June 2008

The Indianhead Federated Library System presents

Starred Reviews

New and Notable Books for Young People

June 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.

Bilingual/Books in Spanish

Audio

Video

Picture Books

Agee, Jon. The Retired Kid. Hyperion, $16.99 (978-1-4231-0314-1)

(PreS-gr. 3) “ ‘ It’s been a wonderful eight years…but I need a break,’ says Brian, exhausted from school, soccer and broccoli-eating…boards a plane to Florida… learns that retirement entails…looking at hundreds of snapshots…long documentaries on TV…early-morning yoga…and ‘prune juice smoothies.’…illustrations…ironically suggest a hushed relaxation antithetical to Brian’s energy level…decides to come out of retirement…Witty and fresh, yet not irreverent.” (PW)

Ashman, Linda. M Is for Mischief: An A to Z of Naughty Children. Illus. by Nancy Carpenter. Dutton, $16.99 (978-0-525-47564-4)

(gr. 1 and up) “…rascally aesthetic…abecedary of bad behavior…When Offensive Oscar refuses to wash…the pen-and-ink anti-hero is proffered what looks like a real bar of soap plus scrub brush from a real pair of hands; on the opposite page, a photo-collaged pair of splayed legs…adds comic verisimilitude to the cliam that ‘One sniff of his odor and others pass out.’…tasty assonance and alliteration…mock-serious mood serves as a fine foil to the visual ruckus.” (PW)

Cooper, Ilene. Jake’s Best Thumb. Illus. by Claudio Muñoz. Dutton, $16.99 (978-0-525-47788-4)

(PreS and up) “…Kindergarten is on the horizon…Jake shows no indication of stopping his round-the-clock thumb-sucking…But when a kindergarten bully has everyone calling him a thumb-sucker…stakes have suddenly gotten much, much higher… never rushes…every word counts…emotional acuity is a perfect match for …watercolors…immediacy and empathy.” (PW)

Cyrus, Kurt. Tadpole Rex. Harcourt, $16 (978-0-15-205990-3)

(K-gr.3) “In a primordial swamp, ‘One little polliwog swirled in the soup/ bouncing off bubbles--/Bloop/Bloop/Bloop.’…development of one intrepid tadpole… image-rich, informational, and fun to read aloud…oversize artwork conveys information spectacularly…interesting perspectives of dinosaurs and the prehistoric environment… Note from the Author…additional background…exciting blend of science and literature…” (SLJ)

Fern, Tracey E. Buffalo Music. Illus. by Lauren Castillo. Clarion, $16 (978-0-618-72341-6)

(K-gr. 4) “…based on the actions of Mary Ann Goodnight, a pioneer who made great strides in saving the buffalo from extinction in the late 1800s…first person… alliterative descriptions of the sounds made by animals…hunters slaughter the creatures for profit…Molly…first native buffalo herd…sends yearlings to Yellowstone…lyrical text…folk-style artwork beautifully capture the ear and events…characters shimmer with vitality…perfectly suited to a young audience, clearly conveying the magnitude of the decimation and the importance of conservation efforts.” (SLJ)

Harris, Robie H. Mail Harry to the Moon! Illus. by Michael Emberley. Little, Brown, $15.99 (978-0-316-15376-8)

(PreS-gr.1) “New siblings will easily relate to the angst that baby Harry causes for his older brother…To restore his once peaceful household, the boy suggests a variety of solutions…One morning the house is strangely quiet, and the older sibling worries that his parents have actually sent helpless Harry into outer space. Climbing in a laundry basket spaceship, he achieves a daring rescue. Strong visual punch lines bring the humor to life…Young listeners are sure to giggle…” (SLJ)

Henkes, Kevin. Old Bear. Greenwillow, $18.89 (978-0-061-552-069)

