New Books

The things they carried / Tim O’Brien
Fictional account of American soldiers’ experience in Vietnam.
The knife of never letting go / Patrick Ness
In Prentisstown, everyone can hear everyone’s thoughts in a cacophony known as Noise. Todd discovers a place of silence and learns a secret that forces him to flee for his life. First book in the Chaos Walking trilogy.

Audrey, wait! / Robin Benway
When 16-year-old Audrey decides to dump her band-singer boyfriend, she has no idea that he will go on to write a chart-topping song about their breakup. Now she must fend off the paparazzi and handle the gossip magazines. (Amazon.com; 12/04/2009)

Graceling / Kristin Cashore
Katsa is a “graceling,” a person born with an extraordinary skill. She is a gifted fighter forced to work as a thug for her uncle, the king. Katsa has secretly formed the Council, a league which works for justice. She rescues the father of the Lienid king, and with his grandson, unravels the plot that led to his capture. Received a starred review from School Library Journal.

Slam dunk / Kate Jaimet
Sixteen-year-old Salvador “Slam” Amaro is the assistant coach for the girls’ basketball team. It’s a cushy job until the head coach and the point guard disappear.

The fortunes of Indigo Skye / Deb Caletti
Eighteen-year-old Indigo Skye has it all – a loving family, an adoring boyfriend, a job she enjoys. Then a stranger leaves her a $2.5 million tip. As she navigates the advantages and hazards of sudden wealth, Indigo learns that money isn’t everything.

The brothers Torres / Coert Voorhees
Frankie, an awkward Hispanic teenager, has a crush on the lovely Rachel. His older brother, Steve, is running with a tough crowd and risking his college scholarship. When Frankie is beaten by a rich white boy, Steve is determined to exact revenge. Received starred Review from School Library Journal.

The sunflower : on the possibilities and limits of forgiveness / Simon Wiesenthal
While imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, Simon Wiesenthal was taken one day from his work detail to the bedside of a dying member of the SS. The soldier wanted to confess to – and obtain absolution from – a Jew. Wiesenthal said nothing. After the war ended, Wiesenthal wondered if he had done the right thing. In this revised and expanded edition, fifth-three distinguished men and women respond to Wiesenthal’s dilemma. (paraphrased from the back cover; 12/4/2009)