April 2006

The Indianhead Federated Library System presents

Starred Reviews

New and Notable Books for Young People

April 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), 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.

Picture Books

Juvenile Fiction
Juvenile Non-fiction

YA Fiction

YA Non-fiction

Spanish Materials

Audio

Music

Picture Books

Ashman, Linda. Mama’s Day. Illus. by Jan Ormerod. S&S, $15.95 (0-689-83475-6)

(ages 2-6) “…lovely reverie…rhythmic construction invites readers to …muse on what mothers do for their children…framed picture…literal interpretation of the verse… recurring baby characters in the spot illustrations each develop their own story line… eloquent simplicity of the words…understated warmth of the pictures….”(PW)

Butterworth, Chris. Sea Horse: The Shyest Horse in the Sea. Illus. by John Lawrence. Candlewick, $16.99(0-7636-2989-8)

(K-gr.2) “In stunning pictures and engaging words, this nonfiction picture book explains the facts behind the unusual life cycle…Pairing a central narrative…with facts in smaller type…children will listen with interest…vinyl engravings masterfully capture the delicate textures…Capped by useful endnotes.” (SLJ)

Child, Lauren. But Excuse Me That Is My Book. (Charlie and Lola Series). Dial, $16.99 (0-8037-3096-9)

(PreS-Gr.1) “During a trip to the library, Charlie helps his younger sister search for her favorite book…Lola is dismayed when they cannot find it…patiently explains…it’s not her book…everyone can have a chance to read it…Lola epitomizes the typical child…story flows at a comfortable pace…collage artwork is charming…”(SLJ)

Falconer, Ian. Olivia Forms a Band. Atheneum/Schwartz, $17.95 (1-4169-2454-X)

(PreS-gr. 2) “…When Olivia discovers that there will be no band to accompany the summer fireworks, she announces, ‘I know! We’ll be the band!’…mastery of detail and pacing…outlandish comedy…comic strip succession…crowd-pleasing performance…”(PW)

Holt, Kimberly Willis. Waiting for Gregory. illus. by Gabi Swiatkowska. Holt, $16.95 (0-8050-7388-4).

(PreS-gr.2) “ …affectionate story of awaiting a new baby touches on the many myths associated with this joyous event…waiting for Gregory has its rewards: when Iris finally has the newborn in her arms… characters… float in austere, brush-stroked spaces…”(PW)

Kanevsky, Polly. Sleepy Boy. Illus. by Stephanie Anderson. Atheneum/Jackson, $15.95 (0-689-86735-2)

(ages 2-5) “…exquisite artwork and mesmerizing text…paintings…suffused with a remarkable golden Renaissance light…describes…fidgety boy’s thoughts with sensitivity…blurs the distinction between the boy’s real and imagined worlds…” (PW)

Lehman, Barbara. Museum Trip. Houghton, $15 (0-618-58125-1)

(PreS-gr.2) “…winning picture book that blurs real and imagined worlds. On a class trip to an art museum, a boy lags behind and becomes lost…skillful reproductions of the masters…labyrinth of drawings…shrinks to a diminutive size and enters the mazes…inventive, shifting perspectives…sturdiness and clarity of the …art juxtaposes wonderfully with the story’s airy world of imagination…” (BL)

Mahy, Margaret. Down the Back of the Chair. Illus. by Polly Dunbar. Clarion, $16 (0-618-69395-5)
(PreS-gr.2) “When the kids suggest Dad look for his lost car keys in the depths of their wingback chair, the family's fortunes take a dramatic and deliciously silly turn for the better… crisp rhyming quatrains… comic pitch that escalates with every page. …watercolor and cut-paper illustrations goose the giddiness of the text without sacrificing a visual equilibrium….”(PW)

Rosenthal, Amy Krouse. Cookies: Bite Size Life Lessons. Illus. by Jane Dyer. HarperCollins, $12.99 (0-06-058081-X)

