The Midnight Dress by Karen Foxlee

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The Midnight Dress

by Karen Foxlee

Don't be deceived by the title of this book, it is much more than a story about a girl and a dress!  Rose and her father have just run out of gas in a small coastal town.  Much to Rose's mounting disappointment, she must attend school.  What she doesn't predict is that she will make a friend.

Pearl seems perfect to Rose; she's beautiful, popular and a great friend.  As their friendship grows, the time of the Harvest Parade and dance grows near as well.  All the girls plan their dresses, hair and make-up months prior to the event.  A desperate Rose goes to see the town 'witch', Edie, to see if she can make the dress.

Together Rose and Edie do make a dress, a beautiful midnight blue dress.  Does the dress hold a special magic?  What will happen when Rose wears it?  The Midnight Dress is a story of friendship, family and love.  I would recommend this book for middle to high school students.

One of Us by Tawni O'Dell

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One of Us

by Tawni O'Dell

When Danny visits his home town of Lost Creek, he is just as lost as the name of his hometown implies.  He comes to check on his grandfather, who at 96, is in much better shape than his other family members.  His father has always been abusive and distant, and his mother has struggled with mental illness as long as he can remember.  When a local business man is found dead at the infamous town gallows, Danny is forced to confront his demons in both psychological and physical ways.  

Lost Creek is a mining town and is and always has been, controlled by the one family that owns the mine.  Danny is a small-town boy made good by becoming a successful psychologist and author.  Perhaps his experience in solving crimes can help solve the death at the gallows and the haunting events that lead to the gallows being built; the execution of several young men for defying the coal boss.

O'Dell deftly describes life in a coal mining town both at its peak and in its wane; you can almost feel the coal dust settle on the pages as you read.  The dichotomy between Danny's city life and the one he has left behind is almost a character in and of itself.  Each character is drawn out until you feel as if you have known them just as well as Danny has.

One of Us is as much a drama as it is a well-told thriller.  The pacing creates the feeling of living in a small town, without ever being too slow.  Flashbacks of the town in the crux of the mining boom help to add details to the town's complicated existence.  I would recommend On of Us to those who like an engaging story with meaty characters.  I'm almost jealous that you'll get the experience of reading this book for the first time!

Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson

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Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir)

by Jenny Lawson

Since reading Let's Pretend This Never Happened, I feel like I can now call Ms. Lawson, Jenny; I'm sure she feels the same way.  It's as if we've been friends for years, I mean if we haven't, why would she share all her business with me?  And I must say, I'm a good friend, I have broad shoulders to cry on - through the thick and the thin!

This memoir is both hilarious and heart-breaking.  Throughout all Jenny's escapades - a crazy-ass upbringing, her chance romantic encounter in a book store, the struggles of fertility and her battle with both physical and mental health - she tackles them all with wit and bravery.  I immediately thought of one of my other BFFs, Jimmy Buffet, whose words of wisdom ring true:  "if we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane."

Some highlights.  One of my favorite lines stems from an eternal debate that rages in the Haas house; is crap a curse word?  Well of course it is!  I mean, it's what I promptly yell when I stub my toe!  And would you say it to the Queen?  No, of course you wouldn't!  Anyway, Jenny has introduced me to my new favorite swear phrase - "crap on a crap cracker,"  now doesn't that just sum it all up?

Another favorite is that if you are gay and living in Texas, you own a gun armoire, not a gun cabinet!  This reminds me of the time that the Haases were vacationing with my gay Dad and realized that we had forgotten our son's special soap for his eczema.  My Dad announced that he had some French-milled soap!  What?!

But I think that what touched me the most was Jenny's honest and brutal description of her battle with anxiety and depression.  On the heels of the death of Robin Williams and having experienced some of the same blue spells, I can appreciate the vulnerability that it must have taken to share those moments with a bunch of folks that aren't her BFFs!

If you don't mind cursing (and I'm talking more than crap here!) you should most definitely read Let's Pretend This Never Happened!  You're going to want some post-it notes and make sure to have a box of tissues on the ready, and just maybe a box of wine!

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

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Steelheart

by Brandon Sanderson

Calamity has hit.  Calamity was an explosion in the sky that gave certain people special powers and turned them into Epics.  Epics rule the country without any trace of benevolence.  In Newcago, residents have it a little easier; they have food, electricity and jobs.  However, Newcago is controlled by Steelheart, a vicious High Epic who is protected by other powerful Epics under his rule.