(PreS) “…picture-book celebration of simple, pure joy. All winter long, while snow falls outside his den, Old Bear lies silent…In his dreams…he’s an active explorer… When Old Bear finally wakes, he finds a glorious and very real spring world…nothing is superfluous. Every word, line, color choice, and composition element feels essential and fits beautifully into a common theme…elemental words and graceful pacing make this a perfect read-aloud for preschoolers…” (BL)

Hutchins, Hazel and Gail Herbert. Mattland. Annick, dist. by Firefly, $19.95 (978-1-55451-121-1)

(K-gr.2) “…eloquent and beautifully illustrated…Matt finds himself in yet another new home…begins to poke at the mud outside his house…beginning of a landscape. Bit by bit, a miniature world unfolds before Matt and readers, assisted by the timid offerings of neighborhood children…understated watercolors and an essential counterpart to…mature narrative, revealing the promise of new friendships before Matt himself realizes that he is no longer alone…Children may require the helpful commentary of an adult to fully appreciate this tale…” (SLJ)

Jeffers, Susan. My Chincoteague Pony. Hyperion, $16.99 (978-1-4231-0023-2)

(PreS-gr. 3) “…heartwarming story of a girl achieving her dream…kindness of the Virginia community dedicated to saving the Chincoteague Island ponies. When Julie doesn’t have enough money to buy a pony at the yearly auction, townspeople contribute their own money to make sure her months of hard work are rewarded…paintings… capture the beauty of island sunsets…do special justice to Julie’s breathless anticipation and initial disappointment…” (PW)

Keller, Laurie. The Scrambled States of America Talent Show. Holt, $16.95 (978-0-8050-7997-5)

(PreS-gr. 4) “…Who knew that the 50 states were such a bunch of hams…every possible kind of act, from Minnesota the Magician…State Impersonators (Tennessee and Wyoming form Oklahoma and then ask, ‘What’s up with this handle, anyway? I mean, what am I—a state or a frying pan?’)…snappy dialogue flows effortlessly…pictures’ energy never flags…” (PW)

Schaefer, Carole Lexa. Kids Like Us. Illus. by Pierr Morgan. Viking, $15.99 (978-0-670-06290-4)

(PreS-K) “…dramatic play of a multiracial group of children. Well-suited for its age group…captures the exuberant yet serious spirit of small children absorbed in play…minimal text…focuses on sounds, colors and a recurring response that defines the game at hand…illustrations…create a strong sense of collective make-believe.” (PW)

Voake, Charlotte. Tweedle Dee Dee. Score. Candlewick, $16.99 (978-0-7636-3797-2)

(PreS-gr.2) “…reveals the dainty signs of spring in watercolor and ink illustrations that accompany the traditional folk song, “The Green Grass Grew All Around.”…song’s music and lyrics fill the end pages…light touch and array of green shades convey the very breezes of the day…large spreads will ensure successful storytime sharing, even if you’re not a singer.” (SLJ)

Willems, Mo. The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! Hyperion, $14.99 (978-1-4231-0960-0)

(PreS-gr.3) “…fourth full-length romp…Pigeon…wants a puppy…NOW… argues his case so forcefully that a puppy appears… ‘The teeth! The hair! That wet nose!...I mentioned the teeth, right?’…Kids will love this perfectly paced picture book…” (SLJ)

Juvenile Fiction

Burg, Shana. A Thousand Never Evers. Delacorte, $15.99 (978-0-385-90468-1)

(gr. 4-7) “Set in rural Mississippi during the civil rights movement…racism and violence endured in an African-American community…Addie Ann Pickett…Caught between her mother’s rule to stay away from trouble and the call to take action…lives of two family members are at stake…frank, expertly modulated voice delivers an emotional wallop.” (PW)

Erdrich, Louise. The Porcupine Year. HarperCollins, $16.89 (978-0-060-297-886)

(gr. 4-7) “The struggle to survive provides the exciting action in this sequel to The Birchbark House…and The Game of Silence…1852…Omakayas, now 12…anguish of displacement…endures violent raids…comes close to starvation…for the first time, Omakayas hears her mentor’s childhood story—including the shocking brutality she endured…weaves in Ojibwa culture and language…celebration of life will move readers with its mischief, its anger, and its sadness…” (BL)

