A place where staff reviews are shared with the public! Be kind, all of these reviews are done by staff members who want to share what they are/have been reading, watching, and listening to. We also share what is new in the libraries and a staff member gives a brief blurb about the book, courtesy of our OPAC (Syndetics Unbound Blurbs) or Novelist Blurbs about the books.
Friday, July 30, 2021
July 30, 2021 - Staff Reviews
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
July 28, 2021 - Staff Reviews
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
July 27, 2021 - WV Author of the Month
Monday, July 26, 2021
July 26, 2021 - New Arrivals
July 26, 2021
Adult Fiction
The President’s
Daughter by Bill Clinton & James
Patterson.
"Matthew Keating, a one-time Navy SEAL--and a past president--has always
defended his family as staunchly as he has his country. Now those defenses are
under attack. A madman abducts Keating's teenage daughter, Melanie--turning
every parent's deepest fear into a matter of national security. As the world
watches in real time, Keating embarks on a one-man special-ops mission that tests
his strengths: as a leader, a warrior, and a father."-- Provided by
publisher.
The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan.
"In late March 1944,
as Stalin's forces push into Ukraine, young Emil and Adeline Martel must make a
terrible decision: Do they wait for the Soviet bear's intrusion and risk being
sent to Siberia? Or do they reluctantly follow the wolves - murderous Nazi
officers who have pledged to protect "pure-blood" Germans? The
Martels are one of many families of German heritage whose ancestors have farmed
in Ukraine for more than a century. But after already living under Stalin's
horrifying regime, Emil and Adeline decide they must run in retreat from their
land with the wolves they despise to escape the Soviets and go in search of
freedom. Caught between two warring forces and overcoming horrific trials to
pursue their hope of immigrating to the West, the Martels' story is a brutal,
complex, and ultimately triumphant tale that illuminates the extraordinary
power of love, faith, and one family's incredible will to survive and see their
dreams realized."-- Provided by publisher.
The Cottage on
Lighthouse Lane by T. Davis Bunn.
"Billy Walker is a
North Carolina boy whose Hollywood star is beginning to shine. His rough past
is in the rearview. Now seeing the world from the back seat of a limousine,
Billy has no regrets about what he had to do, and the choices he made, to get
there. But all it takes is one death-defying moment for Billy's world to shift.
When an on-set accident leaves him shaken and plagued by haunting dreams, he's
in desperate need of a rest cure. Given keys to a getaway cottage on Lighthouse
Lane in Miramar Bay, he'll regroup, relax, and recover. Yet as Billy's dreams
grow darker and more fearful, his only promise for light is in a stunning,
mysterious, and uniquely gifted stranger. . . Mimi has never forgotten her
tragic childhood in eastern Ukraine. Violence, a vanished family, abandonment,
and a hard-won struggle to escape. Miramar Bay couldn't be a more beautiful or
unexpected refuge. In yoga and dance, and imbued with a talent to read the
unrestful visions of others, Mimi has a seemingly divine ability to comfort.
She may be everything Billy desires, but Mimi knows what Billy needs. He must
confront his troubling past - and not just in his dreams. As their connection
deepens, Billy finds himself falling in love, and waking up to something he's
never felt before. But when the real world comes calling again, how can he say
goodbye to a woman who's changing his life one illuminating sunrise at a
time?"-- Provided by publisher.
Adult Non-Fiction
The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson.
When Jennifer Doudna was
in sixth grade, she came home one day to find that her dad had left a paperback
titled The Double Helix on her bed. She put it aside, thinking it was
one of those detective tales she loved. When she read it on a rainy Saturday,
she discovered she was right, in a way. As she sped through the pages, she
became enthralled by the intense drama behind the competition to discover the
code of life. Even though her high school counselor told her girls didn't
become scientists, she decided she would. Driven by a passion to understand how
nature works and to turn discoveries into inventions, she would help to make
what the book's author, James Watson, told her was the most important
biological advance since his co-discovery of the structure of DNA. She and her
collaborators turned a curiosity of nature into an invention that
will transform the human race: an easy-to-use tool that can edit DNA. Known as
CRISPR, it opened a brave new world of medical miracles and moral questions. The
development of CRISPR and the race to create vaccines for coronavirus will
hasten our transition to the next great innovation revolution. The past
half-century has been a digital age, based on the microchip, computer, and
internet. Now we are entering a life-science revolution. Children who study
digital coding will be joined by those who study genetic code. Should we use
our new evolution-hacking powers to make us less susceptible to viruses? What a
wonderful boon that would be! And what about preventing depression?
