VOLUME 4, NUMBER 3 OCTOBER JULY 2010 jlgmonthly

“A Junior Library Guild Selection” I can still vividly remember that fall morning way back at the beginning of my career when the mail carrier delivered an advance copy of my second book. With trembling hands, I ripped open the manila envelope and pulled out Gabriella’s Song. For several moments I simply gazed at its lovely cover, hopeful yet trepidatious. Would anyone even notice this little book, I wondered? After all, I was a brand-new author with absolutely no name recognition. And if by some stroke of luck someone did notice it, would they like it? Finally, my head still swirling with doubts and worries, I Candace Fleming, opened the book. There—like a miracle—on the front flap Guest Columnist were five little words: A Junior Library Guild Selection. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I could hardly catch my breath. A Junior Library Guild Selection?! I whooped and hooted with joy. Yes, those five words stand for so much—prestige, quality, high literary standards. But on that fall morning, they meant even more. I felt as if I’d just received a Valentine—a great big Valentine complete with foil heart and paper doily—from my friends at Junior Library Guild. They had sent me a token of their love and esteem. They had welcomed me with open arms into the fold of children’s authors. I clutched that book with those oh-so-wonderful five words to my chest, no longer worried about being noticed or being liked. If JLG had given Gabriella’s Song their stamp of approval, I knew all would be well. Over the years, Junior Library Guild has continued to send me Valentines—ten in all. I still whoop every time I receive one. I still hoot. And I’m still overjoyed, as well as deeply honored. You know, I really should send JLG some chocolates.

Inside this issue:

July Books ...... 2 Index of July Books ...... 32 Did You Know ...... 32 August Forthcoming Titles ...... 32

Junior Library Guild 7858 Industrial Parkway www.juniorlibraryguild.com • 866.205.0570 Plain City, OH 43064 PS PRIMARY SPANISH • GRADES KŽ3 JULY

Si le das un pastelito a un gato (If You Give a Cat a Cupcake)

by Laura Numero • illustrated by Felicia Bond

HarperCollins • ISBN: 9780061804311 • Dewey: E • 32 pp • 8" x 9" Scheduled Month: July 2010

"Si le das un pastelito a un gato, querrá ponerle con tes de colores." If you give a cat a cupcake, he’ll ask for sprinkles . . . and before you know it, you’ll be visiting dinosaurs at the museum! Find out why, in the Spanish version of If You Give a Cat a Cupcake. Full-color illustrations.

JLG REVIEWERS SAY:

Felicia Bond says, “The • ‰ e amusing chain of events will please readers of previous cat in If You Give a Cat a books and those new to the series. Cupcake is based on my tuxedo cat, Charlie. He • Felicia Bond’s adorable illustrations build on the text and o‹ er was a stray who didn’t lots of laughs. trust me very much at Ÿ rst; now he leaps onto • ‰ e book describes all of the cat’s actions as things he “will” do, my drawing table while I’m working, greets making it a perfect tool for teaching Spanish learners the future people at the door, and sleeps by my head tense. ‰ e simple text and clear illustrations make it easy to learn new at night. He’s Mr. Personality. vocabulary words. “I like to hide the names of people and pets in my artwork. Even when someone • A playful choice for reading aloud or reading alone. knows a name is there, it’s very, very hard to Ÿ nd! “On the beach page in If You Give a Cat a Cupcake, where Cat is lifting the pail full of seaweed and things he’s found, I hid the names of three of my cats: Fergus, Obo, and Alice. I also hid Mouse from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. “I Ÿ nd many ways to make my art personal to me. These are just a couple, and they make it fun.”

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: La primera luna llena de Gatita (Kitten’s First Full Moon) by Kevin Henkes Oso panda, oso panda, ¿qué ves ahi? (Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?) by Bill Martin Jr My Friends / Mis amigos by Taro Gomi

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Picture book. Main characters: A young girl; a cat. Genre: Fiction. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Spanish. Series: If You Give . . . Topics: Cats. Humor. Circular stories. Summary: A series of increasingly far- Patterns. Available at fetched events might occur if someone were Sensitive areas: None. juniorlibraryguild.com to give a cupcake to a cat.

2 jlgmonthly • JULY 2010 866.205.0570 JULY GRADES PreKŽK • KINDERGARTEN K

The Village Garage written and illustrated by G. Brian Karas

Christy Ottaviano • ISBN: 9780805087161 • Dewey: E • 32 pp • 9" x 10" Scheduled Month: July 2010

Spring means cleaning up sticks from winter storms and washing the trucks (and a water ’ ght!). Summer means patching potholes and painting road stripes (and a Fourth of July party with free rides on the front end loader!). All year round, no matter the weather, the workers at the Village Garage make sure the town runs smoothly and happily. Author’s note. Full-color illustrations created with gouache and acrylic with pencil.

JLG REVIEWERS SAY:

• A warm portrait of life in a small town and the village garage employees who take care of the community. • ‰ e focus on the seasons uni’ es the garage’s various functions into a simple narrative. • G. Brian Karas’s endearing illustrations have a childlike quality. And from the garage manager’s jaunty cowboy hat to a • ying snowball about to take a worker by surprise, the artwork is full of humorous, delightful details. • Featuring bulldozers, snowplows, and an “Elephant Truck,” this book is perfect for kids who like big machines. ‰ e text and art ably demonstrate what each truck does and why it’s integral to the town’s function.

G. Brian Karas says, “For one year I lived in a cottage that shared a driveway with the Village Garage, the municipal garage in the village of Rhinebeck in the Hudson Valley of New York. I knew right from the beginning that the crew started their days early. Soon my days began to revolve around their schedule. It was di¥ cult not to—my cottage rumbled every time a truck or some heavy machinery pulled in or out of the driveway. “My studio windows looked out at the garage. Throughout the year I got to see what the crew was up to. I began to recognize them and the kinds of vehicles they drove. Before I became neighbors with the garage, all I seemed to notice were the tra¥ c delays and detours, or the things that needed Ÿ xing. “But now when I drove around town and I would see what they were working on—road YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: repairs, leaf removal, anything that needed doing—I began to notice and appreciate the work Today and Today by Kobayashi Issa they did. Their days were determined by the seasons, and after living side by side with the illustrated by G. Brian Karas garage for a year, I became mindful of the seasons in a new way. And at night, after the Village Garage workers were gone for the day, I’d still be working, thinking about what kind of book to Who Made This Cake? by Chihiro Nakagawa write, not realizing for some time that the idea was right out my window.” Bird, ButterŽ y, Eel by James Prosek G. Brian Karas photo by William T. Ayton

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Picture book. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Genre: Fiction. Topics: Garages. Seasons. City and town Summary: Throughout the seasons the life. Road maintenance and repair. Lawn workers at the Village Garage are busy maintenance. Trucks. Storms. taking care of the town and its residents. Sensitive areas: None. Main characters: George, the boss at the Village Garage; Mike, John, Scott, Bob, Chris, Available at and Tony, all crew members. juniorlibraryguild.com

www.juniorlibraryguild.com JULY 2010 • jlgmonthly 3 P PRIMARY • GRADES KŽ1 JULY

A Balloon for Isabel

by Deborah Underwood • illustrated by Laura Rankin

Greenwillow • ISBN: 9780061779879 • Dewey: E • 32 pp • 8 1/2" x 11" Scheduled Month: July 2010

Graduation is in just two days, and the possums, the raccoons, and all the other animals are getting celebratory balloons. As for the porcupines, they’ll get . . . another bookmark. It’s not fair! Isabel and Walter decide that they will do (or wear) anything to show that Porcupines plus Balloons don’t have to equal Trouble. Full-color gouache illustrations.

JLG REVIEWERS SAY:

Deborah Underwood says that A Balloon for Isabel grew • Children will relate to Isabel’s frustrations with her school’s rules and admire her from the idea of a porcupine perseverance in ’ nding a solution on which her teacher and classmates can agree. who desperately wants • ‰ anks to minutely observed details, Deborah Underwood makes the characters’ a balloon—a seemingly impossible dream. “I wanted to capture that fascination with balloons realistic and contagious. Isabel, for one, longs to hear a single-minded yearning I remember from balloon’s “soft, thumpy sound” as it hits a ceiling. my own childhood. And what better object • A skewed but warm sense of humor marks Underwood’s writing. “If a balloon of desire than a shiny red balloon? “I love Isabel’s determination, and her popped on your quills, it would scare you,” Ms. Quill tells Isabel. Isabel clasps her refusal to accept the status quo. She’s hands, looks up innocently, and replies, “I am not scared of anything, except the right—it isn’t fair. Isabel resolves to Ÿ nd vacuum cleaner.” a solution, and despite setbacks, she succeeds.” • Laura Rankin’s bright color palette is the perfect complement to this sweet and original story. Laura Rankin says, “Whenever I’m illustrating another author’s work, I Ÿ rst fret and sketch and doodle until I Ÿ nd the characters. I know I’ve found them when they arrive on the page and I ‘fall in love.’ That’s what happened with A Balloon for Isabel. There were two scenes in particular: Isabel and Walter at lunch in the cafeteria and later, the two of them trying to wear pillows. When those two drawings took shape, the characters came alive (or should I say, ‘alove’?) for me .”

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Princess Hyacinth (the Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated) by Florence Parry Heide A Carousel Tale by Elisa Kleven Scaredy Squirrel at Night by Mélanie Watt

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Picture book. Main characters: Isabel; Walter; their teacher, Genre: Fiction. Ms. Quill. Summary: As graduation day approaches, Curriculum areas: Language arts. Isabel tries to convince her teacher that she Topics: Porcupines. Balloons. Schools. and Walter, both porcupines, should receive Graduation. Candy. Problem solving. Available at balloons on the big day just like the other Sensitive areas: None. juniorlibraryguild.com children.

4 jlgmonthly • JULY 2010 866.205.0570 JULY GRADES KŽ1 • PRIMARY P+

City Dog, Country Frog

by Mo Willems • illustrated by Jon J Muth

Disney-Hyperion • ISBN: 9781423103004 • Dewey: E • 64 pp • 10" x 10" Scheduled Month: July 2010

It’s City Dog’s ’ rst day in the country. He runs and runs as far and as fast as he can, until he spots something he’s never seen before sitting on a rock. It is Country Frog. “What are you doing?” City Dog asks. “Waiting for a friend,” Country Frog says with a smile. “But you’ll do.” Full-color watercolor illustrations.

JLG REVIEWERS SAY:

• A heartbreaking—and heart-mending—story about friendship, loss, and the Jon J Muth says, “One day Mo Willems’s life process. dog, Nelson, called me up and said that Mo • ‰ e shifting of the seasons color-codes each phase of City Dog and Country Frog’s had a story called City Dog, Country Frog. friendship, from the bright green of spring, when Dog and Frog meet, to the Nelson said he really wanted me to take a look at it. hushed blues and whites of winter, when Dog sits alone. “I said, ‘That’s great, but Nelson, why are • Jon J Muth’s beautiful watercolors capture both the lushness of the countryside and you calling me?’ the emotional life of the animals. “‘Well,’ he said, ‘there’s this very handsome dog in the story, and I really like • Melding a naturalistic style with your art, and I just wanted to put my two improbable interactions—Frog biscuits in and say you are deŸ nitely the throwing Dog sticks in a game of guy to illustrate the book.’ “I said, ‘Nelson, I really appreciate that, fetch; Frog placing a protective but are you sure?’ hand on Dog while Dog naps— “He said, ‘It’s a story with much pathos. Muth infuses his paintings with I laughed, I cried, I chased my tail. It really gentle humor. got me going, and I think you would do a good job. Besides that, I’m up for the part • A clean layout—text on the left of the dog, and if you were the one who page, art on the right—further drew it, I really think I have a chance at emphasizes the story’s bittersweet winning the Oscar™.’ simplicity. “So I read the story, and I thought it was terriŸ c. Even my cat, Ash, thought it was pretty good, and he doesn’t give praise often. I hope it’s as much fun and thought- provoking to read as it was for me to paint.”

