Lift-the-flap: Baby Genius series (DK Publishing, board books, $6.99, ages 18mo-36 mo)
Sturdy boardbooks on engaging subjects with easy to turn pages and bright photos. Books like Things That Go! And Animals! are sure to start inspire language and learning.
Mary Englebreit's Mother Goose: One Hundred Best-Loved Verses (HarperCollins, $19.99, all ages)
Cultural literacy begins in infancy and this book brings a delightful start with the illustrator's well-known charming, playful style. Her poetry selection is as excellent as her portrayal.
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands, illustrated by Kadir Nelson (Dial, $16.99, ages 0 and up)
Nelson manages a magnificent child's perspective in picturing this familiar song.
I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! (Harcourt, $16.00, ages 2-6) 0-15-202488-3 by Karen Beaumont, illustrated by David Catrow
My favorite read-aloud of the year! Using the tune, "It Ain't Gonna Rain No More", the wacky writer and illustrator whip up a blend of passions for art, creation, and silliness as a young boy decorates his body parts. Will his mother catch him? Will he really reach those unmentionable parts? It all comes out in the wash in a hysterical ending.
Duckie's Ducklngs: A One-to-Ten Counting Book (Candlewick, $7.99, ages 2-4) by Frances Barry
This simple counting book features a mother looking for her ducklings. The clever design shows her babies appearing behind her, ready for young children to count.
Honey...Honey...Lion! (Putnam, $16.99, ages 3-6) by Jan Brett
Badger and Honeyguide are hunting partners, but when Badger doesn't share, the small bird gives him a lesson he won't forget. Sounds guide young listeners through the beautifully detailed Botswanan landscape Brett creates. Pictures offer pause for discussing habitat and animals.
Leaf Man (Harcourt, $16.00, ages 3-6) by Lois Elhert
With the lyrical refrain, "A Leaf Man's got to go where the wind blows", Elhert cleverly collages fall leaves and personifies the season in a way young children will understand. Her die-cut pages and attention to color in painting show again her love of the natural world.
The Magic Rabbit by Richard Jesse Watson (Scholastic, $15.95, ages 3-5)
A simple story of one magical lonely rabbit looking for a friend. The enchantment of illustration is what makes this book a winner.
Snip Snap! What's That? (Greenwillow, $15.99, ages 2-5) by Mara Bergman
"When the alligator came creeping...creeping...creeping up the stairs...were the children scared? You bet they were!" begins the book and sets in motion a pattern book that is filled with the love for sounds, words, imagination, and that safe-scary thrill that ends in a just-right victorious resolution as the children scare the alligator.
Pilobolus:The Human Alphabet (Roaring Brook, $16.95, all ages) photographs by John Kane
The famous team of dancers bring their creative contortions to shaping alphabet letters and people-shaped images representing that letter that people can guess.
A Apple Pie (Philomel $16.99, all ages) art by Gennady Spirin
The classic 1600's alphabet book is honored by the amazing illustrations of who well-represents both time and spirit of the book.
Michael Rosen's Sad Book (Candlewick, $16.99, ages 5 and up) by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Quentin Blake
This honest picture book describes Rosen's depression after his son's death. Within this book is the kind of blend that makes for a perfect picture book. The text speaks to both children and adults. The honesty is hardhitting, but is balanced by playful word images. The mix of illustrations and words do much more than they could ever do separately. "This is me begin sad" begins the text under the photography of a man with a huge smile. The paradox makes you relook and you see that the signs of pretense, the picture and words inviting you to think more deeply.
Chameleon,Chameleon (Scholastic, $16.95, ages 4-7) by Joy Cowley, photographs by Nic Bishop
The author tells a simple, but engaging story with a wealth of information about a chameleon looking for a new home. The astoundingly vivid photographs will delight all ages.
