A Feast for the Mind

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The Revealers. Wilhelm, Doug. F W678r
Three bullied seventh graders use their smarts to get the better of their tormentors by starting an unofficial e-mail forum at school in which they publicize their experiences. Unexpectedly, lots of other kids come forward to confess their similar troubles, and it becomes clear that the problem at their school is bigger than anyone knew. The school principal wants to clamp down on the operation, which she does when the trio libel a fellow student. Now a new plan of attack is needed . . .
The Kite Runner. Hosseini, Khaled. F H829k
Despite their class differences, Amir, the son of a wealthy businessman, and Hassan, his devoted sidekick and the son of Amir's household servant, play together, cause mischief together, and compete in the annual kite-fighting tournament. But one day, Amir betrays Hassan, and his betrayal grows increasingly devastating as their tale continues. Amir will spend much of his life coming to terms with his initial and subsequent acts of cowardice, and finally seek to make reparations.
The Purple Emperor. Brennan, Herbert. F B838p
Henry, Pyrgus, Blue, and Mr. Fogarty once again battle the Faeries of the Night in this colorful sequel to Faerie Wars . The last Purple Emperor, Pyrgus and Blue's father, has been raised from the dead and is transferring power to the evil Hairstreak and his henchmen. With the help of forest faeries, some silk mistresses, a sewer-dwelling creature of unknown dimensions, and additional creatures magical and otherwise, the three young friends find their way from exile back to the home they all would die to preserve and protect.

Mable Riley: A Reliable Record of Humdrum, Peril, and Romance. Jocelyn, Marthe. F J63
When travels to Ontario to serves as teacher's assistant for her older sister, fourteen-year old Mable Riley writes her episodic story "full of romance and adventure" to a friend back home. In it, she befriends aptly named Mrs. Rattle, whose modern ideas and unusual fashions shake up the community. When Mable supports Mrs. Rattle's efforts to end cruel labor practices at a nearby cheese company, she risks losing the respect of Viola, the family she lives with and her friends at school.

A Mango-Shaped Space. Mass, Wendy. F M414m
Mia, age 13, has a secret she has guarded closely. She is concerned that others will regard her as a freak if she admits that sounds, numbers, and letters have color for her. When her beloved car Mango meows and purrs, for example, she sees puffs of yellow-orange color in the air. This ability makes it hard for Mia to do algebra and foreign languages, a fact she is afraid to admit even to her parents, but when she learns she has “synesthesia,” Mia become obsessed with finding out more about her rare condition.

The Painting. Schuyler, Nina. F S397p
Desperately unhappy in her arranged marriage to a disabled potter, Ayoshi paints watercolors of a former lover. She wraps one around a bowl bound for Europe. Jorgen, a Danish soldier fighting for France in the Franco-Prussian War, is wounded and forced to take a job cataloging goods that will eventually be sold on the black market. Although Jorgen is bored by the position, the discovery of Ayoshi's painting propels him to reevaluate his assumptions about love, relationships, and autonomy.
Baby, Honey, Sweetheart Caletti, Deb F C149h
Quiet junior Ruby McQueen falls in love with bad-boy Travis. Travis gives her a beautiful gold chain, and she wears it everywhere. Only later does Ruby learn that Travis breaks into houses and steals jewelry. To help Ruby mend her broken heart, her mother gets her involved in a reading group for the aged. One of the members of the book club, turns out to be the real-life love of an author whose book they are studying. It's not long before the club decides to kidnap the incapacitated lady from her controlling daughters and bring the lovers together.
Crafty Diva's D.I.Y. Stylebook: A Grrrl's Guide to Cool Creations You Can Make, Show off, and Share. Cano-Murillo, Kathy. 745.5 M984
Do you think sprinkling glitter on anything makes it better? Do you love wearing stylish accessories that no one else has? If you answered yes, check out this craft book! It's filled with 60 fabulous do-it-yourself projects for turning boring old stuff you have lying around into ultra-cool goodies. Whip up a jar of glamorous glitter gloss, create your own magnificent magnetic poetry set, or design a pair of swirly glitter jeans.

So Yesterday Westerfeld, Scott F W526
Ever wonder who was the first kid to keep a wallet on a big chunky chain, or wear way-too-big pants on purpose? These are the Innovators, the people on the very cusp of cool. Seventeen-year-old Hunter Braque's job is finding them for the retail market. But when a big-money client disappears, Hunter must use all his cool-hunting talents to find her. Along the way he's drawn into a web of brand-name intrigue: a missing cargo of the coolest shoes he's ever seen, ads for products that don't exist, and a shadowy group dedicated to the downfall of consumerism as we know it.
Daniel Half Human and the Good Nazi. Chotjewitz, David. F C551d
Until the spring of 1933, Daniel's enjoyed a comfortable German boyhood with his well-to-do family, in school, and at soccer. Daniel's even enjoyed jail for one exciting night with his best friend, Armin, after they've been caught painting a swastika on a wall in the hated Communist section of Hamburg. Then Daniel learns that his mother is Jewish, but keeps the truth a secret. He and Armin still talk of joining the Hitler Youth. However, when Armin does join, there are fateful consequences for Daniel's family.
The Key to the Golden Firebird. Johnson, Maureen. F J68k
Mayzie is the middle sister, sent to private school because of her brains. Brooks, the oldest, is a beautiful athlete who's conflicted about her two loves: softball and Dave. Palmer is the youngest, tentative in all but her blistering pitches as the only freshman on varsity softball. Then the unthinkable happens: the death of their father. Each sister must struggle with her own demons. They are all but lost to one another, until the key is found. The key to their father's Pontiac Firebird.
The Cup of the World. Dickinson, John. F D553c
Phaedra, 16, rejects each of her nobly born suitors in turn because none of them can compare to the mysterious young knight who has visited her dreams since her childhood. When at last she meets her beloved in the flesh, she marries him immediately, despite his family's reputation for black magic and his leadership of a territory in near-open rebellion against the King. As her country descends into civil war, Phaedra learns the chilling truth about her husband's powers and finds the strength to save what she holds dear.
Confessions of a Not It Girl. Cantor, Melissa. F K16n
Jan Miller's senior year isn't quite the climax she'd have hoped: she's worrying about her big butt while her best friend, Rebecca, is named as a New York "It Girl" by Chic magazine; she's struggling through college applications without any real idea of where she wants to go or what she has to offer; her plans to lust after Tom Richmond have been put on hold by the return of suddenly adorable acquaintance Josh Gardner. Since Jan babysits for Josh's half-sister, this not only gives her plenty of chances to encounter Josh, but also to hear about his girlfriend and basically get her nose rubbed in the fact that he's not interested in her.
Inventing Beauty: A History of the Innovations that Have Made Us Beautiful. Riordan, Teresa. 391.6 R585
The New York Times' s columnist Teresa Riordan explores that strange intersection of science, fashion, and business where beauty is engineered. From the bustle boom to the war on wrinkles, from kiss-proof lipstick to surgical face-lifts, Inventing Beauty reveals how, for centuries, social trends and technological innovations have fueled a nonstop assembly line of gadgets, potions, and contraptions that women have enthusiastically deployed in the quest for feminine flawlessness.


Prepared from various reviews by Joy Foust 10/04

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