Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts

Book review by Aarene Storms: The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise

Monday, December 9, 2019

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise 
by Dan Gemeinhart

12-year-old Coyote lives and travels with her dad, Rodeo, on board a converted schoolbus. Only, she isn't supposed to call Rodeo her "dad" anymore, because the word makes him too sad. And avoiding sadness is the entire reason that Coyote and Rodeo do what they do. It kinda works, mostly, sometimes.

Five years ago, a few days before Coyote's mom and two sisters died in a car crash, they buried a secret memory box in a park in their town. 

Coyote hasn't been home for so long that she didn't know the park was being demolished for a construction project-- and now, she needs to convince Rodeo to take her home to Washington State to retrieve the box before it gets demolished too. But going home is one of Rodeo's "no-go" things.

The voice of Coyote Sunrise rings true in this sweet story of life and grieving and friendship and love. The misfit travelers who contribute to the journey home are fully-realized characters, and readers will enjoy a slow reveal of details about each of them.

No cussing, kissing, nekkidness, or violence... but there is a high-speed cop-car chase with a kid behind the wheel of the schoolbus. Highly recommended for readers ages 10 to adult.


The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS astorms@kcls.org



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Book review by Aarene Storms: I am Still Alive

Saturday, November 30, 2019

I am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall

Jess divides her life into "before" and "after" as she narrates her tale.

BEFORE, while still recovering from the car crash that killed her mom, Jess goes to live with the father she barely recognizes: a survivalist with a dicey past.

AFTER, she is alone with only a dog for company in the remote Canadian wilderness. No shelter, no food, no weapons, no skills.

BEFORE, she wants to return to civilization.

AFTER, she wants to survive... and she wants revenge.

I remember reading Gary Paulsen's classic survival story Hatchet when it first came out in 1987, and being so frustrated when the main character did stupid stuff that nearly got him killed. I experienced the same kind of frustration with Jess in this book: she nearly dies in so many preventable ways!

And yet.

I read the whole book in two days. It's not a perfect story, but it certainly kept me turning pages.

Some cussing, some drinking, and a lot of blood and violence. Recommended for readers who enjoy suspense, survival, and for those willing to forgive a character for making dumb mistakes, ages 14 to adult.


The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS astorms@kcls.org



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Book review by Aarene Storms: Sputnik's Guide to Life on Earth

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Sputnik's Guide to Life on Earth 
by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Foster-kid Prez Mellows doesn't talk much, but his foster family doesn't mind because they are all really LOUD. One night when the family is being LOUD, Prez hears the doorbell and answers it.

In walks a very weird looking fellow called Sputnik who wears a kilt, a backpack, a leather aviator helmet, and a pair of scissors. Sputnik introduces himself to the family, and everyone shakes his hand... and that's when Prez figures out that everybody but him thinks that Sputnik is a dog.

Sputnik isn't a dog. Sputnik is an alien, and only Prez understands what Sputnik is saying!

Adventures ensue. Sputnik and Prez hijack a bus, surf on gravitational waves, and use the TV remote to rewind cows. They try to jailbreak Prez's granddad, but end up liberating a bunch of juvenile delinquents instead. When they finally locate the granddad, Prez learns things, and Sputnik completes his mission... mostly.

Recommended for readers ages 8 and up.


The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS astorms@kcls.org



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Book review by Aarene Storms: Losers Bracket

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Losers Bracket by Chris Crutcher

Annie Boots is a senior in high school, and it looks like she's gonna make it. Her foster family is loving and supporting (even if the dad is a bit of a control freak), she has a few good friends and some skilled social workers on her side, she's pretty good at sports, and she even has a great book group to hang out with at the local library.

If Annie could just stay away from her completely-messed-up biological family, she would be fine.

But she can't stay away. And her mom, her older sister, and her sister's young son Frankie are getting even more dysfunctional, really fast. Then, Frankie disappears.

Spokane-area author Chris Crutcher used to be on everybody's "must read" list each year, and he has a stack of writing awards to prove it. 