If You Decide to Go to the Moon (Scholastic, $16.99, ages 4-8) by Faith McNulty, illustrated by Steven Kellogg
Using the second person viewpoint is only one of the way McNulty engages young listeners in understanding space and the moon. She uses child-hooking images, lots of feelings and exciting words to hook young space lovers-and Kellogg's images accent the dreamy fun of space exploration.
I See a Kookaburra! Discovering Animal Habitats Around the World (Houghton, $16.00, ages 5-7) by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
Once again the author's vivid writing and illustrator's telling paper collages make a dynamic duo to describe creatures in habitats around the world.
If Dogs Were Dinosaurs (Scholastic, $16.99, ages 3-7) by David Schwartz
How do you describe the size of things? Schwartz does so with poetic and wacky images that will speak to children.
Prehistoric Actual Size (Houghton, $16.00, ages 4-6) by Steve Jenkins
This companion to the wildly-successful Actual Size, takes children back in time to view the actual size of prehistoric creatures. Besides the telling life-sized paper collages and ingenious lay-out, there's just a bit written about each animal...enough so that similarities might be noted. And if you want more, the final pages give more information.
Boy, were we wrong about dinosaurs! By Kathleen Kudlinski (Dutton, $15.99, ages 5-9)
The title serves as a chorus when the author reveals misconceptions about the giant creatures. Not only are there lots of dinosaur facts, the book serves to show how science is a dynamic and changing field, how evidence can be misinterpreted and how scientific study progresses.
A Faith Like Mine: A Celebration of the World's Religions Through the Eyes of Children (DK Publishing, $19.99, ages 6-10) Short descriptions, vibrant pictures do a good job of portraying and finding similarities and differences of seven religions, but it's focusing on nine children's perspectives from around the world that really make this relevant to children.
Go Figure! A Totally Cool Book About Numbers (DK Publishing, $15.99, ages 6-10) by Johnny Ball
Where was this book when I grew up hating math? Ball has an obvious passion for the subject and fills his work with surprising connections, review of all kinds of number systems as well as activities and magic tricks and puzzles that will inspire the same in readers.
Vultures: Animal Scavengers series (Lerner Publications, $25.26 ; ages 7-10)
Clear writing and photographs and a slight edge of disgust make this book and others in the series a winner for non-fiction lovers who like a little thrill with their reading.
Sandra Markle, Snakes: Biggest! Littlest! (Boyds Mills, $15.95; ages 5-8)
Amazing photographs by Joe McDonald reveal the world of snakes of all sizes, the most intriguing is snakes eating their prey! Sandra Markle uses simple words and a great organizing structure to show how snake size determines how they function in the world.
Time for Kids Science Scoops: Bears! (1), Planets (2), Bats! (3) Lots to recommend this series. Leveled reading, child-intriguing subjects, fabulous photographs. (HarperTrophy, $3.99 for paperback, ages 4-8)
Beyond the Great Mountains: A Visual Poem About China (Chronicle, $17.95, ages 6 and up) by
An incredible blend of collage, poetry, Chinese characters, unusual layout make this a book to be treasures by poetry and beauty lovers.
Lies and other Tall Tales (HarperCollins,$15.99, ages 6-10) collected by Zora Hurston, adapted and illustrated by Christopher Myers
Though not a strict poetry book, this tribute to Hurston's honoring of African-American voice and humor in storytelling is a collection of lyrical lies full of humor, love of words. All are well-chosen and just as well-illustrated with collages by Myers
Grandpa Gazillion's Number Yard (Holt, $16.95, ages 4-7) by Laurie Keller
Keller's built a reputation on making the common unusual. She gives a wacky take on numbers by creating a strange character who values numbers because of their shapes. (ex. a three makes an amazing saddle for a double humped camel). All this and flawless rhythms and rhymes as well.
Unlikely Pairs: Fun with Famous Works of Art by Bob Raczka(Millbrook, $23.93, ages 6-adult)
The author pairs famous pieces of art on opposing faces. What do these have to do with each other? The relationships are intriguing and discussion provoking.
