VOLUME 3, NUMBER 4 OCTOBER FEBRUARY 2010 jlgmonthly
Four-Letter Words Does the word jerk belong in a young picture book? At what age levels are s** t and f** k appropriate? These are questions I have had to ask since I first began working at JLG back in 1991. At the time we had a strict policy against profanity in our selections. These days we couldn’t maintain a list of the highest-quality books if Susan Marston, JLG Editorial Director we were as strict about excluding books with “language issues.” However, we still hear from customers that it is something they grapple with, so we continue to pay attention. “Language” can be a consideration in determining the appropriate level for a book, or even whether to include a book on our list at all. Children’s authors use jarring words for many valid reasons. Still, there do seem to be times when the inclusion of potentially offensive words seems incidental or nonessential. Publishers often ask our reasons when we reject their books. When it is a question of what we perceive to be unsuitable language, it can break my heart, especially if it is a book I long to share. Sometimes publishers say “that’s too bad” in an understanding way and move on. But in some cases, they and their authors are willing to address our concerns and make changes. While I am strongly opposed to censorship, I am grateful for this receptiveness. Does that make me a hypocrite?
Inside this issue:
February Books ...... 2 Index of February Books ...... 32 Did You Know ...... 32 March Forthcoming Titles ...... 32
Junior Library Guild 7858 Industrial Parkway www.juniorlibraryguild.com • 866.205.0570 Plain City, OH 43064 PS PRIMARY SPANISH • GRADES K–3 FEBRUARY
Bear in Sunshine / Oso bajo el sol
by Stella Blackstone • illustrated by Debbie Harter
Barefoot • ISBN: 9781846864483 • Dewey: E • 24 pp • 9 4/5" x 8 7/10" Scheduled Month: February 2010
“Bear likes to play when the sun shines. / A Oso le gusta jugar cuando el sol brilla. . . . When it’s stormy, he hides in his bed. / Cuando hay tormenta, se esconde en su cama.” Humorous illustrations depict Bear’s activities through the four seasons and in all kinds of weather. Glossary. Full-color illustrations.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
• Stella Blackstone e ectively introduces weather-related vocabulary words within the context of the story. • Debbie Harter’s artwork is bright and cheerful with humorous touches, such as Bear making snow-bears on a wintry day. • At the end of the book, Bear is pictured in each season, giving readers an opportunity to connect di erent kinds of weather with the appropriate season.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Rainy Day! by Patricia Lakin
Seasons of the Year / Las estaciones del año by Margaret Hall
Marco Flamingo / Marco Flamenco by Sheila Jarkins Stella Blackstone says, “I wrote Bear in Sunshine because I love to be outside, and I wanted to show children how much you can do outside at any time of year. “I try to create books that are accessible for small children and entertaining for adults at the same time. I get wonderful feedback about Bear. Parents often buy his stories for two-year-olds, and when they get a bit older, children then like to read them to their younger siblings. So, the books work as early readers as well as straightforward, rhyming stories for little ones. The next step seemed to be to off er the Bear books as bilingual readers. Bear in Sunshine is the fi rst. “All of the Bear books are illustrated by Debbie Harter, and I love the visual jokes in her art, especially her take on ‘Singing in the Rain.’”
CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Bilingual picture book. nds a way to have fun in sun, rain, wind, Genre: Fiction. or snow. Summary: Bear likes to play in all kinds Curriculum areas: Language arts. Spanish. of weather. Topics: Weather. Bears. Rhyming stories. Available at juniorlibraryguild.com Main characters: Bear, a happy bear who Sensitive areas: None.
2 jlgmonthly • FEBRUARY 2010 866.205.0570 FEBRUARY GRADES PreK–K • KINDERGARTEN K
Supersister by Beth Cadena • illustrated by Frank W. Dormer
Clarion • ISBN: 9780547010069 • Dewey: E • 32 pp • 8" x 10" Scheduled Month: February 2010
“She slides like a speeding bullet. Wheee! Swings like a shooting rocket. Whoosh! ” She’s Supersister! Soon she is going to be the best big sister that any superbaby ever had. In the meantime she’s getting ready by being super helpful to her mother and super well-behaved in school. Full-color watercolor illustrations.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
• A lively story that will have special signi cance for children who are about to become older siblings themselves. Readers will appreciate Supersister’s enthusiasm for her new role, her achievements and mistakes, and her need for reassurance. Beth Cadena says the • Amusing, energetic artwork. inspiration for the story came from a button her • Supersister’s superhero identity oldest daughter was given is a fun twist on the idea of many years ago in a sibling being helpful around the house. class the family attended in preparation for their new • O ers a di erent and valid baby. The button read, I’m a Big Sister. approach from other “new “I wanted the story to capture the sibling” books. exuberance of that sentiment, but in a Super way, of course,” Ms. Cadena says. “I still have • e surprise ending may have the button—and the baby, although she’s readers turning back to page mostly grown now.” one to look for clues www.bethcadena.com in the story. Frank W. Dormer explains his artistic goal on his Web site: “I keep trying and trying to draw like a child. Someday I’ll get there. Until then I just draw.” www.frankwdormer.com
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Baby Brains and RoboMom by Simon James
Maggie’s Monkeys by Linda Sanders-Wells
Katie Loves the Kittens by John Himmelman CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Picture book. Genre: Fiction. Summary: A young girl does all kinds of things around the house to help her pregnant mother, proud that when the new baby comes she is going to be “a super sister.” Main characters: Supersister; her parents; her dog, Poopsie. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Topics: Helpfulness. Preparing for a new sibling. Families. Sensitive areas: None. Available at juniorlibraryguild.com
www.juniorlibraryguild.com FEBRUARY 2010 • jlgmonthly 3 P PRIMARY • GRADES K–1 FEBRUARY
Here Comes the Big, Mean Dust Bunny!
written and illustrated by Jan Thomas
Beach Lane • ISBN: 9781416991502 • Dewey: E • 40 pp • 9" x 9" Scheduled Month: February 2010
Ed, Ned, Ted, and Bob love to rhyme all the time, but the Big, Mean Dust Bunny doesn’t want to join them—at least not at rst. When Ed asks, “What rhymes with t?” the Big, Mean Dust Bunny thinks it’s fun to sit—on the other dust bunnies. Now that the Big, Mean Dust Bunny gets the hang of the game, how will the other dust bunnies get him to stop playing? Full-color, digital illustrations.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
• With strongly integrated text and art, this entertaining story is told in just over Jan Thomas says she has lots of experience one hundred words, making it an attention grabber for younger readers and with dust bunnies, because she lives in beginning readers alike. the dusty town of Socorro, New Mexico. Last year, a giant (Big, Mean) dust bunny • A lighter take on a bully story. e Big, Mean Dust Bunny changes from a emerged from frowning meanie to a hugging sweetie. under her bed. Ms. Thomas • ick, black outlines, bright colors, and bold expressions make the pages easy to see knew she had a from afar. Together with the dramatic dialogue, this is a great story time read-aloud. story. However, • Dust bunnies have never writing a book about “such been as endearing and an unpleasant, funny as they are in Jan disagreeable omas’s Rhyming Dust character” Bunnies and this equally was a real challenge for her, she admits, particularly because he had “such strong enjoyable sequel. opinions about his lines in the book.” www.janthomasbooks.com
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas
A Birthday for Cow! by Jan Thomas
Help! by Holly Keller
CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Picture book. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Genre: Simple concept. Topics: Rhymes. Humor. Friendship. Bullies. Summary: The rhyming dust bunnies Danger. Forgiving. are joined in a rhyming game by the Sensitive areas: None. Big, Mean Dust Bunny. Main characters: The rhyming dust Available at bunnies: Ed, Ned, Ted, and Bob; the Big, juniorlibraryguild.com Mean Dust Bunny; a cat.
4 jlgmonthly • FEBRUARY 2010 866.205.0570 FEBRUARY GRADES K–1 • PRIMARY P+
Born Yesterday The Diary of a Young Journalist by James Solheim • illustrated by Simon James
Philomel • ISBN: 9780399251559 • Dewey: E • 32 pp • 9 1/4" x 11" Scheduled Month: February 2010
A baby (and aspiring writer) starts keeping a diary at birth. “I wasn’t wearing so much as a hair ribbon,” she writes. “And horror! My mom and dad were there.” She records her hopes, dreams, and her fascination with her big sister—a monkey bar superstar who has her very own hairbrush and knows how to operate a Popsicle. Full-color watercolor and ink illustrations.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
• e thoughts and insights of this absurdly precocious baby are truly funny. e book may James Solheim says, make children with younger “We all enter the world siblings wonder what “their” not knowing what babies are thinking. our toes are or the diff erence between Vermont and a ham • Endearing and expressive sandwich. But what if we arrived with a illustrations. kindergartner’s attitudes and a teenager’s • Kids will appreciate the baby’s writing ability? “With a fat crayon in my fi st, I drew on my awe as she tries to make sense own children—oops, sorry, I mean I drew on of the world. my children’s attitudes and experiences to • e baby’s portrait of her older create Born Yesterday, a journal of a baby’s fi rst year of life—scribbled from day one by sister will encourage readers the baby herself.” to value their own talents and www.jamessolheim.com. abilities.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Baby Brains and RoboMom by Simon James Simon James is the author/illustrator of several picture books, including Diary of a Fly the Baby Brains books. Mr. James lives in the United Kingdom, where, his by Doreen Cronin Web site states, he spends “much of his time drawing and stapling stories into little books”—just as he did for most of his childhood. www.simonjamesbooks.co.uk
CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Picture book. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Genre: Fiction. Topics: Babies. Diaries. Humor. New siblings. Summary: A baby who plans to grow up to Dogs. Writing. be a writer records thoughts and events in a Sensitive areas: None. private journal. Main characters: A baby; her older sister, a kindergartner; the girls’ parents; their dog, Available at Foofy. juniorlibraryguild.com
www.juniorlibraryguild.com FEBRUARY 2010 • jlgmonthly 5 E EASY READING • GRADES 1–3 FEBRUARY
Dodsworth in London
written and illustrated by Tim Egan
Houghton Miffl in • ISBN: 9780547138169 • Dewey: E • 48 pp • 6" x 9" Scheduled Month: February 2010
As Dodsworth and his friend the duck tour London by bus, Dodsworth notices that the duck is being unusually calm and rational. Wait a minute—who is this imposter, and where is Dodsworth’s trouble-making friend? Full-color ink and watercolor illustrations.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
• Dodsworth and the duck are back Tim Egan “adopted” in another adventure full of madcap characters from his picture books when he started the action and dry humor. Dodsworth series. He says, • e illustrations are fun and funny, “I looked back at The Pink depicting an alternate London Refrigerator and thought it might be fun to write about the main populated with animals. character, Dodsworth. A few weeks later, • Readers will laugh at the duck’s my wife, Ann, and I were on a trip to San attitude and antics and at the Francisco when we discussed how fun it would be to send Dodsworth on vacation as mistaken-identity plot. well. Later, I had him walk into the restaurant • e book will expose readers to from my fi rst book, Friday Night at Hodges’ elements of British culture. Cafe, where he met up with the crazy duck from that book. Once the two of them met, the story took off . “Sometimes people have asked me why the duck doesn’t have a name. The truth is, I tried many times to name him, but he didn’t like any of them. In any case, Dodsworth and the duck are now on their third adventure. After each story, I ask them where they’re heading to next, but they never tell me. Fortunately, our family loves to travel, so I guess I’ll fi nd out for myself.”
