Indianhead Federated Library System

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.

 

 

 

 

Bruchac, Joseph. Bearwalker. Illus. by Sally Wern Comport. HarperCollins, $16.89 (978-0-06-112311-5)

            (gr. 5-8) “...brisk pace...Baron, a 12-year-old Mohawk...eighth-grade fall bonding experience...Small for his age...worried...target of the class bullies...camp...Baron senses the evil presence of a legendary creature that is a man, yet behaves like a predator...10 miles into and beyond the Adirondacks...explosion seals off the entire area...multiple lives are threatened...fast-paced survival story is a great read for mystery fans...” (SLJ)

 

De Seve, Randall. Toy Boat. Illus. by Loren Long.  Philomel, $16.99 (978-0-399-243-745)

            (preS-K) “Every day a boy sails his toy boat on the lake...made it himself...storm forces the boy to let go of the boat’s string...deep water...tugboat...ferry...speedboat... drifts toward a fleet of sailboats...friendly fishing boat streamlined text is straightforward ...amazing art...acrylic, hyperrealistic pictures...expansive double-page spreads... harmonious ending brings the story full circle...” (BL)(PW)

 

Donofrio, Beverly. Mary and the Mouse, The Mouse and Mary. Illus. by Barbara McClintock. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $16.99 (978-0-375-83609-1)

            (preS-gr.2) “...beguiling comparison of human-and-mouse-scale worlds...Mary ...lives with parents and siblings. In the same house...lives a mouse...Mary learns to beware of mice; the mouse, of people...ingenious accessories for the anthropomorphic mice...indulge in nostalgia and pay no heed to rodents’ life expectancy. Yet only a jaded reader could fail to be bewitched...exquisite attention...” (PW)

 

Kleven, Elisa. The Apple Doll. Farrar, $16 (0-374-30380-0)

            (preS-gr.2) “...Lizzy loves the apple tree outside her window...uses it to create a new friend...doll with an apple for a head and twigs for a body...children make fun... Lizzy’s mother shows her how to make...apple-head doll...carving features...preserving with lemon juice...becomes the model for a class craft project...charm...delightfully well-written...pictures teem with life and intriguing details...clear expression of the characters’ emotions...” (BL)

 

Klise, Kate. Imagine Harry. Illus. by M. Sarah Klise. Harcourt, $16 (0-15-205604-8)

            (preS-K) “...Little Rabbit has an invisible friend named Harry...When Little Rabbit starts school, Harry comes too. One day, during a particularly fun music class, Harry tells Little Rabbit that he’s going to take a nap...gentle yet witty text...beautifully crafted acrylic paintings that create a child’s whole world...nostalgic but true to a child’s understanding.” (BL)

 

MacLachlan, Patricia and Emily MacLachlan Charest.  Fiona Loves the Night. Illus. by Amanda Shepherd. HarperCollins/Cotler, $15.99 (978-0-06-057031-6)

            (PreS-gr.3) “Awakened by moonlight streaming through the window, young Fiona sips out of her covers and into her backyard...simple, lyrical prose...delight in the plants and creatures that come to life after the sun goes down...lush, comforting tones... convey the...energy that makes the nocturnal world anything but sleepy...dreamy ... Children who fear the dark could learn a lot from Fiona.” (PW)

 

Neubecker, Robert. Wow! School! Hyperion, $16.99 (0-7868-3896-5)

            (preS-gr.1) “...big, bold Wow! Format...works especially well here...school comes wildly and wonderfully alive...school bus takes her into a new world of books, art, music and students. Kids will be mesmerized by each big two-page spread...bright illustrations, brimming with stuff to look at...all sorts of games to be invented...” (BL)

 

Polacco, Patricia. The Lemonade Club. Philomel, $16.99 (978-0-399-24540-4)

            (gr. 1 and up) “Miss Wichelman, an energetic fifth-grade teacher, assures her students they can be anything they want to be...keeps a basket of lemons in her classroom ...lemonade...philosophy is tested when Marilyn is diagnosed with leukemia... chemotherapy ...leaves her bald...classmates have all shaved their heads in support. Miss Wichelman is bald, but...being treated for breast cancer...confides that her illness has dampened her enthusiasm for applying to medical school...uplifting finale...lump-in-the-throat, inspiring tale comes straight from real life...” (PW)

