The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Release Date: February 10, 2009

In the past week, I’ve read about 15 pages of about 5 different books and set each them aside, not because they are bad, just because they aren’t grabbing my attention right out of the gate. Thank goodness Kathryn Stockett’s debut novel came along to break my quitting streak!

The narration alternates between three characters every few chapters which keeps the story fresh and gives very different impressions of the events. Aibileen was definitely my favorite narrator, then Minny and Skeeter, but I loved the chance to hear directly from each of these three women. And the character of Hilly just captures all that close-minded, power-hungry attitude of the small-town elite. Oh, she’s awful.

Stockett does a great job building up her story of civil rights on the domestic front, introducing the indignities of being household help that were considered common and even necessary to 1960s families in Jackson, Mississippi. This is a pretty big book, around 450 pages, but it’s very well-paced, so events never feel rushed or stretched out.

I’ve heard great things about the audio as well, so if you are an audiobook fan, this might be one to listen to instead of read. — Sara Wedell, Adult Services Librarian

The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson

Released Sept. 2008

“The addition of the invented country of Bergania (think The Mouse That Roared) to the otherwise recognizable landscape of Europe on the brink of WWII provides the setting for this adventure. Tally, a student at a progressive school in England, becomes enamored with the mountain kingdom via a newsreel and persuades the authorities to send a school group there to participate in an international dance exhibition. Once there, Tally, an unsinkable heroine, helps rescue Karil, the young crown prince, from a corrupt government and then from the Nazis and finally from his oppressive guardians. Each member of the supporting cast of this deftly constructed tale is a gem, from the mysterious, charismatic biology teacher to Tally’s father, a dedicated and idealistic doctor; from Julia, abandoned by her movie-star mother, to the plumber-turned-hired-assassin who murders Karil’s father, the king. The plottings, near escapes, secret identities revealed, and ethical dilemmas are decorated with the particular wry, confident humor that is Ibbotson’s trademark. “At school they say Nazi spies are going to come down on parachutes disguised as nuns. Well, I know nuns; I wouldn’t be fooled — you can tell by their shoes.” This is a fat book that needs to be, requiring each of its 377 pages to work out all the politics and personal relationships that finally slot together in a neat, satisfying, romantic ending.”  –Horn Book

Tiger Moon by Antonia Michaelis

Released November 2008

“In this fairy tale of India set during the early 1900s, Raka, a young bride who is awaiting certain death at the hands of her evil husband, spins a story for Lalit, a servant in the Rajah’s house. In her tale, a con man and a thief, Farhad, is recruited to rescue the Hindu god Krishna’s daughter from marriage to a demon king. He is aided by a sacred white tiger and carries a bloodstone that almost causes his death. As the two stories intertwine, the lines between fantasy and reality are blurred. The plot is fast paced and exciting, and the story gives an excellent overview of the conflicts of India at the time of British occupation, and of Hindu religious beliefs. The factual background adds to the overall feel of a wildly colorful and diverse country. The character development is also admirable, as readers see Farhad grow from a scared 16-year-old thief to a hero willing to die for his cause. What is most amazing about the story is the beautiful language and phrases that make readers feel as though they are sitting in India listening to Raka’s story. A distinguished book for older fairy-tale fans.” (Grades 8 & up)  –School Library Journal

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

Released: Oct. 21, 2008

“With this novel, Anderson returns to the genre she so skillfully explored in Fever 1793. She tells the story of Isabel, a young, orphaned slave whose promised freedom is ripped from her grasp when she and her five-year-old sister, Ruth, are sold to a cruel mistress and shipped from their quiet farm life to New York City during early days of the American Revolution. New York is a city divided and volatile. Isabel is owned by a Loyalist family, wooed by the Patriots, and betrayed by both sides. Each setback pushes Isabel deeper into herself, cut off from everything but her own self-preservation. Despite her efforts and the obvious danger, however, she cannot turn her back on the people who have been kind to her. This exceptional book pulls in readers from the first sentence and keeps them engaged through the last with its gentle pacing and gripping portrayal of a young woman struggling to stay true to herself and fighting for her freedom in any way she can. The layers of complexity, detail, and rich imagery found within these pages allow more mature readers to delve deeply while still giving younger middle school readers a story and characters they will appreciate. Through the graceful simplicity of dialogue and narration, even brief side characters are deftly drawn and believable. Thought-provoking and emotional, Isabel’s story will linger long after the last page has been read.”  –VOYA

The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent

Released Sept. 3, 2008

“History is more than facts and figures; it’s something that happens to all of us. That’s the thought that may strike readers of Kent’s luminous first novel, set at the time of the Salem witch trials. In fact, Martha Carrier, Kent’s grandmother back nine generations, was hanged as a witch in 1692. As portrayed here by her daughter, Sarah, Martha is a proud, stubborn, prickly woman, unbending in her beliefs and uninterested in public opinion. When Sarah returns to her family, having been sent away with a little sister because one of her brothers has the plague, she’s not sure she wants to go back to her cold mother and dour, seven-foot father, who has some mysterious connection to Cromwell. But when malicious girls start pointing fingers, neighbor turns against neighbor, and Martha is told she will be arrested for witchcraft, she will not run, and she will not make a false confession. But Martha tells Sarah that when she is interrogated about her mother’s activities, she must lie to save herself. Amidst the painful details of jail and persecution, deep-seated suspicion and familial betrayal, it is this powerful act of love that crowns the book. Highly recommended.” - Library Journal

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

Released August 5, 2008

“This exquisite tour de force explores the dark roots of polygamy and its modern-day fruit in a renegade cult…Ebershoff (The Danish Girl) brilliantly blends a haunting fictional narrative by Ann Eliza Young, the real-life 19th “rebel” wife of Mormon leader Brigham Young, with the equally compelling contemporary narrative of fictional Jordan Scott, a 20-year-old gay man…With the topic of plural marriage and its shattering impact on women and powerless children in today’s headlines, this novel is essential reading for anyone seeking understanding of the subject.” Publishers Weekly