DSCL Shelf Talk for November

Adult

Pump: A Natural History of the Heart by Bill Schutt – American Museum of National History zoologist, Bill Schutt, writes this lively and unexpected book about the hearts of animals – from fish to bats to humans. He tells the fascinating story of scientific progress and evolution pairing science with storytelling. “Written with verve and authority, weaving evolutionary perspectives with cultural history, Pump shows us this mysterious organ in a completely new light.” You can read a review of this title, available in print and on Overdrive, at https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-616-20893-6

Miseducated: a Memoir by Brandon P. Fleming – Growing up in an abusive home and shuffling through school with passing grades only because of his skills on the basketball court, author Brandon Fleming writes about his life of transformation from a delinquent drug-dealing dropout to an awardwinning Harvard educator through literature and debate by the time he was twenty-seven years of age. “Miseducated is an honest memoir about resilience, visibility, role models, and overcoming all expectations.” You can read a review of this title which is available in print at https://www. kirkusreviews.com/bookreviews/brandon-p-fleming/miseducated/

You Can Run by Karen Cleveland – Thriller Award finalist Cleveland has written her latest spy novel about CIA analyst Jill Bailley, whose son has been taken hostage. She finds herself working with a hard-hitting journalist as they uncover a conspiracy that forces them to confront their loyalties to country and family. “An edge-of-your-seat thriller that will have you asking: What would you do to save the ones you love?” This title is available in print and as an eBook on Overdrive. You can read a review of this title at https://www. publishersweekly.com/978-0-593-35779-8

Blind Tiger by Sandra Brown – New York Times bestselling author, Brown, sets her latest novel in the 1920’s during prohibition. Murder, lust, mayhem and greed are already part of the landscape in the Moonshine Capital of Texas where Thatcher Hutton, a warweary soldier jumps from a moving train to avoid trouble but lands in Foley, Texas and more trouble than he bargained for. “With a knack for romantic tension and page-turning suspense, this one is a winner.” This title is available in print and as an eBook on Overdrive. You can read a review of this title at https://www. publishersweekly.com/978-1-5387-5196-1

Children’s

Lexi Magill and the Teleportation Tournament by Kim Long

Lexi Magill and the Teleportation Tournament is the perfect adventure for middle grade readers who like scavenger hunts and puzzle-solving.

Twelve-year-old physics whiz, Lexi Magill, won't let anything stop her from winning Wisconsin's Teleportation Tournament--the annual competition where teams teleport around the world to solve sciencebased puzzles. She needs the prize money if she wants to re-enroll in the science academy her parents can no longer afford.

https://www.slj.com/?reviewDetail=leximagill-and-theteleportation-tourna...

The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix

The first book in the Greystone Secrets Series takes readers on a thrilling adventure filled with mysteries and plot twists aplenty. This absorbing new series is all about family and friendships. Perfect for fans of A Wrinkle in Time and The City of Ember. What makes you, you? The Greystone kids thought they knew!

https://www. kirkusreviews.com/bookreviews/margaret-peterson-haddix/greystone-secrets/

Knots on a Counting Rope by Bill Martin; illustrated by Ted Rand

Gathered near a campfire under a canopy of stars, a Navaho Indian boy hears the tale of his birth from his grandfather. Born on a windy night, the child was weak and frail. In the early morning, Grandfather brought him out to meet the morning. Two blue horses galloped by, stopped, and looked at him; the baby raised his arms to them. Grandfather said, ""This boy child will not die. The great blue horses have given him the strength to live.'' Named Boy-Strength-of-Blue-Horses, the child later needs that well of strength to deal with the fact that he is blind. A heartwarming moving tale made even better with Ted Rand’s atmospheric illustrations.

https://www. publishersweekly.com/978-0-8050-0571-4

The boy who loved math: the improbable life of Paul Erdos by Deborah Heiligman; illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Most people think of mathematicians as solitary, working away in isolation. And it's true, many of them do. But Paul Erdos never followed the usual path. At the age of four, he could ask you when you were born and then calculate the number of seconds you had been alive in his head. But he didn't learn to butter his own bread until he turned twenty. Instead, he traveled around the world, from one mathematician to the next, collaborating on an astonishing number of publications. With a simple, lyrical text and richly layered illustrations, this is a beautiful introduction to the world of math and a fascinating look at the unique character traits that made "Uncle Paul" a great man.