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Dodsworth in New York by Tim Egan
Dodsworth in Paris by Tim Egan CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Joe and Sparky Get Book type: Early reader. New Wheels by Jamie Michalak Genre: Humorous fi ction. Series: Dodsworth. Summary: Despite a dart-throwing episode at a local pub and a case of mistaken identity, Dodsworth and his mischievous duck companion receive a royal invitation to stay at Buckingham Palace during their trip to London. Main characters: Dodsworth; the duck, Dodsworth’s traveling companion; the Royal Duck, a duck who belongs to the Queen of England; the Queen of England. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Social studies. Topics: London, England. Buckingham Palace. Traveling. Sightseeing. Pubs. Darts. Accidents. Arguments. Buses. Getting separated. Mistaken identity. Searches. Panic. Royalty. Available at Sensitive areas: None. juniorlibraryguild.com
6 jlgmonthly • FEBRUARY 2010 866.205.0570 FEBRUARY GRADES 1–3 • EASY READING E+
Groundhog Weather School by Joan Holub • illustrated by Kristin Sorra
Putnam’s • ISBN: 9780399246593 • Dewey: E • 32 pp • 9 1/2" x 11" Scheduled Month: February 2010
Congratulations! You’ve been accepted to Groundhog Weather School. Here, you’ll learn about the seasons, hibernation, and what it means if you see your shadow on February 2. After graduation, you might even join the ranks of such famous “hognosticators” as General Beauregard Lee and Punxsutawney Phil! Notes about Groundhog Day and predicting the weather. Full-color illustrations created with hand-painted textures of oil on paper, found objects, and papers; combined and rendered in Photoshop.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
• Combines elements of a scrapbook and comic book to great e ect. e quizzes, calendars, letters, and maps are engaging and fun. • Readers will enjoy following the di erent animal characters, including a rabbit who is frustrated by unreliable weather forecasts, a groundhog who is afraid of shadows, and a skunk from California who claims to be an “exchange student.” • Weather and groundhog-related tidbits of information are integrated throughout the book, including details about “famous furry hognosticators,” how plants and animals indicate weather conditions, and how to build a burrow. • Kids will want to reread the book to catch every funny aside and clever detail.
Joan Holub says she Kristin Sorra says that each spread of YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: overheard a boy ask Groundhog Weather School required lots Bed, Bats, & Beyond how one groundhog of planning and problem solving. “The by Joan Holub could possibly predict characters needed room to show off the weather for all fty their personalities while delivering the The Man Who Named the Clouds states, and that got her facts through word balloons. I was able by Julie Hannah and Joan Holub started playing the “what if” game. What if a to create unique personalities for each bunch of animals got upset at the weather of the groundhogs with suggestions by Seasons of the Year / Las estaciones del año groundhog for ruining their outdoor plans Joan Holub. So I spent a good deal of time by Margaret Hall with the wrong prediction? What if that designing all the characters and, in some groundhog decided to start a school to train cases, matching who says more groundhogs to help him predict the what with each fact. I’m weather on Groundhog Day? very proud of the results.” www.joanholub.com www.kristinsorra.com
CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Picture book. Main characters: Groundhog; Rabbit; eight Genre: Fiction. student groundhogs; a skunk. Summary: When Groundhog realizes Curriculum areas: Language arts. Science. he needs helpers all over the country Topics: Woodchucks. Groundhog Day. to accurately forecast the weather, he Spring. Schools. establishes a school to teach young Sensitive areas: None. groundhogs how to properly determine Available at when spring will arrive. juniorlibraryguild.com
www.juniorlibraryguild.com FEBRUARY 2010 • jlgmonthly 7 I INDEPENDENT READERS • GRADES 2–4 FEBRUARY
Nikki & Deja The Newsy News Newsletter
by Karen English • illustrated by Laura Freeman
Clarion • ISBN: 9780547222479 • Dewey: F • 96 pp • 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" Scheduled Month: February 2010
Mr. Robinson got locked out of his house in his robe, and Evan broke his arm trying a new trick on his skateboard: things are always happening on Fulton Street. Nikki convinces her friend Deja to help her write a newsletter featuring this exciting “newsy news.” At rst, all their neighbors want to read what the girls have written. But after just one issue, some unexpected problems arise. Black-and-white digital illustrations.
Karen English explains, “Nikki and JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY: Deja: The Newsy News Newsletter was inspired by my observations of a girl’s capacity for gab. • Nikki and Deja have strong, distinct, and Little girls are full of clever and often perceptive observations. appealing personalities. I wanted to capture a scenario • e depiction of friendship is realistic: where those observations, when shared—in although the girls sometimes roll their eyes print—go wrong. I love writing about these at each other and squabble, they still admire characters. I get to put a bit of myself, a bit of my friends, but mainly a huge amount each other’s abilities and share secrets. Karen of my dear students in each character. It’s English shows a nice contrast between their enormous fun. thoughts and dialogue. “I hope to include more developed boy characters in this next eff ort. I hope, also, • Readers will empathize with Nikki and Deja’s to continue to make Nikki and Deja African struggle to create a newsletter that lives up to American characters to whom all children their expectations and with the problems the can relate. girls face by jumping to conclusions and by Laura Freeman illustrates not telling the truth. children’s books and educational • English creates an appealing classroom publishing materials. She lives setting as well as a warm and believable in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and two children. neighborhood. www.lfreemanart.com • Straightforward text, expressive illustrations, and short chapters make the book accessible to newly independent readers. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Nikki & Deja “What if, what?” Deja says, studying her order form with a look of satisfaction. by Karen English “What if no one wants our newsletter?” Nikki & Deja: Birthday Blues “That’s not the way to look at it, Nikki. You have to think everyone is going to want by Karen English it. People always want to know about their neighbors.”
Keena Ford and the Second-Grade Mix-Up —Nikki & Deja: The Newsy News Newsletter by Melissa Thomson
CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Chapter book. Main characters: Nikki; Deja; their teacher, Genre: Fiction. Ms. Shelby; Deja’s Auntie Dee. Series: Nikki & Deja. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Summary: When Nikki and her best friend, Topics: Newsletters. Neighborhoods. Best Deja, start a newsletter about what is friends. Friendship. Schools. Classrooms. happening on their street and in their Not checking facts. Retractions. Accepting school, they focus more on writing exciting blame. Apologizing. Available at stories than on fi nding the truth. Sensitive areas: None. juniorlibraryguild.com
8 jlgmonthly • FEBRUARY 2010 866.205.0570 FEBRUARY GRADES 2–4 • INDEPENDENT READERS I+
Child of the Civil Rights Movement by Paula Young Shelton • illustrated by Raul Colón
Schwartz & Wade • ISBN: 9780375954146 • Dewey: 323.1196/073076147 • 40 pp • 8 1/2" x 11" Scheduled Month: February 2010
“So Mama and Daddy packed up / their three little girls . . . and we went back to Georgia, / back to Jim Crow, / where whites could / but blacks could not.” e daughter of civil rights activist Andrew Young o ers poignant descriptions of her childhood in Atlanta as part of “ e Civil Rights Family.” Additional information about the people mentioned in the book. Bibliography. Full-color illustrations.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
Paula Young Shelton • Simply told but full of unique, personal watched her father (civil insights that only the author could rights leader Andrew Young), have. Her “ rst protest” as a hungry Martin Luther King, Jr., and young girl crying in a restaurant many others work to change that refused to serve her family is the laws that kept blacks and whites separate but unequal, especially powerful. and she even participated in • Interesting to see major civil rights some of the demonstrations. leaders as “aunts” and “uncles,” As a fi rst-grade teacher and the mother of three boys, Ms. Shelton says, “I realized that ordinary people who swim at the I had an obligation to teach children about local pool, come over for dinner— this important period in history.” and bring about historic change. Raul Colón says, “The civil rights movement • e lyrical free verse and the warm, was constantly on our TV news when I was intimate illustrations capture a growing up. I’m sure a lot of child’s-eye view without condescension. what I felt and saw at the time infl uenced the approach I took • Paula Young Shelton adds enough detail to put in illustrating this picture book. the civil rights movement in context for readers Of course, Paula Young Shelton’s unfamiliar with the events leading to the words illuminated the story and signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. made it easier for me.” www.raulcolon.com
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Stompin’ at the Savoy collected and edited by Alan Govenar
Ron’s Big Mission by Rose Blue and Corinne J. Naden
Dancing to Freedom by Li Cunxin
CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Picture book. Topics: Selma to Montgomery Rights March Genre: Nonfi ction. (1965). Civil rights movements. African Americans. Selma, Alabama. Race relations. Main focus: A child’s view of the civil rights Jim Crow laws. Family. Activism. movement based on the author’s memories and the memories of her family. Sensitive areas: None. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Social studies. Available at juniorlibraryguild.com
www.juniorlibraryguild.com FEBRUARY 2010 • jlgmonthly 9 A INTERMEDIATE • GRADES 3–5 FEBRUARY
How to Build Your Own Country
by Valerie Wyatt • illustrated by Fred Rix
Kids Can • ISBN: 9781554533107 • Dewey: 320.4 • 40 pp • 7" x 9" Scheduled Month: February 2010
Although 99.999999 percent of the world is owned by one country or another, odd bits and pieces aren’t. “Suppose you stumble across a chunk of land that no one owns. You could take it over and declare it a brand-new country.” How would you do it? is book leads you through the process, step by step. Glossary. Index. Full-color illustrations.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
• Valerie Wyatt’s inventive, humorous approach will make the topic Valerie Wyatt appealing to young readers. explains, “I live in • e step-by-step instructions are a perfectly good country—Canada— thought-provoking and funny. and have all my life. • e book is laid out in a clear But there’s something manner so that each spread appealing about the idea of being able to set up your very own country, where you addresses a di erent topic. can make the laws. No taxes for people with • Readers will be amused by the author’s invented country, which is the size of freckles! Dogs can vote! Citizens must eat a large bathmat and is used as an example throughout the book. cheese at every meal! “One of my favorite stories in the book is • Colorful illustrations and sidebars add to the book’s accessibility. about Bobby Madison who, at age fourteen, set up a micronation called Talossa in his bedroom. King Robert, as he came to be called, had to cross an international border to get to the bathroom!”
