Napoli, Donna Jo. HUNGER

Napoli, Donna Jo. 
HUNGER
New York : Simon & Schuster, 2018
IL YA
ISBN 978-1-48147-749-9


The autumn of 1846 in the West of Ireland, locals were dying from hunger. The potato crop had failed and that was the main staple of the Irish diet. The British land owners took the rest of the crops for payment on the land rental. Lorraine's family is doing OK but they worry when the latest crop fails.  Lorraine is befriended by the landowner's daughter who tries to find a way to help. Miss Susannah can't be seen being friends with an Irish girl so she can't help as much as she might want.  But will her good intentions be enough to save the tenants as they face starvation and disease? 

Hahn, Mary Downing. ONE FOR SORROW : A GHOST STORY

Hahn, Mary Downing.
ONE FOR SORROW : A GHOST STORY
New York : Clarion Books, 2017
IL 5-8, RL 5.8
ISBN 978-0-544-81809-5


Annie is starting a new school and she wonders if she will make any friends. Be careful what you wish for. The first girl who befriends Annie is Elsie Schneider, the most unpopular girl in school.  When the other girls see Annie with Elsie, they make fun of her for hanging around with the "dirty Hun". The year is 1918 and the world is at war with Germany and people around the country are angry at people of German descent.  So poor Elsie gets picked on all the time. What Annie soon finds out is that there is something very strange about Elsie. When she destroys Annie's toys and keeps just hanging around, Annie wants out of the friendship. Her opportunity comes when Elsie gets sick and stays home. Annie has a chance to talk to the other girls and now she is hanging out with them and making fun of Elsie.  Will Annie realize that she is treating Elsie badly before it is too late?

Haddix, Margaret Peterson SUMMER OF BROKEN THINGS

Haddix, Margaret Peterson
SUMMER OF BROKEN THINGS
New York : Simon & Schuster, 2018
IL YA
ISBN 978-1-48141-764-8


Told in two voices -- Avery, a rich, spoiled 14-year-old who is used to getting her way and Kayla, a 16 year old who is known as "butt-girl" in school. These two have very little in common and are now thrown together for the summer.  Avery wants to go to soccer camp with her friends but her father has business in Spain and has decided she will go with him for the summer. He asks Kayla to come along to be a companion to Avery. Neither girl can fathom why. They hardly know each other. And they have very different backgrounds. Kayla is excited as she has never traveled but she is worried that Avery won't accept her.  Avery can't believe she is stuck with this girl for the summer.  What they don't know is that there is a secret that binds their families together. When it comes out, will it tear everything apart?

Buckley, James. BONNIE AND CLYDE

Buckley, James.
BONNIE AND CLYDE
New York : Aladdin, 2018
IL 5-8, RL 6.4
ISBN 978-1-48149-549-3

Have you ever heard of Bonnie and Clyde? If you lived in the 1930s, you probably would have known everything about them. They were notorious criminals who captured the public's attention and made front page news wherever they went. They were young, good looking and bold. The country was in a deep economic depression and people were looking for something to distract them from their day to day lives. Romanticizing the lives of these two outlaws filled that need. As their crimes grew more violent, the country turned against them and when they were finally caught, the story did not end. Read about another of History's Worst.

An, Na. THE PLACE BETWEEN BREATHS

An, Na.
THE PLACE BETWEEN BREATHS
New York : Atheneum, 2018
IL YA
ISBN 9781481422253

Grace King is smart and very mature for her 16 years. Having grown up with a father who was studying schizophrenia and trying to find a cure, Grace has had the opportunity to work in a lab that was doing genetic research. She is a quiet young lady and takes her internship seriously. Her mother left the family many years ago suffering with schizophrenia and Grace is determined to help her father find a cure.  Her attention to detail uncovers a coding mistake in some of the testing. Could this lead to the breakthrough the lab needs to find the cure?  And will Grace be able to find her mother to offer the cure? Full of twists and turns, and told in first, second and third person, this is a story that will keep you wondering what is really going on.