Chicks and Salsa (Bloomsbury, $15.95, ages 5-9) by Aaron Reynolds
There's a culinary rebellion going on at Nuthatcher farm where the animals get tired of the boring fare and start craving Southwestern cusine. When the humans get in the way of creativity, the animals hatch a new plan! A perfect blend of food, fun in this book made for reading aloud.
Meet Wild Boars (Holt, $15.95, ages 4-7) by Meg Rosoff
Printz-winning author Rosoff who won with a novel that cared less about taboos, shows that she doesn't play nice-nice with picture books in her cautionary tale as she introduces four ugly, smelly incorrigible boars who promise to do nothing but demonstrate rude, disgusting behavior that is sure to get the bathroom crowd roaring the same appreciation that teens appreciated in her last book.
The Bake Shop Ghost (Houghton, $16.00, ages 7-10) by Jacqueline Ogburn
Old Cora Lee Merriweather...great baker, not a nice person. When her ghost comes back to haunt those who would take over the bakery, only Annie can beyond to scare to solve the problem with a delicious solution that may prompt you to bake the chocolate cake offered at book's end.
Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-ins (Dial, $16.99, ages 7 and up) by Carole Boston Weatherford
Eight-year-old Connie doesn't understand why she can't get service at the Woolworth lunch counter. She's soon observing the intensity of Civil Rights when her older siblings protest. The end of the book she enjoys "the best baana split I ever had" at the formerly forbidden lunch counter. she can't order a banna
Show Way (Putnam, $16.99, ages 7 and up) by Jacqueline Woodson
Woodson traces her family history with a poetic voice, taking lessons from the past and the image of a quilted "show way" to freedom to explain how her present is formed by all who came before. Hudson Talbott's illustrations unite themes of quilting with family tenderness, sadness, and joy.
Kibitzers and Fools: Tales My Zayda Told Me (Viking, $16.99, ages 7-10) written and illustrator by Simms Taback
These thirteen tales have humor, voice, Yiddish words with translations, morals, and playful pictures. What's not to like?
Red Ridin' in the Hood and Other Cuentos (FSG, $16.00; ages 8-12) by Patricia Santos Marcantonio
The author has stupendously righted the wrongs of her childhood by infusing eleven familiar fairy tales with Hispanic language, culture, voice...and she's given the rest of us lyrical refreshing new versions of the classics!
Wynton Marsalis, Jazz A B Z: An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits illustrated by Paul Rogers (Candlewick, $24.99; ages 5 to adult)
Musicians included are wide, representation of each lyrically stellar examples of different poetic forms, art is a great match! There are even short biographies and definitions of poetic forms.
High in the Clouds by Paul McCartney (Dutton, $19.99)
Promo says Paul worked ten years on this small novel, which may be the biggest waste of a decade I've ever heard of. Preachiness sets in on the bottom of page 1 and continues. Paul, don't quit your day job! If it passes muster at all, it's because of Philip Ardagh art and it is on the short side for a novel.
You're Different and That's Super (Simon and Schuster, $12.95, ages 5-8) by Carson Kressley
Okay, horrible title, but Kressley shows he has a good eye for story and what works for children in this tale of Trumpet, a unicorn who feels different from the other horses until humans turn him into a sensation and he sees that "being different is super".
Lotsa de Casha (Callaway, $19.95) by Madonna
Just when I thought Madonna was catching on...she brings out this horror. Too long, too preachy and insulting to anyone Italian!
The Adventures of Pinocchio by Caro Collodi and Roberto Innocenti (Creative Editions, $19.95; ages 8-12)
The old story finds new beauty with the amazing artwork of Innocenti who is a master of period detailing, interesting perspectives, and blends his little stick figure into reality in amazing fullpage and some double page spreads.
The Matzo Ball Boy (Dutton, $15.99, ages 3-7) by Lisa Shulman
The Gingerbread Boy finds playful new expression and voice in this Passover story.