Hmmm...Should we allow parents, if they can afford it, to enhance the height or
muscles or IQ of their kids? After helping to discover CRISPR, Doudna became a leader
in wrestling with these moral issues and, with her collaborator Emmanuelle
Charpentier, won the Nobel Prize in 2020. Her story is a thrilling detective
tale that involves the most profound wonders of nature, from the origins of
life to the future of our species.
Think Again by Adam Grant.
Intelligence is usually
seen as the ability to think and learn, but in a rapidly changing world,
there's another set of cognitive skills that might matter more: the ability to
rethink and unlearn. In our daily lives, too many of us favor the comfort of
conviction over the discomfort of doubt. We listen to opinions that make us
feel good, instead of ideas that make us think hard. We see disagreement as a
threat to our egos, rather than an opportunity to learn. We surround ourselves
with people who agree with our conclusions, when we should be gravitating
toward those who challenge our thought process. The result is that our beliefs
get brittle long before our bones. We think too much like preachers defending
our sacred beliefs, prosecutors proving the other side wrong, and politicians
campaigning for approval--and too little like scientists searching for truth.
Intelligence is no cure, and it can even be a curse: being good at thinking can
make us worse at rethinking. The brighter we are, the blinder to our own
limitations we can become.
Easy/Juvenile/Young Adult/Graphic Novel
The Echo Park Castaways by M. G. Hennessey.
J
Nevaeh, Vic, and Mara are
veterans of the Los Angeles foster care system. For over a year they've been
staying with Mrs. K in Echo Park. Vic spends most of his time living in a dream
world, Mara barely speaks, and Nevaeh is forced to act as a back-up parent.
Though their situation isn't ideal, it's still their best home yet. Then Child
Protective Services places Quentin in the house, and everything is turned
upside down. Nevaeh really can't handle watching over anyone else, especially a
boy on the autism spectrum. Meanwhile, Quentin is having trouble adjusting and
attempts to run away. So when Vic realizes Quentin just wants to see his mom
again, he plans an "epic quest" to reunite them. It could result in
the foster siblings getting sent to different group homes. But isn't family
always worth the risk?
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Ryan North, & Albert Monteys. GN
Thursday, July 22, 2021
July 22, 2021 - Staff Reviews
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
July 21, 2021 - A Book & A Recipe
Good morning, book and food lovers!
Brooke County Libraries July feature for dinner & a recipe is Mama's Pimento Cheese from the Liz Talbot series by Susan M. Boyer. This delicious Southern dish is perfect for a snack or an addition to any dinner.
Prep time - 30 min
Check out the Liz Talbot mystery series on WV Reads!
https://wvreads.overdrive.com/wvreads-wvlc/content/media/1816791
Monday, July 19, 2021
July 19, 2021 - New Arrivals
July 19, 2021
Adult Fiction
Unfinished Business by J. A. Jance.
Mateo Vega, a one-time
employee of Ali Reynold's husband, B. Simpson, has spent the last sixteen years
of his life behind bars. According to the courts, he murdered his girlfriend.
But Mateo knows that her real killer is still on the loose, and the first thing
he's going to do when he gets a taste of freedom is track him down. After being
granted parole, a wary Mateo approaches Stu Ramey of High Noon Enterprises for
a reference letter for a job application, but to his surprise, Stu gives him
one better: He asks him to come on board and work for B. once again. Just as
Mateo starts his new job, though, chaos breaks out at High Noon--a deadbeat
tenant who is in arrears has just fled, and tech expert Cami Lee has gone
missing. As Ali races to both find a connection between the two disappearances
and help Mateo clear his name with the help of PI J.P. Beaumont, tragedy
strikes in her personal life, and with lives hanging in the balance, she must
thread the needle between good and evil before it's too late.
Hidden by Fern Michaels.
At first glance, few would
guess that Luna and Cullan Bodman are siblings. Cullan, efficient and serious,
is rarely out of a business suit. Luna reads palms and tarot cards, and loves
flowing skirts and dangling jewelry that matches her unconventional spirit.
