The Indianhead Federated Library System presents
Starred Reviews
New and Notable Books for Young People
February 2008 * Eau Claire, WI
The books in this newsletter were given starred reviews by the following periodicals: School Library Journal (SLJ), Publisher’s Weekly (PW), Booklist (BL), Voices of Youth Advocates (VOYA) and Criticas (CR). Library binding prices and ISBNs are noted. Quotations have been taken directly from the reviews. This selection tool has been created to assist IFLS library staff wade through the 5,000-5,500 children’s and young adult titles published each year. Librarians should consider which of the following books best fit their collection and clientele.
**Note: VOYA reviews rank items 1-5 for Quality (Q) and 1-5 for Popularity (P).
Picture Books
Juvenile Fiction
Non-fiction
Reference
YA Fiction
Audio
Video
Barrett, Judi. Never Take a Shark to the Dentist (and Other Things Not to Do) Illus. by John Nickle. S&S/Atheneum, $16.99 (978-1-4169-0724-4)
(PreS-gr. 3) “...set of droll rules to live by, each recommendation reinforced by a meticulous full-page image...Sometimes the animal and insect characters exaggerate certain human dramas...hyper-detailed acrylics, enhances the comical phrases with surreal imagery...absurd humor.” (PW)
Becker, Bonny. A Visitor for Bear. Illus. by Kady MacDonald Denton. Candlewick, $16.99 (978-0-7636-2807-9)
(PreS-gr.2) “When a friendly mouse knocks at his door, Bear sternly points to the ‘No Visitors Allowed’ sign... Despite boarding the windows shut, stopping up the chimney...bathtub drain... persistent rodent...admits defeat...enjoys the company... prompts him to reconsider his sign...illustrations capture the humorous interplay...lively repetition and superb pacing...ideal...for storytime.” (SLJ)
Billingsley, Franny. Big Bad Bunny. Illus. by G. Brian Karas. Atheneum/Jackson, $16.99 (978-1-4169-0601-8)
(PreS-gr.3) “...Big Bad Bunny seems like a creature that haunts the dreams of children...monster has furiously knitted eyebrows, razor-sharp talons and knifelike teeth. But Big Bad Bunny is actually Baby Boo-Boo...little mouse...Mama Mouse...pursues and tames the ferocious Big Bad Bunny...satisfying onomatopoeia...oversize format...marks this for a readaloud...mixed-media...comic abandon...walk the fine line between empathy and comedy...” (PW)
Foley, Greg. Don’t Worry Bear. Viking, $19.99 (978-0-670-06245-4)
(PreS-gr.1) “...Bear...concerned about Caterpillar...cocoon...In the dead of night...ventures out to check on his friend...empty cocoon on the ground...Bear moans. Alert readers who notice the creature flying above him...uncluttered illustrations...large, spare text...With a few strokes...depict Bear’s ever-changing moods...” (SLJ)
Frazee, Marla. A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever. Harcourt, $16 (978-0-15-206020-6)
(gr. 1-4) “...Eamon ... spends nights with his grandparents...at their beach cottage. Eamon’s friend James joins the sleepover... Humorous contradictions arise between the hand-lettered account...resembles a tongue-in-cheek travel journal, ... enticing pencil and gouache illustrations... celebrates casual extended-family affection...” (PW)
George, Jean Craighead. Goose and Duck. Illus. by Priscilla Lamont. (An I Can Read! Bk.). HarperCollins/Laura Geringer Bks,$16.99 (978-0-06-117076-8)
(K-gr.2) “A top-notch easy reader. A boy finds a goose egg that hatches...gosling imprints on him...duck egg...duckling imprints on the goose...delightfully sweet... vocabulary, sentence structure, large print, and ample white space are right on target... large full-color illustrations are funny and expressive...engaging, humorous and educational.” (SLJ)
Geras, Adèle. Little Ballet Star. Illus. by Shelagh McNicholas. Dial, $16.99 (978-0-803-732-377)
(PreS-gr.2) “On Tilly’s birthday...see the ballet...meet Aunty Gina (who dances the lead role)...takes Tilly backstage to see the dancers warming up and putting on their makeup...after the final bows, Gina invites her niece on stage to dance with her... orchestra plays “Happy Birthday,”... plenty of space for the expressive pencil illustrations...offers the stuff that daydreams are made of.” (BL)
Ichikawa, Satomi. Come Fly with Me. Philomel, $15.99 (978-0-399-246-791)
(PreS-gr.1) “...Cosmos the wooden toy plane...tired of the toy box...Cosmos and Woggy... stuffed dog, set off, flying above Parisian streets...run-in with birds...adorable protagontists and their longing for freedom...adventure element is perfectly keyed to the age group...charming watercolors...perfect choice for story hours.” (BL)
Jarrett, Clare. Arabella Miller’s Tiny Caterpillar. Candlewick, $16.99 (0-7636-3660-6)
(PreS-gr. 2) “...curious, likable character...child-appealing drawings...engaging, exceptional picture book. Little Arabella finds a tiny striped caterpillar...stuffs a shoebox with grass and leaves...Weeks go by...story arc is simple...charm lies in the sketchy, pencil-and-paper collage illustrations...spontaneously slapdash but are skillfully executed to capture the fascination...perfectly designed...enormous child appeal.” (BL)
Lobel, Anita. Hello, Day! Greenwillow, $16.99 (978-0-06-078765-3)
(PreS) “...beautiful spring day, inspiring the denizens of farm, field and forest to offer up their full-throated version of the title greeting...stylized setting that’s positively Edenic...rainbow of flowers...doesn’t seem to be aiming for a realistic approximation of the sun’s transit...luxuriantly hued, playfully textured portraits will rivet preschoolers...” (PW)
