In this completely fascinating docu-drama, viewers follow director Ariel’s brother Nev on a mysterious, thrilling and unsettling online journey. Nev, a 24-year-old professional photographer, lives in New York City and works in a studio with his brother Ariel and friend Henry. 

When Ariel and Henry begin filming in late 2007, Nev is at the beginning of a unique friendship with an eight-year-old girl named Abby. Abby painted a beautiful picture of one of Nev’s photographs of two dancers and mailed it to him. The two soon strike up a friendship and Nev begins talking to Abby’s mom Angela. Soon Nev adds Abby and her family members to Facebook, including Abby’s beautiful and multi-talented older sister Megan.

As Nev and Megan begin talking, their relationship soon intensifies and a nine-month long romance ensues. But everything is not quite as it seems. Nev, Ariel and Henry begin to uncover secret after secret. When Nev finally decides to confront Megan and her family, the three travel across the country to Angela’s house in Michigan. What they find there is truly shocking and utterly captivating.

A true product of our times, Catfish is a must see! Add yourself to the hold list today!

Author:
Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Age Group:
Marketed to children but appropriate for all ages.

Genre:
Non-Fiction, American History, Black History, Race

Awards:
Publishers Weekly’s Best Children’s Books of the Year for Nonfiction (2010), YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Nominee (2011)

Summary:
In this new non-fiction work, Bartoletti takes readers back to the origins of the infamous Ku Klux Klan. Beginning with the Civil War, the abolition of slavery and concluding with the Reconstruction period, she provides readers with an in depth account of the motivations and ideologies behind the virulent and racist hate group.

Founded by a handful of white Southern men, the Klan soon grew to accommodate thousands of followers who lead a campaign to terrorize and undermine black Americans in the years following the Civil War. As blacks fought for the vote and their independence, they lived each day in fear of white insurrection. But determined to establish themselves and provide for their families, they stood strong against the intimidating Klan. Soon laws were enacted to protect blacks, but America would never fully eliminate the Klan’s presence.

My Thoughts:
What an interesting and unique topic for a children’s book! I learned a lot about American history reading this book. At the same time, it was a challenge to read. The language is highly sophisticated. Historical documents are written in old English which also proves to be difficult to interpret.

Even the most advanced child would probably have some difficulty with this book. As such I would recommend it more as a research aid than a leisure read. But nonetheless a fascinating topic that sheds light on the origins of race relations in America.

Borrow They Called Themselves the K.K.K. from your local Vaughan library!

Age Group:
Young Adult

Genre:
Adventure, Coming-of-age, American, Fiction, Dystopian, Mystery, Science Fiction

Summary:
Imagine a world in which love is a disease to be cured of, a world in which you are stripped of the choice to love against your will. This is the America that young protagonist Lena finds herself living in.

Lena is looking forward with anticipation to the surgery that will prevent her from contracting the ‘deliria.’ She’s witnessed first hand the dangers of not being cured after her mother committed suicide. She is determined not to suffer the same fate.

Everything’s going on schedule for Lena. But then she meets Alex, an Invalid from the Wilds, who teaches her that life is better with freedom and choice. When they discover an eerie truth about Lena’s mother, Alex and Lena realize their lives will never be the same.

My Thoughts:
This is a strong second novel from author Lauren Oliver. The novel’s plot is an interesting concept and one that is easily explored from many dimensions. The ability to love, and with it, to experience great sorrow and overwhelming passion is the source of many a great fictional tale.

Oliver provides a unique and stunning twist to the traditional narratives, forcing readers to imagine a world stripped of strong emotions and immense joy. The reader must decide for themselves which world is more threatening: the safety, peace and calm of routine, or the floodgate of feelings stirred by love.

A great spin-off choice for fans of The Hunger Games, borrow Delirium from your local Vaughan library today!

Share: Is it just me, or who else is excited about the upcoming Hunger Games movie? Sooo pumped!