August 2008

The Indianhead Federated Library System presents

Starred Reviews

New and Notable Books for Young People

August 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

Recordings

Picture Books

Bataille, Marion. ABC3D. Roaring Brook/Porter, $19.95 (978-1-59643-425-7)

(all ages) “…jazzy use of a red, white and black color scheme…hand-size French alphabet book…stylish as a pop-up can be. Letters here not only pop up, they move and transform…tricks the eye…many letters are three-dimensional…”(PW)

Breathed, Berkeley. Pete & Pickles. Philomel, $17.99 (978-0-399-25082-8)

(PreS-K) “A pig named Pete…Pickles, the runaway circus elephant…possesses the joie de vivre of Auntie Mame…takes Pete swan-diving off Niagara Falls and sledding down the Matterhorn…increasingly game…emotional rollercoaster of a story, complete with a gripping life-or-death climax…” (PW)

Carter, David A. Yellow Square. S&S/Little Simon, $19.99 (978-1-4169-4093-7)

(PreS-up) “…overture to exploring art…yellow square hides in plain sight or within the paper engineering on each spread…Captions are variously enigmatic… primary colors, black and white…[pop-up]…Not all the spreads are equally impressive, but the best are dazzlers.” (PW)

Foreman, Jack. Say Hello. Illus. by Michael Foreman. Candlewick, $15.99 (978-0-7636-6357-9)

(PreS-gr.1) “A lonely dog wanders through a town…comes upon a crowd of children playing with a ball…makes new friends…lonely boy stops to watch them play. Suddenly, the dog approaches and draws him into the group… ‘When someone’s feeling left out, low/ it doesn’t take much to say…Hello!’…sensitivity of its delivery…spare and clean…only one or two words appear on many of the double-page spreads…short and simple enough for beginning readers as well.” (BL)

Gorbachev, Valeri. Turtle’s Penguin Day. Knopf/Borzoi, $19.99 (978-0-375-94564-9)

(PreS-gr.1) “…young turtle…father reads a bedtime story about penguins…puts on his grandfather’s black jacket over his head and waddles off to school, book in tow…teacher…encourages the class…imitating their role models…fantasy continues through the youngster’s evening routines—until his dad opens a volume on monkeys. Cheerful watercolors…matter-of fact narrative…nurturing tale celebrates the inspiration and information found in books…design and content are one.” (SLJ)

Gravett, Emily. Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears. Simon & Schuster, $17.99 (978-1-4169-5930-4)

(PreS-gr.3) “…winsome mouse protagonist has cornered the market on anxieties…format of a scrapbook…virtually encyclopedic list of fears…plenty of space for Little Mouse’s response…flap, gatefold…amusing…kids will feel that a chord as been struck…” (PW)

Grey, Mini. Traction Man Meets Turbodog. Knopf, $16.99 (978-0-375-85583-2)

(PreS-gr.3) “…much-lauded superhero is back…after a dramatic climb to the top of Mt. Compost Heap, Traction Man’s faithful pet, Scrubbing Brush, has disappeared… Rescuing Scrubbing Brush will take everything Traction Man’s got—as well as the help of the annoying robot Turbodog, a trio of naked fashion dolls and a big bottle of household cleaner of Germo…prose…is a joy to read aloud…transforming an ordinary household into both thrilling stage and supporting cast…” (PW) (SLJ)

Hesse, Karen. Spuds. Illus. by Wendy Watson. Scholastic, $16.99 (978-0-439-87993-4)

(PreS-gr.3) “…poverty…so romantic…nostalgic book, narrated by the middle of three fatherless children…ma leaves to work the night shift…sneak out to glean potatoes left on a neighbor’s field after the harvester has been through it…leans on readers to appreciate…use of language…art roots this story pleasingly…carries with it a moral…Together, the story and pictures create an appetite, then satisfy it.” (PW)

Hest, Amy. The Dog Who Belonged to No One. Illus. by Amy Bates. Abrams, $15.95 (978-0-81099436)

