December 2008

The Indianhead Federated Library System presents

Starred Reviews

New and Notable Books for Young People

December 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), 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.

Books in Spanish/Bilingual Books

Audio

Video

Picture Books

Feiffer, Kate. My Mom is Trying to Ruin My Life. Illus. by Diane Goode. S&S/Wiseman, $16.99 (978-1-4169-4100-2)

(PreS-gr.3) “What if Mom and Dad were finally jailed for their crimes against their school-age daughter’s humanity…enforcing a regular bedtime…sweetness of our narrator’s vision fades…when she realizes there would be no on around to love her and take care of her…urbane sheen…watercolor vignettes are gems of wry intelligence and comic understatement.” (SLJ)

Gourley, Robbin. Bring Me Some Apples and I’ll Make You a Pie: A Story About Edna Lewis. Clarion, $16 (978-0-618-15836-2)

(PreS-gr.3) “…celebrates food, as cultivated on a farm and as used to cultivate family bonds…African-American chef Edna Lewis’s childhood in a Virginia farming community…from spring to first snow…harvest…folk sayings or songs accompany mention of each new food, proof of its centrality to the characters’ happiness. Dynamic paintings…short biography of the late Lewis concludes…five mouth-watering recipes for Southern staples are welcome extras…” (PW)

Hegamin, Tonya. Most Loved in All the World: A Story of Freedom. Illus. by Cozbi A. Cabrera. Houghton Mifflin, $17 (978-0-6184-1903-6)

(PreS-gr.3) “…difficult concepts of slavery, courage, and sacrifice…poignant… mother who sends her daughter on the Underground Railroad, armed with a quilt… mother… stays behind to help other slaves escape …finding their way to freedom via directions disguised in patchwork…broad sweeping paintings…add a deeper note of somberness to the spare text…” (PW)

Hughes, Langston. My People. Photos by Charles R. Smith, Jr. Atheneum/Seo, $17.99 (978-1-4169-3540-7)

(PreS-gr. 3) “At just thirty-three words total…poem is a study in simplicity… picture-book presentation is a tour de force. Introducing the poem two or three words at a time…pairs each phrase with a portrait of one or more African-Americans…faces … materialize on black pages…inventive design...displaying the best that humanity has to offer—intelligence, wisdom, curiosity, love and joy.” (PW)

Kajikawa, Kimiko. Tsunami! Illus. by Ed Young. Philomel, $16.99 (978-0-399-25006-4)

(PreS) “An earthquake, a fire, a tidal wave and selfless heroism…will hold the attention of even the most restless listeners. Four hundred villagers are saved from death when Ojiisan, a wealthy old rice farmer…realizes a tsunami is coming….elaborate combinations of media…build steady tension…Ojiisan…sets his ripened rice fields alight in order to lure the villagers to higher ground…forceful message…moral does not get in the way of the action.” (PW)

Sakai, Komako. The Snow Day. Scholastic/Arthur Levine Bks., $16.99 (978-0-545-01321-5)

(PreS-K) “A five-year-old (rabbit) awakes…no school, no daddy flying home today, and no going outside—until the snow stops…clearly understands the predicament of being cooped up in an urban high rise…subdued palette and minimalist text suggest the blanketed sound produced by heavy snowfall…convincing depth and texture…when the snow stops, even though it’s bedtime…enjoys a nocturnal adventure…lovely rhythms and interesting details…will charm young children…” (SLJ)

Say, Allen. Erica-San. Houghton-Mifflin, $17 (978-0-618-88933-4)

(K-gr.3) “…luminous watercolors and economical text…American girl…hopes of reaching ‘old Japan’ are finally realized…Erika’s childhood fascination with a serene print of a Japanese teahouse in her grandmother’s house…heads to Japan to teach… becoming almost folkloric…sprinkles Japanese words and definitions smoothly into the story…plot may prove slow going for many in the target audience...tranquil…deeply satisfying.” (PW)

Slate, Joseph. I Want to Be Free. Illus. by E.B. Lewis. Putnam, $16.99 (978-0-399-243-424)