Forester, Victoria. The Girl Who Could Fly. Feiwel and Friends, $16.95 (978-031-237-4624)

(gr. 4-7) “…Piper McCloud…daughter of farmers...talent for flying. Homeschooled and kept away from outsiders, Piper is lonely. Finally, her parents let her go to a community picnic…terrifies the neighbors by flying up to catch a ball during a kids’ game…empathetic Dr. Letitia Hellion, who whisks Piper off to a secret school for kids with special talents…story soars…with enough loop-de-loops to keep kids uncertain about what will come next…Piper’s reactions always seem true…strong, lightly wrapped messages about friendship and authenticity…Give to fans of…The Mysterious Benedict Society.” (BL)

Golding, Julia. The Diamond of Drury Lane. (Cat Royal Quartet, Bk. 1) Roaring Brook, $12.50 (978-1-59643-351-9)

(gr. 6-8) “…Cat is a streetwise orphan living in the Drury Lane Theatre in 1790s London…budding friendships…are put to the test when she agrees to help safeguard the hidden treasure of the title…experiences a taste of political intrigue…liberal use of late-18^th-century phraseology adds charm and color…Cat and her friends are wholly three-dimensional…charming prose, exiting plot…” (SLJ)

Horvath, Polly. My One Hundred Adventures. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $19.99 (978-0375-9558-22)

(gr. 4-6) “Jane, 12, longs for adventures…Not too much happens at the beach where she lives…adventures do find Jane—but they come with people attached…relationship with preacher Nellie leads to a trip in a hot-air balloon…procession of possible fathers…high quirkiness quotient rests easily against Jane’s inner story with its honest, childlike core.” (BL)

Stadler, Alexander. Julian Rodriguez #1: Trash Crisis on Earth. Scholastic, $15.99 (978-0-439-91966-1)

(gr. 2-5) “First in…series…hybrid of fiction and graphic novel…Julian Rodriguez sits at his computer, typing furiously: ‘…sent me here to study the ways of these mini-brained Earthlings…’ ...stoically endured eight years of condescension, insults and mistreatment as a child in an Earthling home…wiry, kinetic draftsmanship… impossible to read this without laughing.” (PW)

Non-fiction

Arnosky, Jim. Wild Tracks!: A Guide to Nature’s Footprints. Sterling, $14.95 (978-1-4027-3985-9)

(gr. 2-6) “…infectious enthusiasm for nature…variations of tracks…the ways that the tracks of individual species can change and fool us…lets children in on… insiders’ tips with the amiable tone of a knowledgeable guide…artist’s signature paintings…precisely rendered animal. Pencil sketches of rows of tracks with measurements…life-size paintings of indented prints…Four fold-out pages…inviting format…promising premise that kids can find tracks, interpret them, and have a great time outdoors (SLJ)

Berne, Jennifer. Manfish: The Story of Jacques Cousteau. Illus. by Eric Puybaret. Chronicle, $16.99 (978-0-811-860-635)

(K-gr. 3) “…simple poetic language…lyrical and concise…luminous picture-book biography about Jacques Cousteau…few lines per page…twin passions for filmmaking and oceanic exploration…smooth-looking acrylic paintings…beautifully convey the sense of infinite, underwater space…no source notes.” (BL)

Fleischman, Sid. The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West. Greenwillow, $19.89 (978-0-061-344-329)

(gr. 5-8) “When Mark Twain first started giving speeches, the poster advertising them read, ‘Doors open at 7. The trouble begins at 8’…author…steamboat pilot, a journalist, a prospector, and a lecturer…an adventurer who didn’t mind a little trouble…doesn’t dwell on Twain’s best-known books…earlier years, showing how… myriad adventures became the building blocks for his stories…mingles deftly shaped research with snippets from Twain’s writings…Numerous illustrations…solid, well-sourced back-matter…” (BL)