(PreS-gr.1) “…Lia and a small alley dog…touching story…friendly dog…no one ever pays him much attention. Lia is a lonesome girl…fierce storm propels the two toward a serendipitous meeting…artwork is homey and handsome….little pup is irresistibly, almost heartbreakingly cute…simple and eloquent story…” (BL) (SLJ)

Kimmelman, Leslie. Everybody Bonjours! Illus. by Sarah McMenemy. Knopf, $19.99 (978-0-375-944-437)

(PreS-gr.2) “…delightful tour of Paris…cheery…artwork is stylishly rendered…quintessentially French backgrounds…brief rhymes are tightly rendered but cleverly worded…clever ending…” (BL)

Lund, Deb. Monsters on Machines. Illus. by Robert Neubecker. Harcourt, $16 (978-0-15-205365-9)

(PreS-gr.2) “…rhyming story about a team of ghoulish monsters who ride bulldozers and cranes…has just about everything a child could hope for…plot is uncomplicated—a crew of monsters builds a “Custom Pre-haunted” house and then cleans up…bright, digitally colored…pictures of the work-monsters…reminiscent of…Wild Things…electric palette…” (PW)

McDonald, Megan. The Hinky Pink. Illus. by Brian Floca. S & S/Atheneum/A Richard Jackson Book, $16.99 (978-0-689-87588-5)

(gr. 2-4) “Anabel is a seamstress in Old Italy who dreams of making a dress worthy of a princess…princess gives the girl one week…Locked in the tower sewing room, Anabel finds the finest silk, chiffon, and crepe…also shares the room with a Hinky-Pink that pinches her at night…makes sleep impossible…nursemaid advises her to make the Hinky-Pink a bed of its own…Flawless storytelling melds with…joyous art…” (SLJ) (PW)

McDonnell, Patrick. South. Little, Brown, $14.99 (978-0-316-00509-8)

(PreS-gr.3) “…sole sounds are birdsong, weeping, and snoring; the only words appear on signs: ‘South’ and ‘Walk.’…fall… nearly bare tree…birds lift off, and as the pages turn, the last leaf drops, bonking a slumbering bird on the head…utterly convincing panic conveyed…expressive watercolors…enter Mooch…leading and carrying his young charge…tender, compact story…” (SLJ)

McNamara, Margaret. The Whistle on the Train. Illus. by Richard Egielski. Hyperion, $18.99 (978-0-7868-4890-4)

(PreS) “…great concept, handsomely executed…lavish but resilient paper engineering…plenty of repetition…lyrics are easy to learn…extra-sturdy paper stock…pop-ups…multidimensional renderings of…cheery cartoons…” (PW)

Sutton, Sally. Roadwork. Illus. by Brian Lovelock. Candlewick, $15.99 (978-0-7636-3912-9)

(PreS-K) “No construction detail is ignored…rhythmic read-aloud…extensive use of action verbs and onomatopoeic exclamations…Angular road lines…many multiethnic workers…attractive ink illustrations…picture glossary…” (SLJ)

Wheeler, Lisa. Boogie Knights. Illus. by Mark Siegel. S & S/Atheneum/A Richard Jackson Book, $16.99 (978-0-689-87639-4)

(gr. 1-5) “There’s a shindig brewing at the castle one night, as werewolves, zombies, mummies…Madcap Monster Ball…seven sibling knights…actually fast asleep. One by one, each warrior is stirred by the commotion and leaves his post to check out its cause—only to find himself joining in the fun and dancing the night away…rhythmic text…taut rhymes, alliteration and vivid images…lively zeal…worthy of repeated readings…sophisticated, graphic-novel-style artwork…demands a second look…” (SLJ)

Winter, Jeanette. Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa. Harcourt, $17 (978-0-15-206545-4)

(PreS-gr.2) “Wangari Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner…30 million trees in Kenya…eloquent picture biography…introduces Wangari as a child…tightly focused text moves quickly without sacrificing impact…study in the U.S, and when she returns after six years, she’s stunned…veritable wasteland…plants seedlings…inspires thousands of others…to emulate her…images appear in framed, same-size squares…as Wangari’s movement grows the activities within each frame multiply…” (PW)

