Ms. Dickinson's Purple and Gold Pick of the Week: The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

"I should probably start with the blood." After all, there was so much blood on the night that Nora's suddenly perfect life crumbled and twisted into a nightmare. Before that night, Nora had two best friends. She had a fresh new storybook romance of her own. She was working on a senior year independent Latin project at the local college with a quirky professor and one of her best friends, Chris, now a college freshmen. Everything in Nora's life was finally falling into place. Now Chris is dead and his girlfriend and Nora's other best friend Adrienne has withdrawn into a state of catatonic shock. Max, Chris' sweet and nerdy roommate and Nora's new boyfriend, has disappeared and the police are convinced that he's the killer.

Determined to prove that Max is innocent, Nora immerses herself in the strange occurrences and cryptic clues surrounding the Book of Blood and Shadow--the mysterious manuscript at the center of their shared research project. Nora's search for the truth leads her deep into a dark world of ancient secrets spanning centuries of bloodshed and terror as she traces the clues hidden in another desperate young woman's centuries old letters across the ocean and into the twisting streets of Prague.

This new novel has been described as the YA Da Vinci Code and rightfully so. Full of mysterious documents, hidden history, elaborate codes, secret societies, and thrills & chills galore, The Book of Blood and Shadow has all the necessary pieces for an excellent intellectual thriller. However, Wasserman goes several steps further than just gathering all the pieces; she's combined those pieces with interesting characters, rich description, and elegantly built suspense. It has all the compulsive readability of The Da Vinci Code but with frankly better writing and more exciting, on the spot Latin translation. Nora is a smart, sarcastic, and fierce narrator. Her relationships with Chris, Adrienne, and Max are complex; she consistently keeps an emotional distance from both Chris and Adrienne yet remains intensely loyal and somewhat dependent on their threesome's stability--especially after Chris' murder. Her romance with Max is sweet and thrilling, which makes the confusing web of revelations about him and his potential involvement in the Book's mysteries even more emotionally fraught. Elizabeth Weston, the stepdaughter of a medieval alchemist who devoted his life to decoded the mysteries within the Book, emerges as an equally fascinating character through Nora's revelatory translation of her letters.

You will be immediately drawn into the story, both by the appealingly human characters and the ever increasing mystery. The plot is full of twists and turns that keep readers guessing right up to the final page. I would heartily recommend The Book of Blood and Shadow to readers of intellectual thrillers and mysteries (such as The Da Vinci Code), especially Latin students and Indiana Jones fans.

 

Come by the library and check out Robin Wasserman's new novel, The Book of Blood and Shadow, on display now in the fiction section! 

Ms. Dickinson's Purple and Gold Pick of the Week: See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles

Fern is sick and tired of her overcrowded and exhausting family.  Between grumpy 18 year old Sara stuck helping at the family restaurant Harry's, unhappy Holden starting high school with new secrets, and annoying 3 year old surprise baby Charlie, Fern mostly feels like she's invisible.  To make things even worse, her dad starts his newest deeply embarrasing marketing scheme for Harry's just weeks before Fern starts seventh grade.  But when a tragedy strikes and turns their lives upside down, Fern must find her place in a world that will never be the same and within a family that's falling apart.   

It was be very easy for a novel narrated by a girl who feels lost among her large quirky family to feel cliche;  the situation is familiar and Fern's embarrasment about her family and nerves about beginning at a new school could easily translate as whiny or repetetive.  But in Jo Knowles' capable hands, See You at Harry's is anything but cliched or overdone.  All the characters stand out as interesting and realistic.  As a reader you can recognize people you've known, loved, and/or been related to among Fern's family, friends, and enemies; they are quirky enough to be unique and familiar enough to be relatable but overall they are also complex enough to avoid becoming flat stereotypes.  As a narrator and protagonist, Fern especially stands out as someone with whom nearly any reader can find a connection.  She loves her family yet they drive her absolutely insane; she's perceptive, caring, and smart but still very much in the middle of figuring out who she is and what kind of person she will choose to become. 

Additionally, Jo Knowles takes on the difficult topics of loss and grief with authenticity and grace. Through Fern's reactions and her observations of her family and friends' reactions, Knowles paints an achingly realistic and sympathetic portrait of the complex and conflicting emotions that bubble up within us in the face of death.  See You At Harry's is an emotionally powerful novel about the pain of growing up, the shocking confusion of loss, and the rocky road to healing.

Come by the library to get a taste of Jo Knowles' new novel,

See You At Harry's 

on display now in our fiction section! 

Living in A Booklover's Paradise: National Book Festival This Weekend!

 This year's poster was designed by
Rafael Lopez.