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems Big Wolf & Little Wolf by Nadine Brun-Cosme

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Picture book. Main characters: City Dog; Country Frog. Genre: Fiction. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Summary: City Dog, new to the country, Topics: Seasons. Country life. Friendship. meets Country Frog, and they become Playing games. Loss. New friends. friends, playing games together every time Sensitive areas: None. they see each other, throughout the four Available at seasons. juniorlibraryguild.com

www.juniorlibraryguild.com JULY 2010 • jlgmonthly 5 E EASY READING • GRADES 1Ž3 JULY

Emma’s Poem The Voice of the Statue of Liberty

by Linda Glaser • illustrated by Claire A. Nivola

Houghton Mi³ in • ISBN: 9780547171845 • Dewey: 811/.4 • 32 pp • 7 3/4" x 11" Scheduled Month: July 2010

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free . . . Before Emma Lazarus wrote the ’ nal lines to her poem, the Statue of Liberty was known only as a gift of friendship from France to the United States. As Lazurus’s words grew famous and stirred the nation, the statue came to be seen as the mother of immigrants, her torch a lamp held out to welcome them. Further reading. Author’s note. Reproduction of “‰ e New Colossus.” Image of Emma Lazarus. Full-color illustrations in watercolor and gouache.

JLG REVIEWERS SAY:

• Free verse clearly, succinctly, and movingly introduces readers to a lesser-known but important woman in American history. • Claire A. Nivola’s paintings display remarkable speci’ city. ‰ e faces, fabrics, and backgrounds are all thoughtfully detailed in lovely compositions that evoke both time and place. • An inspiring example of the power of the written word and how one individual can make a di‹ erence. • Stellar book-making, from the inclusion of the facsimile of Emma Lazarus’s handwritten poem on the endpapers to the clean design to the photographs of the author’s and illustrator’s immigrant ancestors that adorn the jacket • ap.

Linda Glaser says, “Since all four of my grandparents were immigrants, the Statue of Liberty and her bold words of welcome have always held particular meaning for me. I remember, as a young girl, looking up at the huge statue on a family trip and feeling the lines, ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses . . .’ pounding in my heart. I suspect that many people experience this—even those who have never heard of Emma Lazarus. I Ÿ nd it inspiring that one woman with her visionary poem has helped shape the hearts and minds of the American people. By giving the Statue of Liberty a strong and powerful voice, Emma Lazarus impacted the lives of countless immigrants—even to this day. I hope that now, young readers will be inspired not only by the poem but also by the strong, bold woman who wrote it.” www.LindaGlaserAuthor.com YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Elizabeth Leads the Way by Tanya Lee Stone Claire A. Nivola says that she studied photographs of early immigrants to America, which became “the inspiration for many of my illustrations. They are a moving and remarkable Louisa by Yona Zeldis McDonough record—far more eloquent than anything I could ever convey in my paintings! My own parents My Uncle Emily by Jane Yolen and maternal grandparents were immigrants to this country, although in a later wave of arrivals than those Emma was moved to write about. And so the story made me think of what they had experienced, and what generations of immigrants have experienced since the very beginnings of this country’s history.”

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Picture book. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Social Genre: NonŸ ction. studies. History. Main focus: In the 1880s, Emma Lazarus, a Topics: Emma Lazarus (1849–1887). Statue writer and poet from a wealthy background, of Liberty. New York City. Nineteenth- helped immigrants newly arrived in New century American poets. Women social York City. Her 1883 poem, “The New reformers. Jews. Immigrants. Poverty. Colossus,” written to help raise money for Sensitive areas: None. Available at the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal, inspired a juniorlibraryguild.com nation and became famous.

6 jlgmonthly • JULY 2010 866.205.0570 JULY GRADES 1Ž3 • EASY READING E+

Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum written and illustrated by Meghan McCarthy

Paula Wiseman • ISBN: 9781416979708 • Dewey: 664/.6 • 40 pp • 9" x 10" Scheduled Month: July 2010

During the 1920s, the Fleer Company built a lab inside their Philadelphia candy factory to work on a top-secret invention: gum that could blow bubbles. ‰ ere were beakers and pots and tubes of experimental batches . . . but not much progress. Soon the lab was ready to give up. Walter Diemer, an accountant who worked at Fleer, was not. Further information about Walter Diemer. Facts about gum. Sources. Photographs. Full-color acrylic-paint illustrations. Meghan McCarthy says, “As with all my nonŸ ction JLG REVIEWERS SAY: books, I hope the reader will learn something new but do so without knowing it. The • ‰ is tale of an unlikely inventor is colorful, both literally and ’ guratively. Walter best kind of learning is the Diemer’s hard work saved his company, made him famous, and brought excitement kind that is e¶ ortless. As my tagline touts— NonŸ ction That’s Fun!” to kids’ lives. As Meghan McCarthy tells his story, her art bursts with pink hues— Meghan McCarthy grew up in Rhode and some earthy brown tones for the early, experimental bubble gum batches. Island and lives in Brooklyn, New York. Pop! • ‰ e text is concise, entertaining, and informative, whisking the reader along is her third JLG selection. without skimping on necessary history. • ‰ e back matter contains many surprising facts about chewing gum, including that detectives can identify criminals by comparing their chewed gum to their dental records. Additionally, a brief biography expands on Walter Diemer’s remarkable life. • McCarthy’s characters’ large, round eyes instill them with a sense of wonder and friendliness that is contagious. Her light touch is also evident in funny details. For example, in her concise history of gum, she depicts otherwise digni’ ed ancient Romans, who chewed sap from the mastic tree, happily chomping on big wads of the stu‹ .

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Seabiscuit by Meghan McCarthy Steal Back the Mona Lisa! by Meghan McCarthy When Louis Armstrong Taught Me Scat by Muriel Harris Weinstein

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Picture book. Curriculum areas: Language arts. History. Genre: NonŸ ction. Topics: Bubble gum. Walter Diemer (c. 1905– Main focus: The true story of how Walter 1998). The Fleer Corporation. Perseverance. Diemer invented bubble gum in the late Inventions. Dubble Bubble. Available at 1920s. Sensitive areas: None. juniorlibraryguild.com

www.juniorlibraryguild.com JULY 2010 • jlgmonthly 7 I INDEPENDENT READERS • GRADES 2Ž4 JULY

How to Clean a Hippopotamus A Look at Unusual Animal Partnerships

by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

Houghton Mi³ in • ISBN: 9780547245157 • Dewey: 591.7/85 • 32 pp • 8" x 11 1/2" Scheduled Month: July 2010

“Why does a plover stroll into a crocodile’s mouth? And how does a turtle keep a hippopotamus clean?” ‰ is book looks at the strange and wonderful symbiotic partnerships between some unlikely animal pairs, from ravens and wolves that hunt together to the egrets that protect antelope and receive food in return. Additional information about symbiosis. Sizes, habitats, and diets of animals featured in book. Suggestions for further reading. Full-color cut- and torn-paper collage illustrations.

Steve Jenkins writes, “For a long time, JLG REVIEWERS SAY: Robin Page and I talked about making a nonŸ ction picture • In vivid illustrations and engaging text, Steve Jenkins and Robin Page present ’ fty- book in a graphic- novel format. At Ÿ rst, I think we were four animals—from the uncommon blind shrimp to the ordinary domestic dog— intrigued by the visual possibilities. We had in an inviting and thorough explanation of animal symbiosis. also been kicking around the idea of a book • ‰ e book is ’ lled with fascinating animal relationships such as the one between about animal symbiosis. As we researched the subject, we found many fascinating the Nile crocodile and the Egyptian plover, sometimes called the toothpick bird examples of symbiosis that weren’t typically because it eats tiny bits of meat that it plucks from the crocodile’s teeth. included in children’s books on the subject. • An eye-catching graphic-novel-style design. ‰ e collage artwork provides depth Since most symbiotic relationships involve some sort of back-and-forth interaction, and texture. the subject seemed perfect for a graphic • Readers who are already interested in animals and science will eagerly pick up this treatment incorporating sequences title, while the striking artwork and design give it broader appeal. of images. And there’s another thing. Somewhere around the fourth or Ÿ fth grade, many children leave picture books behind and progress to chapter books. This is a shame. At least that’s our (not entirely unbiased) opinion. We’ve speculated that the graphic-novel format might be appealing to older readers—kids who might not pick up a ‘typical’ picture book.”

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Living Color by Steve Jenkins Never Smile at a Monkey by Steve Jenkins Vulture View by April Pulley Sayre illustrated by Steve Jenkins

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Picture book. Topics: Social behavior in animals. Animal Genre: NonŸ ction. communication. Animal partnerships. Symbiosis. Mutualism. Parasitism. Main focus: A look at animal symbiosis. Commensalism. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Science. Available at Sensitive areas: None. juniorlibraryguild.com

8 jlgmonthly • JULY 2010 866.205.0570 JULY GRADES 2Ž4 • INDEPENDENT READERS I+

Wonder Horse The True Story of the World’s Smartest Horse written and illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully

Henry Holt • ISBN: 9780805087932 • Dewey: E • 32 pp • 8 1/2" x 11" Scheduled Month: July 2010

Can a horse do arithmetic and recognize the alphabet? Bill “Doc” Key, born a slave, believed in kindness toward all humans and animals. After becoming a veterinarian, Doc bought a beautiful Arabian horse and bred her to a champion stallion. ‰ e result was a homely, crippled foal named Jim. Soon, however, Doc noticed Jim’s surprising intelligence. Based on a true story. Author’s note. Bibliography. Full-color illustrations.

JLG REVIEWERS SAY:

• Young readers will enjoy the idea of a horse that appears to have learned, among other things, to recognize the alphabet, count, and pick out primary colors. Emily Arnold McCully writes, “Doc and Jim • Demonstrates how much can be achieved with patience and perseverance, while Key are a pair of underdogs—a former slave imparting the message that animals—and people—should be treated with kindness. in the Jim Crow South and an animal who seemed at Ÿ rst too weak and misshapen • In both story and illustrations, Emily Arnold McCully warmly depicts the to ever amount to anything. I’ve long been relationship between Doc and Jim, his unusual, spirited horse. Readers will get a interested in performing animals (and kick out of details such as the fact that young Jim insisted on sleeping in the house published a book about a · ea circus). This with Doc. story, based on what really happened, contains extra elements that transcend the • It is inspiring to read about what Bill “Doc” Key, born a slave in 1833, was able ordinary ‘trained’ animal tale. Jim Key was to accomplish. educated, not trained, and took part in the Ÿ rst crusade to treat animals with kindness. • Readers may be intrigued “When challenged, Doc Key was to learn more about animal determined to prove the legitimacy of his intelligence. method. As a result, the Humane Movement went forward in America.”

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: The Banshee by Eve Bunting illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully A Man for All Seasons by Stephen Krensky Ballet of the Elephants by Leda Schubert

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Picture book. Main characters: Bill Key; Jim Key. Genre: Fiction. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Summary: A Ÿ ctionalized account of Bill Topics: Bill Key (1833–1909). Horse training. “Doc” Key, a former slave who became a African Americans. Keystone Liniment. veterinarian, claimed to have trained his Caring for animals. Humane treatment of horse, Jim Key, to recognize letters and animals. Performances. Traveling shows. numbers and to perform in skits around Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to the country. Their actions moved the Animals. nation toward a belief in treating animals Sensitive areas: None. Available at humanely. juniorlibraryguild.com

www.juniorlibraryguild.com JULY 2010 • jlgmonthly 9 A INTERMEDIATE • GRADES 3Ž5 JULY

Happy Birthday, Sophie Hartley

by Stephanie Greene

Clarion • ISBN: 9780547251288 • Dewey: F • 128 pp • 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" Scheduled Month: July 2010

Sophie’s birthday is coming up, so naturally, she’s thinking about what she wants. But which would be the perfect gift: the one her father said okay to while he was watching football on TV, that she told all the kids in school about . . . that her mother doesn’t know is coming? Or the one Sophie has wanted for so long that she has given up hope?

