Mistwalker.

Mitchell, Saundra.  Mistwalker.  Houghton Mifflin/Harcourt Brace  2014  310p  $16.99  ISBN 978-0-547-85315-4      hs  Fantasy  VG-BN   

Slow-paced and meandering as fog and mist, Mitchell’s novel examines the aftermath of grief through a New England folk tale about Willa, who is grief- and guilt-stricken by her brother’s recent death, and Grey, a spirit condemned to live in an abandoned lighthouse until he collects one thousand souls.   When a romance develops between Willa and Grey, she is tempted to take Grey’s place and break the curse on him, believing that her absence will have little impact on her family or friends.

Grey has tried to retain the shreds of his humanity that still exist.  He wants to be free of the curse that compels him to stay with the lighthouse, but despite his ability to call fog or dangerous weather, he states: “I’ve been a good steward for this town; better than most.  I’ve been honorable.  They’ve had a hundred years of my generosity, holding back the fog.  So many good days for them. So many clear days. I’ve been patient. In all this time, I could have blinded hundreds of fisherman. Led them astray, helped their pretty little boats crash into rocks, hidden coming storms.” 

Still, Grey is collecting souls.  He keeps them in containers, and the souls are unable to complete their journey to the next plane of existence or find rest.  Willa is unaware that Grey holds her brother’s soul captive.

Mitchell does a great job of creating an authentic setting.  The small Maine fishing town rings true, especially the relationships and feuds that the long-time families share.  These are tough, resilient folk, unafraid of hard work and harsh realities.  These relationships and characters ring true, too. As with Brigadoon, readers will find themselves walking out of the mist and into the lives of this isolated village, and their thoughts may return to this haunting tale long after they have closed the covers.

Summary: Willa discovers that the legendary spirit of the lighthouse is actually a young man trapped inside it until he collects 1,000 souls.  Should Willa sacrifice herself to free him?
           

Ghost stories, Spells-Fiction                         --Hilary Welliver

Freedom Summer Murders.

Mitchell, Don.  Freedom Summer Murders.  Scholastic Press  2014  250p  $18.99  ISBN 978-0-545-47725-3  hs/adult  History  VG-BN

“When historians weigh the sixth decade of the twentieth century in the United States, they will call this murder one of the revealing acts of the decade.  it was a planned, deliberate murder to try to prevent racial change; and it was committed by men who called themselves Christians and thought they were doing right.”  -- William Bradford Huie

It would be very difficult to present a completely unbiased version of the events that took place in Mississippi in the summer of 1964.  To offer an unvarnished presentation of the events, it is not possible to avoid descriptions of racism, violence, and bigotry.  The sensational murders of three young men, all civil-rights workers struggling to get blacks registered to vote, by the Ku Klux Klan, and the resulting cover-up by local authorities, are tragedies.  Don Mitchell’s writing reveals careful research and helps readers to see the victims as people, rather than footnotes in history.  The inclusion of archival photographs and commentary of family members further supports the text’s authenticity.

Having comprehensively chronicled a dark page in American history, Mitchell leaves the reader with a message of hope.  He reminds readers that even if the wheels of justice move slowly, they move inexorably towards truth.

Summary: Mitchell reviews the brutal murders of three men killed by the Ku Klux Klan in June 1964.     

Civil Rights Movement, Racial violence                --Hilary Welliver

Mitchell, Saundra The Springsweet

Mitchell, Saundra       The Springsweet   Houghton Mifflin/ Harcourt Brace 278p     $16.99      978-0-547-60842-6 `ms/hs      E-BN  Historical Fiction     

After the death of her fiancé, Zora Stewart goes west to Oklahoma from colonial Baltimore to help her aunt keep her homestead going after the death of her husband.  Along the way, the stagecoach is held up and she is left on the road while the driver makes an escape.  During her walk to town she is picked up by a Mr. Emerson Birch and delivered to her aunt’s homestead.

An admirer named Theo de la Croix follows her from Baltimore to West Glory. There, he becomes a schoolteacher and tries to court Zora.  However, Zora seems to have formed an attachment to Emerson.  Added to the conflict is Zora’s Aunt Birdie’s preference for one of the suitors over the other.

Aunt Birdie’s homestead is very poor.  Zora tries to earn money through her gift for finding water on settlers' land.  This ability also leads to some excitement.