Living in our nation's capital can have many advantages, especially for those among the NCS community with an interest in international issues and politics.  However, D.C. also happens to be a paradise for booklovers!  Between our extensive public library system and the many amazing independent bookstores scattered throughout the District, rapid readers are very lucky.  This weekend's exciting events are prime examples of D.C.'s exciting literary scene. 

This Saturday and Sunday, September 22nd and 23rd, the Library of Congress will host its 12th annual National Book Festival down on the National Mall.  The festival takes over the the Mall between 9th and 14th Streets, filling the area with a variety of pavillons housing everything from author presentations and book signings to family reading activities and special exhibits about the Library of Congress or the literary traditions of all 50 states.  You can visit the Festival's website to find more information including a map of the pavillions and a schedule of all exciting author presentations and signings.  Over 100 authors, poets, and illustrators of books in all different genres will be at the event over the course of the weekend.  Highlights include John Green (The Fault in Our Stars), Lois Lowry (The Giver), Maggie Stiefvater (Shiver; The Scorpio Races), Jenny Han (The Summer I Turned Pretty), Sandra Cisneros (The House on Mango Street), and many, many more!  To find out if your favorite author might be there, check out the Festival complete author list here.

The National Book Festival runs from 10am to 5:30pm on Saturday Sept. 22 and from noon to 5:30pm on Sunday Sept. 23 on the National Mall.  It is free and open to the public and the events will run as scheduled in rain or sunshine.   

Additionally, the fabulous independent bookstore Politics and Prose has several exciting author events this week.  Libba Bray (author of A Great & Terrible Beauty, Going Bovine, and Beauty Queens) is presenting and signing there on Wednesday Sept. 20 at 7pm to celebrate the publication of her history fantasy novel The Diviners.  Also, David Levithan (Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist; Every Day) and Jacqueline Woodson (Hush; If You Come Softly; Beneath A Meth Moon) will be stopping by the store at 6:30pm on Saturday Sept. 22 after their busy day at the Book Festival.  Check out their calendar to for details!

Ms. Dickinson's Purple & Gold Pick of the Week: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

On October 11, 1943, a British spy plane carrying two young women is hit by enemy antiaircraft fire while crossing the English Channel.  The determined pilot fights the failing aircraft for control, allowing her passenger to parachute out safely before crashing down in a French field.  The parachuting passenger is a Special Operative with the code name Verity--and the pilot is her best friend Maddie.  Together, they are a sensation team.  But mere days after leaving Maddie and her unknown fate behind, Verity is captured by the Gestapo.  Entering into a spy's worst nightmare, she's faced with a choice: spill her many secrets or face a slow and painful death. 

Reviewing Elizabeth Wein's brilliant new novel is a delicate task, involving some of the same careful way with words and talent for subterfuge necessary for survival as a Special Operative.  The task is so tricky because this thrilling novel is full of so many surprising twists and turns that even the shortest plot summary is in danger of including spoilers.  However, I can reveal that Code Name Verity is one of the most intense and fascinating novels I've read this year.  While it's packed with interesting historical details about everything from planes to ballpoint pens, the story never drags with an overabundance of description.  In fact, even though Verity's narrative jumps back and forth between her horrific present  situation and her retelling of the events that brought her and Maddie to France, the story practically never drags.  Verity's narration, occasionally jumbled or confusing as suits a confession written under threat of torture, is highly compelling and the tension only grows as the novel's multiple plots unfold.  However, while the complex and well-crafted plot and excellent writing are huge factors in this novel's success, it is the extraordinarily realistic and emotionally resonant portrayal of the friendship between Verity and Maddie that truly makes this novel stand out.  As Verity writes, "It's like being in love, discovering your best friend." 

Come over the library to grab of our copy of Elizabeth Wein's thrilling novel of friendship and survival under fire, Code Name Verity!

APP-solutely Fabulous: Pulse

image from FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

As the new school year begins, the amount of papers, textbooks, assignments, and events to keep organized can be a more than a little overwhelming.  Between old fashioned spiral bound planners and digital to-do lists or calender alerts, it feels like we can never do enough to stay on top of our organizational needs.  So we definitely don't have time to keep track of updates from favorite websites, recently discovered blogs, or preferred digital news providers.  Luckily, there's a great app for that!

In fact there are several different apps that can track and pull together all your favorite online updates into one location.  However, after trying out a few different options, I've definitely found a favorite personalized news reading app.  Pulse, an app designed by two graduate students at Stanford's Institute of Design in 2010, is an easy to use news reading app that works on multiple devices.  Pulse allows you to create a highly visual but clean and organized compilation of updates from all your favorite websites, blogs, social networks, and other online news sources.              