JLG REVIEWERS SAY:

• Stephanie Greene presents a realistic and convincing family dynamic and a believable school setting. ‰ e characters come alive through sharp dialogue and funny moments. • Sophie is a likable protagonist. About to turn ten, she is both excited about her “A gorilla,” her mother said, shaking her head. “I’m not even going to “double digit” birthday and hesitant about the maturity it might bring with it— ask how Jenna and Alice got the she can’t imagine like liking boys, for example, and is noticing that some of her impression Dad and I were going to friends’ interests are changing. buy you one for your birthday.” • Readers who have large families especially will relate to Sophie’s feelings as a “I asked Dad . . . ” middle child. When her older sister, Nora, moves out of their shared room, rather than feeling immediate joy at having her own space, Sophie feels sadness because “I’m sure you did,” said Mrs. Hartley. the room felt so familiar with Nora in it, even if Nora was always nagging her. “While he was watching football, no doubt.” • ‰ e closing scene of Sophie’s birthday—and the gifts that her family and friends give her—is touching and satisfying. —Happy Birthday, Sophie Hartley

Stephanie Greene says, “The opening of this book came to me in a piece: I saw Sophie sitting on the · oor, trying to write with her foot so she could communicate with her gorilla. The Ÿ rst line was: On the whole, Sophie felt her conversation about getting a baby gorilla for her birthday had gone very well. It was going to be a book about Sophie’s all-important, double-digit birthday. “Then several elements of the plot surprised me. As I was writing the dinner scene in which Sophie breaks the news to her family and Nora suddenly announces, ‘I’m moving up to the attic,’ I was as shocked as the rest of the family. Sophie is justiŸ ably hurt because she and Nora YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: have shared a room for their entire lives. In her typical fashion, though, she’s also melodramatic, which allows me to be funny. Then came the rift with Jenna and the startling news Alice Sophie Hartley, on Strike announces during a sleepover. The book became about growing apart from your siblings and by Stephanie Greene friends but accepting their changes, as well as your own. You can determine what kind of older person you want to be, as Sophie Ÿ nds out. But expect surprises along the way.” Oggie Cooder, Party Animal! by Sarah Weeks

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Chapter book. year-old sister, Nora; Sophie’s brother John; Genre: Fiction. Sophie’s brother Thad, who is about to celebrate his sixteenth birthday; Sophie’s Series: Sophie Hartley. parents; Sophie’s best friends, Jenna and Summary: A girl in a large family is looking Alice. forward to her Ÿ rst “double digit” birthday Curriculum areas: Language arts. but soon discovers that growing up brings some unwanted changes. Topics: Birthdays. Change. Brothers and sisters. Family life. Maturity. Pets. Main characters: Sophie Hartley, who Sensitive areas: None. Available at is turning ten; Sophie’s sixteen-month-old juniorlibraryguild.com sister, Maura; Sophie’s almost-fourteen-

10 jlgmonthly • JULY 2010 866.205.0570 JULY GRADES 3Ž5 • INTERMEDIATE A+

The Basilisk’s Lair Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book 2 by R. L. LaFevers • illustrated by Kelly Murphy

Houghton Mi³ in • ISBN: 9780547238678 • Dewey: F • 160 pp • 5 1/4" x 7 3/4" Scheduled Month: July 2010

September, 1928: “Urgent. STOP. Need help. STOP. Basilisk has escaped. STOP. Come to Bamako at once.” Saving an entire Dhughani village from the Basilisk’s poisonous gaze will be di© cult enough for beastologist-in-training Nathaniel Fludd and beastologist Aunt Phil, but they also must protect the lone copy of e Book of Beasts from a sinister man who always seems to be one step ahead of them. Guide to people, places, and things mentioned in book. Black-and-white pen-and-ink illustrations.

JLG REVIEWERS SAY:

• e Basilisk’s Lair picks up where e Flight of the Phoenix left o‹ . However, readers need not be familiar with the ’ rst book in the series to follow the plot of this one. • R. L. LaFever’s fast-paced story, with its short chapters and Kelly Murphy’s plentiful illustrations, is ideal for emerging chapter-book readers. ‰ e interesting setting and mythological characters will appeal to those who enjoy fantasy and adventure. • ‰ e characters are well-drawn. Aunt Phil convincingly leads the basilisk search through the remote area of the Sudan. Nate embraces his role as a beastologist- in-training with varying degrees of enthusiasm depending on their circumstances. Greasle, Nate’s pet gremlin, provides comic relief, while the basilisk lives up to its venomous reputation. • At book’s end, readers will be left hoping—along with Nate and Aunt Phil—to soon learn more about the mysterious stranger who “has known with uncanny accuracy the exact location of two very hidden beasts.”

R. L. LaFevers explains, “I grew up surrounded by a wide variety of beasts (including a number of brothers). We had an extremely varied collection of pets, some of them quite exotic: a goat, chickens, chipmunks, a baby anteater, and, for a few short weeks, two bear cubs, who were very wild and untamed! Animals have always been a huge source of joy, comfort, and fascination for me. “I am also an avid armchair traveler with an obsession for travel books, atlases, and maps. I’ve always thought that maps in particular don’t just show us places, but tell stories as well. I like imagining some of the stories behind the maps.” YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Kelly Murphy says that she is glad she saved her childhood issues of National Geographic: The Flight of the Phoenix by R. L. LaFevers “With this great treasure dating back to 1970, these classic magazines have helped immensely while making the illustrations for Nathaniel Fludd. It’s very satisfying to be able to work on a Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos project that combines deep-rooted passions with very imaginative writing.” by R. L. LaFevers www.kelmurphy.com Nurk by Ursula Vernon

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Chapter book. Main characters: Nathaniel Fludd; Aunt Phil; Genre: Fiction. Greasle, Nate’s pet gremlin; the basilisk. Series: Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Summary: The continuing adventures of Topics: Adventure and adventurers. beastologist-in-training Nathaniel Fludd Relatives. Basilisks. Mythical animals. as he accompanies intrepid aunt Phil on a Orphans. West Africa. Travel. dangerous mission across West Africa to Ÿ nd Sensitive areas: None. a deadly basilisk that is missing and begins to Ÿ nd clues relating to the mysterious Available at disappearance of his parents. juniorlibraryguild.com

www.juniorlibraryguild.com JULY 2010 • jlgmonthly 11 BE BIOGRAPHY ELEMENTARY • GRADES 2Ž6 JULY

Driven A Photobiography of Henry Ford

by Don Mitchell

National Geographic • ISBN: 9781426301568 • Dewey: 338.7/6292092 B • 64 pp • 9 1/8" x 10 7/8" Scheduled Month: July 2010

Henry Ford had seen horse-drawn steam engines, but when in 1876, at the age of twelve, he saw one with “a chain that made a connection between the engine and the rear wheels of the wagon-like frame,” he became obsessed with “‘making a machine that would travel the roads’ under its own power. Henry Ford would not invent the automobile, but more than any other single individual, he would make it a‹ ordable for people from all walks of life.” Chronology. Quote sources. Resources. Index. Black-and-white photographs and ephemera from Ford’s life. Don Mitchell notes, “Henry Ford did more than anyone to put the world on wheels. When young Henry Ford drove JLG REVIEWERS SAY: his gasoline-powered ‘quadricycle’ out of the shed behind his Detroit home in 1896, automobiles were toys for rich people. • Don Mitchell presents a balanced, complete portrait of Henry Ford’s life, noting But this Ÿ ercely independent visionary un• attering aspects alongside his accomplishments and successes. had a dream: to build ‘a motor car for the great multitude’ so inexpensive that ‘no • Well-integrated quotes and period photographs make the story come alive. man making a good salary will be unable • Interesting details, such as Henry Ford’s son, Edsel, driving a Model A Runabout to own one.’ The go-anywhere, a¶ ordable Model T made the world a playground and when he was ten years old, keep the story moving. revolutionized modern society. • Mitchell carefully explains the signi’ cance of the Model T by giving examples of “Henry Ford was a natural subject for me how the a‹ ordable automobile changed the daily lives of the working class. to write about. My father spent his career working in the automotive industry. And when I was a boy growing up in Ohio, I remember visiting the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, and being fascinated by all the history on display. “Henry Ford was a complicated man. Despite his dark side, Ford made many positive contributions and left an enduring legacy. He would undoubtedly be proud to see his company survive the recent recession.”

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: The Great Race by Gary Blackwood The Boy Who Invented TV by Kathleen Krull The Hero Schliemann by Laura Amy Schlitz

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Illustrated nonŸ ction. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Social Genre: Biography. studies. History. Main focus: The life of Henry Ford, from his Topics: Henry Ford (1863–1947). Automobile childhood on a Michigan farm to his success industry and trade. Industrialists. Ford Motor with the Ford Motor Company, and how his Company. Model T. Mass production. Available at Model T changed life for the working class Sensitive areas: Anti-Semitism. juniorlibraryguild.com and the American landscape.

12 jlgmonthly • JULY 2010 866.205.0570 JULY GRADES 2Ž6 • GRAPHIC NOVELS ELEMENTARY GE

Daydreams of a Solitary Hamster by Astrid Desbordes • illustrated by Pauline Martin

Enchanted Lion • ISBN: 9781592700936 • Dewey: 741.5 • 56 pp • 8 7/8" x 12 1/2" Scheduled Month: July 2010

Named after Jean Jacques Rousseau’s Reveries of a Solitary Walker, this collection of comic strips celebrates the life of the mind—as well as the birthday of one very sel’ sh, but endearing, hamster. Full-color illustrations.

JLG REVIEWERS SAY:

• Hamster’s vain self-satisfaction will tickle young and old readers alike. “I love the stars. ‰ ey are beautiful and mysterious,” he observes. “If they could see me, I’m Astrid Desbordes writes, “I found sure they’d say the Pauline’s hamster to be an adorable little same thing . . .” creature. Hamster revealed himself to be su¥ ciently disagreeable as to become • Readers will laugh likable. He is a monad, a free electron who knowingly at the is simultaneously in his world—the glade— contrast between and outside of it.” Hamster’s self-portrait Pauline Martin says that she came up and the reality they see with the character of Hamster and wrote on other pages. a little story, but wasn’t happy with it: • Each of Hamster’s “Astrid Desbordes is my colleague. We work together at the same publishing house. One neighbors has an day in the cafeteria I confessed my lack of appealingly sweet and inspiration in regard to my little hamster to humble personality. Astrid, and she asked me to show her what I Mole, for example, had done. The next day she sent me her Ÿ rst dialogues for Hamster, those about the stars is generous and looking down on him and Hamster spelling cultivated, and out for them that he’s a hamster. As I read Hedgehog is hopeful them I cried because I was laughing so hard, and self-conscious. but also from joy, because I knew that I had found my author—the person who had the • Unfussy art, with • at words that I didn’t and who could clearly colors and simple lines, express things in a way that was very close evokes the animals’ to my own sensibility.” day-to-day familiarity with their glade and places the emphasis on their relationships and YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: inner lives. The 3-2-3 Detective Agency in The Disappearance of Dave Warthog by Fiona Robinson Sheep and Goat by Marleen Westera Toys Go Out by Emily Jenkins

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Graphic novel. slowpoke who bemoans his lack of speed; Genre: Fiction. Rabbit, Hamster’s least favorite resident of the glade. Summary: A group of woodland animals prepare for their egotistical friend Hamster’s Curriculum areas: Language arts. birthday. Topics: Friendship. Generosity. SelŸ shness. Main characters: Hamster; Mole, a near- Egotism. Insecurities. Diaries. Birthdays and birthday parties. sighted and kindly neighbor; Hedgehog, Available at who bemoans his prickliness; Snail, a Sensitive areas: None. juniorlibraryguild.com

www.juniorlibraryguild.com JULY 2010 • jlgmonthly 13 ME MYSTERY/ADVENTURE ELEMENTARY • GRADES 2Ž6 JULY

Saxby Smart, Private Detective in The Treasure of Dead Man’s Lane and Other Case Files

by Simon Cheshire • illustrated by R. W. Alley

Roaring Brook • ISBN: 9781596434752 • Dewey: F • 208 pp • 5 1/2" x 7 5/8" Scheduled Month: July 2010

In three separate stories, boy detective Saxby Smart exposes a comic book counterfeiter, restores a slandered dead man’s good name, and uncovers a massive case of identity theft. As Saxby notes, “I don’t have a sidekick, so that part I’m leaving up to you. . . .” Follow the clues Saxby writes in his casebook, and solve along with him. Black-and-white line drawings.

JLG REVIEWERS SAY:

• ‰ e three mysteries have varied and inventive story lines, with lots of twists. • Saxby’s encouragement for readers to act as sidekicks, along with plenty of clues, ensures that readers will be as invested as Saxby in solving the cases. • ‰ e brevity of the mysteries which will appeal to younger and reluctant readers. • Saxby makes humorous observations. (“‰ ey say that the clothes you wear say something about you. If that’s true, then the clothes Ed wore said something rather obnoxious. With a hand gesture added in for punctuation.”) He is also quick to point out his own faults, making him a likable character.

