Tyler B's review: In the Shadow of No Towers by Art Spiegelman

Art Spiegelman, Pulitzer Prize winner, wrote once of the horrors his father had seen during World War II (MAUS, MAUS II). Now he turns his art to his own experiance, and the horror he witnessed, while living in New York City, on September 11, 2001.The book begins as a simple telling of another day in the life of Art Spiegelman, but then turns for the worse with the attack on the towers, and the rest of his morning dreading for his family. He continues by speaking his concerns for his art and his responsibility to the American Public. Eventually he finds a peacful resignation to his dread of our current society, politics, marketing, and media.As he tells it in his forward, "i still believe the world is ending, but i concede that it seems to be ending more slowly than i once thought."Though the political agenda behind this graphic novel may be banal, or uninteresting for some teens, others, the ones with their fingers on the pulse of our current state of anxiety, will find this book as an insightful and sometimes jarring friend.
Rating: 4Q-Better than most; 3P-Some teen appeal

Mary's Review: The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

Abandon all knowledge of Andrew Lloyd Webber, ye who enter here. This is a completely differen ballpark. While it's true that Sir Andy (as known 'affectionately' by this reviewer) did indeed use a few points from the novel--there is indeed an Erik (though his name must have been too much to remember), a Christine, and a Raoul (our poor hero much unloved by the Fandom), as well as a form of the tragic love story of the Opera Ghost-- therein lies the entire plot of the play. The oft ignored book is far richer in complexity, though admittedly not without faults.
For those who inhabit the underside of a rock, the story goes like this: a young chorus girl named Christine is mysteriously thrust into the role of the diva, thanks to the interference of the mysterious "Angel of Music", from which she receives lessons. As time passes it becomes clear that it is no angel at all, but the deformed musical genius living in the bowels of the Opera House, who also torments the manangers of the House under the guise of the Opera Ghost. Our hero and Christine's childhood sweetheart, Raoul, tries his hardest to rescue Christine from this pitiable monster as the novel goes on, wanting nothing more than to whisk her away and allow the young couple a life of quiet happiness together. Naturally along the way there are plot twists, secondary characters, and a certain falling chandelier.
While heartbreaking and classic, the novel, as mentioned, is not without faults. Leroux has a tendency to switch views rapidly, leaving some parts tedious and seemingly unimportant until a second read through. Unfortunately... the common reader may not make it so far. Learn a little patience people! Good for a quiet snowy evening, the final verdict stands: 4Q-Better than most, 2P-Only for special interest.

Stiff: the curious lives of human cadavers by Mary Roach

Are you looking for something that's out of the ordinary? Possibly something that mixes humor with science? Why not try Stiff: the curious lives of human cadavers this Halloween season?

Author Mary Roach takes a subject most of us are uncomfortable with and gets up close and personal with what happens to our bodies after we die. While it must be said that not every picture she paints is a pretty one, Roach's use of humor in her writing allows the reader to laugh and feel at ease. What I found most appealing was that Roach not only presented current uses of cadavers but also went back and looked at the historical uses as well.

The following outline of the chapters will give you an idea of how much you can learn about the scientific uses of human cadavers (aka dead bodies).

• A Head is a Terrible Thing to Waste: practice for cosmetic/plastic surgery procedures
• Crimes of Anatomy: gross anatomy classes
• Life After Death: human decay… forensics and mortuaries
• Dead Man Driving: human crash test dummies
• Beyond the Black Box: injury analysis to determine origin of plane crashes
• The Cadaver Who Joined the Army: ballistics tests
• Holy Cadaver: testing the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin… crucifixion
• How to Know if You’re Dead: Beating-heart cadavers… organ donation/brain death
• Just a Head: decapitation… head transplants
• Eat Me: medicinal cannibalism
• Out of the Fire, Into the Compost Bin: other ways to end up... more eco-friendly corpse disposal methods like tissue digestion/water reduction, composting
• Remains of the Author

Mary's Review: Interview with the Vamipire by Anne Rice

Quality of work is such a fickle thing. Some authors continue to get better as they go along, some stay the same, and some regrettably, just go down hill. Ms. Rice, the reader must regrettably be informed, is of the final variety. All the more reason to celebrate her earliest and most enjoyable novel. For the uninformed, Interview is the story of one Louis de Point du Lac, told from the vampire himself to a modern day interviewer not much older than yours truly. Louis became a vampire on a stroke of depression most of all. After the death of his brother [yes moviegoers, his brother. Louis was never married] life lost meaning, and Louis would go out drunkely in the city streets searching for death. Enter Lestat de Lioncourt, a choris matiz vampire offering a most appealing detail: life eternal, with meaning to it. Now, as any half dead charmed mortal would, Louis accepted. Now, if you will buckle your seatbelts, we will plunge into the briefest of overviews of the rest of the novel, having covered the first 50 pages.
This is a book primarily of relationships that conflict. The first third is reserved for the long running love/hate (here we will be observing 'hate') relationship of Louis and Lestat. Later the doll-like child vampire Claudia creates their happy 'family' , and for 65 years (this translates as some 10 pages) it is so and then we have, er, disasterous occurings and the focus shifts. For the midsection of the book it is Louis and Claudia taking center stage, the cold lover and the slavishly devoted husband (for though Claudia's mind grows her body does not, leaving her quite dependent on Louis). Third and in the thin of the novel is the vampire Armand, vampire of more that 400 years, forever 17. To Louis he is the promise of knowledge, something Lestat failed to deliver on. These four characters carry the novel, supported by Rice's prose that is dense in atmosphere and ambience. 300 some pages seems to fly by (though the middle of the book begins to drag slightly before the story comes to Paris.) Oh, the days when this woman wrote before becoming overly in love with description. Enchanting. Ah yes, a final warning--haunting, beautiful, and mournfully romantic. But happy fails to describe this book or its ending. Read it anyway. A little gloom is good for you.
Final Verdict: 5Q-Hard to imagine a better book 4P-Broad general teen appeal