 

Stein, David Ezra. Leaves. Putnam, $15.99 (978-0-399-24636-4)

            (PreS-gr.2) “Simple, declarative sentences and expressive small-scale pictures blend beautifully...young bear experiencing his first full cycle of seasons...serene scenes ...reflect perfectly the gentle passage of time...As leaves...fall, he leaps around trying to catch them...tries to reattach them to the branches...exudes joy.” (SLJ)

 

Thompson, Lauren. The Apple Pie That Papa Baked. Illus. by Jonathan Bean. Simon& Schuster, $15.99 (1-4169-1240-1)

            (PreS-gr.1) “...The House That Jack Built receives a gentle, loving twist... nostalgically illustrated...end is the beginning...apple pie...moving backward...tree... roots...rain...clouds...sky...sun...text is dear, and it’s well-matched by delightful illustrations...almost wordless concluding spreads...exude love.” (BL)

 

Turner, Ann. Sitting Bull Remembers. Illus. by Wendell Minor. HarperCollins, $16.99 (978-0-06-051399-3)

            (gr. 1-4) “...somber picture of...Sitting Bull, crouched alone...after defeat...lyrical biography...close-ups...panoramic illustrations...Sometimes pictographic symbols...float above the main scene to represent the Sioux’s visions...dramatic and insightful work...” (PW)

 

 

 

 

Allison, Jennifer. Gilda Joyce: The Ghost Sonata. Dutton, $15.99 (978-0-525-47808-9)

            (gr. 5-8) “Gilda manages to talk her way into accompanying a group of young musical prodigies traveling to England...volunteers to serve as her friend’s...page turner with potentially disastrous results...hopes that Oxford’s hallowed halls will offer her plenty of opportunities to commune with ghosts...friend is being haunted...wonderfully paced and clues are dropped subtly as the story progresses...humor...excellent addition to an already strong series.” (SLJ)

 

Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker. Leap of Faith. Dial, $16.99 (978-0-8037-3127-1)

            (gr. 6-8) “Only days into sixth grade, quiet studious Abby is expelled from school for pulling a pocketknife on a classmate who has been sexually harassing her for a year... friends, teachers, and parents will not believe...parents...enroll her in a private Catholic school...devout nonbelievers. Abby...resolves to convert to Catholicism in an effort to irritate them...drawn to Christianity’s comfort almost in spite of herself...does not pull back from the questions and confusion...packs a lot of power...no pat answers...tension between Abby’s doubts and her desire to believe...will resonate with many readers.” (SLJ)

 

Compestine, Ying Chang. Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party. Holt, $16.95 (978-0-8050-8207-4)

            (gr. 5 and up) “...1972 China...Eight-year-old Ling, the spunky daughter of two doctors, lives in Wuhan, China...lives...disrupted when Comrade Li, an officer of the Communist Party, moves into their apartment...friends and neighbors disappear, Ling’s father is arrested...vicious tormenting at school...Ling survives on wit, hope and courage until the death of Chairman Mao...gripping account of life during China’s Cultural Revolution.” (PW)

 

Farmer, Nancy. The Land of the Silver Apples. Atheneum, $18.99 (1-4169-0735-1)

            (gr. 6-9) “...12-year-old Jack...sequel to The Sea of Trolls...often-bratty little sis is a changeling...must descend into the out-of-time Land of the Silver Apples to retrieve both of his lost siblings...Occasionally, one wishes for a greater range of emotional tone...but...beautifully balances pell-mell action and quieter thematic points...wild tangle of Christian and pagan traditions in eighth-century Britain...hearty adventure, as personal as it is epic...” (BL) (SLJ)

 

Fleischman, Sid. The Entertainer and the Dybbuk. HarperCollins/Greenwillow, $17.89 (978-0-06-134446-6)