Simon Cheshire says, “Over the last few years, Saxby Smart has become something of a constant companion to me. Wherever I go now, I Ÿ nd myself watching out for clues just as Saxby might. I think I’d be a pretty useless detective myself, but it’s always fun working out Ÿ endish new mysteries in which he might Ÿ nd himself entangled. I’m often asked why he has such an unusual name: the answer is that I literally picked his name at random, from a book of baby name suggestions. It’s a medieval name, apparently.” www.simoncheshire.co.uk

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: R. W. Alley writes, “‘The Treasure of Dead Man’s Lane’ is set in a dilapidated house that clearly houses a hidden treasure that will be revealed only if Saxby and his team can decipher a rather Saxby Smart, Private Detective in The Curse cryptic hundred-year-old note. Mr. Cheshire describes the house as presenting a clear facial of the Ancient Mask and Other Case Files expression to the street through its arrangement of broken windows and a sagging porch. This by Simon Cheshire required much sketching and general Ÿ ddling with architecture. Easy for the author to write, hard for the illustrator to present. Could I have decided not to illustrate the house in full? Sure. Damian Drooth, Supersleuth: Would that have been cheating? Yup. A further bit of fun was that the note’s cipher involved The Mystery of the Missing Mutts the geometry of the house, making for something of a mathematical puzzle. This also had to be by Barbara Mitchelhill right. I think I did okay. I hope you do, too.” The Puzzling World of Winston Breen: The Potato Chip Puzzles by Eric Berlin CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Chapter book. Miss Bennett, a teacher at Saxby’s school; Genre: Mystery. Harry Lovecraft, Saxby’s nemesis and classmate; Monsieur Jacques, an exercise Series: Saxby Smart, Private Detective. instructor. Summary: Saxby Smart, a young detective, Curriculum areas: Language arts. Math. helps people in his community by solving mysteries for them. Topics: Comics. Theft. Collections and collectors. Counterfeiting. Old houses. Main characters: Saxby Smart; Charlie, a Hidden treasures. Workhouses. Murder. classmate of Saxby’s; Ed, Charlie’s older Blackmail. Land deals. Double agents. Break- brother and a comic book collector; Izzy, ins. Exercise classes. Con men. Disguises. Saxby’s best friend; Rippa, another comic Identity theft. Available at book collector; Muddy, a friend of Saxby’s; Sensitive areas: None. juniorlibraryguild.com Jack, a mutual friend of Saxby and Muddy’s;

14 jlgmonthly • JULY 2010 866.205.0570 JULY GRADES 2Ž6 • NONFICTION ELEMENTARY NE

Candy Bomber The Story of the Berlin Airlift’s “Chocolate Pilot” by Michael O. Tunnell

Charlesbridge • ISBN: 9781580893367 • Dewey: 943/.1550874 B • 120 pp • 7 3/8" x 9" Scheduled Month: July 2010

Candy was so scarce in Berlin in 1948 that when American Air Force Lieutenant Gail Halvorsen gave a few sticks of gum to a group of German children, they tore the wrappers into strips to pass around so they all could have a chance to smell them. ‰ e children’s excitement inspired Halvorsen to start “candy drops,” parachuting down small packages of treats as the U.S. Air Force • ew food into West Berlin. Biographical note. Historical note. Author’s note. Selected references. Index. Black-and-white photographs. Michael O. Tunnell writes, “It seems I have a fascination for true stories about children who endure tumultuous events in history. JLG REVIEWERS SAY: When I ran onto the story of the Berlin Candy Bomber, it was a natural Ÿ t, for it concerned children who su¶ ered through years of war—some young enough to have • Michael O. Tunnell presents information about World War II and the postwar only known a life of hunger and fear. The occupation of Germany with clear, interesting writing that informs the reader, yet candy-laden, handkerchief parachutes keeps the focus on Lieutenant Halvorsen’s candy drops. dropped over West Berlin by Gail Halvorsen, a young American pilot, not only lit up • Copious photographs show postwar Germany and provide a sense of what life was a dark world for kids who hadn’t tasted like for German children at the time. chocolate in years, but also o¶ ered both • It’s inspiring to read about how Halvorsen’s idea grew from a whim to an o© cial healing and hope in the aftermath of World War II. Air Force operation that received attention and support. “Meeting and interviewing Gail • ‰ e letters that children sent to Halvorsen are touching and funny. Along with Halvorsen (in his mid-eighties and still heartfelt thank-you notes, he also received candy drop requests that included qualiŸ ed to · y C-54 cargo planes!) left no doubt this was a book I wanted to write. maps and instructions such as “I’ll be in the backyard every day at 2 ¯°. Drop the Because Halvorsen is in demand worldwide chocolate there.” to tell his story of the Berlin Airlift, he travels regularly—often to Germany, where the children of 1948 still remember and love him. As a result of his schedule, I usually met with him between trips, when I was able to scan over 300 of his photos (many of which appear in the book) and get to know a genuinely wonderful human being.” www.michaelotunnell.com

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson Ryan and Jimmy and the Well in Africa That Brought Them Together by Herb Shoveller The Anne Frank Case by Susan Goldman Rubin Photo courtesy of US Air Force

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Illustrated nonŸ ction. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Social Genre: NonŸ ction. studies. Main focus: The story of how American Air Topics: Gail S. Halvorsen. Berlin Blockade Force Lieutenant Gail Halvorsen dropped (1948–1949). United States Air Force. Military candy to children as he · ew over West Berlin Airlift Command. Military air pilots. Berlin, Germany. World War II. Postwar rebuilding. during the Berlin Airlift. Available at Sensitive areas: None. juniorlibraryguild.com

www.juniorlibraryguild.com JULY 2010 • jlgmonthly 15 SCE SCIENCE NONFICTION ELEMENTARY • GRADES 2Ž6 JULY

The Hive Detectives Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe

by Loree Gri£ n Burns • photographs by Ellen Harasimowicz

Houghton Mi³ in • ISBN: 9780547152318 • Dewey: 638/.13 • 80 pp • 11" x 9" Scheduled Month: July 2010

Bees don’t just produce honey. “Your food supply depends on them,” says apiarist Dave Hackenberg. His bees have a busy travel schedule, pollinating around the United States from February to July. So when Dave inspected four hundred of his hives and found that the bees had simply vanished, “a dream team of bee scientists” got to work. Appendix. Glossary. Suggestions for further information. Select references. Index. Full-color photographs.

JLG REVIEWERS SAY:

• Loree Gri© n Burns provides an eye-opening explanation of bees’ integral role in successful crop production and examines the contemporary, complex problem of Colony Collapse Disorder. • Readers gain a sense of how bee scientists work by following along as the team of scientists researches and performs experiments. • Captioned, vibrant photographs explain details such as hive structure and the process of inspecting hives and collecting honey. • Basic information about bees and hives is capsulated in separate, distinctively designed pages. ‰ e reader can easily come back to these pages for reference, while the book’s focus remains on the problem of the bees’ disappearance. • ‰ e beginning and end of the book show hobbyist beekeeper Mary Duane as she inspects her hives and gathers honey. Her careful practice and devotion to keeping bees set the tone for how special these insects are, especially to the people who work with them.

Loree Griœ n Burns says, “When I was about ten years old, I saw my cousin Billy step into a bee’s nest while picking blueberries. It was awful. Our grandmother ran him down to the lake and YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: covered his stings with mud, all the while slapping away angry bees. I watched the entire scene The Whale Scientists by Fran Hodgkins as if it were a horror movie. It was a very, very long time before I could stand the sight or sound of an insect. Extreme Scientists by Donna M. Jackson “In some ways, though, it was this intense childhood fear of bees that made them so The Frog Scientist by Pamela S. Turner intriguing to me as an adult. When I learned that people actually raise bees in their backyards— for fun!—I was completely shocked. Why would they do such a thing? What was it about this tiny, stinging insect that so interested these people? Years later, when I began hearing news reports about the mysterious disappearance of honey bee colonies and what those losses might mean to humankind, my curiosity got the best of me. I decided to learn more about honey bees. The more I learned, the more interesting bees became. Soon I had bought my own bee suit and was interviewing beekeepers while thousands and thousands of their bees buzzed all around me!” www.loreeburns.com

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Illustrated nonŸ ction. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Science. Genre: NonŸ ction. Topics: Bees. Hobbyist beekeeping. Series: Scientists in the Field. Commercial beekeeping. Colony Collapse Disorder. Honey. Bee culture. Scientists. Main focus: After commercial apiarist Dave Hackenberg’s bees vanished, a group of Sensitive areas: None. Available at scientists worked to solve the problem now juniorlibraryguild.com known as Colony Collapse Disorder.

16 jlgmonthly • JULY 2010 866.205.0570 JULY GRADES 2Ž6 • SPORTS ELEMENTARY SE

Dino-Baseball by Lisa Wheeler • illustrated by Barry Gott

Carolrhoda • ISBN: 9780761344292 • Dewey: E • 32 pp • 10 5/8" x 8 7/8" Scheduled Month: July 2010

It’s one, two, three strikes you’re out at the prehistoric ball game! ‰ e plant-eating Green Sox square o‹ against the meat-eating Rib-Eye Reds at sold-out Jurassic Park, and the feral fans are going wild! Will T. rex’s pitching prowess rule the day? Or can Apatosaur manage a last-minute miracle for the Sox? Full-color illustrations.

JLG REVIEWERS SAY: Lisa Wheeler says, “The cool thing about baseball is that anyone can play. When I • ‰ e fast-paced sports action and anthropomorphized dinosaurs make for an was a kid, the neighborhood kids would get together at the local Ÿ eld. There were engaging read. no organized teams, coaches, or parents. If • Many of the details in the illustrations are surprising and funny. For example, someone had a bat and a ball, we were good T. rex cries during the national anthem, and Troodon, the Reds catcher, has to to go. There is something very satisfying in the sound of bat hitting ball. I wasn’t a use a ladder when the much larger Apatosaur comes up to bat. good player, but the few times I made that • ‰ e story has plenty of dramatic moments, including an overzealous Green sweet connection, I was on the moon . . . just Sox fan who inadvertently helps the Reds and a high-• ying out from Reds before getting tagged out at Ÿ rst base for my slow running skills. shortstop Compsognathus. “I hope my readers, whether baseball fans or dinosaur enthusiasts, will feel that same joy when they attend this game between the Green Sox and Rib-Eye Reds.” www.lisawheelerbooks.com

Barry Gott says that he “enjoys illustrating the Dino-Sports books for all the fun challenges they present, like deciding how an Allosaurus would wear hockey skates, or how to Ÿ t the Diplodocus and Apatosaurus onto the same soccer Ÿ eld as the tiny dinosaurs, or how a T. rex would look pitching a fastball. An extra beneŸ t of drawing these books is that going to hockey games and baseball games becomes ‘tax- deductible research.’” www.barrygott.com

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Dino-Hockey by Lisa Wheeler illustrated by Barry Gott Dino-Soccer by Lisa Wheeler illustrated by Barry Gott No Easy Way by Fred Bowen

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Picture book. Reds; Apatosaurus, right Ÿ elder for the Genre: Fiction. Green Sox; Compy, shortstop for the Rib-Eye Reds. Series: Dino-Sports. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Physical Summary: Meat-eating dinosaurs face education. plant-eating dinosaurs in a baseball game. Topics: Dinosaurs. Baseball. Main characters: Tricera, pitcher for the Available at Green Sox; T. rex, pitcher for the Rib-Eye Sensitive areas: None. juniorlibraryguild.com

www.juniorlibraryguild.com JULY 2010 • jlgmonthly 17 B UPPER ELEMENTARY & JUNIOR HIGH • GRADES 5Ž7 JULY

Crispin The End of Time

by Avi

Balzer & Bray • ISBN: 9780061740824 • Dewey: F • 240 pp • 6" x 9" Scheduled Month: July 2010

In the ’ nal book of the trilogy that began with the Newbery-winning Crispin: e Cross of Lead, Crispin desperately wants to honor Bear’s memory. He also must determine how strongly he feels about reaching Iceland—and freedom.