Lyon, George Ella. My Friend, the Starfinder. Illus. by Stephen Gammell. Atheneum/Jackson, $16.99 (978-1-4169-2738-9)
(PreS-gr. 2) “...sumptuously illustrated book...spatters a universe of colors across the page as the child dances with the man, who tells stories on his green porch...black-and-white paintings that convey an astonishing degree of light...Text and art are sure to evoke wonder in young readers.” (PW)
Markle, Sandra. Finding Home. Illus. by Alan Marks. Charlesbridge, $15.95 (978-1-580-891-226)
(K-gr. 3) “Based on the true story of a koala that survived multiple bushfires and wandered into a residential area...dramatic free verse...gripping story of animal survival...filled with sensory detail...search...long and dangerous...concerned people block traffic....guide the mother and baby to a safe wild eucalyptus grove...smooth, elegant poetry...expressive, realistic mixed-media images...Koala facts and suggestions for further research...” (BL)
McGhee, Allison. Bye-bye, Crib. Illus. by Ross MacDonald. S&S/Paula Wiseman Bks., $16.99 (978-1-4169-1621-5)
(PreS-K) “...little guy’s move to his ‘big boy’ bed. After his initial refusal... child relents, tossing his Red Blankie...and Big Pillow ahead as scouts...works up his courage... and takes the plunge himself...evocative art...employs the comic-book conventions, visual wit...animation in both the text and the pictures turns what might have been a ho-hum tale...into a pro-active adventure...” (SLJ) (PW)
McPhail, David. The Searcher and Old Tree. Charlesbridge, $15.95 (978-1-58089-223-0)
(PreS-K) “After a successful night of foraging, a raccoon called Searcher heads home to a tree...snuggles down into the branches and falls asleep...storm...raccoon does not wake up. As the storm becomes more and more intense, Old Tree looks less and less significant....raccoon sleeps on...storm ebbs and things calm down...old tree is still standing...economical text...illustrations depict and endearing, contented raccoon... anthropomorphized tree... may offer comfort to children.” (SLJ)
Pinkwater, Daniel. Bear’s Picture. Illus. by D.B. Johnson. Houghton, $16 (978-0-618-76923-1)
(PreS-gr. 3) “Imaginative illustrations...lend pizzazz to this reillustrated 1972...Bear...is painting a picture in rainbow hues... ‘two fine, proper gentlemen’...comment on his work...Bear...calmly contradicts them and keeps painting...reinforcing the words with sly visual details...”(PW) (BL)
Rosenthal, Amy Krouse. Little Hoot. Illsu. By Jen Courace. Chronicle, $12.99 (978-0-8118-6023-9)
(PreS and up) “...puts reverse psychology to work...Little Owl has a great life—except for one thing: ‘All my other friends get to go to bed so much earlier than me!...’ anthropomorphized owl family...feels recognizable, which blunts the comic impact of their bizarro worldview...not to be missed...little gags throughout...” (PW)
Rylant, Cynthia. Baby Face: A Book of Love for Baby. Illus. by Diane Goode. S&S/Wiseman, $16.99 (978-1-4169-4909-1)
(PreS) “...six poems celebrating universal moments in a baby’s life...rhyming verse offers numerous expressions of love...excellent choice for lap sharing...offsetting the sentimentality of the poems with buoyant, energetic vignettes...sense of motion...” (PW)
Savadier, Elivia. Will Sheila Share? Roaring Brook/Porter, $12.95 (978-1-59643-289-5)
(PreS-gr.1) “At midpoint...captures [Sheila] in a paroxysm of selfishness...pink with rage...eyes wide with greed...Nana knows how to melt her granddaughter’s heart... while Sheila may not be exactly altruistic by the wrapup, at least she’s discovered the joys of playing Lady Bountiful...watercolor and ink pictures... emotional ferocity...shows shrewd understanding of how an uncooperative child can unnerve everyone—including the kid in question.” (PW)
Seeger, Laura Vaccaro. Dog and Bear: Two’s Company. Roaring Brook/Porter, $12.95 (978-1-59643-273-4)
(PreS-gr.2) “...three beguiling tales fueled by give-and-take dialogues between a dachshund and a multicolored teddy bear...Bear emerging as a quasi-parental sort...Dog bakes and accidentally eats a birthday cake for Bear, who is nonetheless pleased (“What a beautiful candle!”)...rough-hewn ink outlines and unpolished brushwork have homespun warmth...likely to join the rarefied ranks of Frog and Toad...” (PW)
Teague, Mark. LaRue for Mayor: Letters from the Campaign Trail. Scholastic/Blue Sky, $16.99 (978-0-439-78315-6)
(PreS-gr.3) “...The police chief of Snort City is running for mayor on a law-and-order, anti-dog platform...it’s up to Ike to counter with his own vision of change and hope—at least, that’s his story in his letters to Mrs. LaRue...black-and-white images depict Ike’s considerably cleansed version of events, while full-color pictures on the same spread counter with the real story...sharp and satiric...”(PW)
Willis, Jeanne. Cottonball Colin. Illus. by Tony ross. Eerdmans, $16. (978-0-8028-5331-8)
(PreS-gr.3) “...Colin’s worrywart mother, seeing danger at every turn, insists he stay indoors... Finally, his grandmother wryly suggests that his mother wrap Colin up in cotton...Virtually mummified in downy cotton...inadvertently setting in motion a series of heart-stopping adventures...elegant watercolor and ink drawings...from domestic comedy to thrilling action-adventure...” (PW)
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Avi. The Seer of Shadows. HarperCollins, $17.89 (978-0-06-000016-5)