Willey, Margaret. The Three Bears and Goldilocks. Illus. by Heather Solomon. S & S/Atheneum, $16.99 (978-1-4169-2494-4)

(PreS-gr.3) “Set in ‘the farthest reaches of the far north’…plucky lass…bears’ messy cabin, which she sweeps clean…bears…take pity…but Goldilocks reacts with fear…rustic feel…satisfying read-aloud offers a new twist on an old favorite.” (SLJ)

Juvenile Fiction

Gaiman, Neil. The Graveyard Book. HarperTeen, $18.89 (978-0-06-053093-8)

(gr. 5-8) “An assassin creeps upstairs to murder the only survivor of a slaughtered family…baby boy…has climbed from his crib…toddling into a nearby graveyard…ghostly Mrs. Owens…determines to adopt him…baby, formally named Nobody Owens, is voted the freedom of the graveyard…thrives…ghostly talents…stumbles into frightening adventures in this world and another…charm and humor…Readers will quickly begin to care about Bod…brilliantly inventive…conclusion is satisfying, but it leaves room for a sequel…” (VOYA 4Q5P)

GN Hale, Shannon and Dean Hale. Rapunzel’s Revenge. Illus. by Nathan Hale. Bloomsbury, $14.99 paper (978-1-59990-288-3); $18.99 hc (978-1-59990-070-4)

(gr. 5 and up) “…fairy-tale version of the Wild West…Rapunzel…lives like royalty with witchy Mother Gothel, but defies orders, scaling villa walls to see what’s outside—a shocking wasteland of earth-scarring mines and smoke-billowing towers…recognizes a mine worker…her birth mother…brief reunion sets the plot in motion…Rapunzel uses her brick-red braids first to escape, then…knock out the villains…new sidekick Jack (of Beanstalk fame)…artwork demands close viewing…” (PW)

Klages, Ellen. White Sands, Red Menace. Viking, $16.99 (978-0-670-06235-5)

(gr. 5 and up) “Picking up a year after the close of The Green Glass Sea…Suze and Dewey…living near Los Alamos…Suze’s scientist parents, who with Dewey’s late father had helped build the atom bomb…Suze’s mother has begun organizing scientists against war…father throws himself into his work…tense drama weaves family conflict with difficult political history…gift for opening moral dilemmas to middle-graders… includes (and sources) just enough information to engage her readers without distracting from her characters’ emotional lives.” (PW)

Martin, Ann M. and Laura Godwin. The Runaway Dolls. Illus. by Brian Selznick. Hyperion, $16.99 (978-0-7868-5584-1)

(gr. 3-7) “A fantasy with one foot in reality…third adventure…mismatched team of antique porcelain Annabelle Doll and contemporary plastic plaything Tiffany… running away from home…Regretting their decision…land in the toy department of a large store…new danger—being sold to separate owners…Characters and their exploits are fresh…opens with a narrative sequence…shaded b&w pencil drawings, which lure readers into the story…lush illustrations…Fast-paced, satisfyingly developed…” (PW)

Nix, Garth. Superior Saturday. Scholastic, $17.99 (978-0-439-70089-4)

(gr. 6-8) “…sixth installment…Keys to the Kingdom…no-longer-quite-human hero, Arthur…up against the great sorceress Superior Saturday…Complicating Arthur’s quest…is his desire to return to Earth in time to prevent his home from being destroyed by a nuclear weapon…extraordinarily complex back story…new readers would be best advised to begin with the first book in the series, Mister Monday…cockeyed word play, creative plotting, and general all-around strangeness…” (VOYA 5Q4P)

Pearsall, Shelley. All Shook Up. Knopf, $18.99 (978-0-375-93698-2)

(gr. 5-9) “…thirteen…Josh Greenwood… Chicago to stay with his father…when his father picks him up at the airport (late) with new, big black hair and sideburns. Josh is mortified…Elvis impersonator…myriad priceless asides…desperation to hold on to a semblance of the popularity he enjoyed in Boston…affecting story…typical, clever…very funny…terrifically engaging…will appeal…regardless of gender.” (VOYA 5Q4P)

Riordan, Rick. The Battle of the Labyrinth. Hyperion/DBG, $17.99 (978-1-4231-0146-8)

