|
Announcements
The next meeting will be held on Friday, February
2, 2007,
at the Neptune Public Library from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Upcoming meeting dates are April 13, June 1 and August 3, 2007.
The winner of the 2007 Caldecott Medal is Flotsam
by David Wiesner; Honors went to Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal
Alphabet by David McLimans and Moses by Carole Boston
Weatherford. The 2007 Newbery Medal was given to Susan Patron
for The Higher Power of Lucky; Honors to Penny from Heaven
by Jennifer L. Holm, Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson and Rules
by Cynthia Lord. Copper Sun by Sharon Draper won the Coretta
Scott King Award. The Michael L. Printz Award was
bestowed upon Gene Luen Yang for American Born Chinese.
Book Notes
African American History
The Little Rock Nine: Struggle for Integration
Fitzgerald, Stephanie
Compass Point Books, 2007
Gr. 5-8, Fry 7
Readable but explicit account of the valiant and difficult days
and months spent by the 9 brave young African American teenagers who
integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. Alice
DiNizo says this book is well-written and well-documented. An
excellent resource.
Night Boar to Freedom
Raven, Margot Theis
Lewis, E. B. (illus.)
Melanie Kroupa Books, 2006
Gr. 2-5, Fry 6
Drawing from hundreds of histories recorded in the Federal
Writers' Project's Slave Narrative Collection, the author quilts a
composite tale set on the border between Kentucky, a slave state,
and Ohio, a free state. Michele Cooper
calls this a wonderful story about the escape of slaves.
Fun with Words
Max's Words
Banks, Kate
Kulikov, Boris (illus.)
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2006
K-Gr. 3, Fry 3
Max collects words, sorts them and makes sentences and paragraphs
that turn into stories. Norah Magrini
feels this is a great writing prompt for the classroom teacher as
well as a good story.
G is for One Gzonk!
DiTerlizzi, Tony
Simon & Schuster, 2006
K-Gr. 2, Fry 2
Reminiscent of Dr. Seuss's creations, this combination
alphabet/counting book is full of silly creatures and rhymes. Denise
Geier says that readers are sure to be delighted with both
the silly sounds and creatures on every page. Just plain fun!
If You Were a Conjunction
Loewen, Nancy
Gray, Sara (illus.)
Picture Window Books, 2007
K-Gr. 3, Fry 3
Part of the Word Fun series of books, this title will be useful
for explaining the English language sentence structure to students. Darwin
Page calls the illustrations peppy.
Halloween
Behind the Mask
Choi, Yangsook
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2006
K-Gr. 3, Fry 4
Since Halloween is a time to honor the dead, Kimin, a little
Korean-American boy, decides to dress up as his late grandfather, a
Korean mask dancer. The dramatic paintings enrich this
cross-cultural look at Halloween and Korean culture according to Frances
O'Brien.
The Costume Copycat
MacDonald, Maryann
Wilsdorf, Anne (illus.)
Dial Books, 2006
PS-Gr. 2, Fry 1
This is a cozy, funny story that explores the relationship
between two sisters and how they celebrate Halloween. Kathleen
Chapman recommends this title.
A Very Brave Witch
McGhee, Alison
Bliss, Harry (illus.)
Simon & Schuster, 2006
K-Gr. 3, Fry 2
Written in the voice of a brave little witch, this plucky
sorceress is determined to take a closer look at humans and how they
celebrate her favorite holiday. Barbara Mason
says the cheerful illustrations add to this delightful story.
Pumpkin Hill
Spurr, Elizabeth
Martin, Whitney (illus.)
Holiday House, 2006
PS-Gr. 2, Fry 2
A giant pumpkin seeds itself and so do its children and
grandchildren until a whole slew of them roll into town. Carolyn
Gishlick recommends this pumpkin story for Halloween.
Horses
Keeker and the Horse Show Show-Off
Higginson, Hadley
Anderson, Maja (illus.)
Chronicle Books, 2006
K-Gr. 3, Fry 3
Keeker returns in the second chapter book in the Sneaky Pony
series. Keeker builds confidence in her riding at her first horse
show when she and Plum, her horse, win the blue ribbon. Norah
Magrini calls this a well-written story of hard work and
success with nice illustrations, too.
Firehorse
Wilson, Diane
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2006
Gr. 6-10, Fry 6
In 1852, Rachel and her family are forced by financial
circumstances to move to Boston, leaving behind Rachel's horse and
the freedom of the country life. Rachel rehabilitates a horrifically
burned horse and meets the horse's veterinarian. More than the
average girl-meets-horse book, Firehorse is full of action, suspense
and history with enough action and gore to attract the boys too. Rachael
Binz highly recommends this book.
Science Fairs
Forgery Crime Solving Science Experiments
Rainis, Kenneth G.
Enslow, 2006
Gr. 5-8, Fry 4
Part of the Forensic Science Projects series, this title is a
winner according to Barbara Mason.
The Secret Science Project That Almost Ate The School
Sierra, Judy
Gammell, Stephen (illus.)
