The Nazi Hunters, Neal Bascomb

Edition: ARC
Author: Neal Bascomb
Goodreads: The Nazi Hunters
Release Date: August 27, 2013
Expanded Knowledge: The Eichmann Trial; The Eichmann Trial, Pt 1 (YouTube)

Goodreads Summary: A thrilling spy mission, a moving Holocaust story, and a first-class work of narrative nonfiction.

In 1945, at the end of World War II, Adolf Eichmann, the head of operations for the Nazis' Final Solution, walked into the mountains of Germany and vanished from view. Sixteen years later, an elite team of spies captured him at a bus stop in Argentina and smuggled him to Israel, resulting in one of the century's most important trials -- one that cemented the Holocaust in the public imagination.

THE NAZI HUNTERS is the thrilling and fascinating story of what happened between these two events. Survivor Simon Wiesenthal opened Eichmann's case; a blind Argentinean and his teenage daughter provided crucial information. Finally, the Israeli spies -- many of whom lost family in the Holocaust -- embarked on their daring mission, recounted here in full. Based on the adult bestseller HUNTING EICHMANN, which is now in development as a major film, and illustrated with powerful photos throughout, THE NAZI HUNTERS is a can't-miss work of narrative nonfiction for middle-grade and YA readers.

Quick Shot Review: Battle Boy

Edition: ARC
Release Date: October 8, 2013
Goodreads: Battling Boy

Courtesy of Goodreads

Overall, this is a fun, quick read, with a very interesting premise.

Goodreads summary: Monsters roam through Arcopolis, swallowing children into the horrors of their shadowy underworld. Only one man is a match for them - the genius vigilante Haggard West.

Unfortunately, Haggard West is dead.

Arcopolis is desperate, but when its salvation comes in the form of a twelve-year-old demigod, nobody is more surprised than Battling Boy himself.

IT'S TIME TO MEET AN ELECTRIFYING NEW HERO.

To Be or Not To Be: A Chooseable Path Adventure

I have to sit down and write my review for The Screaming Staircase, by Jonathan Stroud, but this other review, for the book I just received in the mail less than an hour ago, couldn't wait. I need everyone to know about this book and to want to read this book and to go out and buy this book, because it's amazing.When I sent a friend a text stating that this is was probably the best thing I had ever spent money on, in the history of all of the things I've spent money on, I wasn't being over dramatic.

As previously mentioned, I love me some Shakespeare and I especially love new and creative iterations of Shakespeare. Killing Shakespeare is top on my Christmas wishlist, but To Be Or Not To Be may top a different list as my favorite Shakespeare spin off ever (and would totally top the Christmas wishlist, also, if I didn't already have a copy).

Original Kickstarter Page: So you can see just how much awesome you missed by not pledging to this Kickstarter. You can also see all of the artists that contributed to the awesome art pages within the book.

In addition to loving Shakespeare, I also loved the choose-your-own adventure books while I was growing up. The books of my youth were not very big and usually only good for an hour or two of reading. To Be Or Not To Be clocks in just shy of 800 pages and after 45 minutes, I had only achieved 5 out of 100 endings. This is true value for your money, folks.

Bluffton (Review from the Future)

 I fell in love with Matt Phelan's style of graphic novel when I first read "The Storm in the Barn". There's an ethereal quality to his work that makes both looking and reading his work a wonderful experience. Even though my copy of Bluffton is an Advanced Reader Copy from ALA in June, the story is still wonderful and the black and white drawings evoke a sense of Buster Keaton's movies - or at least that's what I tell myself. I will admit that I haven't seen any of his work, but I promise I will fix that soon.

Goodreads summary: In the summer of 1908, in Muskegon, Michigan, a visiting troupe of vaudeville performers is about the most exciting thing since baseball. They’re summering in nearby Bluffton, so Henry has a few months to ogle the elephant and the zebra, the tightrope walkers and — lo and behold — a slapstick actor his own age named Buster Keaton. The show folk say Buster is indestructible; his father throws him around as part of the act and the audience roars, while Buster never cracks a smile. Henry longs to learn to take a fall like Buster, "the human mop," but Buster just wants to play ball with Henry and his friends. With signature nostalgia, Scott O’Dell Award–winning graphic novelist Matt Phelan visualizes a bygone era with lustrous color, dynamic lines, and flawless dramatic pacing.

It can be difficult to talk about graphic novels like Bluffton because there isn't a lot of dialogue and the story is fairly straightforward. However, Phelan does an amazing job of telling a story without needing page after page of words. In pictures alone, the reader witnesses two coming-of-age stories, when Henry and Buster go from kids following in the footsteps of their fathers to young men who take risks and make their own decisions.

This is a beautifully done book and I can't wait to see it in color!

I'm also behind a bit - Bluffton was released July 23, 2013. Go get a copy!