CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 29, 2011
"This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes. (Science fiction. 12-14)"
NONFICTION
Released: Nov. 1, 2011
"A slim, somber classic."
Didion (We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live: Collected Nonfiction, 2006, etc.) delivers a second masterpiece on grief, considering both her daughter's death and her inevitable own.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 13, 2011
"Sheer delight. (final art not seen) (Animal fantasy. 8-12)"
Problem novels, ghost stories, historical fiction--is there anything Newbery Medalist Peck cannot do? Apparently not.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 4, 2011
"An irresistible read: This book sings. (Fantasy. 8-12)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 3, 2011
"A marvelous, mystical romp that doesn't ignore reality. A hint of a possible sequel whets readers' appetite for more: Yes, please! (author's note) (Fantasy. 12 & up)"
Thirteen-year-old Sacha lives in New York City's Lower East Side at the turn of the 20th century. Or does he?
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2011
"Readers with great expectations will find them fully satisfied by this tongue-in-cheek romp through a historic public House that is the very opposite of Bleak. (Animal fantasy. 10-12)"
"He was the best of toms. He was the worst of toms." And for all his harsh early life and unnatural dietary preferences, ragged London alley cat Skilley gets to look at a queen, too.
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FICTION
Released: Oct. 1, 2011
"Elegiac, mature and nostalgic--a fine evocation of childhood, and of days irretrievably past."
A graceful, closely observed novel that blends coming-of-age tropes with a Conradian sea voyage.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 27, 2011
"A grand tale skillfully updated and tightened up, this should win the hearts of a new generation. (Fantasy. 8-12)"
A heart-shaped talisman created in the Stone Age brings terribly corrupting power to those who possess it, until 12-year-old Charles Jago manages to destroy it permanently.
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NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 20, 2011
"A tour of subatomic physics that dazzles like the stars."
From Randall (Theoretical Physics/Harvard Univ.;
Warped Passages: Unraveling the Universe's Hidden Dimensions, 2006), a whip-smart inquiry into the scientific work being conducted in particle physics.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 19, 2011
"This outstanding, emotionally resonant effort will appeal to middle-grade readers. (Fiction. 8-12)"
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 15, 2011
"A life story that consistently charms with candor and the seasoned wit of a master storyteller who's certainly been around the block."
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 13, 2011
"A memorable gallery of humanity (and its outliers). (Picture book. 6-9)"
In the wake of
Seasons (2010), an equally beguiling barrage of simple images demonstrating this French illustrator's unusual technical command and sharp powers of observation.
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NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 13, 2011
Searing war-torn memories from a visionary African peacekeeper and women's-rights activist.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 13, 2011
"Characteristically provocative gothic comedy, with sublime undertones. (Autobiographical fiction. 11-13)"
An exhilarating summer marked by death, gore and fire sparks deep thoughts in a small-town lad not uncoincidentally named "Jack Gantos."
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FICTION
Released: Sept. 13, 2011
"Likely to be a big book—and, soon, a big movie, with all the franchise trimmings."
Self-assured, entertaining debut novel that blends genres and crosses continents in quest of magic.
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NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 1, 2011
An eminent bioethicist presents a nuanced survey of the fraught politics of science in 21st-century America.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2011
"This debut picture-book offering from Dunklee and Forsythe is close enough to perfect in its tone, pacing and interplay between words and pictures: Wonderful. (Picture book. 3-7)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2011
"Fans will celebrate; aliens will quiver in fright. (Graphic fiction. 7-14)"
FICTION
Released: Aug. 30, 2011
"There's even a happy ending of sorts, as characters adapt and keep going, fortified by the knowledge that they "were more than the sum of what had been taken from" them."
CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 1, 2011
"Thoughtful, scary and captivating. (Urban fantasy. 14 & up)"
In an impeccably paced and unusually profound urban-fantasy novel, 16-year-old half-demon Catholic-school student Jael Thompson comes into her powers, explores her heritage and battles a tyrannical Hell beast.
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NONFICTION
Released: May 10, 2011
"An excellent study, taking a tiny instant of modern history and giving it specific weight, depth and meaning."
A sometimes improbable but nevertheless true tale of diplomacy and intrigue by bestselling author Larson (
Thunderstruck, 2006, etc.).
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 10, 2011
"A worthy contribution to any toddler bookshelf…and hopefully just the beginning of a long partnership. (Picture book. 2-5)"
With their first collaborative effort, this mother-daughter team proves that they are a duo to watch.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 4, 2011
"Grace and joy for all ages and almost any faith. (author's, editor's and illustrator's notes, "Canticle" translated by Bill Barrett) (Picture book/religion. 5-10)"
A gorgeous visual paean to the natural world that reflects and echoes the prayer it accompanies.
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FICTION
Released: May 1, 2011
"Spectacularly and convincingly inventive, assured and wholly spellbinding: one of the most impressive debuts in years."
A sort of paranoid-conspiracy, hard sci-fi whodunit: the Scotland resident, Finnish author's jaw-dropping debut.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 4, 2011
"Creative and refreshing like a good soufflé, this perceptive, heartfelt narrative nevertheless has real meat on its bones. (recipe index, glossary, selected sources) (Fiction. 10-14)"
Funny, self-aware 14-year-old Ariel "find[s] making fantastic food gives me sanity" in this highly entertaining and multilayered sequel to Discovering Pig Magic (2008).
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 1, 2011
"Excellent bookmaking—from type to trim size—complements a remarkable celebration of a uniquely American musical genius. (chronology, biographical sketches, author's note, discography, bibliography, quotation sources, index) (Biography. 9-12)"
An impeccably researched and told biography of Leonard Bernstein's musical apprenticeship, from toddlerhood to his conducting debut with the New York Philharmonic at age 25.
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