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Wings
Posted on October 7, 2009 by Children's Department Staff in Uncategorizedby William Loizeaux Ten-year-old Nick finds a baby bird – hardly more than a ball of fluff – and is determined to save it. He and his friend Mate raise the mockingbird, Marcy, and hundreds of worms later, she takes flight. Marcy follows Nick everywhere and is a comfort in changing times – Nick’s mom [...]
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Orangutan Tongs
Posted on October 2, 2009 by Children's Department Staff in Humorous Stories, Poetryby Jon Agee Test your tongue-twister skills with this humorous, illustrated poetry book by Jon Agee. Some are longer and harder to say than your typical “she sells sea shells by the sea shore,” but many are easy too. Agee was inspired by classic English-language tongue twisters and made new ones about things like purple-paper [...]
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The Girl Who Saw Lions
Posted on September 29, 2009 by Victoria in social issues, world culturesby Berlie Doherty The Girl Who Saw Lions tells the story of Abela, a young girl who has been orphaned by the AIDS epidemic in her African village. Her uncle smuggles her to England planning to sell her as a domestic servant. Abandoned by everyone, Abela dreams of escaping back to Africa. She cherishes a [...]
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Shakespeare’s Secret
Posted on September 29, 2009 by Children's Department Staff in Mysteriesby Elise Broach Hero, named after Shakespeare’s character, always has a hard time fitting in at new schools and is tired of moving around. This time, however, her neighbor tells her that there is a pricelss diamond hidden in her new house. Hero unexpectedly gets attention and help from the most popular boy in school [...]
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Utterly Me, Clarice Bean
Posted on September 27, 2009 by Children's Department Staff in Mysteriesby Lauren Child Clarice Bean has to do a report about what she has learned from a book. She chooses her favorite mystery books for the report, but she isn’t sure what she learned – until she sets out to solve a couple of mysteries herself. What has happened to the trophy for the best [...]
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George and Martha
Posted on September 26, 2009 by Children's Department Staff in Classics, easy readers, Humorous Stories, Picture Bookswritten and illustrated by James Marshall Like Frog and Toad, George and Martha are another beloved pair of friends in Children’s literature. These two hippos do everything together, and discover the ups and downs of friendship. There’s always something to learn about honesty, forgiveness, and empathy — told so simply by James Marshall, with great [...]
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The Mysterious Benedict Society
Posted on September 25, 2009 by Children's Department Staff in Mysteries, Science Fictionby Trenton Lee Stewart This is a quirky mystery / science fiction novel that will intrigue readers who enjoy Roald Dahl’s novels or Blue Balliett’s mysteries. Reynie Muldoon is an orphan down on his luck when he is urged by his kind tutor to take a special test for gifted children. After a draining series [...]
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Rapunzel’s Revenge
Posted on September 25, 2009 by Children's Department Staff in Adventure, fairy tales and folklore, Graphic Novelby Shannon and Dean Hale This is a fun graphic novel (comic book style) retelling of the fairy tale. In this version, Rapunzel’s mother works in the desolate mine camps that surround the castle. When Rapunzel realizes her true origins, she is determined to free her mother and the other workers. The evil queen leaves [...]
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All the Broken Pieces
Posted on September 15, 2009 by Victoria in Historical Fiction, Poetry, William Allen White, world culturesby Ann E. Burg Wow. All the Broken Pieces is written in free verse, not your typical page-turner format. But this debut novel drew me into the story immediately. The narrator is Matt Pin, the child of a Vietnamese woman and the G.I. who deserted her. Matt’s mother literally thrust him into the arms of [...]
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Assassin
Posted on September 12, 2009 by Children's Department Staff in Historical Fiction, Mysteriesby Grace Cavendish Thirteen-year-old Grace Cavendish is the youngest lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth. Her mother died while serving the Queen because she drank poisoned wine that was meant for the Queen. Her mother requested that Grace choose her betrothed from three suitors that the Queen has chosen for her. One suitor is murdered, and another [...]
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