He draws on his experience as a family therapist and child protection specialist to portray characters in horrible circumstances. Reading his stuff feels real because it is. You know, going into a Chris Crutcher book, that the story won't be sunshine and roses.

Read it anyhow.

Some cussing. Alcohol/drug use and child abuse is mostly off-page. Dysfunctional relationships and bad ideas are on-the-page, front and center. As is, eventually, redemption.

Recommended for readers ages 12 to adult.


The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS astorms@kcls.org



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Book review by Aarene Storms: Hey Kiddo: how I lost my mother, found my father, and dealt with family addiction

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Hey Kiddo: how I lost my mother, found my father, and dealt with family addiction
by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Jarrett's mom loved him a lot, but for most of his life Jarrett's mom chose heroin over motherhood.

That's why, at the age of 3, Jarrett was adopted and raised by his grandparents: two Depression-era adults who had already raised 5 kids and had a bit of their own baggage.

They weren't the best parents in the world, maybe, but Grandpa Joe and Grandma Shirley recognized that Jarrett had a talent for art, and they encouraged and supported him so that he could grow up to be an acclaimed artist and author of books for children.

Hey Kiddo is Jarrett Krosoczka's "graphic memoir": the story of his early life told in drawings and text. It's funny, it's poignant, and it's more than a little bit inspiring.

Recommended for readers (especially readers who like to use their imaginations!) ages 10 to adult.

See also Jarrett's TED talk, archived on his website: StudioJJK -TED Talks, NPR and More

Jarrett's webpage: TED, NPR and More. Books. Picture Books; Lunch Lady; Platypus Police Squad; Star Wars: Jedi Academy


The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS astorms@kcls.org



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Book review by Aarene Storms: Just After Midnight

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Just After Midnight by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Faith leaves her abusive husband, and plans to spend a few weeks at a rental house on the California beach where she can regroup (and hide from Robert) where she meets 14-year-old Sarah, who is grieving both the death of her mom and the sale of a talented dressage horse she raised and trained herself.

Faith and Sarah become friends, and when Sarah reveals that her own father murdered his wife, they go together to a place where they can both be safe: the barns and yards of dressage trainers.

Many reviewers find the friendship believable but unlikely; clearly, these reviewers have not spent time with "horse girls" who thrive in the presence of all things equine. As a (supposedly) grown up horse girl myself, and as a friend of many other horse girls (of all ages), this friendship makes perfect sense.

Part mystery, part coming-of-age story, the plot becomes almost secondary to the character development, and I found myself becoming very attached to these characters and wanting the best possible outcome for them. It didn't hurt a bit that the author got the horse stuff right, which is rare in a book, and deserves an extra star just for the well-crafted details.

No car chases or explosions. Rather, this book is a quiet, sometimes painful exploration of friendship and personal growth.

Recommended for readers who know what it is to have a good friend (even if that friend isn't human) ages 12 to adult.


The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS astorms@kcls.org



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Book review by Aarene Storms: Stolen Girl

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Stolen Girl by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

Nadia and her adoptive parents have come to Canada after living in a displaced-persons camp at the end of WWII.

But Nadia's memories of her life before the camp don't seem to match what her family tells her: they say she is not German, but she remembers speaking German.

They say she was not a Nazi, but she remembers seeing the man she called "Vater" speaking to Adolf Hitler himself.

Who is Nadia really? And... who was she?

Inspired by her own family stories, Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch (author of Making Bombs for Hitler) brings to light the little-known Nazi Lebensborn ("Fount of Life") program, intended to increase the number of Aryan children so that the master race could populate Europe.

The story is brief (less than 200 pages) but powerful. Highly recommended for readers 10 to adult.


The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS astorms@kcls.org



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Book review by Aarene Storms: Primates: the fearless science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Primates: the fearless science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas
by Jim Ottaviani and Maris Wicks

Recruited by the great anthropologist Louis Leakey, three women are responsible for some of the greatest advances in primate science.