JLG REVIEWERS SAY: “They . . . they warned me not to talk to you.” • Crispin: e End of Time picks up where the second book left o‹ and brings the “Who did?” Crispin trilogy to a satisfying conclusion. “Rauf. Elena.” He was Ÿ nding it diœ cult • Avi continues to explore themes including people’s motives, freedom, and the to speak. meaning of family. “Why?” • Readers will feel compassion for Crispin, who, with Bear dead and Troth having He went o¡ a few steps to pick up chosen to remain at a French convent as the nuns’ in’ rmarian, is alone in the world wood. Then he drifted back. “They once more and is then taken in by a family of murderous thieves. don’t want you to know what they are.” • It is gratifying that at book’s end, Crispin and Owen are headed to Iceland with “What . . . are they?” good-hearted people. In touching tribute to Bear’s memory, Crispin wants to help “Thieves. Murderers.” His voice Owen as Bear once helped him. was shaking. • Historical details of the Middle Ages are rendered in language and setting. ‰ e time Startled, I looked at him. period is not romanticized; as several tense action scenes show, survival is di© cult and treachery is commonplace. “It’s true,” he whispered, making the sign of the cross over his heart. “How . . . how do you come to be with them?” Avi says, “Readers usually believe that authors know what they are doing when they write a story. Maybe. But sometimes a story, a character, won’t let His eyes Ÿ lled with tears. His lips the writer go. Tugs at him. Holds him. That’s because the writer becomes so quivered. “They stole Schim and me.” fond of his character, so caught up in the tale, he keeps wondering, ‘But what happens next?’ —Crispin: The End of Time “So it was (and perhaps is) with Crispin, the hero of Crispin: Cross of Lead and Crispin: At the Edge of the World. Crispin had gone so far, had experienced so much, I just had to Ÿ nd out what he did next, where he went, what new adventures lay waiting. “At the end of the second book, Crispin has lost his great friend Bear. He also has gained a new friend in the girl, Troth. Could Crispin go forward without Bear? Could he survive on his own? YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: “As the great poet Robert Frost once said, ‘No surprises for the writer, no surprises for the Murder at Midnight by Avi reader.’ As Crispin: The End of Time emerged, there were many surprises for me. So for those readers who have taken Crispin to their hearts, I promise, this new book will provide many Hard Gold by Avi surprises, emotions, and excitement!” The Seer of Shadows by Avi

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Novel. way to Iceland: Elena; Elena’s sons, Rauf and Genre: Historical Ÿ ction. Gerard; Rauf’s wife, Woodeth; the family’s servant boy, Owen. Series: The Crispin Trilogy. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Summary: After Troth chooses to stay at a convent as the nuns’ inŸ rmarian, Crispin Topics: Middle Ages. Voyages and travels. continues to try to Ÿ nd his way from France Orphans. Friendship. France. Convents. to Iceland, traveling with a family whose Nuns. Healing. Saying good-bye. Loneliness. intentions are dubious. Being lost. Traveling musicians. Thieving. Calais. Escapes. Seafaring. Available at Main characters: Thirteen-year-old Crispin; a Sensitive areas: None. juniorlibraryguild.com family Crispin meets while trying to Ÿ nd his

18 jlgmonthly • JULY 2010 866.205.0570 JULY GRADES 5Ž7 • UPPER ELEMENTARY & JUNIOR HIGH B+

Ancient Rome An Interactive History Adventure by Rachael Hanel

Capstone • ISBN: 9781429634168 • Dewey: 937 • 112 pp • 5 1/4" x 7 1/2" Scheduled Month: July 2010

You are living in one of the world’s most powerful cities. Will you choose to experience ancient Rome as a wealthy man during the rule of Julius Caesar, as a woman during Emperor Nero’s reign of terror, or as a poor citizen during the Visigoth sack of the city? ‰ ree story paths o‹ er ’ fty-three choices and twenty-two endings. Introduction. Conclusion. Time line. Discussion questions. Further reading and Internet sites. Glossary. Bibliography. Index. Full-color illustrations and photographs.

JLG REVIEWERS SAY: Rachael Hanel says, “I have written more than twenty nonŸ ction books • A unique and involving interactive approach to history. ‰ e second-person for children. Ancient Rome: narrative immerses readers in the action. An Interactive History Adventure, like most of • Each of the three story lines takes place during a di‹ erent ancient Roman time my children’s nonŸ ction period, providing a strong sense of immediacy and a variety of perspectives, work, started as an assignment from an including what life was like for the wealthy and poor, males and females. editor. I had written a few other interactive books with topics such as knights, Mexican • Captioned illustrations and photographs add context and information. immigration, and Japanese American • ‰ e format makes the book a ’ ne choice for reluctant readers as well as for internment camps. I enjoy working with enriching units on ancient civilizations. this format, as I think it makes reading more accessible and exciting for kids. And they learn something about history or social issues in the process, which is even better! I have a master’s degree in history, so an assignment to write about ancient Rome gave me a great excuse to research this exciting time in history.”

Rachael Hanel photo by David Hanel

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

Mexican Immigrants in America by Rachael Hanel The Titanic by Bob Temple Roman Diary by Richard Platt

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Illustrated nonŸ ction. perspectives of a wealthy Roman man, a Genre: Interactive narrative nonŸ ction. young Roman woman, and a peasant. Series: You Choose Books: Historical Eras. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Social studies. History. Main focus: Describes the life and times of ancient Rome. The readers’ choices Topics: Rome. History. Point of view. Choices. reveal the historical details of life from the Sensitive areas: None. Available at juniorlibraryguild.com

www.juniorlibraryguild.com JULY 2010 • jlgmonthly 19 C ADVANCED READERS • GRADES 6Ž9 JULY

The Shadow Hunt

by Katherine Langrish

HarperCollins • ISBN: 9780061116766 • Dewey: F • 336 pp • 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" Scheduled Month: July 2010

Upon a ridge called Devil’s Edge, Wolf encounters a hunting party and earns the favor of the hunt’s leader, Lord Hugo, by capturing an elf. Hugo’s men want to kill the elf, but Hugo desires to learn its secrets. With the assistance of Hugo’s daughter, Nest, Wolf must teach the elf to speak. Worried about the elf ’s safety—and Hugo’s sanity—Wolf and Nest nearly fail to notice when real danger encroaches.

JLG REVIEWERS SAY:

• Katherine Langrish has created an eerie, mysterious, yet wholly credible world that readers will want to explore. • Wolf is a sympathetic and admirable character. ‰ ough he has been treated cruelly Something pale scurried over a throughout his life, he displays plenty of good humor (his penchant for practical nearby rock. jokes) and compassion (his protection of the elf). He snapped around to look. It • Langrish has a gift for creating thrilling situations. Whether describing a chase whipped out of sight. Naked, whitish, scene, a rescue, or merely a surprise in the dark, she continually manages to ratchet running on all fours. A thin stalk of a up the tension, making for a compelling, fast-paced read. neck and a big, round head. It couldn’t • ‰ e relationship between Wolf and Nest is believable, and it’s fun to watch the be human. course of their romance. ‰ ey spend a good deal of time arguing, learning about A demon! each other, and developing a true friendship before love blossoms. Wolf bolted up the hillside. —The Shadow Hunt Katherine Langrish says, “Folklore and old legends often Ÿ nd their way into my books. And I’m very visual: I have to be able to see what I’m writing about. “The Shadow Hunt began with a picture in my head of huge Ÿ ery angels walking through a cornŸ eld and setting the corn alight. Another picture was of a boy standing on a mountain ridge at night watching the stars fall. These pictures changed a little as I began to write about them, but they were the starting place and set the tone. “Angels and mountains led me to the lawless and wild medieval Welsh Marches, ruled and fought over by Norman warlords and Welsh princes. I discovered some very odd legends from that time and place, about underground fairylands and people stolen or changed by the elves— who were thought of as sinister, dangerous creatures. One of these legends is a version of the Orpheus myth, about a man whose wife either YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: dies or is stolen away into the elf kingdom. Desperate to reclaim her, he follows her there, into the land of death. All these legends combined in Fortune’s Fool by Kathleen Karr The Shadow Hunt to create the eerie changeling Elfgift and the heroic but · awed Lord Hugo.” The Humming of Numbers by Joni Sensel www.katherinelangrish.com The Book of Tormod by Kat Black

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Novel. Hugo’s squire; Roger Bach, one of Lord Genre: Fantasy. Hugo’s men; Angharad, Nest’s nurse. Summary: Wolf, a runaway from an abbey, Curriculum areas: Language arts. must teach an elf to speak at the behest of Topics: Runaways. Wales. Hunting. Elves. Lord Hugo, who believes his late wife is held Arranged marriage. Religion. Mythology. captive in El· and. Taming a wild creature. Dreams. Songs. Main characters: Wolf; Brother Thomas, a Friendship. Halloween. The Crusades. Magic. priest at the abbey; Lord Hugo, a widower Christmas. Horses. Chases. Other worlds. Demons. Death. Available at and Crusader; Nest, a.k.a. Lady Agnes, Lord juniorlibraryguild.com Hugo’s daughter; Elfgift, an elf; Rollo, Lord Sensitive areas: Mild language. Black magic.

20 jlgmonthly • JULY 2010 866.205.0570 JULY GRADES 6Ž9 • ADVANCED READERS C+

Adventures of a Cat-Whiskered Girl by Daniel Pinkwater • illustrated by Calef Brown

Houghton Mi³ in • ISBN: 9780547223247 • Dewey: F • 288 pp • 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" Scheduled Month: July 2010

Poughkeepsie, New York, is home to many strange things. Big Audrey, a cat- whiskered girl, lives there, as does her friend Molly, who ran away ’ rst from her el’ n family in the Catskills and then from an insane asylum. UFOs regularly appear in the sky over a local barn, and the town has a mansion that disappears if you try to approach it. Determined to unlock Poughkeepsie’s secrets, Audrey and Molly contact Chicken Nancy, the oldest woman in town, who “knows things no one else does.” Black-and-white drawings.

Daniel Pinkwater explains, “It has been JLG REVIEWERS SAY: many years since an important work of literature was set in Poughkeepsie, New York, home of Vassar College, the ladies underwear factory of the same name, and • Daniel Pinkwater skillfully presents quirky topics—such as UFOs that are really Smith Brothers cough drops. I decided to • ying intergalactic cats—in a deadpan way. ‰ e contrast of the wacky content and set about correcting this, except for the its blasé depiction is hilarious. important part. First I had to do research. I motored around the city and environs, • Readers of e Yggyssey will enjoy reading more about Big Audrey’s adventures, but stopping frequently for doughnuts, and this title also stands on its own. engaged the locals in conversation. I also • Pinkwater introduces many captivating ideas that will cause readers to think about studied old maps, and went so far as to charter a small airplane, and go up to view how they—and others—perceive the world around them. the terrain. (This was less rewarding than I • ‰ is wonderfully surreal novel amply demonstrates a very freeing idea: when had hoped, because of heavy ground fog, creating a ’ ctional world, the only limits are those of your imagination. but the pilot described what we would be seeing, if visibility were better.) “The actual writing of the story was easy for me, a genius. I employed my special technique of making up a plot which made no sense, and describing what the I was having a hard time remembering that I was taking a walk with two oœ cially characters had to eat. Most of the characters are based on actual persons, some more crazy people. From my limited experience passing between planes of existence, actual than others. A book of this sort can the things they were talking about didn’t sound particularly insane—on the other best be described as Science Fiction that is hand, the professor was wearing a dress made out of curtains from some room in annoying and abrasive, or Science Friction.” the mental hospital and had spent a good part of his life seeking vengeance on www.pinkwater.com some guy who had sold his father a toy that he thought didn’t work, and earlier Molly had been telling me about a house where people swing from trapezes with chimpanzeeses. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: —Adventures of a Cat-Whiskered Girl The Yggyssey by Daniel Pinkwater The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex The Entomological Tales of Augustus T. Percival by Dene Low

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Novel. and a patient at an insane asylum; Chicken Genre: Fiction. Nancy, an old wise woman; Elizabeth van Vreemdeling, another woman with cat Summary: Big Audrey, who has cat-like whiskers; the Wolluf, a.k.a. Max, a terrifying whiskers, and her telepathic friend Molly werewolf-like creature. set out on a journey to Ÿ nd out why · ying saucers are landing behind the old stone Curriculum areas: Language arts. barn in Poughkeepsie, New York, and, more Topics: Poughkeepsie, New York. importantly, to determine whether another Supernatural phenomena. Insane asylums. cat-whiskered girl really exists. Journeys. Secret societies. Main characters: Big Audrey; Professor Tag, Sensitive areas: None. Available at a crazy college professor; Molly, a runaway juniorlibraryguild.com

www.juniorlibraryguild.com JULY 2010 • jlgmonthly 21 FM FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL • GRADES 7Ž11 JULY

The Fire Opal

by Regina McBride

Delacorte • ISBN: 9780385906920 • Dewey: F • 352 pp • 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" Scheduled Month: July 2010

Maeve has a quiet life, playing with her brothers among the ancient Celtic ruins of their island, Ard Macha. When her mother and then her baby sister fall into deep, mysterious trances, Maeve doesn’t know what to do. Determined to help them, she sets out on a fantastic and dangerous adventure into a world ’ lled with mermaids and goddesses.