(gr. 2-4) “…heartbreaking…young runaway slave who escapes his brutal masters whips and chains, and then saves a small orphan slave child…cuff around his ankle will not come free, and he runs with it, enduring the agony…Even when the narrator is free, the ring is still a sorrow to him…child ask about it…tells the story…when the child touches the ring, it falls away…big close-up spread of the ring falling off the narrator’s bare leg is unforgettable…spare words and pictures never sensationalize the drama or the universal themes…retelling of a sacred Buddhist tale retold by Rudyard Kipling in Kim.” (BL)

Whiting, Sue. The Firefighters. Illus. by Donna Rawlins. Candlewick, $15.99 (978-0-7636-4019-4)

(PreS-gr.2) “…cardboard boxes are transformed into fire engines…At the sound of the recess bell, three friends lead the way onto the playground with fire hoses crafted out of paper tubes…siren wails…teacher joins in the make-believe fun and then invites the fire department…engage the class with stories…practice drill…illustrations…stand out against the clean, white backgrounds…great choice…fire safety…creative play.” (SLJ)

Juvenile Fiction

Berry, Wendell. Whitefoot: A Story from the Center of the World. Illus. by Deis Te Selle. Counterpoint, $22 (978-1-58243-432-2)

(gr. 2-7) “…small-format…literary craftsmanship…Whitefoot the mouse is flooded out of her nest and carried downstream on a log…owes her survival to her innate skills. Every detail merits the closest observation…densely detailed black-and-white drawings…realistic…heroic dimension…” (PW)

Cowley, Joy. Snake and Lizard. Illus. by Gavin Bishop. Kane/Miller, $14.95 (978-1-933605-83-8)

(K-gr.4) “…engaging…humorous exploits of Snake and Lizard…meet, quarrel, become friends, and then quarrel again…delightful antics…normal travails of an active friendship…short chapters…charming illustrations…evocative landscapes enhance the brief adventures…includes small pictures interspersed with the large, bold font…great read-aloud.” (SLJ)

Kelsey, Marybeth. Tracking Daddy Down. HarperCollins/Greenwillow, $17.89 (978-0-06-128841-8)

(gr. 4-7) “…riveting opening sentence…unusual story of 11-year-old Billie Wisher, whose father and uncle just robbed a bank…determined to find him before the police do and wants him to return the money… convinces her cousin Tommy to go on her secret quest…cumbersome trail of lies… increasingly more difficult to manage…. determined, feisty heroine…intensity of…emotions…multifaceted story of adventure, family, love and trust…jarring disconnect between the book…and the cartoonish art and bright red and pink on the jacket is unfortunate.” (SLJ)

Levine, Kristin. The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had. Putnam, $16.99 (978-0-399-25090-3)

(gr. 5 and up) “Tension builds…energetic, seamlessly narrated…small-town Alabama in 1917. Twelve-year-old Harry, aka Dit…looking forward to the arrival of the new postmaster…son turns out to be a girl…family is what Dit calls ‘colored’ …Emma …impresses Dit…begins to rethink what he’s been taught…climactic tragedy that will challenge the community’s sense of justice…handles the setting with grace and nuance. Without compromising the virtues and vices of her characters, she lets her readers have a happy-enough ending.” (PW)

Mass, Wendy. 11 Birthdays. Scholastic, $16.99 (978-0-545-052-399)

(gr. 4-6) “Amanda and Leo…celebrated their birthdays together for 10 years. Still feeling hurt from an unkind remark Leo made at last year’s party, Amanda spends her eleventh birthday without her now-estranged friend…In the days that follow, both Amanda and Leo…caught in a time loop…repeating their eleventh birthdays…renew their friendship…experiment with making different choices…solid character portrayals …clarity and wit…fresh twist…small changes in…attitude and actions result in sometimes-subtle, sometimes-monumental shifts in results…natural for booktalks and discussion groups.” (BL)

Medina, Meg. Milagros: Girl from Away. Holt/Christy Ottaviano Bks., $17.95 (978-0-8050-8230-2)

(gr. 4-8) “…loss of Milagros de la Torre’s wonderful childhood home, Las Brisas, an island in the Caribbean…loses the tastes, smells, sounds, and warmth of the loving community…barely escapes…deadly attack…from a different island…Magical realism is a constant element…12-year-old ends up on another island…off the coast of Maine…contrast…is stark…building connections…parallel story of her mother enduring slavery on a pirate ship…accessible, but lively and lyrical language…great care…every word…” (SLJ)

