Review by OHS Library Secretary, Mikel
The Racers was a thrilling surprise, full of suspense and enough lively content to enthrall race car enthusiasts, WWII  history buffs, as well as readers who appreciate an author who thoroughly researches contributions of women and Jews in the car racing industry.  Even readers who have no interest in car racing and nonfiction will be sucked into this epic tale of intrigue and the gritty ambition of an underdog facing Hitler’s highly trained and supported fleet of drivers and turbo-charged cars. Very few people realize the origin of the Mercedes-Benz car, so prevalent on today’s roads, and many will be astonished at the story of the development of Hitler’s Silver Arrow race car. Bascomb’s addition of photographs interspersed throughout the story enhances his already vivid descriptions of racers and their early, innovative race cars, some of which could reach unheard of speeds of over 250 mph. The pinnacle of suspense in the book is the final showdown Pau Grand Prix race of 1938, when Hitler was determined to prove to the world that Germany was supreme in all endeavors throughout the world, including on the racing circuit. The reader will not be able to put down the book at this point; they will be in the seat with Dreyfus, the Jewish driver, whipping around hairpin turns, screaming past the the pit ignoring the frantic signaling of his mechanic for urgent maintenance, and weaving in and out of cars barely escaping the dreaded conflagration of a crash. The world held its breath in ’38, riveted to the final outcome of the Third Reich’s best efforts to dominate the world of racing, a prelude to its effort to dominate the world, period. You will be holding your breath too, and might even pick the book up and start over just to experience that rush again! It would not surprise this reader to see The Racers being made into a movie.  Genre: Narrative Nonfiction/ Historical Nonfiction

Review by OHS Library Secretary, Mikel
This book is well written and makes you want to get to the next page.  It’s about two young girls caught in a war between Nigerians and Biafrans.  They are child soldiers orphaned by the war.  There are soldiers with bionic limbs and artificial organs.  There are two friends, Onjii and Ify who are separated in battle.  They think they will never see each other again, but their trails bring them together.  Onyii is a warrior nicknamed the Demon of Belfran.  Ify is very intelligent and dreams of going to outer space. Daren, a soldier connects with Ifu and takes care of her.  Daren becomes a leader of his people which helps Ify achieve her goals.  4 years later circumstances evolve which make it possible for them to reunite.  However, being together could mean risking everything.  I recommend this book and it is an exciting read. It is best for high school level and above. 

Rick is a quick, informative read that addresses bullying and some of the hardships kids endure when questioning their personal gender identity.  This coming of age book explores preferred pronoun usage, questions regarding sexual orientation and, most importantly, acceptance. 

It bothers Rick that his best friend, Jeff, (and sometimes his own father, too) objectifies girls and is often unkind to Rick, making fun of him.  Rick decides he doesn’t appreciate or approve of Jeff’s behavior anymore and conjures up the courage to stand up for himself and his new friends from the LGBTQ+ Alliance Club at school.

Rick exudes bravery and while at times the author uses fairly explicit language, this is a very sweet story for the middle-aged audience. It focuses on  a crucial, under publicized topic of our time. This was an enjoyable and eye-opening read.

It’s not very often that a young adult mystery keeps you guessing until the very end, but Kit Frick did it in I Killed Zoe Spanos. What a great ride! Mix podcast transcripts with flashback narrative structure. Chill over the course of 10 months. Then surprise readers with more than they ever thought was happening in the back story.

Anna Cicconi has not been the perfect teen, but the summer after graduating high school, she wants to make better choices and believes leaving NYC for a nanny job in the Hamptons will be a fresh start and a great way to make money for college. Escaping to a place her mother tells her she’s never been to because her father was too cheap, she commits to being a good nanny. Not long in her new dwelling, Anna learns of a missing girl from the area that looks surprisingly similar to her. People in town notice too. Jump ahead to the fall and Anna is in juvenile detention for the killing of Zoe Spanos — but she went missing on New Year’s Eve/Day the previous winter. Anna had never met Zoe, yet she confessed to the crime. Memories keep flooding into her head of her being with Zoe, but there’s no truth to them.

Local detective-like teen Martina begins a podcast about Zoe’s death because she too feels something is not right with how the police investigated and why Anna confessed. She’ll discover more clues, but not everything will add up. Kit Frick wove together a mystery that has just the right questions without over-the-top tension or gore. Most mystery fans should enjoy it and I can highly recommend this for high school and public libraries.

This biography provides a fan perspective, but also addresses criticisms of Kobe’s “selfish” style of play. It briefly touches on a sexual assault case against him. The book ends with his posthumous induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Black and white line drawings accompany the easy-to-read text. The book includes a table of contents, a timeline of Kobe’s life beside a timeline of world events during that period, and a bibliography. There is a page of information for both Shaquille O’Neal and Lebron James as Lakers teammates.

It is great to have an up-to-date easy-to-read publication about a young person making headlines about climate change. There is additional information about Stockholm and about the Greenhouse Effect included in the book. The hazards of biographies of the living, particularly of young people, are the text will be out-of-date as Greta continues on in her life/work and as politics and policies around climate change continue to shift. Published in 2020, the book ends with former president Trump still in office and the US out of the Paris Climate Agreement.  The book includes a table of contents, timelines of Greta’s life and world events during that period, and a bibliography.

The simple text reciting memories of farm life on the prairie is paired with detailed artwork that illuminates the setting. This book portrays an idyllic slice of white middle-America in what appears to be the 1930-40s, with cars but also horses pulling wagons. The illustrations are intricate collages layered with color and patterns. The artist uses a variety of materials and techniques including homemade stamps, acrylics, and layered tissue paper. The book is happy and calming.

As you may guess from the title, “Gloom Town” is a dark story. Rory’s single mom works hard to make ends meet. When they are yet-again short on rent money and threatened with eviction, 12-year-old Rory takes a job at the creepy Foxglove Manor. There he encounters hard work, isolation, and deprivation. Rory’s curiosity gets him into trouble and he barely escapes with his life. He teams up with his best friend Izzy attempting to solve the mysteries of the mansion, it’s inhabitants and it’s visitors. Violence, death, the supernatural, witchcraft and magic are central to the story. In the end a surprise character arrives, perhaps too conveniently, to fit together some of the missing pieces of the mystery.
The time period is unclear, but reflects the past with gas lights and sailing ships. I don’t believe Gloom Town’s location is on any map that exists today. The main characters are believable. Race is not specifically addressed, but Rory is described as dark skinned and his mother and friend Izzy are fair skinned. I can recommend the story, but feel the dark themes are not for younger readers. For example, a child’s heart discovered buried in a box in the garden was a bit much for me. I know, however, that there are students who would enjoy that level of horror.