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| Children's |
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|  | Adler, David. A. FRACTIONS, DECIMALS, AND PERCENTS
January 15, 2010 - Adler and Miller easefully tackle yet another aspect of mathematics with clear explanations and graphic interpretations that extend the topic of an earlier book of theirs, Working with Fractions (2007). Here the author draws the connection between
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| | Ajmera, Maya OUR GRANDPARENTS
January 15, 2010 - In the foreword to this attractive photo collection of grandparents and their grandchildren, Bishop Desmond Tutu states: "We make sure that the wisdom of our ancestors is passed on to the next generation." Written in the voice of today's
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| | Atwater-Rhodes, Amelia TOKEN OF DARKNESS
January 15, 2010 - Ever since Cooper woke up in the hospital, the result of a mysterious multiple-car pileup, the former high-school football star has been followed everywhere by twisting, menacing shadows—and a cute, easygoing ghost named Samantha. As much as Cooper
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| | Bateson, Catherine MAGENTA MCPHEE
January 15, 2010 - On the edge of adolescence, Magenta McPhee spends a lot of time thinking about love. The heroine of the fantasy trilogy she's writing has a new lover, but how can she write about kissing when she hasn't tried it herself? Her real-life parents are
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| | Behrens, Andy THE FAST AND THE FURRIEST
January 15, 2010 - Torpid 12-year-old Kevin Pugh, son of a gung-ho former football pro, and his even more sluggish beagle, Cromwell, are galvanized into activity when they watch a dog-agility competition on television. Suddenly Cromwell becomes a wunderhund, racing
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| | Bill, Tannis PIKA
January 15, 2010 - Bill's debut introduces young readers to the pika, a relative of rabbits and hares. Photographs follow one particular pika as he gathers a pile of plants in preparation for winter. Weasels and hawks are just two of the predators the pika must be
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| | Braun, Sebastien BACK TO BED, ED!
January 15, 2010 - For many preschoolers, bedtime can be scary, making them reluctant or even downright obstinate. Ed, a mouse, however, loves getting ready for bed, from tooth-brushing and bubble bath to story with mom. BUT he hates staying in bed and uses the usual
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| | Button, Lana WILLOW'S WHISPERS
January 15, 2010 - What first seems to be a narrow lesson becomes cheerful inspiration, even for readers who don't share this specific quandary. "[W]hen Willow spoke, her words slipped out as soft and shy as a secret," causing lonely frustration at school. Nobody
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| | Cohagan, Carolyn THE LOST CHILDREN
January 15, 2010 - Twelve-year-old Josephine falls through a wormhole into a land whose cruel ruler bears her distant father's name in this confused and confusing debut. Arriving suddenly in the cellar of a decrepit orphanage, Josephine quickly hooks up with silent
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|  | Cole, Henry A NEST FOR CELESTE
January 15, 2010 - Starting outside a house, the reader's viewpoint moves indoors page by page until there "sat Celeste, hunched over her work table" under the floorboards. Celeste's a mouse, her nest cozy and treasured—until it becomes unsafe, forcing her to look
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| | Conway, David ERROL AND HIS EXTRAORDINARY NOSE
January 15, 2010 - The message may be a standard one, but its vehicle is particularly friendly and comforting to younger children. All the other animals on the playground think that Errol the elephant is clumsy and has a silly nose, but after reading a book about
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| | Cummings, Phil BOOM BAH!