            (gr. 6-9) “In 1948 Europe, former American bomber pilot Freddie Birch...precarious living as a ventriloquist...encounters...Avrom Amos...a dybbuk, the spirit of a Jewish youth murdered by the Nazis...has ‘unfinished business’ with the SS colonel who killed him...needs a living body—Freddie’s—to accomplish it...his act improves...Then Avrom begins to change the script, inserting information about his murder...remarkable juxtaposition of sharp, sometimes bitter humor with graphic descriptions of appalling wartime atrocities...ultimate affirmation of life and hope... exciting and thought-provoking...” (SLJ)

 

Holm, Jennifer L. Middle School Is Worse than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff. Illus. by Elicia Castaldi. Atheneum/Seo, $12.99 (978-0-689-85281-7)

            (gr. 3-7) “...eclectic assemblage of ‘stuff’ to chronicle the intermittently bumpy year of a smart, sassy seventh grader...Ginny...impressive to-do list...poems and IMs... comics ...collages that make up the pages...look perky...inviting format disguises a darker side...punchy visuals and...sharp, funny details...” (PW)

 

Gantos, Jack. I Am Not Joey Pigza. Farrar, $16 (0-374-39941-7)

            (gr. 5-8) “...fourth installment...bad dad Carter and mom Fran reconcile...reinvent themselves as the high-living Charles and Maria Heinz...bee-themed diner...enlists the cooking and PR talents of Joey, whose schooling is quickly eschewed for an oversize bee costume...forgiving his father...baby Heinz on the way...realize that the adults in his life may have just as much difficulty making the right choices as he does...hilarious storytelling...soften the more serious issues at play...ending is heartbreaking...” (BL)

 

Johnston, Tony. Bone by Bone by Bone. Roaring Brook/Deborah Brodie, $16.95 (1-59643-113-X)

            (gr. 6-9) “...small town in 1950s Tennessee, nine-year-old David, who is white, and Malcolm, who is black...racist father has forbidden their friendship...boys enjoy wild, free-spirited adventures...David’s father’s threats escalate...layered with disturbing contradictions that add depth and a vivid sense of time and place. Nostalgic scenes of small-town comforts contrast with the horror in the searing accounts of racism...bone-chilling shifts from gentle, folksy, poetic colloquialisms to brutal racial slurs...rampant use of the n-word...readers will feel haunted by this powerful story...” (PW)

 

Jonell, Lynne. Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat. Illus. by Jonathan Bean. Holt, $16.95 (0-8050-8150-X)

            (gr. 3-6) “Emmy’s world has turned upside down...family inherited a fortune...parents...obsessed with status and money...welfare has been left in the hands of her cold-hearted nanny, Miss Barmy...Now, she can hear the class...rat talking...merry, sometimes scary, romp...world of rodents with eclectic powers that are being used by Miss Barmy to get control of Emmy’s family and their fortune...fanciful premise and fabulous characters...” (BL)

 

Korman, Gordon. Schooled. Hyperion, $15.99 (0-7868-5692-0)

            (gr. 6-9) “Homeschooled on an isolated ‘alternate farm commune’...2 members, 13-year-old Cap has always lived with his grandmother Rain...hospitalized...taken in by a social worker and sent...to middle school. Smart and capable, innocent and inexperienced...butt of pranks. He reacts in unexpected ways and, in the end, elevates those around him to higher ground...first-person narrative shifts among certain characters...eye-catching jacket art...rewarding novel features an engaging main character and some memorable moments of comedy, tenderness, and reflection...” (BL)

 

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Illus. by Mary GrandPrè. Scholastic/Levine, $34.99 (978-0-0545-01022-1)

            (gr. 4-up) “...continues the tradition...universe...constructed with extraordinary thoroughness and care...It’s hard not to wish that the editors had done their jobs more actively...none of the flaws is fatal to a fan’s enjoyment...skill at portraying characters...” (PW)

 

Salisbury, Graham. Night of the Howling Dogs. Random/Wendy Lamb, $19.99 (978-0-385-901-468)

            (gr. 5-8) “Senior patrol leader...Hilo, Hawaii scout troop, eighth grader Dylan...camping on the coast...Louie, a tough, troubled kid...difficult trek to their campsite, an earthquake...tsunami...support can come from unexpected directions...strong sense of place...unusually compelling author’s note...vivid adventure...strips away every vestige of normality...weaves Hawaiian legend into the modern-day narrative...haunting, unusual novel that will practically booktalk itself.” (BL)

