[Grades 6+] Great Books to Read in May

Learn the ways of the light and dark sides of the force...This box set brings the light and dark sides of the Force together for the first time. The Jedi Path is the ancient Jedi training handbook that has educated and enlightened generations of Jedi, including Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Luke Skywalker. They have handwritten their comments into this text, the only remaining copy in existence. Book of Sith is a compilation of six legendary dark texts gathered and bound together by Darth Sidious, and featuring comments from Darth Vader, Mace Windu, Darth Maul, and others. This deluxe edition provides insights into the Star Wars timeline and contains an exclusive portfolio with two prints, each depicting a prominent figure from either side of the Force. With these two titles, students of the Force can study and more fully understand the complex powers of good and evil.Features Jedi commentary from Yoda, Obi-Wan, Luke Skywalker, Qui-Gon Jinn, and othersLearn the Sith code with help from Darth Sidious, Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and more!Handwritten comments from prominent force-wielders from both sides of the forceThis book set makes the ideal Star Wars collectible for any Star Wars fangirl or fanboy and is the perfect addition to any Star Wars book collection!© and TM Lucasfilm Ltd. Used Under Authorization

This fully updated, comprehensive, and detailed encyclopedia explores the characters, creatures, locations, vehicles, and technology found throughout the entire Star Wars galaxy. Ultimate Star Wars New Edition is an in-depth visual guide packed full of exhaustive information about Star Wars, including The Last Jedi, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Star Wars: Resistance. All the characters are covered, from Darth Vader to Yoda, along with all the popular vehicles, such as the Millennium Falcon, and all the important events that provide the foundations for the exciting Star Wars story. Ultimate Star Wars New Edition is the ideal go-to resource for fans who wish to brush up on their Star Wars knowledge, and for a new generation of fans eager to start their journey into a galaxy far, far away....© & TM 2019 LUCASFILM LTD.

Go beyond Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker with this definitive guide.Produced in close collaboration with Lucasfilm and written by Star Wars insider Pablo Hidalgo, this 200-page book is packed with incredible detail. Pore over more than 600 images, five stunning original cross-section artworks and behind-the-scenes photography in this must-have companion.Uncover the inner workings of the treadable and the secrets of Rey's Jedi library. Discover the Sith fortress world of Exegol and the treasures of droidsmith Babu Frik. Examine the brutal weaponry of the Knights of Ren and the ingenious garb of the Orbak riders. Meet the most notorious criminals of Kijimi and the sociable Aki-Aki on Pasaana. Study the intricate reforging of Kylo Ren's helmet and the menacing armor of the Sith troopers.With a foreword by Episode 9 writer Chris Terrio, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary is the perfect gift for Star Wars fans of all ages. © & TM 2019 LUCASFILM LTD.

The secrets of the Star Wars galaxy have been recorded in a series of handbooks and guides created and kept hidden by the Jedi Order, the Sith, the Bounty Hunters Guild, and the Empire itself. Set in-world, richly illustrated, and annotated by characters such as Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Boba Fett, Yoda, and Darth Vader, each volume expands Star Wars mythology with details from the inside and deepens readers' experience of the saga. This deluxe edition boxed set collects The Jedi Path, Book of Sith, The Bounty Hunter Code, and Imperial Handbook in a handsome and accessible custom slipcase, creating a handy and invaluable library for exploring a galaxy far, far away.© and TM Lucasfilm Ltd. Used Under Authorization

THE BLOCKBUSTER HIT—A New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly BestsellerFor readers of Orphan Train and The Nightingale comes a “thought-provoking [and] complex tale about two families, two generations apart . . . based on a notorious true-life scandal.”*Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family’s Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge—until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents—but they quickly realize the dark truth. At the mercy of the facility’s cruel director, Rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together in a world of danger and uncertainty. Aiken, South Carolina, present day. Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career as a federal prosecutor, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family’s long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation or to redemption. Based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals—in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country—Lisa Wingate’s riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.*Library JournalPublishers Weekly’s #3 Longest-Running Bestseller of 2017 • Winner of the Southern Book Prize • If All Arkansas Read the Same Book Selection “A [story] of a family lost and found . . . a poignant, engrossing tale about sibling love and the toll of secrets.”—People“Sure to be one of the most compelling books you pick up this year. . . . Wingate is a master-storyteller, and you’ll find yourself pulled along as she reveals the wake of terror and heartache that is Georgia Tann’s legacy.”—Parade“One of the year’s best books . . . It is impossible not to get swept up in this near-perfect novel.”—The Huffington Post