January 15, 2010 - Farm animals build a percussion band one "Ting!" at a time. It starts when a mouse taps a spoon against a cup. The sound attracts a cat, who doesn't chase the mouse but rather wants to play too. The mouse calls a rooster, a pig and a donkey. Before
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| | Cusick, Richie Tankersley SHADOW MIRROR
January 15, 2010 - This sequel to Walk of the Spirits (2008) brings Miranda into another ghostly adventure. In a dreamy, ellipsis-laden narrative, Miranda sees ghosts—and sexy Cajun classmate Etienne—at the reconstructed plantation house Belle Chandelle. Without the
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| | Edwards, Pamela Duncan THE PRINCESS PIGTORIA AND THE PEA
January 15, 2010 - Edwards presents another alliterative version of a classic fairy tale. Princess Pigtoria is particularly perturbed by the dilapidated state of her castle. Hoping to improve her lot, she responds to a newspaper ad for a princess to marry Prince
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| | Fernandes, Eugenie KITTEN'S SPRING
January 15, 2010 - "Morning hums, / Kitten listens." A calico kitten spends a spring day romping through the countryside and the farmyard. "Chicken clucks, / Chick scratches. / Duck quacks, / Duckling hatches." Kitten chases a puppy and spies a swallow. She plays
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| | Fienberg, Anna TASHI AND THE PHOENIX
January 15, 2010 - Tashi is the star of a long-running series from Australia (Tashi and the Mixed-Up Monster, 2007, etc.). This 15th book still has a freshness that comes from the quietly humorous disconnect between the titular magical, elf-like character and his
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| | Fisher, Catherine INCARCERON
January 15, 2010 - A far-future thriller combines riveting adventure and masterful world-building with profound undertones. Finn cannot remember anything before awakening in the vast sentient prison called Incarceron, but he is sure that he comes from outside its
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| | Hall, Teri THE LINE
January 15, 2010 - This interesting dystopic series opener from debut author Hall follows the fortunes of Rachel, whose mother, Vivian, is "Gainfully Employed" by Ms. Moore, owner of an orchid business, a "Private Enterprise." They live close to "the Line," the border
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| | Halls, Kelly Milner SAVING THE BAGHDAD ZOO
January 15, 2010 - Loaded with reader appeal, these tales of animal rescue focus on the animals but also provide some insight into what Baghdad was like in the wake of the U.S. invasion. Basing her account on numerous interviews—notably with co-author Sumner, then a
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| | Harmel, Kristin AFTER
January 15, 2010 - Chick-lit author Harmel incorporates the comparatively serious topic of grief into this predictable yet heartfelt story. Ten months after the car accident that claimed her father's life, high-school junior Lacey has been sublimating her guilt and
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| | Herman, Charlotte FIRST RAIN
January 15, 2010 - When Abby and her family move to Israel, it is both a sad and a happy day. Abby will miss her grandma and the rainy, splashy outings they would take wearing duck-yellow raincoats. But Abby is also very excited to start a new life in the land of her
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| | Hines, Anna Grossnickle I AM A BACKHOE
January 15, 2010 - Like many young boys, this book's protagonist marries an active imagination to a love of trucks. In a layout perfectly designed for the youngest readers, Hines uses one double-page spread to show the young boy acting out the motions of one of his
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| | Hoffman, Alice GREEN WITCH
January 15, 2010 - Also trancelike and infused with magical realism, this belated sequel to Green Angel (2003) brings Hoffman's tale of recovery from utter inner and outer devastation to a tidy close. A year after the destruction of her equally adored city and family
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| | Hopkins, Lee Bennett SHARING THE SEASONS
January 15, 2010 - Cheery, upbeat and accessible—and lovely to boot. Veteran poet and anthologist Hopkins makes good choices among contemporary poets young readers might recognize—Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Marilyn Singer, April Halprin Wayland, to name a few—and a few
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| | Jennings, Sharon C'MERE, BOY!
January 15, 2010 - Dog wants a boy, even though his mother points out that they are hard to train and that there isn't enough room in the dog house. Dog sets out anyway to completely prepare for the boy he knows he'll someday have: He buys "Kid Crunch," gets a leash
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| | Johnson, Dinah BLACK MAGIC
January 15, 2010 - "My hundred black braids make a spiderweb around my head, / and Mama's voice is black and sweet as I fall asleep."This emotionally rich sentence is representative of this winning celebration of blackness. Johnson successfully uses figurative
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| | Kagawa, Julie THE IRON KING
January 15, 2010 - Paranormal romance in the style of Melissa Marr and Cassandra Clare. Meghan Chase loves her family, but she doesn't love living on a pig farm in the Louisiana swamps. At least she's got one friend—spindly prankster Robbie Goodfell. On Meghan's 16th
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| | Khan, Rukhsana BIG RED LOLLIPOP
January 15, 2010 - Dynamic visual design distinguishes this tale of sibling conflict in an immigrant family. Running home from school, Rubina tells Ami (mom) the thrilling news of a birthday-party invitation. This concept's new to Ami, but the real problem is younger
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| | Kimmelman, Leslie THE LITTLE RED HEN AND THE PASSOVER MATZAH
January 15, 2010 - When this Jewish Little Red Hen decides it is time to get ready for Passover, her first thought is to make the traditional matzah. Gathering a small pile of grain she kept safe from water and wind, she approaches her friends and receives the typical
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| | Kumin, Maxine WHAT COLOR IS CAESAR?
