The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man

The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man by Michael Chabon. Illustrated by Jake Parker.
Youth New Book Shelves – Lower Level - CHA

Awesome Man himself takes through a day in the life of… Awesome Man. He describes his costumes, his powers (the “Awesome Power Grip,” aka hugging), and his sidekick dog, Moscowitz. We see Awesome Man beating villains like Radioactive Jell-o from Outer Space and Dr. Von Evil. And then, alas, Awesome Man is beaten by his arch nemesis. He must flee to his secret fortress, a small patch of suburbia in an undersea bubble. After some deep reflection huddled on his bed, Awesome Man realizes that the problem is that he’s out of positrons. He needs to eat to regain his strength! But once on the job again, will he ever stop long enough to reveal his secret identity to the reader? The ending is undeniably sweet. The bright, smooth pictures have occasional retro-feeling dot fills, giving a hint of old-school comics. There are just enough details to let you discover new details in subsequent readings. This is ideal for superhero-obsessed preschoolers and early elementary kids, with just the right blend of action and innocence.

The Ruins of Gorlan

Ranger’s Apprentice. Book 1: The Ruins of Gorlan. By John Flanagan.
Print : Teen Zone Fiction – Main Level – FLANAGAN
CD book: Teen Zone CD Books – Main Level – FLANAGAN
EBook: Visit our Download Page

Will has grown up an orphan, raised in a group of foundlings sponsored by the Baron at Castle Redmont. Now all five of them are 15, and it is Choosing Day, time for them to be chosen as apprentices. Will is small and mischievous, but, believing that his father was a hero knight who died in the battle against the evil Morgarath, his dearest wish is to go to Battleschool and train to be a knight himself. All the other four foundlings are given their wishes, but Will is apprenticed to the Ranger Halt. Rangers are mysterious and much distrusted, even suspected of using black magic. Will is less than thrilled about this assignment, but as the alternative is field labor, he takes it. Of course the apprenticeship itself is lots of hard work, taking care of the menial tasks around the Ranger’s cabin as well as learning volumes of new things. He is learning things like tracking, how to stay hidden moving or holding still, how to use range weapons and to stay out of the line of battle if possible. The Rangers, it turns out, are spies of sort, spending their time in the wilds and small villages in and around the kingdom, keeping track both of political tides and the lay of the physical land. They are, in short, very cool, in a subtle way completely opposed to the flashy, bashy knights. Early on, Will’s story alternates with that of his rival from the castle, the big boy who made it to Battleschool. This boy is bullied very badly, and then takes it out on Will whenever they meet. In a plot turn that seemed inevitable from the beginning, events conspire to make these two the best of friends. Eventually he will proceed to help Halt and a former apprentice defeat some new monsters that Morgarath has sent forth in his latest bid for power.

The intense bullying subplot makes this book in my view inappropriate for younger readers, but it isn’t really any more violent than many other books for older elementary kids and teens, and there are a lot of very good points to this book. It’s got constant action paired with a strong and likeable main character. Even though Will and his friends are all Above Average and it’s a fantasy, the skills are all ones that exist and could be useful in our world – no simple wand-waving here. This series is aimed squarely at teen and perhaps pre-teen boys. Although most of the characters are boys, two of the five foundlings are girls, and they are given real, important careers as well, making it less gender-imbalanced than, say, Lord of the Rings. So far, there’s only the smallest hint of romance. There are ten books in this very popular series, making it perfect for teens who want to be able to immerse themselves in a series before picking a new one. This book is available in print, audio and ebook formats.

Taft 2012: A Novel

Taft 2012: A Novel
by Jason Heller Main Level New Book - Heller

First a quick fact check. In the real world, William Howard Taft lost the Presidency to Woodrow Wilson and left the White House in 1913. He taught at Yale law school until 1921, when he became the first former President to become a Justice on the Supreme Court. He served as Chief Justice from 1921 until shortly before his death in 1930.

In Jason Heller's fanciful Taft 2012: A Novel Taft inexplicably disappears from the White House lawn on the day of Wilson's inauguration and reappears in 2011, disrupting an Obama press conference and getting himself wounded by a secret serviceman. Once he recovers and has his identity scientifically verified Taft begins discovering what he missed during his century's absence. Entranced by all the new technology (How DO they get the cream inside these Twinkies?) but appalled at the state of the country, Taft lets himself get talked into an independent bid for the 2012 Presidential election alongside his Congresswoman great-granddaughter.

Heller intersperses his main text with "tweets" and "television commentary" from fans, enemies, and journalists that serve as commentary on the reaction to Taft's return and struggle with modern political lunacy. Given that we are now in the midst of that lunacy, this entertaining reminder that things weren't always this way provides some much-needed perspective.

The Rope

The Rope  by Nevada Barr

Adult New Book - Mystery Barr

Fans of Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon series, rejoice! After the last couple of misses, Barr is back in top form. The Rope has the elements that make the Anna Pigeon series so special -- it features the dual lead characters of nature and a strong woman who appreciates it.
This book is a prequel to the series featuring National Park Service Ranger Anna Pigeon. We learn about her life before she was a Ranger and how her first foray into nature lead her to become one.


In an effort to move on after the loss of her husband, Zach, city girl Anna leaves New York City behind and takes a seasonal job at the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. One day she goes for a hike and doesn’t return. Her coworkers assume the job was too much for her and she simply packed up and left. Anna, however, finds herself trapped in the bottom of a solution hole, naked, and with no idea how she got there. And with no idea how to get out.


The suspense is constant in The Rope. I am normally a slow reader but I had to force myself to put this book down each night. As always, Barr interweaves glowing descriptions of the park with dark tales of humanity. You feel as if you are with her, on a very beautiful, very scary vacation.

Envy

Envy by Sandra Brown
Adult Fiction- Main Level– BROWN

Maris Matherly-Reed is the daughter of Daniel Matherly, the head of Matherly Press. She is also the wife of Noah Reed, second in command at Matherly Press. Maris is a well respected old fashioned editor, she still believes in going through the unsolicited manuscripts that get sent her way. She is immediately intrigued by the prologue to a book titled Envy and wants more. She takes the time to track down the author, who only sent in his initials (PME) with the manuscript. What Maris does not know is that the author has some unfinished business with Noah and will do anything to settle the score regardless of who gets hurt in the process. What the mysterious author did not count on was falling in love with Maris. Maris unravels the true story about Noah and PME. Will PME have his revenge and get the girl?

A Pair for the Queen

A Pair for the Queen by Barbara Comfort
Adult Mysteries-Main Level - COMFORT


Feisty seventy-seven year old Tish McWhinny tries to live a quiet life with her niece Sophie in the town of Lofton, Vermont in B. Comfort’s A Pair for the Queen. Tish’s serene existence is rattled when her friend Hilary Oats asks Tish for a personal favor. Hilary’s blunderer nephew Bruce is hoping to sell dog themed art at an upcoming dog show and hopes that Tish will create an original painting and try to pass it off as an older, more prestigious piece of work. Tish is hesitant to create a forgery but instead restores an older painting from a junk shop. The painting is a hit but the ruse is in danger of unraveling when the signature “Landseer” appears after Bruce cleans the painting’s corner at the show. Events take a turn for the worse when Bruce is soon found murdered and the painting is stolen. The book does offer up one too many red herrings such as Bruce’s former wife and her new husband, Bruce’s daughter, a city couple looking to manage the general store, and Sophie’s new boyfriend just to name a few. The relationship between the central characters, however, elevates the plot and makes the book a mystery well worth uncovering.