Adult/High School—Henk was more popular and athletic than Helmer, his identical twin, while growing up on a small rural Netherlands farm. Henk was their father's favorite son. Naturally lovely Riet chooses to marry him instead of Helmer. After Henk dies in an auto accident a couple of months before the wedding, Helmer is forced to leave college and return to the family farm. With deep bitterness, he spends days mucking the stalls and milking cows. Now, 37 years later, Helmer moves his invalid father upstairs to get him out of the way and slowly transforms the living space to be more suitable for a bachelor. After a few correspondences from recently widowed Riet, Helmer agrees to take in her teenage son. She feels that hard farm work will give him some direction. Colmer's superb translation allows the novel's authentic voice to be heard by American readers. Bakker captures Helmer's true feelings with excellent inner dialogue. His ongoing feud with his father instills an unusual bond between the two. Teens will appreciate the setting of farmland, canals, windmills, and green pastures, and some will see how family dynamics are ongoing and changing.—Gregory Lum, Jesuit High School, Portland, OR

Adult/High School—Maria Flores Ortiz-Santiago, known to her family and friends as Verdita, has spent 11 happy years in her peaceful Puerto Rico neighborhood. One night, she witnesses her parents making love, and her world irrevocably changes. She cannot look her mother in the eye after seeing her in such an exposed position. It takes months, a botched bleached-blond hairdo, and her mother's near death in childbirth before Verdita begins to understand her parents' love for one another and for her. The book is ripe with the lush island's landscape, culture, and foods, as well as the political upheaval of the 1960s. Verdita's experience, though, is universal, as she must reconcile both the passion she witnesses and the changes in her own body with a child's perspective of the world. McCoy's intoxicating novel is perfect for multicultural literature classes and best compares with Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street (Knopf, 1994) and Julia Alvarez's How the García Girls Lost Their Accents (Penguin, 1992).—Sarah Krygier, Fairfield Civic Center Library, CA

Adult/High School—In this steampunk mystery, Sir Maurice Newbury maintains an office at the British Museum but actually works in a secret capacity for Queen Victoria, who is still alive, in late 1901, by means of an elaborate mechanical life-support system. Veronica Hobbes arrives to become Sir Maurice's assistant, and together the two investigate a series of incidents: a missing man, a crashed airship, automatons gone berserk, a string of murders apparently committed by a blue-glowing policeman, and a plague that is turning residents of London's Whitechapel into revenants (zombies). Mann may be trying to do a little too much here, but both Newbury and Hobbes are engaging characters and the world-building is done well. The last third of the novel is nonstop action, including a classic train-top chase scene. The author introduces some elements that are obviously intended to carry over into future books, and the epilogue reveals new information and clearly sets up the next episode. Fast-paced and well-written, this novel is likely to appeal to genre fans.—Sarah Flowers, formerly at Santa Clara County Library, CA

Adult/High School—After the disasters of the 21st century that resulted in the deaths of millions of its citizens, the United States retreats from technology and urban life. Social classes are sharply distinguished, and a centralized Protestant Church plays a powerful role in both politics and everyday life. President Deklan Comstock is periodically reelected without opposition. Despite his apparent stranglehold on power, he views his nephew, a child named Julian, as a potential future rival. In an effort to protect her son, Julian's mother sends him to be raised in a remote village in the Western states, where he becomes fast friends with a local lad, the narrator of this tale. Forced to flee their village to avoid the military draft, they make their way eastward where, after many adventures, Julian at last faces his uncle. On one level, this is a straightforward adventure story in the tradition of G.A. Henty or Oliver Optic. Throughout the narrative, however, there runs an engaging philosophical examination of the nature of society, the individual, truth, power, idealism, and change, which adds to the drama while foreshadowing Julian's eventual fate. Teens looking for a meaty adventure will enjoy this book, as will those looking for provocative science fiction, while readers aspiring to careers in politics will find much to contemplate.—Sandy Schmitz, Berkeley Public Library, CA