Fradin, Dennis Brindell. Duel! Illus. by Larry Day. Walker, $16.95 (978-080-279-5830)

(gr. 3-6) “…even children who don’t know much about Aaron Burr…and Alexander Hamilton…will be hooked by this dramatic picture book account of their deadly quarrel…plainly states that both men were at fault. What the two had in common was a difficult childhood…stirring paintings…Tension builds for several pages before Hamilton is shot…words and art humanize the history for children…” (BL)

Krull, Kathleen and Paul Brewer. Fartiste. Illus. by Boris Kulikov. Simon & Schuster, $16.99 (978-1-4169-2828-7)

(PreS-gr. 3) “True story: a boy discovers he has an unusual command over the muscles in his intestines…Joseph Pujol…sensation of the legendary Moulin Rouge… rhyming quatrains…respectful of their audience’s curiosity…brassy palette and broad, earthy expressions reminiscent of vintage theatrical posters…consummate showmanship … joie de vivre…bohemian world…don’t-miss afterword…fans included…Sigmund Freud.” (PW)

McClafferty, Carla Killough. In Defiance of Hitler: The Secret Mission of Varian Fry. Farrar, $19.95 (978-0-374-382-049)

(gr. 7-12) “…young New York City journalist who secretly helped more than 2,000 refugees escape Nazi-occupied France blends exciting adventure with the grim history. Before the U.S. entered the war, Fry, 32, spent a year in Marseilles, using his relief organization as a cover for a hidden rescue operation that saved well-known artists, politicians, and scientists, including Marc Chagall…part of the story is how Fry chose the few to save…suspense of police raids…victims faced with extermination were not welcome in the U.S…draws heavily on Fry’s autobiography and his letters home… Photos are scattered throughout, and source notes and bibliography…” (BL)

Nobleman, Marc Tyler. Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman. Illus. by Ross MacDonald. Knopf, $16.99 (978-037-583-802-6)

(gr. 1-3) “…brings the young men behind the Man of Steel to a picture-book audience…compressed account of the partnership between nerdy high-school outcasts Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel…insights about superheroes’ cultural significance…hard to imagine a better sidekick for the text than MacDonald’s illustrations…capture the look of 1930s comics…bibliography…robust treatment does their story justice.” (BL

Rappaport, Doreen. Abe’s Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln. Illus. by Kadir Nelson. Hyperion, $16.99 (978-1-423-104-087)

(gr. 2-4) “…sweeping arc of Lincoln’s life…humble beginnings and his early political career…struggles to preserve the Union…free verse…echoes her narrative with prescient samplings of Lincoln’s words…makes the familiar face…exciting again…full range of emotion in the faces, especially the eyes…exceptional art…” (BL)

Reich, Susanna. Painting the Wild Frontier: The Art and Adventures of George Catlin. Clarion, $21 (978-061-871-470-4)

(gr. 7-12) “…handsome biography of nineteenth-century painter George Catlin, famous for his portraits of Native American life…lucid, detailed discussion of the artist …beautiful archival prints and photographs of his work…whites’ conflicting views of Indian peoples, then and now—especially the image of the ‘noble savage.’ Quoting extensively from Catlin’s letters and notes…champion the Indians’ cause, and to record their rich, vanishing way of life in all its diversity. At the same time, she never denies that Catlin exploited his subjects…” (BL)

Tanaka, Shelley. Amelia Earhart: The Legend of the Lost Aviator. Illus. by David Craig. Abrams, $18.95 (978-081-097-095-3)

(gr. 2-4) “…especially informative—and attractive…begins when Amelia is 11…as a college student who volunteered as a nurse’s aide during the First World War, she saw planes aplenty and caught the flying bug…1920s…found fame in the air…Tanaka writes with the sweep and excitement of an airplane climbing into the sky…Well sourced and well written…” (BL)

YA Fiction

Anderson, M.T. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, v. 2: The Kingdom of the Waves. Candlewick, $22.99 (978-0-7636-295-02)