The Loathsome Dragon (Clarion, $16.00, ages 6-10) retelling by David Wiesner and Kim Kahng
The fairy tale of a princess turned into a dragon by a jealous stepmother and the brother who sees beyond her monstrous exterior to know her good heart and save her. Illustrations make the dragon sympathetic and evoke much through careful detailing.
Snow White (Dutton, $16.99, ages 6-10) by Melinda Copper
This classic telling is accompanied by animal illustrations that are rich in color and costuming.
William Shakespeare's The Tempest (Chronicle, $16.95, ages 7 and up) adapter Marianna Mayer, illustrator Lynn Bywaters
The latest in books that make Shakespeare approachable with clear tale telling and beautiful illustrations.
Almost Everything by Joelle Jolivet (Roaring Brook Press, $19.95; ages 7 and up)
This 13X18" has oversized double spreads which illustrate with colored woodblock prints everything from trees and flowers to historical costumes. An index gives brief descriptors of each. But where do you store it?
Buzz Aldrin: Reading for the Moon (HarperCollins, $15.99, ages 6-10) by Buzz Aldrin
The author's voice has engaging child-appeal and he plants images from his childhood that resurface in his adult accomplishments, finds the excitement in all stages of his life and shows how dreams can come true. Realistic paintings by Wendell Minor show both small and large events of the astronaut's life.
Jose! Born to Dance (Simon and Schuster, $16.95, ages 7-10) by Susanna Reich, illustrated by Raul Colon
When Jose's colorful childhood in a vibrant Mexican family is threatened by war, they flee to the United States where Jose suffers adjustment and sadness, saved only by his passion for all arts, searching for his own expression until he discovers dance and refinds the richness of his youth. Colon's illustrations accent the drama of his life.
Rosa (Holt, $16.95, ages 7-10) by Nikki Giovanni, illustrated by Bryan Collier
Giovanni places Parks' act of civil disobedience in the context of her personal life and politics of the times. The rich textural, patterned imagery by Bryan Collier and the predominate yellows help picture the heat, the fiery act of Rosa, and the igniting of the human spirit.
Young Thomas Edison (Holiday House, $16.95, ages 7-10) written and illustrated by Michael Dooling
Realistic illustrations point up the creativity, ingenuity, passion for science and determination of the inventor's early life as we see young Edison reading, questioning and working to find money to fund his research.
The School is Not White! A True Story of the Civil Rights Movement (Hyperion, $16.99, ages 8-11) by Doreen Rappaport
"The school is not white. It's brown brick. And that school belongs to you as well as it belongs to them" Mae Bertha tells her seven children when they come home hurt and angry after their first day "at war" segregating an all white school. Their courage and committement receives proper tribute in this moving picture book.
Let's Talk About Race (HarperCollins, $15.99, ages 6-10) by Julius Lester
The honesty of Lester opens a difficult subject with frank questions, comments that urges discussion, thought, tenderness, humor, and feelings of harmony. Illustrations by Karen Barbour are a colorful, playful accompaniement to Lester's challenge.
You Build It Voice Changer (Smart Kids, $18.99; ages 5-8) Electric voice changer with silly, scary, loud and robotic voices, comes with Listen Up: A Book about the Science of Sound
Klutz Press the publisher with the most coveted activity books has a new line for younger creators. Chicken Socks boasts new titles like Pompom Animals with designs and materials to create googly-eyed creaturs (Klutz, $9.95) and Rescue Trucks (Klutz $12.95) complete with roadway disaster maps and small trucks to save the situation!
East O'the Sun and West O' the Moon (Candlewick, $16.99) This Scandinavian Beauty and the Beast is full of romance made obvious by P.J. Lynch's flowing-haired heroine and lumunious illustrations.
You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Mother Goose Tales to Read Together By Mary Ann Hoberman , illustrated by Michael Emberley (Little Brown, $16.99, ages 5-8)
In her third book designed for shared reading, Hoberman solves the cultural literacy problem of children not knowing their Mother Goose by presenting all the usual suspects with a text that's perfect for both enjoyment and an outloud reading that won't tax beginning readers.
