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The Fairfield Public Library Reader's Advisor for Teens – Reviews, Recommendations, and More

The Watch That Ends the Night December 3, 2011

Filed under: Adventure,Hate to Read?,Historical Fiction — Book Mavens @ 10:03 am
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Title: The Watch that Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic

Author: Allan Wolf

Summary: It is April 15, 1912. Undertaker John Snow is on a cable boat, heading towards the site of one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century: The sinking of the RMS Titanic. He thinks he sees birds floating on the surface of the water but as he gets closer, he sees what they really are: Frozen bodies. From this intense and gripping opening scene we are sent back in time to the beginning of the Titanic’s maiden voyage. Through the voices of over 20 actual people who were on board the ship, from the Captain and Shipbuilder, to famous travelers like John Jacob Astor and Margaret “The Unsinkable Molly” Brown, to unknown passengers from third class, we follow the Titanic from the excitement before its maiden voyage to its launch to its destruction in the frigid North Atlantic by iceberg.

You may be familiar with the Titanic from that famous movie. But author and poet Wolf presents the story in such a complete and thorough way that both readers who know nothing and who know it all will be entranced. Written in verse, it is a quick and compelling read. Even the iceberg and the ship’s rat get to share their story. Sure, you know how it ends, but this is a book about the journey, not the destination. The final section of the book is devoted to facts about the ship and those who sailed on it, giving a grim description of the grandeur of the Titanic and the scope of its legendary tragedy.

Who will like this book?: This is the official One Book One Town 2012 selection for Fairfield, so…everybody! The 100-year anniversary of the Titanic’s voyage is on it’s way so this is a book for anyone interested in this famous disaster story. Fans of adventure and historical fiction. People who like hearing a story from more than one point of view. Fans of Ellen Hopkins, Sonia Sones, and other verse novelists.

If you like this, try this: A classic, A Night to Remember by Walter Lord. Distant Waves by Suzanne Weyn. Iceberg Right Ahead by Stephanie Sammartino McPherson.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

Find this book and more at the Fairfield Public Library.

 

Tom Thumb October 6, 2011

Filed under: Books You May Have Missed,Non-Fiction — Book Mavens @ 2:13 pm
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Title: Tom Thumb: The Remarkable True Story of a Man in Miniature

Author: George Sullivan

Summary: Charles Stratton was born in 1838 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He was a big, healthy, happy baby – just what any parents would wish for. But when he turned one, he just…stopped growing. He was in perfect proportion: His arms, legs, and head were all the right size for his tiny body. When another Connecticut native, the soon-to-be legendary P.T. Barnum, was introduced to the five year-old Charley, both their worlds would be changed forever. It was the beginning of a lifelong friendship that would make them both incredibly rich.

Charles Stratton, renamed Tom Thumb by Barnum, was the first celebrity performer in U.S. history. He traveled the world, showed off for kings and queens and his marriage to another little person, Lavinia Warren, even preempted coverage of the Civil War. But he never had a true childhood or much time out of the public eye. Was he exploited by Barnum for his size or did he triumph despite of it? This fascinating biography will let you find your own answer to these questions.

Who will like this book?: This is a terrific book for anyone interested in people who have triumphed over adversity.  It is also an important piece of local history – Charley was born and is buried in Bridgeport, CT.

If you like this, try this: The Great and Only Barnum by Candice Fleming. For older readers, The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

 

A Wicked History January 8, 2011

Filed under: Hate to Read?,Non-Fiction — Book Mavens @ 2:55 pm
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Title: A Wicked History biography series

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Summary: Sometimes it’s good to be bad. This short biography series highlights the lives and deeds of some of the cruelest, most driven, terror-inspiring leaders of world history. Fast-paced and fact-filled, these books are perfect for those days when you are in the mood for a quick non-fiction read.

Learn about familiar baddies like Stalin, Robespierre and Attila the Hun, less famous tyrants like Cixi, Empress of China and Tomas de Torquemada, leader of the Spanish Inquisition, and even maybe-not-so-wicked-after-all rulers like Catherine the Great of Russia and Genghis Khan. These books are a great introduction to different periods in history without being overlong…or boring.

