CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2010
"A triumph. (Fiction. 9-13)"
Fifth grade BFFs Katie-Rose, Yasaman, Violet and Camilla ride again in this stride-hitting second entry in the Flower Power series (Luv Ya Bunches, 2009).
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2010
"Ever eschewing manipulation, it nevertheless could wring tears from stone. (Picture book. 5-10)"
"Abba Jacob was a monk who lived in a hermitage on the island in a faraway sea," reads the opening line of Nelson and Ering's remarkable collaboration, but readers soon discover that the monk does not lead an entirely solitary existence.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 23, 2010
"Through confident brushwork, done in a stylized '50s modern aesthetic, the artist's images reveal sports' deep truths about acceptance, a willingness to try and the intergenerational connections they bring. (Picture book. 4-8)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 1, 2010
"Scenes of baffled wee white bunnies spinning on delicate cycle, popping out of vacuum bags and holding their powder-puff tails add to the overall whimsy, hapless humor and total charm. (dust jacket opens into poster) (Picture book. 3-5)"
Three tiny tales feature two goats whose domestic activities wreak havoc on six bunnies until a resourceful bear saves the day.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 31, 2010
"O'Connor has spun a lovely read that perfectly captures the schemes and plans of school-age kids in the long days of summer. (Fiction. 8-11)"
"The short, sad life of Tooley Graham was over," doesn't sound like a happy conclusion but is pitch perfect in this short, simple and endearing middle-grade novel that follows on the heels of The Small Adeventure of Popeye and Elvis (2009).
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2010
"A brief selection of Neruda's poems (in translation), a bibliography and an author's note enrich an inviting and already splendid, beautifully presented work. (Historical fiction. 9-13)"
Ryan's fictional evocation of the boy who would become Pablo Neruda is rich, resonant and enchanting.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2010
"With a slightly old-fangled atmosphere, expressive line work and balmy watercolors, Pien has created a sense of well being, where all is (mostly) right in the best of worlds. (Picture book. 4-8)"
A day in the life of Mr. Elephanter is a slice from the bygone, when the scale and pace of life didn't require medication. Mr. Elephanter, clearly a mild and loving soul, works at the elephantery, tending a small tribe of elephanties.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 1, 2010
"The True Adventures of a Japanese Boy, by Rhoda Blumberg (2001). (historical note, extensive glossary, bibliography.) (Historical fiction. 9-13)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: March 1, 2010
A neglected pup raps a bravado-laced memoir that chronicles his life on the street and gradual embrace of hip-hop culture.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2010
Anyone who has said that pirates are an overused motif in youth literature has not yet met Walker Bean.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2010
"Charming, classy and current. (Picture book. 3-7)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: June 22, 2010
"You will be SPHDZ! (Multi-platform science fiction. 7-12)"
P.S. 858 fifth grader Michael K. had hoped for a normal first day in his new school, but what he gets is crazy-weird.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 27, 2010
"Simply gorgeous. (Picture book. 3-6)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2010
"Lovely. (glossary) (Picture book/poetry. 8 & up)"
Sidman delights with another gorgeous collection of poems celebrating the natural world, this time focusing on species remarkable for their ability to adapt and thrive in an often-harsh world.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: March 1, 2010
"A mesmerizing and seamless celebration of language, imagery and perspective. (note on the form) (Poetry. 8-12)"
A collection of masterful fairy-tale–inspired reversos—a poetic form invented by the author, in which each poem is presented forward and backward.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 26, 2010
"Rich, real and utterly engrossing. (Historical fiction. 10-14)"
This sequel to The Georges and the Jewels (2009) is Smiley at her finest—detailed, nuanced, absorbing.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2010
"This charming chef-d'oeuvre sings like a mezzo-soprano. (Picture book. 3-10)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 1, 2010
"Great fun. (Fiction. 11-13)"
Three children and their inventor dad on the run from government agents, international superspies AND corporate baddies are finally forced to take a stand in this picaresque debut.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2010
"The muted palette and variety of panel shapes, sound effects, expressive characters and deadpan humor work in perfect rib-tickling harmony. (Graphic fiction. 7-10)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2010
"Love, belief and caring. (Fiction. 8-12)"
Mo mostly loves living on Fox Street, which has everything except foxes, girlfriends and her mom (who died when she was young).