(gr. 4-6) “It’s 1872, and 14-year-old Horace Carpentine is...apprenticed to a photographer in New York City... ‘spirit photographer’ who can capture the images of ghosts...Horace soon learns that the ghost...is all too real...must deal with a spirit intent...on coming back...murder and revenge...first-rate piece of historical fantasy...understated horror...draws out the suspense without sacrificing character, plot or tone...” (SLJ)
Barry, Dave and Ridley Pearson. Peter and the Secret of Rundoon. Hyperion/DBG, $18.99 (978-0-7868-3788-5)
(gr. 5-9) “...fate of all existence rests in the hands of Peter Pan...captured by the evil King Zarboff and brought to the exotic land of Rundoon...Peter learns Lord Ombra... diabolically dangerous plan...Molly and her friend George Darling head to Rundoon to help...thoroughly satisfying and fast-paced adventure...humor and drama...” (VOYA 5Q5P)
Berkeley, Jon. The Tiger’s Egg: The Wednesday Tales, No. 2. Julie Andrews Books/HarperCollins, $16.99 (978-0-06-075510-2)
(gr. 5-9) “...second installment of The Wednesday Tales...Miles begins to reconstruct the identities of his parents...Tiger’s Egg, a talisman that disappeared shortly before the death of his mother. Miles must now search the world for this mysterious item...imaginative characters...engaging from beginning to end...satisfying plot and a beautiful cover...” (VOYA 4Q5P)
Bernheimer, Kate. The Girl in the Castle Inside the Museum. Illus. by Nicoletta Ceccoli. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $16.99 (978-0-375-83606-0)
(gr. 3 and up) “...illustrations...clay models and digital media...images of eerie immediacy...surreal atmosphere...girl imprisoned in a marvelous world. The castle inhabited by the girl is inside a glass globe, which is an a museum full of old toys...girl...is lonely...Young fans of fantasy will be spellbound.” (PW)
Cabot, Meg. Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls: Moving Day. Scholastic, $15.99 (978-0-545-03947-5)
(gr. ) “...first installment of a new series...Allie is funny, believable and plucky... ambivalent...family is moving across town...different elementary school...leaving behind her best friend...best friend is difficult. To keep the peace, Allie makes rules for herself, often after the fact...such important friendship truisms as Don’t Shove a Spatula Down Your Best Friend’s Throat...sophisticated readers may well conclude ahead of Allie that the friends she is meeting at the new school are more fun and better for her...captures the conflicted feelings...” (PW)
Collins, Ross. Medusa Jones. Scholastic/Levine, $16.99 (978-0-439-90100-0)
(gr. 4-7) “...witty romp through Greek mythology pictures Medusa in childhood, persecuted by the popular crowd—Theseus, Perseus...has the family ability to turn her enemies into stone, but her sensible parents won’t let her...extends the joke with plenty of brio...Medea appears as a nasty teacher, and the three headed dog, Cerberus, plays a vital role as Medusa’s pet...Imaginatively laid out pages that incorporate energeitc b&w illustrations...” (PW)
Connor, Leslie. Waiting for Normal. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Bks., $16.89 (978-0-06-089089-6)
(gr. 6-8) “...Dwight is no longer Addie’s stepfather due to his divorce from her mother, the two still share an unbreakable bond...Mommers sleeps during the day and leaves Addie at night...Dwight has moved with Addie’s half sisters...Addie adjusts as well as she can...dyslexia...visit [Dwight]...taste of normalcy...winning and positive father figure/daughter relationship...introduces serious topics...without sensationalizing or trivializing the subjects...” (SLJ) (PW)
Hennesy, Carolyn. Pandora Gets Jealous. Bloomsbury, $14.95 (978-1-599990-196-1)
(gr. 4-7) “...cheeky rendition of Pandora’s famous faux pas...Pandora sneaks the notorius box of evils...rather than bring her father’s boring old eagle-eaten liver to a student competition at the Athena Maiden Middle School...accidentally opens it... Sentenced by Zeus to retrieve them...aided by secret gifts from gods and goddesses... witty juxtapositions of modern popular culture and classical Greek legend...lively dialog ... Accurate where it counts...rarely misses a comic twist.” (PW)
Lowry, Lois. The Willoughbys. Illus. by the author. Houghton/Walter Lorraine, $16 (0-618-97974-3)
(gr. 4-6) “... ‘old-fashioned story,’ complete with stock elements such as a baby left on a doorstep and a nanny who transforms her...charges. Sly humor...deadpan zaniness give literary conventions an ironic twist, with hilarious results. Willoughby family... parents... despicable... particularly inventive and wickedly amusing...glossary humorously defines words...” (BL) (PW)
Murphy, Pat. Wild Girls. Viking, $16.99 (978-0-670-06226-3)
(gr. 5-9) “...Joan is sure that she will hate California...meets Sarah, a girl who calls herself Fox...lives in the middle of the woods...being true to oneself...Self-discovery...writing...Students will be captivated by the characters...” (VOYA 5Q4P)
Reisman, Michael. Simon Bloom, the Gravity Keeper. Dutton, $15.99 (978-0-525-47922-2)
(gr. 4 and up) “...fast-paced, cinematic...already optioned by Universal Studios...makes scientific concepts interesting and accessible...a secret book...falls from above and hits..11-year-old Simon Bloom...teaches Simon how to turn himself into an 11-year-old superhero... ‘It only looks like magic if you don’t understand.’...kids’ personalities evolve as the book progresses, although the villains...are flat, stock characters...kids who like ironic narration will like this title, too.” (PW)
