Rocket Men by Robert Kurson

One of the most famous journeys taken by humankind was Apollo 11’s trip to the moon, and Neil Armstrong’s first step on the lunar surface. But the less commonly known story is that of Apollo 8, and the daring risks that were taken in order to win the space race. When Nasa is tipped off that the Soviet Union might be attempting an early mission to the moon, they realize that they have to act big, and they have to act now. Instead of having years to put an operation together, they have just four months to rewrite their plans into a mission that will change the world. The powerful Saturn V rocket needed to make the voyage has only been tested twice, the Russians are making incredible progress with their space program, and the moon is almost a quarter million miles away. The odds are crushing, but success will mean finally proving that the United States has won the race to the moon. Robert Kurson’s new book, Rocket Men, describes the legendary mission in which Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders must become the first humans to orbit another celestial body by the end of 1968, or the decade-long race to the moon will be lost.

Review by Lucas, Teen Reviewer

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

This dystopian novel follows Kathy and her friends Ruth and Tommy, who were all students at the exclusive boarding school, Hailsham. They are controlled by mystery rules and teachers who constantly reminded them of how special they are. Kathy is now a young woman, looking back at her time at Hailsham. Ruth and Tommy have reentered her life, and Kathy is beginning to understand what makes them so special and how that will change their lives forever. Even though I read this book for school, it is one of my all time favorites because it is so powerful in the way it discusses what it truly means to be human and have a soul. This book is appropriate for mature teenagers, as it discusses death and other sophisticated topics, and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in dystopian novels.

-Freya, Teen Reviewer

Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

 

Based on the hit podcast Welcome to Night Vale, this novel takes the reader to the fictional world of Night Vale, “a friendly desert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep.” The story alternates between the perspectives of Jackie Fierro, a pawnshop owner who has been nineteen for the past several decades, and Diane Crayton, a young mother struggling to connect with her teenage son. Despite Jackie and Diane’s best efforts to avoid one another, their fates seem fundamentally intertwined, taking them out of Night Vale to pursue a man in a tan jacket, a mysterious place called King City, and a piece of each of their pasts neither of them thought they would see again. Witty, fantastical, and utterly surreal, Welcome to Night Vale: a Novel is recommended for fans of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Neil Gaiman, and the Welcome to Night Vale podcast.

-Kayleigh (Teen Reviewer)

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl with the perfect boyfriend and a lovely family. Until one day, as Louisa looks desperately for a job, she meets Will Traynor. Will was a very adventurous person until the accident that left him paralyzed and in a wheelchair. As Louisa works with him, she discovers something that changes everything. If you are looking for a heartbreaking love story, look no further.

-Lucero (Teen Reviewer)

Black Panther

Title: Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet Book 1

Author/Artists: Ta-Nehisi Coates/Brian Stelfreeze

Summary: Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Upon returning to Wakanda, King T’Challa faces a challenge that he had never anticipated: An uprising of the people. He is not sure if he has the ability to quell the unrest shaking the technologically advanced African nation, and neither are his team of advisors, who are still reeling from the death of T’Challa’s sister Shuri, assassinated while holding the throne on his behalf. With threats both intellectual and supernatural emerging from all corners, including by some disillusioned members of the Dora Milaje, his elite corps of female guards, can T’Challa redeem himself and bring his nation back to a place of peace, prosperity and understanding?

Ta-Nehisi Coates is a fantastic writer known mostly for his non-fiction and essays so it is  thrilling to see him dive into the comic book form. This collection is not a reboot or a reintroduction with an origin story, but it is still a great place for new readers to jump into the Wakandan saga before the release of the Black Panther movie in 2018, as it includes a re-release of the first-ever appearance of T’Challa from 1966.

Who will like this book: Marvel fans, of course. Anyone intrigued by Chadwick Boseman’s performance in Captain America: Civil War.

If you like this, try this: The Ms. Marvel series by G. Willow Wilson. The Hawkeye series by Matt Fraction. The March collection by Rep. John Lewis.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

Title: Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

Author: Sarah Vowell

Summary: With the surging popularity of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musicalization of Alexander Hamilton’s life, there is new interest in not just the Founding Fathers, but those who fought and served around them. Here with a take on the tale of ‘America’s Favorite Fighting Frenchman,’ is humorist Sarah Vowell. While you may not be familiar with her brand of irreverent historical writings, I bet you have heard her voice: as Violet in The Incredibles. Here, she follows the young French nobleman from his early days in France to his final, farewell tour as the last living Revolutionary general.

This isn’t just a date-by-date retelling of Lafayette’s incredible and improbable life as a rebel and statesman. Instead, like all of her books, Vowell uses his story to consider something deeper – when have these States of ours ever truly been United? Her witty, clear-as-the-Liberty-Bell voice is an excellent guide through parts of our history that have been forgotten or romanticized into mythology. You will learn, you will laugh, and you will perhaps see the world a little differently. As we wander through an intensely combative political season, this books is not only a joy to read, but contains important lessons for us to understand.

Who will like this book?: Mature readers. Fans of the new musical Hamilton. American history buffs. Anyone who likes non-fiction that will make them laugh.

If you like this, try this: For more by Sarah Vowell, start with Assassination Vacation. More non-fiction: try Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow or Founding Mothers by Cokie Roberts. For fiction set in the Revolutionary era, try the graphic novel The Sons of Liberty by Alexander Lagos or Fever, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by M.T. Andreson, or 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian