Anderson, M.T. Landscape With Invisible Hand.

Anderson, M.T. Landscape With Invisible Hand. Candlewick Press    2017 149p $16.99   ISBN 978-0-7636-8789-2  hs  Science Fiction  E     

Adam Costello has come up with a plan to survive the alien invasion.  The vuvv, an advanced, uber-capitalistic civilization that has landed on Earth, has allied itself with Earth’s wealthiest citizens, who live in luscious and luxurious sky homes. Meanwhile, back on the ground, technology and automation have created a planet where jobs are scarce, diseases run rampant, and the environment has been severely compromised. 

When Adam’s father runs away, his mother, unable to find work, rents part of their home to boarders, and thus begins the romance between teens Adam and Chloe.  The vuvv has a weakness for old-school American art, customs, and culture, including 1950’s TV. Adam and Chloe become reality TV stars by allowing the vuvv to watch their relationship 24/7,  a relationship based on '50’s-style customs and dating.  Adam and Chloe are a huge financial hit, but they grow to hate one another, and are sued for breach of contract and fraud. 

Adam’s next plan involves his art. He is extraordinarily talented, and he enters a contest that could bring him fame and fortune, or at least a bit of financial security.  But, while the vuvv adore his landscapes of a long-ago Earth, he prefers his works that realistically portray the actual hideousness of his world.  Should he be true to his art, or to the vuvv?

M. T. Anderson is the master of satire involving technology, automation, and those left behind. His humor is wry and his hero is the perfect foil for this cautionary tale, which will result in both laughter and reflection.   

Short science-fiction books are hard to come by. Yet, despite its brevity, this novel requires of the reader a certain level of sophistication and appreciation of satire in order to be enjoyed.      

Summary: In the future, an alien race, the vuvv, colonizes Earth, promising an end to drudgery and disease. Yet for Adam Costello and most humans, the reality brings sickness, joblessness, and poverty.        

Aliens-Fiction                                     --Lisa Teixeira

Bartok, Mira. Wonderling.

Bartok, Mira. Wonderling. Candlewick Press    2017 450p $21.99   ISBN 978-0-7636-9121-9    ms/hs     Fantasy  VG-BN      

Number 13 is a groundling, part human, part animal, and an inhabitant of Miss Carbunkle’s Home for Wayward and Misbegotten Creatures, an orphanage that houses those who have nowhere else to live. The groundlings are forced to work in the classroom learning only what suits Miss Carbunkle, and then in the factory, making widgets for hours.  It is not until the fox-like Number 13 saves a newcomer, a bird named Trinket, that he gets what he desperately lacks, a friend and a name of his own. Now known as Arthur, he and Trinket manage to escape into the wider world and search for Arthur’s true gift, that of family and song. This book is a combination of the travails of David Copperfield and a tale of magic. It is an engaging suspenseful, well-written fantasy with excellent characterizations and a well-paced plot.  This solidly written fantasy will hold the reader's attention from beginning to end.
 
This solidly written fantasy will hold the reader's attention from beginning to end.

Summary: Number 13 is a groundling, part human, part animal, and an inhabitant of Miss Carbunkle’s Home for Wayward and Misbegotten Creatures, an orphanage that houses those poor beings who have nowhere else to live.  This book is a combination of David Copperfield and a tale of magic.

Orphans-Fiction                                                                                             --Susan Ogintz

Brown, James. A World of Information.

Brown, James. A World of Information. Candlewick Press   2017  63p $25.00  ISBN 978-0-7636-9348-0  all ages     Nonfiction  VG-BN        

This is an oversized collection of useful facts and trivia.  Each of thirty double-paged spreads presents a specific topic, including the anatomy of a bicycle, different types of knots, polygons, the Fibonacci Sequence, and musical notations, and the standardizations of paper sizes.  Each section is displayed in a monochromatic color scheme, with eye-catching graphics and photographs and fascinating facts.  The excellent page layout and choices of typefaces and colors enhance the offered information.  While the book presents, by necessity, a cursory overview of fascinating information, it is sure to whet the interest of its readers for more material. Highly recommended for all libraries.   

Information                                        --Susan Ogintz

Capetta, Amy Rose. Echo After Echo.

Capetta, Amy Rose. Echo After Echo. Candlewick Press     2017 421p $17.99  ISBN 978-0-7636-9164-6  hs/adult  Mysery/Suspense  E-BN         

Zara knows she is meant to be on stage. In her senior year of high school, she lands the leading role of Echo in the off-Broadway Greek tragedy Echo and Ariston. The writing is exquisitely filled with imagery of the theater, from the soft folds and smell of the curtain to the cluttered prop storage rooms, from the sparse costume design rooms to the dark spaces in the catwalks. Her first trip inside the theater finds her with a dead body on her hands and the curse of the Aurelia seems to be coming to life -- three deaths will occur before opening night. The lecherous director intimidates her, and the lead actor, a famous teen star portraying Ariston, is himself a puzzle. She finds herself falling in love, not with Ariston, but with Eli, the lighting director. Her confidence soon fades as she wonders if she is in over her head, with her life possibly in danger. The taut suspense waiting for the next death and the clues to the identity of the real killer will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very last few pages. For any fan of theater, this book will have special appeal. Relationships among the actors and those behind the scenes complicate both the love story and the mystery.  For any mystery or theater lover, this is a must read. Riveting reading.   

A must-purchase for high-school libraries, especially where theater has a strong presence. For mystery lovers, the twists and turns will surprise even the most veteran sleuth of a reader.  

Summary: Zara lands a leading part in an off-Broadway Greek tragedy and her confidence diminishes under the tutelage of a harsh lecher of a director. The curse of the Aurelia Theater comes to life as people die. Outstanding imagery, taut suspense. Gr 9+

Romance-Fiction, Theater-Fiction                   --Lois McNicol

Gourley, Catherine, ed. Journeys: Young Readers’ Letters to Authors Who Changed Their Lives.

Gourley, Catherine, ed.   Journeys: Young Readers’ Letters to Authors Who Changed Their Lives.     Candlewick Press  2017    226p $9.99     ISBN 978-0-7636-9578-1    ms/hs  Letters  E-BN         

This fabulous book is a compilation of letters written by elementary, middle,and high-school students to authors, both living and deceased. The letters express the ways in which these individual authors’ books touched the students in a profound personal manner.
    

The book is divided into three parts: elementary, middle, and high-school literature and letters. The three parts are then further separated into chapters that each relate to one primary literary theme. Each letter is prefaced by a quotation by the author of the book being addressed in the letter, a brief description of the author’s intent in writing the book, and a brief summary. Each letter expresses the ways in which the student was profoundly affected by the book and the difference the book made in his or her life. The organization is consistent and effective. All genres of fiction are represented, as well as nonfiction literature including poetry and graphic nonfiction.
    

This book is appropriate for readers ten years of age and above, and it will appeal to readers for various reasons. It is truly an inspiration for those who love reading, as well as for reluctant readers. It is also recommended for teaching professionals and could definitely be used in lessons as a mentor text.  It is highly recommended as a basic book for all libraries to own.   

Literature, Letters                           --Virginia McGarvey