Nielsen, Susin. Word Nerd. Tundra, $18.95 (978-0-88776-875-0)

(gr. 5-7) “Twelve-year-old Ambrose…widowed, overprotective mother…When he almost dies after he bites into a peanut that bullies put in his sandwich…mother… decides to homeschool him…Ambrose gets to know 25-year-old Cosmo, recently released from jail…son of the…warm-hearted Greek landlords…both love Scrabble… without his mother’s knowledge, he talks Cosmo into taking him to a Scrabble Club. For the first time, Ambrose has a friend, but when his mother finds out, she starts packing up to move again…prompts Ambrose to run away…tender, often funny story with some really interesting characters…” (SLJ)

Philbrick, Rodman. The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg. Scholastic/Blue Sky, $16.99 (978-0-439-66818-7)

(gr. 4-7) “…rip-roaring adventure…Civil War-era novel…mistreated orphan who doesn’t let truth stand in the way of spinning a good yarn…guardian…sells off Homer P. Figg’s older brother Harold, to take a rich man’s son’s place in the Union army, Homer can’t just stand around and do nothing. Determined to alert the authorities…that Harold is too young to be a soldier…faces many dangers…before landing smack in the middle of the Battle of Gettysburg…reunites with his brother and more or less drives the Confederates away…Homer’s tall tales…serious moments…horror of war and injustice of slavery ring clearly above the din of playful exaggerations.” (PW)

Woodson, Jacqueline. Peace, Locomotion. Putnam, $15.99 (978-0-399-24655-5)

(gr. 4-7) “…letters…show how 12-year-old Lonnie Collins Motion, aka Locomotion, maintains a bond with his younger sister Lili…reminds her of their past… ‘before your foster mama came and said I’ll take the little girl but I don’t want no boys.’…Lonnie has other problems…foster mother’s son returns from Iraq disabled and traumatized…big and small details of his days…philosophical struggles…tender poems…some stilted writing…full-bodied character in kind, sensitive Lonnie…” (PW)

Non-fiction

Allen, Thomas B. and Roger MacBride Allen. Mr. Lincoln’s High-Tech War. National Geographic, $18.95 (978-1-426-303-807)

(gr. 6-10) “…Lincoln’s…own generation saw their world irrevocably changed by technological innovations…only President ever to be granted a patent…Well-researched and clearly written…discusses the course of the Civil War in terms of the development of new technology…ironclad and the submarine…rapid-fire, repeating rifle…railroads… telegraph…many illustrations…Sidebars…lengthy bibliography…” (BL)

Aronson, Marc. Bill Gates. Viking, $16.99 (978-0-670-063-482)

(gr. 6-10) “…entrepreneurial principles, such as “Pick the Right Parents (or If You Can’t, Learn to Be Intensely Competitive)”…offers far more than business tips…childhood years…period when personal computers were so new that a cocky teen who knew his stuff could bluff his way into important contracts … know-how and determination to follow through. Though often critical of Gates’ business practices…acknowledges that the man’s most unsympathetic traits may have made his achievements possible…compares him with nineteenth and early-twentieth-century monopolists turned philanthropists. Black and white photos…author’s note, source notes…Well researched and thought-provoking…” (BL)

Aylesworth, Jim. Our Abe Lincoln. Illus. by Barbara McClintock. Scholastic, $16.99 (978-0-439-92548-8)

(PreS-gr.3) “…fresh approach…delightful and accurate…sets history to the tune of ‘The Old Gray Mare’ and the derivative song ‘Our Abe Lincoln Came Out of the Wilderness,’ which was popular during the 16^th president’s campaign. Lincoln’s life is depicted in the singsong verse through the framing device of students performing a grade-school play…captures the exuberance with charming visuals…multicultural cast…careful research…informed the illustrations…engaging images and catchy phrasing…larger story that it so deftly summarizes.” (SLJ)

Bang, Molly and Penny Chrisholm. Living Sunlight: How Plants Bring the Earth to Life. Illus. by Molly Bang. Scholastic/Blue Sky, $16.99 (978-0-545-044-226)