JLG REVIEWERS SAY:

• Maeve’s love for her family is powerfully rendered. Readers will be moved and will I ran in against the tide, falling to my ’ nd Maeve’s quest to save her mother and sister compelling. knees, but making my way Ÿ nally • ‰ e fantastic elements of the story are grounded in a plausible, well-described under, into the dark of the water. There world which includes the everyday frustrations and joys of rural family life. was Mam, twisting and struggling, her • Regina McBride seamlessly incorporates an exciting subplot involving Ireland’s hair and nightgown waving gracefully ’ ght for independence from England. around her as she ¦ ailed. Something had her by one ankle, and was drawing • When Maeve sets out on her magical quest, she journeys into a deftly imagined her into the dimness. world ’ lled with mermaids, swan women, ghost souls, and even a Valkyrie. I saw a bloated but human-looking female face, ripples of greenish blond hair waving around it like an undersea plant. The rest of the monster, whatever it was, was hidden in the opaque shadow of the water. Suddenly it Regina McBride says, “Three quite di¶ erent passions of mine intersect and weave themselves undulated from the waist, and I saw the together in The Fire Opal. ¦ ash of a huge Ÿ sh tail. “The Ÿ rst one is that I have always wanted to create a female Odysseus, something I have not encountered in world mythology. Maeve O’Tullagh sails into enchanted Irish waters, like the —The Fire Opal ancient sailor Bran, who was Ireland’s Odysseus, and visits isles in the western seas inhabited by strange beings and where magical occurrences take place. “Another passion of mine, the true story of the Spanish Armada, the · eet of ships that crashed along Ireland’s western coast in the early sixteenth century, plays an important role in Maeve’s story. She tries to save three Spanish survivors from being shot by the English and falls in love with one of them. “In everything I write, whether I have intended it or not, I Ÿ nd myself exploring the YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: complicated and vital relationship that exists between a mother and a daughter, and between sisters. While Maeve’s father and brothers are Ÿ ghting English invaders, Maeve is battling dark Forest Born by Shannon Hale forces in the western sea, trying to save the lives of her mother and sister. In doing this she Ÿ nds herself aiding a group of girls held captive by an ancient goddess with a grudge, helping them Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede to save their own mothers, whose bodies have been separated from their souls.” The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Novel. Main characters: Fourteen-year-old Maeve Genre: Fantasy. O’Tullagh; Maeve’s younger sister, Ishleen; Maeve’s mother, Nuala; Tom Cavan, a boy Summary: Heartbroken when her mother who lives next door and who courts Maeve. and sister fall into deep, impenetrable trances, Maeve sets o¶ on a quest to retrieve Curriculum areas: Language arts. a powerful glowing stone that will help her Topics: Family. Magic. Ireland. Mythology. Available at recover their souls. Trances. juniorlibraryguild.com Sensitive areas: None.

22 jlgmonthly • JULY 2010 866.205.0570 JULY GRADES 7Ž11 • GRAPHIC NOVELS MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL GM

The Sons of Liberty created and written by Alexander and Joseph Lagos art by Steve Walker • color by Oren Kramek

Random House • ISBN: 9780375956676 • Dewey: 741.5 • 176 pp • 6" x 8 1/2" Scheduled Month: July 2010

Teenage runaway slaves with superhuman powers, a Hessian giant, the most evil slave owners imaginable, and Benjamin Franklin: this story of the Revolution blends fact and fantasy in an imaginative reinterpretation of a critical time in American history. Full-color illustrations.

JLG REVIEWERS SAY:

• Bold, colorful art and non-stop action make this graphic novel di© cult to put down. • ‰ e story’s fantastic exaggerations dramatize the book’s themes, including the cruelty of slavery and Ben Franklin’s idealism. • Brody and Graham, two young runaway slaves, are rounded and sympathetic main characters. ‰ ey are con’ dent and brave, but at the same time nervous and scared to be on their own. • ‰ e graphic novel paints impressive portraits of well-known ’ gures Benjamin Lay and Benjamin Franklin. Lay’s humility and passionate abolitionism are moving, and Franklin’s skepticism and interest in science do not preclude a curiosity in Graham and Brody’s amazing powers.

Alexander and Joseph Lagos say, “Imagine a teenaged Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X living in the time of America’s Ÿ ght for independence. Now imagine them with superpowers! What would their stories be like? What choices would they make? How would they face slavery, war, and the birth of a nation? These are just a few of the questions we asked ourselves when we set out to write the Sons of Liberty graphic novel series. Never could we have imagined the ten-year journey it would take us on, uncovering unique people and amazing events lost to history.” www.thesonso¦ ibertybook.com

Steve Walker writes, “I was born in New York, and now l live in Philadelphia with my Ÿ ancée and sea monkeys. Besides being a comic artist, I teach comics and sequential art at the Art Students League in New York and am a founding member of Dr. Sketchy’s Anti Art School. The Sons of YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Liberty was the most challenging project I have worked on. Because it is a period piece, there was an enormous amount of reference I needed to collect in order to get the book to look and Road to Revolution! by Stan Mack feel accurate, which inadvertently taught me a great deal about the period I was working in. Since it was my Ÿ rst long-form project, I put a ton of work into the penciling and inking, which I Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow hope shows in the Ÿ nal project.” by James Sturm www.stevejwalkerstudio.blogspot.com Thoreau at Walden by John Porcellino

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Graphic novel. Main characters: Graham; Brody; Benjamin Genre: Historical Ÿ ction. Franklin; Benjamin Lay; Jacob Sorenson and his son, Matthew, both slave owners. Summary: Graham and Brody, two young escaped slaves, suddenly discover that they Curriculum areas: Language arts. have extraordinary powers. They are trained Topics: Slavery. Abolition. Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Lay, a Quaker abolitionist, in (1706–1790). Benjamin Lay (1681–1760). the ancient African martial art Dambe, but Hessians. Super powers. Colonial America. must decide for themselves whether to use Sensitive areas: None. Available at their powers for good or for revenge. juniorlibraryguild.com

www.juniorlibraryguild.com JULY 2010 • jlgmonthly 23 MM MYSTERY/ADVENTURE MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL • GRADES 7Ž11 JULY

Dark Life

by Kat Falls

Scholastic • ISBN: 9780545178143 • Dewey: F • 304 pp • 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" Scheduled Month: July 2010

Sixteen-year-old Ty and his family were among the ’ rst to settle on the ocean • oor and learn how to support themselves as farmers. But when a dangerous band of outlaws begins stealing their colony’s oxygen supply, Ty must ’ ght to save the only way of life he’s ever known.

JLG REVIEWERS SAY:

Kat Falls says, “My background is in Ÿ lm. I have an MFA in • Blends the supernatural and the dystopian. Fast-paced ’ ghts share the stage with screenwriting from Northwestern dark revelations about government cover-ups, keeping readers on their toes and University and currently teach anxious to continue reading. there. I’ve had four screenplays optioned by independent • A tense and action-packed opening chapter immediately plunges readers deep producers and was hired to write underwater, where sharks and pirates might be lurking around every corner. a script for Disney Studios based on a pitch. • Kat Falls captures the strange, uncanny beauty of natural sea life in cinematic prose: “My leap into prose came by way of a writing exercise. Knowing that my eldest squid emit swirls of phosphorescent ink, and shrimp shimmer like ’ re• ies. son, who was eleven years old at the time, • Every aspect of Dark Life’s undersea colony is thoroughly imagined—from its loved reading about the ocean, Wild West oxygen consumption via tubes of “liquigen” to its • oating homesteads, which pioneers, and (of course) the X-Men, I combined his interests and created the resemble jelly’ sh from a distance—“if jelly’ sh grew big as hot air balloons.” premise for my sci-Ÿ adventure novel, Dark Life. After that, if I wasn’t up late plotting and world-building, I watched old westerns and researched marine life. Every sea creature mentioned in Dark Life is real and can be found in the ocean today, including green lantern sharks. “I live in Evanston, Illinois, with my husband, theater director Robert Falls, our A ball of light shot past me—a vampire squid, trailing neon blue. The glowing three lively children, and an abundance of cloud swirled around my helmet. Careful not to break it up, I drifted onto my knees, pets—furry, scaled, and wet.” mesmerized. But my trance was cut short by a series of green sparks bursting out of the gorge. I fell back, every muscle in my body tense. Only one Ÿ sh glittered like an emerald and traveled in a pack: the green lantern shark. Twelve inches long and deadly as piranhas, they could rip apart something twenty times their size. Forget what they could do to a human. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: —Dark Life Darkside by Tom Becker Lifeblood by Tom Becker The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Novel. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Genre: Eco-thriller. Topics: Colonies. Bandits. Superpowers. Summary: A teenage boy, raised on the Government conspiracies. Ocean life. The ocean · oor, must Ÿ ght against bandits who post-apocalypse. are stealing his sub-sea colony’s supplies. Sensitive areas: Guns. Fighting. Main characters: Sixteen-year-old Ty; Gemma, an orphan in search of her older Available at brother; Shade, the leader of the Seablite juniorlibraryguild.com Gang.

24 jlgmonthly • JULY 2010 866.205.0570 JULY GRADES 7Ž11 • NONFICTION MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL NM

Disasters Natural and Man-Made Catastrophes Through the Centuries by Brenda Z. Guiberson

Christy Ottaviano • ISBN: 9780805081701 • Dewey: 904 • 240 pp • 7 3/8" x 9 1/4" Scheduled Month: July 2010

“Beware of • oodplains, fault lines, and Hurricane Alley. Watch out for icebergs, sneezes, and toxic molds. Sometimes it is dangerous to open the refrigerator. Sometimes the best action is to head for the hills.” From the Chicago ’ re of 1871 and the 1889 Johnstown Flood to the sinking of the Titanic and Hurricane Katrina, ten stories of catastrophes and their survivors. Chapter notes. Bibliography. Index. Black- and-white illustrations and photographs. Brenda Z. Guiberson says, “This book began with the idea of writing about JLG REVIEWERS SAY: events overwhelmed by natural elements such as Ÿ re, wind, water, dust, and microbes. Details revealed that these • Survivors’ quotes and anecdotes put readers at the center of the action in these disasters were ampliŸ ed by the way humans detailed explanations of a wide variety of disasters. lived in their environment. Did they provide • Brenda Z. Guiberson provides a deep historical context for the disasters described. fuel for the Ÿ re? Did they plow too much? Did they ignore warnings? Did they neglect For example, a capsule history of Chicago helps explain how a ’ re could engulf the repairs? There is much to be learned in the whole city; in the chapter on the Johnstown Flood, she gives a short biography of connections between past and present. The Andrew Carnegie, a member of the private club where a neglected dam broke and clues can lead to wiser choices for living in caused the • ood. the natural world. “I Ÿ nd research fascinating. I Ÿ lled • ‰ e accompanying illustrations and photographs give a sense of each time period fourteen boxes with notes, drawings, and will help readers visualize some of the complex issues described. photos, and quotes. Each new bit of information provided surprise and discovery. This is the place to have fun while writing about disasters. “Nature will always shake, sizzle, gush, and wallop. It has the strength to destroy but also the systems to protect and restore. Thousands of spectators gathered outside to watch. In horror, they saw girls People also have a great ability to repair and standing at windows, ¦ ames licking at their skirts, their hair smoldering. From 80 recover. This is the place to share hope while feet up, they tied rags around their eyes, held hands, and jumped in groups of as writing about disasters.” www.brendazguiberson.com many as Ÿ ve. Firemen opened life nets but three bodies struck the Ÿ rst net at the same time and carried the nets to the sidewalk. “The force was so great it took the Brenda Z. Guiberson photo by Mary M. Gallagher men o¡ their feet. . . . The men’s hands were bleeding, the nets were torn, and some caught Ÿ re. What good were life nets?” asked Battalion Chief Edward J. Worth. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: —Disasters Roanoke by Lee Miller The Great Race by Gary Blackwood Secret Subway by Martin W. Sandler

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: NonŸ ction. Johnstown Flood (1889). The San Francisco Genre: NonŸ ction. Earthquake (1906). Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911). Sinking of the Titanic Main focus: Natural and man-made (1912). Pandemic Flu of 1918. The Dust Bowl catastrophes. History. of the 1930s. Tsunami of December 26, 2004. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Social Hurricane Katrina (2005). studies. History. Sensitive areas: None. Topics: Natural disasters. Disasters. Available at Smallpox. The Great Chicago Fire (1871). juniorlibraryguild.com

www.juniorlibraryguild.com JULY 2010 • jlgmonthly 25 SM SPORTS MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL • GRADES 7Ž11 JULY

Rivals A Baseball Great Novel

by Tim Green

HarperCollins • ISBN: 9780061626937 • Dewey: F • 272 pp • 6" x 9" Scheduled Month: July 2010

Josh is the star player on the Syracuse Titans, his U12 travel baseball team, and one of the best players in the country at his age level. But he may have met his match in Mickey Mullen Jr., whose father is a movie star and a former Boston Red Sox player. Mullen Jr. leads the LA Comets, who are the Titans’ main competition at the prestigious National Hall of Fame Tournament. His Hollywood pedigree has captivated not only the media but also Jaden, Josh’s closest female friend. But if she’s just a friend, why is Josh so jealous?