Still, her artistic eye is an asset to the family's furniture restoration
business. When Cullan stumbles across something unexpected in a piece he just
acquired, and a client of Luna's reveals more than they should in a reading,
the two put aside their differences to right a wrong. At stake is the future of
a billion-dollar corporation, and as Luna and Cullan quickly discover, there
are people who will stop at nothing to get what they believe they're owed.
This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens.
Minnie Cooper knows two
things with certainty: that her New Year's birthday is unlucky, and that it's
all because of Quinn Hamilton, a man she's never met. Their mothers gave birth
to them at the same hospital just after midnight on New Year's Day, but Quinn
was given the cash prize for being the first baby born in London in 1990--and
the name Minnie was meant to have, as well. With luck like that, it's no wonder
each of her birthdays has been more of a disaster than the one before. When
Minnie unexpectedly runs into Quinn at a New Year's party on their mutual
thirtieth birthday, she sees only more evidence that fortune has continued to
favor him. The gorgeous, charming business owner truly seems to have it
all--while Minnie's on the brink of losing her pie-making company and her home.
But if Quinn and Minnie are from different worlds, why do they keep bumping
into each other? And why is it that each fraught encounter leaves them both
wanting more?
Adult Non-Fiction
The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman.
On January 20, 2021,
Amanda Gorman became the sixth and youngest poet to deliver a poetry reading at
a presidential inauguration. Taking the stage after the 46th president of the
United States, Joe Biden, Gorman captivated the nation and brought hope to
viewers around the globe with her call for unity and healing. Her poem
"The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country" can now be
cherished in this special gift edition, perfect for any reader looking for some
inspiration. Including an enduring foreword by Oprah Winfrey, this remarkable
keepsake celebrates the promise of America and affirms the power of poetry.
The Art of Her Deal by Mary Jordan.
Based on interviews with
more than one hundred people in five countries, The Art of Her Deal: The
Untold Story of Melania Trump draws an unprecedented portrait of the first
lady. While her public image is of an aloof woman floating above the political
gamesmanship of Washington, behind the scenes Melania Trump is not only part of
President Trump's inner circle, but for some key decisions she has been his
single most influential adviser. Throughout her public life, Melania Trump has
purposefully worked to remain mysterious. With the help of key people speaking
publicly for the first time and never-before-seen documents and tapes, The
Art of Her Deal looks beyond the surface image to find a determined
immigrant and the life she had before she met Donald Trump. Mary Jordan traces
Melania's journey from Slovenia, where her family stood out for their
nonconformity, to her days as a fledgling model known for steering clear of the
industry's hard-partying scene, to a tiny living space in Manhattan she shared
platonically with a male photographer, to the long, complicated dating dance
that finally resulted in her marriage to Trump. Jordan documents Melania's key
role in Trump's political life before and at the White House, and shows why he
trusts her instincts above all. The picture of Melania Trump that emerges
in The Art of Her Deal is one of a woman who is savvy, steely,
ambitious, deliberate, and who plays the long game. And while it is her husband
who became famous for the phrase "the art of the deal," it is she who
has consistently used her leverage to get exactly what she wants. This is the
story of the art of her deal.
Easy/Juvenile/Young Adult/Graphic Novel
The Long Ride by Marina Budhos.
J
Jamila Clarke. Josie
Rivera. Francesca George. Three mixed-race girls, close friends whose immigrant
parents worked hard to settle their families in a neighborhood with the best
schools. The three girls are outsiders there, but they have each other. Now, at
the start seventh grade, they are told they will be part of an experiment,
taking a long bus ride to a brand-new school built to "mix up the black
and white kids." Their parents don't want them to be experiments.
Francesca's send her to a private school, leaving Jamila and Josie to take the
bus ride without her. While Francesca is testing her limits, Josie and Jamila
find themselves outsiders again at the new school. As the year goes on, the
Spanish girls welcome Josie, while Jamila develops a tender friendship with a
boy--but it's a relationship that can exist only at school.
Tiffky Doofky by William Steig.
E
Thursday, July 15, 2021
July 15, 2021 - BCPL Resume Tips
Brooke County Libraries - Resume Tip #9
Add an Objective/Goal
Employers are actually interested in why you want to be employed by them. Go figure! It's a frequent interview question, which should be answered by "to make money of course". It's a big question when they compare you with other candidates.
An objective can be an excellent introduction to begin your resume. It can be brief and to-the-point. No need to make it personal, just a professional goal or next-step you are looking to achieve.
