New Arrivals in Juvenile Fiction!

The library is adding several new items to its juvenile fiction section located downstairs in the library. We are adding three titles from the American Girl series, and we also adding some graphic novels to juvenile fiction. These titles include Chrissa Stands Strong J/Fic/Cas; Bone #7: Ghost Circles J/Fic/Smi; Nancy Drew Graphic Novel #13: Doggone Town J/Fic/Pet; and The Hardy Boys Graphic Novel #14: Haley Danelle's Top Eight J/Fic/Lob.

We hope you'll check some of these new titles and others that we are adding all the time here at the Matthews Public Library!

The Life Before Her Eyes

The Life Before Her Eyes is adapted from a novel of the same title by Laura Kasischke and stars Uma Thurman, Evan Rachel Wood, and Eva Amurri.

Diana and Maureen are best friends coming of age in a small town when a fellow classmate comes to school with a gun and massacres untold numbers of students and teachers. What transpires leading up to that day, in the midst of the confrontation between the gunman and his victims, and in the aftermath of the tragedy is told from the perspective of one of the friends while she continues to deal with the effects of the tragedy during the fifteenth anniversary observance of the incident. Ultimately the viewer must question whether we are indeed witnessing one woman's long delayed emotional and mental breakdown in response to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of an extremely traumatic tragedy or are we witnessing something else entirely?

This movie is both haunting and disturbing; the cinematography captures beautiful imagery. It is also very mysterious and heavy with symbolism and metaphor. For long after you have viewed this film you will think about what really happened or didn't happen in that high school bathroom and what exactly the conclusion of the movie means. I know I had to puzzle it out for a couple hours before I figured out what happened and what the nature of the entire movie really is.

This movie is coming soon to the shelves of the DVD section in the Matthews Public Library, and I recommend you check it out the next time you visit the library.

--Reviewed by Ms. Angie

Can You See What I See? On A Scary Scary Night / Spot 7: Spooky

Can You See What I See? On A Scary Scary Night by Walter Wick is a fun children's book that's filled with picture puzzles. Take a journey from the bottom of the hill to the inside of the castle at the top of the hill. Search the pages for the items listed. Some items will be spotted right away while others will not be.

Spot 7: Spooky is a seek and find book. The pairs of photos in this book of picture riddles seem the same until the reader examines them closely. There are seven differences. Each page contains a riddle for you to solve. If you're up for a challenge, try to find all of the items listed in the front of the book.

Both books are sure to bring the reader hours of fun. Challenge a family member or friend to race to see who can spot the most items first!

These books are both available at the Matthews Public Library in juvenile fiction at the call number, J/793.73 with our other seek and find/picture puzzle books. Check them out the next time you visit the library!

--Reviewed by Ms. Kathy

When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson

... the field of wheat had closed around her like a golden blanket. [Jessica] was lying with her arms around the body of the dog and their blood had mingled and soaked into the dry earth, feeding the grain, like a sacrifice to the harvest.

from page 11

When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson is actually the third book to feature British private investigator Jackson Brodie. I haven't read the other two. But Atkinson does not write or present this novel like your stereotypical series novel; it is not even your stereotypical mystery novel setup. The story is much more intricate and complicated with several threads of story unspooling simultaneously that in time are revealed to be connected. Each chapter generally shifts from one of three main characters' viewpoints until later in the book when the fourth main character's viewpoint is introduced.

Reggie is a lonely, isolated sixteen year old orphan; she works for Dr. Hunter as a mother's helper caring for Hunter's baby boy. Reggie's tragic history is revealed in pieces of flashbacks throughout the first part of the book.

Jackson Brodie, former soldier, former policeman, former private investigator and newly minted millionaire, is on a mission to prove that his ex-girlfriend's son is indeed his own despite her claims otherwise; ultimately, a massive disaster literally forces his path to collide with Reggie's.

Dr. Hunter, a general surgeon, has survived and thrived in spite of a past devastating tragedy that altered her family forever. Now that the man who caused that tragedy has been set free, Dr. Hunter is missing with her infant son; her squirrely husband appears unconcerned, but Reggie, who knows how to recognize trouble when she sees it, is very worried.

Finally Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe is obsessed with a domestic abuse case that sparks its own bloody, violent tragedy, and she searches for the husband involved in that case; meanwhile, a new case involving Dr. Hunter's husband and the mysterious burning of one of his businesses sets Monroe on the trail of this new mystery.

Ultimately the various mysteries set forth involving different characters take a backseat to the focus and attention that Atkinson gives to developing and illuminating her characters' inner lives. These intricately intertwined stories' connections are slowly revealed. This is a beautifully written novel with surprising turns of phrases that illuminate the characters' personalities and brings them to life.

I highly recommend this novel; and perhaps you'll even enjoy the two Brodie novels preceding this one. It is available upstairs in adult fiction here at the Matthews Public Library and upon request from Annville Free Library, Myerstown Community Library and Palmyra Public Library.

--Reviewed by Ms. Angie