Tadpole's Promise (Atheneum, $15.95, ages 5-8)by Jeanne Willis
The unhappily ever after love story find allegorical expression in the story of a caterpillar (beautiful rainbow) and tadpole (shiny black pearl) who fall in love and promise never to change. But what can one do against the will of nature? Irony of this quirky story places it well beyond the understanding of children, but every adult will get it!
When too many books and too little time threatened to turn my reading and reviewing pleasure into chore, I called for help. In these recommendations for 2005's best longer books, you'll find some guest cameos by area children's books specialists.
The Sisters Grimm: Book 1 (Abrams, $14.95, ages 9-12) by Michael Buckley
Genre merger of fairy tale and mystery? It works because of balance in quirky and realistic characters, engaging writing, fresh fairy tale references, and a very real fantasy setting.
Mr. Chickee's Funny Money (Random House, $15.95, ages 9-12) by Christopher Paul Curtis
Brilliant nine-year-old Steven Carter gets a quadrillion-dollar bill with the image of James Brown on it from his older friend, Blind Mr. Chickee and he's suddenly off on a wild adventure, facing Mr. Fondoo and the Treasury Department. This mix of humor, fantasy and mystery begs to be read aloud.
Whales on Stilts! (Harcourt, $15.00, ages 8-11) by M.T. Anderson Lily Gefelty discovers her boring father's boring job is really a secret plant that's mass producing stilts for Larry, a strange huge hooded whale who means to take over the world. Lily and her two wacky partners are determined to save the world. Anderson, long on creativity and short on typical conventions has created a novel for younger readers, now, who will laugh at the wildness of word and antics from beginning to end.
Whisper in the Dark (HarperCollins, $15.99; ages 9-11) by Joseph Bruchac,
Maddy lost use of her arm and her parents in a terrible accident and now her life is threatened by Whisperer in the Dark, a figure from Narragansett legend Bruchac blends legend, current day reality, a bit of history, and ghost story.
Three Good Deeds (HBJ, $16.00, ages 7-10) by Vivian Vande Velde,
Bullying Howard is caught in a prank and a witch turns him into a goose until he does three good deeds. Velde's wonderful imaginative powers come to younger readers with the fascinating goose culture she creates, and her easy burying of some weighty issues in an easy to read text.
Princess Academy (Bloomsbury, $16.95, ages 9-12) by Shannon Hale
Miri has grown up in the mountaineous region of Mount Eskel, a place where miners remove linder, a sought-after stone and have learned to communicate without words. Miri, has not worked in the mines, so when all the young women in the village are to train in a hastily constructed Princess Academy so that one can be chosen to marry the prince, she is finally a part of community. Hale's writing lets readers to lose themselves in her stories.
Each Little Bird That Sings (Harcourt, $16.00, ages 9-11) by Deborah Wiles
Ten-year-old Comfort Snowberger, raised in a family that runs the town funeral home, has attended 247 funerals, but she's not ready when a series of deaths surround her. Wiles' writing is sometimes funny, other times poignant, and she has created a quirky warm family and a young aptly-named protagonist who will reassure readers who face hard life transitions.
Akimbo and the Elephants (Bloomsburg, $9.95, ages 7-10) by Alexander McCall Smith
Smith makes a successful transition to writing for children with these short fictions featuring young Akimbo who lives on a game reserve in Africa with his father, the head ranger. In under 70 pages of the first book, the boy outwits a charging rhino and the head of a ring of poachers, not to mention walking three hours solo to begin this adventure as well as lying and stealing to save the elephants he loves.
Bodies from the Ash: Life and Death in Ancient Pompeii (Houghton, $16.00, ages 8-12) by James Deem The author writes clearly the happening and history of the 79 AD eruption. Impressive photographs of plaster casts, maps, old photographs enhance the already dramatic happening.
