July 2006

The Indianhead Federated Library System presents

Starred Reviews

New and Notable Books for Young People

July 2006 * 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), Hornbook (HB). 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.

Picture Books
Juvenile Non-fiction
Juvenile Fiction
YA Fiction

Picture Books

Grindley, Sally. It’s My School. Illus. by Margaret Chamberlain. Walker, $16.85 (0-8027-8087-3)

(K-gr.2) “…Alice is entering kindergarten and is nervous…big brother Tom is unhappy…has to share ‘his school’…tries his best to ignore her…hears a cry and realizes that another child has taken her beloved teddy bear away…large illustrations …capturing the siblings’ facial expressions…emotions…realistic choice…” (SLJ)

Kvasnosky, Laura McGee. Zelda and Ivy: The Runaways. Candlewick, $14.99 (0-7636-2689-9)

(K-gr.3) “…beginning reader…running away from home…in protest of the lunch menu…time capsule… hint of rebellion sneaks through in both actions and illustrations…Bright gouache illustrations carry the plot for readers who may need a little extra help…” (HB) (SLJ)

Pitzer, Susanna. Not Afraid of Dogs. Illus. by Larry Day. Walker, $17.85 (0-8027-8068-7)

(PreS-gr.3) “Daniel is the bravest boy… ‘just doesn’t like’ dogs…aunt…leaves her pet, Bandit…he stays in his room and refuses to come out…needs to use the bathroom … startled by Bandit…frightened by a thunderstorm and is cowering behind the toilet…hilarious illustrations…Text and pictures work on every level…” (SLJ)

Sakai, Komako. Emily’s Balloon. Chronicle, $14.95 (0-8118-5219-9)

(PreS) “…perfectly reflects a very young child’s worldview…Toddler Emily’s balloon comes home with her…floats at just the right height for companionship…gust of wind…into a tree…gets stuck…soft pencil-and-wash sketches…reinforce the child-centered feel…remarkably expressive…at capturing a toddler’s body language…never condescending or sentimental…” (HB)

Shulevitz, Uri. So Sleepy Story. Farrar, $16 (0-374-37031-1)

(PreS) “…evokes the lulling rhythms of…Goodnight Moon…adds a thrilling animation to a quiet bedtime scene…boy slumbers deeply until music drifts through a window, rousing him (and all the surrounding objects) into joyful midnight revelry…ink-and-watercolor scenes create an energetic tension…” (BL)

Schwartz, Amy and Leonard S. Marcus. Oscar: The Big Adventure of a Little Sock Monkey. illus. by Schwartz. HarperCollins/Tegen, $16.99 (0-06-072622-9)
“PreS-gr. 2) “…Oscar is more than just a stuffed toy: "He kept track of Susie's barrettes. He freshened Cottontail's water when Susie forgot…”…level-headed Oscar … deliver the lost key to Cottontail's cage…gets sidetracked by a number of distractions. … whimsical drawings…charming story with a satisfying ending.” (PW)

Wiesner, David. Flotsam. Clarion, $17 (0-618-19457-6)
(K-gr.3) “…wordless mystery…set on an ordinary beach and under an enchanted sea. A saucerlike fish's eye stares … reflected in its eye…a boxy camera, drifting underwater with a school of slim green fish… another close-up eye…belonging to a blond boy viewing a crab through a magnifying glass…finds a barnacle-covered apparatus on the sand … removes its roll of film …photos depict bizarre undersea scenes … Masterfully altering the pace with panel sequences and full-bleed spreads… intricate, imaginative watercolor details…immensely satisfying excursion.” (PW)

Juvenile Non-fiction

Bledsoe, Lucy Jane. How to Survive in Antarctica. Holiday, $16.95 (0-8234-1890-1)

(gr. 5-8) “Antarctica is drier than the Sahara Desert…ice sheet, three miles thick…covers 98 percent…bases…informal, chatty narrative on her thrilling adventure…amazing science and geography…gritty facts of human survival…tone never seems condescending or self-important…black-and-white photos…detailed glossary and time line…” (BL)