(PreS-gr.1) “…clever book…lessons to be learned about life…appealing design and delightful, endearing illustrations…word and a definition…further explained in an engaging picture… ‘Trustworthy means,/If you ask me to hold your cookie / until you come back, when you come back,/I will still be holding your cookie.’ …much to think and talk about here…” (BL)

Schotter, Roni. The Boy Who Loved Words. Illus. by Giselle Potter. Random/Schwartz &Wade Bks., $18.99 (0-375-93601-7)

(gr. 1-4) “…blends magical realism with a tongue-tingling narrative…Selig is passionate about words…word-hoarder… dreaming about a Yiddish Genie who advises him to embrace his passion…embarks on a journey of self-discovery…realizes that his mission is to bestow his word wealth upon others…inspiring choice for wordsmiths…” (SLJ)

Sìs, Peter. Play, Mozart, Play! HarperCollins/Greenwillow, $16.99 (0-06-112181-9)

(PreS-up) “…intriguing if somewhat unsettling portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s unconventional childhood…pressure placed on this young prodigy will not be lost…text is minimal, taking a back seat to Sìs’s inventive, lively and eclectic black line and watercolor art…wild array of perspective, color, texture and imagery…biographical sketch offers…astounding particulars…” (PW)

Willems, Mo. Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! Hyperion, $12.99 (0-7868-3746-2)

(PreS-gr.2) “…irresistible tale…implores readers not to let his feathered friend stay up late…pigeon attempts to talk his way out of the inevitable…manipulative… cajoling … black-crayon lines speak volumes…” (SLJ)

Wood, Nancy. Mr. And Mrs. God in the Creation Kitchen. Illus. by Timothy Basil Ering. Candlewick, $16.99 (0-7636-1258-8)

(K-gr.2) “…irreverence…offbeat, original creation tale…celestial spouses Mr. And Mrs. God putter in the Creation Kitchen…whipping up Earth’s creatures in between marital tiffs…chaotic kitchen reinforces the creators’ portrayal as anything but perfect… playful and arrestingly edgy…” (BL)

Juvenile Fiction

Barrows, Annie. Ivy and Bean. Illus. by Sophie Blackall. Chronicle, $14.95 (0-8118-4903-1)

(gr. 1-3) “…Ivy has just moved in across the street…Bean…wants no part of her…Bean pulls a trick that goes wrong and Ivy comes to her rescue, a friendship is born…deliciousness is in the details…will make readers giggle…artwork…captures the girls’ spirit…” (BL)

Bruchac, Joseph. Wabi: A Hero’s Tale. Dial, $16.99 (0-8037-3098-5)

(gr. 5-8) “Wabi is an odd owl…realizes he can talk to and understand other creatures…adopts a wolf pup…falls in love with a girl…he has ancestors who were humans who shape-changed to owls…become human…owl-tufted ears give him away…quest to discover his true self…” (SLJ)

Borden, Louise. Across the Blue Pacific. Illus. by Robert Andrew Parker. Houghton, $17 (0-618-33922-1)

(gr. 3-5) “…fully illustrated, fictional memoir…Molly recalls her childhood war years on the America home front. World War II…beautifully written in an understated tone…believable picture of life during the war…Tangible details…make…all the more poignant…restrained yet effective…artwork…”(BL)

Durrant, Lynda. My Last Skirt: The Story of Jennie Hodgers, Union Soldier. Clarion, $16 (0-618-5790-5)

(gr. 6-8) “In post-famine Ireland, Jennie’s long skirts…hold her back…she and [her brother] Tom make their way to America. Jennie keeps wearing pants and passes as a boy until jealousy leads Tom to give away her secret…joins the Union army…based on a true story…vivid details of the fighting in the Deep South…pitch-perfect…tragic love story…painfully captures Jennie’s unique place in history…will resonate deeply with readers.” (SLJ)