Genius: A Photobiography of Albert Einstein by Marfe Ferguson Delano (National Geographic, $17.95; ages 10 and up)
There are many things which recommend this biography...the choices, plentitude and layout of photos and text, the writing which brings out both the scientific bent, curiosity, imagination and humanity of the man, quotable quotes, and clear explanations of his complex theories like relativity that are filled with illustratons and metaphors that make them understandable!
Gorilla Doctors:Saving Endangered Great Apes (Houghton, $17.00, ages 8-12) by Pamela S. Turner
Part of the Scientist in the Field series, this book follows vets who make "forest-calls" into the misted mountains of east-central Africa to heal and save endangered apes in the MGVP (Mountain Gorilla Vetrenarian Project). Much is revealed through interview, specific stories and marvelous photographs!
Hidden Child (FSG, $18.00, ages 9-12) by Isaac Millman
An artist turns author when he writes of his WWII struggle and survival as a Jewish child separated from his parents at age eight. His retelling is separated into a series of vignettes pictured by full spread drawings and occasional photographs, all of which paint a poignant picture of his experiences.
Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow (Scholastic, $19.95, ages 11 and up) by Susan Camptell Bartoletti
Engaging writing, dedication to research and audience awareness-Bartoletti has it all! Her book is filled with chilling quotes, annectodal stories derived from research and interview and stories how how Hitler's young were manipulated and used as a primary source of his power and vision for the future.
Our Eleanor by Candace Fleming (Atheneum, $19.95, ages 10 and up)
This scrapbook style biography is jam-packed with photographs, letters, report cards, anecdotes, journal reproductions, and boxed vignettes surround the glimpses of Eleanor's life which add up to a thorough and spectacular biography.
A Little History of the World (Yale University Press, $25.00, ages 11 and up) by E. H. Gombrich
This classic world history for children is finally available in English. Witty, clear-eyed and humane, Gombrich tells the sweeping story of humankind in 40 short and fascinating chapters from the stone age to the atomic bomb. Decorated with Clifford Harper's beautiful line illustrations. (awarded by Clay Carmichael, author)
Tutankhamun: The Mystery of the Boy King (National Geographic, $17.95, ages 8-adult) by Zahi Hawass
The experience of the Egyptian Director of Excavations counts for much. So does his storytelling voice, the sense of mystery he infuses in his recounting, not to mention the glorious photographs sprinkled throughout.
Alice Through The Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (Candlewick, $24.99)
Incredible mix of playful illustrations-some double page spreads, some color, some sketches...almost every page!)
Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp (Scholastic, $16.95, ages 6-10) by Philip Pullman
Pullman proves himself an excellent reteller, a master of the once-upon-a-time voice, in the long picture story book with pages of text and a goodly number of illustrations.
Inkspell (Scholastic, $19.99; ages 9 and up) by Cornelia Funke
Inkheart's fascinating premise centers on a young girl whose father's reading brings characters. A hard act to follow? You bet! But Funke succeeds as we follow Dustfinger, one of the most intriguing characters from the first book, into a whole world of adventures where good and evil clash as easily as fantasy and reality and familiar heroes and evildoers are joined with a new cast of equally wonderful characters.
Inkspell (Listening Library, $60.00, unabridged 16 CDs, 18 hours, 50 minutes) by Cornelia Funke, performance by Brendan Fraser
Fraser doesn't disappoint. His range of characterizations is broad, his narrator's voice is rich and calmingly, and he translates the drama elegantly.
All-of-a-Kind Family (Delacorte, $15.95, ages 8-11) 0-385-73295-3by Sydney Taylor
1951 marked the year of the first in a series of stories of about a loving family of five girls growing up in turn of the century Lower East Side of New York in a Jewish immigrant neighborhood.
Snow Treasure (Dutton, $10.99, ages 8-11) by Marie McSwigan
This 1942 classic is based on the true story of Nowegian children who sledded their town's gold to a U.S. haven under the noses of the Nazis.