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: See How They Run by Susan E. Goodman
If America Were a Village by David J. Smith Fred Rix says, “I cannot describe the pleasure and the honor of being invited to participate in We the People this wonderful and extraordinarily timely project. How to Build Your Own Country will delight, by Lynne Cheney educate, and inspire children to become involved in shaping the world we live in. And it will make them laugh while doing it!” www.fredrix.com
CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Picture book. Genre: Nonfi ction. Main focus: Describes, step by step, how to build a nation from scratch. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Social studies. Topics: Civics. Citizenship. New countries. Naming of countries. Populations. Passports. Flags. National mottoes. National anthems. Governments. Elections. Constitutions. Laws. Taxes. Money. Holidays. Global concerns. Diplomacy. United Nations. Available at Sensitive areas: None. juniorlibraryguild.com
10 jlgmonthly • FEBRUARY 2010 866.205.0570 FEBRUARY GRADES 3–5 • INTERMEDIATE A+
Oggie Cooder, Party Animal! by Sarah Weeks • illustrated by Doug Holgate
Scholastic • ISBN: 9780439927925 • Dewey: F • 176 pp • 5 1/2" x 7 1/2" Scheduled Month: February 2010
Oggie Cooder has been invited to Donnica Perfecto’s birthday pool party! “Prrrrr-ip! Prrrrr-ip! [He] uttered his tongue against the roof of his mouth. He always did that when he was excited about something.” Unfortunately, Donnica doesn’t really want Oggie to come—and she’s doing everything she can think of to keep him away. Black- and-white illustrations.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
• Readers will relate to the quirky, Sarah Weeks explains, “Oggie Cooder is one goodhearted, and sometimes clueless of my favorite characters to write about. He’s Oggie, who doesn’t catch all the social a little kooky, to be sure, but cues he should. he’s also a great kid with an active imagination and a big • Kids who have had to extend invitations heart. People always ask me to classmates they don’t like will under- how I came up with Oggie’s stand Donnica’s dilemma. While they name. The answer is—it would never want to be on the receiving was an accident! I originally named him Ozzie, but every end of Donnica’s rude remarks, it will be time I said it out loud, I wickedly delightful to read about her. stumbled over it, and it came out ‘Oggie.’ • Oggie’s friendship with his classmate Finally I realized I actually liked that name better, so I changed it. Amy is nicely portrayed. “I love writing the dialogue between • It is satisfying when Oggie recognizes Oggie and Donnica. She is such a bratty- who his true friends are. brat, and Oggie just drives her crazy. I hope that kids will enjoy reading the book as • Readers do not need to have read the much as I enjoyed writing it!” rst Oggie Cooder book to enjoy this www.sarahweeks.com engaging sequel.
“If you can’t follow the rules, you can’t come to my party,” [Donnica] informed YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Oggie. Oggie Cooder “Okay,” he said. He’d never heard of birthday party rules before, but was certainly by Sarah Weeks willing to do whatever it took in order to be allowed to come to Donnica’s party and swim in her pool. Calvin Coconut: Trouble Magnet by Graham Salisbury —Oggie Cooder, Party Animal! A Girl, a Boy, and a Monster Cat by Gail Gauthier
CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Novel. Main characters: Oggie Cooder; Oggie’s Genre: Fiction. bossy classmate Donnica Perfecto; Dylan James, Oggie’s new classmate; Dylan’s older Series: Oggie Cooder. brother, Justin; Amy Schneider, Oggie’s Summary: Neither a long list of rules, nor friend. the inability to fi nd the perfect gift, nor Curriculum areas: Language arts. being locked in a bathroom with a juggling bear will keep quirky fourth-grader Oggie Topics: Eccentrics and eccentricities. Parties. Cooder from attending neighbor Donnica Birthdays. Neighbors. Friendship. Schools. Perfecto’s birthday pool party. Rudeness. Haiku. Memory aids. Apologies. Available at Sensitive areas: None. juniorlibraryguild.com
www.juniorlibraryguild.com FEBRUARY 2010 • jlgmonthly 11 BE BIOGRAPHY ELEMENTARY • GRADES 2–6 FEBRUARY
Noah Webster Weaver of Words
by Pegi Deitz Shea • illustrated by Monica Vachula
Calkins Creek • ISBN: 9781590784419 • Dewey: 423.092 B • 40 pp • 10" x 10" Scheduled Month: February 2010
“Noah Webster is best known for writing American dictionaries. But that’s not all he did.” He also published America’s rst spelling and reading texts, wrote pamphlets against slavery, and helped establish the public education system. He “had the energy of a thousand bees, and knowledge was his nectar.” Chronology. Bibliography. Index. Full-color paintings done in oil on board.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
Pegi Deitz Shea says she “discovered the power of • Includes a wealth of fascinating historical words with Dr. Seuss as a information based on thorough research. child.” She writes fi ction • Noah Webster’s character is well-developed and poetry as well as nonfi ction for all ages. and lively. Direct quotations allow readers to Her books work across the curriculum experience how Webster thought and wrote. and often explore the diffi cult lives of war • Richly detailed illustrations give a good sense refugees, immigrants, child laborers, and historical fi gures. of the time period. Ms. Shea points out that while many of • Readers will be interested to discover her books take readers around the world, Webster’s contributions to public education, Noah Webster: Weaver of Words instead a common language, and the United States’ brings readers to her adopted state of Connecticut—the home of Noah Webster, cultural independence. a “Connecticut activist” like herself.
Noah wanted words to be spelled the way they were pronounced in everyday YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: usage and with the fewest letters as possible. That way, children could learn and remember the words’ spellings more easily. Noah tried removing silent letters, A Man for All Seasons making bread, “bred,” give, “giv.” [. . .] Most of Noah’s spellings did not take hold. by Stephen Krensky But some did: plough became “plow,” musick became “music,” colour became “color.” Ox, House, Stick —Noah Webster by Don Robb
We the People by Lynne Cheney Monica Vachula has illustrated several other books that feature historical characters, including a version of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Paul Revere’s Ride and Tea with an Old Dragon by Jane Yolen. Ms. Vachula lives in Massachusetts with her two cats and her husband, who, she says, has patiently complied with her frequent requests to don replicas of gentlemen’s costumes of the late-eighteenth and early- nineteenth centuries and to pose as the adult Noah Webster himself.
CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Illustrated nonfi ction. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Social Genre: Biography. studies. Main focus: The life and many Topics: Noah Webster (1758–1843). accomplishments of Noah Webster. Lexicographers. Educators. Available at Sensitive areas: None. juniorlibraryguild.com
12 jlgmonthly • FEBRUARY 2010 866.205.0570 FEBRUARY GRADES 2–6 • GRAPHIC NOVELS ELEMENTARY GE
Hadrosaurus The Duck-Billed Dinosaur by Rob Shone • illustrated by Terry Riley
Rosen • ISBN: 9781435885912 • Dewey: 567.914 • 32 pp • 9" x 11" Scheduled Month: February 2010
Life during the Cretaceous period is hard. Even while under the protection of the herd, a young hadrosaurus faces constant danger, whether from a ravenous quetzalcoatlus, a forty-foot crocodile, or a terrifying tornado. Background information about Hadrosauridae. Fossil evidence. Size comparisons. Glossary. Index. Full-color photographs and illustrations.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY: Rob Shone is the author of numerous graphic-nonfi ction titles, including • e story is exciting and suspenseful as the hadrosaurus battles a hailstorm Muhammad Ali: The Life of a Boxing Hero, and tornado, then plunges into the river with a dryptosaurus in pursuit. Earthquakes, and a previous JLG selection, • Terry Riley’s dramatic illustrations are lled with shifts in perspective that Tyrannosaurus: The Tyrant Lizard. provide the best view of the action. e main character is paler than the Terry Riley says, “I have always worked other hadrosauruses, so he’s easy to spot and track in each panel. across a broad spectrum of subjects, from • Without anthropomorphizing the character, Rob Shone gives readers a sense cartoons to wildlife, and have enjoyed the challenges of creating work for TV, fi lm, of the world from the hadrosaurus’s point of view. marketing, and even ceramics, as well as • e introductory publishing—and I still do. I work from my information compares home studio in the Pennines [in England]. I am married and have the characteristics and two daughters.” behaviors of present-day animals—cows, ducks, wildebeests, and zebras— with the herbivorous hadrosaurus. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Tyrannosaurus by Rob Shone
Pteranodon by David West, illustrated by Terry Riley
Ankylosaurus by David West
CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Graphic novel. Topics: Hadrosauridae. Predators and prey. Genre: Narrative nonfi ction. Herbivores. Herds. Dangers. Main focus: A hadrosaurus’s fi rst year of life. Sensitive areas: None. Available at Curriculum areas: Language arts. Science. juniorlibraryguild.com
www.juniorlibraryguild.com FEBRUARY 2010 • jlgmonthly 13 ME MYSTERY/ADVENTURE ELEMENTARY • GRADES 2–6 FEBRUARY
A Whole Nother Story
by Dr. Cuthbert Soup • illustrated by Jeff rey Stewart Timmons
Bloomsbury • ISBN: 9781599904351 • Dewey: F • 256 pp • 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" Scheduled Month: February 2010
e three Cheeseman children, their father, and their psychic dog have been on the run ever since Mr. Cheeseman invented a time machine coveted by various spies. Destroying the machine isn’t an option—after all, they need it to bring Mrs. Cheeseman back from the dead. Black-and-white illustrations.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
• Dr. Cuthbert Soup’s writing is Dr. Cuthbert Soup wants to make some unique and funny. His hilarious and things very clear: First, it should be noted that Dr. Cuthbert Soup is not a medical bizarre authorial asides will have doctor and does not appreciate being readers in stitches. asked to look at your tonsils, adenoids, or • Vivid descriptions of the irreverent birthmark shaped like Portugal. He holds a PhD in unsolicited advice and is the nation’s characters and their exploits add to foremost authority on the subject, once the humor. advising the Dalai Lama to change his • e plot is action-packed all the way name to Dolly Llama and become a female country-western singer. through to the surprise ending. “He listened intently, hanging on my every word,” says Dr. Soup. “He then advised me that I was standing on his robe.” Dr. Soup would also like it known that he was not always a multi-millionaire. He was born in Vienna, Austria, at the height of the Great Sausage Famine. At one point, he says, things became so desperate that he and his family had to boil and eat a beanbag chair.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Fortune’s Magic Farm by Suzanne Selfors
The Year of the Bomb by Ronald Kidd
The Mostly True Adventures of CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick Book type: Novel. Genre: Fiction. Summary: Ethan Cheeseman and his children hope to settle in a nice small town, at least long enough to complete work on a time machine, but spies and goverment agents have been pursuing them for two years and are about to catch up. Main characters: Inventor Ethan Cheeseman; Olivia Cheeseman, Ethan’s late wife; Barton (a.k.a. Jough Psmythe), Ethan’s fourteen-year-old son; Crandall (a.k.a. Gerard LaFontaine), Ethan’s eight-year-old son; Steve, Crandall’s sock puppet; Saff ron (a.k.a. Magenta-Jean Jurgenson), Ethan’s twelve-year-old daughter; Pinky, the Cheesemans’ psychic dog; Captain Jibby, owner of a traveling circus sideshow; Elliot Walsingham, a friend of Jough’s. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Topics: Advice. Inventions. Being on the run. Spies. Government agents. Dogs. Psychic abilities. Codes. Circus performers. Time machines. Making friends. Secrets. The police. Available at Sensitive areas: Violence. juniorlibraryguild.com
14 jlgmonthly • FEBRUARY 2010 866.205.0570 FEBRUARY GRADES 2–6 • NONFICTION ELEMENTARY NE
Winter’s Tail How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again by Juliana Hatkoff , Isabella Hatkoff , and Craig Hatkoff
Scholastic • ISBN: 9780545123358 • Dewey: 639.97/9533 • 40 pp • 10 1/2" x 9 1/2" Scheduled Month: February 2010
Winter, a young dolphin, lost her tail after getting caught in a crab trap. Extensive rehabilitation helped Winter survive, but her improvised way of swimming endangered her muscles and backbone. Could a prosthetic tail be the answer? Additional information. Map. Full-color photographs.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
• Non ction with plenty of kid appeal. Juliana Hatko , Isabella Hatko [top right], and Craig Hatko • e dolphin’s prosthetic tail [bottom right] are the father is a wonder, and it is uplifting and two-daughter team who that the scientists’ work on it have written fi ve nonfi ction children’s books about now- led to discoveries in prosthetics famous animals that have for humans. survived various life-threatening • e book makes science situations. Some of the Hatkoff books include Owen & Mzee: interesting and accessible and The True Story of a Remarkable provides a unique look at Friendship; Knut: How One Little applied science. Polar Bear Captivated the World; and Looking for Miza. • e story demonstrates www.winterstail.com responsibility and compassion. Clearwater Marine Aquarium
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Owen & Mzee: The Language of Friendship by Isabella Hatkoff , Craig Hatkoff , and Dr. Paula Kahumbu
Two Bobbies by Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery
Nubs by Major Brian Dennis, J Carrier Kirby Larson, and Mary Nethery
CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Picture book. Genre: Nonfi ction. Main focus: The story of a baby Atlantic bottlenose dolphin that was injured in a crab trap, subsequently lost her tail, and was fi tted with a prosthetic tail. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Science. Topics: Bottlenose dolphins. Wounds and injuries. Veterinary surgery. Artifi cial limbs. Caring for an injured animal. Aquariums. Problem solving. Sensitive areas: None. Available at juniorlibraryguild.com
www.juniorlibraryguild.com FEBRUARY 2010 • jlgmonthly 15 SCE SCIENCE NONFICTION ELEMENTARY • GRADES 2–6 FEBRUARY
Shipwrecks Exploring Sunken Cities Beneath the Sea
by Mary M. Cerullo
Dutton • ISBN: 9780525479680 • Dewey: 930.1028/04 • 64 pp • 10" x 8 1/2" Scheduled Month: February 2010
“A craft that once carried people above the waves has become a thriving habitat for plants and animals below the surface . . . a pocket of calm water within a restless sea.” Scientists piece together the stories of two shipwrecks long after the wreckage has settled on the ocean oor. Tips on protecting the ocean. Bibliography and Web sites. Glossary. Index. Maps. Full-color photographs. Black-and-white illustrations.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
• Each shipwreck story comes alive with interesting details and vivid descriptions. Fishes are the crew of the Portland now. The undisputed captain of the • Challenging material is accompanied by sidebars to provide further explanations. shipwreck is the cod. It sits quietly • Makes a fascinating connection between the history of shipwrecks and the science on the deck rippling its ns, as if of the marine life now found in that environment. keeping tabs on all that goes on • Readers will experience under its watch. a sense of discovery. —Shipwrecks • Will appeal to kids with an interest in science or history. A great addition to lessons on marine life.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Extreme Scientists by Donna M. Jackson
Tracking Trash by Loree Griffi n Burns Mary M. Cerullo explains that she started out to write a book comparing tropical and cold- The Titanic water marine life using the platform of two sunken ships, one found off Key West, Florida, and by Bob Temple the other in the chilly waters of New England. While learning about the animals that had made their homes within these fractured hulls, Ms. Cerullo discovered unexpected links between the two ships: the events leading up to their loss, their passengers and crew, and the detective work by marine scientists, historians, and maritime archaeologists that located these ships on the ocean fl oor. Ms. Cerullo says she especially enjoys working with teachers to infuse children’s books, both fi ction and nonfi ction, into the science curriculum. She lives near the Maine coast with her husband, Arthur.
CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Illustrated nonfi ction. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Science. Genre: Nonfi ction. Social studies. Main focus: The story of two shipwrecks, Topics: Shipwrecks. Underwater the work of archaeologists to uncover them, archaeology. The Henrietta Marie. The and how their wreckage supports marine Portland. Slave ships. Steamships. Coral reefs. life today. Marine sanctuaries. Available at Sensitive areas: None. juniorlibraryguild.com
16 jlgmonthly • FEBRUARY 2010 866.205.0570 FEBRUARY GRADES 2–6 • SPORTS ELEMENTARY SE
No Easy Way The Story of Ted Williams and the Last .400 Season by Fred Bowen • illustrated by Charles S. Pyle
Dutton • ISBN: 9780525478775 • Dewey: 796.357092 B • 32 pp Scheduled Month: February 2010
In 1941, Ted Williams accomplished what no major-league ballplayer has accomplished since: he ended the season with the astonishingly high batting average of .406. How did he do it? Well, it wasn’t easy. Sources. Black-and-white photographs. Full-color illustrations.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
• Ted Williams’s long-standing record is an impressive one, but even dedicated young baseball fans may be unfamiliar with it. • Fred Bowen keeps the biographical information lively with concise writing and memorable details. • Charles S. Pyle’s illustrations have a classic look that recalls Norman Rockwell. • e photographs occasionally interspersed with the illustrations heighten the reader’s feel for the time period.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Satchel Paige by David A. Adler
¡Jonrón! Fred Bowen writes sports fi ction and a weekly sports column for kids in (Out of the Ballpark) the Washington Post. He says, “I never saw Ted Williams play. But because by Alex Rodriguez I grew up near Boston as an avid Red Sox fan, I heard many stories about the legendary baseball slugger. About how he hit a home run on his last Scaredy-Cat Catcher at bat of his career. And how he might have broken Babe Ruth’s record for career home runs by Betty Hicks if he had not served almost fi ve full seasons as a pilot in World War II and the Korean War. And how he was the last player to hit .400 in a season. “It seems to me that sports heroes and sports stories are becoming the new legends and myths of our culture. I wrote No Easy Way because it showed how Ted Williams achieved his dream of becoming a great hitter through hard work, and because he never took the easy or convenient way out. Even when it meant risking his .400 season.” www.fredbowen.com
Charles S. Pyle is an illustrator, painter, and instructor who lives and works in northern California and, according to his blogspot.com profi le, is not the country singer. www.chuckpyleart.blogspot.com Available at juniorlibraryguild.com
CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Picture book. a batting average of .400 or higher for an Topics: Baseball. Ted Williams (1918–2002). Genre: Biography. entire season. San Diego, California. Batting averages. Sports records. The Boston Red Sox. Main focus: How Ted Williams became the last Curriculum areas: Language arts. Social professional baseball player to achieve studies. Physical education. Sensitive areas: None.