Rupp, Rebecca. Sarah Simpson’s Rules for Living. Candlewick, $13.99 (978-0-7636-3220-5)
(gr. 3-7) “Written as witty, off-the-cuff journal entries...preadolescent angst ... pure heart...penchant for making lists...tone ranges widely, from resentful to full-out funny...vulnerable yet take-charge personality comes through...story that both touches and convinces.” (PW)
Winston, Sherri. The Kayla Chronicles. Little, Brown, $16.99 (0-316-11430-8)
(gr. 5-9) “...set among well-heeled African Americans, rolls together gender politics and a friendship rift...buoyant, thoughtful comedy...Kayla is steamrolled by stridently feminist Rosalie into auditioning...hip-hop team, intending to expose discriminatory standards of beauty...Kayla actually makes the cut... memorable scenes...inclusive message: ‘Why settle for being just one type of girl?’...smart, gently self-mocking voice will transcend racial lines and hit home with a large number of young women.” (BL)
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Non-fiction
Bishop, Nic. Nic Bishop Frogs. Photos by author. Scholastic, $17.99(978-0-439-87755-8)
(gr. 3-5) “...Physical characteristics, diet, reproduction, and the development of egg to tadpole to froglet...clear text and super-duper photos...enthusiastic author’s note...describes his methods and the pleasure of pursuing frogs to photograph...”(SLJ)
Bolden, Tonya. George Washington Carver. Abrams, $18.95 (0-8109-9366-X)
(gr. 3-6) “...truly fascinating...slave-born black scientist...provides the requisite biographical details...also traces the themes of his career...sourced quotations throughout ... Directly and indirectly...addressees criticisms of Carver for his lack of political activism ... Photos and reproductions, many of Carver’s own paintings, are exceptional... selected bibliography...” (BL)
Cocovini, Abby. What’s Inside Your Tummy, Mommy? Holt, $8.95 paper (978-0-8050-8760-4)
(ages 2-gr.3) “...oversize guide so that ‘if the mommy holds the book up to her belly, you will see what the baby looks like (actual size) inside her every month!’...warm and nonthreatening...crayoned and watercolor spot illustration and hand-drawn timeline lending it a homey...feel...easy-to-grasp, domestic concepts...suggests cool ways for readers to shed their bystander status...a Mommy’s-expecting must-have.” (PW)
Cooper, Elisha. ridiculous/hilarious/terrible/cool: a year in an american high school. Dial, $16.99 (978-0-8037-3169-1)
(gr. 7 and up) “...perceptive documentary account of an academic year at Walter Payton High, a magnet school in Chicago...2005-2006...seniors... school milieu is sharply and wittily evoked in deadpan transcriptions of anonymous conversations and descriptions...genius for observation...refusal to dramatize what he finds...” (SLJ)
Davis, William Michael. Barack Obama: The Politics of Hope. OTTN, $25.95 (1-59556-024-6); paper, $16.99 (1-59556-03207)
(gr. 6-9) “...attractive biography...will give readers a real feel for the man and forces that shaped him...uses Obama’s own writings...magazine and newspaper articles, TV shows, and extracts from speeches...begins with Obama’s show-stopping keynote speech at the Democratic convention in 2004...then restarts chronologically...”(BL)
Dray, Philip. Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells: The Daring Life of a Crusading Journalist. Illus. by Stephen Alcorn. Peachtree, $18.95 (978-1-56145-417-4)
(gr. 3-7) “...eloquent biography of anti-lynching crusader and journalist Ida B. Wells...peppered with anecdotes...defining moments of Wells’s life...1884 lawsuit against a railroad company...growing career as a newspaper columnist...1892 lynching of her close friend...striking, symbol-infused hand-colored prints...get star billing...brisk visual pace...Author notes, a timeline...age-appropriate introduction to difficult issues...”(PW)
Hopkins, Lee Bennett. America at War: Poems Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins. Illus. by Stephen Alcorn. Simon & Schuster/Margaret K. McElderry, $21.99 (1-4169-1832-9)
(gr. 5-8) “...handsome anthology, expressing Americans’ varied experience during wartime...accessible to children...American Revolution, the Civil War, World Wars I and II, and the wars in Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and Iraq. Each section begins with a short quote from a philosopher, political leader, or military officer and a few brief comments on the conflict...poems will touch readers with their sharp poignancy and undeniable power...well-designed...expressive watercolor artwork...gives a sweeping sense of unity and dignity to diverse points of view.” (BL)
Li, Moying. Snow Falling in Spring: Coming of Age in China during the Cultural Revolution. Farrar/Melanie Kroupa, $16. (0-374-39922-0)
(gr. 7-12) “...house is ransacked and [father is] taken away...stirring memoir... perspective of a child who is shocked into confronting betrayal and violence close to home...Moying is just 12 years old in 1966 when her world is suddenly transformed... Soldiers strip the bookshelves, students beat their teachers, the school principal hangs himself...occasional black-and-white photos...sustained by her extraordinary grandmother... secretly get novels by Jack London, Dickens and more...simple, direct narrative...trauma and hope.” (BL) (PW)
Michelson, Richard. As Good as Anybody: Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom. Illus. by Raul Colòn. Knopf, $16.99 (978-0-375-833-359)