(gr. 10-12) “…more awe-inspiring reinterpretations of America’s birth. After escaping the members of an Enlightenment college, Octavian, a teenage black slave, flees to the imperiled city of Boston…pose as loyalists to the Crown…joins a Loyalist navy regiment that promises freedom to African Americans…same graphic, challenging language…piercing exposè of our country’s founding hypocrisies…passionate questions, directly relevant to teens’ lives…will resonate strongly…” (BL)

Bodeen, S.A. The Compound. Feiwel & Friends, $16.95 (978-0-312-37015-2)

(gr. 7 and up) “…thriller that exerts an ever-tighter grip on readers. Eli, the 15-year-old son of a billionaire techno-preneur, has spent the last six years with his family in the massive underground shelter his father has built, knowing that nuclear war has destroyed the world he knows—and killed his grandmother and his twin brother, who couldn’t reach the compound in time…food supply shows signs of running out…begins investigating his father’s claims…true to life…uses clues planted fairly and in plain sight…breathless climax.” (PW)

Childs, Tera Lynn. Oh. My. Gods. Dutton, $16.99 (978-0-525-47942-0)

(gr 7 and up) “Phoebe Castro’s…widowed mother returns early from a Greek vacation, engaged to a man she’s just met and determined to whisk Phoebe off to the tiny Aegean island of Serfopoula…Plato’s Academy, now filled with the descendants of the Greek gods and goddesses…creativity in manipulating mythology…fun, fresh update… romantic island setting, snappy dialogue…effervescent, fast-paced read.” (PW)

Craig, Colleen. Afrika. Tundra, paper, $9.95 (978-0-8877-6807-1)

(gr. 7-12) “The riveting revelations of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission…are at the heart…political history is fused with one girl’s discovery of family secrets…Growing up in Canada, Kim, 13, has never known her father. Her mom, journalist…refuses to talk about him or about her South African home…goes to cover the TRC hearings for three months…finally meets her father and discovers why Riana, pregnant with Kim, ran away…gets the way things were for ordinary people…exactly right…ultimate message about forgiveness.” (BL)

Gardner, Sally. The Red Necklace. Dial, $16.99 (9978-0-8037-3100-4)

(gr. 7 and up) “Set during the French Revolution…epic and tautly plotted…romance and history, mystery and magic. Yann Magoza, an orphan, travels with entertainers who use supernatural powers in their act…read minds…cruel marquis’s brave daughter…heart-stopping climax…vivid, convincing pictures of the Revolution… Suspenseful, complex and haunting.” (PW)

Green, John. Paper Towns. Dutton, $17.99 (978-0525-478-188)

(gr. 9-12) “…Q. has known his neighbor, the fabulous Margo Roth Spiegelman, since they were two…a month before high-school graduation, she vanishes…begins discovering clues that seem to have been left for him…the more he and his pals learn, the more Q. realizes he doesn’t know…interconnectedness of imagination and perception… wonderfully witty…deeply thoughtful and insightful…superb stylist…voice perfectly matched to…amusing, illuminating material.” (BL)

Griffin, Paul. Ten Mile River. Dial, $16.99 (978-0-8037-3284-1)

(gr 7 and up) “…gritty, dialogue-heavy novel about two homeless boys. Ray and Josè, 14 and 15, have survived foster care and juvenile detention…hide out…New York City’s Ten Mile River park…stealing, working…Ray meets and falls for…Trini, who encourages both boys to go straight…choosing between Josè…and his own desires to make something of himself…language is tough but convincing, the setting authentic, the characters memorable…” (PW)

Hearn, Julie. Ivy. S&S/Atheneum, $17.99 (978-1-4169-2506-4)

(gr. 7 and up) “…seamy 19^th century London…ladies’ intended beneficiaries will be the orphan Ivy, a Pre-Raphaelite beauty…groggy on laudanum, an addiction she picks up very young…plenty of spunk to go around…A fast and absorbing read.” (PW)