(PreS-gr.3) “…talks to young children about photosynthesis…in a way that tells what is actually happening at the molecular level…why this process matters…broad understanding of their personal connection with plant life and energy from the sun…exceptional…amiable, well-informed narrator is the sun…vibrant images…visual themes…illustrated…with intelligence and originality….outstanding…” (BL)

Brown, Don. Let It Begin Here! April 19, 1775: The Day the American Revolution Began. Raoring Brook/Flash Point, $17.95 (978-1-59643-221-5)

(gr. 1-5) “… ‘you are there’ style account…Expert pacing, novelistic incorporation of quotations and well-observed but straightforward reportage draw readers into the action… finds the details that speak loudest…subtle watercolor-and-pencil compositions skillfully capture moments in the text…Top-notch.” (PW)

Bruchac, James & Joseph Bruchac, retells. The Girl Who Helped Thunder and Other Native American Folk Tales. Illus. by Stefano Vitale. Sterling, $14.95 (978-1-4027-3263-8)

(gr. 3-6) “…anthology is arranged geographically…reveals the diversity of Native peoples…Descriptions of each region introduce the original inhabitants…succinct yet enriching historical and cultural context for the stories that follow…every tale begins with a brief background and credit to the Nation from which it is derived…stories are concise…will capture the imagination of storytime audiences…subtle profundity… stylized illustrations vividly reveal the colorful spirit of the tales…” (SLJ)

Bryan, Ashley. Words to My Life’s Song. Atheneum, $18.99 (978-1-416-905-417)

(gr. 3-7) “In rich collages of words and pictures...highly visual autobiography …life and vision…Clearly written…growing up in the Bronx during the Depression, taking free WPA art classes…public school, Sunday school…army service…lifelong development of his talents…children’s book illustration…stained-glass design, found-object puppet making…painting…Photos…infuse the entire presentation with energy, color and joy…Beautifully designed…” (BL)

Deem, James M. Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glaciers and the Recovery of the Past. Houghton ,$17 (978-0-618-80045-2)

(gr. 5-8) “…lucid account explores mummified remains recovered from several glacial locations and time periods…background and methodology of glaciology… relevant issues in climate change and archaeology…grand images of glaciated mountain peaks span entire pages…detailed pictures of recovered objects…updated information… extensive bibliography…Web sites…listing of glaciers to visit…” (SLJ)

Gold, August. Thank You God, For Everything. Illus. by Wendy Anderson Halperin. Putnam, $16.99 (978-0-399-240-492)

(PreS-gr.2) “…goal here is to ‘show young readers how to develop their own thankful eyes.’…young girl who mulls over what to be thankful for…look around…sees a world of wonderment…softly colored style…takes everyday doings and elevates them. Daisy thanks God for all she gets to do…thankful for the people she meets and the animals that inhabit her world…By the book’s conclusion Daisy has found she can be thankful for…everything…” (BL)

Heiligman, Deborah. Charles and Emma: The Darwin’s Leap of Faith. Holt, $18.95 (978-0-8050-8721-5)

(gr. 7 and up) “…rewarding biography…investigates his marriage to his cousin Emma Wedgwood…as deeply as they loved each other, Emma believed in God, and Charles believed in reason. Embracing the paradoxes in her subjects’ personalities… sympathetic and illuminating account…style can be discursive…allows readers not only to understand Darwin’s ideas, but to appreciate how Emma’s responses tempered them…” (PW)

Hopkinson, Deborah. Home on the Range: John A. Lomax and His Cowboy Songs. Illus. by S.D. Schindler. Putnam, $16.99 (978-0-399-23996-0)

(gr. 1-3) “…early life of John Avery Lomax, a pioneer of folk musicology… colorful narrative…childhood in Texas…Glimpses of thoughts and emotions…dialogue help personalize the story…realistic illustrations, painted with a light touch…ably capture the expressions of skeptical cowboys…Concluding author notes read more like a standard biography and sketch out Lomax’s later years.” (PW)

Lasky, Kathryn. One Beetle Too Many: The Extraordinary Adventures of Charles Darwin. Illus. by Miatthew Trueman. Candlewick, $17.99 (978-0-7636-1436-2)