Jane Goodall spent many years studying chimpanzees, and is still occupied with teaching children (and adults) the importance of habitat conservation.

Dian Fossey lived alone on the mountains studying wild gorillas. Her efforts to eradicate poaching may have caused her death... nobody is really sure.

And Birute Galdikas, after more than four decades of studying wild orangutans, is still considered the world's authority on their lives.

A biography or memoir of any of these women might take a week or more to read, but this graphic novel-formatted text was a quick, pleasant diversion from a busy day.

Grab a banana and a friend (hmmm, maybe two bananas?) and read this!


The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS astorms@kcls.org



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Book review by Aarene Storms: Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

Cussy Mary Carter is one of the few, the strong... a "book woman" hired by the WPA in 1935 to carry books, magazines and newspapers on horseback to isolated homes and schools in the hollers of eastern Kentucky.

The work is hard, and librarians are expected to ride 100 or more miles each week through terrible weather, but it's one of the few jobs available to a woman in that place and time-- especially a blue woman.

Cussy, like some of her kin, suffers from methemoglobinemia, a congenital disorder that causes an abnormal balance in hemoglobin, resulting in blue skin and chocolate-brown blood. 

Cussy is perfectly healthy, but she is as blue as a summer sky. And in 1930's Kentucky, strong prejudice prevails against colored people, whether the color be black, brown, or even blue.

The town doctor offers Cussy a cure-- a simple pill that will turn her "white as flour." But will a change of color solve all her problems?

Highly recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction backed by a ton of research, and for anyone who has ever loved a librarian. <3 br="">

The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS astorms@kcls.org



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Book review by Aarene Storms: This Book is Overdue!

Saturday, October 5, 2019

This Book is Overdue! How librarians and cybrarians can save us all by Marilyn Johnson

What do librarians really do? Does the world still need libraries? Couldn't we just turn the whole thing over to Amazon* and quit paying taxes for all this stuff?

This book begins as an vibrant, adamant rebuttal to all who may think that libraries -- and librarians -- are unnecessary and out-of date. It praises the nimble-thinking modern librarians who provide information wherever and whenever it is needed -- in real time and sometimes in non-real space.

Alas, the author falls victim to one of the great pitfalls of research: rabbit holes. Whole chapters meander through her observations of librarians in Second Life, tattooed bloggers, circulation migrations, and technology that is no longer relevant nine years after publication.

Read the first chapter-- it's great. Sadly, the rest is outdated, not helpful, and not even fun to read. Too bad.

*The article "Amazon Should Replace Local Libraries to Save Taxpayers Money" was published in July 2018 by Forbes magazine's online edition. Outcry against the concept, and against the author, was fast and immediate. Forbes deleted the article from its website in less than a week, but of course, nothing on the Internet really ever disappears.


The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS astorms@kcls.org



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Book review by Aarene Storms: Check Please!

Monday, September 30, 2019

Check Please! by Ngozi Ukazu

Eric "Bitty" Bittle just wants to bake pies, listen to pop music, vlog, play hockey, and maybe make some friends on the college hockey team. A former Southern Junior Champion figure skater, he's kinda small for hockey, but he's wicked fast on the ice and that counts for a lot on a competitive team.

It will take a long time for Bitty to come out as gay to his teammates...especially to team captain (and secret crush) Jack Zimmermann. In the meantime, there are college classes, epic keggers, and (of course) hockey.

Don't let the big-eyed manga style of the illustrations fool you: this is not a kiddie comic. The characters are college guys (and gals) and they are rude, crude, and socially unacceptable. In other words, they are hockey players. They are also good friends, and much sweeter to each other than you might think.

I wouldn't normally put "hockey player" and "adorable" in the same sentence, but this book practically requires that I do. Love the supportive environment, love the ongoing references to fabulous food (mmmMMMmm, pie!), love the art, love the story.

Highly recommended for ages 14 and up.


