CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 31, 2012
"This is not just another new-baby book: Cordell's humorous text and mischievously silly, expressive cartoon art will have readers bleating to read it again and again. (Picture book. 4-8)"
Davy, a little sheep, has trouble adjusting to the arrival of not one but 12 baby brothers in this humorous twist on the tried and true new sibling theme.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 31, 2012
"A delight. (Picture book. 4-8)"
Otto usually lives as an illustration of a book, but when no one is looking, he comes to life.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 31, 2012
"An outstanding addition to a first-rate series. (notes, study questions, resource lists) (Graphic mythology. 8-14)"
A tempestuous mother-daughter relationship makes up the centerpiece of O'Connor's latest carefully researched and simultaneously fresh and funny Olympian portrait.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 24, 2012
"Prickly, a bit funny and a bit dark: classic Grimm, modernized. (author's note) (Picture book/fairy tale. 4-10)"
Hans, half hedgehog and half human, lives as a hermit, deep in a forest with a rooster steed and an entourage of pigs, happily playing his fiddle, until two kings make promises that send him looking for his just reward: a princess.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 24, 2012
"In the end, Houdini realizes that writing has changed him and altered his perspective on people and life. Readers will feel the same way. And just try to get kids not to make their own lists or attempt their own novels. (Fiction. 9-12)"
A middle-schooler writes a kids' novel; an author writes an engaging, amiable read--and, presto, a tale about a boy nicknamed Houdini turns out magical.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 17, 2012
"Share with readers of all ages as a beautiful message about peaceful protest and purposeful action. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-8)"
An African-American family awakens before dawn to prepare for the historic March on Washington in August, 1963.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 17, 2012
"Utterly believable, this bittersweet story, complete with an author's note identifying the real Ivan, will inspire a new generation of advocates. (author's note) (Fiction. 8-12)"
How Ivan confronts his harrowing past yet stays true to his nature exemplifies everything youngsters need to know about courage.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 10, 2012
"Like Blume, Hiranandani resists simplistic, tidy solutions. Each excels in charting the fluctuating discomfort zones of adolescent identity with affectionate humor. (Fiction. 9-13)"
Four decades separate Sonia Nadhamuni and Judy Blume's Margaret Simon, but these feisty, funny offspring of Jewish interfaith marriages are sisters under the skin.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 10, 2012
"Setting and plot are the heart and soul of this ripping space thriller, and they're unforgettable. (Science fiction. 14 & up)"
Opening soon after the bleak ending of
Across the Universe (2011), this captivating middle volume takes
Godspeed's 2,763 residents through commotion, twists and game-changers.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 10, 2012
"This thoughtful and entertaining portrait offers a model for reading critically that will bear fruit as readers grow. (author's note) (Picture book. 5-9)"
Metafictive techniques and atmospheric graphite, ink and acrylic compositions effectively pull readers into the life and soul of 12-year-old Charles Dickens.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 10, 2012
"If May is a brave, stubborn fighter, the short, free-verse lines are one-two punches in this Laura Ingalls Wilder–inspired ode to the human spirit. (Historical fiction. 9-14)"
As unforgiving as the western Kansas prairies, this extraordinary verse novel--Rose's debut--paints a gritty picture of late-19th-century frontier life from the perspective of a 12-year-old dyslexic girl named Mavis Elizabeth Betterly… May B. for short.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 10, 2012
"Deza is one great heroine in her own right, a fitting literary companion to Bud Caldwell. (Historical fiction. 9-12)"
Deza Malone had a brief appearance in Curtis' multiple–award-winning novel,
Bud, Not Buddy (Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Author Award, 2000). Now, she is the dynamic and engaging heroine of her own story.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 10, 2012
"An intensely moving, first-person narrative of a disturbing historical footnote told from the perspective of a very likable, credible young hero. (historical note) (Historical fiction. 10-12)"
Growing up in Wilmington, N.C., in 1898, a naive black boy and his family are devastated by a racist uprising in this fictionalized account of a little-known historical event.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 5, 2012
"This engaging story, with its emphasis on the impact of friendship and on finding one's voice when it is most important to be heard, will no doubt appeal to a broad range of readers and inspire many interesting conversations. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 10-14)"
The remarkable story of the Little Rock Nine is familiar to many, but what happened next? In this quietly powerful page-turner, Levine focuses her attention on the events that unfolded in Little Rock the year after the integration of the city's public schools.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 3, 2012
"In any consideration of noteworthy lives, Baker stands tall and sparkles as a determined, brave and singular woman of color. (author's note) (Picture book/biography. 5-10)"
The African-American singer and dancer was idolized in France because of her extraordinary talent as a stage performer and scorned in the United States because of her color.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 3, 2012
"This primer on friendship wrapped in hijinks is paced for maximum pleasure. (Picture book. 3-7)"
In this variant of "The City Mouse and the Country Mouse," two dragons learn to appreciate each other's talents and milieus.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 2, 2012
"Many bedtime books featuring animal sounds exist, but few are executed with such skill; this one has the potential to become a classic. (Picture book. 1-4)"
That picture-book master for the very young, Caldecott Honoree Tafuri (
Have You Seen My Duckling?, 1985), proves the barnyard a fertile setting in her latest offering.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 1, 2012
"Inspirational pairings of art and verse to read and recite in tribute to those who walked that perilous road. (Picture book/poetry. 12 & up)"
One slave is the poetic voice for those who toil on a cotton plantation and look to the North Star, following the Underground Railroad to freedom.
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