Kadohata, Cynthia. Weedflower. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, $16.95 (0-689-04937-4)

(gr. 5-8) “…quiet, stirring narrative…After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Sumiko, 12, is moved…desert internment camp on an Indian reservation…conflict with the Mohave residents…finds some sense of community…drawn on extensive interviews with camp survivors and news accounts…research never swamps the story…beautifully individualized characters.” (BL)

Lord, Cynthia. Rules. Scholastic, $15.99 (0-439-44382-2).
(gr. 3-7) “…Her parents place 12-year-old Catherine in charge of her younger autistic brother more often than she would like. Taking solace in art, the girl fills the back of her sketchbook with rules …Catherine's emotions … entirely convincing… alternating devotion to and resentment of David…gradually opens up to Jason, a wheelchair-bound peer who can communicate only by pointing to words on cards. As she creates new cards that expand Jason's ability to express his feelings, their growing friendship enables Catherine to do the same…” (PW)

Lupica, Mike. Heat. Philomel, $16.99 (0-399-24301-1)

(gr. 6-9) “Michael Arroyo is a 13-year-old Cuban American…dream to pitch in the Little League World Series…Michael and his brother, 17-year-old Carlos…beloved father is dead…hoping to avoid a foster home by pretending Papi is visiting a sick relative … wrings plenty of genuine emotion from the melodramatic frame story… characters who speak for themselves…dialogue crackles…Top-notch entertainment in the Carl Hiaasen mold.” (BL)

Nolan, Han. A Summer of Kings. Harcourt, $17 (0-15-205108-2)

(gr. 6-9) “…profoundly appealing protagonists. Increasingly resentful of her forced role…in her gifted, well-to-do New York family, Esther acts out…King-Roy, the 18-year-old African –American …travels up from Alabama to escape accusations that he murdered a white man…Esther…finds an epiphany in Gandhi’s challenge to ‘be the change we want to see in the world.’…genuineness…powerful mix of triumph and tragedy.” (SLJ)

Peck, Richard. Here Lies the Librarian. Dial, $16.99 (0-8037-3080-2)

(gr. 6-9) “…combination of quirky characters, poignancy, and outrageous farce. Parentless Peewee, 14, and Jake…live in rural Indiana in 1914…librarian…Irene Ridpath…arrives with her three equally pretty and wealthy sorority sisters…many pranks and hijinks…Kids will love the fast-paced action and librarians will guffaw over all the library puns.” (SLJ)

Riordan, Rick. Sea of Monsters. Hyperion/Miramax, $17.95 (0-7868-5686-6)
(gr. 5 and up) “…sequel stronger than…compelling debut…second adventure in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. …Annabeth (a daughter of Athena, introduced in the first book)… catches readers up seamlessly on this world in which gods still reign… Percy and Annabeth set off across the Sea of Monsters on a quest to find the Golden Fleece… brings up probing questions about shame, family and loyalty. With humor, intelligence and expert pacing… cliffhanger …” (PW)

Roy, Jennifer. Yellow Star. Cavendish, $16.95 (0-7614-5277-X)

(gr. 5 and up) “In February 1940, four-and-a-half-year-old Syvia…mother, father, and 12-year-old sister…forced into Poland’s Lodz Ghetto…Syvia…was one of just 12 children to survive the ordeal…filled with searing incidents of cruelty and deprivation, love, luck and resilience…lyricism of the narrative…credible childlike voice …first person free verse…Nearly every detail…underscores the wedded paradox of hope and fear, joy and pain.” (PW)

St. Anthony, Jane. The Summer Sherman Loved Me. Farrar, $16 (0-374-37289-6)

(gr. 5-7) “Twelve-year-old Margaret…describes the amazing summer when her next-door neighbor, almost 13-year-old Sherman…professes his love for her…struggles with her relationship with her mother…friendships evolve…fluidly told, well-paced … emotions experienced by the well-drawn characters…remain universal…” (SLJ)