Here are a few sample objectives that are easily tailored to your own resume or career path.
Seeking full time position where I can use my creativity and talents to enrich customer or client experiences.
Looking for part time hours to boost not only my income but fill my time with a new challenge.
Seeking employment with a loyal employer where I can become asset with my customer service experience.
To obtain a position with steady hours where I can utilitize my experience in the industrial field.
Looking for a full time job where I can both use my education and expand my knowledge base with hands on tasks and new perspective.
Wednesday, July 14, 2021
July 14, 2021 - Staff Reviews
Monday, July 12, 2021
July 12, 2021 - New Arrivals
July 12, 2021
Adult Fiction
Jackpot by Stuart Woods.
When Peter Barrington and
Ben Bachetti come under threat while working at a film festival abroad, Teddy
Fay is lured to the glittering city of Macau to resolve the problem. He'll soon
come to find that world of posh casinos, luxurious developments, and boundless
wealth has a dark underbelly of crime and political intrigue . . . and that the
biggest players behind the scenes may be far closer to home than anticipated.
With international deals and private vendettas at stake, the villains behind
the plot aren't about to let Teddy stand in their way. What they don't know is
that this seemingly harmless film producer has more than a few tricks up his
sleeve.
Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand.
On a perfect June day,
Vivian Howe, author of thirteen beach novels and mother of three nearly
grown children, is killed in a hit-and-run car accident while jogging near her
home on Nantucket. She ascends to the Beyond where she's assigned to a Person
named Martha, who allows Vivi to watch what happens below for one last summer.
Vivi also is granted three "nudges" to change the outcome of events
on earth, and with her daughter Willa on her third miscarriage, Carson partying
until all hours, and Leo currently "off again" with his
high-maintenance girlfriend, she'll have to think carefully where to use them. From
the Beyond, Vivi watches "The Chief" Ed Kapenash investigate her
death, but her greatest worry is her final book, which contains a secret from
her own youth that could be disastrous for her reputation. But when hidden
truths come to light, Vivi's family will have to sort out their past and
present mistakes--with or without a nudge of help from above--while Vivi
finally lets them grow without her.
Kiss My Boots by Harper Sloan.
"New York Times bestselling author Quinn Davis prefers to live her life
quietly. She's the stereotypical tomboy with two overprotective big brothers
who have always been there to protect her, especially from devilishly handsome
cowboys with silver tongues. That is, until Tate Montgomery comes riding back
into town. After nine years of silence, their first meeting is far from
something out of a fairy tale and only further convinces Quinn that men aren't
worth her time. The only place Tate Montgomery ever truly felt at home growing
up was during the long, sweltering summer months he spent at his Gram and Paw's
farm in Pine Oak, Texas. Now, Tate has returned to his childhood sanctuary
seeking a fresh start - but if he's being entirely honest, he's not just back
for the wranglers and Stetsons. During those summers, Quinn was a
friend-turned-young-love who Tate lost when life threw him a curveball and he
cut all ties to his past. But all it takes is one glance at the raven-haired
beauty for him to realize just how much he's been missing..."-- Provided
by publisher.
Adult Non-Fiction
The Man I Knew by Jean Becker.
As chief of staff, Jean
Becker had a ringside seat to the never-boring story of George Herbert Walker
Bush's life post-presidency, including being at his side when he died and
subsequently facing the challenge-and great honor-of being in charge of his
state funeral. Full of heart and wisdom, THE MAN I KNEW is a vibrant
behind-the-scenes look into the ups and downs of heading up the office of a
former president by one of the people who knew him best. This book tells the
story of how, after his devastating loss to Bill Clinton in 1992, President George
H.W. Bush rebuilt his life, found a way to make a difference, and how, by the
time he died in November 2018, was revered by his country and the world. Bush's
post-presidency journey was filled with determination, courage, love, hope,
humor, fun, and big ideas. He became best friends with the man who defeated
him; developed the odd habit of jumping out of airplanes; and learned how to
adjust to life in a wheelchair, after having lived most of his life as a
high-energy athlete. He joyously saw two sons become governors of their states,
one of whom would go one to become President of the United States.
The Craft by John Dickie.