(gr. 6-12) “Half-blood Percy Jackson undertakes another perilous quest in the fourth book of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. The army of the evil Titan Lord Kronos…plans to crush Camp Half-Blood and then Mount Olympus itself. Percy and friends…must brave the Labyrinth…ingenious method of integrating Greek mythology with the modern world…exhilarating action, droll humor, and captivating intrigue…plots and subplots are wonderfully planned…few twists toward the book’s end…budding love triangle…well-crafted…” (VOYA 4Q5P)

Rutkowski, Marie. The Cabinet of Wonders: The Kronos Chronicles, Book I. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $16.95 (978-0-374-31026-4)

(gr. 5 and up) “…heady mix of history and enchantment…multilayered version of late-16^th-century Bohemia, magicians coexists with peasants and courtiers… gypsies…fate of Europe hangs on the schemes of an evil prince…quick-thinking, fearless…Petra navigates her way past sorceress countesses, English spy magicians… Infusion of folklore…don’t slow the fast plot but more deeply entrance readers.” (PW)

Seidler, Tor. Gully’s Travels. Illus. by Brock Cole Scholastic/diCapua, $16.95 (978-0-545-02506-5)

(all ages) “Gulliver, an affable but snobbish Lhasa Apso, lives at a fashionable Manhattan address…trips to Paris…his professor enjoys a nightly tête-à-tête with the beautiful Madeline…who is allergic to long-haired dogs. When Madeline accepts the professor’s marriage proposal, Gulliver is dispatched to live at the doorman’s ‘tasteless, overcrowded’…apartment…cunningly retraces his steps, first to Manhattan, then to Paris…real journey takes place in his heart…well-modulated comic prose…expressive canines in fluid line drawings…” (PW)

Non-fiction

Falling Hard: 100 Love Poems by Teenagers. Betsy Franco, Ed. Candlewick, $15.99 (978-0-7636-3437-7)

(gr. 9-adult) “…holds secrets almost too intimate to share, emotions too raw to expose…tortured, timeless poetry…Brutally honest, achingly tender…erotic, sibilant, and sexy. Relationships range from heterosexual to homosexual and bisexual attraction …each piece speaks with the same honesty and emotional clarity. Eloquent and evocative, this anthology deserves a place on every high school and public library shelf…may prompt controversy…but to refuse them exposure rejects the very essence of youth and love…” (VOYA 5Q4P)

Farris, Christine King. March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World. Illus. by London Ladd. Scholastic, $17.99 (978-0-545-03537-8)

(gr. 4-7) Describing the 1963 March on Washington…older sister of Martin Luther King Jr…deft touch and down-to-earth perspective…plain language and well-chosen facts to explain her brother’s extraordinary achievements…description of his writing of the classic ‘I have a dream’ speech…skillfully embeds facts about march’s goals, the participants and the period…rare talent for portraiture—even the faces in his crowd scenes are individuated…King looks human—in other words, capable of inspiring the reader.” (PW)

Fradin, Judy & Dennis Fradin. Earthquakes. (Witness to Disaster Series). National Geographic, $26.90 (978-1-4263-0212-1)

(gr. 4-6) “…readable and attractive title gives an excellent historical perspective on this topic…causes of earthquakes…seismology and plate tectonics…five most deadly aspects of the disasters…notable historic quakes…scientists’ efforts at prediction…good writing and excellent graphics…” (SLJ)

Hart, Christopher. Manga for the Beginner: Everything You Need to Start Drawing Right Away! Watson-Guptill, $21.95 trade pb (978-0-8230-3083-5)

(gr. 6-12) “…excellent introductory manual for the beginning and intermediate manga artist…detailed and easy-to-follow instructions …all aspects of typical fare… different ages and sizes…animals, supernatural creatures, and monsters…poses, facial expressions…common characters…concise language and through clear illustrations how to use lettering, lighting effects, and other techniques to achieve a certain mood… sequential paneling…landscapes…” (VOYA 4Q5P)

