Adult/High School—Al "Spider" Webb is a time machine repairman who happens to detest time machines. On a routine call, he encounters a machine that seems about ready to blow. In order to repair it, he must work with Australian officials to create a small, alternate universe—to protect the rest of the world from the explosion, of course. The job becomes far from normal, though, when it becomes apparent that the explosive device is hiding both another machine and a dead body. The corpse sets off a series of events that sends Spider across alternate realities and puts everyone he cares about at risk. Teens who enjoyed Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Macmillan, 1979) but are craving something more sci-fi, with fewer goofy antics, will appreciate Time Machines.—Sarah Krygier, Solano County Library, Fairfield, CA

Adult/High School—Biddle transports readers back to 1842 with the authentic voice of Philadelphian heiress Martha Beale. A band of young boys is burglarizing the mansions of the city's elite. When Dora, the daughter of a wealthy and prominent family, disappears, Martha finds herself embroiled in the investigation. Suspects and theories abound, including a possible elopement, a ransom scheme, and murder. When Dora's fiancé is shot and her father is poisoned, the suspect list grows to include both poor and rich residents of the town. Well crafted, the plot moves along quickly without sacrificing the authentic details of life in Philadelphia during the period. While this book is the second in the series, the plot and characters are not dependent on familiarity with The Conjurer (Thomas Dunne, 2008). Mystery fans will enjoy the suspense and pacing, while fans of historical fiction will revel in the rich detail of the setting.A romantic subplot about Martha and the criminal investigator adds to the mounting tension as the mystery unfolds. Many teens will also be drawn in by the universal themes of social stratification, betrayal, and women's rights.—Lynn Rashid, Marriots Ridge High School, Marriotsville, MD

Adult/High School—Here is Card's answer to all those readers who asked, "What happened to Ender?" between Ender's Game (1985) and Speaker for the Dead (1986, both Tor), a gap that covers nearly 3000 years. Twelve-year-old Ender Wiggin should be coming home to a hero's welcome after wiping out the dreaded buggers—aliens who have twice defeated humanity in the past—in a fierce space battle. He is instead proclaimed a dangerous weapon and appointed titular governor of a colony world to keep him as far away from Earth as possible. His beloved sister Valentine joins him on the colony ship but is unable to penetrate the barriers he has erected around himself. Wracked with remorse at his genocide of the buggers, Ender searches for the reason the aliens allowed him to defeat them, knowing the answer will give him direction. As in most great speculative fiction, Card mines the depths of humanity's philosophical and political ideas through Ender's trials and discoveries. Exile brings together many drifting story lines from a number of other books in the series, so it's not for the uninitiated. For those who are familiar with Ender and his world, this is a wonderful treat to be devoured whole in a gulp and then returned to later to digest at leisure.—Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI

Adult/High School—In a small town in California's Salinas Valley in the 1970s, little seems to change. For teenage Sheila O'Connor, however, things are changing much too quickly. She misses her father, who died in an accident several years earlier, and resents her mother's upcoming marriage to a local businessman. Her younger sister, unlike Sheila, adores her future stepfather, and her brother is leaving home to join the Marines. Even the family dog is getting old and frail. Sheila's anger at losing the secure familiarity of her childhood is tempered by the growing attractions of the adult world, especially in the form of a handsome drifter who wanders into town. As her mother's wedding approaches and friends from school look to her for help with problems of their own, Sheila's past and future collide in a violent explosion. Doyle has written a moving story of a girl with a lot of sense and a lot of heart struggling to give up the comfort of childhood to find her place in the world.—Sandy Schmitz, Berkeley Public Library, CA