The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS astorms@kcls.org



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Book review by Aarene Storms: Out of the Cold Dark Sea

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Jeffrey Briggs will have a reading and Author Event at Third Place Books Lake Forest Park on Tuesday, September 24, 2019 at 7pm.

Aarene doesn't usually review murder mysteries - but this one was special.


Out of the Cold Dark Sea by Jeffrey D. Briggs

Martha Whitaker waits alone, in the rain, for an old friend who never shows up. Police find his van, his cane, and a lot of unanswered questions. 
It's up to Martha-- who carries a lot of baggage as well as an unhealthy amount of curiosity into the opening pages of the book-- to figure out which clues are real and which are red herrings.

I love a good, complicated murder mystery, especially one with a familiar setting, and this one checks all those boxes.

More than that: it's a substantial story, with plenty of plot twists and slow reveals, and the author displays plenty of first-hand knowledge of life in the Pacific Northwest.

Don't let the umbrella* on page 1 fool you: it's there for a reason.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I usually hate reviewing first novels written by people I know. What if it sucks? This didn't suck. The book wasn't perfect, but it kept me glued to the edge of my chair (ouch!) and I recommend it. Violence, bloodshed, and non-graphic sex on the page. Some cussing. And a TON of misleading "clues" that kept me reading to the final page. Jeffrey Briggs is a local library patron and a friend-- and now, an author. Woot!

*Pacific northwestern natives famously eschew umbrellas. The duck-handled umbrella is not a goof.

The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS astorms@kcls.org



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Book review by Aarene Storms: Brave

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Brave by Svetlana Chmakova

In his daydreams, middle schooler Jensen is a hero who saves his friends from sunspots and zombies.

In real life, Jensen doesn't have real friends.

Then, one day, another student does something that changes everything.

This excellent graphic novel may stir up unpleasant memories of life in middle school... and it might just inspire readers to do something to change everything.

How cool would that be?

Recommended for readers ages 10 to adult.


The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS astorms@kcls.org



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Book review by Aarene Storms: Dread Nation

Monday, September 9, 2019

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Y'all need to understand that I am a coward, a complete chicken pants. I can't watch scary movies and I definitely can't read scary books...

...which makes Dread Nation something special.

It's the story of a young woman, Jane McKeene, born just two days before the dead at the Battle of Gettysburg began to rise up and attack the living.

Now Jane is at a required school, where black girls are trained to kill the undead... and Jane has serious zombie-slaying skills.

Part suspense, part mystery, part adventure, and a big part social commentary, this book kept me turning pages from beginning to end.

It's not too scary... but there are a lot of zombies. And they aren't all, um, dead yet.

Book #1 in a series but this one stands alone while offering a nice setup for book #2. Mild cussing, some kissing and other sexual situations, a bucket ton of racism, plus zombies. Highly recommended for ages 12 and up.


The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS astorms@kcls.org



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Book review by Aarene Storms: Louisiana's Way Home

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Louisiana's Way Home by Kate DiCamillo

Louisiana Elefante has not had an easy life.

She never knew her parents, and has been raised by her Granny who is not the most honest nor the most predictable parental figure in literature.

Granny has a history of sudden leave-takings and midnight bugouts, and that's how this book begins: with Granny and Louisiana skipping town at 3am.

Louisiana's unique narrative style drives the story. She tells what she knows, what she sees, and what she feels. And even though she says (truthfully) that a great deal of the story is sad, I will say this: the ending made me smile.

Recommended for middle grade readers ages 8-12, especially those who first encountered Louisiana Elefante in the book about her friend Raymie Nightingale.


The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS astorms@kcls.org




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Book review by Aarene Storms: A Story Like the Wind

Saturday, August 24, 2019

A Story Like the Wind by Gill Lewis

In a small boat,
with a small hope,
in a rising wind,
on a rising sea...

The boat isn't really a boat, it's an inflatable pool toy. And yet, there are people on it, strangers, people who have come from a dangerous place, looking for safety.