www.juniorlibraryguild.com FEBRUARY 2010 • jlgmonthly 17 B UPPER ELEMENTARY & JUNIOR HIGH • GRADES 5–7 FEBRUARY
Eidi The Children of Crow Cove
by Bodil Bredsdorff • translated by Kathryn Mahaff y
Farrar Straus Giroux • ISBN: 9780374312671 • Dewey: F • 144 pp • 5 1/8" x 7 5/8" Scheduled Month: February 2010
“Eidi took a deep breath. . . . Now at last she was all alone in the big world, without anyone from home in Crow Cove.” Eidi’s plan was to go and stay at Rossan’s house, only a few days’ walk away. But soon she nds herself working in faraway Eastern Harbor, where circumstances will force her to steal away from the town with a horse—and a boy.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY: Eidi shivered beneath her shawl, though there was no breath of wind. It was as if the world was waiting • An engrossing story with a timeless feel. with bated breath. The sound of their • Writing is simple and evocative. footsteps was distinct on the stony road. Every once in a while she started • Eidi is a strong, likable character. to sing, only to fall silent after a few • e plot and pacing are satisfying, building momentum to a rewarding payo . verses. Her voice sounded so little in such a wide world that it seemed better to keep still. —Eidi
Bodil Bredsdor explains, “In the beginning, I was thinking of continuing to write about the Crow-girl, or Myna as she is called at the end of the book, but my aim was to write about the peak of childhood, which is the time just before it disappears, and not about a teenager becoming an adult. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: “Then I got the idea of giving each book its own central character. In The Crow-Girl, I had The Porcupine Year fortunately let Myna meet a younger girl called Eidi. So she became the main character in the by Louise Erdrich second book, and Myna was given a supporting role. The change of main character became the recipe for the series.” Bird by Rita Murphy CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Novel. Genre: Fiction. Series: The Children of Crow Cove. Summary: Eidi leaves her mother and stepfather in Crow Cove and goes to a faraway seaside village, where she meets the much younger Tink and rescues him from the abusive man with whom he has been living. Main characters: Eidi; Rossan, a shepherd who knows Eidi; Bandon, a wealthy merchant; Tink, an orphan. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Topics: Families. New siblings. Making one’s own way in the world. Wool. Weaving. Seaport towns. Orphans. Conduct of life. Friends. Fathers. Returning home. Sensitive areas: Alcohol. Available at juniorlibraryguild.com
18 jlgmonthly • FEBRUARY 2010 866.205.0570 FEBRUARY GRADES 5–7 • UPPER ELEMENTARY & JUNIOR HIGH B+
War Games by Audrey Couloumbis and Akila Couloumbis
Random House • ISBN: 9780375956287 • Dewey: F • 240 pp • 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" Scheduled Month: February 2010
Amphissa, Greece, 1941: For twelve-year-old Petros, the war seems far away. He lls his days playing marbles with friends, working in his papa’s garden, and arguing with his older brother. en Germany invades Greece, and overnight, everything changes. Newbery Honor–winning author Audrey Couloumbis, writing with her husband, tells a story inspired by actual events. Author’s note.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
• An interesting and di erent World War II story set in Greece and made more compelling by the fact that it is based on personal experience. Audrey Couloumbis and Akila Couloumbis, husband and wife, had a process for turning • Readers will come to know and care about Petros and his family. Mr. Couloumbis’s personal history into a readable story. Ms. Couloumbis explains, • e writing evokes a speci c setting with vivid details. “At the beginning, Akila would tell me • Petros is a regular kid in an extraordinary situation. It will be easy for readers about living with the commander and to imagine themselves in his place. hiding his cousin. I’d type a chapter or two and take them to Akila. He’d slap a hand to • Although the commander is an enemy, it is clear that he is well-meaning his forehead and say, ‘No, it wasn’t like this!’ toward his hosts, treating the family with respect and even caring. I’d rewrite. “After a while, Akila came to the table armed with his own pad and pencil. He rewrote. I’d add some dialogue. He’d change “From this moment, we don’t care about books or languages,” Papa said. “We have the dialogue. We’d wrestle over parts of the no interest in travel or politics.” story that appealed to me more than to Akila. By the time we reached the end of the Zola couldn’t believe it. “What kind of Greek is that?” story, we couldn’t tell who wrote what— “The rare kind we’ll pretend to be,” Papa said. “The Germans can’t nd anything to always the sign of a good collaboration. set us apart from the other villagers. Nothing to give us away.” Akila always told me my books helped him to know me better. Now I can say he’s —War Games returned the favor tenfold.”
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
CURRICULUM INDICATIONS The Year of the Bomb by Ronald Kidd Book type: Novel. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Social Genre: Historical fi ction. studies. Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf Summary: What were once just boys’ Topics: Families. Farming. Amphissa, Greece. games become matters of life and death Brothers. Using slingshots. Cousins. Shooting as Petros and his older brother Zola each marbles. Sibling relationships. World War II. wonder if, like their resistance-fi ghter cousin, Underground movements. German they too can make a diff erence in a Nazi- occupation in Greece (1941–1944). Hiding occupied Greece. fugitives. Building kites. Faking a death. Main characters: Twelve-year-old Petros; Sensitive areas: Animal hunting. A shooting. Petros’s fi fteen-year-old brother, Zola; Petros’s eighteen-year-old sister, Sophie; Petros’s parents; stubborn cousin Stavros; Stavros’s brother, resistance-fi ghter Lambros; Uncle Spiro, Papa’s younger brother; Old Mario, a hired hand; Petros’s friend Elia; Fifi , a goat; a German commander. Available at juniorlibraryguild.com
www.juniorlibraryguild.com FEBRUARY 2010 • jlgmonthly 19 C ADVANCED READERS • GRADES 6–9 FEBRUARY
Runaway Twin
by Peg Kehret
Dutton • ISBN: 9780525421771 • Dewey: F • 192 pp • 5 1/2" x 8 /14" Scheduled Month: February 2010
Twin sisters Sunny and Starr were orphaned—and separated—at age three. Now thirteen, Sunny longs to reunite with Starr and runs away from her foster home to nd her. Along Sunny’s journey, she adopts a dog, survives a tornado, and learns what it really means to be a family.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
• Strong plot, pacing, and characters keep the story moving along. • e conclusion is realistic and never too sweet. • Well-de ned characters who feel real. • Readers will care about Sunny as she searches for Starr. • Sunny’s ethical dilemmas will prompt discussion. • Peg Kehret e ectively shows that a “real” family doesn’t have to be the one into which you’re born.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Waiting for Normal How could my trip to nd Starr—the trip I had dreamed about for so many years— by Leslie Connor have ended like this, with my dog unconscious or worse, and me crawling in the mud while a tornado swirled around me? Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt —Runaway Twin
Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
Peg Kehret says, “For many years I have volunteered with an animal rescue group. When they held an auction to raise funds, I donated the opportunity to have a pet included in my next book. The winning bidder asked me to write about her dog, Snickers, and he became a major character in Runaway Twin. I especially enjoyed using her photos to write a description of Snickers, a basset hound/Labrador mix, who was not an ordinary-looking dog. Most of my books include animals, because they are an important part of my life. “The message in Runaway Twin—that sometimes we must let go of our dreams to embrace a diff erent, but still happy, future—grew from my own experiences with post-polio syndrome and, especially, the death of my husband. I hope young readers will enjoy Sunny’s adventures as she discovers this truth.” Available at www.pegkehret.com juniorlibraryguild.com
CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Novel. Washington, to nd the twin sister from Curriculum areas: Language arts. Genre: Fiction. whom she was separated at age three. Topics: Foster children. Foster parents. Summary: Thirteen-year-old Sunny, Main characters: Sunny Skyland; Rita, Death. Siblings. Twins. Separation. Money. accompanied by a stray dog, takes Sunny’s foster mother; Starr Skyland, Sunny’s Running away. Traveling. Dogs. Strays. Bullies. advantage of a windfall to travel from twin sister; Snickers, a stray dog that Sunny Tornadoes. Rescues. Memories. Adoption. her Nebraska foster home to Enumclaw, adopts; Charley, a cab driver. Sensitive areas: Child abandonment.
20 jlgmonthly • FEBRUARY 2010 866.205.0570 FEBRUARY GRADES 6–9 • ADVANCED READERS C+
The Brain Finds a Leg by Martin Chatterton
Peachtree • ISBN: 9781561455034 • Dewey: F • 224 pp • 5 1/4" x 8" Scheduled Month: February 2010
“ e Brain,” who’s just joined Sheldon’s class, insists he’s a great detective and wants Sheldon as his sidekick. Sheldon thinks it’s a laugh—until his brother is accused of murder. en things get serious—well, as serious as a mystery involving a crocodile that thinks she’s a dog, a toothpaste factory, and killer koalas can be.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
• A funny and inventive book with a zany plot. • e pacing is excellent, with plenty of unexpected surprises and There was, Sheldon considered, only humorous asides. one sensible response to being trapped • e chracters are unique, memorable, and frequently hilarious. in a bedroom with a large carnivorous • Reminiscent of Carl Hiaasen’s books for children and M. T. Anderson’s reptile. He sucked in a big breath in Jasper Dash books. order to scream as loudly as possible for as long as possible. —The Brain Finds a Leg
Martin Chatterton explains, “I began writing The Brain Finds a Leg about seven years ago when my family and I were living in South Florida. One day, while running, I encountered an alligator crossing in front of me. They were becoming a common sight in the community we lived in, and it struck me as I sprinted nervously past that the encroachment of humanity on the natural habitat could have stranger and crazier consequences than a gator munching YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: the odd passing jogger. My idea was to write an environmental detective story that would Jasper Dash and the Flame-Pits of Delaware feature an English character who felt, or looked, very out of place; just like me. by M. T. Anderson “The idea lay dormant until I moved to Australia, where I changed the setting to the town of Farrago Bay. The only other real change was to turn Mavis the alligator into Mavis the The True Meaning crocodile!” of Smekday www.worldofchatterton.com by Adam Rex
Scat by Carl Hiaasen CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Novel. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Genre: Fiction. Topics: Animal behavior. Detectives. Summary: In Farrago Bay, Australia, thirteen- Scientists. Murder. Toothpaste. Body year-old Sheldon is recruited by a new parts. Crocodiles. The police. Surfers. Trace student, Theo Brain, to help investigate a evidence. Criminals. Disguises. Kidnapping. murder, which is tied not only to bizzare Factories. Inventions. Human intelligence. animal behavior but also to a diabolical plot Sensitive areas: Guns. Mild language. to alter human intelligence. Violence. Body humor. Main characters: Sheldon McGlone; Ms. Fleming, Sheldon’s teacher; The Brain; Sergeant Snook, a police detective and Sheldon’s mother’s boyfriend; Sean McGlone, Sheldon’s older brother; Mr. Horrocks, a local business owner; Mavis, a crocodile adopted by The Brain. Available at juniorlibraryguild.com
www.juniorlibraryguild.com FEBRUARY 2010 • jlgmonthly 21 FM FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL • GRADES 7–11 FEBRUARY
Raiders’ Ransom
by Emily Diamand
Chicken House • ISBN: 9780545142977 • Dewey: F • 384 pp • 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" Scheduled Month: February 2010
When raiders attacked Lilly’s village, they killed her grandmother and kidnapped the prime minister’s daughter. Lilly has a plan to get the girl back: she will nd the raiders and o er them a precious jewel in exchange. Little does Lilly know, the jewel is a powerful piece of forbidden technology.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
• Emily Diamand convincingly creates Emily Diamand says that unlike Lilly in a fantasy world that seems to take Raiders’ Ransom, she grew up miles from place in the past, then slowly—and the sea. “But,” she adds, “my grandmother just as credibly—reveals that the lived on the coast, and my dad spent his childhood on the water. Whenever we book is set in a post-computer visited my grandmother, my dad would take twenty-third century. me, my brother, and my sister out sailing. • Inventive and full of adventure. I was the youngest, so I spent most of the time bailing out water with a bucket! But • e characters are sympathetic. every now and then I got to hold the tiller • e well-paced plot keeps readers and steer the boat—well, that was just wonderful.” hooked. Ms. Diamand admits that, like Lilly, she • Zeph and Lilly’s voices are distinct has a faithful feline companion: “For the and unique. last twelve years, an orange tomcat named Quince has been living with me.” But there’s • e climate-change element is no chance of him joining her at sea, she says, thought-provoking. because “he’s even scared of the bath!” www.emilydiamand.com
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: The Unnameables by Ellen Booraem [T]he jewel starts glowing. Not all over, but in ten little spots, just perfectly placed Darkwood for putting your ngers on if you wanted to hold it. Before my head can think what by M. E. Breen I’m doing, my ngers have put themselves in the little glowing circles. There’s a bright ash, a little clicking sound, and the jewel suddenly sprouts a head! It’s level Nation with my own, hanging in the dark air and glowing like a ghost. by Terry Pratchett —Raiders’ Ransom
CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Novel. Main characters: Lilly Melkun; thirteen-year- Genre: Eco-thriller. old Zephaniah, member of the Angel Isling family of raiders; Mr. Saravanan, a fi ll-dealer Summary: In twenty-third-century Great who lives in the city; Alexandra Randall, Britain, where climate change has caused daughter of the prime minister. vast fl ooding, piratical raiders kidnap the prime minister’s daughter, and thirteen- Curriculum areas: Language arts. year-old Lilly Melkun, an English fi sher-girl, Topics: Adventure and adventurers. takes her seacat on a daring rescue attempt, Kidnapping. Pirates. Cats. Computers. with a mysterious talking jewel from a past Environmental degradation. Great Britain. Available at computer age tucked in her belt as ransom. juniorlibraryguild.com Sensitive areas: None.