Adult/High School— Equatoria blends the real and imagined paths of colonists into the Belgian Congo in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Drawn by the work of British explorer Sir Harry Johnston, Oxford-educated zoologist Willis Reed compulsively follows the path of the never before captured (by Europeans) okapi. Along for the ride is university mate Guy Nichols, an entomologist, and Obieka, their chameleonlike African guide. Dreyer offers few background details of the era, but the literary portrayal of Belgian King Leopold's conquest of the region and the horrific practices of forced treaties and labor, enslavement, and mutilation for enormous financial gain lies like a thick fog over the jungle and its inhabitants. The demarcation between native land and the European interlopers is constant. The narrative offers an almost noir plotline—readers are forced to witness the slow and terrible destructiveness of Willis's folly and obsession. As Guy obliviously captures beetles with steadfast alacrity, Willis quickly fixates on femme fatale Alice De Quincy, the wife of a local commanding general. He roams farther into the jungle, beyond the bounds of his planned path and time frame, his thoughts and actions becoming a surreal jumble of purity and seductiveness, innocence and complicity, faith and violence. By the end of the story, an okapi is dead, Alice is lost, and "hyacinths drift like corpses on the water." This intense novel will be picked up by readers of historical fiction and should be recommended to fans of Double Indemnity.—Shannon Peterson, Kitsap Regional Library, WA

Adult/High School—In his most famous soliloquy, Hamlet speaks of that dread of something after death, "the undiscover'd country, from whose bourn no traveler returns," and this dread is realized beautifully in Enger's debut novel. While hunting deer in the northern Minnesota woods on a cold November afternoon, Harold Matson dies of a single grisly gunshot wound to the head. The local officials deem the death a suicide, but 17-year-old Jesse is convinced that his Uncle Clay is responsible for his father's death. The teen is visited by his father's ghost, has a girlfriend whose personal torment could give Ophelia a run for her money, and a bumbling/developmentally delayed relative (Clay's brother-in-law) who knows the truth about two murders for which Clay was responsible. But the elegantly written novel amounts to much more than just its allusions: Enger has taken a classic tale of betrayal, murder, justice, confusion, and forgiveness and created a story that will appeal to any teen who has experienced love and loss or grappled with dark family secrets. Readers might be left wondering what Hamlet would have been like had he survived. Less tragic perhaps, but he would have had an abundance of material for a career as a writer.—Jennifer Waters, Red Deer Public Library, Alberta, Canada

Adult/High School—Teens who liked Susan Beth Pfeffer's The Year Without Michael (Delacorte, 1987) when they were younger will find this novel to be the grown-up-and suitably more emotionally complex—version of life in a family in which a sibling has mysteriously disappeared. Book smart but socially awkward Lydia, 15, spends the months between her 18-year-old brother's disappearance and his body's discovery and interment by trying to stay out of her grieving parents' way, impress the private detective hired to bring resolution, and remake her image at school. Told 10 years later by a Lydia who is emotionally smarter but still close enough to high school to remember and note the importance of the symbols of social power, the story draws in readers quickly and maintains the tension even after Danny's whereabouts are revealed. With the exception of the mother, who comes across as vapid even in the best of circumstances, both adult and teen characters are fully realized and credible: Lydia and her geeky friend, David; her new friend, Lola; the private eye; and even the off-camera Danny are each deeply flawed, as Lydia recognizes herself to be, but sympathetic. Gershow's writing is fluid, her imagery of the mid-'90s concise and compelling, and her story universal.—Francisca Goldsmith, Halifax Public Libraries, Nova Scotia

Adult/High School—Gout tells a strange tale of Gabriel and Joaquin, two boys orphaned when their parents' vehicles collide on a Houston road and who become residents at a rehab hospital. Sounds and music fascinate both young men, particularly the Dead Kennedys and fractured pieces of everyday noise. They take to recording and collecting sounds, creating instruments and strange taped commentaries late into the night. One evening they stumble upon an unusual radio program, Ghost Radio, where people call in and retell bizarre and macabre events and stories. The format fascinates them and they set out to duplicate the show. But events take a weird turn—Gabriel dies, and Joaquin wakes to find a mysterious tattoo on his forearm, falls in love, travels back in time, witnesses a murder, experiences flashbacks, and is visited by Gabriel's ghost. All of these curious happenings connect to Joaquin's current radio program's success and its future. Fans of The Twilight Zone will be intrigued with this tale of radio broadcast and its effect and on characters both living and dead.—Joanne Ligamari, Twin Rivers United School District, Sacramento, CA