(gr. 2-4) “...powerful, well-crafted story...partnership between two great civil rights leaders...Polish rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel...As an adult...escaped the Nazis and immigrated to America...Driven to fight bigotry in all its forms, he became a supporter of King...poetic language ... emphasize the similarities between the two men’s lives...colored-pencil and watercolor art... Stirring opening quotes and an appended page of more biographical facts...exceptional title for sharing and discussion.” (BL)
Nivola, Claire A. Planting the Trees of Kenya. Illus. by the author. Farrar/Frances Foster, $16.95 (0-374-39918-2)
(K-gr.3) “Kenyan activist Wangari Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her environmental and human rights achievements...Green Belt Movement... repair...economy, land and health with simple, environmentally friendly acts, such as planting more trees...picture-book biography echoes the potent simplicity of Maathai’s message...direct, spare prose and bright, delicate watercolors...shows connections that children will easily grasp...author’s note offers more...” (BL)
Parker, Robert Andrew. Piano Starts Here: The Young Art Tatum. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $19.99 (978-0375-939-655)
(gr. 2-4) “...heartfelt portrait of jazz great Tatum...pushes the limits of the book’s nonfiction cataloguing by speaking in the pianist’s first-person...author’s note and a solid bibliography set the episodes in a framework of established facts...vibrant scenes... playing at home for his dancing parents...church...clubs...simple, direct language shows the power of the music for both Tatum and his listeners...” (BL)(SLJ)
Red: The Next Generation of American Writers—Teenage Girls—on What Fires Up Their Lives Today. Amy Goldwasser, Ed. Hudson Street Press/Penguin Putnam, $21.95 (978-1-59463-040-8)
(gr. 7-12) “...American girls form all walks of life—including various socio-economic backgrounds, races, regions, and cultures—submit essays on any topic they desired...fifty-eight essays...run the gamut—from laugh-out-loud funny to outrageous to heartrending...each is astounding in its honesty and wisdom...bound to fascinate, touch...inspire...excellent cover art...” (VOYA 5Q2P)
Smith, Charles R. Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali. Illus. by Bryan Collier. Candlewick, $19.99 (0-7636-1692-3)
(gr. 5-8) “...in-depth look at Ali’s life through 12 rhyming poems...eccentric rhythm seems at first not to scan, but the longer one reads it aloud, the more it begins to sound like the meter of Ali’s famous rhymes...well-researched...many excellent quotes from both historical sources and Ali himself...bold pictures. Mixing watercolor with cut-paper collage...” (BL)
Stefoff, Rebecca. Family Trees series. Marshall Cavendish, $22.95 each.
The Bird Class (978-0-7614-2693-6)
The Fish Classes (978-0-7614-2695-0)
(gr. 5-12) “...delightful series books focus on a single group to develop concepts of taxonomy...Skillfull weaving of engaging text and superb illustrations...history and significance of taxonomy...explain and illustrate characteristics, groupings, the fossil record...give a foundation for understanding relationships and classification of living organisms...” (VOYA 5Q4P)
Turner, Pamela. Life on Earth—And Beyond. Charlesbridge, $19.95 (978-1-58089-1332); paper, $11.95 (978-158-089-134-9)
(gr. 5-8) “Astrobiologists...seeking evidence of life elsewhere in the universe... also travel to places on Earth where extreme conditions may be similar to those on distant worlds...Chris McKay...looks for life in apparently hostile environments...fungi on a sandstone cliff in Antartica...microbes in Chile’s Atacam Desert...absorbing ... enough detail to create vivid impressions of McKay’s explorations... many excellent color photos and other images...lists of recommended books, movies and Internet resources...” (BL)
Weatherford, Carole Boston. I, Matthew Henson: Polar Explorer. Illus. by Eric Velasquez. Walker, $16.95 (0-8027-9688-5)
(gr. 2-4) “Written in Henson’s first-person voice, each plain, eight-line poem begins with resistance to the prejudice and false perceptions the narrator experienced...After several trips...learned Inuit and befriended the indigenous people...portraits and dynamic action scenes...beautifully textured pastels...twist from negative to triumphant in each poem...includes a detailed final note.” (BL) (PW)
Winter, Jonah. Muhammad Ali: Champion of the World. Illus. by Francois Roca. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $19.99 (978-0-375-937873)
(gr. 3-6) “...begins not with Ali, but with Jack Johnson, the first African American heavyweight of the world...Joe Louis and Sonny Liston...All of Ali’s considerable charisma is vividly captured by Roca’s oil paintings...skillfully introduces young readers...Ali’s career and life story but also his significance...” (BL)
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Reference
Exploring Mammals. 20 vol. 1600 pages. Marshall Cavendish, $399.95 (978-0-761477-7198)
(gr. 5-10) “About 90 mammals...described...several components...introductory information...anatomy...diagrams...habitat...behaviors...factors determining survival...numerous boxed sections to draw attention...many color photographs and other illustrations...easy to use...index...thoughtfully arranged...impressive set...will get a lot of use...” (BL)
Inventors and Inventions. Ed. by Evelyn Ngeow. 5 volumes, 1600 pages. Marshall Cavendish, $399.95 (978-0-761-477-617)