 

Wiles, Deborah. The Aurora County All-Stars. Harcourt, $16 (978-0-15-206068-8)

            (gr. 5 and up) “...plenty of talk about baseball...Twelve-year-old House Jackson, the Aurora County All-Stars captain and star pitcher...out-of-commission elbow...itch to play...minor mishaps, betrayals and bouts of miscommunication....energy during the game mounts, and sports fans will be on the edge of their seats...” (PW)

 

 

 

Carroll, Lewis. Jabberwocky. Illus. by Christopher Myers. Hyperion/Jump at the Sun, $15.99 (978-1-4231-0372-1)

            (gr. 4 and up) “...cleverly translates...poem into a contemporary tale through sports imagery, including Double Dutch and other sidewalk games...basketball dominates ... Visual metaphors anchor the nonsensical words and phrases...spectacular paintings... dynamic presentation.” (SLJ)

 

David, Laurie and Cambria Gordon. The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming. Scholastic/Orchard, $15.99 (9780-0-439-02494-5)

            (gr. 3 and up) “...upbeat and articulate book...rather than play the blame game... recommends taking action...things a young reader can do right away. Kid-friendly analogies, surprising statistics and punchy sidebars enable readers to reflect on scientific evidence...Dynamic layouts and abundant illustrations and photos enliven the passionate words...engaging and accessible guide...” (PW)

 

Frank, John. How to Catch a Fish. Illus. by Peter Sylvada. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter, $17.95 (1-59643-163-6)

            (K-gr. 2) “How do you catch a fish, if you’re in New England or Japan?...13 poems...first-person voices the ways of fishing...around the world...handsome, full-page oil paintings...impressionistic style...pays tribute to the sport, skill, craft, livelihood... imparts an individual character to a universal experience...Resonating poetic vignettes...” (BL)

 

Long, John. Dinosaurs. Simon & Schuster, $16.99 (1-4169-3857-5)

            (gr. 3-5) “...Insiders series...eye-catching qualities...unusually realistic renderings of the Mesozoic’s denizens dominate each double-page spread...two-part format... Introducing ... In-Depth...valuable, high-interest entry in a promising new series, reasonable priced...appealing packaging...” (BL)

 

Robb, Don. Ox, House, Stick: The History of Our Alphabet. Illus. by Anne Smith. Charlesbridge, $16.95 (978-1-57091-609-0)          

            (gr. 4-7) “...nicely illustrated overview...traces the history of each letter from its origin to its modern appearance in the Roman alphabet...each letter is displayed in its Sinaitic, Phoenician, early Greek, classical Greek, and Roman incarnations...alphabetical order, pronunciation differences...punctuation...printing press...lighthearted text...fills a significant gap...” (SLJ)

 

Schlitz, Laura Amy. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Illus. by Robert Byrd. Candlewick, $19.99 (978-0-763-615-789)

            (gr. 5-8) “...series of interconnected monologues and dialogues featuring young people living in and around an English manor in 1255...first-person character sketches that build upon each other to create a finer understanding of medieval life...23 characters...distinct personality and a societal role revealed not by a recitation of facts but by revelation of memories, intentions, and attitudes...prose...verse...Historical notes...in the vertical margins...short essays on topics related to individual narratives...lively ink drawings...well-designed...rewarding choice for performance or reading aloud...” (BL) (SLJ)

 

Sìs, Peter.  The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain. FSG/Foster, $18 (978-0-374-34701-7)

            (gr. 3 and up) “...pairs...remarkable artistry with journal entries, historical context and period photography to create a powerful account of his childhood in Cold War-era Prague...rebels when possible...gives the adage ‘write what you know’ biting significance ...graphic memoir with the power of Maus...” (PW) (SLJ)

 

Wood, Angela Gluck. Holocaust. DK, $29.99 (978-0-7566-2535-1)