This novel deals with supernatural events, love, frontier and pioneer life, and Oklahoma in the 19th century.  It will make an excellent addition to any library seeking literature on the westward expansion.

Oklahoma-Fiction, Westward Expansion-Fiction, Historical fiction, Supernatural-Fiction                -- Linda McNeil

Mitchell, Sandra. The Vespertine.

Mitchell, Sandra. The Vespertine.   Harcourt Brace/Houghton Mifflin,  2011.  295p.  $16.99  ISBN 9780547482477    jr/sr E-BN      Supernatural Fiction   

     Amelia van der Broek has finally gotten an opportunity to spread her wings by attending balls, teas and parties. She is enjoying her new freedom away from her brother when she discovers that she has visions she cannot control. All goes well until one of her visions becomes a terrible tragedy. 

     Amelia lives with her brother and his wife in Maine when an invitation from a distant relative comes from Baltimore. Amelia jumps at the opportunity to go and have fun and be with girls her own age. Zora becomes an immediate friend, and together they go to parties, teas, dinners and balls. The girls are blossoming together and making good friends, and they are out looking for romance. Zora meets Thomas, the doctor’s son, and she falls in love with him. Amelia meets Nathaniel, who is the fourteenth person in a party of thirteen. He is a poor young man who paints for a living and has fallen in love with Amelia. At first Amelia is only smitten, but as time goes on she finds herself always searching for Nathaniel, who has a strange way of appearing out of nowhere when Amelia speaks his name out loud. It seems as if he rides the wind.
All is going well, as planned, and Amelia feels like she is just blooming and very happy! Then she has her first vision!. At first it seems harmless, but gradually she discovers that sometimes the visions are harmless, but other times they bring tragedy. When Amelia is feeling most happy with everything the worst of the visions comes to pass, and with it comes the terrible feeling that a finger is pointing at her.
     Then, to her dismay, one death causes another, and with it one heartache follows another, and she finds herself no longer welcome in Zora’s house, and she is returned back to Maine.  Her return seems like a death sentence, but even in Maine surprises can happen.

Subject: Baltimore Society -- 1900 - Paranormal - Romance   .

Magna Diaz

 

Mitchell, Susan K. Spy Tech - Digital Dangers

Mitchell, Susan K.      Spy Tech - Digital Dangers     

Enslow      2011  48p   23.93 978-0-7660-3712-0 

 elem  VG-BNe             

    This book discusses the world of digital dangers that spies would encounter when working with such tools as lasers, robots, drones, computer software, satellites, etc.      

    The content choice for this book was nicely chosen for young readers. It contained information that was interesting and not commonly found in other books on this topic.
  This text is clearly written and fully illustrated with an easy to read style. The inclusion of where to obtain more information on the Internet, career information, bibliography, web sites,  and an index make this a useful research tool.
     After the importance of an informative text, the most supportive factor of this book is visual appeal to young readers.  The layout of the various pages is diversified and well balanced between text and color photographs so that concepts are grouped together.  The flow and balance of both the text and visuals are integrated to present a very stimulating book for both young and reluctant readers.
The use of various background colors and distinctive boxes to highlight different topics are quite effective.
     The flow and balance of both the text and full color visuals are integrated to present a very stimulating book for both young and reluctant readers.  Secret World of Spies (Enslow)      This book is one in the  Secret World of Spies (Enslow).  The series consists of __6_ books at this time. The general theme of the series is __spying____.    Linda McNeil

 

Mitchell, Susan K. Spy Gizmos and Gadgets

Mitchell, Susan K.      Spy Gizmos and Gadgets  

 Enslow      2011  48p   23.93 978-0-7660-3710-6 

 elm/ms      E-BNes            

    Tools of the spy trade from invisible ink to cameras, listening devices to passing information along are introduced in this volume.  A variety of tools are explained with specific examples of their use by spies.  Grades 3-6.   How do spies gather their information?  This text will explain some of the ways spies collect information with specific examples involving real spies.  It covers invisible ink, cameras, listening devices, and how to pass along the information.  A section on careers working with or designing these amazing gadgets is included. 
The glossary is minimal.  Places to find out more information is much more complete with six books and three web sites.  The index is simple but adequate for the text.
The illustrations are mostly photographs which are well placed within the text to elucidate the text without interrupting it.  Interspersed as background graphics are footprints and fingerprints.
This volume will attract readers who are interested in spies and spy gadgets in grades 3-6.     Secret World of Spies (Enslow)    There are five titles in the Secret World of Spies series.  Each deals with one aspect of the life and work of a spy.  The series also emphasizes career connections.  Spies and spying  Joan Theal