Adult/High School—A magical castle, an utterly wicked wizard named Margle, and Nessy, a kobold who tends the castle, lead the way in this diabolical story of good triumphing over evil. The many residents, all of whom have been cursed by Margle, include a hanged man in the library, Decapitated Dan, unmanned armor, chatty gargoyles, a loyal fruit bat, a silver-polishing gnome, and the very important Door at the End of the Hall. Soon after the wizard dies when one of his curses goes awry, Nessy realizes that the castle is falling apart, and it is her job to bring about order. Her logic and deciphering keep everything in check, but only barely. With the appearance of Tiama, a wizardess who is a living death, things really start to run amok. It is up to Nessy to defeat Tiama and her dastardly plans, and it is through her calm good sense and the assistance of a number of the castle's residents (including the charming monster under the bed) that she ultimately succeeds. Martinez's crisp writing, over-the-top premise, and keen wit conspire to keep readers turning the pages. Further, the macabre cast, nonstop action, and gross detail—along with the themes of loyalty and kindness-will surely have wide appeal.—Jane Ritter, Mill Valley School District, CA

Adult/High School—This small, chunky coffee-table book is a photo biography of the charismatic revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara. End sheets provide a time line of highlights in his life from birth in 1928 to the 1997 transfer of his remains to Santa Clara, Cuba. More than 100 of the subject's quotations are sprinkled throughout, providing Che's opinions on such topics as truth, moral incentives, love, and youth. Previously unpublished interviews with the subject's friends and political allies provide some depth. The interview with Albert Ganado, motorcycle travel companion of his youth, gives a glimpse into Che the friend. Interviews with Colonel Alberto Castellanos and Colonel Oscar Fernandez Mel give pictures of the Cuban revolutionary. The interview with Ulises Estrado Lescaille covers the era of the man as international freedom fighter. The last chapter, "Legend," includes many paintings, posters, and even products, including cigarettes, wine, tote bags, and the ubiquitous T-shirts. The man who said "The people's heroes cannot be separated from the people, cannot be elevated onto a pedestal, into something alien to the lives of that people…" is ironically very much an icon on a pedestal. While Handbook only reinforces that notion, it may be just this angle that draws adolescents to the book.—Paula Dacker, Charter Oak High School, CA

Adult/High School—In this autobiography, Barrowcliffe tells the story of a self-proclaimed nerd living in 1970s Coventry, England; Dungeons & Dragons; and the boys who played it. He provides a humorous look into the world of fantasy role-playing at a time when computer RPGs didn't exist and people were forced to use their imaginations. He recounts his foray into the game, his struggle to belong, and what ultimately led to his "growing up." The writing is often self-deprecating and combines views on the city with detailed descriptions of the gaming sessions. Despite-or, in part, because of—the long descriptions of gaming, this book will appeal to those interested in the RPG phenomenon. The author's character development leaves readers with a strong sense of who these boys were and why they played the game. This book is ideal for anyone who is into fantasy role-playing or interested in the cultural and social implications of such games.—Kelliann Bogan, Colby-Sawyer College, New London, NH

Adult/High School—Bess, a 16-year-old entrepreneur, includes 30 of her favorite, easiest patterns and, for each one, tips on how to wear the item and how to accessorize it. Divided into four sections—"Sunny Days," "Days Off," "Play Days," and "Nights"—the book offers a full array of fashionable items from tank tops to purses and headbands to pencil skirts. Back matter lists products to purchase and the author's favorite merchandisers. The simplicity of the patterns, helpful hints, detailed glossary, and beautiful color photographs displaying each item on a teen model, as well as the fact that Knits was written by a teen, make it a good fit for both beginning and intermediate knitters.—Sarah Krygier, Solano County Library, Fairfield, CA

Adult/High School—This well-organized how-to is filled with practical information. Byrne touches on all aspects of cartooning—history, drawing exercises, types of tools and materials, basic drawing skills, lettering, paneling, storytelling, humor, using computers, marketing, and much more. Various styles are included, with special chapters devoted to caricatures and manga. The book itself is attractive and has a good balance of text and color illustrations, which provide plenty of examples. The writing is clear and concise. "Must Know" and "Want to Know More" asides are found throughout, offering hints and tips as well as useful Web site addresses to plumb for more on particular topics. A solid title with useful information for both beginners and more advanced artists.—Lara McAllister, Halifax Public Libraries, Nova Scotia

