NEW BOOKS DECEMBER 2015
Seeking to recover the shards of King Arthur’s sword Excalibur
before Rex Major (the ancient sorcerer Merlin in a modern-day
guise), Ariane and Wally have traveled around the world, and their
quest is not yet over. Ariane’s magical powers as heir to the Lady
of the Lake, combined with Wally’s clever thinking, have enabled
them to hang on to two of the three shards they’ve located so far –
but Rex Major still has one shard of his own, and will stop at
nothing to claim all the pieces for himself, and use its power to rule
Earth and invade the magical realm of Faerie. And now Major has
his eyes on a big prize: Ariane’s mother, who went missing after
she refused the power of the Lady of the Lake. As they struggle to
stop Major, Ariane and Wally face desperate danger…and must
make the most difficult decisions of their lives.
Now available for the first time in paperback, Wilfred Santiago's
instant classic 21: The Story of Roberto Clemente is a human drama of
courage, faith, and dignity, inspired by the life of the acclaimed
Pittsburgh Pirates baseball star who died too young. 21 chronicles
Clemente's life from his early days growing up, through the highlights
of his career, capturing the grit of his rise from an impoverished
Puerto Rican childhood to the majesty of his performance on the field,
and to his fundamental decency off of it. Santiago's inviting style
combines realistic attention to detail and expressive cartooning to
great effect.
"SuperMutant Magic Academy is a prep-school for mutants and witches
but their paranormal abilities take a back seat to everyday teen
concerns. Science experiments go awry, bake sales are upstaged, and
the new kid at school is a cat who will determine the course of human
destiny.
Every day, meal by meal, millions of people suffer from eating
disorders. I am one of them. Nadia Shivack was fourteen years old
when she met Ed, her eating disorder. Sometimes like an alien in
her body, sometimes like a lover, Ed was unpredictable and
exciting, but ultimately always dangerous and destructive. At an
inpatient unit of a hospital where she was taken for treatment,
Nadia wrote and drew on napkins after meals in order to keep the
food in and calm the outrageous voices in her head. These
pictures, together with others drawn on notebook paper and a
variety of other surfaces, tell an unflinchingly honest story of a
woman's lifelong battle with anorexia and bulimia. Raw, brave, and
brilliant, Nadia's journey takes readers to the intimate corners of
these misunderstood diseases. You will never think about eating
disorders in the same way again.
Making Simple Robots is based on one idea: Anybody can build a
robot! That includes kids, school teachers, parents, and nonengineers. If you can knit, sew, or fold a flat piece of paper into a box,
you can build a no-tech robotic part. If you can use a hot glue gun,
you can learn to solder basic electronics into a low-tech robot that
reacts its environment. And if you can figure out how to use the apps
on your smart phone, you can learn enough programming to
communicate with a simple robot. Written in language that nonengineers can understand, Making Simple Robots helps beginners
move beyond basic craft skills and materials to the latest products and
tools being used by artists and inventors. Find out how to animate
folded paper origami, design a versatile robot wheel-leg for 3D
printing, or program a rag doll to blink its cyborg eye. Each project
includes step-by-step directions as well as clear diagrams and
photographs. And every chapter offers suggestions for modifying and
expanding the projects, so that you can return to the projects again
and again as your skill set grows.
Acclaimed graphic artist Peter Kuper presents a brilliant, darkly comic
reimagining of Kafka's classic tale of family, alienation, and a giant bug.
Kuper's electric drawings--which merge American cartooning with German
expressionism--bring Kafka's prose to vivid life, reviving the original story's
humor and poignancy in a way that will surprise and delight readers of Kafka
and graphic novels alike. "A brilliant illustrated adaptation of Franz Kafka's
famous story. It's a real pleasure to read and one in which everyone will
recognize the existential drama and uncanny wit of the original text."--Susan
Bernstein, associate professor of comparative literature and German studies,
Brown University.
From the acclaimed author of How to Be Lost and Close Your Eyes
comes a beautiful and heartrending novel about motherhood,
resilience, and faith--a ripped-from-the-headlines story of two families
on both sides of the American border. Alice and her husband, Jake,
own a barbecue restaurant in Austin, Texas. Hardworking and popular
in their community, they have a loving marriage and thriving business,
but Alice still feels that something is missing, lying just beyond reach.