 

Mitchell, Susan K. Spy Codes and Ciphers

Mitchell, Susan K.      Spy Codes and Ciphers   

 Enslow      2011  48p   23.93 978-0-7660-3709-0 

 elem  VG-BNe            

   An elementary introduction to the science and stories behind cryptography. With the use of sidebars, illustrations and text, this book introduces the reader to the world of secret communication. Chapters pick up on the historical and social highpoints: cipher wheels and codes, morse code and polybius squares, the enigma machine, Navajocode talkers, and today’s world of hacking computers. “Secret facts” are found throughout the book illustrating topics such as broadcasting codes during WWII (page 36) and navy signal lamps still in use (page 20). The vibrant use of color throughout emphasizes important information. The book concludes with a glossary, “find out more” and an index.       

Secret World of Spies (Enslow)      Six titles complete this series which would be a welcome addition to any elementary,  middle school or public library.      Cryptography      LynFisher

Mitchell, Todd. The Secret to Lying.

Mitchell, Todd The Secret to Lying
Candlewick Press 2010 329p 17.99
978-0-7636-4084-2 hs Self-Actualization VG


James reinvents himself when he is offered the chance to attend a prestigious science and math boarding school, but his demons, literally, keep fighting him in his dreams and the line between dream and reality seems to blur.
Reminiscent of Looking For Alaska, but without Green’s deft style, this is at times formulaic, at other times compelling. Every teen problem imaginable seems to be incorporated into this novel. The new kid at an exclusive boarding school, reinventing a new tougher persona has been used again and again. What makes this a better than the run-of-the-mill teen problem novel, is the tortured psyche of the protagonist, dealing with dream demons, cutting, parental problems, and abusing cough medicine before jumping out a window. A sub-plot deals with the anorexia of the girl of his dreams, and mysterious IMs from ghost44. Reluctant readers, especially those drawn to complex problem novels will gravitate towards this one as well. That said, the plot seemed a little too confusing for my student reviewer, who felt it was a mystery and/or a romance novel, rather than the complex and compelling problem novel that it was.

While there is implied sex, it occurs offstage and is peripheral to the major focus of the novel. The dream demons would lead one to believe that it will evolve into a fantasy, but it never does and the protagonist eventually confronts his “demons” and the ones in his dreams disappear. That may be trite to some readers, but the overall novel is compelling. Conflict Naismith, Pat

A coming-of-age novel

Mitchell, David. Black Swan Green.
Random House, 2006, 294p $13.95 978-0-8129-7401-0
Historical

Full of cultural references to historical events such as the Falkland War, pop culture icons, and slang of Britain in 1982, Mitchell enters the mind of a 13-year-old boy. Jason is a closet poet, bullied by his classmates, wonders about love and what is important in life. The growth of the character from beginning to end of the novel is tremendous, and the reader will feel that they have witnessed the process of becoming “adult” by traveling with Jason through his adolescence.
This book will appeal to adults who reflect on their own growing up as well as perceptive high school students. Jason meets a fascinating set of adults, from an elderly female recluse to a lady who critiques his poetry and serves as a mirror to Jason’s intimate thoughts. His schoolteachers are sometimes perceptive about growing boys’ minds and at other times clueless to the angst of teenage boys. Jason stammers when feeling inadequate which is often the case when he is around his classmates but realizes that he can control his stammering by being in control of events. The impending divorce that hovers at the edge of the plot finally becomes permanent at the end of the novel. Understanding his parents as adults frees him from being the “perfect” son. He even comes to a truce with his sister who calls him “Thing”. He experiences his first smoke, his first shoplifting incident, and first kiss with all the angst associated with each event. A strong look at secrets, ethics, and reputations reveal that not all is as it seems. Handwritten notes and newspaper headlines are interspersed within the text. Outstanding imagery and writing are found within its pages.
It is strongly recommended for high school libraries where coming-of-age novels are needed. The imagery used by Mitchell is a pleasure to read. Readers will avidly turn the pages to watch Jason turn from an insecure adolescent into a self-assured young man. LMN