22 jlgmonthly • FEBRUARY 2010 866.205.0570 FEBRUARY GRADES 7–11 • GRAPHIC NOVELS MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL GM
Calamity Jack by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale • illustrated by Nathan Hale
Bloomsbury • ISBN: 9781599900766 • Dewey: F • 144 pp • 7 1/2" x 10 7/18" Scheduled Month: February 2010
In this retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, the Giant is a “big business boss” named Blunderboar. After stealing Blunderboar’s goose, Jack is forced to ee, only to return with his new friend Rapunzel to save the city from the giants—and a race of terrifying ant people! Full-color illustrations.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
Shannon Hale is the author of • A story lled with inventive, fantastic events. many highly acclaimed books, • An ingenious take on a well-known tale. including the Newbery Honor– winning Princess Academy; the • Humorous dialogue and vibrant characters. Books of Bayern: Goose Girl, Enna • Readers of Rapunzel’s Revenge will be excited to see the clever and Burning, River Secrets, and the spirited Rapunzel again in this book. Junior Library Guild selection Forest Born; Book of a Thousand Days, also a JLG selection; and for adults, Austenland. www.shannonhale.com
Dean Hale is Shannon Hale’s husband. This is the second book he has written with her. Their fi rst collaboration was the JLG selection Rapunzel’s Revenge. Dean and Shannon Hale have a young son and daughter and live near Salt Lake City, Utah.
Nathan Hale worked as a scientifi c illustrator before focusing on picture books and graphic novels, and he has worked on murals and dioramas in natural history museums across the country. His books include The Devil You Know and Rapunzel’s Revenge, his previous collaboration with Shannon Hale and Dean Hale. Mr. Hale lives in Utah with his wife and two children.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale
The Invisible Man adapted by Rick Geary CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Cat Burglar Black Book type: Graphic novel. a giant and local business boss; Rapunzel; by Richard Sala Genre: Reimagined fairy tale. Frederick Sparksmith III, a young newspaperman. Summary: In this graphic-novel interpretation of Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack Curriculum areas: Language arts. is a born schemer who climbs a magical Topics: Giants. Characters in literature. beanstalk in the hope of exacting justice Jack and the Beanstalk. Theft. Giants. from a mean giant and gaining a fortune for Sensitive areas: None. his widowed mother, aided by some friends. Main characters: Jack; Prudence, a pixie Available at who is Jack’s partner in crime; Blunderboar, juniorlibraryguild.com
www.juniorlibraryguild.com FEBRUARY 2010 • jlgmonthly 23 MM MYSTERY/ADVENTURE MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL • GRADES 7–11 FEBRUARY
The Maze Runner
by James Dashner
Delacorte • ISBN: 9780385907026 • Dewey: F • 256 pp • 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" Scheduled Month: February 2010
Life in the Glade is dangerous but orderly. Every night, the Glade’s walls close, protecting residents from the creatures outside. Every thirty days, a metal elevator in the courtyard delivers a new, always disoriented, adolescent boy. But, one day, it delivers a girl—and then the walls stop closing.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
• Suspenseful, eerie, and engrossing, e Maze Runner grabs readers from the rst page and never lets go.
James Dashner says, • Told from a close third-person point of view, the book’s world is initially as strange “Two books that had to the reader as it is to omas. It’s also as terrifying and visceral. particular infl uence • To survive, characters must learn to cooperate, think creatively, and solve the maze’s on my childhood were Ender’s Game and Lord of puzzle. As they do, readers will cheer them on. the Flies. I loved how Ender never gave up. • Invented slang gives the dialogue a sense of authenticity and urgency. By the same token, I hated how the boys in the jungle did. You’ll see these themes in • e Maze Runner marks the beginning of a new and exciting trilogy. my book. “A lot of bad things happen to the Gladers in my story. Abandonment. Terror. Sorrow. Death. And yet they continue The lightless elevator swayed back and forth as it ascended, turning the boy’s fi ghting. They continue working and sweating and doing whatever it takes to stomach sour with nausea; a smell like burnt oil invaded his senses, making him escape the horrible place in which they’ve feel worse. He wanted to cry, but no tears came; he could only sit there, alone, been captured. I believe that in the end, waiting. the story is about hope.” My name is Thomas, he thought. www.jamesdashner.blogspot.com That . . . that was the only thing he could remember about his life. —The Maze Runner
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: The Roar by Emma Clayton
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Novel. Genre: Fantasy. Summary: Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he fi nds himself if he is to escape. Main characters: Thomas; Alby, the Glade’s leader; Newt, the second-in-command; Chuck, a young boy who befriends Thomas; Gally, the Glade’s resident bully; Minho, the leader of the Runners; Teresa, the fi rst girl ever to arrive in the Glade. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Topics: Amnesia. Cooperativeness. Mazes. Codes. Code-breaking. Available at Sensitive areas: Violence. juniorlibraryguild.com
24 jlgmonthly • FEBRUARY 2010 866.205.0570 FEBRUARY GRADES 7–11 • NONFICTION MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL NM
Funny Business Conversations with Writers of Comedy compiled and edited by Leonard S. Marcus
Candlewick • ISBN: 9780763632540 • Dewey: 813'.54099282 B • 224 pp • 6 1/2" x 9 1/4" Scheduled Month: February 2010
“You never love a book the way you love a book when you’re ten,” Daniel Handler says. e thirteen interviews that compose this collection are full of such insights from the authors of humorous books for young readers, including Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, Christopher Paul Curtis, and others. Lists of authors’ works. Index. Black-and-white photographs and manuscript pages.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY: Leonard S. Marcus says, “From the time I rst • A fascinating examination of various humorous authors’ approaches, attitudes, chuckled my way through and reasons for writing. The Cat in the Hat, I have always loved books that • e inclusion of correspondence with editors and copies of edited manuscript make me laugh. Years later, as pages provides insight into how the writing, editing, and publishing processes a college student, it puzzled work and reveals the sorts of problems authors work to solve. me that the so-called Great Books we read in class were generally of the • Full of personal stories which are fun to read and to which readers will relate. serious, straight-faced variety. Why should Intriguing to explore how authors’ life experiences and stories intersect. that be? Still more years later, in creating • Useful for aspiring writers or for readers looking to nd out more about their Funny Business, I’ve set out to give some of my own—and young readers’—favorite favorite authors and books. comic writers their due at last. If Beverly Cleary, Daniel Handler, Jon Scieszka, and the other authors I interviewed can’t help being hilarious, it’s in part because they know [T]he funny thing is that with all the doubt and pain that go with writing, you look that humor is very often the best way to talk back at the writing later and you remember it as a wonderfully happy time. Why? about the things that matter to kids.” www.leonardmarcus.com Who knows! But it may be because by writing you’ve tested yourself and you’ve fought through. It has meant something to you, so that you can honestly say to Leonard Marcus photo by Sonya Sones yourself, Wow, it was important for me to have done that. —Norton Juster, in Funny Business YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: I Am Scout by Charles J. Shields
E. E. Cummings by Catherine Reef CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Knucklehead Book type: Collection of interviews. by Jon Scieszka Genre: Nonfi ction. Main focus: Twelve writers of comedy explain how they began their careers and discuss their writing methods. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Topics: Children’s stories. Interviews. Humor. Authorship. Judy Blume (1938– ). Choosing subject matter. Banned books. Childhood. Writing. First publications. Inspiration. Humor. Revising. Beverly Cleary (1916– ). Family. Teachers. Reading. Sharon Creech (1945– ). Audiences. Christopher Paul Curtis (1953– ). Careers. Bullies. Research. Anne Fine (1947– ). World War II. Daniel Handler (1970– ). Vocabularies. Edward Gorey (1925–2000). The Holocaust. Accidents. Carl Hiaasen (1953– ). Florida. School. Norton Juster (1929– ). Expectations. Infl uences. Architecture. Jules Feiff er (1929– ). Craftsmanship. Dick King-Smith (1922– ). Puns. Hilary McKay (1959– ). Writing a series. Rejection letters. Louis Sachar (1954– ). Lawyers. Outsiders. Titles. Jon Scieszka (1954– ). Religion. Authority fi gures. The 9/11 attacks. Parody. Available at Sensitive areas: Language. juniorlibraryguild.com
www.juniorlibraryguild.com FEBRUARY 2010 • jlgmonthly 25 SM SPORTS MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL • GRADES 7–11 FEBRUARY
Million-Dollar Throw
by Mike Lupica
Philomel • ISBN: 9780399246265 • Dewey: F • 256 pp • 6" x 9" Scheduled Month: February 2010
Eighth-grade quarterback Nate Brodie will win a million dollars—if he can throw a pass through a target at an upcoming NFL game. ough Nate’s best friend, Abby, tries to encourage him, all the pressure starts to feel overwhelming—and his arm starts to fail him.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
• A fully developed plotline that goes deeper than just sports. As practice wore on, the harder Nate • e concept of the million-dollar throw will spark readers’ imaginations. tried, the harder it got for him to hit what he was aiming at. • Nate’s emotional development as he feels increasing pressure to perform is well paced and will be relatable for readers. When they moved the ball back later, in a part of practice called “Stretching • e on-the- eld action is clear and engaging. the Field”—you could only try for pass plays of fteen yards or more—he had Pete wide open on a Hutchins-and-Go and overthrew him by ten yards. —Million-Dollar Throw