Adult/High School—This account of a historic 1939 event begins with a description of Anderson's early nurturing by family and church. Arsenault also details her encouragement by the black community, mentoring by Roland Hayes, and instruction by voice coach Giuseppi Boghetti. Performances in the 1920s subjected Anderson to a spectrum of racism shaded by the mores of particular American communities. In Europe, however, her great voice was enthusiastically welcomed. In the Soviet Union, her rendition of Negro spirituals moved a secular audience to near pandemonium. Race, however, remained an issue at home. As plans were made for Anderson's Howard University Lyceum concert, it became clear that the usual Washington venue would not hold the expected attendees. The Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall was requested, but the strategies of impresario Sol Hurok, the efforts of the NAACP, censure by the press, and Eleanor Roosevelt's resignation from the DAR could not convince that organization to allow a Negro to perform in its hall. The result was the thrilling concert before a wholly integrated audience of 75,000 at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial. Although this account focuses on the events leading to that performance, the author insightfully describes the people orchestrating Anderson's career and the political and social realities of the times. News reports and quotes are seamlessly incorporated, and quality black-and-white photos enhance the text.—Jackie Gropman, formerly at Fairfax County Public Library System, Fairfax, VA

Adult/High School—Working for everyone from the Drug Enforcement Agency to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Caine spent 25 years infiltrating and taking down dangerous criminal groups. He did anything and everything he could to work his way into them: he dealt drugs, sold T-shirts, and even promoted rock-and-roll concerts. After building personal trust, he used his contacts with the inner members of a group to create a solid court case and make sure as many as possible wound up in jail. But the book works as more than a portrait of organized crime—it is also the author's personal story. Readers see him struggle many times with the complex, conflicted emotions of making friends with criminals while maintaining the secret intent to take them to jail. There are also powerful moments showcasing difficulties in his marriage—often caused by his career—as well as personality conflicts with his government handlers. Caine knows how to tell a story and doesn't waste a single dramatic moment. Immediately enticing and gripping all the way through, this volume will appeal to fans of true crime and anyone looking for a unique biography.—Matthew L. Moffett, Pohick Regional Library, Burke, VA

Adult/High School—As readers of Johnson's blog are aware, in the summer of 2007 the author set out to see how many socks she could design and complete as part of the online knitting world's "Summer of Socks." The result is the genesis of this book. Johnson is an advocate of the toe-up method. She starts with the essentials and goes on to include a range of patterns from easy to challenging. The socks are shown in beautiful photographs featuring young models wearing kicky clothes. The patterns are written for two circular needles but can be easily adapted to double-pointed needles or a long circular one; the variations are described and shown. The techniques section includes clear diagrams and illustrations. Standard abbreviations, definitions, and resources are included as an appendix. Errata are available on the blog. A solid resource with interesting patterns and clear instructions.—Sarah Flowers, formerly at Santa Clara County Library, CA

Adult/High School—After finishing these recollections by women of their first menstrual period, readers cannot help but be struck by three things: what a defining moment it was, how far society has come, and how often Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (Yearling, 1970) is mentioned as a source of information and comfort. The 18-year-old editor recounts her story of her 12-year-old self caught unaware while waterskiing and dropped off, by her embarrassed grandfather, at a pharmacy where she found herself searching for sanitary products in an aisle featuring incontinence supplies. The women queried are as well known as Erika Jong and as little known as Nalebuff's younger sister. The earliest recollection is Henrietta Wittenberg's, remembering in her 100th year, of her worry in 1916 about sitting on a man's lap. The most recent story, from 2008, is Jacquelyn Mitchard's memory of getting the "curse" and her contrastingly comforting words to her sixth-grade daughter. Some memories are magical (snorkeling with a dolphin in the Caribbean Sea); some are heart wrenching (a Holocaust survivor's escape from a Nazi strip search); others embarrassing at the time but humorous in retrospect. For most female readers, the stories will be poignantly familiar. The subject index is particularly informative and includes YA authors and "Unusual Customs." A glossary of euphemisms is fun and enlightening, and the bibliography contains health resources, fiction and nonfiction, and informative Web sites.—Jackie Gropman, formerly at Fairfax County Public Library System, Fairfax, VA