Defiance (FSG, $16.00; ages 9-11) by Valerie Hobbs
Eleven-year-old Toby Steiner meets up with an elderly poet who, like him, wants to make independent decisions. This story is much more about deciding than about a boy fighting cancer.
Totally Joe (Simon and Schuster, $15.95, ages 11 and up) by James Howe
13 year-old Joe Bunch is gay and in love. It's incredibly refreshing to find a book that's not about the issue of being gay, but the joys and sorrows of first love of a character whose family and close friends support his choice.
Deb Caletti, Wild Roses (Simon and Schuster, $15.95, ages 12 and up)
Seventeen-year-old Cassie Morgan is trying hard to adjust with the effects of her parents divorce and shifting back and forth between homes and accepting her stepfather when something much uglier arises. There's little dialogue, but beautiful writing and amazing imagery makes this book work.
Twilight (Megan Tigley, $17.99, ages 12 and up) by Stephanie Meyer
Bella, intrigued by her handsome classmate Edward, is in love before she knows it even knowing he is a vampire. Meyer takes conventional plot devices and twists them around to make a compelling, realistic and exciting romance. (awarded by Karin Michel, Chapel Hill Public Library)
Inexcusable (Atheneum, $16.95, ages 12 and up) by Chris Lynch
This is a chilling, skillfully written account of a rape from the rapist's point of view. Keir Sarafian insists again and again that he is "a good person," imprisoning the reader (as he does his victim) in a blind self justification that gradually reveals his character. (awarded by Lui Gray, author)
The Diary of Pelly D. (Greenwillow Books, $15.95, ages 12 and up) by Adlington, L.J.
While digging through post-war wreckage, 14-year-old laborer Toni V. discovers the compelling diary of Pelly D., a vibrant, wealthy teenager who led a life of privilege before her futuristic society's genetic profiling led to genocide. Set on a planet inhabited by humans with gills, this spare, suspenseful novel will stun readers with its echoes of the Jewish Holocaust. (awarded by children's librarian, Julie Corsaro)
Elsewhere (FSG, $16.00, ages 11 and up) by Gabrielle Zevin
In the new dead-heroine genre that seems to be sweeping fiction, this stands out because of it's original vision. Fifteen year-old Lizzie enters an odd next-world where you age down to babyhood and then are sent down a watery passage back to Earth and birth. In Elsewhere you have an avocation (Marilyn Monroe is a shrink, but Picasso still paints). Fascinating details make up this amazing reality and quirky writing adds humor and wit.
I am the Messenger (Knopf, $16.95; ages 12 and up) by Markus Zusak
Ed Kennedy, a useless human being with no motivation, proves himself a hero at a bank robbery and then strange mysterious playing cards arrive urging him to help strangers, and finally those closest to him. This book is a mystery in itself. The organization curious, the writing suspenseful and the idea intriguing-but then the ending fails to satisfy! Still it's an engrossing read.
Uglies (Simon Pulse, $6.99, ages 11 and up) by Scott Westerfeld
In this futuristic world, everyone gets massive plastic surgery at age 16 to make their faces symmetrical, their eyes big, their lips full, and their skin smooth. Tally can't wait, until her best friend joins a small group of rebels who decide to stay "ugly." Local officials offer her a choice: find and betray the group, or remain ugly forever. Brilliant fit for an age group that craves beauty and parties, this book is fast-moving and frightenly familiar. Pretties has already been released and Specials is soon to follow. (Ruffin Powell, middle school librarian)
Prom (Viking, $16.99, ages 12 and up) by Laurie Halse Anderson
Strong voice and saucy dialogue build a believable portrait of Ashley Hannigan, a "normal girl" who's just getting by and is forced to plan a prom she doesn't care about attending.
Runner (Houghton, $16.00, ages 12 and up) by Carl Deuker
17 year old Chance Taylor lives with his father, a drunk, on a small boat and worries about how he'll pay bills. His only joy comes from running, so when he's spotted and asked to deliver packages, he agrees. Short chapters, fast-pacing, suspense, and action-driven plot make this a gripping read.
