Of Better Blood is an outstanding piece of historic fiction that tackles the horrific and mostly forgotten history of the eugenics movement in the early twentieth century here in the United States.
The main character is a sixteen year old polio survivor, Rowan Collier, who is engulfed in the firestorm against “the unfit.” The eugenics movement, dedicated to racial purity and good breeding, was winning support throughout the USA in the 1920s. Institutions were allowed by state law to sterilize the “feeble-minded,” the disabled, ethnic minorities, and even poor, white unwed mothers. Local eugenics councils set up exhibits at county fairs with “fitter family” contests and propaganda. After years of being confined to hospitals due to her polio damaged legs, Rowan is recruited to play a born cripple in a county fair eugenics exhibit. But an outspoken and tough carnival worker, Dorchy, makes friends with Rowan, and helps her discover her inner strength and bravery. The two teen girls escape the fair and end up at a summer camp on an island run by the New England Eugenics Council. When they discover what is happening to the children, Rowan takes on the mission to find a way to stop the horrors on the island, but she is at serious risk of befalling the same fate.

There is so much historical truth presented in this novel that the reader may actually think it is a biography. The author, Susan Moger, provides an “Author’s Note” at the end describing how one of her own relatives was a victim of the 1916 polio epidemic that swept across America, and tells of the reaction of the family. Moger also provides historic information on the American Eugenics Society, and shares how this movement influenced Adolph Hitler when he wrote of eugenics in Mien Kampf.

Zenn Diagram is the debut novel of journalist Wendy Brant, and will appeal to those who enjoy contemporary teen romance, paranormal / sci-fi themes. Eva Walker, the main character, is a math genius with an amazing talent: by touching a person’s calculator she can immediately see what area of math is tripping them up, and hence she is an amazing math tutor. But while the algos she senses from the calculator gain her prestige and respect, even from the football coaches and players, she still has virtually no friends. The reason is that she cannot get close to anyone because if she touches someone’s clothes, phone, and especially their skin, she can feel their emotions and know all their fears, insecurities, and secrets. (It reminds me a bit of some of the characters in the Twilight series, although Eva is a human and not a supernatural being).

For the most part, Eva finds it safer to just keep her hands to herself and her distance from everyone. And this works for her until she meets the tall, dark, and extremely good looking Zenn Bennett. Even his jacket gives off an aura that literally knocks her over. She falls for Zenn, realizing that she can touch his skin without having visions. But the trade off is that she discovers the history that links them, and that is where the plot conflict arises.

Zenn Diagram presents an unusual combination of math, romance, and paranormal, with a strong female math nerd protagonist.

Sinner, book four of The Wolves of Mercy series, a wildly popular series that follows the romance of Cole St. Clair and Isabel Culpeper. In Sinner, Cole has come to California with the intent to get Isabel back. He is desperate to get her: he doesn’t just want her, he needs her. After she fled from his miserable life, she has set about building herself a new life in Los Angeles. She’s not having much success. Will Cole be able to convince her to come home with him? Although they share a past, will they ever share a future? Will they survive their destructive relationship?

Read Sinner to find out!

Lifers, set in Manchester, England, an exciting mixed-genre mystery, thriller, science-fiction, dystopian novel written in third person perspective. Readers finds themselves in the head of teenager Preston, who is trying to locate a local girl who has disappeared. Preston finds himself drawn to investigate, and explores the city hunting for his missing friend. He finds himself deep in the bowels of a secret scientific institute, where he discovers a sinister machine. Preston is captured and locked in a caverns along with several other teens, all falsely imprisoned. As Preston and his new friends try to escape, the reader joins in their battle for freedom, revenge, and revolution.
Lifers is a thrilling, heart-pounding read.

Marked is a dystopian novel featuring graphic novel vignettes. Lyla, the sixteen-year-old protagonist, lives in a bleak, controlling society where only most favored and smartest students succeed. Trying to get ahead in school, she buys cheats in an underground shadow market, is caught, and then tattooed, “marked”, as a criminal. When she is offered a way to redeem herself, she jumps at the opportunity, but redemption comes at a cost. Will she have to betray the boy she loves? Will she lose even more than she thought possible? The graphic novel–style vignettes reveal the history of this dysfunctional society, and help provide Lyla with guidance and clues to a possible way out of the double bind she finds herself in.

