Book Review: Passenger

PASSENGER by Alexandra Bracken is a time travel suspense with an abrupt cliffhanger.

This first book in a new science fiction series features seventeen-year-old Etta who discovers she has the ability to travel through time. Thrust into a dangerous situation involving rival time traveling families, Etta must find a valuable object before time runs out.

Of particularly note is Etta’s love interest, a biracial boy born into slavery. His reactions to Etta and to cultures outside his birth time are fascinating.

Fans of both historical fiction and science fiction will enjoy the ride. Most readers will like the hint of romance. The element of suspense will keep young adults happy until the abrupt conclusion. Librarians will find teens clamoring for the next book in this adventure series.

To learn more about the author, go to http://www.alexandrabracken.com/.

Published by Disney-Hyperion on January 5, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

App Review: Spies of Mississippi

SPIES OF MISSISSIPPI: AN APPUMENTARY brings the well-known book and documentary film by Rick Bowers alive for students.

Focusing on the activities of the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission from 1956 to 1997, the app explores important stories of democracy, racial segregation, and even murder. The app actively engages users through text, audio, video, maps, photographs, and other historical, primary source materials. After a video introduction, users can watch a summary of the file, listen to a song, examine a visual timeline with photographs and other primary source documents, explore an interactive map featuring key locations, and view excerpts from the film.

In addition, lesson plans and resources for teachers are provided along with discussion questions.

Librarians will find this fascinating app to be an excellent resource for students and teachers exploring the Civil Rights movement in their social studies or history classes.

To download the app, go to https://itunes.apple.com/…/spies-mississippi-ap…/id853903402.