(gr.6-12) “...designed to introduce...inventors from the past and present...172 alphabetically arranged articles...range of inventors... include the well-known...and the less famous... early life, education and career...put the invention in social and historical context... overview articles summarize technological developments within particular disciplines...comprehensive list of further-reading resources...indexes...” (BL)
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YA Fiction
Adoff, Jaime. The Death of Jayson Porter. Jump at the Sun/Hyperion/DBG, $15.99 (978-1-4231-0691-3)
(gr. 9-12) “...blank verse...high school junior Jayson...parental abuse, poverty, and depression...surprising—but credible—upbeat denouement...mother...beat him...best friend dies...falls in love and loses the girl...tries to commit suicide...quick, minimalist strokes...true and gripping...insight as well as excellent writing...” (VOYA 5Q4P)
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. The Boy Who Dared. Scholastic, $16.99 (0-439-68013-1)
(gr. 6-12) “Helmuth Hubener, a German teenager executed for his resistance to the Nazis...fictionalized biography...imagines his story as he sits in prison awaiting execution in 1942...childhood...during Hitler’s rise to power...remembers how he started off an ardent Nazi follower...finally dared to write and distribute pamphlets calling for resistance...lengthy author’s note distinguishes fact from fiction...chronology... bibliography ... black and white photos...”(BL)(PW)
Bertagna, Julie. Exodus. Walker, $16.95 (0-8027-9745-8)
(gr. 6-10) “Already a critical and popular success in the UK...sweeping, futuristic fantasy...ravaged earth, submerged almost entirely in water after a century of global warming...After her tiny island is consumed by the sea, 16-year-old Mara...guides her community to a towering city across the ocean...family is killed...join a floating camp of desperate refugees...monumental, nightmarish quest through layers of increasingly affluent, developed societies...extraordinarily vivid worlds...finds true friendship, help and love...Astonishing in scope...exhilarating...first novel in a proposed trilogy will...attract a wide age-range of readers...” (BL)
Bradbury, Jennifer. Shift. Atheneum, $16 (978-1-416-962-199)
(gr. 7-12) “Before they start college, Chris and his best friend, Win, bike 3,000 miles across country from their home in West Viginia to California...big fight, and Win disappears...Now...FBI...Chris is being folllowed...mounting suspense...flashbacks...Some metaphors and messages are too heavily spelled out...But...keen details... friendship story...” (BL)
Bryant, Jen. Ringside 1925: Views from the Scopes Trial. Knopf, $15.99 (978-0-375-84047-0)
(gr. 7 and up) “...Conjuring fictionalized inhabitants...home of the infamous Scopes “monkey” trial...lets characters speak directly, in well-honed verse...broad range of perspectives...Adventure-seeking kids, skeptical journalists, erudite scientists, curious townsfolk and one shrill evangelical all have their say...eloquent insights ...are evenly distributed...colorful facts...personal storylines...deft rhythm...” (PW)
Buckley-Archer, Linda. The Time Theif. Simon & Schuster, $17.99 (978-1-4169-1527-0)
(gr. 7-9) “Fine writing is coupled with a grand sense of adventure...sequel to Gideon the Cutpurse...After...time machine exported two British twelve-year-olds to 1763, only Kate was restored...Kate and the father of the lost child, Peter, remake the journey...arrive in 1792...not the only time travelers...arch villain from Gideon’s era... has found his way to twenty-first-century London...adult Peter wrestles with the ethics of revealing his identity to his father who is now his junior and the childhood friend who is still a child...wonderful cast of characters...cliff-hanger ending...” (VOYA 5Q4P)
Caletti, Deb. The Fortunes of Indigo Skye. Simon & Schuster, $15.99 (978-1-4169-1007-7)
(gr. 7 and up) “...high school senior Indigo Skye...receives a $2.5 million tip from a handsome stranger at the...restaurant where she is a part-time waitress...pressure is on...to spend (or not spend)...characters with so much depth...radiate personality... Working from a premise that strains credibility...spins a network of relationships that feels real and enriching.” (PW)
De Lint, Charles. Dingo. Penguin/Firebird, $11.99 (978-0-14-240816-2)
(gr. 7 and up) “...Australian folklore ... Miguel Schreiber...new Aussie girlfriend, Lainey, is something other than human...she and her grouchy twin sister, Em, are shape-changers—half human, half dingo...birth father...has been sent to capture them by...the first Dingo, who has been trapped in a fig tree in the Australian dreamtime for centuries and needs their blood to free himself...must find some way to defeat these two powerful enemies...likable, if flawed protagonists...” (BL)
Dessen, Sarah. Lock and Key. Viking, $18.99 (978-0-670-01088-2)
(gr. 7-12) “Seventeen-year-old Ruby...father left when she was five...sister Cora left for college three years later...abusive, alcoholic mother disappears...forced to move into Cora and her husband Jamie’s huge house, attend posh Perkins Day School... backyard neighbor...consummate all-American boy...must learn what real friendship is...epiphanies...are natural...wraps up a bit too neatly...good story, real characters, happy ending...” (VOYA 4Q5P) (PW)
Gordon, Roderick and Brian Williams. Tunnels: Book 1. Scholastic/Chicken House, $17.99 (0-439-87177-8)
