Every month staff of The Northwood Omniscient will be recommending something for students and staff. For the month of September, staff members recommended their favorite books for students. Ms. Brinkley, advisor for The Northwood Omniscient, and Ms. Adloo, Northwood librarian, also recommended books for staff.
For Students
Where the Crawdads Sing
By Delia Owens
Readers who enjoy stories of self-discovery and North Carolinian history will love Where the Crawdads Sing. Throughout the novel, Owens details the life of Kya, the “Marsh Girl.” Kya’s whole life is full of loss and betrayal after she is left alone as a child. While struggling to survive in the North Carolina marsh, Kya also struggles to accept and find herself. Kya’s life gets even stickier when she is accused of murdering Chase Andrews, the town’s golden boy. Published in 2018, this novel looks back to 1969, allowing readers to see and feel the life of a social outcast in the North Carolina marsh.
-Ella Sullivan, Co-Editor
American Gods
By Neil Gaiman
American Gods is a modern fantasy epic, set in the heartlands of America. It follows Shadow, a recently freed convict after his wife dies in a tragic accident. He is hired by the enigmatic Mr.Wednesday as a bodyguard, chauffeur and errand boy. However, Mr.Wednesday knows more than he is letting on, and Shadow soon finds himself on the frontlines of a war for the soul of America. On one side are the Old Gods, like Zeus and Thor, who want to maintain their power. On the other side, are the New Gods, who embody things important to modern America, like television, the highway system, and globalization,who want to wipe the old gods out once and for all. Interspersed within the narrative are stories about how old mythological creatures have dealt with coming to America. If you like fantasy stories, this book is definitely for you.
-Torin Priddle, Co-Editor
Jurassic Park
By Michael Crichton
Jurassic Park is a classic read for those who enjoy the horrifying mix of sci-fi and dinosaurs. In this book, you will discover what happens when you genetically engineer dinosaurs with the goal of turning them into an amusement park for the world to enjoy. Needless to say, the results are catastrophic. Dr. Alan Grant, a paleontologist, is called upon when dinosaurs are believed to have invaded Costa Rica. His research partner, Dr. Ellie Sattler, is flown to InGen headquarters with him just off the Costa Rican coast as consultants for InGen’s new project: Jurassic Park. All is well except for a few escaped dinosaurs in the beginning, but it escalates quickly when John Hammond, InGen’s owner, brings along his two grandchildren. A dinosaur utopia is created and like all utopias, it doesn’t last long. This nail biting novel was the first of its series published in 1990, but beware of the gory details that haunt the pages.
-Grace Leonard, Social Media Editor
Steve Jobs
By Walter Issaacson
Readers who enjoy in-depth biographies that go beyond the common knowledge of a person will love Steve Jobs. The biography includes an immense amount of detail about Job’s life– everything from all his product launches to every girlfriend Jobs has ever had. Many people have heard that Jobs used to treat his employees terribly and that he was absent in most of his child’s life; however, Issaacson’s biography of Jobs unravels the reasoning behind those allegations and what made Steve the way he was. The biography also includes some interesting facts such as Jobs’s crazy compulsion for perfection and his mansion without much furniture. Published in 2011, this biography tells Steve Jobs’s life story, allowing readers to understand how Jobs became such an icon in technology.
-Loren King, Staff Writer
One of Us Is Lying
By Karen M. McManus
If you’re a reader who finds themselves avidly sucked into the world of mysteries and appeals to high school-set plot lines, then you will most likely be drawn into the world of One of Us Is Lying. Throughout the novel, the perspective effortlessly switches between four high school students who have found themselves closely knotted-up with the murder investigation of a fellow student; a student who happened to be in detention with these four specific people on one specific afternoon but didn’t walk out alive. It’s a group of put-together, stereotypical students from Bayview High: Bronwyn, the brain; Addy, the beauty; Nate, the criminal; Cooper, the athlete; and Simon, the outcast, who doesn’t make it out alive. When the police investigate the case, it appears evident that Simon’s death was no accident. Here everyone’s a suspect, and everyone has something to hide: was this all a carefully crafted plan, or were Bronwyn, Addy, Cooper, and Nate set up? See if you can figure it out for yourself while living alongside each character while they sort through the facts and uncover more about not only the murder mystery but also themselves through the process. Suspenseful, fast-paced, and vividly entertaining, this novel will keep you on your toes until the end.