Carla is a strong-willed young girl who's had to grow up fast, acting as
caretaker to her six-year-old brother Junior. Years ago, her mother left
the family behind in Honduras to make the arduous, illegal journey to
Texas. But when Carla's grandmother dies and violence in the city
escalates, Carla takes fate into her own hands--and with Junior, she
joins the thousands of children making their way across Mexico to
America, risking great peril for the chance at a better life. In this
elegant novel, the lives of Alice and Carla will intersect in a profound
and surprising way. Poignant and arresting, The Same Sky is about
finding courage through struggle, hope amid heartache, and
summoning the strength--no matter what dangers await--to find the
place where you belong.
Not all dreams are sweet. For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting
sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Especially the falling
dreams, the naked-but-nobody- notices dreams, and the sex-crazed
dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime. She
can't tell anybody about what she does -- they'd never believe her, or
worse, they'd think she's a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed
with an ability she doesn't want and can't control. Then she falls into
a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first
time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche.
She is a participant.
Ichigo Kurosaki has always been able to see ghosts, but this ability
doesn't change his life nearly as much as his close encounter with
Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper and member of the mysterious Soul
Society. While fighting a Hollow, an evil spirit that preys on humans
who display psychic energy, Rukia attempts to lend Ichigo some of her
powers so that he can save his family; but much to her surprise,
Ichigo absorbs every last drop of her energy. Now a full-fledged Soul
Reaper himself, Ichigo quickly learns that the world he inhabits is one
full of dangerous spirits and, along with Rukia--who is slowly regaining
her powers--it's Ichigo's job to protect the innocent from Hollows and
help the spirits themselves find peace.
Anya could really use a friend. But her new BFF isn't kidding about the
"forever" part . Of all the things Anya expected to find at the bottom of
an old well, a new friend was not one of them. Especially not a new
friend who's been dead for a century. Falling down a well is bad
enough, but Anya's normal life might actually be worse. She's
embarrassed by her family, self-conscious about her body, and she's
pretty much given up on fitting in at school. A new friend even a ghost
is just what she needs. Or so she thinks. Spooky, sardonic, and
secretly sincere, Anya's Ghost is a wonderfully entertaining debut
graphic novel from author/artist Vera Brosgol.
Taking us through the upheavals in biological thought which
made The Origins of Species possible, Jonathan Miller introduces
us to that odd revolutionary, Charles Darwin -- a remarkably
timid man who spent most of his life in seclusion; a semi-invalid
riddled with doubts, fearing the controversy his theories might
unleash; yet also the man who finally undermined belief in God's
creation. Along the way we meet a fascinating cast of characters:
Darwin's scientific predecessors, his contemporaries (including
Alfred Russell Wallace, whose anticipation of natural selection
forced Darwin to publish), his opponents, and his successors
whose work in modern genetics provided necessary modifications
to Darwin's own work. Splendidly illustrated, this clever, witty,
highly informative book is the perfect introduction to Darwin's life
and thought.
Welcome to the Human Body Theater, where your master of
ceremonies is going to lead you through a theatrical revue of
each and every biological system of the human body!
Starting out as a skeleton, the MC puts on a new layer of her
costume (her body) with each "act." By turns goofy and
intensely informative, the Human Body Theater is always
accessible and always entertaining. Maris Wicks is a biology
nerd, and by the time you've read this book, you will be too!
James Bond is marked for death by the Soviet counterintelligence
agency SMERSH in Ian Fleming's masterful spy thriller, and the
novel that President John F. Kennedy named one of his favorite
books of all time. SMERSH stands for "Death to Spies" and there's
no secret agent they'd like to disgrace and destroy more than 007,
James Bond. But ensnaring the British Secret Service's most lethal
operative will require a lure so tempting even he can't resist. Enter
Tatiana Romanova, a ravishing Russian spy whose "defection"
springs a trap designed with clockwork precision. Her mission:
seduce Bond, then flee to the West on the Orient Express. Waiting in
the shadows are two of Ian Fleming's most vividly drawn villains:
Red Grant, SMERSH's deadliest assassin, and the sinister operations
chief Rosa Klebb--five feet four inches of pure killing power. Bursting
with action and intrigue, From Russia with Love is one of the bestloved books in the Bond canon--an instant classic that set the
standard for sophisticated literary spy craft for decades to come.
For Janie and Cabel, real life is getting tougher than the dreams.
Disturbing things are happening at Fieldridge High, yet nobody's
talking. When Janie taps into a classmate's violent nightmares, the
case finally breaks open - but nothing goes as planned. Not even
close. Janie's in way over her head, and Cabe's shocking behavior
has grave consequences for them both.