Adult/High School—This fascinating book will appeal to serious students of art, casual hobbyists, and anyone curious about the how and why behind a variety of artistic techniques. Written with art students in mind, it includes a section on putting together a portfolio and examples of art-school applicants' sketchbooks and portfolios. The text takes a do-it-yourself approach to learning a full complement of basic and intermediate techniques. Colston gathers examples and prescribes an assortment of observation exercises and projects that explore such concepts as shadow, distortion, mood, and collage. Each mini lesson stands on its own, so readers can choose from projects that catch their interest. Instructions are clear and brief, and concepts are grouped around the themes of line, color, texture, and form. The author covers an assortment of media, but most of the techniques and exercises focus on drawing and painting. Readers looking for in-depth explanations of particular techniques won't find step-by-step guidelines in exhaustive detail, but Colston does a good job of providing an overview of the fundamentals and introducing a wide range of techniques. The dynamic layout is filled to the brim with illustrations, and the project ideas will stimulate creativity and encourage experimentation.—Heidi Dolamore, San Mateo County Library, CA

Adult/High School—This highly accessible memoir describes the journey of a 10-year-old girl into the higher reaches of classical Indian music. It also tells the history of this ancient art form and the story of some of its greatest performers. Devidayal has now studied with the same teacher, Dhondutai, for more than 20 years. She succeeds in making her extraordinary story interesting even if the music and her country are unfamiliar to readers. Teens can see from the author's journey as a teenage protégé the rewards of rigorous devotion to something they love. They can also see that they have the right to follow their own dreams even if their parents have laid out a different future for them. As the book concludes in the present day, Devidayal continues to study with Dhondutai, but she is also a Princeton-educated professional journalist. This narrative serves to pass on some of the musical and cultural heritage of India even though the author has chosen to devote her life to writing and not to singing itself.—Will Marston, Berkeley Public Library, CA

Adult/High School—Gilbert, a psychologist concerned with the aromatic side of life, is a marvelous storyteller. Weaving together all that is involved in human anatomical smell function, the connecting wires between smell and emotional life, comparative data revealing differences and likenesses between men and women and dogs and humans, the invention and production of artificial scents, and more, he leads readers from tales that amaze to facts that amuse, interspersing opportunities for unabashed wonder. Would the entertainment world be different today if Smell-O-Vision hadn't been beat to market by AromaRama? Would your sense of smell be better if you hadn't played soccer as a kid? Are there good vocational choices for folks who can't smell well at all? The author's prose is flawless, making this book a perfect choice for teens interested in science as well as those still nursing a middle school devotion to trivia. Be sure to point it out to Advanced Placement teachers in both the English and physical sciences departments, but expect less-motivated readers to find chunks of it welcome when read aloud.—Francisca Goldsmith, Halifax Public Libraries, Nova Scotia

Adult/High School—An important addition to Black History Month booklists. From the early abolitionists to the presidential nomination of Barack Obama, the authors have gathered easy-to-read articles on the essential people, places, and events of the black struggle for freedom. Along with mainstay entries for Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Jesse Owens, the book includes many lesser-known names: abolitionist Mifflin Gibbs, documentary filmmaker Joanne Grant, and desegregation lawyer Louis L. Redding. While most entries are devoted to people, many events, organizations, or movements appear, including Tent City (1960–1962), the NAACP, and the Underground Railroad. Most are concise enough to serve as ready-reference sources and complete enough to inspire, and point to, further investigation. Because the book is arranged in thematic chapters, and then alphabetically within them, readers will have difficulty finding specific entries without using the index. The quality of the writing and research is generally good, but there are some shortcomings. The article on Muhammad Ali is less than half the length of the one for Wallace E. Perry, the first African American to participate in varsity sports at Vanderbilt. Also, the entries for Malcolm X and for John Carlos and Tommie Smith seem less than adequate, but lesser-known figures get more attention here than most general sources provide.—Robert Saunderson, formerly at Berkeley Public Library, CA