Founded in London in 1717
as a way of binding men in fellowship, Freemasonry proved so addictive that
within two decades it had spread across the globe. Masonic influence became
pervasive. Under George Washington, the Craft became a creed for the new
American nation. Masonic networks held the British empire together. Under
Napoleon, the Craft became a tool of authoritarianism and then a cover for
revolutionary conspiracy. Both the Mormon Church and the Sicilian mafia owe
their origins to Freemasonry. Yet the Masons were as feared as they were
influential. In the eyes of the Catholic Church, Freemasonry has always been a
den of devil-worshippers. For Hitler, Mussolini and Franco, the Lodges spread
the diseases of pacifism, socialism and Jewish influence, so had to be crushed.
Freemasonry's story yokes together Winston Churchill and Walt Disney; Wolfgang
Mozart and Shaquille O'Neal; Benjamin Franklin and Buzz Aldrin; Rudyard Kipling
and 'Buffalo Bill' Cody; Duke Ellington and the Duke of Wellington. John
Dickie's The Craft is an enthralling exploration of the world's most
famous and misunderstood secret brotherhood, a movement that not only helped to
forge modern society, but has substantial contemporary influence, with 400,000
members in Britain, over a million in the USA, and around six million across
the world.
Easy/Juvenile/Young Adult/Graphic Novel
Black is a Rainbow
Color by Angela Joy. E
From the wheels of a
bicycle to the robe on Thurgood Marshall's back, Black surrounds our lives. It
is a color to simply describe some of our favorite things, but it also evokes a
deeper sentiment about the incredible people who helped change the world and a
community that continues to grow and thrive.
Who is Dwayne “The
Rock” Johnson? by James Buckley, Jr. J NF
Thursday, July 8, 2021
July 8, 2021 - Book Club Preview
Meeting is scheduled for Thursday July 29th at 5 pm.
Discussions are available virtually!
About the book...
Miss Clawdy's Café has won the Jubilee blue ribbon every year since the dawn of time. This year, town matron Violet Prescott is going after that ribbon with an iron-clad determination only thinly disguised by her perfect coiffure and flawless manners, bless her heart.
It's time for café owners Cathy and Marty and their best friend Trixie to pull out their secret weapon. And this is where a lifetime of friendship, combined with just the right recipe at just the right time, might carry the day―or blow everything to smithereens.
Welcome to Cadillac, Texas, where the jalapeños are hot, the gossip is hotter, and at the end of the day, it's the priceless friendships that are left standing...
About the author...
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Carolyn Brown was born in Texas and raised in southern Oklahoma. These days she and her husband make their home in Davis, Oklahoma, a small town of less than three thousand people where everyone knows everyone, knows what they are doing and with whom, and read the weekly newspaper to see who got caught.
Wednesday, July 7, 2021
July 7, 2021 - Staff Reviews
Monday, July 5, 2021
July 5, 2021 - New Arrivals
July 5, 2021
Adult Fiction
Country Proud by Linda Lael Miller.
First love always burns
brighter...Sheriff Eli Garrett is grateful for the good things in this life.
Like his two best friends since childhood. A job that he loves. Enough land
under the big skies of Montana to make a man feel free. And Brynne Bailey,
finally back home in Painted Pony Creek to stay. Brynne was his high school
sweetheart--and the girl he'd betrayed all those years ago. But now, with a new
year right around the corner, it's time to make amends and see what the future
might hold...if she'll let him. Brynne has one rule for herself: never date
another cop. She made that mistake once before, and her heart still hasn't
recovered from losing the kids she'd started to think of as her own. So she's
happy to put the past behind her and be Eli's friend. Anything else is out of
the question...until one electric kiss changes everything between them. But
when a case blows wide open, putting Eli in danger, Brynne will confront her
biggest fear.
A Simple Murder by Linda Castillo.
"New York times bestselling author Linda Castillo is known as a 'master of
the genre' (People) for her pulse-pounding mystery series set in Amish country.
Now, together for the first time in print, 'A Simple Murder' features six
original short stories starring whip-smart chief of police, Kate Burkholder."--
Provided by publisher.
The Bullet by Iris Johansen.