(gr. 6-9) “...not just one secret civilization beneath London’s streets but many... pits two teens digging into the disappearance of one’s father against a subterranean colony kept in Victorian squalor...advanced science and ominous preaching of a semi-religious body called The Styx... physical and psychological torture... distinctive, vivid touches...very promising series kickoff.” (BL)
Harmon, Michael. The Last Exit to Normal. Knopf, $15.99 (978-0-375-84098-2)
(gr. 9 and up) “...Bitter about the dissolution of his ‘normal’ family after his father came out three years ago...17-year-old Ben dreads moving from Spokane...to rural Montana, where his father’s partner, Edward, grew up...Tracking Ben’s transformation from rebellious city boy to hard-working cowboy...digs beneath the stereotypes of gays and rednecks...issues emerging when conservative and liberal values clash...coaxes readers past some far-fetched plotting...witty insights into human nature...” (PW)
Hernandez, David. Suckerpunch. HarperTeen, $16.99 (978-0-06-117330-1)
(gr. 9 and up) “...beautifully executed, frequently brutal coming-of-age story. Marcus...17-year-old is keenly aware of his losses...index finger that got severed during a Rollerblading accident...departure of his father, who walked out after Marcus finally stopped him from beating up his younger brother...suffering is palpable...unforseeably violent, life-altering climax...imagery, sometimes subtle, sometimes searing, invariably hits the mark.” (BL)
GN Hinds, Gareth. King Lear. Tehcomic.com, $30 (978-1-893-13107-1); paper, $15.95 (978-1-89313-1064)
(gr. 7-10) “...graphic-format...excellent rendition of one of the bard’s great tragedies...splash pages that open up the settings, washes of otherworldly colors...occasionally attains a visual poetry that marked the painful betrayals, epic scope...seething madness...story and language here can seem intimidatingly dense, but the artwork keeps the exposition moving, and comic-book sound effects...paradoxically add a gritty realism...powerful drama with quality art...” (BL)
Jones, Diana Wynne. The Game. Firebird/Penguin Putnam, $11.99, trade pb (978-0-14-240718-9)
(gr. 7-12) “...Haley has lived with her grandparents for as long as she can remember...grandmother is cold...but her grandfather seems to care for her in a gruff way...sent to live with other relatives without explanation....friendly cousins...introduced to ‘the game.’...can travel into the mythosphere to retrieve objects from mythology and folklore...learns the truth about herself, her parents, and indeed her whole family... reaches readers on multiple levels...writing is crisp, clear, clever, and laced with plenty of humor...” (VOYA 5Q4P)
Lecesne, James. Absolute Brightness. HarperTeen/Geringer, $17.99 (978-0-06-125627-1)
(gr. 7 and up) “...deliberately leisurely pace to develop a careful view of a smalltown New Jersey community—and then shattering it. Phoebe...15-year-old narrator ... appalled when the orphaned son...moves in...platform sandals...mood blackens, not unexpectedly but nevertheless horrifyingly...small details...somewhat didactic ending does not dim this book’s pleasures nor flatten its complexities...” (PW)
Lockhart, E., Sara Mylowski and Lauren Myracle. How to Be Bad. HarperTeen, $16.99 (978-0-06-128422-9)
(gr. 9 and up) “...exuberant novel...centers on a road trip...working all summer in their small Florida town at the Waffle House...three girls strike out ...Miami...Whip-smart dialogue and a fast-moving, picaresque plot that zooms from lump-in-the-throat moments to all-out giddiness...profoundly satisfying rather than tidy.” (PW)
Selfors, Suzanne. Saving Juliet. Walker, $16.95 (978-0-8027-9740-7)
(gr. 7 and up) “...hilarious...Mimi loathes her role as Juliet, but she feels pressured to continue acting...save her family’s theater...magically transported into Shakespeare’s play...becomes determined to give Juliet a ‘happy ending.’ ...Readers will have fun iwht the characters...honest, savvy narrator...neat, happy conclusion.” (PW)
Staples, Suzanne Fisher. The House of Djinn. FSG/Foster, $16.95 (978-0-374-39936-8)
(gr. 7 and up) “...insightful look at modern Middle Eastern culture...need no previous familiarity with the saga of Shabanu...Shabanu’s husband, Rahim, has been killed by his brother during a land dispute, and Shabanu has gone into hiding...teenage daughter, Mumtaz, is being raised by an abusive aunt...finds a trustworthy friend and confidant in cousin Jameel... lives in America...how each feels disjointed from the family but remains bound by ancient traditions...so thoroughly immerses readers in the setting that few will want to judge...” (PW)
Stratton, Allan. Chanda’s Wars. HarperTeen, $18.99 (978-0-06-08424-9)
(gr. 7-12) “Orphaned by the AIDS epidemic raging across Africa, Chanda... becomes parent and provider for her younger siblings...with the help of friends and neighbors...mother’s family...arranged marriage between Chanda and the neighbor’s son...Chanda reignites the family rift by refusing...ruthless rebel faction...cross-border raid...continuation of the story begun in Chanda’s Secrets...complex, fully realized characters...masterpiece, revealing that beauty can exist in the most unlikely situations...” (VOYA 5Q4P)
Valentine, Jenny. Me, the Missing and the Dead. HarperTeen, $17.98 (978-0-060-850-692)
(Gr. 9-12) “Lucas feels surrounded by the missing: his sister avoids home, his mother...midlife crisis...grandfather has dementia...father went missing years ago...Lucas begins to sense a connection with the dead...funeral urn...feels an overpowering urge to know the person inside. A string of ensuing coincidences tie him—and his father—to the deceased...a famous pianist...spine-tingling...pitch-perfect voice...relationships...mild psychic element...poignant, coming-of-age mystery...” (BL)
