MINDING BEN by Victoria Brown When Grace leaves her small village in Trinidad to immigrate to New York, she is in search of a better life. However, not all goes quite as planned: Instead of limitless opportunity and an easy path to education, Grace finds herself working as a nanny for a wealthy family. The humiliating work that the family subjects Grace to is nearly too much to bear. That, coupled with the complicated playground politics among the West Indian babysitting community and complicated relationships among her extended family and friends, makes the reality of Grace's young life seem like a waking nightmare.
Author Victoria Brown was herself a nanny when she arrived in New York City twenty years ago from her native Trinidad.
“[A] spirited voice...A moving immigrant story...Brown was...not afraid to tackle the thorny issues of race, religion, and class.” --Library Journal, Editor's Pick
Hyperion, April 2011
A SEA IN FLAMES by Carl Safina
In a book that only the multiple award winning MacArthur Genius Grant Winner and head of the Blue Ocean Institute could write, Carl Safina's BLOWOUT provides us with the definitive book about the short- and long-term repercussions of this century's Chernobyl. In this account of the first months of the BP oil spill, Safina discusses the events that caused the explosion, the habitats affected by the spill, the wildlife directly harmed, and the ways in which the government contributed to the disaster.
Safina weaves unfolding news accounts with the events he experienced firsthand, creating a simulacrum of the chaos accompanying the spill. His narration is a medium through which to better understand the BP oil spill, why it occurred, and what will come after.
“Environmentalist Safina brings his signature compassion, marine expertise, and gorgeous writing to his candidly expressive coverage of the Deepwater Horizon disaster a year after the explosion.” --Booklist
Crown, April 2011
THE COFFINS OF LITTLE HOPE by Timothy Schaffert
With dark humor and characteristically vibrant prose, Timothy Schaffert brings to light the many obsessions and foibles of our society in THE COFFINS OF LITTLE HOPE. His tale proceeds via an 83-year-old obituary writer in a small Nebraskan town. The town, however, is far from ordinary, beset as it is by group hysteria over the latest book in a children's series and morbid fascination surrounding a missing girl. When Esther Myles finds herself caught up in the mystery of the missing girl, she must confront the possibility that the girl's disappearance may be nothing more than a poorly orchestrated hoax. Soon this small town will have to choose between profiting off others' weaknesses or tumbling into obscurity and extinction.
“Sublime...Piercing observations and sharp, subtle wit make this a standout.” --Publishers Weekly, starred review
Unbridled Books, April 2011
THE FIRES OF THE GODS by I.J. Parker
The capital is plagued by unexplained fires and panic threatens to break out, but Akitada has his own problems to worry about: his ailing wife is expecting a child and he has lost his job to a political appointee. When he attempts to confront the nobleman who is responsible for his dismissal, Akitada ends up suspected for his murder.
With no income and a growing family to support, Akitada plunges into the investigation of the murder and searches for a missing acolyte. The seemingly unrelated cases converge, involving Akitada and his servant Tora in dangerous secrets that threaten to topple the government. Akitada has inadvertently placed no only his own life, but also the lives of his wife and child, in grave danger.
“Parker raises the stakes considerably for her fallible but honorable series sleuth in her excellent eighth mystery...Masterfully blends action and detection while making the attitudes and customs of the period accessible.” --Publishers Weekly, starred review
Severn House, April 2011
THE SUMMER OF MAY by Cecilia Galante
Twelve-year-old May O'Toole's father is completely absent and her grandmother is too busy mourning the absence of May's mother to do much else. May resents her new, dangerously run-down, low-income housing neighborhood and has started picking fights. There's nothing she likes about eighth grade. In fact, since her mother left the house last year, there's not much May likes about anything anymore.
But when May is caught graffiti-ing her least favorite teacher's classroom, she is faced with a choice: expulsion or one-on-one summer school with the teacher she most detests. Begrudgingly, May chooses summer school, and she ultimately learns that her teacher has a secret past—and might just hold the key to answers no one else will give May about her mother.
“Bittersweet...Brimming with emotion and insight...Galante's prose investigates the impact of loss and the importance of making amends.” --Publishers Weekly
Aladdin, April 2011
FUTURE IMPERFECT by K. Ryer Breese
Ade Patience can see the future and it's destroying his life. Each time the 17-year-old knocks himself unconscious, he sees days, weeks, decades into his own future. And each time, his memory worsens, his grades fall further, and both Ade's best friend and his shrink beg him to stop before he kills himself. Ade knows he needs to straighten out. Luckily, the stunning Vauxhall Rodolfo has finally transferred to Mantlo High and, as Ade has seen in a vision , they're totally going to fall in love. Only things are a bit more complicated than Ade had thought. When Ade has a vision in which he murders Vauxhall's too-close friend Jimmy, he fears his life may finally fall apart all at once.
“[An] inventive debut...This psychic love story has an offbeat appeal...Memorable characters and a superhero comic sensibility.” --Publishers Weekly
St. Martin's Press, April 2011
