Patterson, Valerie. Operation Oleander.

Patterson, Valerie.  Operation Oleander.  Houghton Mifflin/Clarion      2013  187p  ISBN 978-0-547-24437-2  ms/hs  Hardback  E-BN  Realistic fiction

This is a heart-wrenching novel that explores altruistic motives that have unexpected outcomes, grief, friendship, and the difficulties of those who wait on the home front when their relatives are on active duty in war zones.  The motif of flowers, both day lilies planted stateside and the oleander that is at once beautiful but poisonous, provides a visual as well as metaphorical look at the life of an army family.  Jess starts Operation Oleander to help orphans of the Afghanistan War.  She and her best friend have parents serving in Kabul, and they thought this would be a beneficial effort that would bring them together even though they are apart.  When a bomb detonates outside the orphanage, Jess’s father is seriously injured.  Merriweather’s mother dies.  The emotions on the home front include guilt and anger, directed at not just each other, but also at antiwar protesters who attend the funeral of Merriweather’s mother.  Readers will get an inside look at life on an army base, the fiercely protective community that stands by its comrades, and the emotional roller coaster traveled by these families.  The writing style flows along with wonderfully descriptive elements about nature, faith, and family.  This is a first choice for letting civilian readers into the mindset of military families.  It is strongly recommended for libraries that serve military families or for those students wondering what life is like for children and relatives of active-duty military personnel serving in war zones.

Summary: Jess and her friends have started a charity to help orphans in Kabul. When two of their parents are injured/killed due to a bomb planted at the orphanage, Jess has to deal with backlash against their project, concern for her dad, and her best friend’s loss. Gr 7-12.

     

Afghanistan War-Fiction, Military families-Fiction                --Lois McNicol

Johnson, Hal. Immortal Lycanthropes.

Johnson, Hal.  Immortal Lycanthropes.  Houghton Mifflin/Clarion  2012  292p  $16.99 978-0-547-75196-2       Fantasy     VG-BN   

Under-sized thirteen-year-old Myron Horowitz is a boy with an unfortunate name and an even more unfortunate face, which was marred in an accident he cannot remember and which makes him a target for the local bully, but as it turns out, being bullied by larger children is the least of his worries.  After an incident at school, Myron is pursued by violent strangers, rescued by other strangers who tell him that he is an immortal lycanthrope, and then lost by his rescuers before they can determine what form he takes when he is not looking like a human.  With only the faintest clue about what he’s getting into, Myron begins a quest to discover who and what he is. His quest takes him from Pennsylvania to Canada, and all over the North American continent, in the company of others of his kind, some of whom are friendly, while others are hostile, and few are what they seem to be.  From these fellow immortals he learns more about their kind and some useful skills, including wilderness survival, grifting, and dealing with ancient secret societies like the Illuminati and the Rosicrucians.  The story is narrated by a fellow immortal lycanthrope whose other form is a binturong and who cannot resist inserting his own opinions, which he thinks are very clever.  The narrator’s style is reminiscent of Kipling, but his wit is much more vicious, and while both his style and his wit could easily become tiresome, author Hal Johnson has enough sense not to overuse them.  The narrative style will appeal a great deal to teenage readers, and probably make up for the fact that none of the characters is particularly likable, not even Myron.       

Shapeshifting–Fiction, Supernatural–Fiction, Disfigured persons-Fiction                                                       --Bethany Geleskie

Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw. The Horse and the Plains Indians.

Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw.  The Horse and the Plains Indians.  Houghton Mifflin/Clarion     2012  98p   $17.99  978-0-547-12551-0  ms  Nonfiction  E-BN

America’s seminal vision of the Plains Indians always includes a horse.  However, before the Spanish came to this continent, there were none.  The horse became part of the great mystique of the Conquistadors and helped subdue the native tribes throughout Mexico and the Southwest.  When the Indians of the Plains tribes discovered how to catch and train wild horses, their lifestyles changed enormously. The book clearly explains how horses gave the Indians greatly increased hunting and raiding power and more freedom to expand their ranges.  When this new activity brought them into direct competition with white settlers, the Army forced them onto reservations and took away their horses.  Patent and Munoz have produced a wonderful book filled with lively, informative text and outstanding full-color and black-and-white photographs and period illustrations that demonstrate how strong the influence of the horse became in the lifestyles and cultures of the Plains Indians.  This beautiful book follows the path of the tribes into the present day and shows how important the horse still is in their daily lives.  The book begins with an author’s note that explains how improvements in the camera led to important photographic records of Plains culture, and it ends with a bibliography and an index.          