David has been studying Epics ever since he witnessed his father being slayed by Steelheart.  His father had believed that there were Epics that were good and would stand against those who used their powers to intimidate and terrorize people.  David has witnessed one other thing:  he has seen Steelheart bleed.

David joins forces with a group of vigilantes called the Reckoners.  The Reckoners are dedicated to ridding the Fractured States of Epics.  But so far they have only managed to eliminate Epics that don't have much power.  How will they make a difference if they can't go up against the most powerful Epics?  Every Epic has a weakness.  It is up the David and the other Reckoners to find Steelheart's weakness and bring him to his knees.

Steelheart is a faced-paced thriller that combines human ingenuity with a well thought out fantasy world.  Many teens and adults alike will lose themselves in Sanderson's post apocalyptic Fractured States.  I highly recommend Steelheart to students in upper elementary school through high school.  And speaking for at least one adult, I can barely wait for book two of this series!

Words and Their Meanings by Kate Bassett

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Words and Their Meanings

by Kate Bassett

Anna is fractured.  She has lost her "bruncle", her uncle who has been raised by her parents as her brother.  Her parents have separated, her father's new girlfriend is having a baby, her baby sister has taken to hiding to deal with her pain, and she is slipping away from her best friend Nat.  When her Gramps gets sick, she loses all hope.

To deal with the death of her "bruncle" Joe, Anna has channeled Patti Smith; she has slashed her hair and dyed it black, she wears tattered clothing and she writes a daily Patti Smith quote on her arm for inspiration.   She believes that Joe's death is her fault and she does everything that she can to ward off the pain.

Then Anna meets Mateo.  He is handsome, exotic and all of the other girls are vying for his attention.  But for reasons that Anna doesn't comprehend, he picks her.  Anna used to consider herself a writer, and artist, but that all changes when she loses Joe.  Mateo is himself an artist.  Can Mateo help Anna connect to her art again?  Can he help heal a girl who is so fractured?  What secrets was Joe hiding?  

Words and Their Meanings is a cathartic story about the power of art, the hope of family and the gift of forgiveness.  I would recommend this book for high school libraries and could easily see pairing it with a collaborative project with the art department.

Warning:  I read the last 30 pages of this book through tears!!

The Great Trouble by Deborah Hopkinson

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The Great Trouble 

by Deborah Hopkinson

Eel is almost 13 and orphaned in London in 1854.  A bright boy, he has managed to fend for himself and even taken on a position that allows him room, board and clean water.  It's the clean water that allows Eel to live long enough to tell his story.

Part historical fiction, part memoir, The Great Trouble chronicles the real events of the Broad Street pump in 1854 when cholera breaks out.  Based on primary source documents, the story is told through Eel's perspective and we meet the historical figure, Dr. Snow, who was famous for dispelling the myth that cholera was spread through the air.

Eel and Dr. Snow work tirelessly and quickly to convince the people who use the Broad Street pump that cholera is actually spread through a virus in the water - even if you can't see it.  Hopkinson does a great job of putting the reader in the middle of the epidemic, almost smelling the Thames and hearing the moans of those who have been stricken with the disease.

I think this book will appeal to students who enjoy historical fiction or younger readers - 5th and 6th graders.  An easy read, The Great Trouble would make an excellent companion novel to classes studying the cholera outbreak of 1854 or European history.

Cop Town by Karin Slaughter

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Cop Town

by Karin Slaughter

The year is 1974, I would have been eight.  My childhood was experienced through the lens of my parents' hippie glasses!  I had no idea that such racism, sexism and misogyny existed anywhere in the 70s; but in Slaughter's Cop Town this is par for the course.

Kate is new to the Atlanta police force.  All rookies face a certain 'initiation', but for women it's more of a hazing.  She's green,she's beautiful and of course, she's troubled.  She's lost her husband in the Vietnam war, she's living on her own and trying to convince her family (and herself) that she's strong enough.  And, she has a secret.

Haunting the police force are a string of cop murders.  Every cop on the force is investigating who the 'Shooter' might be.  Problem is, it just might be the girls on the force who are the better detectives - even though women are not promoted to that role.

Full of grit and self determination, Cop Town is a hard-edged detective novel that shines a light on what it was like to be a woman on the job in a male-dominated Southern city.  The story is fast- paced and has just enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end as to 'who done it'.  This is most definitely an adult novel, as in my opinion, the sex is on the gratuitous side.  Kate is very likeable and Slaughter does a great job of letting us into the lives of her characters.  I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good crime drama!