The Wendy Project is a graphic novel by actor and playwright Melissa Jane Osborne, illustrated by Veronica Fish, whose clients include Nickelodeon and MARVEL. The story is a modern day twist on the Peter Pan story, and features 16-year-old Wendy Davies who crashes her car into a lake with her two younger brothers in the backseat. Upon awaking in the hospital, she learns that her youngest brother, Michael, is dead. Wendy, who prior to this tragedy, was a rational teenager, shocks her family by insisting that Michael is alive and in the custody of a mysterious flying boy. Wendy is moved to a new school, where she tries to navigate between fantasy and reality. In Wendy’s eyes, the students and adults around her begin to resemble characters from Neverland. She is given a sketchbook by her therapist, and she starts to draw. But is The Wendy Project just her safe space, or a portal between worlds?

Wolf, shark, snake, spider, and piranha are lured into the woods to stop a neighbor from being bulldozed.When they find out the bulldozers are made of cardboard and duct tape. Suddenly the ground opens up and a laser canon appears. Dr. Marmalade, billionaire mad scientist guinea pig is out to get his revenge on the Good Guys for  releasing all 10,000 chickens from his farms. Now snake, wolf , and shark are tied up, hanging from the ceiling, “THE ONLY REASON WE’RE IN THIS MESS IS BECAUSE OF YOUR STUPID OBSESSION WITH BEING A HERO!” yells snake to wolf.  Secret agent Fox disguised as a ninja rescues the Good Guys. But Dr. Marmalade escapes after pushing the button to end the world.  Once again, they escape. Agent Fox gives chase to Dr. Marmalade leaving the Good Guys to fight the latest secret weapon….. zombie kittens.

Perhaps this series is named “THE BAD GUYS” because of the corny, obvious, and bathroom humor, but whatever the reason, young readers will love it!

If you are looking to update your science experiment book section, this book is pleasing to the eye with its bright colorful photos. I especially liked the advice on page 6 Before You Begin: Slow and Steady, “Getting an experiment to work correctly can be tricky, …Your science projects will turn out better if you take your time.”

The teeny volcano eruption (page 10-11) and the tiny tornado /vortex (pages 12-13) are not anything new for books of this type.  Some of the experiments will state what will be happening, while in others the reader/experimenter must hypothesize first or simply wait and watch.

Other experiments include: small submarine, wee water cycle, teeny-weeny walking water drops, mini ecosystem, itsy-bitsy button race car, and miniature merry-go-round.

Page 22 of Mini-Ecosystem states, ” watch microscopic organisms thrive!” but does not indicate the person needs to use any enlarging lenses to see this. Is this an oversight or do the ‘microscopic’ organisms get big enough to see with the naked eye?

On pages 26 and 29, the photo clearly shows the AA battery in the reverse position stated in the directions. Were the directions incorrect or was this to make the photo easier to focus without moving objects? If the experimenter is going by the photos, this one probably will not work. Frustration time.

In addition to the experiments in this book, the Further Information section includes two other web sites:    http://www.funology.com/science-experiments    and    http://kids.usa.gov/science/science-fair-projects/index.shtml

Ten dump trucks in action; either being filled by an excavator or a front loader, or dumping their loads at a construction site or at a mine.

Two or three large font sentences per page opposite a color photo of a truck. The book states the obvious facts about dump trucks.

Contains a diagram of the three major parts of a dump truck: bed, cab, and tire. Plus a four picture with definition glossary: construction site, excavator, front loader, and mines.

One very happy pig is taking a bubble bath with just his rubber ducky. Then comes Pig Two with a beach ball, followed by Pig Three with a snorkel and mask, then a pig pirate, a pig with a tuba, a sailor pig with his toy ship, another pig with a sandcastle, and finally a pig with a surf board.

Then, just as quickly as the tub filled, the tub empties. Enter one wolf, with a BIG zipper down his chest. A pig in wolf’s clothing, now in the bath with the bubbles and his rubber ducky.

Hilarious fun in board book form!