Mike Lupica explains, “More than anything, even the chance to make one throw of a football and win a million dollars, Million-Dollar Throw is a book about loyalty and friendship. And young people know: you could never place a proper value on those qualities in a million years. “There are two heroes in this book: a quarterback named Nate Brodie YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: and an amazing girl named Abby McCall. Things are falling apart in Nate’s life and in Abby’s, The Big Field and as both of their stories unfold, we fi nd out that sometimes the real prize isn’t nearly what by Mike Lupica you thought it was. “I wanted to write a book about a couple of great kids who get knocked down in diff erent Summer Ball ways and fi nd they have the heart and spirit to get back up. Because sometimes the getting by Mike Lupica up—and not the throw of a ball—is the thing to make you cheer.” www.mikelupicabooks.com
Paralyzed Mike Lupica photo by Diane Hutchinson Reilly by Jeff Rud
CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Novel. Genre: Fiction. Summary: Eighth-grade star quarterback Nate Brodie’s family is feeling the stress of the troubled economy, and Nate is frantic because his best friend, Abby, is going blind. When Nate gets a chance to win a million dollars if he can throw a football through a target during the halftime of a New England Patriots game, he is nearly overwhelmed by the pressure to succeed. Main characters: Nate Brodie; Abby McCall; Chris Brodie, Nate’s father. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Physical education. Topics: Football. Contests. Blindness. People with disabilities. Friendship. Family life. The New England Patriots. Tom Brady. Available at Sensitive areas: None. juniorlibraryguild.com
26 jlgmonthly • FEBRUARY 2010 866.205.0570 FEBRUARY GRADES 9 & UP • YOUNG ADULTS Y
Raven Summer by David Almond
Delacorte • ISBN: 9780385907156 • Dewey: F • 240 pp • 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" Scheduled Month: February 2010
Playing outside, Liam and Max notice a raven. It “ ies ahead, stops, ies ahead, stops”—as if it’s been tamed. Curious, the boys follow it past the pub, across the bridge, down toward the river, and into an ancient farmhouse. ere, they nd a baby and a note that reads, “PLESE LOOK AFTER HER RITE. THIS IS A CHILDE OF GOD.”
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
• A masterful exploration of human fragility and brutality. At the novel’s David Almond says he lives heart is the question: does everyone, given the right conditions, have the with his family “right inside the landscape of the book: in the capacity to commit murder? north of England, beside the • David Almond has created distinct and memorable characters. Roman Wall, in the beautiful and rather wild county of • e lyrical rst-person prose catches the rhythm of daily life in rural Northumberland. The garden northern England. at the beginning and end of the book is • e novel buzzes with the possibility of magic and the unexplainable. just like our own garden. The walk that the boys take following the raven is a walk through our village. Despite its beauty and its apparent peacefulness, the area has a troubled history. It was a place of savage “They came one morning,” says Oliver. “A troupe of them with ri es and axes and border wars in the past, and there are clubs.” [. . .] “Some of them were children, just like me, children with weapons in remote areas where modern-day soldiers their sts, children with murder in their eyes. Can you believe that?” practice for distant confl icts. “The story is fi ction, but it deals with [. . .] some very realistic subjects: the dramas of growing up, the nature of goodness, “You have to believe it,” [Crystal] says. “Any one of us could be a murderer if they our potential for love and friendship, our got us early enough. The murderer in all of us is just below the skin.” potential for violence, the place of children —Raven Summer in war. The characters, despite their history of desperate problems, seem to me to be people of virtue and courage.” www.davidalmond.com
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd
The Traitor Game CURRICULUM INDICATIONS by B. R. Collins Book type: Novel. Liam’s mother and a rising artist; Oliver Part, Genre: Fiction. an orphan from Liberia; Crystal, Oliver’s friend; Alison, an abandoned baby the Summary: Led to an abandoned baby by Lynches adopt. a raven, fourteen-year-old Liam seems fated to meet two foster children who have Curriculum areas: Language arts. experienced violence in very diff erent ways Topics: Foundlings. Interpersonal as he struggles to understand war, family relations. Conduct of life. Fate and fatalism. problems, and friends who grow apart. Northumberland, England. Child soldiers. Main characters: Liam Lynch, a dreamy War. Art. adolescent; Max Woods, Liam’s best Sensitive areas: Fighting. Strong language. friend; Gordon Nattrass, Liam and Max’s Racial taunts. xenophobic classmate; Patrick Lynch, Liam’s father and a famous novelist; Kate Lynch, Available at juniorlibraryguild.com
www.juniorlibraryguild.com FEBRUARY 2010 • jlgmonthly 27 Y+ YOUNG ADULTS • GRADES 9 & UP FEBRUARY
Winter’s End
by Jean-Claude Mourlevat • translated by Anthea Bell
Candlewick • ISBN: 9780763644505 • Dewey: F • 432 pp • 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" Scheduled Month: February 2010
After Helen’s best friend, Milena, runs away from their prison-like boarding school, Helen learns that she and her schoolmates aren’t ordinary orphans. eir parents died ghting against the Phalange, the fascist organization that seized power roughly a dozen years ago. When the Phalange unleashes “the Devils”—dog-men trained to kill runaways—Helen escapes to nd Milena.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
• e novel’s epic sweep spans decades and brings a large cast of characters to life. Jean-Claude Mourlevat explains, “I spent one year writing this novel. While writing Major and minor characters have vivid and emotionally gripping back stories. it, I listened to the voice of Kathleen Ferrier, • Jean-Claude Mourlevat’s prose, as translated by Anthea Bell, is direct and accessible, the great British contralto. My project was to even as it marries a political critique of fascism with elements of the fantastic. tell a story about the opposition between culture and barbarism. • “Dog-men” and “horse-people” gure into the book’s most memorable scenes, and The story begins in a boarding their animal aspects arouse horror and pity while e ectively commenting on the school. That’s not by accident: I psychological e ects of tyranny. spent eight years in a boarding school myself. • Despite the cruel social order against which its protagonists ght, Winter’s End also “Winter’s End is my ninth novel captures the exhilaration, heartbreak, and tenderness of young love. and the second one that has been translated into English. I live in France with my wife and my son, Colin, age twelve. My daughter, Emma, age They said nothing for a few moments, and then Helen went on. “So all those fourteen, is in an English boarding school people—I mean our parents—they’re dead? There’s nothing left of them?” for one year. She intends to speak English “No, nothing,” Milos said sadly. “There’s nothing left of them.” And then he added, better than her father. It won’t be diffi cult!” very quietly, “Except us.” —Winter’s End
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Roar by Emma Clayton
The Forest of Hands CURRICULUM INDICATIONS and Teeth by Carrie Ryan Book type: Novel. Genre: Fiction. Summary: Fleeing across icy mountains from a pack of terrifying dog-men sent to hunt them down, four teenagers escape from their prison-like boarding schools to take up the fi ght against the tyrannical government that murdered their parents fi fteen years earlier. Main characters: Helen Dormann, a seventeen-year-old orphan; Milena Bach, Helen’s best friend and a gifted singer; Bartolomeo Casal, the son of a dead Resistance leader; Milos Ferenzy, Bartolomeo’s best friend and Helen’s love interest; Basil, a “horse-man”; Paula, Helen’s “consoler”; Gus Van Vlyck, a leading fi gure in the despotic Phalange government. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Topics: Despotism. Orphans. Runaways. Singing. Resistance movements. Freedom. Sensitive areas: Guns. Violence. Mild sexual themes. Available at juniorlibraryguild.com
28 jlgmonthly • FEBRUARY 2010 866.205.0570 FEBRUARY GRADES 10 & UP • HISTORY HIGH SCHOOL HH
Alive in the Killing Fields Surviving the Khmer Rouge Genocide by Nawuth Keat with Martha E. Kendall
National Geographic • ISBN: 9781426305160 • Dewey: 959.604/2 B • 128 pp • 5 1/4" x 8 1/4" Scheduled Month: February 2010
For nine years, from 1973 to1982, Nawuth Keat lived in terror of the Khmer Rouge. He saw members of his family murdered, was forced into slavery, was starved, and su ered from terrible illness. Here is the true story of how he survived. Map. Afterword. Time line. Full-color photographs.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
Nawuth Keat survived the horrors of war • A sad, terrifying, and moving in Cambodia, escaped to Thailand, and account of people showing came to the United States as a teen. Now true courage in the face of an American citizen, he understands what freedom means. He lives with his wife and senseless brutality. children in Hollister, California. • e personal nature of the narrative makes the horrifying Martha E. Kendall says, “Nawuth Keat was a student in my world literature course at San subject more approachable, Jose City College. He seldom spoke in class. putting a personal face So I was surprised on the last day when he on numbers and statistics said, ‘I’d like to share my story with you.’ that would otherwise be “Nawuth described his childhood in war-torn Cambodia, his family’s tragedies, overwhelming. the constant hunger, and his dangerous • Readers will want to learn more escape. I looked around the classroom and about the subject and era. saw that I was not the only listener who had been moved to tears. “‘Nawuth, would you like me to write your story down for you?’ I asked. “‘Yes,’ he answered simply. “Since then Nawuth and I have spent many hours working together. My role is to gather his memories and write them down clearly in English. The words are mine, but the story is his.”