Whybrow, Ian. The Unvisibles. Holiday, $16.95 (0-8234-1972-X)

(gr. 3-7) “Witty plotting and clever characterization…two 12-year-old British classmates…Oliver…quite the cut-up…Nicky…quiet worrywart who takes pains to avoid being noticed…Oliver…trick…become invisible…wreaks havoc at school… whimsical corkscrew twists…affecting story of…growing friendship…” (PW)

Juvenile Non-fiction

Croswell, Ken. Ten Worlds: Everything That Orbits the Sun. Boyds Mills, $19.95 (1-59078-423-5)
(gr. 1 and up) “…striking design and photographs…handsome, large-format volume …concise yet conversational, information-packed text … elucidating tour of the solar system… authoritatively explains the physical characteristics, temperature and atmospheric makeup of the planets…confidently puts forth his own theories … Timely references to recently launched spacecraft and their missions, and an intriguing look at "the tenth planet" … Colorful, accessible analogies abound… charts that handily round up statistics about the planets and their moons…” (PW)

Havill, Juanita. I Heard It From Alice Zucchini: Poems about the Garden. Illus. by Christine Davenier. Chronicle, $15.95 (0-8118-3962-1)

(K-gr.6) “…lyrical poems that express delight in the world of nature…flawless rhythms and storytelling narratives…Well suited to the charm of the verse…pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations transport readers to the ground level of the garden…” (SLJ)

Henderson, Kathy. Lugalbanda: The Boy Who Got Caught Up in a War. Illus. by Jane Ray. Candlewick, $16.99 (0-7636-2782-8)

(gr. 4 and up) “Both timely and timeless…oldest-known written story…Sumerian legend…vivid, yet stately words…Sumerian inspired watercolor, ink and collage illustrations bring immediacy to this story of a boy caught up in wartime…courage, native kindness…heroism…compelling narrative from a civilization about which we are still learning.” (SLJ)

Hopkinson, Deborah. Up Before Daybreak: Cotton and People in America. Scholastic, $18.99 (0-439-63901-8)

(gr. 5-8) “…from the industrial revolution to the 1950s demise of the Lowell cotton mills…discusses the history and sociology of king cotton, frequently emphasizing the children who labored under slave masters…mill jobs…sharecropping…stories of real people…sharply focus the dramatic history…arresting archival photos…Neither too long nor too dense…won’t intimidate students…” (BL)

Kyi, Tanya Lloyd. The Blue Jean Book: The Story Behind the Seams. Firefly, $24.95 (01-55037-917-8) $12.95 trade pb (1-55037-916-X)

(gr. 7-12) “Informing and entertaining…traces the jeans style…conversational account will lead teens from what is close to their skin to an understanding of the multiple movements, events, and attitudes that surround the enduring jeans…” (VOYA 5Quality 4Popularity)

Markle, Sandra. Rescues! Lerner/Millbrook, $25.26 (0-8225-3413-4)

(gr. 4-7) “From the collapse of a Pennsylvania coal mine in 2002 to the tsunami …in 2004 to Hurricane Katrina…11 disasters…full-color photo-essay… individual experiences of rescue and survival to bring each drama close…science of what happened…techniques used in rescues…extensive bibliography…Fiction can’t compete with these facts and photos of unimaginable disaster and unselfish courage.” (BL)

McCarthy, Meghan. Aliens Are Coming! The True Account of the 1938 War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast. Knopf, $18.99 (0-375-93518-5)

(gr. 3-6) “…picture-book account of the 1938 broadcast of Orson Welles’s adaptation of H.G. Wells’s novel…creative methods…punchy introduction…events described on the radio appear in lurid color…events in the real world remain in black and white…In the spirit of the original, the author does not reveal the fact that the broadcast was actually a play until the end…effective…illustrations are exaggerated and funny…sure to have wide appeal.” (SLJ)