Looking for Alaska (Penguin, $15.99, ages 12 and up) by John Green
This is an amazing first novel by writer who is young enough to vividly remember his powerful years of high school and he expertly turns remembrance into story when he writes of Miles Halter, a friendless geek who is determined to make a new life for himself at boarding school. Memorable characters, believable dialogue and gripping in its intensity. This is an author to watch.
Criss Cross (HarperCollins, $16.99, ages 12 and up ) by Lynne Rae Perkins
A cast of young characters provide multiple perspectives and views of how arbitrary encounters change your life. Perkins captures different voices beautifully and offers interesting graphic views to engage readers further.
Autobiography of My Dead Brother (HarperCollins, $15.99, ages 12 and up ) by Walter Dean Myers with Art by Christopher Myers
The author writes once again of urban violence and of Jesse, an artist who falls prey to hard life lessons. Both hero and book gain power from illustrations by Christopher Myers.
Eyes of the Emperor (Random House, $15.95, ages 11 and up) by Graham Salisbury
Hawaiian 16 year old Eddy Okubo is eager to prove his loyalty and enlist in the American army in 1941. He and twenty-five Japanese-American soldiers receive a mission too horrific - they become bait for dogs training to attack Japanese enemies. Salisbury's even accounting of this fiction based on truth makes the story even more powerful and gripping.
Full Service (FSG, $17.00, ages 11 and up) by Will Weaver It's 1965 and Paul Sutton, a small farm fifteen-year-old from a strict religious background has his first job in a small Minnesota town. Weaver withholds judgement and lets his character react to the onslaught of drugs, hippies, prejudice, making for a powerful coming of age novel in a difficult time to grow up.
The Minister's Daughter (Simon and Schuster, $16.95, ages 11 and up ) by Julie Hearn
1645 finds England caught in changing spiritual beliefs and this book represents that shift with characters that will grab and hold young adult readers. Nell is the "cunning woman's" granddaughter knows lots about herbs, lore, and little people, but little about the devious nature of the pregnant, unmarried daughter of the Puritan minister. The book is a graceful, believable blend of folklore and history, and the conflict that comes when there's a tremendous shift in belief.
Under the Persimmon Tree (FSG, $17.00; ages 11 and up) by Suzanne Fisher Staples
Najmah's Pakistani farm family is killed, or conscripted by the Taliban and she flees and meets Nusrat, a former American turned Muslim because of her gentle doctoring (now missing) Afgan husband. Staples, returning after many years to the settings she learned well as a UPI correspondent offers truth, not prettiness in her ending and characters who speak for thousands who had their lives ruined in war.
Light Years (Knopf, $15.95, ages 12 and up) by Tammar Stein In alternating chapters, we see past and present life of Maya Laor unfold. The past chapters take place in Israel ending with her boyfriend's death in an explosion caused by a suicide bomber. The present chapters take place at the University of Virginia where Maya has gone to escape her sorrows. The structure of this book allows readers to feel the painful contrasts as well as release at story's end as Maya reconciles these two very different lives.
Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie (Dutton, $16.99, ages 12 and up) by David Lubar, Dutton, 2005
High school freshman Scott ends up as the school newspaper's sports writer in his futile quest to get the attention of the hottest girl at school. As he chronicles the wacky, complicated, and emotional life of a teenager, Lubar's witty, pitch-perfect prose even incorporates genres that Scott's English class is studying.
A Chalice of Wind (Penguin, $5.99, ages 12 and up) by Cate Tiernan
This latest book by Durham author, Cate Tiernan, is part of her Balefire. Set in New Orleans, with edgy doses of magick, secrecy and the surprise new friendship of a lost twin sister, Chalice delivers the same can't-put-it-down tension of Tiernan's previous best-selling series, Sweep. (awarded by John Valentine, Regulator Bookshop)