As this screenshot of a Pulse homescreen shows, Pulse differs from a regular RSS feed reader especially in its appearance.  Pulse is highly visual and easy to manipulate using the touch screens of tablets or smartphones.  After downloading the app for free to your iPad, iPhone, or Android device, you simply open the app, read the initial instruction screen, and begin customizing your Pulse news feeds.  The small white cog wheel in the upper left corner of the home screen opens the following screen which allows you to add pages & sources and to manipulate the arrangement of source feeds between pages and within pages.

A screen shot of the set-up screen, accessed by clicking on the white cog wheel in the top left of the homescreen.

 

Pop-up screen where you can choose new source feeds.

If you click on the blue add bars, this screen will pop up.  Here you can browse through Pulse's preselected and featured news sources by category and pick feeds to add to your home screen.  You can also connect to your Google Reader if you use it track RSS feeds already and then add sources from there.  If you're still looking for sources, then you can also click on the magnifying glass icon in the top left corner of this screen to search by keywords or specific web addresses.

 

When you tap on a image or 'tile' representing a blog post or article, a separate screen within pulse should pop up to display the full content.  You can also sync your Pulse across multiple devices; directions about that process are included on the Pulse F.A.Q. page, along with a range of other helpful answers and instructions.

Enjoy and happy organizing!
       

Library Update!

Welcome Back, NCS! We at the library are thrilled to see everyone back on campus and look forward to hearing about your summer adventures when you stop by to see us!  We are also excited to share the recent expansions to our library services to kick off the fall term.  In addition to our usual plethora of fresh books, we have a few other new additions to the library space.  

 

Firstly, Mr. Lucas' office has been transformed into our new Digital Media Production Lab.  This lab now contains 8 new Mac computers, each equipped with Final Cut, Adobe Photo Shop, and other related software.  There is also a new green screen wall, a range of new camera equipment, and a color scanner for student and faculty use.  This lab and its equipment will be available for faculty, staff, and student use during regular library hours, including after school.  The space will provide students (or faculty and staff) with a consistently available work area for projects related to the manipulation, creation, and production of digital media (such as films, video or multimedia presentations, etc.). 

 

Secondly, we've purchased a set of 20 iPod Touches to be used as video cameras, digital cameras, and audio recorders.  The iPods will be available for student checkout or for faculty checkout as a set for classroom lessons or projects.  We also have a few iPads that can be checked out for in library use for students during the school day.     

 

As usual the library is open every week day from 7:30am to 5:00pm.  Stop by and check out our fresh supply of books, our exciting new equipment, and our September display highlighting excellent online sources for homework help!

Ms. Dickinson's Purple & Gold Pick of the Week: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Since birth, Ismae has been marked by death.  The red birthmark running across her body is both a reminder of the dark circumstances surroundign her birth and a sign that her true father is likely Mortain, the god of death himself.  However when Ismae find refuge from an unwanted arranged marriage with a cruel man at the ancient convent of St. Mortain, she learns that her strangeness might mark her for an unusual and dangerous destiny.  At the convent, the old gods of Brittany are still worshipped and women swear to serve as Death's handmaidens--highly trained assassins working to keep the balance of life and death at all costs.

If you're looking for an exciting and rich new fantasy, then Robin LaFevers' debut novel might be just your cup of tea--or, more appropriately, goblet of poison!  Grave Mercy fits nicely into the emerging subcategory of fantasy writing frequently identified as historical fantasy.  Ismae lives in an alternative version of the medieval duchy of Brittany fighting to remain independent from France and the tale winds through dark roadside inns, tension-filled feast halls, and the chilly passages of castles.  The story combines mysterious court intrigues, a thrilling spy and assassin plot, swoon-worthy romance, and richly detailed characters.  Ismae is an intriguing narrator. Her past experiences as a social pariah and the abuse of men like her father and husband have scarred her; while her training at the convent has strengthened her confidence, she remains distrustful of outsiders, especially men.  When beginning her largest mission yet posing as the young Breton duchess's mysterious brother Gavriel Duval's mistress, Ismae is excited to have the opportunity to serve Mortain and to prove her worth to the convent.  However, she soon finds herself both unprepared for the layered intrigues of the Breton court and unnerved by the questions Duval raises about the convent's motives and methods.  The reader is drawn into Ismae's quest for the truth quickly and pulled through a twisting and thrilling journey that is impossible to put down.

This fresh and fierce fantasy has a well-crafted plot full of mystery and romance, fascinating characters, and rich, atmospheric setting.  Best of all--it's the first in a trilogy (titled His Fair Assassin) so we can all look forward to hearing more about Ismae's adventures as she strives to find her own path in a dangerous and unpredictable world.