Who will like these books: Readers interested in learning about history and famous people. Anyone looking for a short biography for school or for fun. Wicked people looking to find inspiration for their future evil deeds…(kidding!)

If you like these, try these: For a more inspiring bunch of short biographies, take a look at Character is Destiny by John McCain. Off With Their Heads: All the Cool Bits in British History by Martin Oliver. A Cartoon History of the World by Larry Gonick.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

 

Talking to Girls About Duran Duran August 12, 2010

Filed under: Adult Books for Teens,Funny,Guy Books,Non-Fiction — Book Mavens @ 3:13 pm
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Title: Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man’s Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut

Author: Rob Sheffield

Summary: Some bands are for guys. Some bands are for girls. And if you can master talking to girls about those bands, you can figure out why girls are the way they are. Right? In this upbeat and often moving memoir, music writer Sheffield describes growing up in the 1980s  and how the music that defined that era also defined his young adulthood - from the powerpop of Madonna to the novelty rap of Young MC to the raw girl-luring power of…Hungry Like the Wolf?

The chapters, each named for a different ’80s song, describe the joy and terror of growing up in a close-knit, girl-dominated Irish Catholic family in Boston and leaving them behind to go to college and get a job, all the while learning to be who you are, even if you are a guy who loves a band like Duran Duran. You might not catch all the references and you may have no idea what a Walkman is, but this coming of age story will leave you smiling – and maybe you’ll even hum along in the car when your parents put on their own ’80s favorites.

Who will like this book?: Mature readers who love nothing more than discovering a new band.  Any guy with bossy sisters. Or cool sisters. Anyone who has fantasized about driving an ice cream truck in the summer.

If you like this, try this: Sheffield’s first memoir, Love is a Mix Tape. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. So Punk Rock (and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother) by Micol Ostow.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

 

The Cartoon History of the Modern World August 6, 2010

Filed under: Graphic Novels,Non-Fiction — Book Mavens @ 3:12 pm
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Title: The Cartoon History of the Modern World

Author: Larry Gonick

Summary: Starting with the voyage of Christopher Columbus to the current war in Iraq, this two-part graphic series tells the story of the personalities, movements, and catastrophes that make up Modern history. You might think you have a good grasp on the big picture – The Age of Exploration, The Renaissance and Reformation, The Industrial Revolution, Imperialism, etc, but author/illustrator Gonick has a special knack for highlighting  the important connections between people and events that are lesser-known, even to acknowledged history buffs.

Irreverant and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, Gonick will show you history in a whole new light. Read this book (pay special attention to the info-packed, literal ‘foot notes’ found on many pages) and impress your teachers!

Who will like this book? This is a great choice for older teens with an interest in American or European history. Readers who likes to get ‘the story behind the history.’

If you like this, try this: A Young People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn (adapted by Rebecca Stefoff.) Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

 

Character is Destiny December 9, 2009

Filed under: Books You May Have Missed,Non-Fiction — Book Mavens @ 4:13 pm
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Title: Character is Destiny: Inspirational Stories Every  Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember

Author: John McCain with Mark Salter

Summary: Yes, it’s that John McCain. Before the senator from Arizona ran for president in 2008, he co-wrote this book of short biographies highlighting the lives of remarkable people who, through their lives or actions, changed the lives of hundreds, thousands, and even millions of people. Each entry in the book pairs up a heroic figure with a particular virtue – George Washington is the representative of self-control, Pat Tillman is the model for citizenship, Mark Twain is cited for humor – and describes how each person exemplifies that trait.

The authors go out of their way to select people who you might not have heard of, or may not get the chance to learn about in history classes. You will be as moved and inspired learning about Wilma Rudolph, Viktor Frankl, Edith Cavell and Aung San Suu Kyi as you will in reading about more familiar names such as Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Theodore Roosevelt. A wonderful and thought-provoking book – no matter what your political persuasion is.

Who will like this book: Readers who like to be inspired by true stories. People who like biographies, but don’t feel like slogging through an entire full-length book.

If you like this, try this: More short, true, and often inspirational stories: I Thought My Father Was God, edited by Paul Auster. Listening is an Act of Love, edited by David Isay. The PostSecret series. 

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

 

 
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