Jocelyn, Marthe. Would You. Random/Lamb, $15.99 (978-0-375-83703-6)

(gr. 9 and up) “…Soon-to-be high school junior Natalie…older sister, Claire, is struck by a car and rendered comatose…Although the plot line sounds like that of a standard weeper, the author resists the urge to magnify emotions. Natalie reacts honestly …humanity in the author’s treatment affords the reader a sense both of grief and of peace.” (PW)

Johnson, Maureen. Suite Scarlett. Scholastic/Point, $16.99 (978-043-989-927-7)

(gr. 7-12) “The Hopewell Hotel…has fallen on hard times. Its proprietors, the Martin family…up to the four children…to keep things afloat. Enter one Mrs. Amy Amberson, a flamboyant, mysterious guest, back in New York after a long absence, with some clandestine motives…keeping the guest happy will test Scarlett’s ingenious mettle…utterly winning, madcap Manhattan farce…tight, wry dialogue…complex sibling relationship…” (BL)

Kephart, Beth. House of Dance. HarperTeen/Geringer, $16.99 (978-0-06-142928-6)

(gr. 7 and up) “…sharp, eloquent prose…probes the fear of loss…Abandoned by her father…emotionally distant from her mother…15-year-old Rosie spends much of the summer…with her terminally ill, widower grandfather…sets about throwing a dance party at her grandfather’s house. Poetically expressed memories and moving dialogue…” (PW)

McNish, Cliff. Angel. Carolrhoda, $16.95 (978-0-822-589-006)

(gr. 7-10) “…Freya has always wanted to be an angel. When she is eight, an angel visits her—which becomes the first of several long steps to hospitalization for delusions…fights her way back, enters high school…profound discovery: the angels she sees are real…British school story…melding the gritty ordinariness of everyday happenings with the magnificence of angels…descriptions…dazzle…readers are given much to ponder…” (BL)

Vail, Rachel. Lucky. HarperTeen, $16.99 (978-0-06-089043-8)

(gr. 7 and up) “…first of a trilogy about three sisters, 14-year-old Phoebe…and her two older siblings have been coached to view themselves and their uber-successful investor mother as Valkyries…Phoebe has joined her best friends to plan a lavish eighth-grade graduation party…mother gets fired abruptly for shady dealings, Phoebe is forced to think about money for the first time…gets the relationships exactly right…” (PW)

Books in Spanish/Bilingual Books

Alarcòn, Francisco X. Animal Poems of the Iguazù/Animalario del Iguazù. Illus. by Maya Christina Gonzàlez. Children’s Book Press, $16.95 (978-0-89239-225-4)

(gr. 3-6) “Located in northeastern Argentina, the Iguazù Falls is a natural wonder…subtropical rainforest…spreading deforestation is impacting the region…gives voice to 18 different animals, the land itself, and the people who vacation there…poems express hope, longing…life on a continuum, with each species filling a small niche…deep, vibrant, and arresting colors convey the great diversity and vivacity of rainforest life…” (CR)

Cumpiano, Ina. Quinito, Day and Night/Quinito, dìa y noche. Illus. by Josè Ramirez. Children’s Book Press, $16.95 (978-0-89239-226-1)

(K-gr.2) “…clever book of opposites. Beginning with his family’s wake-up habits…short and tall, young and old…deceptively simple text manages not only to compare the words, but to paint a reassuring portrait of a happy child in a loving…family …primitive artwork has a childlike directness…near flawless sense of composition and weighting…” (CR)

Gutièrrez, Carmen and Ana Cristina Lòpez Viñeula. Mi primer diccionario. (My First Dictionary). Illus. by Zocolate. Spain, Everest, dist. by Lectorum Pub., $19.99 (978-84-241-6843-8)

(gr. 1 and up) “Intended as a first dictionary…simple instructions on how to better find the information they seek…part of speech…simple, comprehensive definition is followed by a sentence that contextualizes the word…most of the definitions are accompanied by illustrations…charts, maps, photographs…diagrams…” (CR)