Lewis, J. Patrick and Paul B. Janeczko. Birds on a Wire. Illus. by Gary Lippincott. Boyds Mills/Wordsong, $17.95 (978-1-590-783-832)

(gr. 2-4) “…Japanese verse form…renga…two or more poets take turns, each playing off the previous verse…narrative is propelled in constantly new and surprising directions…switching voices gracefully and leaping from concrete imagery that works in concert with the artwork to verses that carry more abstract ideas that will fire imagina-tions…two-page spreads offers visual clues…vantage point sweeps and soars … captivating details…impeccable synthesis of text and image…insightful and visceral…” (BL)

Penner, Marv. Hope and Healing for Kids Who Cut: Learning to Understand and Help Those Who Self-Injure. Zondervan, $9.99 trade pb (978-0-310-27755-2)

(gr. 7-12) “…guide to help teens and the people…who are trying to help them…Written with honesty and compassion…clearly explains self-injury…delineates concrete ways to identify and treat this behavior…’faith-based’…frequently cites biblical passages…but does not proselytize…sound psychological counseling theories and methods that will benefit readers regardless of religious belief…specific signs… appendix…useful…” (VOYA 5Q2P)

Pouy, Jean-Bernard. The Big Book of Dummies, Rebels, and Other Geniuses. Illus. by Serge Bloch. Enchanted Lion, $19.95 (978-1-59270-103-2)

(gr. 7-12) “…ideal for teens who are wondering what will become of their lives …wide variety of biographical sketches of famous names…Charlie Chaplin…Albert Einstein…little-known details as a way of reminding the reader that no matter how famous, people are the same…will take a little pushing, but once in the reader’s hands, it will sell itself.” (VOYA 5Q3P)

Siversten, Linda and Tosh Siversten. Generation Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Living and Eco-Friendly Life. Simon & Schuster, $10.99 trade pb (978-1-4169-6122-2)

(gr. 6-12) “…a change in thinking about one’s ecological footprint is a fun challenge that is also cool…start where you are and go where you can…every aspect of modern teen life…one can continue a fun, busy life and still be socially responsible… Each page is chock-full of creative fact-based techniques and websites…highlights several celebs…inspirational teens…green efforts…hip language…delightful, important guide…” (VOYA 5Q4P)

Winchester, Simon. The Day the World Exploded: The Earthshaking Catastrophe at Krakotoa. Adapted by Dwight Zimmerman; illus. by Jason Chin. HarperTeen, $22.99 (978-0-06-123982-3)

(gr. 6-9) “…fascinating adaptation of the author’s best-seller…1883 volcanic eruption to the disciplines of history, geology, communications, politics, religion and art…first international event reported over the…undersea telegraph…studied by scientists in the modern world…global consequences…Even the sunset colors in artist Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream were influenced by the global dust…still serves as a laboratory for scientists studying life after an eruption…prolific illustrations… photographs…interesting and highly readable text.” (VOYA 5Q4P)

YA Fiction

Dowd, Siobhan. Bog Child. Random/David Fickling, $19.99 (978-0-385-751-704)

(gr. 8-11) “While cutting peat in the Irish hills, Fergus…and his uncle discover a body preserved by the bog. Archaeologists…Fergus starts to dream about the past of the bog child…mysterious death…1980s troubles of Northern Ireland…history…may need fleshing out…plotlines are braided together…rich in language, setting and theme… magical realism…budding romance…” (BL) (SLJ)

Gray, Claudia. Evernight. HarperTeen, $17.89 (978-0-06-128443-4)

(gr. 9-12) “Evernight Academy is the last place Bianca wants to be…other students seem perfect…Bianca soon makes friends with two of the newly admitted students…Lucas and Raquel, who would rather read in the library than party in the woods…holds some ancient secrets…apparent from the outset that it is a vampire novel, there are sufficient twists and turns in the plot…peer pressure…coming-of-age…open ending…” (VOYA 4Q5P)

GN Hosler, Jay. Optical Allusions. Active Synapse, $20 (978-0-9677255-2-9)