Simon & Schuster, 2006
K-Gr. 3, Fry 3
A nameless girl needs an idea for her science project. She comes
across "Professor Swami's Super Slime" on the internet and
finds herself with a large, green, slimy glob that begins to grow
and swallow those who are rude to it. Jean
MacMillan calls this a slightly wild story that will be
useful to kick off the science project season.
World War II
Homefront
Gwaltney, Doris
Simon & Schuster, 2006
Gr. 4-7, Fry 7
In a drab, unappealing cover, this novel may have difficulty
finding its audience. Girls who pass it up will be sorry not to have
made the acquaintance of Margaret Motley and her family. Set during
the time of World War II in the Virginia farm country, this
satisfying read richly portrays the changing lives of families who
sent loved ones to the war and waited. Catherine
Miller says this is an excellent historical fiction from a
strong author.
The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis
Nobleman, Marc Tyler
Compass Point Books, 2007
Gr. 4-8, Fry 5
This informative history of the tragic sinking of the USS
Indianapolis during World War II provides an account of the events
leading up to and following the Japanese attack on the cruiser. Lorri
Ann Wahlgren feels this book is an interesting and worthwhile
addition to an American history collection.
Shanghai Shadows
Ruby, Lois
Holiday House, 2006
Gr. 9 & up, Fry 9
In 1939, Ilse and her family have escaped from the Nazis to
Japanese-occupied China. In this gripping historical novel, a young
girl struggles to grow up while her family works to survive as
European Jews against the unforgiving and alien backdrop of World
War II China. Cecelia Ruegsegger thinks
teens will find this fascinating reading.
The Night of the Burning
Wulf, Linda Press
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2006
Gr. 6-9, Fry 7
Devorah and her younger sister, Nechama, are orphaned when
illness takes their mother, and their community is decimated. The
two are part of 200 children taken to South Africa for a new start
in a little known incident in the lives of Polish Jews. Catherine
Miller recommends this title.
Disappointments of the
Day
My Life Starring Mum
Rayban, Chloe
Bloomsbury, 2006
Gr. 5-8, Fry 5
Set in England, this is written as if a memoir of a 13-year-old
daughter of super celebrity Khandi. Although there are some humorous
bits, Kathy Mulholland found the story
altogether tedious with threads that lead to nowhere and a
predictable outcome. The work had the feeling of a short story
stretched out to make a novel.
Firefighter Tom to the Rescue!
Simon, Charnan
Snyder, Joel (illus.)
Child's World, 2007
K-Gr. 3, Fry 2
Firefighter Tom is pedantic, dull and boring according to Barbara
Mason. She says he is not worth paying $15.00 for.
Circus Carnivore
Svendsen, Mark
Redlich, Ben (illus.)
Houghton Mifflin, 2006
K-Gr. 3, Fry 2
This is a strange, strange story with nonsense verse about what
is going on inside a young girl's head. This tale is too fanciful
and off-beat for most readers according to Darwin
Page.
The Unresolved
Welsh, T. K.
Dutton, 2006
Gr. 8-10, Fry 9
On their way to a picnic on Long Island, Mallory Meer and nearly
one thousand others died in the flames of a tragic steamship
accident. Now Mallory drifts through the minds of Little Germany
desperately searching for evidence of her boyfriend's innocence. Rachael
Binz refers to this as a meatless historical novel.
Sleepyhead
Wilson, Karma
Segal, John (illus.)
Margaret K. McElderry, 2006
K-Gr. 3, Fry n/a
Sleepyhead is the typical story of the child trying to avoid the
inevitable bedtime. Norah Magrini feels
there is nothing new in this bedtime ritual story and the
characterization is distracting.
Rave Reviews
Uno's Garden
Base, Graeme
Abrams Books, 2006
K-Gr. 3, Fry 4
This book shows how a beautiful natural forest turns into a place
where the animals and vegetation disappear as humans come and take
over the land. Michele Cooper calls
this another wonderful book by this author.
Welcome to Yosemite National Park
Dell, Pamela
Child's World, 2007
Gr. 3-6, Fry 5
Meg Rosenblum says you won't be
disappointed in this book. It touches on John Muir, flora and fauna,
has excellent maps and stunning photographs.
Adele & Simon
McClintock, Barbara
Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 2006
PS-Gr. 3, Fry 2
Set in early 20th century Paris, Adele picks up her little
brother, Simon, from school and cautions him not to lose anything.
At each enchanting spot on the way home, Simon leaves something
behind. Echoing Where's Waldo, clear attention has been paid
to every design detail in this book, according to Frances
O'Brien.
Tools
Miura, Taro
Chronicle Books, 2006
PS-Gr. 1, Fry n/a
With clean lines and retro shades of gold, orange and avocado,
Miura has created a fun guessing game involving the tools of many
trades. Rated outstanding by Elaine Pollak.
Sparks Fly High
Quattlebaum, Mary
Gore, Leonid (illus.)
Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2006
PS-Gr. 5, Fry 3
The author does a perfect job of putting the generations old tale
into a rousing fun to read text. It is beautifully written, as
lively and spirited as the dancing feet of the two contestants. The
illustrations bring the contest alive, with sparks seeming to fly
right out of the book. Kathleen Chapman
thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommends it. |
