"Overall, Moss tells an absorbing, informative story set in a fascinating time replete with political intrigue, bustle, and corruption. (author's note, timeline, bibliography) (Historical fiction. 12-17)"
A fictionalized account of the Italian painter's tumultuous life hews to the historical timeline.
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"A very fine piece of historical reclamation that broadens our understanding of the road to revolution. (Nonfiction. 11-14)"
Moss reminds readers that the tea parties of the 1770s were not strictly a Boston affair, no matter how much the city enjoys its spuriously unique association.
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"A hint at the end leaves room for this series to evolve into high school; Amelia may be a bit long in the tooth, but devoted fans will follow. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)"
In this newest, 20th-anniversary offering of the Amelia's Notebook series, Amelia graduates middle school and reminisces about all she has learned along the way.
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"Readers will empathize with Emily as she goes through her own changes, and they will applaud her heroism in more than one chapter. (author's note, photographs, recipes, bibliography, websites) (Historical fiction. 8-11)"
Changes fomenting both locally and nationally during the final year of Theodore Roosevelt's presidency are seen through the eyes of feisty, bighearted Emily Soper, daughter of a carriage maker in Washington, D.C.
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"Lively writing and a smattering of line drawings make for an enjoyable adventure that will entice readers to go along with Mira. (author's note, bibliography) (Fantasy. 10-14)"
In the latest installment in the Mira's Diary time-travel series, Mira pursues her missing mother, Serena, to 1917 London.
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"Crisis averted, at the end, Edgar is left looking ahead with fresh confidence to seventh grade. Happily, a planned sequel will allow readers to follow him there. (recipe for 'Chocolate Blood Pudding') (Light fantasy. 10-12)"
With understandable difficulty, a sixth-grader with a mighty secret tries to earn acceptance from both his human schoolmates and his undead family.
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"A worthy companion for Ken Mochizuki and Dom Lee's Baseball Saved Us (1993). (author's note, artist's note, bibliography, index) (Picture book/biography. 7-10)"
Kenichi Zenimura built a baseball legacy in the Japanese-American internment camps during World War II.
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"Mira's latest quest leaves readers pondering what other discoveries in the past await this dauntless time traveler. (author's note, bibliography) (Fantasy. 10-14)"
Time-traveler Mira returns in a perilous mission involving the Renaissance, the Inquisition and banned books.
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"A surprise ending will leave readers anticipating Mira's next mission as she follows her mother through time and history. (bibliography) (Fantasy. 10-14)"
Her mother's mysterious absence, a perplexing postcard and a unique family ability sends Mira on a race through time.
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"An intimate look at a soldier's life from a compelling, historical perspective. (author's note, thumbnail biographies, timeline, bibliography) (Historical fiction. 12 & up)"
"Hand-lettered on lined paper like Moss' hugely popular Amelia's Notebook (1995) and its sequels, this series is likely to appeal to the same middle-grade audience but feels a touch too familiar. (Graphic fiction. 8-11)"
On her first day of fourth grade, Daphne starts a diary that quickly becomes one of doodles and disasters and sets up a new series by the creator of Amelia.
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In these retooled versions of Max's Logbook (2003) and Max's Mystical Logbook (2004), Moss discards the graph-paper backgrounds, expands the role of a small green pencil-topper that is (at least in the young narrator's mind) a visitor from space with telepathic powers and remixes lightly revised text and art.
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"For readers not yet up to Carol Lawrence's Roman Mystery series, this makes an equally agreeable combination of story and history. (glossary) (Fiction. 8-10)"
The author of the "Young American Voices" series takes readers considerably further into the past for a slave's-eye view of life in Emperor Augustus's household.
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"Aviator Gustav Hamel's lame-brained plot to impersonate Harriet is straightfowardly presented in the text but with no attempt to hide its foolish sexism. (author's note) (Picture book/biography. 7-10)"
As they did in True Heart (1999), Moss and Payne have produced a vivid story, with equally vibrant illustrations, inspired by a historical event.
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"The subject of Jewish persecution and emigration is seldom treated on so young a level, but the youthful tone of the narrator presents exactly the right balance of fear and hope. (Fiction. 7-9)"
In her third fictional diary, Moss tells the story of ten-year-old Hannah, a spunky and self-confident girl in a Lithuanian shtetl in 1901.
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"Despite a few disputes'some say it is indeed possible to create a Klein bottle—and some too-brief definitions, this overview convinces readers that math is pervasive, inescapable, huge—and never just egghead territory. (Nonfiction. 9-12)"
Readers who have so far successfully resisted the math curse will find themselves deftly ensorcelled by this alphabetic tally of mathematics concepts.
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"Clara Vulliamy's Ellen and the Penguin and the New Baby (1996) and, more recently, in Clare Jarrett's Catherine and the Lion (1997). (Picture book. 3-8)"
Jacob has a new baby sister and isn't very happy about the situation.
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"A unique counting book; entertaining sf for the youngest; and just nifty good fun. (Picture book. 4-8)"
This old man is not what you expect, though his antics in Moss's creative adaptation are as ebullient as in the traditional version.
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"A useful extension of a frequent bedtime theme, illustrated with appropriate assertiveness and humor. (Picture book. 4-8)"
When Luisa gets home, there's a monster waiting—huge, toothy, and spouting rhymed threats (``I'm going to crunch, to munch, to eat you for my lunch!'').
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