New Books for New Readers

" Deep in the center of every tree, you''ll find the heartwood. The characters in this new book by poet Nikky Finney are the heartwood of their small Kentucky communities. You''ll meet Buck Jones and Mae Bennet, whose anger has twisted them up inside, Queenie Sims and Arizona Scott, who can see the good in people, and Trina Sims and Jenny Bryan, two young women who discover how much they are alike despite their different skin color.