Medina, Meg. Burn Baby Burn.

Medina, Meg.  Burn Baby Burn.  Candlewick Press  2016  310p.  $17.99  ISBN 978-0-7636-7467-0  jr/sr   Historical fiction  E-BN   

     

The summer of 1977 in the Flushing section of New York City was one of fear due to the high murder rate, including a killer on the loose known as the Son of Sam, sweltering heat without the benefit of air-conditioning, and a power blackout. The author deftly weaves all these historical elements, as well as pop culture references, into the story of Nora as she navigates the last few months of her senior year in high school and dares to dream of a future that may be better than what her mother had. Her absent father, her abusive and pyromaniac younger brother, and her passive mother all make her life difficult, as Nora has been the one in recent years to keep the family afloat emotionally and sometimes financially. As she contemplates turning in her brother for setting fires in her apartment building and a nearby pharmacy, she must come to terms with the ways she will be viewed -- by her best friends, by her parents, and by the larger community. This is a novel that will keep the reader involved to the very end. The budding romance between Nora and Pablo is comfortably left in limbo at the end of the novel. Readers will feel that hope and fortitude are Nora’s best attributes and will easily allow her to navigate her future with resolve. An afterword succinctly relays the historical background in which the novel is set.  

Summary: Deftly weaving in historical elements of the nascent feminist movement, Son of Sam fears, and life in New York City in 1977, Nora navigates the end of her senior year in high school and plans for her uncertain future. Grades 8-12.

Family-Fiction, New York City-History-Fiction               --Lois McNicol

Axelrod, Amy, & David Axelrod. The Bullet Catch: Murder by Misadventure.

Axelrod, Amy, & David Axelrod.  The Bullet Catch: Murder by Misadventure.  Holiday House  2015  245p  $17.95  ISBN 978-0-8234-2858-8   ms/hs  Historical fiction  VG-BON

Leo and three orphans leave their orphanage and strike out on their own.  Leo is a master pickpocket and secures money for the group, Murph is a master liar, and the other two boys provide the brains and brawn to stay just a step ahead of the police.  When Leo is betrayed by his friends, he goes in search of a job that fits his area of interest, which is magic and illusions.  He becomes an apprentice to the Great Barzini, who is about to strike it big.  Could this master magician be even more duplicitous than Leo bargained for?  This novel includes a lot of historical detail about New York City, the magicians of the era, the magic tricks of the era, and the ragtag existence of many young people with little education, compared to that of the wealthy adults around them.  This book is a fascinating read about illusions and the people who perform them, and it provides a rich understanding of New York City life in the early 1900s.  The mother/son writing team would do well to collaborate on other books, as this one is sure to spark a lot of interest.  The characters are very believable and their motives ring true. Some of the issues explored are that of truth versus deceit, the nature of friendship, and how people get by in a world in which they feel alone. 

Summary: Leo is betrayed by one of his fellow orphans in New York City in 1917. He manages to escape the police and find legitimate employment in the service of a magician who is about to strike it big.  Great historical details and a compelling story make this a book of note for grades 6-12.      

Magic-Fiction, New York City-History-Fiction                --Lois McNicol

Ponti, James. Blue Moon.

Ponti, James.  Blue Moon.  (Dead City)    Simon & Schuster/Aladdin  2013  336p  ISBN 978-1-4424-4131-6      ms/jr VG-BN  Fantasy    

Molly Bigelow is a member of a secret society (Omega) that protects Manhattan from zombies. It appears that there is going to be an uprising of zombies this year during the New Year celebrations. Molly and three friends risk censure by their school when they try to stop zombies from overtaking NYC.  

Molly and her friends, Natalie, Grayson, and Alex, are suspended because Molly looked in the Book of Secrets and saw the zombies called the Unlucky 13.  They were given that title when Milton Blackwell (one of the thirteen men digging the first subway tunnels in Manhattan) put in too much gunpowder when he tried to blow up some rocks that were blocking their path.  Since the undead can only live underground in Manhattan, the group had to go down into the subways and tunnels to solve the intricacies of the situation.

Readers will enjoy a fast-paced, action-filled storyline.  The characters get into and out of many unusual and scary situations that will keep the pages turning in anticipation.  Some unexpected events will keep the suspense to the very last page.

Summary: Molly Bigelow is a member of a secret society (Omega) that protects Manhattan from zombies. It appears that there is going to be an uprising of zombies this year during the New Year celebrations. Molly and three friends risk censure by their school when they try to stop zombies from overtaking NYC.  

 
Zombies-Fiction                                          --Linda McNeil