McDonough, Yona Zeldis. Hammerin’ Hank: The Life of Hank Greenberg. Illus. by Malcah Zeldis. Walker, $17.85 (0-8027-8998-6)

(gr. 2-5) “A stirring picture-book biography…Greenberg’s Hall of Fame career…clash of cultures…Orthodox Jewish parents…target of anti-Semitism both on and off the field…perfectly conveys his gawky discomfiture…text and art draw out humanizing details and lend perspective to Greenberg’s achievements…” (SLJ)

Schmemann, Serge. When the Wall Came Down: The Berlin Wall and the Fall of Soviet Communism. Houghton/Kingfisher, $15.95 (0-7534-5994-9)

(gr. 7 and up) “…compelling account of the Berlin Wall’s demise and the subsequent fall of the Eastern Block…written by the chief correspondent [of the New York Times] who covered these events…instantly draws in readers…immediacy of…first-person narrative…carefully chosen details…Readers will come away with a clear understanding…Yalta Agreement…Gorbachev’s reforms…Archival and often poignant photographs…Times articles…maps…timeline…further reading…” (PW)

Swett, Sarah. Kids Weaving. Photos by Chris Hartlove. Illus. by Lena Corwin. Steward, Tabori & Chang, $19.95 (1-58479-467-4)

(gr. 3-7) “…checkerboard note card…how to weave a hideout of sticks and vines in the yard…cardboard loom…pipe loom…whimsical and the practical…useful and the decorative aspects…excellent-quality, full-color photos…types of weaving and projects get progressively more difficult but are explained so well that novices should accomplish the most difficult tasks with ease…” (SLJ)

Tokuda, Yukihisa. I’m a Pill Bug. Illus. by Kiyoshi Takahashi. Kane/Miller, paper, $7.95 (1-929132-95-6)

(PreS-gr.2) “…pill bug narrates a fascinating account of life among his humble yet admirable fellow crustaceans…easy-to-follow, conversational style…lucid, matter-of-fact text answers the main questions children may have about the critters…handsome cur-paper collages re-create the pill bugs’ world in realistic yet simplified terms…”(BL)

YA Fiction

Cornish, D.M. Foundling (Monster Blood Tattoo series, book 1). Putnam, $18.99 (0-399-24638-X)

(gr. 7-10) “…Rossamund Bookchild, a boy saddled with a girl’s name…assigned to wander the dark roads at dawn and dusk as a lamplighter…Dickensian orphan story an original spin…world at war with creatures such as the Grinnlings…expertly envisioned… Readers…can wander for hours through more than 100 pages of glossary…detailed maps…drawings of uniforms and ships…” (BL)

Costello, Emily. Ski Share: VT (Vermont). Simon Pulse/S&S, $8.99 trade pb (1-4169-1466-8)

(gr. 9-12) “…late-teens and early twenty-somethings share a condo…Six hot-blooded young people—three men and three women…language is frank, possibly too raw for schools and libraries in conservative communities. Much drinking…Sexual tension and activity…excellent job capturing the voice of the generation…fully realized characters…bound to be wildly popular with teens.” (VOYA 3Quality5Popularity)

Dessen, Sarah. Just Listen. Viking, $17.99 (0-670-06105-0)

(gr. 7-12) “High school junior and part-time model Annabel…friendship with…manipulative…Sophie…Now Sophie will not speak to her…What Sophie thought happened between Annabel and Will…was not what really took place…Annabel feels that she cannot tell anyone the truth…sister’s anorexia… outcast Owen…soon becomes her friend…engrossing…prose is smooth…characters are real…sometimes funny, mostly emotional, and very satisfying story.” (VOYA 5Quality5Popularity)

Dreams and Visions: Fourteen Flights of Fantasy. M. Jerry Weiss and Helen S. Weiss, Eds. Starscape/Tor, $19.95 (0-765-31249-2)