When a Khmer Rouge kicked my head one way, I let my head op. He kicked YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: it the opposite way, and I let it op again. “If he knows I’m still alive,” I thought, Children of War “he’ll shoot me.” by Deborah Ellis —Alive in the Killing Fields The Disappeared by Gloria Whelan
Tree Shaker CURRICULUM INDICATIONS by Bill Keller Book type: Nonfi ction. home. Labor camps. Forced labor. Hiding Genre: Autobiography. out. Starvation. The jungle. Genocide. Atrocities of war. Illness. The Vietnamese. Main focus: The autobiography of Nawuth Escape. Refugee camps. Thailand. Keat, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge Pretending. Traveling. The immigrant genocide in Cambodia. experience. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Social Sensitive areas: Graphic violence. Genocide. studies. History. Suicide. Graphic descriptions of war-time Topics: Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge. atrocities and of illnesses. Torture. Murder. Money. Farming. Family. Leaving Available at juniorlibraryguild.com
www.juniorlibraryguild.com FEBRUARY 2010 • jlgmonthly 29 HI HIGH-INTEREST READING HIGH SCHOOL • GRADES 10 & UP FEBRUARY
Refresh, Refresh
by Danica Novgorodoff • adapted from the screenplay by James Ponsoldt based on the short story by Benjamin Percy • colored by Hilary Sycamore
First Second • ISBN: 9781596435223 • Dewey: F • 144 pp • 6" x 8 1/2" Scheduled Month: February 2010
Josh, Cody, and Gordon are best friends, and their fathers are soldiers serving in Iraq. Living in a small town, most kids like them don’t have many options for the future, other than joining the military themselves. But Josh has plans to go to college— until he receives news from overseas that changes his life. Graphic novel. Paperback. Full-color artwork.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY: Danica Novgorodo says, “When I rst met James Ponsoldt, we traded projects: he read and critiqued my graphic-novel-in-progress, • With subtlety and deep emotion, the story shows the e ects of the Slow Storm, and I read his Iraq War on families and young people. screenplay-in-progress, Refresh, Refresh, based on • e startling cover image and graphic-novel format will draw in readers. the short story by Benjamin • Teens will identify with Josh, Percy. I loved the story so Cody, and Gordon’s restlessness much that I decided to adapt it into a graphic novel. Both and tough-love friendship. James and Benjamin gave • e gritty illustrations perfectly me great artistic freedom to match the tone of the story. In shape the story into a unique graphic form so that, while the characters and narrative close-up frames and eagle-eye are basically the same in each rendering, it views, Danica Novgorodo seems to me that the short story could only captures telling details. be a short story, the screenplay only a fi lm, and the graphic novel only a graphic novel. • e ending is surprising, “I am currently working on another provocative, and memorable. collaboration with Benjamin Percy, illustrating a book of his short stories, as well as another graphic novel of my own.” www.danicanovgorodo .com
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: The Savage by David Almond
Gentlemen by Michael Northrop
Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick
CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Graphic novel. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Social Genre: Fiction. studies. Summary: Josh, Cody, and Gordon are three Topics: Friendship. Fathers. Fighting. good friends who live in rural Oregon and Hunting. The Iraq War. The armed services. fi ght each other to deal with the pain of Sensitive areas: Fighting. Strong language. their fathers’ absence during the Iraq War. Violence. Strong sexual themes. Alcohol. Main characters: Cody Anderson; Josh Underage drinking. Hunting animals. Available at Simpson; Gordon. juniorlibraryguild.com
30 jlgmonthly • FEBRUARY 2010 866.205.0570 FEBRUARY GRADES 11 & UP • MATURE YOUNG ADULTS YM
How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford
Scholastic • ISBN: 9780545107082 • Dewey: F • 304 pp • 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" Scheduled Month: February 2010
On the rst day at her new school in Baltimore, Bea meets Jonah, a.k.a. Ghost Boy. Jonah is a di cult friend—confessional and devoted one moment, aloof and bored the next—but the two forge a bond that Bea is sure will last beyond graduation. en, as she learns more about Jonah’s painful childhood, he begins to drift further and further away.
JLG’S REVIEWERS SAY:
• Bea and Jonah’s complicated relationship—particularly the way Bea feels both relieved and disappointed that they aren’t boyfriend-girlfriend—feels very real. • e Night Light radio show to which Bea and Jonah listen is charming and quirky. • e author takes great joy in revealing the intriguingly strange details of Baltimore. • A refreshingly di erent and smart novel. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: • Many teens—girls, especially—will enjoy this book and want to come back to it. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Paper Towns “You’re cleverly evading my question,” Anne said. “You and Jonah. If you don’t by John Green smoke and you don’t kiss, and you never go to parties anymore . . . what do you guys do—read comic books?” Sprout by Dale Peck What could I tell her? We listen to the radio, we think about heartbreak, we look out for time travelers, we cut yearbook meetings, we go to the library, we call institutions Lock and Key looking for Jonah’s lost secret twin. . . . All of that was part of a di erent world, a by Sarah Dessen foreign country to Anne and everyone else at school. —How to Say Goodbye in Robot
Natalie Standiford says, “I’ve lived in New York City most of my adult life, but I grew up in Baltimore, where How to Say Goodbye in Robot takes place, and I’ll always be a Baltimorean at heart. The initial idea for the book—the misfi t character Jonah—came from a mysterious story I overheard at my high school reunion. Another inspiration was late-night radio. A devoted night owl, I’ve been listening to overnight radio shows since my insomniac teen years, and the Night Light Show (which I made up for the novel) is a composite of three or four of my favorites. “I also play bass in the all-YA-author rock band, Tiger Beat (with Libba Bray, Daniel Ehrenhaft, and Barnabas Miller). The chance to get to know—and play in rock bands with—other writers is Available at one of the great pleasures of living in New York.” juniorlibraryguild.com
Natalie Standiford photo by Tobias Everke CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Novel. Main characters: Beatrice Szabo; Jonah Tate, Topics: Friendship. Family problems. Death. Genre: Fiction. also known as “Ghost Boy”; Anne Sweeney, Baltimore, Maryland. Late-night radio shows. Beatrice and Jonah’s classmate. Secrets. Relationships. Photographs. Summary: After moving to Baltimore and enrolling in a private school, high school Curriculum areas: Language arts. Sensitive areas: Strong language. Alcohol. senior Beatrice befriends a quiet loner with a Underage drinking. troubled family history.
www.juniorlibraryguild.com FEBRUARY 2010 • jlgmonthly 31 INDEX OF FEBRUARY BOOKS
TITLE LEVEL PAGE TITLE LEVEL PAGE
Alive in the Killing Fields ...... HH ...... 29 Million-Dollar Throw ...... SM ...... 26 Bear in Sunshine / Oso bajo el sol ...... PS ...... 2 Nikki & Deja: The Newsy News Newsletter ...... I ...... 8 Born Yesterday ...... P+ ...... 5 No Easy Way ...... SE ...... 17 Brain Finds a Leg, The ...... C+ ...... 21 Noah Webster ...... BE ...... 12 Calamity Jack ...... GM ...... 23 Oggie Cooder, Party Animal! ...... A+ ...... 11 Child of the Civil Rights Movement ...... I+ ...... 9 Raiders’ Ransom ...... FM ...... 22 Dodsworth in London ...... E ...... 6 Raven Summer ...... Y...... 27 Eidi ...... B...... 18 Refresh, Refresh...... HI ...... 30 Funny Business ...... NM ...... 25 Runaway Twin ...... C ...... 20 Groundhog Weather School ...... E+ ...... 7 Shipwrecks ...... SCE ...... 16 Hadrosaurus ...... GE ...... 13 Supersister ...... K...... 3 Here Comes the Big, Mean Dust Bunny! ...... P...... 4 War Games ...... B+ ...... 19 How to Build Your Own Country ...... A ...... 10 Whole Nother Story, A ...... ME ...... 14 How to Say Goodbye in Robot ...... YM ...... 31 Winter’s End ...... Y+ ...... 28 Maze Runner, The ...... MM ...... 24 Winter’s Tail ...... NE ...... 15
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NEXT MONTH FORTHCOMING TITLES • MARCH 2010
Tita y Ben: Tres cuentos (Aggie and Ben: Calvin Coconut: Dog Heaven The Shadow Project Three Stories) by Lori Ries by Graham Salisbury by Herbie Brennan When Jack Goes Out by Pat Schories Dragonbreath: Attack of the Ninja Frogs Every Bone Tells a Story: Hominin
The Goose Man: The Story of Konrad Lorenz by Ursula Vernon Discoveries, Deductions, and by Elaine Greenstein The “Extraordinary” Mark Twain (According Debates by Jill Rubalcaba and to Susy) by Barbara Kerley Peter Robertshaw The Mud Fairy by Amy Young Missing in Action by Dean Hughes A Very Big Bunny by Marisabina Russo Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean by Sarah Stewart Taylor They Never Came Back Sylvia Jean, Scout Supreme by Caroline B. Cooney by Lisa Campbell Ernst The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone Hip-Pocket Papa by Sandra Markle You Don’t Even Know Me: Stories and The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz Poems About Boys by Sharon G. Flake The Circulatory Story by Mary K. Corcoran Lunch Lady and the Author Visit Vendetta The Rise and Fall of Senator
by Jarrett J. Krosoczka Hot Shot Matt Christopher Joe McCarthy by James Cross Giblin Boys without Names by Kashmira Sheth Rikers High by Paul Volponi Northward to the Moon by Polly Horvath Exposure by Mal Peet Zeus: King of the Gods by George O’Connor Blessing’s Bead by Debby Dahl Edwardson Remembering Green by Lesley Beake Copper by Kazu Kibuishi
© 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