The Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel

Adolf Hitler and his second in command, Hermann Goering, both had an insatiable appetite for collecting fine art and cultural treasures.  As they invaded European countries during World War II they helped themselves to art collections of private citizens and public museums.  One American art professor, Frank Stokes, proposed to President Roosevelt that a military unit be created that could oversee the protection and recovery of cultural treasures during the war.  Stokes was appointed to head up the unit which initially consisted of only 11 men, most with art or architecture preservation backgrounds. Initially they just followed in the wake of advancing armies, trying to figure out what had been destroyed, stolen, or damaged, but later they actively searched for the Nazi treasure troves that Hitler and Goering had established to store their ill gotten gains.

This is a new Young Readers' Edition of the book The Monuments Men that was made into a major motion picture in 2014.  The chapters flip from one Monument's Man to another, each stationed in a different region, and follows their successes and failures month by month, from 1943 when they arrived to after the end of the war.  The information was super interesting to me as a humanities major, and I was able to relate with the horror these men felt when they found the world's most famous art damaged, or poorly protected. That said, I am not sure what child or teen would be interested in this book. I think the best audience for this book are adults who kind of wanted to read The Monuments Men but were daunted by its nearly 500 pages. With this book they can get a "cleaned up" version that's about 150 pages shorter. (2019, 333 p.)

The President Is Missing by James Patterson and Bill Clinton

President Jonathan Duncan is under fire because he made a phone call to one of the world's most famous cyber terrorists.  The Speaker of the House and even the Vice President are talking impeachment.  What they don't know is that the country is in eminent threat of a massive cyber attack that could topple America's economy.  Duncan has also discovered that one of his top advisers is a traitor working with the terrorists. Not knowing who he can trust, Jonathan Duncan puts his own life on the line to uncover the virus and its creator and stop them both before it is too late.

That sounds pretty cheesy as a plot, and it was, but I actually really enjoyed this book.  It isn't going to win any Pulitzer prizes, but it was fast paced, exciting, and suspenseful.  Because of the authorship I wondered what was inspired by reality, and what was purely fantasy.  Does the president really have a variety of top secret, totally technically decked out hiding places he can go to during a crisis?  Are there really close and trusting relationships between some world leaders and other world leaders?  Are a president's top staffers really as capable and awesome as they are portrayed?

Caveat, this is what I would classify as a male targeted action/adventure.  That means there is quite a bit of description of violent battle scenes including some gore, some mention of sexual abuse of women, and (mostly biblical) profanity. I didn't feel like it was gratuitous, but if you are bothered by that kind of thing, this is one to skip. (2018, 513 p.) 

Hidden Figures: Young Reader Edition

This is an edition of the now famous book that inspired the even more famous movie, "Hidden Figures."  It follows the lives and careers of several pioneering black female mathematicians as they break through color and gender lines in military aeronautics research facilities. I loved the movie, and I found this immensely inspiring as well.  These woman fought prejudice just by being amazing in science and math. Even more inspiring is their confidence and bravery in gradually and gracefully claiming the opportunities and recognition that was their due.  They were good at what they did, they knew it and they found ways to help others realize it, too.

It was interesting to compare the book to the movie.  The actual events in the woman's lives were much more spread out over time than portrayed in the movie. Some of my favorite scenes in the movie, like when the one supervisor takes the "Whites Only" sign off of the women's bathroom, were not described in the book.  It makes me wonder if the movie makers just added that in because it was visually impactful, or if they did more research and portrayed what actually happened.  Or maybe the scene is in the adult version of the book, and just edited out of the kid's version.  If any of my readers know, add a comment. Anyway, it is a great book to share with any child, but especially with science nerd girls. (240 p. 2016)

The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

Morrigan Crow begins her first year at the Wundrous Society but her dreams of being welcomed with open arms never materialize.  Her nine classmates avoid her and the scholar masters only allow her to attend classes with a professor who hates and fears her.  Only the unfailing loyalty of her best friend, Hawthorn, and one kind teacher keep her from going crazy.  Then someone starts blackmailing her classmates and people start disappearing.  Will the threats tear Morrigan's new "family" apart, or bring them together at last?

I really enjoyed the first book in the series, and I enjoyed this  one just as much and maybe more.  The world building is so much fun, and the characters are delightfully quirky. Even the villain is deliciously villainous.  It is hard not to compare this with Harry Potter.  Of course, this is not going to be the world phenomenon that Harry Potter was, but I do think most kids who liked Harry Potter, both boys and girls, will like this one.  (525 p.)

The Door to December by Dean Koontz

A hard boiled police detective, Dan Haldane, becomes involved with the investigation of a string of preternaturally brutal murders.  At the center of the mystery is a 10 year old girl who has been the subject of psychological and occult experimentation for most of her life.  As the grisly case develops Dan finds himself more and more emotionally invested in protecting the girl and her beautiful and intelligent mother.

Here is another in my effort to read "Men's" fiction.  This author was recommended to me by my brother.  All the other "grown up" mysteries I have ever read have been cozy mysteries written with a female audience in mind.  It is interesting to compare the two genre's.  This book had a lot more rough language and a lot more--a lot more-- gore.  In the cozy mysteries the murder scene is described in one or two sentences with an apologetic tangential reference to splattered blood.  In this book, the crime scenes are swimming in blood and gore, described in paragraphs of vivid detail.  Another difference is that in the cozy mysteries, the protagonist is a super nice person, beloved by all.  In this one the investigator is a cranky guy, who, though good-hearted deep down, doesn't get along with anyone.  There was also references to kinky sex, (which the main character found abhorrent, but the author spent a whole chapter recounting anyway) but in the cozy mystery, there has been descriptions of physical abuse, but no reference to sexual abuse.  So basically, this novel was much more gritty, graphic and intense than my usual cozy mysteries.

That said, the characters were well drawn and the hard core dialog and setting were perhaps about as realistic as the supper sunny settings of the cozy mysteries. The mystery was well crafted, and the conclusion exciting.  I can see why people like this kind of novel.  It is intense and thrilling, but I don't know if I will be reading more of Dean Koontz. (512 p.  1985)

28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World, by Charles R. Smith

This is a book written specifically for Black History Month in February.  In the book Smith highlights a day in history for each day of the month of February, starting in colonial times ending in modern times.  Some of the days highlighted were the birth or death day of a famous Black American hero like Harriet Tubman or Mae Jemison.  Other days mark changes in important laws or court cases.  Some of the entries include a poem while others just recount facts.  I listened to this book on Overdrive, and the audio version contains clips from historical recordings, like a recording of Marian Anderson singing or the reading of a Supreme Court decision.  It was really very interesting and the sound clips made the historical events more real.  The cut paper illustrations, if not original, are at least accessible and child friendly. I think the best way to appreciate this work would be to listen to it while looking at the book.  Another way the book could be used is that every day in February a teacher could show a slide from the book and play the recording for that day as a "Black History Month" moment. (2015, unpaginated)