-Olivia McMurray, Staff Writer
Truly Devious
By Maureen Johnson
If you love a good mystery, Truly, Devious is for you. The story takes place in the old estate of Albert Ellingham, a prominent American figure of the 1920s known for his wealth. The Ellingham estate served as Albert’s home as well as a boarding school used to nurture the special interests of particularly intelligent students. It was also the backdrop to the mysterious kidnapping of Albert’s wife and daughter in the 1930s. The only real clue left behind was a threatening note written with cut out magazine letters and signed Truly, Devious. Enter Stevie Bell, resident true crime junkie and a new student to Ellingham Academy in the present day. The narrative follows her as she attempts to solve the cold case of the Ellinghams, but a surprise twist is thrown her way when Truly Devious returns and someone on campus is murdered. Published in 2018, Truly Devious will leave you on the edge of your seat with its intricately plotted and thrilling mystery.
-Gianna Cacciato, Staff Writer
Tuck Everlasting
By Natalie Babbit
For those of you who enjoy a fantasy with some action, Tuck Everlasting is for you. The story follows a young girl named Winnie who is bored of being stuck at home during the summer. One day she sets out into the woods and encounters a young man who drank from a strange spring. Winnie learns the spring water gives eternal life to those who drink it and that was what the young man and his family, the Tuck family, did 500 years ago. It turns out that Winnie isn’t the only one who knew of the secret. A strange man pursues the Tucks in hopes of obtaining the water to sell it to the public, and when they refuse, the man turns to desperate measures. Winnie and the Tuck family have to deal with the schemes that this man gets up to. The story may be a quick, fast-paced read, but it is also highly descriptive with a little twist in the end. This thought-provoking story makes the reader reflect on their personal morality and the possibility of everlasting life.
-July Two, Staff Writer
For Teachers
Remarkable Creatures
By Tracy Chevalier
This historical novel is based on the true story of the life and work of Mary Anning, an English fossilist and paleontologist in the early nineteenth century. Through the voices of Mary and her friend, Elizabeth Philpot (also based on an actual fossilist of the same name), the reader is immersed in the world of coastal town Lyme Regis in the Regency period. A major theme of the novel is the struggle of women to conform to society’s expectations of them. Together, Mary and Elizabeth discover fossils of extinct species, inadvertently calling into question the teachings of the church at the time. They also fight for recognition of their work at a time when women were generally considered unsuited for the scientific field. If you like history and stories with leading female roles, or if you’re interested in learning more about the paleontological discoveries in Europe in the early 1800s, this is the book for you.
-Ms. Brinkley, Advisor
The Alice Network
By Kate Quinn
Kate Quinn’s The Alice Network is as captivating as it is satisfying. The historical fiction novel tells the interwoven story of two women, one a spy in France during World War I and the other a young American looking for her lost cousin and faced with a difficult decision. Quinn’s characters are skillfully developed and easy to imagine. Based on a true network of female spies, The Alice Network is full of twists and turns, but will leave readers savoring the last few pages that tie the novel into a gratifying conclusion.
-Ms. Adloo, Northwood Librarian
Pachinko
By Min Jin Lee
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee is a beautifully written novel that follows four generations of a Korean family living in Japan, beginning with Japan’s annexation of Korea in the early 1900s. The novel provides a glance into often-ignored historical stories, but is ultimately one about family, love, and sacrifice. Lee’s characters show their resiliency and their weaknesses, their desires and their fears. Don’t be fooled by the length of the book; Pachinko is an enchanting page-turner, and you’ll find yourself wishing for more.
-Ms. Adloo, Northwood Librarian