(gr. 2-7) “distilling tough concepts into light, conversational prose…just-right introduction to Charles Darwin…colorful, cut-to-the-chase language…highlights Darwin’s insatiable curiosity...failures at school…voyage aboard the Beagle…n multilayered mixed-media illustrations…incorporate bits of flowers and weeds…homely, friendly style….Highly accessible.” (PW)

Martin, Bill, Jr., ed. with Michael Sampson. The Bill Martin, Jr. Big Book of Poetry. Illus. by Aliki, et. al. S&S, $21 (978-1-4169-3971-9)

(gr. 2-5) “…grand and varied anthology…impressive number of old favorites and newer selections. Grouped by theme…animals, nature, feelings…appealing range of humor, pathos, and meditative wonder…paired with illustrations crafted by an eclectic range of distinguished children’s picture book artists…Ashley Bryan, Lois Ehlert…Chris Raschka…finely crafted, accessible…” (SLJ)

Noyes, Deborah. Encyclopedia of the End: Mysterious Death in Fact, Fancy, Folklore, and More. Houghton Mifflin, $25 (978-0-618-82362-8)

(gr. 7 and up) “…stylish A-to-Z encounter with all things related to death and dying…Addressing topics as far-ranging as ‘Genocide’, ‘Goth’…and ‘Spirit Photography’…spiritual, historical and biological aspects of death. Photos, paintings, and engravings in homage to ‘the end’…dynamic visually…breadth of information in a single entry…entries speak to one another…welcome neutrality: the only agenda here is in the service of knowledge.” (PW)

Shange, Ntozake. Coretta Scott. Illus. by Kadir Nelson. Harper/Tegen/Amistad, $17.99 (978-0-06-125364-5)

(PreS-gr.4) “…intimate picture biography…full-bleed paintings, powerfully molded and saturated with color…crucial moments in Scott’s life…marriage to Martin Luther King, Jr…rhythmic lines and formal syntax roll like waves…carrying readers on a soul-stirring ride through Coretta’s coming of age in the Civil Rights movement…” (PW)

Turner, Pamela S. A Life in the Wild: George Schaller’s Struggle to Save the Last Great Beasts. Farrar/Melanie Kroupa, $21.95 (978-0-374-345-785)

(gr. 5-8) “…excellent introduction to animal conservation…Organized chronologically…Schaller’s childhood flight from Germany to the US…majority of the book…focuses on Schaller’s adult career as a researcher who transformed field biology…clear, detailed prose…low-impact methods…vivid, moment-by-moment descriptions of animal encounters will captivate readers…maps… “Getting Involved” section…” (BL)

We Are All Born Free: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Pictures. By Amnesty International Staff. Illus. by Peter Sìs and Various Artists. Frances Lincoln, $19.95 (978-1-845-076-504)

(K-gr.3) “…each of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ 30 articles, written in terms children can understand, is illustrated…beautifully bring these concepts, both basic and profound, to a child’s level…Some of the statements are not easy to illustrate for this audience, but the artists are up to the task…range from realistic to fanciful…Handsomely reproduced…so much to look at, so much to discuss.” (BL)

Winter, Jonah. Gertrude Is Gertrude Is Gertrude Is Gertrude. Illus. by Calef Brown. S&S/Atheneum, $16.99 (978-1-4169-4088-3)

(PreS-gr.3) “…Steinesque ‘word portrait’ of the modernist author…patchy acrylic images…nonlinear prose…suit a poet fond of repetition (and babble)… idiosyncratic visuals…befit this impresario of experimental artists and writers on the Rive Gauche…pictures Stein’s close friend Picasso surrounded by minotaur-themed cubism imagery…mimes Stein’s mischievous voice and cultivates its own literary audience.” (PW)

Winter, Jonah. You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! Illus. by Andre Carrilho. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99 (978-0-375-937-385)

(gr. 2-4) “…captivating mini-bio…arguably the greatest left-handed pitcher in baseball history…strung together six of the most dominant seasons ever seen in baseball, from 1961 to 1966…one of the very few Jewish players…encountered his share of prejudice…digitally enhanced graphite artwork…highly expressionistic cartoons, emphasizes movement…” (BL)

YA Fiction

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Wintergirls. Viking, $17.99 (978-0-670-011-100)