Heumann, Monika and Hans-Gunter Heumann. Historia de la mùsica para los niños. (Music History for Children). Tr. by Luis Gago. Illus. by Andreas Schurmann. Spain: Siruela, dist. by Anaya, $41.95 (978-84-9841-138-6)

(gr. 3 and up) “…encyclopedic volume summarizes the history of music from its ancient origins to the 20^th century…Clara and Federico travel via time machine to a particular era, learning about the life and music of that period…rare musical instruments …famous composers…traits of the music that characterized that period…biographical sketches…diagrams…relevant facts…Engaging, cartoonish watercolor and ink artwork …photos…” (CR)

Lujàn, Jorge. Colors!/ Colores! Tr. from the Spanish by John Oliver Simon and Rebecca Parfitt. Illus. by Piet Grobler. Canada: Groundwood, $17.95 (978-0-88899-863-7)

(K-gr.3) “…beautifully conceived and executed look at colors fuses minimalist, expressive poetry with exquisitely balanced watercolor paintings…harmony is the touchstone…poetry is just a tad better in the original Spanish…translators have done a solid job of keeping to the spirit of the original…great child appeal…” (CR)

Audio

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Written and read by Sherman Alexie. 4 hrs. Recorded Books, CD, $46.75 (978-1428-182-974)

(gr. 7-10) “Fourteen-year-old Arnold Spirit, a Spokane Indian, decides to leave the res and attend a predominantly white high school…idiosyncratic first-person voice… most distinctive feature…Alexie is the perfect choice to read his own story…somewhat elliptical speech pattern and somewhat hesitant pace, reflective of Arnold’s cognitive dissonance…makes up for the missing cartoons, sketches and caricatures in the printed text…unique reading style takes getting used to, those who persevere will soon find themselves inside the mind of a most unusual and remarkable teen…courageous, outrageous, and ultimately illuminated…” (BL)

Elijah of Buxton. Written by Christopher Paul Curtis. Read by Mirron Willis. 9 hr. Listening Library, CD, $55 (978-0-7393-64154)

(gr. 3-9) “…translates to a masterful audio…high literary quality and expert performance. Buxton…Canadian settlement of former slaves…viewpoint of Elijah Freeman…immediately captivates listeners…authentic dialect and syntax…Listeners hear every shade of emotion…restrained yet enthralling narration…concludes with author’s notes, read by Curtis.” (BL)

Once Upon a Time in the North. Written and read by Philip Pullman and a full cast. 2 hr. Listening Library, CD, $30 (978-073-936-700-1)

(gr. 7-10) “Set 35 years before The Golden Compass…first meeting of…Lee Scoresby and armored bear Iorek Byrnison…effectively uses several elements of classic westerns…outstanding audio performance…dialects match the characters…personalizes the text…essential purchase for audiobook collections.” (BL)

Sun, Moon, Stars, Rain. Written by Jan Cheripko. Read by Spencer Murphy and full cast. Full Cast, CD, $34 (978-1-934-180-143)

(gr. 10-12) “Danny Murtaugh’s life is at a crossroads. Drops out of college… falls in love with…single mom…local issues involving state takeover of undeveloped land…realizes his true torment is his unresolved grief over his father’s accidental death eight years ago…well-placed inflections and tones…convey….emotions and angst… Classical piano music accompanies the story…meaningful touch because Danny is an accomplished pianist…never disrupting the flow of the narrative…highly recommended...” (BL)

Video

Who Lives in the Sea? Library Video Company, DVD, $19.95.

(PreS-gr.4) “Meet Annie Crawley, a boat captain, underwater photographer, filmmaker…ocean environ-educator…Dive Into Your Imagination series…details the equipment and filming techniques…real ocean creatures…New Age keyboarding…eight menu choices in Spanish or English…dolphins, octopuses, and whales...enthusiastic voice-over…should inspire laughter, gasps…new generation of underwater explorers…”(BL)