(gr. 6-12) “…wonderful blend of fictional humor and factual information about the evolution and makeup of the human eye, Wrinkles the Brain…works for three sisters who use a magical eye…Each chapter explores something about the eye…filled with characters from history and literature…Through it all, readers will laugh and learn with Wrinkles…artwork is cartoony and fun…” (VOYA 5Q2P)

Jimènez, Francisco. Reaching Out. Houghton, $16 (978-0-618-038-510)

(gr. 7-12) “…1960s…Jimènez is the first in his Mexican American migrant family to attend college…While at home, the family struggles with backbreaking work and lives without indoor plumbing; in college, Jimènez finds friends and mentors…great literature…joins Cèsar Chàvez…fictionalized autobiographies…self-contained chapters that join together in a stirring narrative…continuing struggle to make it in America… Never melodramatic or self-important…” (BL)

Lanagan, Margo. Tender Morsels. Knopf, $19.99 (978-0-375-948-114)

(gr. 10-12) “After a horrific upbringing, 15-year-old Liga and her two daughters are magicked away into another world…utterly safe and free from surprise. In time…the old world intrudes…must face a painful reunion with reality…good and evil…touches on nightmarish adult themes…most mature readers…preternatural command of language… absolute, startling clarity…blur the line between wonder and horror…challenging, unforgettable…” (BL)

Marston, Elsa. Santa Claus in Baghdad and Other Stories About Teens in the Arab World. Indiana University Press, $15.95 (978-0-253-22004-2)

(gr. 6-12) “…stories about Middle Eastern teens…brutal treatment of women…plight of Palestinian refugees in Lebanese camps…offers a realistic portrait of the Middle East that mixes possibility and bleakness in equal measure.”(VOYA 5Q4P)

Martin, C.K. Kelly. I Know It’s Over. Random, $16.99 (978-0-375-84566-6)

(gr. 9 and up) “…16-year-old Nick receives a surprise visit from his ex-girlfriend, Sasha: she’s pregnant. Still hurt from their recent breakup…emotionally complex and disarmingly frank coming-of-age tale…Nick reviews his relationships, confronts his drives and how he controls them…good at writing about sex. Nick is believably awkward, Sasha more mature…defines each feeling…Sasha recuperates from an abortion…” (PW)

McClintock, Norah. Dooley Takes the Fall. Red Deer Press, $12.95 trade pb (978-0-88995-403-8)

(gr. 7-12) “Even though Dooley has kept to a strict routine…when he is the witness to the suicide of classmate Mark Everley, he knows that he will come under suspicion because of his police record…did not admit to sharing a past with Everley right away…When Dooley is doped at a party…loses any credibility…only hope for the future is to discover what actually happened, no matter what the consequences…involving character…builds to a satisfying climax…” (VOYA 5Q4P)

Pratchett, Terry. Nation. HarperCollins, $17.89 (978-0-061-433-023)

(gr. 7-10) “A tidal wave wipes out the population of a small island—except for Mau…wave also sweeps up a sailing ship carrying Daphne, an English girl, up onto the island…Mau finds her…learn to communicate…building a community of survivors… Daphne applies her nineteenth-century knowledge of science and history to the many puzzles she discovers in this unfamiliar place…strips away the trappings of two very different nations to consider what it is people value and why…Quirky wit and broad vision…fascinating survival story on many levels.” (BL) (PW)

Reeve, Philip. Here Lies Arthur. Scholastic, $16.99 (978-0-545-093-347)

(gr. 7-10) “Powerfully inventive…story of King Arthur from a fresh perspective…Readers first glimpse Gwyna…hiding…from a marauding band of brutes led by Arthur…Merlin figure…disguises her…Gwyna takes part in or observes many significant scenes…many traditionally esteemed characters are revealed as unworthy, and some reviled ones are shown as heroic…supernatural elements…are shown to be mere conjuring tricks…most magical power…creative storytelling that shapes history into legend…” (BL)

Schumacher, Julie. Black Box. Delacorte, $15.99 (978-0-385-90523-7)

(gr. 7 and up) “Lena…and her older sister, Dora…close…Dora is the moody but fun one…Lena the ‘needle that always pointed to steady.’…Dora is overcome by severe depression…characterizations are humane but shaded…Dora…uses their intimacy to pressure Lena to keep secrets that may be endangering her recovery…expert use of metaphor…sympathetic insight into the impact of depression on families…standout novel.” (PW) (SLJ)