            (gr. 6 and up) “...searing testimony of Holocaust survivors...sobering and visually compelling work of history. An extraordinary array of materials...broadly sweeping chronicle...70CE...ending with modern-day Holocaust denial...prose is economical and reportorial...reclaim the individuality and humanity of those devastated by this enormity...never resorts to lecturing readers on how they should feel...detailed charts and graphs...visual sensitivity and expert pacing...” (PW)

 

 

 

Archer, Lily. The Poison Apples. Holtzbrinck/Feiwel and Friends, $16.95 (978-0-312-36762-6)

            (gr. 7 and up) “...wickedly funny...contemporary tale of three evil stepmothers and their banished daughters who cross paths at boarding school...drawn together by their common dysfunctional backgrounds and a keep desire to seek revenge...form the Poison Apples Club...knowing prose gives even the old-fashioned moral a hip ring.” (PW)

 

Ellis, Ann Dee. This Is What I Did. Little, Brown, $16.99 (978-0-316-01363-5)

            (gr. 7 and up) “Part staccato prose, part transcript...will grip readers fright from the start. Fragmented scenes re-create, with grim authenticity...eighth-grade narrator, Logan, as he struggles to come to terms with his role in a despicable crime...never veers from Logan’s point of view...infuses the narrative with his guilt...details of which are revealed only in a climactic finale...skill in dramatizing his vulnerability...particularly attractive book design... “(PW)

 

Harper, Suzanne. The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney. Harper/Greenwillow, $16.99 (978-0-06-113158-5)

            (gr. 7 and up) “...unexpectedly poignant meditation on loss in a quick-moving plot about ghosts and the spiritual mediums who communicate with them. Fifteen-year-old Sparrow Delaney is the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter...highly gifted in the psychic arts...trains herself to ignore...steady stream of wit...pitch-perfect dialogue... pockets of sorrow in her characters’ histories, each of them handled with care...” (PW)

 

Hornby, Nick. Slam. Putnam, $19.99 (978-0-399-250-484)

            (gr. 9-12) “...character whose voice hits its groove at the downbeat and sustains it through the final chord. Sam is a disarmingly ordinary 15-year-old kid who loves to skate...girlfriend gets pregnant, and he lands in the middle of his mum’s nightmare (she had Sam when she was 16)...sort-of-imaginary friend...Tony Hawk...We know exactly how Sam feels...it feels just right: a vertiginous mix of anger, confusion, insight, humor and love.” (BL)

 

McDonald, Janet. Off-Color. Farrar/Frances Foster, $16 (0-374-37196-2)

            (gr. 7-12) “...Cameron, 15...leaving mainly white Brooklyn neighborhood when her single-parent mom gets a job in a nail salon in the projects...although she looks like her loving white mom, her dad...is black...messages...are never heavy, and the adult teachers, counselors, and neighbors are as spirited as Cameron and her friends... dramatizes the big issues from the inside...fast-talking dialogue...honest...very funny...” (BL)

 

McKinley, Robin. Dragonhaven. Putnam, $17.99 (978-0-399-24675-3)

            (gr. 7 and up) “Set in a world nearly identical to our own—except for the existence of Draco australiensis...big, ambitious novel...tightly wound and solitary Jake...first-ever solo expedition...stumbles across the single surviving newborn of a female dragon slaughtered by a poacher...takes on the challenge of raising...minute and loving detailed...attempts to reintroduce the dragon to her own species, a brave new era of dragon-human relations begin...renders her imagined universe so potently...” (PW)

 

Miller, Sarah. Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller. Atheneum, $16.99 (1-4169-2542-2)

            (gr. 8-11) “...imagines Annie Sullivan’s first experiences with her famous pupil...based...on Sullivan’s letters...in Sullivan’s voice...monumental questions and challenges...lengthy passages detailing the wild, messy intimacy and violent physical altercations...may tire some readers...amplify the visceral sense of Sullivan’s exhausting struggle...reads like poetry...strong portrait...reach beyond the historical facts...extensive bibliography...” (BL)

 

Powers, J.L. The Confessional. Knopf, $19.99 (978-0-375-93872-6)

