Auction of signed CHRONAL ENGINE at Authors for Henryville

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CHRONAL ENGINE is one of the books being offered for auction as part of a fund-raiser to help those who suffered from the tornadoes earlier this month.

Click here to bid on CHRONAL ENGINE.  This round of the auction goes until 9 PM Eastern time, on March 15. (Beware the Ides!)

For other authors on the current auction, click here.

Tohoku Earthquake books: TOMO and MELTDOWN

One year ago tomorrow, one of the five largest earthquakes ever recorded struck Japan.  Almost sixteen thousand were killed and thousands more were injured or missing.  More than one hundred thousand buildings were destroyed.

TOMO, ed. by Holly Thompson (Stone Bridge Press, March 10, 2012)(12+) is a young adult collection of stories by authors from around the world, all of whom have some connection to Japan.  Per the flap copy, the book offers "[t]ales of friendship, mystery, love, ghosts, magic, sci-fi and history [that] will take readers to Japan past and present and to Japanese communities abroad."  A portion of the proceeds will go to long-term relief efforts for teens in Tohoku.

Edited and with a Foreword by Holly Thompson, TOMO contributing authors and artists include Andrew Fukuda (Crossing), Liza Dalby (The Tale of Murasaki), Tak Toyoshima (Secret Asian Man syndicated comic), Alan Gratz (The Brooklyn Nine), Wendy Nelson Tokunaga (Love in Translation), Deni Y. Béchard (Vandal Love), Debbie Ridpath Ohi (illustrator of I’m Bored), Graham Salisbury (Under the Blood-Red Sun), Naoko Awa (The Fox’s Window and Other Stories), Suzanne Kamata (The Beautiful One Has Come) and Shogo Oketani (J-Boys), among others.

MELTDOWN: THE NUCLEAR DISASTER IN JAPAN AND OUR ENERGY FUTURE, by Fred Bortz (Lerner 2012)(ages 10+).  Physicist Bortz offers an account of the earthquake, its effects on the  nuclear reactors at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, and efforts at remediation.  Additional sections discuss the context of nuclear power and its place in the production of electricity.

BLIZZARD OF GLASS: THE HALIFAX EXPLOSION OF 1917

BLIZZARD OF GLASS: THE HALIFAX EXPLOSION OF 1917, by Sally M. Walker (Henry Holt 2011)(ages 10+).  In December 1917, the Belgian relief vessel Imo collided with the munitions carrier Mont-Blanc in Halifax Harbor.  The resulting blast has been called the largest man-made explosion before the invention of the atomic bomb.  Two towns were flattened and nearly 2000 people were killed.  And the day after the accident, a blizzard dumped a foot of snow on the devastated area...

BLIZZARD OF GLASS offers a thorough and compelling look at a little-known disaster, with interviews of survivors and hair-raising accounts of the event and its aftermath.  Altogether, it's a gripping tale of horror, survival, and hope. 

THE GREAT MOLASSES FLOOD: BOSTON 1919

THE GREAT MOLASSES FLOOD; BOSTON 1919, by Deborah Kops (Charlesbridge, February 2012)(ages 8-12), offers a fascinating look at one of the weirdest incidents in Boston's history. On January 15, 1919, a two million gallon tank of molasses explodes, destroying buildings and drowning a small Boston neighborhood in sticky goo.  Altogether, twenty-one people would die in this freak accident. 

In compelling fashion, Kops covers the story first from the perspective of individuals affected on the day itself -- men, women, and children going about their daily business until buildings collapsed around them and they were swamped in the viscous mess -- and then the tragedy's aftermath, including the subsequent lawsuits and testimony.  Sidebars provide additional period context and flavor.

     

THE WATCH THAT ENDS THE NIGHT

THE WATCH THAT ENDS THE NIGHT, by Allan Wolf (Candlewick Press 2011)(ages 12+), tells the story of the Titanic's fateful voyage, from the point of view of sundry passengers, crew, stowaways, and, functioning like the chorus in a Greek tragedy, the iceberg itself.

Wolf does a terrific job of weaving together the threads of the lives of the passengers, providing context to them as individuals and not merely survivors or victims.  Altogether, a compelling, engrossing read. 

An extensive author's note illuminates Wolff's research and provides additional information on the individuals highlighted.

DANGEROUS WATERS: AN ADVENTURE ON THE TITANIC

DANGEROUS WATERS: AN ADVENTURE ON THE TITANIC, by Gregory Mone (Roaring Brook, March 13, 2012)(ages 9-12).  Thirteen-year-old Patrick Waters has managed to secure a job as a steward aboard RMS Titanic in a highly unconventional manner.  There he befriends a young book collector who carries with him a copy of Francis Bacon's Essaies that just might hold the key to alchemy.

Also aboard are a stowaway and his partner, who are trying to secure the volume and the formula for turning base metals to gold for themselves.  Can Patrick uncover the plot and divine the secret of the Essaies?  Or is he destined to go down with the ship?

In DANGEROUS WATERS, treachery and adventure abound as readers are offered a glimpse into a bygone era.  In short, DANGEROUS WATERS provides a fascinating look at the most famous shipwreck of the 20th Century, with an appealing protagonist, a richly-drawn setting and, yes, an iceberg.  

TAKING OFF

TAKING OFF, by Jenny Moss (Walker 2011)(12+). It's late 1985 and Clear Lake, Texas, high school senior Annie doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. Stay in town and marry Mark, who loves her? Go to college? Or write poetry, which she loves, but has never told anyone, including her best friend Lea?

When Annie meets teacher-astronaut Christa McAuliffe, she's fascinated. So much so that she just has to go see the launch in Cocoa Beach...

Annie's story is compelling and should resonate with anyone who has faced the dilemma of "where do I go from here?" In sum, TAKING OFF is a bittersweet coming-of-age story that brings home the 1980s and the events of January 28, 1986, when seven astronauts "prepared for the journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.'"

WINNIE'S WAR

WINNIE'S WAR, by Jenny Moss (Walker 2009)(ages10-14). In her debut novel, Moss delivers a poignant story of living in a time of and, through, death.

It's the autumn of 1918; the war is almost over, but the town of Coward Creek, Texas, is bracing itself for the Spanish flu that has already killed thousands across the country and in nearby Houston.
With a family that's still living with the effects of the 1900 and 1915 hurricanes, Winnie decides she must do more than merely cope -- as friends, family, and neighbors succumb, she must help, but how?

Told in a compelling first-person voice that successfully captures small-town, early-twentieth century Texas, WINNIE'S WAR is a moving tale of how individuals respond to tragedy and death. Winnie and her friends are complex and likeable. Well-drawn major and minor characters alike mirror and amplify Winnie's conflicts in ways that will resonate with readers.