Watkins, Steve. Down Sand Mountain. Candlewick, $16.99 (978-0-76363-8399)

(gr. 7-12) “In 1966, a white kid…small, segregated Florida mining town…racism is the norm, in himself, too. All Dewey, 12, wants is to fit in and have people like him…black shoe polish to dance in the local minstrel show, and the white bullies choose him as a target…father…runs for city council…classic loss-of-innocence story…simple, beautiful prose remains totally true to the child’s bewildered viewpoint…” (BL)

Wheatley, Nadia. Listening to Mondrian. Allen & Unwin, $11.95 trade pb (978-1-74114-875-6)

(gr. 9-12) “Powerful, compelling, and poignant…eight short sorties…Australian teens and their troubled family relationships….divided families…distinct characters coping with changed, problematic lifestyles…spare and sparse…engrossing… heartrending and humorous…will capture sophisticated adolescents and adults alike.” (VOYA 5Q4P)

White, Ellen Emerson. Feiwel & Friends, $9.99 paper.

The President’s Daughter (978-0-312-37488-4)

White House Autumn (978-0-312-37489-1)

Long Live the Queen (978-0-312-37490-7)

(gr. 7 and up) “What could be timelier than a series about a smart, savvy teenage girl whose tough-minded liberal mother is the first female president—no matter that the first three books were originally published in the 1980s?...removed anything that smacked of yesteryear and updated them with references to the Internet, cell phones…and other signs of life in the 21^st century. Gritty, witty and suspenseful…” (PW)

GN Wood, Don. Into the Volcano. Blue Sky/Scholastic, $18.99 (978-0-439-72671-9)

(gr. 6-8) “…Sumo and Duffy Pugg’s…long lost cousin named Come-And-Go—a massive, bald, Cambridge-educated, street-fighting champion…issues an invitation from their rich aunt to spend ten days with her in Kocalaha…soon after their arrival, the boys find themselves embroiled in a treacherous plot that involves entering an active volcano…edge-of-your-seat adventure…vivid colors and action-filled panels…visual format combined with nonstop action will keep reluctant readers and adventure fans turning pages to the very end.” (VOYA 5Q4P)

Books in Spanish/Bilingual Books

Gallego García, Laura. La emperatriz de los etèreos (The Empress of the Ethereal Kingdom). Alfaguara: Santillana, pap. $17.95 (978-958-704-674-8)
(gr 5-8) “… Bipa lives in a cold, dark world … constant blizzards and eternal snows…Aer… believes in the fairy tales of the Ethereal Kingdom… where suffering doesn't exist, and people never feel cold or hunger…Bipa thinks he is foolish and they constantly fight. … Bipa decides not to change and, remaining true to herself, is able to bring Aer back to The Caves. In the process, she discovers a startling truth about the Ethereal Kingdom and its Empress that shatters all hopes…” (CR)

Kasparavicius, Kestutis. Cosas que pasan cada dìa (Things That Happen Every Day)
tr. by Aloe Azid. illus. by Kestutis Kasparavicius. Thule Ediciones, dist. by IPG, $19.95 (978-849-647-335-5)
(gr. 3-5) “…36 short, quirky vignettes…twist everyday life, speaking from the point-of-view of inanimate objects and animals... Enamored by world inside a fridge, a cat tries to tell the machine how she feels. When she is ignored, she opens the door and consumes all its contents. … artwork that enhances the humor of the stories…whimsical, detailed, full-color acrylic illustrations … Spanish translation is clear and strong…” (CR)

Marin, Cheech. El capitàn Cheech. (Captain Cheech) tr. by Miriam Fabiancic. illus. by Orlando Ramírez. Rayo: HarperCollins, $16.99 (978-006-113-209-4)

(gr. 1-3) “…destined to be the Captain Underpants of the Latino world…this story of Cheech and his cheecharrones is funny, culturally relevant, and—most importantly—much needed in the genre…Cheech’s students turn the school bus into a sail boat and have a blast. Ramírez’s colorful illustrations add a sense of authenticity as the characters in the book resemble the inner city children we hardly see any books written about… will keep children rolling in laughter and thirsting for more…translation is excellent…” (CR)