            (gr. 9 and up) “...illegal immigration, school violence and racial tension...six narrators...Mackenzie Malone...branded a racist...Off his Ritalin (he’s traded it for coke)...beats up a Mexican classmate...stabbed to death...six boys...witnesses suspects, friends, react to the news and reveal their own disturbing secrets...stock characters... carefully individuates their back stories...links the boys via their common fears... psychological drama as a whole has enough depth and dimension to compensate...” (SLJ)

 

Rosen, Renee. Every Crooked Pot. St. Martin’s/Griffin, paper, $10.95 (978-1-312-365-431)

            (gr. 10-12) “...Nina Goldman, whose growing up is tied to two pillars: a port-wine stain around her eye and her inimitable father...both funny and shocking...readers feel the pain she endures by being physically marked...having a father whose love feels like the sunshine; withheld, all is dark...real power...writes honestly about sex...some raw words...offers hope for teenagers...trying to separate from their perceived flaws, and from their parents.” (BL)

 

Shanahan, Lisa. The Sweet, Terrible, Glorious Year I Truly, Completely Lost It. Delacorte, $18.99 (978-0-385-90505-3)

            (gr. 7-10) “Life has spun out of control for Gemma Stone, a 14-year-old Aussie...older sister is engaged...new in-laws...are scarily obsessed with...military discipline...Gemma attempts to overcome her urge to vomit while speaking in public by auditioning for the school production of The Tempest...torn between two boys...learning who she really is...quirky characters are a riot...depth of Gemma’s growth and heartbreak is genuinely profound.” (SLJ)

 

Graphic Novel Varon, Sara. Robot Dreams. Roaring Brook/First Second, paper, $16.95 (1-59643-108-3)

            (gr. 6-12) “...nearly wordless graphic novel, Dog’s desire for a companion is satisfied the day Robot arrives by mail...visiting the library...dog beach...Robot...dives right in...result is unfortunate...Dog abandons Robot on the sand to dream of what might have been...Robot is used and abused...Dog agonizes...searching for a new one...journey of friendship, loss, self-discovery, and moving forward...” (BL)

 

 

 

My Green Kite. Peter Himmelman.Rounder Records, CD, $14.98.

            (preS-gr.2) “...bold and bouncy instrumentation...stomping rhythm...12 ‘pop infused melodies’...assortment of auditory effects...full complement of quirky subjects...polished performance style, flashy backup vocals, and a nice variety of instruments...family-friendly favorite-in-the-making.” (BL)

 

Peter and the Wolf. Magic Maestro Music, CD, $16.98 (978-1-932-684-124)

            (gr. 3-6) “Written and composed by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936...familiar story...next...introduces Prokofiev’s life and career...deconstructs the music...entire piece is played...short Russian folk song concludes...enlightening...includes a beautifully illustrated guide that fits into the CD package.” (BL)

 

The Wednesday Wars. By Gary D. Schmidt, read by Joel Johnstone. Scholastic Audiobooks, unabr., 6 CDs, 7.5 hours, $34.95 (978-0-439-02340-5)

            (gr. 5 and up) “...brings to life one of the most endearing characters to come along in some time. Holling Hoodhood...seventh grade in 1967...war...wonder and terror of being 11 at such a volatile time...perfectly captures Holling’s progression from an angst-filled yet innocent boy, to a wiser, self-aware young man...reading is touching, funny and insightful...lovely, heartfelt novel, read with as much care as the author used to create it.” (PW)

 

 

 

The Perfect Life: Growing Up in Urban America.  82 min. Choices, DVD, $99.95 (978-1-933-724-126)

            (all ages) “...gripping documentary follows the lives of five New York City teens during their senior year...powerful film artfully blends archival footage of the youngsters with clips from recent interviews and shots taken in their homes, on the streets, at school...painfully shows the relentless obstacles facing these young adults, who want the best for themselves but have trouble achieving their goals. Excellent for fostering discussion about race, class, and quality of life in the urban ghetto.” (BL)

 

A Treasure in My Garden. 50 min. Ryko, DVD, $16.95 (978-2-923-163-147)

            (preS-K) “Imaginative lyrics spark delightful melodies backing 13 short animated music videos touching upon such topics as food, toys, sleep, feelings, parents and make-believe...extremely creative...beautifully produced, visually appealing animation... musical styles vary...packaged with a hardcover book...or is available without the book...highly recommended...” (BL)