JLG REVIEWERS SAY:

Tim Green writes, “During the past three years, I have • Josh is one of the best young baseball players in the country, but he’s also a level- immersed myself in the headed, adventurous kid. Readers will identify with him and relish imagining world of children’s literature, reading great books aloud themselves in his shoes. to my own kids, speaking • As a Little League coach and a former Little League player, Tim Green is able to at over 190 schools to more write convincingly about baseball, providing a visceral sense of the game. than 65,000 students about the importance of books, and writing my new series of • Josh’s con• icted feelings toward Jaden are true to life, and they add an emotional middle-grade novels with the help of my undercurrent to the overarching mystery plot. son Troy and daughter Tate. “As a suspense novelist for adults, I am • Benji is a funny, high-spirited sidekick. His and Josh’s friendship seems real—they hungry for con· ict. I know that as with rib each other mercilessly when they’re hanging out but support each other when the earth’s tectonic plates, the · ashpoints the going gets tough. in literature are where the action is—the human earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis. For tweens, the · ashpoints are where the worlds of kids and adults collide, and sports are the perfect venue.”

Jaden sat in the dugout between Mickey Mullen and Mickey Mullen Jr., wearing a bright red Comets cap and clutching her notepad. Her smile seemed to glow. “You got to be kidding me,” Josh said. “A Comets hat?” YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: —Rivals Football Hero by Tim Green Change-Up by John Feinstein The Brooklyn Nine by Alan Gratz

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Novel. Main characters: Josh LeBlanc, one of the Genre: Fiction. best baseball players in the country at his age; Mickey Mullen Jr., Josh’s rival; Benji, Series: Baseball Great. Josh’s best friend; Jaden, Josh’s closest Summary: Josh hopes to lead his U12 travel female friend. baseball team to victory at the National Curriculum areas: Language arts. Physical Baseball Hall of Fame Tournament, but a education. famous rival and his powerhouse team are determined to win, fairly or unfairly. Topics: Baseball. The National Baseball Hall of Fame. Jealousy. Rivalry. Fame. Available at juniorlibraryguild.com Sensitive areas: Body humor.

26 jlgmonthly • JULY 2010 866.205.0570 JULY GRADES 9 & UP • YOUNG ADULTS Y

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

Little, Brown • ISBN: 9780316056212 • Dewey: F • 336 pp • 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" Scheduled Month: July 2010

Everyone in Nailer’s impoverished coastal town is looking for a Lucky Strike—an escape hatch from a lifetime of hard labor and uncertainty. So when Nailer discovers a beached clipper ship, he’s ecstatic. Scavenged for parts, it’ll make him the richest person in town. But only if he kills the ship’s one surviving passenger.

JLG REVIEWERS SAY:

• Paolo Bacigalupi’s electrifying prose pulls in readers from page one, transmitting every moment of Nailer’s fear and claustrophobia as he crawls deep into the bowels of a ship. The duct groaned loudly and shuddered under him. • Ship Breaker’s world is a thoroughly realized dystopia. Its poverty, grit, and violence are arresting and convincing. Nailer froze. • Fast-paced action scenes, di© cult moral decisions, and memorably frightening All around, the duct pinged and characters will keep readers hooked through the end. creaked. It sank slightly, tilting. The whole thing was on the verge of • ‰ e themes of luck and free will are intellectually engaging and organic collapse. Nailer’s frantic activity and to the novel’s world, in which the gap between the rich and poor is nearly extra weight had weakened it. insurmountable. Nailer spread out his weight and lay • Set in the U.S. Gulf Coast, the specter of modern-day New Orleans haunts still, heart pounding. Trying to sense Bacigalupi’s story and gives it contemporary relevance. the duct’s intentions. The metal went quiet. Nailer waited, listening. Finally, he eased forward, delicately shifting his weight. Paolo Bacigalupi says, “I wrote Ship Breaker because I want to help save the world. It sounds cheesy, but that’s it. And I wanted to do it by writing a classic adventure story, about a boy who Metal shrieked. The duct dropped out starts out starving and desperate, and through guts and brains and determination changes from under him. his fate. “I feel like boys as readers have been somewhat abandoned, and it shows in school —Ship Breaker performance and reading scores. A future where boys are both illiterate and socialized to the brutalities of video games is a future I don’t want to live in. So I started thinking that they need something they can connect to, an adventure story with physical danger and overwhelming challenges, but also relevant to our time and place. “The other thing that inspired me to write Ship Breaker was the environmental challenges we are facing. As a former editor at an environmental magazine, I wanted to Ÿ nd a way to talk about those in a way that might help us as a society change course toward a more sustainable YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: future. I wanted to build a window into the terrifying futures we might face with scarcity, and poverty, and a loss of all the comforts we take for granted—but I also wanted to point to the Winter’s End by Jean-Claude Mourlevat cool technologies that might help us forge a di¶ erent path.” The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness Chanda’s Wars by Allan Stratton

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS

Book type: Novel. the leader of their crew; Sloth, a scheming Genre: Fiction. crewmate; Sadna, Pima’s principled mother; Richard Lopez, Nailer’s sadistic father; Nita Summary: In a futuristic world, teenaged (“Lucky Girl”), an heiress on the run; Tool, a Nailer scavenges copper wiring from dog-man who comes to Nailer and Nita’s aid. grounded oil tankers for a living, but when he Ÿ nds a beached clipper ship with a girl in Curriculum areas: Language arts. the wreckage, he has to decide if he should Topics: Science Ÿ ction. Teamwork. Loyalty. strip the ship for its wealth or rescue the girl. Exploitation. Moral conduct. Poverty. Luck. Main characters: Nailer, an impoverished Sensitive areas: Fighting. Violence. Drugs. Available at “ship breaker”; Pima, Nailer’s friend and Underage drinking. Criminal culture. juniorlibraryguild.com

www.juniorlibraryguild.com JULY 2010 • jlgmonthly 27 Y+ YOUNG ADULTS • GRADES 9 & UP JULY

Under a Red Sky Memoir of a Childhood in Communist Romania

by Haya Leah Molnar

Frances Foster Books • ISBN: 9780374318406 • Dewey: 949.803/1092 B • 320 pp • 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" Scheduled Month: July 2010

In this funny, touching memoir, Haya Leah Molnar, née Eva Zimmermann, recalls growing up in Bucharest, Romania, during the 1950s. ‰ ough she heard Yiddish and kept Kosher at home, Eva remained unaware of her Jewish heritage. ‰ is ignorance protected Eva at her Communist-run school, where religion was strictly forbidden, but it only served to confuse her when her grandfather decided she needed Hebrew lessons and her family applied to emigrate to Israel. Author’s note. Black-and-white photographs. Haya Leah Molnar says, “Some stories are buried in the farthest recesses of our memory, waiting to surface on the written page. It is hard to believe that when I JLG REVIEWERS SAY: started to write Under a Red Sky, my initial intention was to write a cookbook! Each recipe was to be accompanied by its own • Introduces and quickly acclimates readers to an unfamiliar time and place, short story about a di¶ erent close family thanks to abundant details about the family’s clothes, meals, and the traditions member. “It didn’t take long before I realized they observed. that I wasn’t writing a cookbook at all, but • ‰ e precise dialogue brings Haya Leah Molnar’s family members—and their a memoir about my family’s life under distinct personalities—vividly to life. Communism, and our eventual escape. As I wrote, my family became vibrantly • ‰ e narrative entertainingly portrays both the joys and frustrations of living in alive, and I was able to view each person close quarters with a large, loving, boisterous family. While Molnar doesn’t shy simultaneously through the lens of a away from showing her family’s argumentative, opinionated side, there is a real young girl and as an adult now living free in America. The most startling revelation sweetness to Eva’s relationships with her relatives. was to relive the discovery of my true • Eva’s interest in her Jewish heritage is subtly integrated into the story. ‰ e theme identity, the fact that I am Jewish, and I had feels natural, never forced. to grapple with the reasons why my family had hidden this from me. • Molnar’s voice is strong and consistent. She writes clearly about her memories of “I hope Under a Red Sky will move being a naïve, confused child, but as an adult she can see and express the humor in readers to experience the injustice of racial her childhood experiences. prejudice and to never take our basic human rights for granted. These rights are worth Ÿ ghting for and worth writing and reading about.” I believe the Romanian history Comrade Popescu is teaching us shows that we’ve www.hayaleahmolnar.com survived many tyrants. I think that maybe the USSR is just another tyrant like the rest of them, but I’m not going to tell anyone, because I’m afraid this is a dangerous thought, the kind that Mama warned me would get us all into trouble if I spoke it YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: out loud. Leaving Glorytown by Eduardo F. Calcines —Under a Red Sky I Want to Live by Nina Lugovskaya A Family Secret by Eric Heuvel CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: NonŸ ction. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Social Genre: Autobiography. studies. History. Politics. Religion. Main focus: The autobiography of Haya Leah Topics: Bucharest, Romania. The Communist Molnar, who grew up Jewish in Communist Party. Family. The Securitate (the Romania during the 1950s. Romanian secret police). Keeping secrets. Judaism. World War II. Emigration. Israel. Main characters: Eva Zimmermann; SteŸ Unemployment. Fascism. Anti-Semitism. and Gyuri, Eva’s mother and father; Iulia and Nazis. Mass murder. Reunited families. Yosef, Eva’s maternal grandparents; Puica, Eva’s aunt; Max, Puica’s husband; Natan, Sensitive areas: Strong language. Eva’s uncle; Sabina, the Zimmermanns’ maid; Strong sexual themes. Racial epithets. Andrei, Eva’s neighbor, friend, and classmate; Graphic descriptions of war crimes. Racial Available at “Beard,” a friend and coworker of Eva’s father; stereotypes. juniorlibraryguild.com Mimi, Eva’s mother’s cousin.

28 jlgmonthly • JULY 2010 866.205.0570 JULY GRADES 10 & UP • HISTORY HIGH SCHOOL HH

The Horrors of Andersonville Life and Death inside a Civil War Prison by Catherine Gourley

Twenty-First Century • ISBN: 9780761342120 • Dewey: 973.7/82092 B • 192 pp • 7" x 9" Scheduled Month: July 2010

“When the war ended, the Union army arrested the commandant of Andersonville, Captain Henry Wirz. A military court charged Wirz with maliciously conspiring with the leaders of the Confederacy to torture and destroy the lives of thousands of prisoners of war. Massive numbers of prisoners under his supervision died, but what really happened inside the gates of Andersonville?” Author’s note. Cast of characters. End notes. Selected bibliography. Further information. Source notes. Black-and-white photographs, drawings, and maps. Catherine Gourley says it was Ÿ fteen years ago, as an editor for Weekly Reader, JLG REVIEWERS SAY: that she Ÿ rst learned about Andersonville: “I stumbled across an excerpt from John Ransom’s diary. Ransom’s experience as a prisoner of war was horrifying, to be certain. • Catherine Gourley remains objective about her topic and generates sympathy for What soon became apparent to me was that both the prisoners and the jailer at Andersonville. ‰ is is an impressive feat, given there were no easy answers to explain who the prison’s contentious role in history. was responsible for the horrible conditions inside the stockade prison. All indications • Plentiful period quotations and images • esh out the narrative, e‹ ectively placing suggested the commandant of the camp the reader in the setting. was the villain. But further research showed that this was not necessarily the entire truth. • Gourley focuses on commandant Henry Wirz, as well as on select prisoners who “Years later, I returned to the story. I wrote extensively about their time at Andersonville. ‰ e introduction of real wanted to explore in greater detail the people, whose fates readers will care about, makes the book a compelling narrative con· icting information about the camp’s rather than a recitation of facts and dates. commandant and to investigate how the tragedy of Andersonville came to be. Did • In-depth sidebars on topics ranging from blockade runners to the spread of disease all the blame reside in the South? Was are fascinating and enlightening. ‰ ey provide memorable details and serve as good Andersonville an anomaly—the only POW launching points for further research. camp during the war to impose such horrifying conditions on its inmates? “Studying this sad chapter of American history has taught me a great deal about media bias and about the di¥ cult decisions made during war. It is a story that truly The men inside Andersonville were not just prisoners of war. They were prisoners emphasizes the adage that the victors get to of politics. As summer wore on and the situation grew even more desperate, the write history.” reasons why they were there weren’t so important. All that mattered was getting out. If the Union government did not act soon, there would be no bluecoats left to exchange. They would all be dead. —The Horrors of Andersonville YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: A Savage Thunder by Jim Murphy I’ll Pass for Your Comrade by Anita Silvey Under Siege! by Andrea Warren