It's been three months since all the adults disappeared. Gone. Food
ran out weeks ago and starvation is imminent. Meanwhile, the
normal teens have grown resentful of the kids with powers. And
when an unthinkable tragedy occurs, chaos descends upon the town.
There is no longer right and wrong. Each kid is out for himself and
even the good ones turn murderous. But a larger problem looms.
The Darkness, a sinister creature that has lived buried deep in the
hills, begins calling to some of the teens in the FAYZ. Calling to
them, guiding them, manipulating them. The Darkness has
awakened. And it is hungry.
Now in paperback, the fifth and final book in the bestselling
Witch & Wizard saga exposes the nature of power--and what it
means for the heroes that have it. Whit and Wisty Allgood have
fought and defeated their world's most pernicious threats. But
just as they start to settle into their new roles in governance, a
deadly crime wave strikes, with all signs pointing to a magical
mastermind. As the city turns against all those who possess
magic, the siblings find themselves persecuted and questioning
everything, including their abilities.
A heroic story of friendship and belonging. No one
ever said life was easy. But Ponyboy is pretty sure
that he's got things figured out. He knows that he
can count on his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. And
he knows that he can count on his friends--true
friends who would do anything for him, like Johnny
and Two-Bit. And when it comes to the Socs--a
vicious gang of rich kids who enjoy beating up on
"greasers" like him and his friends--he knows that
he can count on them for trouble. But one night
someone takes things too far, and Ponyboy's world
is turned upside down. Written over forty-five
years ago, The Outsiders is a dramatic and
enduring work of fiction. S. E. Hinton's classic story
of a boy who finds himself on the outskirts of
regular society remains as powerful today as it was
the day it was first published.
The #1 "New York Times "Bestseller An
"Entertainment Weekly" Top Ten Book of the Year
Now a Major Motion Picture"" "Running with Scissors"
is the true story of a boy whose mother (a poet with
delusions of Anne Sexton) gave him away to be
raised by her unorthodox psychiatrist who bore a
striking resemblance to Santa Claus. At the age of
twelve, Burroughs found himself amidst Victorian
squalor, living with the doctor's bizarre family, and
befriending a pedophile who resided in the backyard
shed. The story of an outlaw childhood where rules
were unheard of, and the Christmas tree stayed up all
year-round, where Valium was consumed like candy,
and if things got dull, an electroshock therapy
machine could provide entertainment. The funny,
harrowing, and bestselling account of an ordinary
boy's survival under the most extraordinary
circumstances.
Mago pointed to a spot on the dirt floor and reminded me that my
umbilical cord was buried there. "That way," Mami told the midwife,
"no matter where life takes her, she won't ever forget where she
came from." Then Mago touched my belly button . . . She said that
my umbilical cord was like a ribbon that connected me to Mami. She
said, "It doesn't matter that there's a distance between us now. That
cord is there forever." When Reyna Grande's father leaves his wife
and three children behind in a village in Mexico to make the
dangerous trek across the border to the United States, he promises
he will soon return from "El Otro Lado" (The Other Side) with
enough money to build them a dream house where they can all live
together. His promises become harder to believe as months turn
into years. When he summons his wife to join him, Reyna and her
siblings are deposited in the already overburdened household of
their stern, unsmiling grandmother. The three siblings are forced to
look out for themselves; in childish games they find a way to forget
the pain of abandonment and learn to solve very adult problems.
When their mother at last returns, the reunion sets the stage for a
dramatic new chapter in Reyna's young life: her own journey to "El
Otro Lado" to live with the man who has haunted her imagination for
years, her long-absent father. In this extraordinary memoir, awardwinning writer Reyna Grande vividly brings to life her tumultuous
early years, capturing all the confusion and contradictions of
childhood, especially one spent torn between two parents and two
countries.
From the author of The House on Mango Street, a
richly illustrated compilation of true stories and
nonfiction pieces that, taken together, form a
jigsaw autobiography--an intimate album of a
beloved literary legend. From the Chicago
neighborhoods where she grew up and set her
groundbreaking The House on Mango Street to her
abode in Mexico in a region where "my ancestors
lived for centuries," the places Sandra Cisneros has
lived have provided inspiration for her now-classic
works of fiction and poetry. But a house of her
own, where she could truly take root, has eluded
her. With this collection--spanning three decades,
and including never-before-published work-Cisneros has come home at last. Ranging from the
private (her parents' loving and tempestuous
marriage) to the political (a rallying cry for one
woman's liberty in Sarajevo) to the literary (a
tribute to Marguerite Duras), and written with her
trademark lyricism, these signature pieces recall
transformative memories as well as reveal her
defining artistic and intellectual influences.