 

 

 

Deedy, Carmen. Martina, una cucarachita muy linda: un cuento cubano. (Martina, a Beautiful Cockroach. A Cuban Folktale) illus. by Michael Austin. U.S.: Peachtree Publishers, 16.95 (978-1561454259)
            (K-Gr 3) “green cockroach ...When it is time for ... Martina to find a husband, her grandmother gives her some wise advice: to always spill coffee on her suitor’s shoes to test his temper...first three suitors...not pleased by their insulting and rude behavior. When Martina immediately likes her fourth suitor...refuses to apply the coffee test...but before she can spill coffee on the gardener’s shoes, he spills some on hers. ... good laugh when the mouse reminds her he also has a Cuban grandmother... acrylic illustrations capture the island’s ambience...text flows easily...” (CR)

 

Dubovoy, Silvia. Ecos del desierto. (Echoes From the Desert)
illus. by René Almanza. Mexico/U.S.: Fondo de Cultura Económica (A la orilla del viento). 2007. 63p. ISBN 978-968-16-8396-2. pap. $7.50.
          (gr 3-4) “...inspiring page-turner tells the story of a 16-year-old boy from Cuicatlán, Mexico...Miguel, a budding, musician... aunts and uncles in Phoenix, AZ...illegally crosses the border. ... heads to Los Angeles determined to earn a living as a street musician...music teacher...helps him get accepted into a prestigious music school. ...black-and-white drawings capture the changing moods in Miguel’s journey, and the cadence of the text echoes the music of a flute....” (CR)

 

Adkins, Jan. El joven Zorro: La marca de hierro. (Young Zorro: The Branding Iron) tr. by Zorro Productions. U.S.: Rayo: HarperCollins, pap. $6.99.
( 978-0-06-115378-5)

(gr 4-8) “Based on the novel Zorro, by Isabel Allende...southern California ...still under Spanish rule, Diego de la Vega ...young cowboy on his father’s impressive ranch. ... When numerous cattle, along with some of the area’s most esteemed craftsmen inexplicably disappear from the community, Diego and Bernardo begin to investigate and slowly piece together the puzzle...translation is superb; and the organized narrative structure provides an enjoyable account...” (CR)

Gispert, Carlos, ed., et. al. Atlas geográfico universal. (Comprehensive Geographic Atlas of the Earth) Spain/U.S.: Océano, $82.00 with CD-ROM (84-494-3073-9)
          (Gr 8+) “... up-to-date volume ... physical geography ... sociopolitical divisions ...overview of the Earth’s geological formation, each continent is covered by areas. ...A detailed physical and political map illustrates each section...information for each country ... abundant text is readable and informative if a bit dry; and the layout is attractive... serviceable two-page index leads the reader to a specific country or area...easy-to-navigate CD-ROM, a map of a country can be accessed by clicking on the image of the country on the world map; and moving the cursor over a map allows access to various areas for closer inspection...” (CR)

 

Rosinsky, Natalie M. Imanes.(Magnets) tr. by Sol Robledo. illus. by Sheree Boyd. U.S.: Picure Window Books (Ciencia asombrosa), $23.93 (978-1-4048-3220-6)

 La energía.(Energy) (978-1-4048-3213-8)

 

Stille, Darlene R. La materia (Matter)  (978-1-4048-3221-3)
           (gr 3-5) “... great source for budding scientists, these eye-pleasing volumes are filled with information...texts are...concise and lively ... vividly explain difficult concepts in physical science ...attractive and colorful illustrations...explain the difficult concepts making them less abstract. ... perfectly suited for inquisitive children...” (CR)Maldonado,

Premier M. market-mercado. tr. by author. illus. by author. U.S.: Osmosis, $5.99 (0- 9727886-0-3).
          house-casa.
          (PreS) “...two chunky board books ...simple images...stand out on the white background...English and Spanish words are spelled out next to each other in a large, clear font... illustrate objects and people that toddlers begin to identify as they acquire language... basic design will captivate the very young...” (CR)