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MOO |
Gwyneth and the Thief
(age 14+) by Margaret Moore historical Publisher comments: Gwyneth: With her hand in marriage and the security of her beloved Haverleigh at stake, Lady Gwyneth is desperate. So when she comes upon a young man who might be the solution to her predicament, she does not hesitate to act, though it means entering into a dangerous deceit and inviting a thief into her castle. The Thief: All Gavin has known is a life of lawless poverty. Left for dead and taken in by a very young, very determined lady, he has little choice but to entertain her request. Posing as a squire, he begins to train the farmers and craftsmen of Haverleigh in the art of combat. In doing so, Gavin begins to know a far different life -- and to crave all it has to offer. As Haverleigh is secured through their labor and collusion, sparks fly between Gwyneth and her thief. In a moment of rash indiscretion, a kiss nearly undoes them both. Love between a lady and a thief is unthinkable...unless the truth can remain hidden. |
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JEN |
Belle and the Beau
(age 14+) by Beverly Jenkins historical Catalog: Just before the American Civil War, Belle Palmer escapes from slavery in the South to freedom in the North, where she meets and falls in love with Daniel Best. |
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The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation (age 14+) by M. T. Anderson war ... adventure ... fantasy ... historical Publisher comments: It sounds like a fairy tale. He is a boy dressed in silks and white wigs and given the finest of classical educations. Raised by a group of rational philosophers known only by numbers, the boy and his mother (a princess in exile from a faraway land) are the only persons in their household assigned names. As the boy's regal mother, Cassiopeia, entertains the house scholars with her beauty and wit, young Octavian begins to question the purpose behind his guardians' fanatical studies. Only after he dares to open a forbidden door does he learn the hideous nature of their experiments, and his own chilling role in them. Set against the disquiet of Revolutionary Boston, M. T. Anderson's extraordinary novel takes place at a time when American Patriots rioted and battled to win liberty while African slaves were entreated to risk their lives for a freedom they would never claim. This deeply provocative novel reimagines the past as an eerie place that has startling resonance for readers today. title: The Pox Party title: The Kingdom on the Vaves |
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MYE |
Fallen Angels
(age 14+) by Walter Dean Myers historical ... realistic ... adventure ... action ... survival ... war Publisher comments: A coming-of-age tale for young adults set in the trenches of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s, this is the story of Perry, a Harlem teenager who volunteers for the service when his dream of attending college falls through. Sent to the front lines, Perry and his platoon come face-to-face with the Vietcong and the real horror of warfare. But violence and death aren't the only hardships. As Perry struggles to find virtue in himself and his comrades, he questions why black troops are given the most dangerous assignments, and why the U.S. is even there at all. |