Ellabbad, Mohieddin. The Illustrator’s Notebook. Translated from the Arabic by Sarah Quinn. Groundwood, $16.95 (0-88899-700-0)

(gr. 3-6) “…begins at the back and proceeds right to left…scrapbooklike pages of mixed media and collage with handwritten Arabic text …organized and child-centered mind at work…souvenirs…childhood dreams…ponders the paint tube labeled ‘flesh pink’ that did not match any of the skin tones he saw around him…translation…staying out of the way…learn…a lot about what it takes to become a writer and artist…simultaneously strange and familiar.” (HB)

Schubert, Leda. Ballet of the Elephants. Illus. by Robert Andrew Parker. Brodie/Roaring Brook, $17.95 (1-59643-075-3)

(K-gr.3) “…This event did happen…with fifty elephants (and fifty human ballerinas)…John Ringling North, George Balanchine, Igor Stravinsky and Vera Zorina…artfully introduced through background material…raising the barre for clarity in nonfiction…loosely scrawled ink outlines contribute to the magical tone…portray the ballet in a climactic gatefold…romanticism and grace…”( HB)

Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Moon. Illus. by Tracey Campbell Pearson. Farrar, $16 (0-374-35046-9)

(PreS-gr.1) “…famous 12-line poem…becomes text of …the nighttime outing of a contemporary father and his child…climb into a truck with the dog, the cat, and some provisions…take their boat across a cove and back again…vivid, visual counterpoint to the poetry…sure sense of what is visually interesting to young children…” (BL)

Juvenile Fiction

Carbone, Elisa. Blood on the River: James Town 1607. Viking, $16.99 (0-670-06060-7)

(gr. 5-7) “…Samuel Collier is sent to an orphanage run by Reverend Hunt…joins him on a journey to the New World…page to Captain John Smith…voyage to Virginia… brings to life figures like Smith, Powhatan, and Pocahontas…Details about food and daily life add realism…changing perspectives on the Natives…” (SLJ)

Cross, Gillian. The Black Room: Book Two of the Dark Ground Trilogy. Dutton, $16.99 (0-525-47487-0)

(gr. 6-8) “Chilling psychological adventure/fantasy…In related story lines, miniaturized Lorn leads her little band in a desperate fight to survive as winter approaches and a terrifying monster threatens; Robert…tries equally desperately to help them… boys stumble on a deeply disturbing situation…girl…being kept by her family in a black room…determines to rescue…almost unbearably tense…” (HB)

Cushman, Karen. The Loud Silence of Francine Green. Clarion, $16 (0-618-50455-9)

(gr. 6-9) “Set in Los Angeles in 1949…captures the terrors and confusions of the McCarthy era. Eighth-grader Francine…feels muzzled at home and at her rigid Catholic school…Communist scare…[friend] Sophie and her playwright father fall under suspicion…transforms what could have been a didactic story…into an integrated, affecting novel…authentic voice…sly humor…sure to provoke lively class discussion…” (BL)

Gwaltney, Doris. Homefront. Simon & Schuster, $15.95 (0-689-86842-1)

(gr. 5-8) “Margaret Ann Motley…seventh grade…sister’s leaving for college …moving out of her grandmother’s bedroom…U.S. on the brink of World War II… arrival of an aunt and cousins from …England…marriages, births, and deaths that will alter the tight-knit family forever…rewarding experience…” (BL) (SLJ)

Hardinge, Frances. Fly by Night. HarperCollins, $17.89 (0-06-087629-8)

(gr. 5-9) “Mosca, 12, and Eponymous Clent, a traveling wordsmith…become immersed in the intrigues of the city of Mandelion…Mosca…pieces together important truths about the realm…rich, colorful language…sure sense of plot and pacing… engaging characters, robust humor, and true suspense…complex plots…Some readers may struggle to keep track…highly original adventure.” (SLJ)

Levine, Gail Carson. Fairest. HarperCollins, $16.99 (0-06-073408-6); paper, $17.89 (0-06-073409-4)