The boy Rami has only the thing he grabbed as he ran, the thing he could not live without: a violin. He refuses to take food from other passengers, because he has nothing to share with them.

But of course, he does have something to share: a song and a story born out of oppression and resistance and respect and independence and hope.

The story-within-the-story is the traditional Mongolian tale of Suke, a young shepherd boy who raised an orphan foal to be a great strong white stallion. When the Dark Lord brought oppression and poverty to the people, only the boy and his horse stood up and refused to capitulate, and they pay a terrible price.

The old Mongolian story reminds the passengers on the boat why they escaped, it makes them think of what they left behind, and most of all: after hearing the story, they are able to share their hopes for the new land ahead.

Prettily illustrated, this small book would be a good choice to share. Recommended for readers and listeners of all ages.

The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS astorms@kcls.org



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Book review by Aarene Storms: For a Muse of Fire

Saturday, August 17, 2019

For a Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig

Jetta is a shadow player: a puppeteer who travels with her parents in a wooden cart, and performs with light and shadow and puppets. Most shadow players make their creations with paper, silk, wooden dowels and fine thread. Jetta's creations are made with one addition: the souls of the dead.

Now Jetta and her parents must perform for a royal audience, with the hope that they will win royal favor and access to a cure for Jetta's malheur. But rebel soldiers get in the way...and one rebel soldier in particular.

Secrets, magic, death, mental illness, blood, more death, and not nearly as much romance as I expected. This dark tale is first in a promised trilogy by the author of The Girl From Everywhere.

Recommended for readers who like their magic dark, ages 14 to adult.


The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS astorms@kcls.org



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Book review by Aarene Storms: Spinning Silver

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Irinnna is a noblewoman, bound to marry whomever her father selects. Miryem is a money-lender from a family of Jewish moneylenders. Wanda is a peasant girl who desperately wants to escape her drunken father's house.

These three main characters become entangled into an intricate tale of magic, demons, loyalty, duty, and love, along with their friends and family. The story contains elements of Rumpelstiltskin and also the magic of Poland and Russia including the prince of the frozen lands and Chernobog the fire demon.

The alternating-point-of-view narration is the only piece that irritated me. Would it be so hard to label chapters with the narrator's name? Especially when the narrator is somebody other than one of the three central characters? Gahhh.

Highly recommended for readers who enjoy dark stories of challenge and redemption focused on smart, capable women.

Tactful oblique mentions of sexual situations (nothing on the page), no cussing, some drinking, some brawling, some violence (not gory), some bullying. Ages 12 to adult.


The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS astorms@kcls.org



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Book review by Aarene Storms: Scarlett Hart Monster Hunter

Saturday, August 3, 2019

Scarlett Hart Monster Hunter by Marcus Sedwick (graphic novel)

Scarlett is the orphaned daughter of two legendary monster hunters. With the help of her faithful family retainers, she scours the city for monsters... but her archrival Count Stankovic is determined to stop her!

Fast-moving action and adventure, fancy gadgets and stunts, lots of monsters, and clever chat. The artwork is fun and not (very) gory, and the plot never stops.

There is clearly room for sequels, but the story stands alone nicely. Highly recommended for ages 10 to adult.

"Steampunk-y Doctor-Whoish Adventure"


The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS astorms@kcls.org



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Book review by Aarene Storms: IF

Saturday, July 27, 2019

If: a mind-bending new way of looking at big ideas and numbers by David J. Smith

I have trouble with numbers.

I can barely remember my own phone number and zip code, and please don't ask me to estimate distances (in miles) or divide up a bar tab and figure out how much my share should be.

This book takes big numbers and ideas and divides them into ways that make sense to me.

From the size of the galaxy (if the sun were a grapefruit on a football field goal line, Saturn would be a small pea on the opposite goal line) to the length of your life (if your life is a pizza, you sleep through 4 slices of it), these graphic representations make sense to me!

Cataloged juvenile non-fiction, I recommend this to anybody who needs help with numbers.


The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS astorms@kcls.org



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