New Books
October 2006
Almond, David. Kit's Wilderness 229p. F Alm
Thirteen-year-old Kit goes to live with his grandfather in the decaying coal mining town of Stoneygate , England , and finds both the old man and the town haunted by ghosts of the past.
ASCE Illinois Section. 150 Years of Engineering Excellence . 152p.
Coman, Carolyn. Many Stones. 158p. F Com
After her sister Laura is murdered in South Africa , Berry and her estranged father travel there to participate in the dedication of a memorial in her name.
Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Steel. 471p. 303.4 Dia
Why did Eurasians conquer, displace, or decimate Native Americans, Australians, and Africans, instead of the reverse? In this groundbreaking book, evolutionary biologist Jared Diamond stunningly dismantles racially based theories of human history by revealing the environmental factors actually responsible for history's broadest patterns. Here, at last, is a world history that really is a history of all the world's peoples, a unified narrative of human life even more intriguing and important than accounts of dinosaurs and glaciers. A major advance in our understanding of human societies, Guns, Germs, and Steel chronicles the way that the modern world, and its inequalities, came to be. It is a work rich in dramatic revelations that will fascinate readers even as it challenges conventional wisdom.
Dickinson, Peter. The Ropemaker . 375p. F Dic
When the magic that protects their Valley starts to fail, Tilja and her companions journey into the evil Empire to find the ancient magician Faheel, who originally cast those spells.
Edwards, Kim. The Memory Keeper's Daughter . 399p. F Edw
Dr. David Henry is forced by a blizzard to deliver his own twins. His son is perfectly healthy, but his daughter has Down's syndrome. Rationalizing it as a need to protect his wife, he asks his nurse to take the baby away to an institution. Instead, the nurse disappears into another city to raise the child herself.
Fishman, Charles. The Wal-Mart Effect: How the World's Most Powerful Company Really Works- and How It's Transforming the American Economy . 381.149 Fis
From interviews with former Wal-Mart executives, those who do business with the retail giant, and an economist who compiled the scarce data available, a business journalist who wrote an award- winning story on the company examines issues behind the reactions that it evokes. Regarding it as a transformative company (like U.S. Steel was in the 19th century), Fishman argues that the issues raised by Wal-Mart's supporters and detractors should be the subject of national debate: e.g., business freedom vs. impact on local community interests, inexpensive prices vs. living wage jobs.
Gaarder, Jostein. Sophie's World . 403p. F Gaa
One day Sophie comes home from school to find two questions in her mail: Who are you? and Where does the world come from? Before she knows it, she is enrolled in a correspondence course, covering Socrates to Sartre and beyond, with a mysterious philosopher. But Sophie is receiving a separate batch of equally unusual letters. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up in Sophie's world? To unravel this riddle, Sophie must make use of the philosophy she is learning.
Heart to Heart: New Poems Inspired by 20 th Century American Art 811 Hea
Includes index. A compilation of poems by Americans writing about American art in the twentieth century, including such writers as Nancy Willard, Jane Yolen, and X. J. Kennedy.
Hesser, Terry Spencer. Kissing Doorknobs. 149p. F Hes
Fourteen-year-old Tara describes how her increasingly strange compulsions begin to take over her life and affect her relationships with her family and friends.
Keefe, Patrick Radden. Chatter . 2006. 312p. 327.12 Kee
How does our government eavesdrop? Whom does it eavesdrop on? And is the interception of communication an effective means of predicting and preventing terrorist attacks? These are some of the questions at the heart of this new book, Chatter.
Mah, Adeline Yen. Chinese Cinderella . 205 p. 979.4 Mah
The daughter of a wealthy Hong Kong businessman describes her very difficult childhood and the psychological abuse she suffered at the hands of her stepmother.
Moon, Elizabeth . The Speed of Dark . 340p. F Moo
Lou Arrendale, a high-functioning autistic adult, has a steady job, friends, and a passion for fencing, but when he comes under attack for refusing a controversial treatment for his disorder, his quiet life is turned upside-down and he fears the life he has grown accustomed to will be gone forever.
Na, An. A Step From Heaven . 156p. F Na
A young Korean girl and her family find it difficult to learn English and adjust to life in America .
Picoult, Jodi. The Pact .389p. F Pic
The Hartes and the Golds, long-time neighbors and friends, are not surprised when their children Chris and Emily fall in love, but the bond between the families is placed under an enormous strain when Emily is killed, leaving behind the question of whether her death was a suicide, or murder.
Picoult, Jodi. Plain Truth . 405p. F Pic
Philadelphia defense attorney Ellie Hathaway, unsatisfied with the course of her career and personal life, leaves her job for an open-ended stay at her great-aunt's home in Paradise , Pennsylvania , arriving just in time to become embroiled in the case of a young, unmarried Amish woman accused of killing her newborn baby.
Picoult, Jodi. The Tenth Circle . 385p. F Pic
Trixie Stone is only a freshman in high school when Jason, the junior she thinks she loves, dumps her. Then one night at a party, their paths cross again. A few hours later, a visibly shaken Trixie comes home to tell her father that Jason assaulted her. Daniel Stone has always done everything in his power to keep his daughter safe. But he never imagined anything so devastating could happen to Trixie--and now he's not sure how to help her.
Picoult, Jodi. Vanishing Acts . 418p. F Pic
Life is going well for Delia Hopkins. She has a daughter and a fiancé, and with her search-and-rescue bloodhound, she helps find missing persons. But as she plans for her wedding, she is haunted by inexplicable flashbacks to a devastating time she cannot recall.
Plum-Ucci, Carol. The Body of Christopher Creed. 248p. F Plu
Torey Adams, a high school junior with a seemingly perfect life, struggles with doubts and questions surrounding the mysterious disappearance of the class outcast.
Sparks, Nicholas. Nights in Rodanthe. 222p. F Spa
Adrienne Willis, abandoned by her husband, flees to Rodanthe , North Carolina , to tend to a friend's inn, where she meets Paul Flanner, a doctor who has just sold his practice, and together, with a storm rolling in, they discover a new love.
Strasser, Todd. Give a Boy a Gun . 208p. F Str
Events leading up to a night of terror at a high school dance are told from the point of view of various people involved.
Strasser, Todd. The Wave . 138p. F Str
A dramatization of an actual classroom experiment in establishing a fascist society. In this account, Laurie tries to persuade Mr. Ross to call off the experiment.
Wittlinger, Ellen. Hard Love. 224p. F Wit
After starting to publish a 'zine in which he writes his secret feelings about his lonely life and his parents' divorce, sixteen-year-old John meets an unusual girl and begins to develop a healthier personality.
DVD- Mandate: The President and the People
From George Washington to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, examines the relationship between the presidency, mass media, and public opinion.
DVD- Our Constitution: A Conversation
United States Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Stephen Breyer talk about the Constitution with high school students and discuss why we have and need a constitution, what federalism is, how implicit and explicit rights are defined and how separation of powers ensures that no one branch of government obtains too much power.
DVD- Key Constitutional Concepts
Explores the separation of powers by examining the Supreme Court case of Youngstown v. Sawyer, a challenge to President Truman's decision to take over steel mills during the Korean War