Reef, Catherine Florence Nightingale.

Reef, Catherine   Florence Nightingale.   Houghton Mifflin/Clarion      2017  184p  $18.99      Hardback  ISBN 978-0-544-53580-0       ms/hs  Biography      E-BN      

Reef’s biography of Florence Nightingale is of the quality of a Russell Freedman nonfiction work. Her engaging prose tells the story of Nightingale’s struggle with the lack of support from her immediate family and her defiance of her expected societal role. Her determination to improve nursing and the care of patients led to the establishment of nursing schools and the beginnings of the modern profession. Her work led to a reduction in mortality rates for the British army during the Crimean War. Nightingale’s personality was complex -- she demanded total compliance from her underlings, while her compassion for the suffering soldiers drove her to improve the care they received. The book contains a number of illustrations that help bring the story to life. This book is a must-have for middle- and high-school collections.      It is highly recommended.

Summary: This biography recounts the determination of Florence Nightingale to completely restructure the field of nursing.

Nursing                                               --Stephanie Pennucci

Wiesner, David, and Donna Jo Napoli. Fish Girl.

Wiesner, David, and Donna Jo Napoli.  Fish Girl. Houghton Mifflin/Clarion     2017  186p  $17.99  Paperback  ISBN 978-0-547-48393-1  elem/ms  Graphic novel     E-BN 

In a seaside attraction with a multilevel aquarium there lives a mermaid. Her best friend is an octopus.  She is the star attraction, but she has been taught to let the audience get only quick glimpses of her. The man who runs the attraction calls himself Neptune.  He tells the story that he is the god of the sea and makes waves and lightning with his trident.
 

The mermaid disobeys him and meets a human girl, who visits often.  To try to see what is really going on, the mermaid climbs out of her tank and discovers she has legs when her tail is dry.  During a very heavy storm she escapes the aquarium and frees all the other fish who were also trapped there.  On the beach amid the destruction caused by the storm, she finds her friend and goes off with her family.
  

The illustrations are luscious, using vibrant color with a great amount of detail. The mermaid is very tactfully drawn, hidden behind various sea creatures or plants, or wearing a dress. The words are minimal, with the thoughts of the mermaid shown in blocks rather than bubbles.  The story line follows the background story of mermaids.  Readers will love it.  This will be an excellent purchase for upper-elementary and middle-school students.

Summary: Fish Girl tells the story of a mermaid.  She is on display at a seaside attraction cared for by a man who calls himself Neptune.  She meets a human girl and wishes to be human, too. Grade 5-8.   

Mermaids-Fiction                                            --Joan Theal

Saenz, Benjamin Alire. The Inexplicable Logic of My Life.

Saenz, Benjamin Alire. The Inexplicable Logic of My Life. Houghton Mifflin/Clarion  2017  445p  $17.99  ISBN 978-0-544-58650-5  ms/hs    Realistic Fiction  E-BN

What can Benjamin Alire Saenz say that hasn’t already been said about friendship and family relationships?  In his new novel, he explores the joys and pain of growing up, accepting oneself for all of one's flaws and foibles, accepting others, and dealing with the pain of loss.  How does one do all of this in a short, 400-plus page novel?  Saenz makes it look easy with his realistic dialogue and dialect.  He engages the reader by creating characters who are just kids dealing with all of the muck that life doles out.  He says a lot, and in a refreshingly contemporary way.  Through his protagonist, Sally, AKA Salvador, Saenz shows us a teenager’s conflicted thoughts about a plethora of issues.  Saenz’s philosophical lessons on life fit right into the flow of the text and are not forced down the throats of teen readers.  Furthermore, he encourages his readers to pause to look at their own lives to see what is truly important. 

Sally and his best friend, Samantha, spend nearly every waking moment together.  They talk, they text and they laugh.  When Samantha’s mother is killed in a car accident, Sally’s dad, Vicente, takes Samantha in, and the family becomes Dad plus two now.  Having lost his own mother at a young age (he is adopted), Salvador knows Samantha's pain, or does he?  He has felt a father’s love forever, and his struggles have been within himself.  His self-examination involves finding out why he enjoys throwing a punch at those who “dis” his dad for being gay.  His emotional growth also involves accepting the death of his grandmother, for a huge part of this book lies in the pain of loss.  When Sally’s friend Fito is thrown out of his home, the family of three now becomes a family of four with all of its beauty and angst.  All the while, Sal is looking at those around him and thinking.  As if that weren’t enough, his father’s ex returns to town, fully ready to accept the responsibility of a relationship.  In the resolution, Saenz does not "do the corny" by having Sal and Samantha come together.  Readers who love it when the protagonists come together romantically will instead fall into the reality web that Saenz has spun for them and will not be disappointed.

Summary: Salvador and Samantha are best friends who practice a unique honesty and sarcastic wit that is engaging and entertaining.  The death of a family member knocks at the door of both teens, and they learn the value of family, friendship, loving relationships and acceptance.                       

Friendship-Fiction                                                --Martha Squaresky

Wiesner, David, and Donna Jo Napoli. Fish Girl.

Wiesner, David, and Donna Jo Napoli.  Fish Girl.  Houghton Mifflin/Clarion  2017    186p  $17.99  ISBN 978-0-547-48393-1      elem/ms     Fantasy  E-BN    

In a seaside attraction with a multilevel aquarium there lives a mermaid whose best friend is an octopus.  She is the star attraction, but she has been taught to let the audience only get quick glimpses of her.  The man who runs the attraction calls himself Neptune.  He tells the story that he is the god of the sea and makes waves and lightning with his trident.

The mermaid disobeys her boss and meets a human girl who visits often.  To try to see what is really going on, the mermaid climbs out of her tank and discovers she has legs when her tail is dry.  During a very heavy storm she escapes the aquarium and frees all the other fish who were also trapped there.
 

On the beach amid the destruction caused by the storm, she finds her friend and goes off with her family.
  

The illustrations are luscious, featuring vibrant color with a great amount of detail. The mermaid is very tactfully drawn, hidden behind various sea creatures or plants, or wearing a dress. The words are limited, with the thoughts of the mermaid shown in blocks rather than bubbles.  The story line follows the background story of mermaids.  Readers will love it.              

Summary: This graphic novel tells the story of a mermaid.  She is on display at a seaside attraction cared for by a man who calls himself Neptune.  She meets a human girl and wishes to be human, too. Grade 5-8.

Mermaids-Fiction                                                  --Joan Theal

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