Amid a background of bank robberies and fatal gunshot wounds, the real drama here is bureaucratic and human. In her response to the adversity all around her, Peter Plate's Charlene Hassler, a social worker at the huge, anthill-like Department of Social Services complex on San Francisco's Otis Street, is a literary tour de force. Straight out of Dante's Inferno, Plate's DSS is an eternal holding pen of unfulfilled needs and desires. Charlene is under investigation, and snitches are everywhere. A co-worker is murdered. Charlene's boss and former mentor spends amorous afternoons with her arch-enemy. The custodian burglarizes her desk, then shoots her in the knee after he imagines she's ratted on him. As the anger and chaos at DSS reach epic proportions, we witness the strange heroism of Charlene's coworkers when they foil a hold-up; her boss's real vulnerability after a suicide attempt; and Charlene herself triumphantly winning her personal battle for romance in this true human comedy. Views: 29
The 1947 Partition of India is the backdrop for this powerful novel, narrated by a precocious child who describes the brutal transition with chilling veracity. Young Lenny Sethi is kept out of school because she suffers from polio. She spends her days with Ayah, her beautiful nanny, visiting with the large group of admirers that Ayah draws. It is in the company of these working class characters that Lenny learns about religious differences, religious intolerance, and the blossoming genocidal strife on the eve of Partition. As she matures, Lenny begins to identify the differences between the Hindus, Moslems, and Sikhs engaging in political arguments all around her. Lenny enjoys a happy, privileged life in Lahore, but the kidnapping of her beloved Ayah signals a dramatic change. Soon Lenny’s world erupts in religious, ethnic, and racial violence. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, the domestic drama serves as a microcosm for a profound political upheaval. Views: 29
Another thrilling Zac Power adventure! Zac Power's next mission is in one of the deepest oceans in the world. Even GIB's subs can't handle the depth. But the enemy has invented a new sub that can dive deeper than ever before. Can Zac find the enemy and protect the top-secret information stored on the seabed? Views: 29
Science Fiction. 78327 words long. Views: 29
Captive Audience is wonderful. These storiesunderstated, honest and always touchinglimn the many small perils that await a young man today on his way to settling in the world. This is an immensely rewarding book.”Scott TurowDave Reidy’s stories remind us that even when we’re composing our Song of Everyone Else, we’re creating a distinctive Song of Ourselves, and continually gathering others into us, in a way that Walt Whitman would recognize, and celebrate.”Jim ShepardDave Reidy’s matchless reports from the heart of twenty-first century America, a landscape of technological obsession and performance anxiety (in many forms), are elegant, precise, cool, and funny. Here is a young writer from whom we can expect much in the future.”David LeavittFrancis Ford Coppola, REM, and Abe Vigoda are just a few of the many characters who populate the world of Captive... Views: 29
Susan Kelley remembers the long-ago teenage crush she had on rancher Duke Colton. Some things don't change -- like Duke's sexy half smile and the way it leaves her breathless. What's different now is Susan's all grown up with very real desires.... Accustomed to minding his own business, Duke can't walk away when he spots Susan crying outside a hospital. Ever since that day, their paths keep crossing. They finally surrender to the scorching passion between them, and suddenly she's all he can think about. And when Susan begins receiving threats, Duke must do everything in his power to protect the woman he can't resist loving. Views: 29
Ms. Finkleman is just our boring old music teacher. Or is she?It all starts with a Special Project in Mr. Melville's Social Studies class: Solve a mystery in your own life. For seventh grader Bethesda Fielding, one mystery is too tempting to ignore: Ms. Finkleman.Bethesda is convinced that her mousy Music Fundamentals teacher is hiding a secret life, and she’s determined to find out what it is. But no one is prepared for what she learns. Ms. Finkleman used tobe . . . a rock star? Soon the whole school goes rock crazy, and a giant concert is in the works with none other than timid Ms. Finkleman at the helm!But the case isn’t quite closed, and the questions continue to swirl forBethesda. Could there be even more to the secret life of Ms. Finkleman than she already revealed? With the help of her rock-obsessed classmate Tenny Boyer, Bethesda won’t stop until she solves the real mystery of Ms. Finkleman once and for all!From School Library JournalGr 4-7–Given a class assignment to find a mystery and solve it, seventh-grader Bethesda Fielding sets out to discover the true identity and personality of Ms. Finkleman, her seemingly ordinary music teacher. The woman is so ordinary that she is practically invisible to students and staff alike. This changes when Bethesda unearths some 1990s rock music paraphernalia and puts the pieces together (so she thinks), to find that Ms. Finkleman used to be Little Miss Mystery, in the band The Red Herrings. Bethesda is in a quandary after the project becomes the school's obsession. There is a rock star among them and so the choral corral that Ms. Finkleman was planning for a multischool competition will now showcase rock and a performance by her, instead of the 16th-century English folk ballads she had hoped the students would deliver. It is safe to say that Ms. Finkleman shuns the sudden fame and the attention it garners her. This story is part mystery, part friendship novel, part school story. There are twists and turns, but what is most enjoyable is the effect that learning and playing rock music has on the teacher's students. Everyone seems to discover their true inner selves through music, and that includes the not-so-mysterious-after-all Ms. Finkleman.–Tracy Karbel, Chicago Public Libraryα(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. From BooklistMs. Finkleman, a mild-mannered Music Fundamentals teacher, is a completely anonymous figure at Mary Todd Lincoln Middle School. She is such a nonentity that ace student Bethesda Fielding determines there must be more to her—a secret history that needs to be uncovered. When Bethesda discovers her teacher’s punk-music past, the repercussions are hilarious, revolutionary, and TWR (“Totally Way Rock”). Bethesda is a lovable nerd and heads a cast of characters who are clearly types yet still believable, and their dialogue is authentic. This title touches on intriguing issues about identity, the way teachers connect with their students, and second chances, all of which could open up lively discussions. This is also a just-plain-fun read that culminates in a wholly satisfying ending, and it will easily appeal to fans of Andrew Clements and Gordon Korman, as well as anyone who ever watched School of Rock or High School Musical and imagined putting on the best show ever. Grades 5-8. --Kara Dean Views: 29
Copper Mill is buzzing with excitement over the opening of a new museum that features art donated by one of the town's great success stories: a man named Davis Carr, who spent a meaningful part of his childhood there. Carr has even made sure that the museum is equipped with a high-tech surveillance system run by security guru Clive Garfield. But when Paul's mentor Nehemiah Jacobs comes across the security feed of the museum, he sees more than just a few priceless paintings. Kate is sure that the suspicious activity at the museum is connected to Clive, especially after she notices that Livvy's son James Jenner, who works on Clive's security team, begins to act fearful and skittish. When Kate tries to enlist the assistance of Renee Lambert, she finds that Renee has sworn off gossip, which makes for a surprisingly difficult investigation. With or without Renee, Kate knows that something shady is surrounding the museum and, worse, she worries that James is in trouble. Can she get... Views: 29
Utah Territory was a long way from the Lone Star State, but Larry and Stretch found other Texans there—a worried squaw man and a beautiful redhead—fellow Texans in need of their help.Once again, the Nomads from Texas find, themselves involved in danger, intrigue and sudden death—distrusted by the forces of law and order—opposed by the entire 9th Cavalry—challenged by the lawless.Larry Valentine could never turn his back on a mystery, or a fight. With Stretch Emerson as his willing shadow, and a New York journalist as interested observer, hard-hitting Larry once again proves that outlaws can't win, when they challenge the Lone Star Hellions Views: 29
