Supernaturalist

by Eoin Colfer
PRMS hardcover 267 pages
genre: YA SciFi

Cosmo - a "no-sponsor" (aka orphan) who has lived all his life at the Clarissa Frayne Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys finally breaks loose one day and is rescued by some other youths

Stefan - a driven older teenager who is trying to avenge his mother's death, leader of the Supernaturalists

Rosa - talented mechanic, fearless, beautiful, Cosmo is tongue-tied around her

Ditto - a "Bartolli baby," he looks like a little kids but is in his 20s. He has the gift of sensitivity and the ability to take away pain. He works as a healer

Parasites / Un-spec fours - blue creatures that change identity and role throughout the story (hope that's not too much of a spoiler!)

Set in the future, one of the things I liked best about this story was the author's view of what the world would be like. It was interesting, but also kind of depressing. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. My book club kids will discuss this tomorrow, so I'm glad I finished reading it! I enjoyed it, but am curious to hear what the kids will say.

Slave Day

by Rob Thomas
PRMS deleted, paperback, 246 pages
genre: YA realistic fiction

This caught my attention as I was weeding books. Published in 1997, I don't think it has ever been checked out while I've been here. "Anyone can be bought, if the price is right . . . The school geek. The beauty queen. The cranky teacher. The star football player. They're all equal on Slave Day."

I'm too lazy to copy the rest of the text on the back cover. This book kept me reading, wanting to see where the story was going. Themes of racism, peer pressure, academic dishonesty, economic disparities . . . there was so much potential here! I think the story got bogged down in too many characters and storylines. I wanted to know more about Mr. Twilley, Keene, Tiffany, and the half dozen or so others who carried the story. The resolution was weak.

I deleted it from the collection because of its age and lack of circulation. It was the right decision for other reasons! (But the references to getting a modem so one can dial in to a work computer . . . a little too old school.)

The Illustrated Mum

by Jacqueline Wilson
PRMS hardcover 282 pages
genre: YA realistic fiction

This book is in great shape, but I don't think it's ever been checked out of my collection. Pretty sure I'll weed it. Besides the British slang / terms, it's a really sad story about two girls - Star and Dolphin - being "raised" by a mom who is mentally ill. Marigold has manic states, bouts with alcohol, goes off with strange men for days at a time, doesn't provide for her children.

Dolphin is younger and befriends Oliver at school. She can be fierce, but is actually a very scared little girl. Star has taken care of her for most of her life, but now that Star's dad is back in the picture, Dolphin is left with Marigold. Who goes off the deep end.

Such a sad book! And even more sad - there are kids who live this kind of life. With a copyright date of 1999 and few (if any) checkouts, this one goes.

"Illustrated" mum is in reference to all of Marigold's tattoos, which she gets whenever inspiration strikes her, even if she can't be bothered to buy food for her children.

Not by Sight

by Kate Breslin
Hennepin County Library paperback 369 pages
genre: Christian fiction, historical, romance

I loved this! Although the ending was predictable, I got swept up in the story and have already requested Breslin's other published book. Taking place during WWI, Grace Mabry is a wealthy young lady who wants her brother home from the front. She attends a costume ball she was not invited to so that she can hand the young men (conscientious objectors) a white feather - symbol of cowardice. She hopes to shame them into joining the war effort so that the war will be over sooner. Okay, that sounds kind of silly, but it's really just the set-up so she can make eyes at our hero, Jack Benningham - "dashing heir to the Earl of Stonebrooke." I enjoyed the intrigue (what's Clare's story?) and the verbal sparring between Grace and Jack. It wasn't a very substantive story (I didn't mark any pages for tonight's book club discussion), but I liked it!

Ms. Marvel

story by Willow Wilson
art by Adrian Alphona and Jacob Wyatt
Hennepin County Library hardcover unpaged
genre: YA superhero graphic novel

At first, I didn't care for this book. But it quickly became a story I couldn't put down and decided I *must* buy for my school. Sixteen-year-old Kamala Khan sees herself as a Jersey City girl, not a Pakistani who does what her parents want. She loves superheros, gaming, and being independent. When she becomes Ms. Marvel and tries to do the right thing, she has some classic coming-of-age moments in the midst of the action adventure against "The Inventor" (aka Birdman). Great story!

Kazumi Magica 1: The Innocent Malice

by Masaki Hiramatsu
art by Takashi Tensugi
Hennepin County Library paperback 144 pages
genre: YA manga, adventure, magic

I got this based on a student's recommendation. I hated it. I asked the student what it was that she liked about it. "The adventure, trying to help people."

It is geared to a middle-school audience (based on the main characters, who are far more physically developed than most middle school girls but identify as middle school). Three girls can do magic and turn into super-fighters with special powers. The story opens with a girl in a suitcase, naked. Yeah.

The story develops that a female police detective was trying to increase her rank and esteem, so she planted a bomb, kidnapped Kazumi, removed her clothing (it's never clear why), put her in the suitcase, and set up an elaborate switched-suitcase scheme.

I don't like manga in general - the art, the exaggerated facial expressions, the back-to-front reading. The reason I buy as much of it for my collection as I do is that it is popular and some readers absolutely devour the books! I don't think I have money for this title. I'd be more likely to buy the Black Butler series (requested a few years ago).

Sixth grader (Class of 2022) was S.I.M.

A Brother's Journey: Surviving a Childhood of Abuse

by Richard B. Pelzer
CHS media, hardcover, 261 pages
genre: memoir

I borrowed this from Chaska H.S. for a student, but couldn't return it without reading it myself. Richard was Dave Pelzer's (A Child Called It) younger brother. He was the "Little Nazi" who helped their mom in her regime of abuse toward Dave. Once Dave was out of the house, Richard became her target.

These books are horrifying, though the writing is not especially good. I think what fascinates (and repels) is that a human being could have been so evil and no one stopped her. Some have said that the brothers have exaggerated if not outright lied about the abuse. I don't have trouble believing the abuse itself. Humans are amazing in their ability to inflict pain on others. It's heart-breaking when parents do these kinds of things to their own children.

This book leaves me with the question of how social workers, teachers, nurses, etc. can break the cycle earlier. How can we rescue kids, build up families before a child is in the ER?