The Tortoise and the Soldier: A Story of Courage and Friendship in World War I

Middle School Nonfiction

G/A. Foreman, Michael. The Tortoise and the Soldier: A Story of Courage and Friendship in World War I. Henry Holt, 2015. 120p. 978-1-62779-173-1. 16.99

Henry Friston was a gentle and courteous elderly gentleman living in a small town in England. Everyone in town knew that he had brought a tortoise back from his time on the front lines in World War I, but few, if any, knew the whole story. Young Michael Foreman (the book is based on his own recollections), a cub reporter, convinces Mr. Friston to tell him the tale of how Ali Pasha the tortoise had become his lifelong friend. Over many visits and much tea, he relates the details of his time in the war and how a tortoise had fallen on him while he was hiding from shells at Galipoli. Foreman does an excellent job of conveying the terror of a young man away from home who fears he may never return. The reader really feels she is there visiting the charming old man and witnessing him finally tell his tale. Simple and quite lovely paintings, also by the author, are featured throughout. Oddly, Foreman seems determined to limit the book's usefulness for school reports. There are no maps, no timeline of World War I, and no indexing. In fact, there is no sense of who fought in WWI and what it was about. Animal lovers and those seeking a non-traumatic war story may enjoy it. Philip Levie, LAPL Panorama City.

Exit, Pursued by a Bear

High School Fiction

VG/A  Johnston, E.K.  Exit, Pursued by a Bear.  Dutton, 2016.  242p.  978-1-101-99458-0.  17.99

As a high school senior, this is Hermione’s last time at cheer camp and she couldn’t be more excited about it. Everything is going great, until the final weekend when Hermione wakes up in the hospital and finds out that she had been drugged, raped and left unconscious in the lake. She has no memory of the incident or who did it. Now she has to spend her senior year dealing with the fallout, both emotionally and physically, while trying to move on with her life. Author Johnston, doesn’t focus on the rape or Hermione as victim, but on Hermione as a survivor. The title, chapter headings and many of the characters names come from Shakespeare’s Winter’s Tale, although the connection between the book and the play are not clear. Regardless, this beautifully written book is sure to make many best of 2016 lists. Loren Spector, LAPL, Memorial Branch

The Novice

Young Adult Fiction

G/A Matharu, Taran. The Novice.  R.R. Donneley & Sons, 2015. 350p.  978-1-250-06712-8. $18.99

As a baby orphaned, Fletcher, was taken in and raised by the town black smith. Helping his guardian sell his wears at the fair, Fletcher comes face to face with a war veteran with a journal from a battlemage. Fletcher helps the man out of a sticky situation with the town's bully only to find himself running for his own life. But before the warrior leaves, he gives Fletcher the journal. While reading the book, Fletcher accidentally summons a demon of his very own named Ignatius.  This leads him to Hominum and ultimately Vocan Military Academy, the school for battlemages. This world is filled with political and physical battles between the Elves, Dwarves and Humans; even though they battle amongst themselves they are all at war the orcs...with the machinations of humans being the most deadly threat, even among their own kinds. Dawn Fetcher, Inglewood Public Library

BOY'S BEST FRIEND

MIDDLE SCHOOL FICTION


F/E  Banks, Kate.  BOY'S BEST FRIEND.  Farrah Straus, 2015.  213p.  978-0-374-38008-3.  15.99.  Two sixth grade classmates (one of whom has recently relocated from another state) become science experiment partners.  For five weeks, week-ends excluded, Lester and George "test" their pets' telepathy.  Will their dogs anticipate their varied times of arriving home from school?  Both the experiment and its results are related to Rupert Sheldrake's adult title:  Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home.  Reading level is suitable for readers who are younger than the book's main characters.  Recommended as a quick, fun read for animal lovers.  Should also satisfy "book report" or "chapter book" reading assignments.  E.M. Roublow (ret.)

Anna and the Swallow Man

High School/Adult Fiction

VG/M  Savit, Gavriel.  Anna and the Swallow Man.  Knopf, 2016.  240p.  978-0-553-51334-9.  17.99

Anna is only 7 years old in late 1939 Poland, when her father, a professor of linguistics, is taken by the Germans, leaving her to fend for herself. With no one else to turn to, she befriends and follows a strange man who speaks to birds, the Swallow Man. In order to survive, they are continuously moving, but before they know it, their wandering brings them precariously close to the Russian front. While this novel is beautifully written and compelling, its teen appeal might be limited. The touch of magical realism though, will interest fans of The Book Thief. Loren Spector, LAPL, Memorial Branch

For the Record

High School Fiction

VG/A  Huang, Charlotte.  For the Record.  Delacorte Press, 2015.  320p.  978-0-553-51182-6.  17.99

Even though Chelsea is still a junior in high school, she has just landed a new gig as the replacement lead singer for rock band, Melbourne. This summer the new album drops and they go on a 50-city US tour. Luckily her only friend, Mandy, will be joining the tour, so she won’t be the only girl. The one tour rule is no relationships between band members, something almost everyone on tour struggles with. Chelsea has to deal with her feelings for a band member, her new found relationship with a teen idol and winning over the band and their loyal fans. If you can put aside the idea of two teenage girls going on the road with a band with no supervision, this debut novel is a blast. Fans of Jennifer E. Smith and Stephanie Perkins will love it. Loren Spector, LAPL, Memorial Branch

WHY'D THEY WEAR THAT?

ADULT/YA NONFICTION

V/A  Albee, Sarah.  WHY'D THEY WEAR THAT?  National Geographic, 2015.  192p.  978-1-4263-1919-8.  19.99.  Imagine adorning one's face with patches, swimming in garments made of wool or wearing shoes with no delineation of the left foot vs the right foot.  Do you think you'd have been an automobile enthusiast - even if it meant riding in a topless car in inclement weather?  Would you have enjoyed dining under a manually operated fan - as provided by a human punkah wallah?  For decades, fashion has been reflective of social tastes, economic necessities and military protection.  It provides visual references for many historical moments.  This title can be thoroughly enjoyed as both an attractive browsing item and a delightful overview of fashion history.
E.M. Roublow (ret.)