January 15, 2010 - A faux-philosophical problem, predictable plot and overlong text combine to create a disappointingly dull adventure. Caesar the Great Dane is obsessed with the question of whether he's black with white spots or vice versa. He gets no help from the
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| | Lamstein, Sarah Marwil BIG NIGHT FOR SALAMANDERS
January 15, 2010 - On the night of the first warm spring rain, Evan can hardly wait until after dark, when he and his parents will go out to slow cars on the road and help spotted salamanders cross from their winter burrows to the vernal pool where they will lay their
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| | Lefcourt, Jack FOUR THOUSAND YEARS OF JEWISH HISTORY
January 15, 2010 - The story of one of the world's oldest religions is folded into an overview of world history. Influential in at least two other great religions, Christianity and Islam, Judaism and its people have also been affected by the events and evolving
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| | Lloyd, Saci THE CARBON DIARIES 2017
January 15, 2010 - Two years have passed since the Carbon Diaries 2015 (2009), and Laura just wants to play punk music. With carbon rationing and the Thames flooding constantly, London's not like it used to be. Laura and her loved ones experience drought, flood,
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| | Lord, Janet WHERE IS CATKIN?
January 15, 2010 - This third outing from the sisterly team of Lord and Paschkis is a visual feast for young readers. For Amy's golden cat, it is time to hunt. As he slinks through the pages, he sees the creatures that fill his backyard habitat—cricket, frog, mouse,
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| | Loxton, Daniel EVOLUTION
January 15, 2010 - A quick once-over of this hot-button topic, though strongly argued if superficial and oddly illustrated. Pointedly dismissing Intelligent Design and not even bothering to "teach the controversy," Loxton explains in nontechnical language the current
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| | Lžpez, Susana THE BEST FAMILY IN THE WORLD
January 15, 2010 - A shy orphan's dreams of adoption come true. Little Carlota is called into the office of the orphanage director, who happily informs her that she's soon to be placed with a family. Too excited to sleep, Carlota imagines all kinds of new
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| | MacLeod, Elizabeth MONSTER FLIERS
January 15, 2010 - Aiming for wide eyes and exclamations of "Cool!" MacLeod presents 19 prehistoric fliers and gliders from Titanus ("known as the Terror Bird or Killer Crane") to Argentavis ("wing tip to wing tip, it stretched longer than a minivan"). Along with
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| | Malley, Gemma THE RETURNERS
January 15, 2010 - George Santayana famously warned that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. This novel is about the condemned, those souls who return to relive the past. Will Hodge is only a teenager, miserable in a world where his mother
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| | Marchetta, Melina FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK
January 15, 2010 - Cursed by a dying wise woman, the land of Lumatere waits for its lost heir to open the walled gates and free the population from a depraved and predatory usurper who killed their royal family. Finnikin of the Rock, his mentor Sir Topher and the
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| | McGrath, Barbara Barbieri TEDDY BEAR COUNTING
January 15, 2010 - McGrath's latest math concept book (The M&M's Brand Counting Book, 1994, etc.) successfully and rather simply presents young children with not only the concept of counting, but also colors, addition and subtractions, shapes and sets of 12. Although
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| | McKissack, Fredrick L. CLONE CODES
January 15, 2010 - It is the year 2170, and Leanna, daughter of a respected child psychologist, is a typical 13-year-old interested in friends and sports. She is enrolled in All-Virtual School, where she experiences such historical events as an escape with Harriet
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| | Miller, Debbie S. SURVIVAL AT 40 BELOW
January 15, 2010 - Focusing on the fauna that make their home in Gates of the Arctic National Park, Miller explores the many different kinds of adaptations that allow these animals to survive the brutal winters. From caribou and blackfish to Arctic fox and chickadee,
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| | Miller, Edward FIREBOY TO THE RESCUE!
