support the suppositions he himself posits about the "true" origins of each myth. He sometimes pits classic explainers against one another, as in the essay explaining the root of lycanthropy: one could find it in "Bulfinch's Mythology, but Rabelais is more fun." Each aside and every digression offer another path to follow or connection to make. The author's narrative prose itself invites sharing aloud, serving as a great model for student writers. Not only is this a wonderful resource for information on myths and legends, but it also comes with the bonuses of real literary adventures and some of the most entertaining nonfiction writing in the realm of popular culture.—Dana Cobern-Kullman, Luther Burbank Middle School, Burbank, CA

Adult/High School—In this entertaining portrait of the artist as a young geek, Franzen is as offhand about his geekdom and failures as he is about his talents and successes. He retraces his childhood resistance to his parents' way of life as he became a rebel in his own cause. He confesses that he has become a bird-watcher as an adult; he is like an interesting variety of one of the birds that he enjoys finding. Even while describing his personal oddities and those in the people around him, he finds awkward beauty in their quirks and imperfections. The book begins and ends with the death of his mother. Their difficult relationship is one of many he examines. He is a human watcher willing to report in detail on behavior, whether that of his parents, loved ones, or himself. As he studies who he has been and who he is now, Franzen discovers truths about the world around him. This is a world in which many teens find themselves, and seeing the ways the author navigates and survives can entertain and comfort while offering assistance in the process of self-discovery.—Will Marston, Berkeley Public Library, CA

Adult/High School—This outstanding anthology includes a variety of literary forms (poems, essays, short stories, excerpts from novels) and cuts across time to present both early influences and contemporary pieces. Authors include earlier masters (Alfonso Reyes, Juan Rulfo), contemporary greats (Octavio Paz, Carlos Fuentes), Chicana/o voices (Sandra Cisneros, Rudolfo Anaya, Ruben Martínez), and new Mexican authors who are becoming internationally known (Carlos Monsiváis, Coral Bracho). Not surprisingly, many of the selections deal with questions of identity and allegiance. Garcia's excellent introduction gives valuable background on the authors and their work.—Sandy Freund, Patrick Henry Library, Fairfax County, VA

Adult/High School—The term concentration camp is most often associated with Nazi Germany, but teens may think differently after reading this account of curating the Japanese American National Museum's exhibit "Remembering the Japanese American Experience." Ishizuka chronicles the exhibit's development from its inception, its first visitors' responses, reminiscences and stories, and its opening on Ellis Island when the need arose to meet with the local Jewish community to discuss the use of the controversial term "concentration camp." After more than two years of meetings and discussions, it was finally decided not to change or restrict the exhibit's use of the term. The author also provides a different perspective on how incarcerated Japanese Americans responded to being unlawfully interned. Often history texts have portrayed them as passive and submissive, but Ishizuka has gathered primary sources that show that many Japanese Americans whose lives were disrupted and radically changed by Executive Order 9066 did voice their disgust and anger toward their government's decisions. It is sad to note how the U.S. government responded to their letters and pleas-many were simply ignored, while others received convoluted responses from various agencies, and some of the writers were moved to more isolated camps farther from their families. The inclusion of photographs, letters, and newspaper clippings from the 1940s adds to the book's competent telling and makes it a good addition to the study of this period in American history.—Joanne Ligamari, Rio Linda School District, Sacramento, CA

Adult/High School—This compilation of essays, correspondence, court transcripts, memoirs, newspaper accounts, and photographs concerning the 1956 publication of Allen Ginsberg's Howl and Other Poems adds up to a fascinating account of one of the most significant cases of censorship in U.S. history. The editors do a superb job of setting the stage leading to the court case and of providing thoughtful testimony to its lasting importance. Among the many helpful features: a chronology of Howl the book and Howl the case; another of censorship in general; reproductions of several San Francisco Chronicle articles, editorials, and letters to the editor; and the complete text of the poem. By far, though, the most compelling parts of the book are the "Howl Letters" and large sections of the official transcript from the 1957 trial. Most of the correspondence is between Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti, but there are letters to and/or from Jack Kerouac, Gregory Corso, John Hollander, Richard Eberhart, Louis Ginsberg, and Neal Cassady. These letters provide a window into the meaning and significance of Ginsberg's great poem. Besides Ginsberg and the chief defense lawyer, J. W. Ehrlich, the other person who shines brightly in these pages is Ferlinghetti, a longtime champion of free expression. This book is a gold mine for reports on censorship, especially those in need of primary-source material.—Robert Saunderson, Berkeley Public Library, CA

