CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 12, 2010
"Mature beyond her years, able to make the best of a bad situation and blessed with impressive survivor skills, Esther proves an admirable heroine in this poignant story. (Historical fiction. 9-12)"
As her single mother's mental state degenerates, a resilient little girl desperately tries to hold life together.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2009
"A quieter volume than The Tale of Despereaux (2003) and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (2006), this has an equal power to haunt readers long past the final page. (Fantasy. 8-13)"
Ten-year-old Peter Augustus Duchene goes to the market for fish and bread but spends it at the fortuneteller's tent instead.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 1, 2008
"First-rate. (Fiction. 10-13)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 7, 2006
"A small gem. (Fiction. 9-11)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2006
"A likely draw for young fans of elephants and exotic climes. (Fiction. 9-11)"
Punishment becomes reward in this original tale, set in "old Siam" and loosely related to the historical origins of the modern metaphor.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 5, 2006
"Key writes honestly about hunting, trapping and the hardships of survival in this rather unusual coming-of-age story. (Fiction. 10-14)"
All his life, Moon Blake has lived with his reclusive father, Oliver, on a remote tract of land in the woods surviving only on what they trap and grow.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2005
"While the odd characters are interesting, it's the smart and unique voice that makes this story shine. (Fiction. 10-14)"
Cal Lavender (11) has perfected what she calls "My Face for Unbearably Unpleasant and Embarrassing Situations," which unfortunately is coming in handy following her mother's latest public outburst.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 8, 2005
"The author doesn't shy away from the difficulties, but there's humor here, too. (Fiction. 11-14)"
Wilson admirably keeps things upbeat as she explores two sisters' coping with a mother who is careening further into mental illness and alcoholism.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: June 1, 2004
"Three stars on the soggy-hanky index. (Fiction. 9-12)"
Resilient Heidi It is the daughter of mentally deficient So B. It, but it's really neighbor Bernadette who raises her.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: June 1, 2003
"Moses's dreams offer no easy solutions to David's problems, but they become part of him, add to his knowledge, strength, and understanding, and nudge him toward a renewed relationship with his father and an appreciation of the danger and the magic of Harlem. (Fiction. 10+)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2002
"A solid, affecting read. (Fiction. 11-13)"
In July of 1960, just as she is turning 12, Hattie Owen's quiet, solitary summer—occupied with books, the various residents of her parents' boarding house, small errands about town, and avoiding her grandmother—is disrupted, bringing a loss of a kind of innocence and a look at the wide borders of the world.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 10, 2002
"This touching story will leave readers pleasantly drained, satisfied with the happy ending, and eager for more about Hollis's future. (Fiction. 9-14)"
Twelve-year-old Hollis Woods, abandoned as a one-hour-old baby, was named after the part of Queens where she was found with a note pinned on her blanket: "Call her Hollis Woods."
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 1, 2001
"Very likely this novel will strike a responsive chord among readers who believe they have to handle family problems by themselves. (Fiction. 10-12)"
Warner (Totally Confidential, p. 805, etc.) here serves up a touching novel about a gritty and determined young girl who tries to cope with her mother's mental illness all alone.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 29, 2000
"Memorable. (Fiction. 10-13)"
When 13-year-old Lyric and 16-year-old Summer move from Glory Bottom, Virginia, to Flint, Michigan, in 1955, life changes for them in ways no one would have expected.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 1997
"Haas is thorough but not too tidy: His story is convincing and his characters are, regardless of their feelings for each other, likable. (Fiction. 9-13)"
Worm and his older brother, Todd, have heard that their father, who lives 25 miles away and suffers from depression, has been sitting out on his roof for several days.
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