Benoit, Charles. Snow Job.

Benoit, Charles.  Snow Job.   Houghton Mifflin/Clarion  2016  274p  $17.99  ISBN 978-0-544-31886-1  hs  Conflict  VG   

Nick is an honest, law-abiding teen whose vices are alcohol and possibly girls. Set in the winter of 1977-1978 in upstate New York, Snow Job features Nick working at the local Quick Mart doing all sorts of menial tasks. He has testified about a stabbing he witnessed by a local drug dealer a few years before, and now the drug dealer has returned from jail.  Nick wants to become more than his current lifestyle would suggest. He has an eight-word motto: “Stand Out, Stand Up, Stand By, Stand Fast”. This motto inspires him to change his clothing style, stop thefts from the Quick Mart, stand by those he believes in, and vow never to falter in his mission to change. He tries to stay away from parties but gets caught up in being a runner for a drug kingpin. Nick’s flings with two girls influence his decisions as well, and he has his ups and downs in his mission to improve himself. Drug and alcohol scenes and violence are featured, but not graphically nor horribly violently.  The ending has an unexpected twist concerning a girl involved with the drug culture, whose actions make Nick fear for his life. Snow Job is a  cerebral journey about what it takes to change yourself when your environment doesn’t change and where an indifferent, dysfunctional family doesn’t support change. It is for mature readers.   

Summary: Nick, a senior, wants to change his ways and become something other than a “banger” dude. Set in the 1970s, this novel about life choices, drugs, and growing up is a cerebral journey with a thriller edge. Grades 10-12.  

Drug culture-Fiction                                  --Lois McNicol

Cold Calls.

Benoit, Charles.  Cold Calls.  Houghton Mifflin/Clarion     2014  278p  $17.99  ISBN 978-0-547-23950-4      hs      Mystery/Detective  VG-BN     

Eric, Shelly, and Fatima all have secrets.  But they don’t share the same secret, even though they are all being blackmailed into bullying specifically targeted schoolmates by a mysterious caller who holds these secrets over their heads.  The three meet while on suspension from school and attend the same bullying intervention program.  They team up to discover the anonymous caller who threatens them before their personal pasts are exposed.

Part thriller and part mystery, Cold Calls explores the issues of bullying, privacy, and responsibility.  The emphasis is placed on trying to figure out who the blackmailer is, rather than on the acts that the blackmailer demands.  But each of the characters has a destructive secret which until now they had successfully kept under wraps.  Readers will be fascinated by “good” students who are pressured into role reversals to act as bullies in order to protect their secrets. 

Topical and up-to-the-moment, the team uses plausible resources to track their antagonist, while stringing the reader along without a quick reveal.  Fast-paced and engaging, the novel is open-ended enough to warrant a sequel.            

Summary: While on suspension, Shelly, Eric, and Fatima, who have nothing else in common, try to identify and stop the person who blackmailed each of them by phone to perform very specific acts of bullying at their high schools. “I know your secret.”

Bullying-Fiction, School-Fiction                            --Hilary Welliver

The Supreme Court

Benoit, Peter.  The Supreme Court.  Scholastic Press  2014  64p  $22.50  ISBN 978-0-531-21332-2  ms/hs  series: Cornerstones of Freedom  Nonfiction  VG-BN

This book explains how the Supreme Court was established, its power, and important cases from the past that still impact Americans today, and many of the cases relating to civil rights and schools.  A first source to learn about the scope of the Supreme Court. Gr 4+

Written in easily understood terms, this book shows readers how the United States Supreme Court was conceived and established, how justices are appointed, what powers it has, and how its decisions have impacted daily life.  The focus on school-related cases will resonate with readers who are students themselves.  Various civil-rights cases are covered to show the impact of the court on daily lives.  Colorful photos dot the text, as do text boxes of pertinent information.  Mini-biographies, a timeline, lists of resources for further reading, a glossary of highlighted terms, and an index complete this book.            

Cornerstones of Freedom has added four new titles that explore events, institutions and people who have had a major impact on American history.  They are colorfully illustrated, easy-to-read texts, and each includes mini-biographies, timelines, lists for further reading, a glossary and an index. Gr 4-10.     

Supreme Court                                         --Lois McNicol

Benoit, Peter. Attack on Pearl Harbor.

Benoit, Peter.  Attack on Pearl Harbor.   Scholastic/Childrens Press   2013  64p $16.99  ISBN 978-0-531-23601-7  elm/ms  series: Cornerstones of Freedom  E-BNe   

The violent attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor, Hawa’ii, on the morning of December, 7, 1941, shocked America and was the reason it decided to finally enter World War II.  The point of the attack was to cripple the United States and possibly get it out the way.  The United States used Pearl Harbor as the home base for the U.S. Navy.  The attack on Pearl Harbor woke up the sleeping giant that would finally enter the war and show a force unlike any the world had ever seen.

Through this book the reader explores the reasons for the war and how it was handled.  There are spotlights and highlights on the many players of this era and how their decisions affected the war’s outcome.  The pictures provide a graphic retelling of the events as they developed, and the map shows the movement of the war in the Asian side of the continent.  There are also links to videos on primary sources that will help readers explore that time in American history.  The book also includes living history links, a list of resources, a glossary, and an index.

Pearl Harbor, World War II                                        --Magna Diaz

Benoit, Peter. The Titanic.

Benoit, Peter.  The Titanic.  Scholastic/Childrens Press    2013 64p  $30.00  ISBN 978-0-531-23607-9      ms   series: Cornerstones of Freedom  E-BNS     

This title is part of a series that describes some of the most dramatic and defining moments in history.  It offers a look at the sinking of the great ship Titanic.  Beginning with a discussion of the race between the rival shipping companies Cunard and White Star to be the biggest at the turn of the twentieth century, the author goes into great detail about the actual construction of the Titanic, the work of the Irish shipbuilding company that designed and built her, the ship’s impact with the iceberg, and the appalling loss of life due to the lack of proper safety measures.  There is also a compelling description of the problems with the radio communications between vessels and the lack of communication between radio officers and the ship’s captain.

The book is written in a clear, concise manner and is enhanced by primary source information and black-and-white photographs and period illustrations.  There are interesting and informative tidbits found in sidebars in each chapter that present additional information on relevant topics.  The book is library-bound and ends with a list of influential individuals, a time line, a living history link to primary sources, a glossary, a bibliography of books and web sites, and an index.  This will be a excellent source for reports requiring more than just basic information.

This title is part of an ever-growing series that discusses dramatic and defining moments in history.  Primary source material, crisp photographs of people and events, and timelines provide the student researcher with an overview of the topic. Gr 4-8.   

Titanic                                                           --Susan Ogintz