January 15, 2010 - Fear not! Fireboy is here! And in his tight red suit with emblazoned FB, yellow cape, rakish mask with feathery flame and, of course, black boots trimmed with yellow, Fireboy is sure to keep readers' attention. Covering the basics of reporting a
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| | Nadol, Jen THE MARK
January 15, 2010 - A compelling protagonist and a riveting premise search for a story, in a dark fantasy that reads like a Twilight Zone episode. Sixteen-year-old Cassie has always seen the "mark" around someone about to die, but has only recently realized its
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| | Peete, Holly Robinson MY BROTHER CHARLIE
January 15, 2010 - Mother and daughter co-authors write about the experience of having an autistic child in the family. Callie, Charlie's twin sister, talks directly to readers, telling them how she and her brother are alike and about the fundamental differences that
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| | Peters, Lisa Westberg FRANKIE WORKS THE NIGHT SHIFT
January 15, 2010 - "Frankie works the night shift. / He empties one wastebasket. / He cleans two counters." Yes, Frankie the yellow tabby cat works and counts his way around the hardware store until he "spots an intruder behind six hammers! / He follows it up / and
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| | Raschka, Chris HIP HOP DOG
January 15, 2010 - A neglected pup raps a bravado-laced memoir that chronicles his life on the street and gradual embrace of hip-hop culture. Raschka produces a text that—yes!—completely comprehends how to handle this larger-than-life-size poetic form in a short
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| | Ritz, Karen WINDOWS WITH BIRDS
January 15, 2010 - Cat lives in a house "that [has] windows with birds, / twenty-six stairs, / twenty- hiding places, and / one foolish mouse in the basement." Cat loves the boy who shares the house and often waits in a sunbeam for him. One day the boy zips Cat into
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| | Saltzberg, Barney ALL AROUND THE SEASONS
January 15, 2010 - A rhyming salute to the four seasons. Beginning with spring, a parade of multiethnic children leads readers through a stereotypical suburban year in a northern clime: hatching chicks, melting snow, gardening, playing outside, swimming,
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| | Sawyer, Kim Vogel KATY'S NEW WORLD
January 15, 2010 - Katy has lived in her small Old Order Mennonite community very peaceably despite her mother's death, which followed her separation from the family and church. Now, Katy is intent on going to the high school, something never before done by any
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| | Schlitz, Laura Amy THE NIGHT FAIRY
January 15, 2010 - Flory is a night fairy, but in an accident with a bat she injures her wings and is forced to take refuge in a birdhouse. From that vantage she discovers the delights of daytime in what turns out to be the backyard of a bird-loving white-haired lady.
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| | Schoenherr, Ian DON'T SPILL THE BEANS!
January 15, 2010 - "What's THAT, Bear? / Don't spill the beans! / Don't let it slip! / Don't give it away! / Just button your lip!" Bear has a brightly colored box, but he is having a difficult time keeping its contents a secret. So he tells Elephant and Toucan…and
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| | Schories, Pat WHEN JACK GOES OUT
January 15, 2010 - As a follow-up to Schories's previous wordless book Jack and the Night Visitors (2006), a boy takes his dog, Jack, outside and hooks him up to his leash by his doghouse. When the boy goes back inside, a spaceship full of little robot "night
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| | Schubert, Leda FEEDING THE SHEEP
January 15, 2010 - The simple daily farm task of feeding an animal begins a series of events that lead to a warm sweater. On a family farm an inquisitive child follows her mother as she takes all the steps from caring for the sheep, to shearing, drying, carding,
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| | Simon, Seymour GLOBAL WARMING
January 15, 2010 - Striking a cautious tone and noting that the Earth has been both warmer and colder in its past, Simon nonetheless suggests that current signs hint at an uncommonly rapid shift in global climate—possibly due to more than just human factors but
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| | Skelton, Matthew THE STORY OF CIRRUS FLUX
January 15, 2010 - Set against the backdrop of 18th-century London and the Age of Enlightenment, Skelton's suspenseful fantasy adventure is filled with themes of greed, abuse, trust and betrayal played out within a cast of nefarious villains and daring heroes.
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| | Smith, Linda THE INSIDE TREE
January 15, 2010 - Mr. Potter lives a cozy life in his little house, enjoying tea by the fire and looking out at a fine tree in his yard, underneath which his dog sleeps. One night, he notices his dog looking in through the window and decides to bring him inside. The
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| | Solheim, James BORN YESTERDAY
January 15, 2010 - If we could hear the thoughts of an infant, we might not be surprised by the sardonic and precocious voice of this newborn'syear-long diary. Solheim's cartoons in ink-and-watercolor vignettes provide humorous images of this hyperobservant baby's
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| | Spollen, Anne LIGHT BENEATH FERNS
January 15, 2010 - This second novel from the author of The Shape of Water (2008) is equally strong on lyrical style and original voice but falls short on plot. Elizah Rayne's mother has taken a job as cemetery caretaker in her hometown. Elizah's dad, a gambling
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| | Swinburne, Stephen R. WHOSE SHOES?