Walden, Mark. H.I.V.E. The Overlord Protocol. Simon & Shuster, $15.99 (978-1-4169-3573-5)
(gr. 6-9) “Otto Malpense and friends return in this sequel to H.I.V.E. (The Higher Institute for Villainous Education)...allowed to leave...with his friend Wing in order to attend a funeral...actually part of an elaborate plot...rogue villain...Cypher...answers to several unsolved mysteries from the first book...action never slows...several characters...seem to speak in clichès...quick, enjoyable thrill ride...” (VOYA 3Q5P)
Weiss, Laura. Leftovers. MTVBooks/Pocket Books/S&S, $12 trade pb (978-1-4165-4662-7)
(gr. 6-12) “Blair and Ardith need to grow up...fifteen...how to duck under all the unwanted attention dished out by drunken parents and the oversexed friends of Ardith’s older brother...unrealistic expectations...learn to use...sex, gossip, lies, even the truth—to pay back everyone who has ever harmed them...open ending leads to questions...clarity and sympathy...intrigue and suspense...difficult to put down...characters are well-rounded...”(VOYA 4Q5P)
Wright, Bil. When the Black Girl Sings. Simon & Schuster, $16.99 (978-1-4169-3995-5)
(gr. 7 and up) “...hard-hitting issues...realistic and poignant...Fourteen-year-old Lahni Shuler...only black student in a school for privileged girls...news that her white adoptive parents are separating...inspiring story...discovers a talent for singing...focuses on his character’s efforts to surmount them...characters...practically jump off the page with their positive energy and purpose...” (PW)(VOYA 5Q5P)
Ylvisaker, Anne. Little Klein. Candlewick, $15.99 (978-0-7636-3359-2)
(gr. 6-12) “...Little Klein is the youngest of four boys. Unusually small for his age...nine-year-old learns to find a voice and be his own person...no match for his burly, overprotective brothers...stray dog...become inseparable... flows seamlessly...Set in...1940s...captivating and timeless...” (VOYA 5Q4P)
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Audio
Airman. By Eoin Colfer. Read by John Keating. Listeing Library, unabridged, 9 CDs, 11.5 hours, $44 (978-0-7393-5974-7)
(gr. 5 and up) “...epic adventure story is winningly voiced...distinctive brogue transports listeners to the remote Saltee Islands, off the Irish coast...begins with hero Conor Broekhart’s birth in a hot-air balloon over the 1878 Paris World Fair...turns on Conor’s clash with Hugo Bonvilain...leader of the island kingdom’s armed guard...masterly reading of a gripping tale.” (BL)
Dooby Dooby Moo. By Doreen Cronin. Read by Randy Travis. Weston Woods, 12 minutes. CS, $24.95 (978-0-545-042-833); CD, $29.95 (978-0-545-042-819)
(PreS-gr.3) “In down-home style, country singer Travis...clever animals...enter the county-fair talent show hoping to win the first-prize trampoline...toe-tappin’ fiddles and banjos...slight, southern drawl...slowly and clearly...humorously increases the pace to read the talent-contest rules and restrictions...background barnyard sounds...two final tracks of this crowd-pleasing read-along...ducks singing ‘Born to Be Wild’ and the pigs’ dance music...2008 Odyssey Award for Excellence...Honor title...includes a hardcover book...” (BL)
Fairest. By Gail Caron Levine. Read and Sung by Sarah Naughton and Others. Full Cast Audio (Harcourt, dist.), unabridged, eight CDs, 8 hours, $39.95 (978-1-934180-08-2)
(gr. 5 and up) “...enchanting, intelligent fairy tale...kingdom devoted to singing. Lends itself well to full-cast production; this one features 32 voices. Composer Todd Hobin has set Levine’s lyrics to music...This is a rare case: the book itself is superb, but the audio production surpasses it.” (PW)
If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period. By Gennifer Choldenko. Read by Ariadne Meyers and Francois Battiste. Listening Library, CD, $30 (978-0-739-361-207)
(gr. 6-8) “The new school year is not starting out well for seventh-grader Kirsten...best friend has abandoned her...parents are constantly fighting, causing Kirsten to find comfort in food and gain 40 pounds...becomes friends with...the only black student...and Matteo, whose mom is a maid at the home of one of the cool girls...Both readers are superb...compelling performances convey the difficulties of surviving middle school...ideal choice for audio.” (BL)
The Traitors’ Gate. By Avi. Read by John Keating. Recorded Books, CS, $61.75 (978-1-428-163-218); CD, $77.25 (978-1-428-163-263)
(gr. 6-9) “Set in England during the mid-nineteenth century...14-year-old John Huffam’s foolish, bombastic father...facing imprisonment because he can’t pay his gambling debts...request a loan from a wealthy, obese aunt...flexible voice easily distinguishes among the varied characters and nationalities in this tale of treachery...British accent...” (BL)
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Video
The Librarian from the Black Lagoon. Weston Woods, 9 min. VHS, $60 (978-0-439-027-717); DVD, $59.95 (978-0-439-027-724)
(K-gr. 3) “...utterly delightful animated adaptation of Mike Thaler’s hilarious book...kids believe the library is a ‘scary place’...mean librarian...fanciful cartoonlike drawings are vividly animated, and atmospheric background music and monster growls balance...sprightly narration...real library...friendly librarian who recommends joke books...” (BL)
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