Pulitzer Prize winner Sheri Fink’s landmark investigation of patient deaths at a New Orleans hospital ravaged by Hurricane Katrina—and her suspenseful portrayal of the quest for truth and justice.In the tradition of the best investigative journalism, physician and reporter Sheri Fink reconstructs 5 days at Memorial Medical Center and draws the reader into the lives of those who struggled mightily to survive and maintain life amid chaos.After Katrina struck and the floodwaters rose, the power failed, and the heat climbed, exhausted caregivers chose to designate certain patients last for rescue. Months later, several of those caregivers faced criminal allegations that they deliberately injected numerous patients with drugs to hasten their deaths. Five Days at Memorial, the culmination of six years of reporting, unspools the mystery of what happened in those days, bringing the reader into a hospital fighting for its life and into a conversation about the most terrifying form of health care rationing.In a voice at once involving and fair, masterful and intimate, Fink exposes the hidden dilemmas of end-of-life care and reveals just how ill-prepared we are for the impact of large-scale disasters—and how we can do better. A remarkable book, engrossing from start to finish, Five Days at Memorial radically transforms your understanding of human nature in crisis.One of The New York Times' Best Ten Books of the Year

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Bittersweet, sexy, morally fraught.” –The New York Times Book Review"Luminous… engrossing and poignant, this is one not to miss." –People, Pick of the Week "Fantastic… a book that feels alive on the page." –The Washington PostA dazzling debut novel from an exciting new voice, The Mothers is a surprising story about young love, a big secret in a small community—and the things that ultimately haunt us most. Set within a contemporary black community in Southern California, Brit Bennett's mesmerizing first novel is an emotionally perceptive story about community, love, and ambition. It begins with a secret."All good secrets have a taste before you tell them, and if we'd taken a moment to swish this one around our mouths, we might have noticed the sourness of an unripe secret, plucked too soon, stolen and passed around before its season."It is the last season of high school life for Nadia Turner, a rebellious, grief-stricken, seventeen-year-old beauty. Mourning her own mother's recent suicide, she takes up with the local pastor's son. Luke Sheppard is twenty-one, a former football star whose injury has reduced him to waiting tables at a diner. They are young; it's not serious. But the pregnancy that results from this teen romance—and the subsequent cover-up—will have an impact that goes far beyond their youth. As Nadia hides her secret from everyone, including Aubrey, her God-fearing best friend, the years move quickly. Soon, Nadia, Luke, and Aubrey are full-fledged adults and still living in debt to the choices they made that one seaside summer, caught in a love triangle they must carefully maneuver, and dogged by the constant, nagging question: What if they had chosen differently? The possibilities of the road not taken are a relentless haunt.In entrancing, lyrical prose, The Mothers asks whether a "what if" can be more powerful than an experience itself. If, as time passes, we must always live in servitude to the decisions of our younger selves, to the communities that have parented us, and to the decisions we make that shape our lives forever.

By the Booker Prize-Winning Author of WOLF HALLEvelyn Axon is a medium by trade; her daughter, Muriel, is a half-wit by nature. Barricaded in their crumbling house, surrounded by the festering rubbish of years, they defy the curiosity of their neighbors and their social worker, Isabel Field. Isabel is young and inexperienced and has troubles of her own: an elderly father who wanders the streets, and a lover, Colin, who wants her to run away with him. But Colin has three horrible children and a shrill wife who is pregnant again--how is he going to run anywhere? As Isabel wrestles with her own problems, a horrible secret grows in the darkness of the Axon household. When at last it comes to light, the result is by turns hilarious and terrifying.

An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • NAACP IMAGE AWARD WINNER In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare. In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.