Indians of North America-Horses                       --Susan Ogintz

Freedman, Russell. Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

Freedman, Russell.  Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.  Houghton Mifflin/Clarion     119p  $18.99  978-0-547-38562-4      2012  ms/hs   E-BN  History

Despite the enormously different backgrounds of the two men, the similarities between the lives of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass are striking: both rose from extreme poverty, were self-educated, and had the same hatred of that “peculiar institution” of slavery.  Douglass, a former slave who became a greatly respected orator and defender of the African-American population, and Lincoln, a poor farm boy and self-taught lawyer who rose to the position of President of the United States, forged a relationship that would serve both well during the cataclysm of the Civil War.  The book begins with Douglass waiting to see Lincoln in the White House and segues back to a description of his difficult life as a slave and his arduous journey to freedom.  The focus returns to Lincoln and discusses his hardships and struggles to advance himself in life.  The narrative moves to the political and social mores of the country and the continuing problems with slavery between the Republicans and Democrats in Congress and the country as a whole.  Douglass was intent on freeing all the slaves while Lincoln concentrated on keeping the Union intact.  Together, they would both succeed in their aims.

Freedman provides a well-balanced and descriptive treatment of the lives of two of the foremost men of their times.  Writing with clarity and thoughtfulness, he allows the readers a view of both the men and the country at the time.  This historical chronicle is enhanced by period illustrations and photographs, chapter notes, a selected bibliography, a selection from The Columbian Orator (a book they both read), a list of historic sites, and an index.

Lincoln, Abraham–Biography, Douglass, Frederick–Biography, Slavery–History                                                                --Susan Ogintz

Lipsyte, Robert. The Twinning Project.

Lipsyte, Robert.  The Twinning Project.  Houghton Mifflin/Clarion  269p  $16.99  978-0-547-64571-1    2012  ms   VG      Science Fiction  

This book will entertain young readers because of its creative plot,  relatable characters, and unique conflicts.  Aliens threaten two earths which they, themselves, created, and now hope to destroy because earthlings have seriously messed things up.  The story is never developed from the alien point of view.  Instead, it develops the relationship between the twins, Tom and Eddie, who have lived separately on two earths that are fifty years apart on the time continuum.  The twins don’t know each other but have odd communications with each other, which combine to give this book a “Wow!  This is creative!” factor that will engage young readers.  The twin who resides on the contemporary earth, Tom, is a misfit who is always in trouble.  Eddie, the twin who lives on an earth of fifty years ago, EarthTwo, is the goody-goody one who is a jock and an all-around nice guy.  In a Prince-and-the-Pauper-type switch, they must try to combat the enemy from their new vantage points.  Their missing father is almost certainly alive, and the author ends the book in a way that guarantees a sequel will follow.  The most interesting aspect of the book lies in the way that both twins try to fit into their new surroundings and in the friendships that blossom after the change.  There are no alien/earthling battles, a plot deficiency that  may disappoint young readers who like lots of action.  Yet the plot is very interesting, which makes this book entertaining nevertheless.  The supporting characters shine: Alessa, Britzky, psychologist Dr. Traum, Merlyn, and Grandpa.  They are perfect additions, and accomplished author Robert Lipsyte characterizes each one with ease.  Lipsyte combines his natural narrative writing style with a comedic flair that is guaranteed to bring many young readers into his fan club.         

Parallel universes–Fiction                            --Martha Squaresky

Reef, Catherine. The Bronte Sisters.

Reef, Catherine.  The Bronte Sisters.    Houghton Mifflin/Clarion      230p $18.99 978-0-547-57966-5 2012 hs    VG -BN      Biography        

This collective biography about the Bronte family will appeal only to those students who are already obsessed with their famous novels.  Reef uses correspondence, journals, and writings of their friends and associates to describe the often dreary lives led by the three sisters and their ill-fated brother Branwell.  At times the narrative seems to drag a bit, with little glimpses into the social lives of the sisters, but that may be because Reef is careful to include every little scrap of information about their social lives in order to paint a thorough picture.

One of the major strengths of this book is its portrayal of the limited role that educated young women were able to play in the Britain of the early nineteenth century.  The only viable option open to those who were single was to serve as governesses or teachers, and these were professions that none of the Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Ann, enjoyed at all.  The glimmer of a new feminist consciousness and the beginnings of the progressive movement are also discussed at various points in the book.  Thus the lives and works of the three sisters are placed in the context of the social movements and intellectual concerns of the day.

Bronte sisters-Biography                                    --Carol Kennedy