(gr. 7-10*) “Larger than most humans in Ayortha, 15-year-old Aza feels like ‘an ugly ox’…Aza’s voice is…beautiful…can mimic any voice and throw the sound… blackmailed by the new queen…when the queen sings in public, Aza secretly provides the sound…queen’s treachery deepens…handsome prince initiates a friendship… cleverly entangled in the fairy tale ‘Sleeping Beauty.’ Sophisticated…remarkable characters… wild, magical adventures…” (BL)

*my 2^nd grade daughter is enjoying this as a read-aloud, my 5^th grader read it in a day and liked it. (LL)

Look, Lenore. Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything. Illus. by Anne Wilsdorf. S&S Atheneum/Anne Schwartz Bks., $15.95 (0-689-86460-4)

(gr. 1-3) “Ruby Lu…second grader…vacation marred by summer school and a repeat of last year’s swimming lessons…ups and downs of her relationship with her sometimes-best-friend Emma…cousin’s arrival from China…Simple sentence structure, clear but varied word choice…cartoon drawings add emotion, characterization and humor…With exuberant impulsivity yet earnest introspection, Ruby Lu invites readers… honors differences while…celebrating universal moments of childhood…” (SLJ)

Murray, Martine. Henrietta: There’s No One Better. Scholastic/Levine, $9.99 (0-439-80747-6)

(gr. 2-5) “…quirky tale…garrulous heroine…Sepia-and rose-toned spot illustration…demonstrate Henrietta’s points…blithely announces that her role at home is to ‘make sure things keep happening.’…Feisty, inventive Henrietta is sure to attract many fans…” (PW)

Miller, Kirsten. Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City. Bloomsbury, $16.95 (1-58234-960-6)

(gr. 5-8) “…leprechaun-size Kiki Strike…New York City…meets 12-year-old Anaka Fishbein…begin a detailed exploration of the Shadow City…subterranean rooms and streets under New York’s subway system…other precocious 12-year-olds…try to obtain layered maps of New York City’s infrastructure…fear that terrorists with the same goals are putting the city in terrible danger…fascinating, convoluted mystery-adventure … will appeal to both male and female readers…” (BL)

YA Fiction

Lanagan, Margo. White Time. HarperCollins, $16.89 (0-06-074394-8)(gr. 7-12) “Ten…compelling stories…plunges into action in a deceptively commonplace milieu…surreal scenarios quickly emerge…themes…nonconformity, sexuality, cultural norms—challenge teens to explore their own values via a rich variety of characters…Taut, vivid, original…” (HB)

Lipsyte, Robert. Raiders Night. HarperTempest, $15.99 (0-06-059946-4)
(gr. 9 and up) “… riveting and chilling look inside contemporary high school football…captain and wide receiver Matt Rydek… Steroids use… Chris Marin, a talented sophomore transfer student…traditional hazing turns into a sexual assault… adults… adopt a "don't ask, don't tell" policy…Matt knows he would risk everything… if he goes to authorities. … careful rendering …gives his story an awful and terrifying ring of truth.” (PW)

Ritter, John H. Under the Baseball Moon. Philomel, $16.99 (0-399-23623-6)

(gr. 7-10) “Skateboarding Andy Ramos…aspiring teen trumpeter… understanding parents…forms a fusion music band…meets up with Glory Martinez… forms a close and somewhat codependent relationship with her…Sparkling with descriptions of music improvisation and softball action….expressive, idiomatic Spanglish dialogue…satisfying conclusion.” (SLJ)

Simmons, Michael. Vandal. Roaring Brook, $16.95 (1-59643-070-2)

(gr. 7-10) “…deftly structured, refreshingly unsentimental, and witty…Sixteen-year-old Will…delinquent older brother…fears Jason’s wild, frightening behavior… Jason …accepts a job with Will’s up-and-coming KISS tribute band, triggering events with consequences devastating to the entire family…equally fascinating story of Will’s guitar-playing career…off notes are difficult to find…nuanced…touching and true…” (BL)