January 15, 2010 - Firefighter, chef, mail carrier, ballerina, clown, farmer, soccer player, National Guard soldier and construction worker are depicted through their footwear in this photo essay that asks the title question over and over. A predictable turn-the-page
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| | Tafolla, Carmen FIESTA BABIES
January 15, 2010 - Celebrations should be part of every baby's life. This Latino rhyming romp finds families rejoicing with town outings, outdoor strolls, abuelo sing-a-longs, playtime and naptime. Each merry scenario springs from Hispanic culture and is sprinkled
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| | Taylor, Sarah Stewart AMELIA EARHART
January 15, 2010 - The Center of Cartoon Studies, producer of the critically lauded graphic biographies of Harry Houdini, Satchel Paige and Henry David Thoreau, adheres to the same winning formula with this charmer about famed aviator Amelia Earhart. Readers meet the
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| | Teller, Janne NOTHING
January 15, 2010 - The seventh graders of Tring School are much like any others, until Pierre Anthon has an existential crisis, climbs a tree and refuses to come back to school. The other students can't live their lives as usual with one of their classmates sitting
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| | Villeneuve, Anne THE RED SCARF
January 15, 2010 - It's just another day for Turpin, a mouse taxi driver, until a mysterious passenger leaves a red scarf behind. Determined to find his former fare, the good-natured cabbie is soon immersed in a world full of colorful characters, each leading him
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| | Waddell, Martin CAPTAIN SMALL PIG
January 15, 2010 - Old Goat (comfortably amiable), Turkey (a bit of a gloomy Gus) and Small Pig (enthusiasm incarnate) find a red boat and go rowing on Blue Lake. Small Pig wants to fish for whales, so Old Goat ties a string to an oar for him—but Small Pig only
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| | Ward, Rachel NUMBERS
January 15, 2010 - Jem's been bouncing between foster homes since her mother overdosed when Jem was only six. Now she's a typical troubled teen, skipping her special-ed classes almost as often as she goes. Though she's not entirely typical, as most troubled teens
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| | Watt, Mlanie CHESTER'S MASTERPIECE
January 15, 2010 - Chester, Canadian cat author extraordinaire, is back for a third self-aggrandizing volume without any help from Mlanie Watt. He has hidden her art supplies AND her computer mouse (which apparently tastes like chicken). He is in full control of this
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| | Wight, Eric FRANKIE PICKLE AND THE PINE RUN 3000
January 15, 2010 - Gentlemen, start your engines. Frankie Pickle, fresh off his incarnation as Indiana Jones, returns in another imaginative, over-the-top fantasy. This time, Frankie, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Speed Racer, attempts to overcome his merit-point
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| | Williams-Garcia, Rita ONE CRAZY SUMMER
January 15, 2010 - A flight from New York to Oakland, Calif., to spend the summer of 1968 with the mother who abandoned Delphine and her three sisters was the easy part. Once there, the negative things their grandmother had said about their mother, Cecile, seem true:
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| | Winter, Jonah HERE COMES THE GARBAGE BARGE!
January 15, 2010 - A stinky story never seemed so sweet. Winter tackles the true-life tale of the 1987 Garbage Barge fiasco in this entirely amusing mix of fact and fiction.When the city of Islip on Long Island ends up with too much garbage, some businessmen (merged
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| | Wittenstein, Vicki Oransky PLANET HUNTER
January 15, 2010 - On an inhospitable Hawaiian mountaintop, using one of the most powerful optical telescopes in the world, astronomer Dr. Geoffrey Marcy and others search for planets outside our solar system. When the first one was discovered in 1995, he and his team
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| Online Exclusive
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| Talk Like a Man: Robert B. Parker Tribute
January 15, 2010 - I still remember the first time I heard Spenser's voice ring out in the opening chapter of The Godwulf Manuscript (1973), as he razzes the college president who's trying to hire him. What's this guy's problem? I thought. Why does he have such an attitude? The attitude, I soon learned, had deep roots...Part of it was a temperamental similarity to Spenser's creator, Robert B. Parker, who died on Jan. 18th at age 77.
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