Sàenz, Benjamin Alire. A Perfect Season for Dreaming/Un tiempo perfecto para sonar. Illus. by Esau Andrade Valencia. Cinco Puntos (Cosortium, dist.), $17.95 (978-1-933693-01-9)

(gr. 1-5) “…haunting work, part short story, part fable. Octavio Rivera, an elegant, white-haired grandfather…astonishing series of dreams…folk art illustrations lie somewhere between Frida Kahlo and Grant Wood…realizes that his beloved six-year-old granddaughter will understand…flood of images…elemental warmth and rhythmic storytelling.” (PW)

Smith, J. D. El mejor mariachi del mundo (The Best Mariachi in the World)
tr. by Raven Tree Press. illus. by Dani Jones. Raven Tree Press, $16.95 (978-1-887744-97-3)
(gr. 3 and up) “Gustavo was born to a family of Mariachis who play great music at weddings and parties. He wishes he could be part of the family band, but he can’t play any of their instruments and this makes him extremely sad…sings a melancholy song to release his frustration…he has a beautiful voice! … Finally, Gustavo is admitted into the family band and even told that he is “the best mariachi in the world.” Beautifully illustrated with bright, vibrant colors… Available in Spanish, English, and bilingual (English text sprinkled with Spanish terms) editions…” (CR)

Recordings

Book of a Thousand Days. By Shannon Hale. Narrated by Chelsea Mixon and a full cast. Full Cast Audio. Unabridged, 7 hours, 30 minutes, 6 CDs, $45 (978-1-934180-22-8)

(gr. 5-8) “When Lady Saren refuses to marry Lord Khasar, her father encloses her and her maid Dashti in a tower…seven years…escape…lives are endangered… resplendent as the voice of Dashti…singing voice…exotic sounding music that opens each chapter…One reader commented that she thought the audio was ‘better’ than the book…” (VOYA 5Q3P)

Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus. Written by Mary Shelley. Narrated by Simon Vance. Tantor Media, unabridged, 8 hours, 30 min. 7 CDs, $29.99 (978-1-400-10634-9)

(gr. 9-12) “…examines man’s inhumanity to man…series of letters to his sister, Robert Walton conveys the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who creates a creature from old body parts…experience and skill to this classic, infusing it with new life…Archaic language is made more accessible in the audio format…inclusion of a disk containing a PDF version of the unabridged book…” (VOYA 5Q2P)

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! By Laura Amy Schlitz. Read by Christina Moore and others. 1.5 hours. Recorded Books, CS, $30.75 (978-1-436-119-580); CD, $30.75 (978-1-436-119-634)

(gr. 5-8) “…2008 Newbery Medal winner features 21 dramatic narratives that introduce characters living in and near a medieval manor…outstanding audio production…expert narrators…interludes of sprightly period music…meticulously assembled cast is breathtakingly perfect…” (BL)

On the Wings of Heroes. Written by Richard Peck. Narrated by Lincoln Hoppe. Listening Library, Unabridged, 3 hours, 14 minutes, 3 CDs, $27 (978-0-7393-3883-4)

(gr. 5-8) “…young boy’s observations about World War II…Davy has an older brother training to be a fighter pilot…manages to capture the breathless excitement of Davy…voice reflecting the shadings…giddy to fearful to excitable…humor is subtle, narration is masterful…” (VOYA 5Q4P)

What-the-Dickens: The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy. Written by Gregory Maguire. Narrated by Jason Culp. Scholastic Audiobooks, Unabridged, 7 hours, 13 min. 6 CD library edition, $54.95 (978-0-545-04598-8)

(gr. 4-8) “When Dinah and her siblings are trapped in the middle of a major weather disaster…tale of the orphaned skibberee, What-the-Dickens…tooth fairies…story of What-the-Dickens escapades and Dinah’s family’s struggles are interwoven…accents that are slight by distinctive…” (VOYA 5Q4P)