Dane's Review: Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

In Terry Pratchett's ongoing series of a fantastic place called Disc World, the book Equal Rites depicts the magical world through the eyes of one of Disc World's most powerful witches. She is baffled later when a strange wizard shows up at her doorstep telling her that she will have a wizard in the family. The only problem is that that wizard is born a GIRL! Follow along on this mystifying tale as writer Terry Pratchett uses vivid metaphors and incredibly visual descriptions to let your minds eye see this astounding world. His dialect and choice of words might require a little bit of rereading through the "hard to follow" parts but it is definitely a worthwhile read for any who enjoy fantasy novels.
I rate this book with a 4Q-(Better than most) as it is definitely enjoyable and a 4P-(broad general teen appeal) because most teens I know enjoy fantasy novels similar to this.

Emily's Review: Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan

Brian K. Vaughan's graphic novel (Pride of Baghdad, illustrated by Niko Henrichon) is the story of a pride of lions that escapes from the Baghdad Zoo during the American bombing of the city. Zill, Safa, Noor and Ali roam the deserted city, meeting more than a few other animals and even a few humans--such as in the painfully sad conclusion. Despite the seemingly childlike premise--talking animals--the book is surprising graphic. There is cursing, violence, and even a sexual situation; none of it, however, is to excess.
The writing, however, seems too fast-paced; though we know each lion has an individual personality, we don't get enough time with them, and the book goes from beginning to end with surprising speed.
I give this book: 5Q-hard to imagine a better book, 3P-Some teen appeal

Mythbusters by Keith and Kent Zimmerman

Based on the popular TV show, MythBusters: the explosive turth behind 30 of the most perplexing urban legends of all time tries to determine once and for all whether or not some of our favorite urban legends are true. Join the cast as they develop a plan, try to experiment, and make a final decision. Examples of the legends discussed are being buried alive, exploding jawbreakers, and killer quicksand. Photographs from the show are included along with the warning: DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME.

Need more Urban Legends??

According to the authors of Too Good to Be True, "Urban Legends are true stories that are too good to be true. These popular fables describe presumably real (although odd) events that happened to the friend of a friend. And they are ususally told by credible persons narrating them in a believable style because they do believe them. The settings and actions are realistic and familiar...and the human characters are quite ordinary people. However, the bizarre, comic, or horrifying incidents that occur to these people go one step too far to be believeable (p.19)."
You may recognize the stories of the rat-dog, Kentucky Fried Rat, and the deadly spider bite. You'll probably come across a few new stories, be grossed out, and discover a new version of your favorite.

Monsterology by Arthur Slade

Monsterology: Fabulous Lives of the Creepy, the Revolting, and the Undead is a fun way to learn more about your favorite monster. You'll learn Dracula's favorite movies. Sasquatch, otherwise known as Bigfoot, shares his high-school memories and you will also learn what to do when you meet the Grim Reaper. The 15 monsters highlighted in this book will surprise and entertain you.

Cryptid Hunters by Roland Smith

Definition: cryp•to•zo•ol•o•gy (CRIP-tuh-zoh-AW-luh-jee) noun
The study of animals, such as the Sasquatch, the Yeti, the Loch Ness monster, the Cupacabra, and others, whose existence has not yet been proven scientifically. There are thought to be more than two hundred cryptids in existence today. (intro pages)

“Marty and Grace O’Hara were twins, but you wouldn’t know it if you saw them together. Marty has brown hair, eyes the color of rain clouds, and he is a foot taller than his sister. Grace has black hair, startling blue eyes the color of robin’s eggs, and she is a foot shorter than her brother.” Marty is the athletic, artistic troublemaker while Grace is an excellent swimmer, a bookworm, and very intelligent. “The [13 year old] O’Hara twins were at the Omega Opportunity Preparatory School is Switzerland when they received the worst news of their lives (1).” They’ve just received word that their photojournalist parents were in a helicopter crash in the Amazon that killed the pilot and they are nowhere to be found. Now Marty and Grace are being whisked away from school to live with their eccentric uncle Wolfe, who they never knew existed, on his own private island, called Cryptos, in the Pacific Northwest near Seattle. When they arrive on the island, a colored tag is placed around each one of their necks and they are given a pocket computer called a Gizmo. The Gizmo has eight icons: Locate (which shows the location of all people/animals/things that are wearing an identification tag), Teleconference, Video, E-mail, Keyboard, GPS, Chat, and Cybervault (which holds anything scanned or saved into the Gizmo. The information is stored in a satellite so it will be saved in case the Gizmo is lost). The twins have barely settled into life on the island when Wolfe gets word that he’s needed in the Congo. You see, Wolfe is a cryptozoologist, one who studies cryptids, animals who are rumored to exist but have not yet been scientifically proven. Wolfe has evidence that an animal called the Mokélé-mbembé exists and he must find it before his arch-nemesis Noah Blackwood does. While the twins look forward to the Congo, Wolfe has plans to return them to Omega Prep until his expedition is complete. The flight plan includes dropping supplies into the Congo, before leaving the twins in Switzerland. The supply drop doesn’t go as planned and Marty and Grace find themselves falling from the jet along with the supplies. This is only the start of their adventure which includes finding the Skyhouse, Wolfe’s tree house base, escaping Blackwood’s band of evil henchmen, and finding the one thing everyone is looking for. Join Marty and Grace as they become Cryptid Hunters.