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Illustrated nonŸ ction. Curriculum areas: Languate arts. Social Genre: NonŸ ction. studies. History. Main focus: A history of the Confederate Topics: Henry Wirz (1823?–1865). Military Andersonville prisoner-of-war camp and the trials. Andersonville prison. The American legal trials of Andersonville’s commandant, Civil War. Prisoners of war. The Confederate States of America. The state of Georgia. Henry Wirz, following the camp’s closure. Available at Sensitive areas: None. juniorlibraryguild.com

www.juniorlibraryguild.com JULY 2010 • jlgmonthly 29 HI HIGHŸINTEREST READING HIGH SCHOOL • GRADES 10 & UP JULY

Guardian of the Dead

by Karen Healey

Little, Brown • ISBN: 9780316044301 • Dewey: F • 352 pp • 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" Scheduled Month: July 2010

After Ellie accidentally bumps into her crush, the reclusive and uncannily beautiful Mark Nolan, some unexpected revelations penetrate her previously boring life: 1. She has magic powers. 2. Together, she and Mark have to prevent supernatural beings from destroying millions of New Zealanders. 3. Mark likes her laugh.

JLG REVIEWERS SAY:

Karen Healey writes, “I’m a New Zealander living in Australia and studying American • A thrilling and strikingly original story. Karen Healey expertly combines elements superhero comics, which occasionally confuses people. I wrote Guardian of of fantasy, humor, romance, and coming of age. the Dead while I was living in Japan and • Ellie is a remarkable protagonist. She is acidly funny and yet a great friend to the homesick for the landscape and stories of people she cares about most; she is winningly self-deprecating, but she also has a my birthland. I was reading a lot of great contemporary urban fantasy at the time, but black belt in tae kwon do and isn’t afraid to use it. nothing that really spoke to me as a New • ‰ e fantasy aspect, inspired by Maori mythology, is unique and fascinating, while Zealander. I wrote the book that I wanted to Healey’s measured explication of its various aspects ensures that readers won’t read: a thriller fantasy set at home, deeply in· uenced by Maori mythology. be overwhelmed. “Once I started writing from Ellie’s • Ellie and Mark’s relationship develops convincingly, with plenty of awkward starts perspective on her new and often and stops mixed in with moments of giddy revelation, often with a magical twist. dangerous interactions with the uncanny, I couldn’t stop. She was such a strong For example, Ellie’s anger at Mark for giving her migraines and wiping her memory voice—stubborn, cynical, funny, often is tempered when Mark admits he did it to save her life—by preventing her from afraid, determined despite it, and just a being discovered by murderous fairy-like beings. little lost—that almost all I thought about was telling her story. My friends were very • In the conclusion, an epic battle becomes an exhilarating journey into the understanding that I didn’t talk about much underworld and the ultimate test of Ellie’s character. ‰ e resolution is achingly else for a year.” poignant. www.karenhealey.com In less than a day, I had been harassed, enchanted, shouted at, cried on, and clawed. I’d been cold, scared, dirty, exhausted, hungry, and miserable. And up until now, I’d been mildly impressed with my ability to cope. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: But the taniwha’s voice Ÿ nally broke me. It was not the monstrosity, but that which was not monstrous, coming out of that awful mouth. Alive with animal panic that Generation Dead by Daniel Waters rose directly from my darkest instincts, I turned and pelted up the bank in my Liar by Justine Larbalestier heavy shoes, Iris’s hand still tight in mine. Lips Touch by Laini Taylor —Guardian of the Dead

CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Novel. powers; Kevin Waldgrave, Ellie’s best friend; Genre: Fiction. Reka, a mysterious woman; Iris Tsang, an ambitious student with a crush on Kevin. Summary: Eighteen-year-old New Zealand boarding-school student Ellie Spencer Curriculum areas: Language arts. Social must use her rusty tae kwon do skills and studies. newfound magic to try to stop a fairy-like Topics: Magic. Maori mythology. Boarding race of creatures from Maori myth and legend schools. Immortality. Theater. Supernatural that is plotting to kill millions of humans in beings. Asexuality. order to regain their lost immortality. Sensitive areas: Strong language. Violence. Available at Main characters: Ellie Spencer; Mark Nolan, Mild sexual themes. Underage drinking. juniorlibraryguild.com Ellie’s crush, who like Ellie has magical

30 jlgmonthly • JULY 2010 866.205.0570 JULY GRADES 11 & UP • MATURE YOUNG ADULTS YM

For the Win by Cory Doctorow

Tor Teen • ISBN: 9780765322166 • Dewey: F • 400 pp • 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" Scheduled Month: July 2010

Trapped by strict contracts and threatened with violence, teenage “gold farmers” must play multiplayer online games for hours on end, harvesting virtual treasure their bosses sell to ’ rst-world customers for real money. But in today’s global economy, even one person with an Internet connection has power—and a farmers’ revolt can change the world.

JLG REVIEWERS SAY:

• An engrossing novel that skillfully combines a brainy central concept with high-stakes action. • ‰ e characters, including a feared teenage gaming strategist from India known Virtual money isn’t backed by gold as “General Robotwallah” and a California boy who sends himself to China in a or governments: it’s backed by fun. shipping container, are memorable and unique. So long as a game is fun, players • An accessible, immersive look at gaming culture. Cory Doctorow convincingly somewhere will want to buy into it, renders action in both the real world and the virtual world. because as fun as the game is, it’s • Doctorow includes a number of fascinating asides on an impressive range of always more fun if you’re one of the haves, with all the awesome armor and topics, such as the usefulness of equations that quantify fun and the reasons killer weapons, than if you’re some powerful institutions fear open systems of communication. ‰ is information lowly noob have-not with a dagger, aids the reader’s understanding of the political and economic rami’ cations of the Ÿ ghting your way up to your Ÿ rst sword. characters’ actions. But where there’s money to be spent, there’s money to be made. Cory Doctorow says, “For the Win tries to be an adventure story and an —For the Win education, raising questions as well as your heart rate. It’s a book about labor organizers around the world who use video games to start a union under the noses of their bosses—and under the noses of oppressive governments that protect the bosses’ interests. There’s plenty of cool, futuristic storytelling here, as young people in America, China, India, and Singapore stow away in retroŸ tted shipping containers, stage gigantic in-game wars with zombies, mecha, marios, and Alice in Wonderland characters, and Ÿ ght pitched battles in the streets that are shared around the world on encrypted networks. At the same time, For the Win is a serious text about macroeconomics, labor politics, and behavioral science, and it attempts to use video-game economics to explain the imaginary instruments (such as the notorious ‘collateralized debt obligations’) that in· ated the Ÿ nance bubble. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: “Like all my books, For the Win will be available as a free download at the same time as its print publication, under a Creative Commons license that encourages readers to share and Exposure by Mal Peet remix the text. You’ll Ÿ nd it at craphound.com.” Sold by Patricia McCormick www.ctyme.com/mailman/listinfo/doctorow The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness Cory Doctorow photo by Bart Nagel CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Novel. farmers; Jie, a populist broadcaster wanted Genre: Fiction. by the Chinese government; Big Sister Nor, the leader of the Webblies. Summary: An international, Internet-based movement sets out to establish basic rights Curriculum areas: Language arts. Social for oppressed workers by controlling and studies. collapsing the economies of online games. Topics: Online gaming. The Internet. “Gold Main characters: Mala, Ÿ fteen years old, an farmers.” China. Corporations. Military Indian girl known as “General Robotwallah” strategy. Censorship. Oppression. Labor for her skills in online military strategy; unions. Matthew, an enterprising “gold farmer”; Sensitive areas: Mild language. Violence. Leonard, a.k.a. “Wei-Dong,” an American Mild sexual themes. Available at teenager who quests with Chinese gold juniorlibraryguild.com

www.juniorlibraryguild.com JULY 2010 • jlgmonthly 31 INDEX OF JULY BOOKS

TITLE LEVEL PAGE TITLE LEVEL PAGE Adventures of a Cat-Whiskered Girl ...... C+ ...... 21 Guardian of the Dead ...... HI ...... 30 Ancient Rome ...... B+ ...... 19 Happy Birthday, Sophie Hartley ...... A ...... 10 Balloon for Isabel, A ...... P...... 4 Hive Detectives, The ...... SCE ...... 16 Basilisk’s Lair, The ...... A+ ...... 11 Horrors of Andersonville, The ...... HH ...... 29 Candy Bomber ...... NE ...... 15 How to Clean a Hippopotamus ...... I ...... 8 City Dog, Country Frog ...... P+ ...... 5 Pop!...... E+ ...... 7 Crispin: The End of Time ...... B...... 18 Rivals ...... SM ...... 26 Dark Life ...... MM ...... 24 Saxby Smart . . . The Treasure of Dead Man’s Lane ....ME ...... 14 Daydreams of a Solitary Hamster ...... GE ...... 13 Shadow Hunt, The ...... C ...... 20 Dino-Baseball ...... SE ...... 17 Ship Breaker ...... Y...... 27 Disasters...... NM ...... 25 Si le das un pastelito . . . (If You Give a Cat . . . ) ...... PS ...... 2 Driven ...... BE ...... 12 Sons of Liberty, The ...... GM ...... 23 Emma’s Poem ...... E ...... 6 Under a Red Sky ...... Y+ ...... 28 Fire Opal, The ...... FM ...... 22 Village Garage,The ...... K...... 3 For the Win ...... YM ...... 31 Wonder Horse ...... I+ ...... 9

DID YOU KNOW... Junior Library Guild Adds Two New Levels High-Interest Reading Middle School Paperbacks High School HIM (Grades 5–8) PBH (Grades 10 & up)

■ Appealing and accessible ■ Original trade paperbacks ■ Content appropriate for middle schoolers ■ Content appropriate for older teens ■ Fiction and non¡ ction ■ Fiction and non¡ ction

NEXT MONTH FORTHCOMING TITLES • AUGUST 2010

Day of the Dead / Día de los muertos Lives of the Pirates: Swashbucklers, Scoundrels Super Human by Michael Carroll by Kerrie Logan Hollihan (Neighbors Beware!) by Kathleen Krull Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel Little Pink Pup by Johanna Kerby The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular: First Strike Amelia Rules! by Jimmy Gownley Bridget’s Beret by Tom Lichtenheld by Jack Higgins and Justin Richards The Shadows: The Books of Elsewhere, AlphaOops!: H Is for Halloween Honey Bees: Letters from the Hive by Alethea Kontis Volume 1 by Jacqueline West by Stephen Buchmann Making Shelter: Survive Alive by Neil Champion Buy My Hats! by Dave Horowitz Football: How It Works Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s by Agnieszka Biskup Cork & Fuzz: The Babysitters by Dori Chaconas Strangest Parrot by Sy Montgomery Clementine, Friend of the Week Worldshaker by Richard Harland by Sara Pennypacker Doubles Troubles: Gym Shorts by Betty Hicks Bulu: African Wonder Dog The Cardturner by Louis Sachar Amazing Monty by Johanna Hurwitz by Dick Houston Spaceheadz: SPHDZ Book #1 Folly by Marthe Jocelyn by Jon Scieszka and Francesco Sedita Keeper by Kathi Appelt The Enemy by Charlie Higson Justin Case: School, Drool, and Other Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins Daily Disasters by Rachel Vail Fire Will Fall Wolven by Di Toft by Carol Plum-Ucci

© 2010 Media Source Incorporated. All rights reserved. JLG Monthly ISSN: 1946-2298 [email protected] Junior Library Guild [email protected] 7858 Industrial Parkway Plain City, OH 43064 www.juniorlibraryguild.com • 866.205.0570