(gr. 9-12) “…devastating portrait of the extremes of self-deception…brutal and poetic…anorexia. Lia’s father…and mother…are frighteningly easy to dupe---tinkering and sabotage inflate her scale readings as her weight secretly plunges…dark but utterly realistic world…Struck-through sentences, incessant repetition, and even blank pages make Lia’s inner turmoil tactile…gruesome details of her decomposition will test sensitive readers…” (BL)

Forman, Gayle. If I Stay. Dutton, $16.99 (978-0-525-421-030)

(gr. 10-12) “…compelling and highly textured…brutal 24 hours…17-year-old Mia… A collision…leaves Mia’s parents dead…robust first person voice, with flashbacks, flash-forwards, and out-of-body reports…Mia is transported, in grave condition…medical efforts to save her life…family and friends’ efforts to provide emotional care…laced with insight, good humor, and wonder...” (BL)

Goodman, Alison. Eon: Dragoneye Reborn. Viking, $19.99 (978-067-006-227-0)

(gr. 7-10) “…mesmerizing...begins…in a tension-filled climactic event…fate of the protagonist and a nation hang in the balance…Empire of the Celestial Dragons, a world so richly imagined it feels real. No detail is overlooked….boys vie to become apprentice to the ascendant Rat Dragon. Eon has trained for this moment…is actually Eona, a 16-year-old girl…Females are forbidden to take part…Eona becomes the fulcrum of a seesaw struggle…Entangled politics and fierce battle scenes…intriguing characters…Readers will clamor for the sequel.” (BL)

Headley, Justina Chen. North of Beautiful. Little, Brown, $16.99 (978-0-316-02505-8)

(gr. 7 and up) “Laced with metaphors about maps and treasure…uncharted quest to find beauty. Two things block Terra’s happiness: a port-wine stain on her face and her verbally abusive father…car accident brings her together with Jacob… unconventional ideas…new pursuits like geocaching…visit China together with their mothers…confidently addresses very large, slippery questions about the meaning of art, travel, love and of course, beauty…” (PW)

McKernan, Victoria. The Devil’s Paintbox. Knopf, $16.99 (978-0-375-83750-0)

(gr. 7 and up) “Set in 1865…westward journey of 16-year-old Aiden…younger sister, Maddie, from their late parents’ farm in Kansas. Harsh conditions and a devastating fire have prompted the exodus of most of the townsfolk…wagon train…pay off the cost of …trip…with labor at a logging camp…supple prose…sometimes brutal history…threat to Indians from smallpox…policy of denying them vaccines builds to a powerful conclusion. Flawless attention to detail…characters are fully fledged…”(PW)

Polak, Monique. What World is Left. Orca, $12.95 (978-1-551-438-474)

(gr. 7-12) “Growing up in a secular Jewish home in Holland, Anneke cares little about Judaism…1943…family is deported to Theresienstadt…Nazi concentration camp…14…backbreaking labor and foul, unsanitary conditions….40,000 prisoners…crowded into a town built for 7,000…Based on the experiences of the author’s mother…details are unforgettable…questions raised in the author’s note…important addition to the Holocaust curriculum.” (gr. 7-12)

Smith, Emily Wing. The Way He Lived. Flux, $9.95 paper (978-0-7387-1404-2)

(gr. 8 and up) “…Mormon community in Utah…[teens]…each had a special connection to Joel Espen, who died of dehydration after giving away his water during a badly planned Boy Scout expedition…vignettes showing the six teens’ differing points of view…Joel’s effect on their lives…attempts to make sense of his death…preserves each narrator’s complexity…dropping clues about the enigmatic Joel…identity emerges distinctly by the end of the novel…” (PW)

Stroud, Jonathan. Heroes of the Valley. Hyperion, $17.99 (978-1-423-109-662)

(gr. 6-10) “…stand-alone adventure…akin to a double-layered Norse heroic epic. An unnamed valley is home to 12 houses…banded together to drive the monstrous Trows from their homeland. Now the valley is mostly peaceful…Young Halli Sveinsson… embarks on what he dreams will be a quest for vengeance and glory…quickly comes to realize that legend and lore have little relation to reality…lively touches of humor… credible and absorbing cultural construct…masterful prose…Funny, exciting, thoughtful … timeless…” (BL)(PW)