Diane Connors is a
dedicated doctor with the world's biggest secret, a discovery that could have
shocking global ramifications. But while conducting private research
trials, word has gotten out. The wrong people have heard the news and now want
to hide Diane's achievement for their own ends. With nowhere else to turn,
Diane finds herself on the doorstep of the last man she wants to ask for help:
her ex-husband, Joe Quinn. Joe has remarried, and he and his wife, Eve Duncan,
seem blissfully happy in their quiet, rural life until they are faced with the
challenge of risking it all--even their marriage itself--for the greater good...Now
Eve is trapped in a web of murder and deceit as powerful enemies rush to cover
up the truth, determined that Diane's discovery goes with her to the
grave--even if Eve and Joe get buried with her.
Adult Non-Fiction
Everybody Has a Podcast
(Except You) by Justin McElroy.
"From the McElroy
Brothers, creators and comedic forces behind the hit podcasts My Brother, My
Brother and Me, The Adventure Zone, and many others, comes a helpful and
sometimes hilarious how-to podcast guide covering everything you need to know
to make, produce, edit, and promote a podcast...and get rich* doing it!
(*Results not guaranteed)"-- Provided by publisher.
Crisis of the Two
Constitutions by Charles R. Kesler.
American politics grows
embittered because it is increasingly torn between two rival constitutions, two
opposed cultures, two contrary ways of life. American conservatives rally
around the founders' Constitution, as amended and as grounded in the natural
and divine rights and duties of the Declaration of Independence. American
liberals herald their "living Constitution," a term that implies that
the original is dead or superseded, and that the fundamental political
imperative is constant change or transformation (as President Obama called it)
toward a more and more perfect social democracy ruled by a Woke elite. Crisis
of the Two Constitutions details how we got to and what is at stake in our
increasingly divided America. It takes controversial stands on matters
political and scholarly, describing the political genius of America's founders
and their efforts to shape future generations through a constitutional culture
that included immigration, citizenship, and educational policies. Then it turns
to the attempted progressive refounding of America, tracing its accelerating
radicalism from the New Deal to the 1960s' New Left to today's unhappy campus
nihilists. Finally, the volume appraises American conservatives' efforts, so
far unavailing despite many famous victories, to revive the founders'
Constitution and moral common sense. From Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump, what
have conservatives learned and where should they go from here? Along the way,
Charles R. Kesler argues with critics on the left and right, and refutes
fashionable doctrines including relativism, multiculturalism, critical race
theory, and radical traditionalism, providing in effect a one-volume guide to
the increasingly influential Claremont school of conservative thought by one of
its most engaged, and engaging, thinkers.
Easy/Juvenile/Young Adult/Graphic Novel
Spell Trouble by P. C. Cast & Kristin Cast. YA
Hunter and Mercy Goode are
twin witches, direct descendants of the founder of their town of Goodeville. As
their ancestors have done before them, it is now time for the twins to learn
what it means to be Gatekeepers-the protectors of the Gates to different
underworlds, ancient portals between their world and realms where mythology
rules and nightmares come to life. When their mother becomes the first victim in
a string of murders, the devastated sisters vow to avenge her death. But it
will take more than magic to rein in the ancient mythological monsters who've
infected their peaceful town. Now Hunter and Mercy must come together and
accept their destiny or risk being separated for good.
Rescue by Jennifer Nielsen.
J
Six hundred and
fifty-seven days ago, Meg Kenyon's father left their home in France to fight
for the Allies in World War II, and that was the last time Meg saw him.
Recently, she heard he was being held prisoner by the Nazis, a terrible
sentence from which Meg fears he'll never return. All she has left of him are
the codes he placed in a jar for her to decipher, an affectionate game the two
of them shared. But the codes are running low, and soon there'll be nothing
left of Papa for Meg to hold on to at all. Suddenly, an impossible chance to
save her father falls into Meg's lap. After following a trail of blood in the
snow, Meggie finds an injured British spy hiding in her grandmother's barn.
Captain Stewart tells her that a family of German refugees must be guided
across Nazi-occupied France to neutral Spain, whereupon one of them has
promised to free Meg's father. Captain Stewart was meant to take that family on
their journey, but too injured to complete the task himself, he offers it to
Meg, along with a final code from Papa to help complete the mission -- perhaps
the most important, and most difficult, riddle she's received yet. As the Nazis
flood Meg's village in fierce pursuit, she accepts the duty and begins the trek
across France. Leading strangers through treacherous territory, Meg faces
danger and uncertainty at every turn, all the while struggling to crack her
father's code. The message, as she unravels it, reveals secrets costly enough
to risk the mission and even her own life. Can Meg solve the puzzle, rescue the
family, and save her father?