Haunting the Deep by Adriana Mather

Haunting the Deep by Adriana Mather. Alfred E. Knopf, 2017. Young Adult fiction.

It's hard to imagine a novel that can combine both witches in Salem and the Titanic, two of my favorites, but this one does! A typical high school story of girl wants to fit in and find love, but with some magical twists, the book includes a main character who "dreams" of being on the HMS Titanic itself. Set in modern day Salem, Samantha Mather lives with her father, after the mysterious death of her stepmother who was a witch. School chums include some of The Descendants who claim ancestry among the witches of the renowned Salem trials. Samantha has ties to the minister Cotton Mather AND a couple who survived the tragedy of the great ship's sinking. Teens will appreciate the young love, the clique of girls, and the high school scenes amidst the big dance that has a Titanic theme. Interestingly enough, the author herself explains her own family's connections with history in notes at the end.

Mananaland by Pam Munoz Ryan

Mananaland by Pam Munoz Ryan. Scholastic, 2020. Children's chapter book. Reviewed from galley provided by publisher.

This is such an important book! While Ryan told a girl's story of an immigrant family in Esperanza Rising, this is a boy's story on the other side of the Rio Grande. While the country is not defined, it could be anywhere south of the United States. In both books, Ryan draws readers into the lives and dreams of characters who long for more for themselves and their families. With so many of our students in similarly uncertain situations, this book will resonate with many who often do not see themselves in books. 

Max's mother disappeared when he was a baby. He wants to know more about her, but his father and grandfather have not shared much with him. Now, almost twelve, he longs to play futbol (soccer), but he does not have a birth certificate. He has grown up with the legends and stories of a seemingly magical bridge and a stone tower that has its own mysteries. A strange gatekeeper has led brave travelers into new futures. Will Max be brave enough to discover more? His own journey leads him into the future. Yet, Max is firmly grounded in the present of friends, soccer, and chores. Definitely a book about discovering, being brave, loving your own family (whatever shape that family takes), helping others, and building on your own past, the path to tomorrow is a compelling one.

Beverly, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo

Beverly, Right Now by Kate DiCamillo. Candlewick, 2019. Children's chapter book. 

This is the third novel about Raymie Nightingale, Louisiana Elefante,, and  now Beverly Tapinski. Each of the girls has her own story, but this trilogy speaks to the power of family, friendship, and being yourself. Now, Beverly, always sort of crusty on the outside, but soft hearted, has run away from home. She ends up in Florida staying with a quirky old lady, Iola; making a new friend, Elmer, who works at the typical small town dollar store type of place, and working rather unexpectedly at a seaside diner. DiCamillo is a master at drawing readers into the simply told, but always complicated lives of her characters. Beverly's dog died and she is full of grief. She misses her friend Raymie. She wants so much to be independent, but longs for someone to love her. Start with Raymie Nightingale, move on to Louisiana's Way Home, but don't miss Beverly, Right Now. 

The Last Castle by Kiernan

 
The Last Castle, The Epic Story of Love, Loss, and American Royalty in the Nation's Largest Home by Denise Kiernan. Touchstone, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, 2017. Nonfiction, history.

George Vanderbilt, one of THE Vanderbilts, was a scholar. His health was not good. He and his mother decided to seek out a milder climate than the winters of New York and Newport and Bar Harbor. When George Vanderbilt saw Pisgah Forest near Asheville, North Carolina, it was really love at first sight. Over the years, George built the largest American private home in the country. He traveled extensively and filled it with treasures. He found love with and married Edith Dresser who also loved the area and worked hard to become not just a privileged benefactor, but part of the community. After George's death, it was up to Edith to ensure that the house and grounds would endure for their daughter Cornelia's inheritance and for later generations.

Kiernan has written a masterful, interesting, and detailed history of the Biltmore Estate and its people. The same architect. Richard Morris Hunt, and landscape designer, Frederick Law Olmsted, who worked on other more famous American landmarks helped with Biltmore. Famous artists and celebrities of the times are more than name dropped. If this book doesn't have readers getting out their maps of North Carolina and googling Biltmore for future trips, I'd be surprised.

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware. Scout Press, Simon & Schuster, 2019.    Rowan Caine has made some poor decisions and needs to find a place to be less visable than she has been. She sees an ad for a nanny at a huge Scottish estate and jumps at the job even if it means not being quite honest to get it. The children appear lovely, the home is a technological wonder. Both parents work long hours and travel extensively. Told mainly in a series of letters to a lawyer, it soon appears that little has gone right for Rowan and a child is dead. No one, Rowan, Jack the handsome handyman, or the children seem to be telling the whole truth. Nothing is as it seems and readers will be guessing at this who done it up until the very end. 

Belgravia by Julian Fellowes

Belgravia by Julian Fellowes. Imogen Edwards-Jones, Editorial consultant. Lindy Woodhead, Historical Consultant. Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Book Group, 2016. Adult Historical fiction.       

                                         Best known for his television series Downton Abbey, Julian Fellowes turns his hand to writing about English society in 1815, the eve of the Battle of Waterloo, and then jumps to 1841. The Trenchard family, suppliers to the governnment, has one beautiful daughter, Sophia. She makes some unwise decisions, it appears, and dies young. In the 1840's, the Trenchards are aging and wishing that they had an heir. A looming challenge to Viscount Bellasis' fortune appears in an unlikely form. A beautiful young woman is about to be married to someone she does not love. In true Fellowes' style, how are all these people connected? Will the difference in the classes prevent good, honest people from receiving their proper recognition? Will true love win out?   Movie goers may have seen a recent preview of the new serialized app that features these characters. For more information see Julian FellowesBelgravia.com  

A Night to Remember by Walter Lord

  A Night to Remember by Walter Lord. St. Martin's Griffin, 2005. Originally published in 1955 by Holt, Rinehart, and Winston and reprinted in 1983. Nonfiction. 

This is the 50th anniversary edition of the classic HMS Titanic book. Walter Lord interviewed as many  survivors as he could, studied maps, pored over diagrams, and wove the facts into this highly readable book.  The new introduction by Nathaniel Philbrick, a sea worthy author himself, puts the book into a historical perspective and adds much to understanding of the ship's significance for modern readers.  Before the wreck was discovered by Robert Ballard in 1985, and before the fictionalized movie in 1997, there was the great ship. Thought to be unsinkable, she was the pride of Belfast ship builders. Passengers on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City in April, 1912  included the most wealthy and well known celebrities of the times as well as other second and third class passengers. Of course, we know now, that an iceberg was waiting and many, many lives were lost. The Carpathia ended up rescuing some passengers. Halifax seamen ended up recovering bodies. With all of the survivors now dead, never again will there be an opportunity to talk with survivors. Walter Lord's crisp, factual, carefully crafted account of the sailing and its aftermath has lost none of its original power. Definitely, this nonfiction book is better than any movie could ever be. Just read it.