(gr. 7-12) “…fourteen tales that blend the line between fantasy and reality… impressive list of contributors…Joan Bauer, Tamora Pierce, David Lubar… offers a bit of everything…each story finds its own voice…together they manage to create a larger work…entertain and surprise while offering a feeling of hopefulness…”(VOYA 5Quality 4Popularity)

Gratz, Alan. Samurai Shortstop. Dial, $15.99 (0-8037-3075-6)

(gr. 8-11) “…Tokyo in the 1890s…Toyo was not trained in the old disciplines…find his own path between the old ways and the new ones…loves baseball…becomes a boarder at the most esteemed high school in Tokyo…brutal hazing…ongoing cruelty…samurai arts…grow in skill and self-discipline both on and off the playing field…testament to enduring values in a time of social change.” (BL)

Headley, Justina Chen. Nothing But the Truth (And A Few White Lies). Little, Brown, $16.99 (0-316-01128-2)

(gr.7 and up) “…witty, intimate novel…Patty Ho, the 14-year-old narrator feels conspicuously out of place…white classmates…mother’s Taiwanese friends…mother … sends Patty to math camp at Stanford University…finds adventure, romance, and a level of freedom and acceptance…lively…creative word play…”(PW)

Hyde, Catherine Ryan. Becoming Chloe. Knopf, $15.95 (0-375-83258-0)

(gr.7 and up) “…Jordan, 17, is hustling sex to earn a living…after coming out to his parents and nearly getting killed by his homophobic father…in the cellar…realizes a girl is being raped…18-year-old waif…two wind up on an exhilarating coast-to-coast journey looking for joy and beauty…running into (mostly) wonderful people along the way…eloquent storytelling…”(PW)

Jansen, Hanna. Over a Thousand Miles I Walk With You. Tr. by Elizabeth D. Crawford. Carolrhoda, $16.95 (1-57505-927-4)

(gr. 7-10) “Eight-year-old Jeanne was the only one of her family to survive the 1994 Rwanda genocide…German family adopted her…mother tells…story in a compelling fictionalized biography…Jeanne is witness to unspeakable horror, but the tragedy isn’t exploited in her narrative…Readers unfamiliar with the history may be somewhat bewildered…translation…is always clear and eloquent…” (BL) (PW)

Johnson, Harriet McBryde. Accidents of Nature. Holt, $16.95 (0-8050-7634-4)
(gr. 7-12) “Through the eyes of 17-year-old wheelchair-bound Jean… gain access to an intimate world that few Norms (what Jean calls fully functioning people) ever see. Her family has always treated Jean as a "normal" child; her 10-day stay at Camp Courage is her first time away from them. …rare gift for writing in the present tense… exposes the insidious ways in which the Norms condescend to the Crips…Readers…will find this …a rare privilege, as she rethinks her place in the world.”

Knox, Elizabeth. Dreamhunter: Book One of the Dreamhunter Duet. Farrar/Frances Foster, $19 (0-374-31853-0)

(gr. 10-12) “…fictional nation called Southland…turn-of-the-century society…geographical marvel called ‘the Place,’ a harvesting ground for dreams that can be caught and sold to sleeping customers. Fifteen-year-old cousins Rose and Laura … first family of dream hunting…convincingly explores the nuances of…charismatic extended family…personal and political implications of the dream-hunting phenomenon.” (BL) (PW)

Lester, Julius. Time’s Memory. FSG, $17 (0-374-37178-4)

(gr. 7 and up) “…brings the godly to the human realm. Ekundayo (a nyama or “soul”)…Middle Passage within the body of a 16-year-old captive…makes the voyage plausible…many captives’ deaths have left the nyama “without a place to be”… Ultimately this is a novel of healing…faith in humanity. Not to be missed.” (PW)

Patterson, James. Maximum Ride: School’s Out Forever. Little, Brown, $16.99 (0-316-15559-4)