Tharp, Tim. The Spectacular Now. Knopf, $16.99 (978-0-375-85179-7)

(gr. 9 and up) “…high school senior Sutter Keely…is not concerned with the future…life of the party…stream of consciousness-style prose…whiskey in flask… anything is possible…Without ever deviating from the voice of the egocentric Sutter… fully develops all of the ancillary characters…Readers will be simultaneously charmed and infuriated by Sutter as his voice holds them in thrall to his all-powerful Now.” (PW)

Whitcomb, Laura. The Fetch. Houghton, $17 (978-0-618-891-313)

(gr. 9-12) “..fascinating, intricately structured vision of the afterlife. Part historical fiction, part romance, part spiritual journey…draws heavily on Pilgrim’s Progress…Since his death at 19, Calder has been a Fetch, an escort of souls to heaven. Intensely lonely, Calder falls in love…breaks all his vows not to interfere with a soul’s choice…throw worlds out of balance…struggles…to find the key to set things right…dense prose…rich descriptions…sympathetic characters…challenging book with an intriguing conclusion...will lead to spirited discussions.” (BL)

Books in Spanish/Bilingual Books

Brown, Monica. Pelè, El rey del fùtbol (Pelè, King of Soccer). tr. by Fernando Gayesky. illus. by Rudy Gutierrez. Rayo: HarperCollins, $17.99 (978-0-06-122779-0).
(K-gr 4) “… Forty years ago… Brazilian player Pelé …energy, amazing footwork, and engaging personality…tour-de-force picture book …crisp, literate Spanish and English… boyhood playing street soccer…recruitment to an elite Brazilian team…role in Brazil’s first World Cup victory. The artwork… is arresting and kinetic…surefire winner for soccer-obsessed children…” (CR)

Cardenas, Teresa. Oloyou. tr. by Elisa Amado. illus. by Margarita Sada. Groundwood Books, $18.95 (978-0-88899-795-1).
(PreS-gr. 2) “Long before the earth and the sky were made, child-God created the first creature: a cat…accidentally fell from the heavens …soon became enamored with a beautiful mermaid. In a fit of rage, the mermaid’s father flung both of them heavenward … daughter became the night and the stars, and the cat became a frisky comet … delightful retelling of a Yoruba creation myth…fun visual experience…The Spanish and English texts appear side by side separated by dots…aptly captures emotions…story and illustrations masterfully combine…” (CR)

Dubovoy, Silvia. Cuentos para antes de dormir de America (Bedtime Stories of America). illus. by Marta Rivera Ferner. Editorial Everest, dist. by Lectorum, $15.99 (978-84-441-4073-5).
(gr 3-5) “… 24 short anecdotes from Chile to Alaska …myths indigenous to the Native peoples inhabiting the Americas. Replete with origin and creation myths… delightful volume fits easily into one’s hand. Watercolor and pencil illustrations in pastels and earth tones combine with photographs of real vegetation, rock or fur… captivating myths…” (CR)

Maranda, María. Arrullo (Lullaby). illus. by Margarita Sada. El Naranjo, dist. by Baker & Taylor, $16.95 (978-968-5389-72-3).
(PreS) “…board book features six animals and a human mother comforting their little ones just before they go to sleep…using the species’ natural sound…uses poetic devices such as assonance, alliteration, and repetition to soothe it …Subdued, cartoon-like drawings …soothing narrative and illustrations do a great job of telling the stories and should serve to help lull readers to sleep.” (CR)

Audio

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. By Lewis Carroll. Read by Jim Dale. 3 hrs. Listening Library, CD, $30 (978-0-739-367-650)

(gr. 4-7) “…has attracted a dizzying array of audio productions…Dale, master of voices, creator of characters…take on the challenge…a winner…Has the Queen of Hearts’ anger ever been so florid, the hookah-smoking Caterpillar’s ennui so languid…It would take a heart of stone and a tin ear to resist laughing…at galumphing rendition of ‘The Lobster Quadrille.’…mature male narrator can pull off the voice of a little girl without sounding phony or condescending…nothing short of a miracle…” (BL)

Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady (A Bloody Jack Adventure). By L.A. Meyer. Read by Katherine Kellgren. Unabr. 11 CDs, 14 hours. Listen & Live Audio, $29.95 (978-1-59316-134-7)