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/deborahheiligman/boy-who-love...

Young Adult

Endless Skies by Shannon Price –

Shannon Price's The Endless Skies is a breakout standalone epic fantasy about shapeshifting warriors perfect for fans of Adrienne Young and Wonder Woman. High above the sea, floats the pristine city of the Heliana. Home to wingedlion shapeshifters--the Leonodai--and protected from the world of humans by an elite group of warriors, the Heliana has only known peace.After years of brutal training, seventeen-year-old Rowan is ready to prove her loyalty to the city and her people to become one of the Leonodai warriors. But before Rowan can take the oath, a deadly disease strikes the city's children. Soon the warriors--including two of Rowan's closest friends--are sent on a dangerous mission to find a fabled panacea deep within enemy lands. Left behind, Rowan learns a devastating truth that could compromise the mission and the fate of the Heliana itself. She must make a decision: stay with the city and become a warrior like she always dreamed, or risk her future in an attempt to save everyone she loves. Whatever Rowan decides, she has to do it fast, because time is running out, and peace can only last so long...

Publishers Weekly Review: https://www. publishersweekly.com/9781250302014

The Jasmine Project by Meredith Ireland –

Jasmine Yap's life is great. Well, it's okay. She's about to move in with her longtime boyfriend, Paul, before starting a nursing program at community college--all of which she mostly wants. But her stable world is turned upside down when she catches Paul cheating. To her giant, overprotective family, Paul's loss is their golden ticket to showing Jasmine that she deserves much more. The only problem is, Jasmine refuses to meet anyone new.

But...what if the family set up a situation where she wouldn't have to know? A secret Jasmine Project.

The plan is simple: use Jasmine's graduation party as an opportunity for her to meet the most eligible teen bachelors in Orlando. There's no pressure for Jasmine to choose anyone, of course, but the family hopes their meticulously curated choices will show Jasmine how she should be treated. And maybe one will win her heart.

But with the family fighting for their favorites, bachelors going rogue, and Paul wanting her back, the Jasmine Project may not end in love but total, heartbreaking disaster.

Booklists Online Review: https://www.booklistonline.com/The-Jasmine-Project/pid=9750686

Sunkissed by Kasie West –

Avery has always used music as an escape. But after her best friend betrays her, even her perfectly curated playlists can't help her forget what happened. To make matters worse, her parents have dragged her and her social-media-obsessed sister to a remote family camp for two months of "fun." Just when Avery is ready to give up on the summer altogether, she meets Brooks--mysterious, frustratingly charming Brooks--who just happens to be on staff--which means he's off-limits.

What starts as a disaster turns into. . . something else. As the outside world falls away, Avery embarks on a journey of self-discovery. And when Brooks offers her the chance of a lifetime, she must figure out how far is she willing to go to find out what she wants and who she wants to be.

Kirkus Review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/kasie-west/sunkissed/

Tides of Mutiny by Rebecca Rode-

Lane Garrow has a secret—one that could get her killed.

In a world where female sailors are executed, sixteen-year-old Lane's dream of being a ship's captain seems impossible. Sea life is all she knows, and she wouldn't give it up for anything, even if it means she has to hide as a captain's boy to avoid being killed. But Lane's carefully constructed world begins to crumble when an old pirate enemy comes after her father. And she begins hearing rumors that her father was once a pirate as well.

Lane doesn't want to believe her father could have a dark past, but she can't help questioning everything she's known. After all, Lane's life at sea is built on lies--why couldn't her father's be, too?

Then a mysterious prince shows up, and Lane finds her very survival tied to a boy who could destroy everything. With pirates, betrayal, and death threatening Lane and those she loves, she must now decide between the future she always expected and a prince with an unknown agenda who she finds herself falling for. Lane must either protect herself and find a way to live her dream, or risk everything for a world where her very existence is a death sentence.

Maybe there's a third option. After all, she's never played by the rules before. Why start now?

Publishers Weekly Review: https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780316705752