(gr. 6-9) “…sequel…six angel-human hybrids in mid-flight with their dog…searching for information about their parents and their creation…hybrids’ nemeses, the Erasers, and the evil scientist who created both types of mutant…FBI steps in…action is fast paced and keeps the reader engaged…” (VOYA 5Q5P)

Portman, Frank. King Dork. Delacorte, $18.99 (0-385-90312-X)

(gr. 10 and up) “Original, heartfelt, and sparkling with wit and intelligence…14-year-old outsider, Tom…life is a series of humiliations…box of books left by his father, a detective who died….decode the secret messages he finds, and figure out who his father really was…Sexual references and encounters abound, and the language is frank…none of it is gratuitous…Tom is so engaging…dazzling novel will linger long…” (SLJ)

Price, Charlie. Dead Connection. Roaring Brook/Brodie, $16.95 (1-59643-114-8)

(gr. 7 and up) “…When Nikki vanishes without a trace…brief, compulsively readable chapters…shifts the perspective among various interested parties. Murray, a loner in high school…quietly converses with the spirits of dead children and adolescents…Deputy sheriff Gates…and Murray…work separately to discover Nikki’s fate…Even people in supporting roles are extremely well developed…rooting for these characters…” (PW)

Sedgewick, Marcus. The Forshadowing. Random/Wendy Lamb, $18.99 (0-385-90881-4)

(gr. 8-11) “…As a young child…Sasha saw that her friend would die. Now, at 17…1915…World War I…Sasha yearns to do something useful…abstract terrors of war become immediate: one brother is killed; the other joins the army and disappears to France…Sasha sees his murder…readers will be haunted by the unusually powerful, visceral view of war’s horrors…” (BL)

Sitomer, Alan Lawrence. Hip-Hop High School. Hyperion, $16.99 (0-7868-5515-0)

(gr. 7-12) “…energetic sequel to The Hoopster…Tee-Ay is a high school honors student…often feels overlooked by her solidly middle class parents…focus their energy on her two brilliant brothers…close friends and study partners with Devon…inspiring and poignant…refrains from becoming didactic…passionate message…value of education…”(VOYA 5Quality4Popularity)

Spradlin, Michael P To Hawaii, with Love. HarperCollins, $15.99 (0-06-059410-1)

(gr. 6-9) “…installment in the adventures of Rachel Buchanan…Spy Goddess series…Rachel and her three friends…travel to Hawaii to try to recover an artifact…needed by a purely evil man…further his plans of world domination…put their lives in extreme danger…captured…hip language, nonstop action…strong characters…” (VOYA 4Quality5Popularity)

Taylor, Kim. Bowery Girl. Viking, $16.99 (0-670-05966-8)

(gr. 7-12) “Mollie, a sixteen-year-old pickpocket…Annabelle, a whore, dream of escaping New York City’s 1883 Bowery…build decent lives…Mollie…is literate…Brooklyn can mean honest employment…Settlement house…begins typing classes…evokes the grit, smells, poverty…characters…are complex…splendid writing with mega teen appeal…” (VOYA 5Quality 4Popularity)

Turner, Ann. Hard Hit. Scholastic, $16.99 (0-439-29680-3)

(gr. 6-12) “…slim novel in verse…Mark Warren is a tenth grade baseball player…Mark’s father is gravely ill with pancreatic cancer…starkly fills in the details…ordinary routines…occupy the pages, but the raw emotions of a parental illness propel the tale…” (5Quality 4Popularity)

Volponi, Paul. Rooftop. Viking, $15.99 (0-670-06069-0)

(gr. 8-11) “…Clay…drug program and day school for teens…now he is clean…first cousin, Addison, is admitted to the same program…Clay finds much to admire in his cousin, who is confident, funny, and caring…Addison is killed by a cop on a project rooftop, with Clay as a witness…black teen killed by a white officer…focus for activists protesting…thoughtfully crafted…high-interest plot, readable narrative…will engage teen readers.” (BL)