Adult/High School—Despite a dearth of documentation for Singer's early years, Noiville presents a concise, lyrical biography of the celebrated writer. She uses the memoirs of his siblings, interviews with people who knew him or knew the area in which he grew up, his own writings, and critical reactions to those writings to flesh out her narrative. She neither lionizes nor demonizes her subject, leaving it up to readers to decide the significance of Singer's abandonment of his young son or his assiduous pursuit of the English-language audience. Temerson's translation is fluid and ably showcases Noiville's scholarship. In all, a tiny gem of literary biography.—Susan Salpini, formerly at TASIS-The American School in England

Adult/High School—The strength of this title is evident from the subtitle: instant inspiration. Since the author uses several unique beads that might be hard to duplicate, it is the inspiration that will have lasting value. To set the stage, a pictorial list of common tools and other materials are listed, as are hints for gathering ideas. Some jewelry-making how-tos for novices are included before jumping into the actual designs. Illustrated instructions are given for each step, as well as tips for adjusting the overall design. Each one is labeled according to difficulty, although none are particularly basic. The layout is colorful and highly attractive, although, somewhat impractically, many of the tools pictured are hard to see since they were laid out across the gutter. The book concludes with a detailed list of supply resources and source notes that tell where each of the pictured beads was purchased. Though not for beginners, teens with some crafting experience will indeed find this book inspiring.—Jamie Watson, Harford County Public Library, MD

Adult/High School—This collection of poems written over the course of 20 years brings together more than just expressions of Salinas's Chicano and Native American identity. He sums up his poetic aim in "Pueblo Murals," where he writes of a woman weaving "tranquility within the storm" and creating a tapestry that enables one to "assess and survey the turbulence of the times." His poems are this tapestry, woven during his turbulent years fighting for human rights and his own political voice. The range is wide, encompassing all of the drama, pitfalls, and need to reclaim and assert one's self. Some selections are fueled with anger, and readers can hear the influence of the Beat poets in the rhythm of the poet's passionate staccato rampages. Others, like "Survival Song," are soft and light and lead with gentle humor into the lives of Native Peoples. In other selections, Salinas writes about the journey from sorrow to solace through the practice of ritual ceremonies or the universal appeal of love. The best of the collection is "Feel Good Song," a poem of short inspirational instructions that build on and repeat one another, spurring readers to wake from lassitude. The poems provide hope and vision for teens experiencing their own turbulent times.—Joy Murphy, Berkeley Public Library, CA

Adult/High School—When Schaffer's dying father telephoned him in California to invite him to take a baking class with him in New York, he was less than enthusiastic, but he accepted. This was the man who had abandoned him and his siblings to be raised by his clinically depressed "lunatic" mother. To Schaffer, his father was obnoxious, but to the other students, he was charismatic. Though the author still saw all that his father had not been to him, he began to see a more complete picture of the man as others saw him, and he realized that, in his own way, his father was asking for forgiveness. The book moves quickly; it is clever, funny, and poignant as Schaffer reveals some basic human truths that will resonate with teens. Juxtaposed with the story of the father/son relationship is the story of the baking school, including some specifics of bread making. Compare this raw relationship with the more mellow one in Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie (Doubleday, 1997).—Ellen Bell, Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton, CA

Adult/High School—This balanced, concise book is an excellent resource for social studies or debate class. Siddiqui explores the current political, religious, and secular aspects of being a member of the world's fastest-growing religion. He challenges Western assumptions about Islam and assigns blame to both the West and Islamic fundamentalists for fanning the flames of Islamophobia. Although he tackles stereotypes, the author is not a Muslim apologist-he describes the tenets of the religion in objective, non-proselytizing prose, acknowledging the need for reforms while explaining that most oppression of women results from traditional cultural practices rather than Islamic teachings. Siddiqui acknowledges the desperate living conditions many Muslims endure in the developing world, emphasizing the need to address these circumstances instead of offering them as a valid excuse for violence. He describes what post-9/11 life has been like for Muslims in the United States, in Europe, and in Muslim countries. Sidebars illustrate Islamic contributions to popular culture (e.g., Muslim stand-up comics and hip-hop artists), and the index, notes, bibliography, and illustrative charts are all useful. The author's tone is conversational and engaging, and frequent breaks in the text make this small book very readable.—Sondra VanderPloeg, Tracy Memorial Library, New London, NH