Poignant, honest, deeply moving, this is an
exuberant celebration of a life in writing lived to
the fullest.
Stephen E. Ambrose's iconic story of the ordinary men who became the
World War II's most extraordinary soldiers: Easy Company, 506th
Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, US Army. They
came together, citizen soldiers, in the summer of 1942, drawn to
Airborne by the $50 monthly bonus and a desire to be better than the
other guy. And at its peak--in Holland and the Ardennes--Easy
Company was as good a rifle company as any in the world. From the
rigorous training in Georgia in 1942 to the disbanding in 1945, Stephen
E. Ambrose tells the story of this remarkable company. In combat, the
reward for a job well done is the next tough assignment, and as they
advanced through Europe, the men of Easy kept getting the tough
assignments.
At the outset of World War II, Denmark did not resist
German occupation. Deeply ashamed of his nation's
leaders, fifteen-year-old Knud Pedersen resolved with
his brother and a handful of schoolmates to take
action against the Nazis if the adults would not.
Naming their secret club after the fiery British leader,
the young patriots in the Churchill Club committed
countless acts of sabotage, infuriating the Germans,
who eventually had the boys tracked down and
arrested. But their efforts were not in vain: the boys'
exploits and eventual imprisonment helped spark a
full-blown Danish resistance. Interweaving his own
narrative with the recollections of Knud himself, here
is Phillip Hoose's inspiring story of these young war
heroes.
Set in a rich, high-fantasy world with echoes of ancient Rome, it tells
the story of a slave fighting for her family and a young soldier fighting
for his freedom. Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do
not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of
their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear. It is in this
brutal world that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother.
The family ekes out an existence in the Empire's impoverished
backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They've seen what
happens to those who do. But when Laia's brother is arrested for
treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from
rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy
for them from within the Empire's greatest military academy. There,
Laia meets Elias, the school's finest soldier--and secretly, its most
unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he's being trained
to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are
intertwined--and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire
itself.
From James Dashner, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling
Maze Runner series, comes The Game of Lives, the final book in the
Mortality Doctrine series, an edge-of-your-seat cyber-adventure trilogy
that includes The Eye of Minds and The Rule of Thoughts . Michael used
to live to game, but the games he was playing have become all too
real. Only weeks ago, sinking into the Sleep was fun. The VirtNet
combined the most cutting-edge technology and the most sophisticated
gaming for a full mind-body experience. And it was Michael's passion.
But now every time Michael sinks, he risks his life. The games are over.
The VirtNet has become a world of deadly consequences, and Kaine
grows stronger by the day. The Mortality Doctrine--Kaine's master
plan--has nearly been realized, and little by little the line separating
the virtual from the real is blurring. If Kaine succeeds, it will mean
worldwide cyber domination. And it looks like Michael and his friends
are the only ones who can put the monster back in the box-- if Michael
can figure out who his friends really are.
On February 28, 2009, Nick Schuyler went on a deep-sea fishing trip
with three friends: NFL players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith, and
Will Bleakley, former University of South Florida football player and
Nick's best friend. What was supposed to be a day of fun and relaxation
aboard Cooper's twenty-one-foot vessel turned nightmarish in the Gulf
of Mexico, seventy miles west of Tampa, Florida, when a tragic mistake
caused their boat to capsize. With no food or water, no emergency
beacon to alert authorities, the four athletes clung to the overturned
hull through the night--battling hypothermia, hallucinations, hunger,
dehydration, and huge pounding waves, as they prayed, spoke of their
loved ones, and shared what they would have done differently with
their lives. In the end, only one would reach dry land alive. Much more
than a riveting true account of survival, Not Without Hope is Nick
Schuyler's inspiring story of courage, resolve, and friendship.
Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be
had for the right price--and no one knows that better than criminal
prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that
could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off
alone. With him are : a convict with a thirst for revenge, a
sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager, a runaway with a
privileged past, a spy known as the Wraith, a Heartrender using her
magic to survive the slum, a thief with a gift for unlikely escapes. Six
dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing
that might stand between the world and destruction, if they don't kill
each other first.