YA Non-fiction

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul: The Real Deal: School Cliques, Classes, Clubs and More. Jack Canfield, et.al., Eds. Health Communications, $12.95 trade pb (0-7573-0255-6)

(gr. 6-12) “…new look…essays are written by teenagers…quizzes, trivia, journaling tips and poetry…popularity, relationships, dealing with adults, being outcast…serious topics…mostly traditional feel-good fare…binding …is awful…color…gives the book a ‘girly’ feel…” (VOYA 4Q5P)

Eating Disorders Information for Teens. (Teen Health Series). Sandra Augustyn Lawton, Ed. Omnigraphics, $65 (0-7808-0783-9)

(gr. 7-12) “…wide range of eating and body image disorders…athletes and eating…mental illnesses…proper weight loss for those truly overweight…causes, symptoms, preventions, and treatments…tidbits of information…FAQ format… accessible…Statistics abound but always in an understandable context…ends with an extensive list of additional resources, including hotlines…for help…” (VOYA 5Q4P)

Introduction to the World’s Major Religions. Greenwood, $325/set (6 vols.) (0-313-33634-2)

Nadeau, Randall L. Confucianism and Taoism.

Thompson, John M. Buddhism.

(gr. 9-12) “…narrative chapters…major events in the religions’ history…core beliefs, doctrine, deities, and theories…rituals and holidays…recommended purchases… but not essential…a must…where there has been a demonstrated need for materials on religious diversity…other series titles include…Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.” (VOYA 5Quality 2Popularity)

Spanish Materials

Barba, Andrés.Historia de nadas.(History of Nothings). Illus. by Rafa Rivas. Spain: Ediciones Siruela: Grupo Anaya( 84-7844-960-4) $NA.
(Gr 3-5) “In a peaceful town where nothing ever happens, people are devastated when the stars in the sky suddenly disappear. A team of the town’s elite including the obese mayor, a boxer who never fights, and Maderito, a boy made out of wood, embark on a journey to visit three wise men, hoping to find a solution…colorful characters…will captivate … Simple, yet imaginative and even a bit magical…” (CR)

Rivera-Lassén, Carmen Leonor. Pauet quiere un violonchelo. (Pauet Wants a Violoncello) illus. by Mrinalli Alvarez Astacio. Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico, $12.95 (0-8477-1555-8).
(Gr 3-6) “…biographical story about child prodigy and renowned Spanish cellist Pau Casals …marvels of discovering and pursuing one’s life calling. The melodies of his Catalan hometown…inspire Pauet. … gets hooked for life when he sees a true cello being played in a trio… whimsical, eye-catching illustrations… appendix features a brief biographical sketch of Casals…” (CR)

Audio

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. By Kate DiCamillo, read by Judith Ivey. Listening Library, unabr., two CDs, two hours, $19.95 (0-307-24593-4)

(gr.1 and up) “…timeless tale about the adventures of a china rabbit…fine material for family listening…capable hands of actress Ivey…brings deeper hues of emotion to an already colorfully original script…stalwart, straightforward narration…agile player…accents and voices of the variegated cast…” (PW)

Ulysses Moore: The Door to Time. By Ulysses Moore, read by Michael Page. Brilliance Audio, unabr., four CDs, four hours, $24.95 (1-4233-1318-6)

(gr. 5 and up) “…mysterious, slightly spooky adventure…sucked in by initial tracks…Eleven-year-old twins Julia and Jason Covenant…mansion…which was formerly owned by eccentric Ulysses Moore…just the right suspenseful-yet-inviting tone.” (PW)

Music

Spin Your Web. Mary Kaye. Mary Kaye Music (marykayemusic.com), CD, $15.

(ages 1-8) “…hearty collection of original kids’ songs…folk-rock sound…distinctive characters…music…skillfully performed by 16 musicians…bright vocals…words here are often great fun…”(PW)