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2010
"Stampler's touching note demonstrates this layered tale's openness to multiple interpretations. (author's note) (Picture book/folktale. 4-7)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 25, 2010
"This gentle, ultimately warm story acknowledges the care and reciprocity behind all good friendships: Much like Amos's watch, they must be wound regularly to remain true. (Picture book. 2-6)"
Amos McGee, an elderly zookeeper, enjoys a clockwork life (one teaspoonful of sugar for oatmeal, two for tea and the number five bus to work) until the sniffles force him to stay in bed and miss his daily visits with animal friends.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: July 1, 2010
"Creepy details, quick quips and a wry, deadpan (pun absolutely intended) humor are sure to delight. (Graphic fiction. 9-12)"
As an agent for the Supernatural Immigration Task Force, it is Frank Gallows's job to catch ghosts on Earth and send them back to the afterlife.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: March 1, 2010
In a story based on the author's childhood experiences, two cousins, Charlie and Carlitos, exchange letters.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2010
"Absolutely marvelous. (Fiction. 7-10)"
Third grader Justin Case gets this nickname thanks to his amazing ability to worry about everything.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 12, 2010
"The absolute necessity of story as a way to redemption and healing past wounds is at the heart of this beautiful debut, and readers will cherish every word up to the heartbreaking yet hopeful and deeply gratifying ending. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 10-14)"
When 12-year-old Abilene jumps off the train in Manifest, Kan., in 1936 to stay with her father's boyhood friend, little does she know her sojourn will take her back, via mesmerizing tales, newspaper clippings, curious mementoes and World War I letters, to Manifest as it was in 1918—and into the life of the mysterious boy nicknamed Jinx.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2010
"Middle graders will close this and ask right away for Detective Pants's next caper. (animal facts) (Graphic mystery. 8-12)"
There is skullduggery afoot at Mr. Venezi's Pets & Stuff: Someone keeps stealing his sandwich, which he puts outside the koala cage every day.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 1, 2010
"A gem—please, tell us we'll be seeing more of Sasspants! (Graphic fiction. 6-11)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 1, 2010
"Stay tuned. (Fantasy. 8-11)"
"Vague notions of heroism entered his mind, and then paused, confused by their surroundings."
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2010
"Stay tuned. (Graphic hybrid fantasy. 8-11)"
School lunch bites—literally—in the third impossibly droll escapade featuring dragonling Danny Dragonbreath and his peace-loving iguana buddy, Wendell.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2010
"Understatedly tender and mystical yet solid; it ends in temporary peace, with sequel potential. (daily abbey schedule, glossary) (Historical fantasy. 9-12)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 4, 2010
"In this illustrator's world, mind-blowing art comes from accident, if you're brave enough (like Max) to smile and take an awkward leap. (Picture book. 4-10)"
Two lizards, one an unbridled enthusiast and the other a restrained snoot, stumble along a circuitous creative path together, making art through mishap and engaging all kinds of media along the way.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: June 8, 2010
"The image of a happy dog treading water with a frog on his head says it all. (Picture book. 3 & up)"
In Willems's latest, a departure from his urban sensibility as well as his first book as solely the author, a dog from the city explores new territory when he moves to the country and befriends a frog.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 14, 2010
"You bet. (Early reader. 4-8)"
Stalwart friends Piggie and Gerald the elephant push the metafictive envelope in a big way when they realize that "someone is looking at us."
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 1, 2010
"The depiction of the time is well done, and while the girls are caught up in the difficulties of adults, their resilience is celebrated and energetically told with writing that snaps off the page. (Historical fiction. 9-12)"
A flight from New York to Oakland, Calif., to spend the summer of 1968 with the mother who abandoned Delphine and her two sisters was the easy part.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 23, 2010
"It's the best beginning since The Bad Beginning (1999) and will leave readers howling for the next episode. (High melodrama. 10-12)"
Fresh from the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, 15-year-old Penelope Lumley reports to remote but palatial Ashton Place and discovers just why the advertisement for a governess indicated a strong preference for "Experience with Animals."
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2010
"Fresh and wise. (Picture book. 3-7)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 26, 2010
"Genuinely wholesome, packed with affectionate humor, tension and joy. (Historical fiction. 9-12)"
After a childhood spent moving constantly across two countries, Rex wonders why his parents can't settle down.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: July 1, 2010
"Charming and thoughtful. (Fiction. 9-12)"
Those who might be tempted to dismiss this heavily illustrated saga of middle-school angst and family upheaval as a Wimpy Kid knock-off will miss an engaging, original heroine, a satisfying story and lots of great pictures.
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