(gr. 8 and up) “…audacious Jacky Faber is back…fabulous sequel…Jacky cut her hair…signed on as a ship’s boy aboard a Royal Navy frigate…attained the rank of midshipman…dumped her…in Boston…disembarks in Boston—in a dress—to attend The Lawson Peabody School for Fine Young Girls…Finally giving up…abandons her school…jumps aboard a whaling ship…Katherine Kellgren delivers a stunning performance with a myriad of amazing voices…Simply delightful.” (SLJ) (BL)

Ender’s Game. By Orson Scott Card. Read by full cast. Unabr. 9 CDs, 10:30 hours. Macmillan Audio, $39.95 (978-1-4274-0526-1)

(gr. 7 and up) “…The buggers have invaded Earth twice…Years later, a third invasion is feared and a new commander is sought. Ender Wiggin is only six years old when he is plucked…space station Battle School…isolated, ridiculed, bullied…survives and thrives…astonishing intelligence…narrated by a full cast…particularly good Ender…complex novel.” (SLJ)

Moo Juice. Funky Mama Music, CD, 36:30 min., $12.

(PreS-gr.1) “Krista ‘Funky Mama’ Eyler brings a tremendous amount of energy and excitement…15 original songs and two adaptations…Cajun beat…revival feel…ballad…full, rich voice takes everyday topics and turns them into songs that children can relate to and parents can enjoy…amazing vocals…superb selection…” (SLJ)

One-Handed Catch. By Mary Jane Auch. Read by Ryan Sparkes. Full Cast, CD, $45 (978-1-934-180-167)

(gr. 4-7) “On July 4, 1946, 11-year-old Norm loses his left hand in a meat grinder accident in his fathers butcher shop… when his doctor gives him a newspaper clipping of a one-handed baseball major league pitcher, Norm is inspired to figure out how he, too, can play baseball with just one hand…team of readers energizes…superior narration…accompanied by big-band music… complements rather than overwhelms the story…A stirring interview with the author and her husband, Herm, the inspiration for the story, is a fine bonus…perfect for family car trips.” (BL)

One Night in Frogtown. CD. Approx. 47 min. with hardcover book. Prod. By One World Musical Books. Dist. by AV Café, $24.95 (978-0-97861-762-2)

(PreS-gr.6) “Tad, a curious saxophone-playing tadpole…in search of faraway music…Toadstool Tavern…frog blues group is playing…classical symphony…must leave because he likes more than one kind of music…great rap…sings by himself and finds strength to follow his own heart…narrated by blues legend Curtis Salgado… wonderful background music…Five original songs…lively tale that will engage listeners …celebration of cultural diversity uses music as a metaphor…” (SLJ)

Shooting the Moon. By Frances O’Roark Dowell. Read by Jessica Almasy. 3 cassettes or 3 CDs (unabr.), 3:15 hours. Recorded Books, $30.75 (978-1-4361-4866-5)

(gr. 5-8) “It’s 1969 and Janie and her family are stationed at Fort Hood, TX…believes wholeheartedly in the U.S. government…thrilled when her brother ships out for Vietnam…increasingly disturbing photographs she receives from her brother… masterful job of narrating…captures Jamie’s naivetè, uncertainty, and ultimately her courage…engaging, well-paced…excellent…” (SLJ)

Video

Frontrunners. Video or DVD. 1:21 hrs. Cinema Guild, $99.95 (0-7815-1246-8)

(gr. 9 and up) “…follows the campaign of four Stuyvesant (NY) High School candidates for student government president…campaign styles range…student body of over 3000 competitive students…Teen devotees of reality TV will be entertained by the mild drama…How does strategy, race, gender, platforms, charisma, image, hairstyle… impact a campaign?...omitted a voiceover or narration to make the film more realistic…”(SLJ)

Monarch and Milkweed. DVD. 16 min with teacher’s guide. Nutmeg Media, $49.95 (1-933938-54-4)

(K-gr.4) “information about the lifecycle of the monarch butterfly…relationship with…milkweed…author softly narrates the informative and poetic text…beautiful descriptions…lifecycle and travels…Outstanding watercolor illustrations… delicate harp music…Conversation with the Author…well-planned study guide…” (SLJ)