New Acquisitions

 

Monkey Town, By Ronald Kidd

In an intriguing retelling of the famous Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925, author Ronald Kidd conveys the action of that sweltering summer in Tennessee through the eyes of a fifteen year old girl caught between her schoolgirl crush on the young teacher and football coach, Johnny Scopes, and the religious fundamentalism of her neighbors and family. Anybody with an interest in American history will enjoy learning more about this trial and the larger than life figures of Clarence Darrow, William Jennings Bryan and the iconic journalist, H.L. Mencken. Even today the thought-provoking clash between religion and science presented in Monkey Town still resounds as courts and school boards continue to fight over Intelligent Design and Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret, By Brian Selznick

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick is a most unusual book. The time is 1931 and the place is Paris. Imagine yourself, the reader, at the movies. The story begins in 21 worldess, graphic pages, creating the sensation of a silent movie. A boy on the run slips through a grate to take refuge inside the walls of a train station which is the home for this orphaned, apprentice clock keeper. As Hugo seeks to accomplish his mission, his life intersects with an old toyshop owner and a feisty girl who won't be ignored. Each character possesses secrets and something of great value to the other. Be the first at Potomac to the discover this wonderful, unique new work of fiction that combines graphic and narrative in a new way.