NEW ENGLAND CHILDREN'S BOOKSELLING ADVISORY COUNCIL
FALL PREVIEWS, 2005

This list is the ninth annual attempt to identify as many high quality titles as possible from among the numerous new June-December middle grade and young adult fiction books. It was produced by soliciting reading copies from as many publishers as possible, sharing the contributed books among NECBA members, reading and reviewing and rating as many as possible. From these titles a Top Ten will be selected for the NEBA Newsletter as a service to our general bookstore colleagues who are less familiar with the genre. As is ever the case, contributions are uneven, with some publishers supplying a very large fraction of the galleys, and a few reviewers supplying a very large fraction of the reviews. Such reviews are, by their nature, never soon enough or inclusive enough. Nevertheless, this list is bound to alert the reader to at least one or two B and probably more B excellent titles s/he might have missed.

- go to page 2 reviews -

The Top 10 Titles:

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Girls,
Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy
by Jeanne Birdsall
Alfred A. Knopf/Random House
0-375-83143-6, $15.95, hardcover

Inkspell
by Cornelia Funke
Scholastic, 0-439-55400-4
$19.99, hardcover

The Liberation of Gabriel King
by K. L. Going
Penguin/Putnam, 0-399-23991-X
$15.99, hardcover

Princess Academy
by Shannon Hale
Bloomsbury, 1-58234-993-2
$16.95, hardcover

Flush
by Carl Hiaasen
Alfred A. Knopf/Random House
0-375-82182-1, $16.95, hardcover

Birdwing
by Rafe Martin
Arthur Levine/Scholastic
0-439-21167-0, $16.99, hardcover

Eldest
by Christopher Paolini
Alfred A. Knopf/Random House
0-375-82670-X, $21.00, hardcover

Criss Cross
by Lynne Rae Perkins
HarperCollins, 0-06-009272-6
$15.99, hardcover

Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp
by Rick Yancey
Bloomsbury, 1-58234-693-3
$16.95, hardcover

Elsewhere
by Gabrielle Zevin
Farrar, Straus & Giroux
0-374-32091-8, $16.00, hardcover

The 7 Professors of the Far North
by John Fardell
Putnam/Penguin
September 2005
$14.99
0-399-24381-x
Core audience: 10 and up
Notable aspects:
Review:
Eleven-year-old Sam Carnabie was preparing to waste his school holiday visiting his Aunt Roberta's "oppressively tidy" home when suddenly his plans were changed by the appearance of a "bright yellow motorbike and sidecar,." Professor Ampersand, his nephew Ben, and niece Zara invited Sam to come stay with them instead. Agreeing quickly Sam went off to Edinburgh while his parents were able to enjoy their work at the "New Developments in canned vegetables technology" conference guilt-free. The professor's house contained all the expected flourishes of a practical inventor and enough curiosities to keep any child enthralled. The excitement bu! ilds as an unexpected guest arrives at the professor's home with a wild story. The wild story proves to be all too true when three "black-clad figures" interrupt their dinner party and kidnap the professor. With only the children able to rescue them (for very sensible but difficult to explain here reasons) the adventure moves to the arctic ice.
This book surprised me. It kept falling to the bottom of the stack until the point where it was the only book left to review. Something about judging a book by its cover had discouraged my interest. That's not to say the cover art is poor. It may well appeal to the target audience. Perhaps the title seemed awkward. I don't know. In any case I was wholesale wrong. I was hooked from the first page. This is a delightful book!
Reviewer Kathy Goddard
Rated: 8.5

Review:
Though some 10-13-year-olds will enjoy this arctic quest tale, it's pretty standard fare, likely to make a gentle ripple, but not much of a splash.
Reviewer: Carol Chittenden, Eight Cousins
Rated: 6
 

13 Little Blue Envelopes
by Maureen Johnson
Harper Collins
July 26, 2005
$15.99
0-06-054141-5
Core audience: Girls, aged 12-16
Notable aspects: Plot, characters, sensitivity, language, humor, authenticity & accuracy, child-connected, strong ending
Review:
After receiving the gift of a plane ticket to London and the cryptic instructions, "I want you to go to New York City. Specifically, I want you to go to 4th Noodle, the Chinese restaurant under my old apartment" seventeen year old Virginia is sent on a series of adventures guided by the 13 Little Blue Envelopes her eccentric aunt has delivered from beyond the grave. The envelopes open a new world for Virginia, forcing her to try to experience aspects of the life her artist aunt had lived. Along the way she meets all kinds of people, some good, some bad, some very good and some very bad as she learns more than she ever thought possible about her late aunt and about herself.
This is not a desert-island book but it is a wonderful book. In much the same way that teen girls grabbed hold and ran with The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants , they will love this book. I loved this book too.
Reviewer: Kathy Goddard
Rated: 9

Notable Aspects: setting, intrigue
Review: I am not quite finished this book but am enjoying it a lot and wanted to fit it in under the deadline wire. The plot revolves around the recent death of an aunt who was quirky, and flaky and very special to Ginny, the main character. After auntie's death, an envelope arrives for Ginny (who has never traveled much) with money, and very specific instructions to go to London where she will find her next envelope. Although the concept is bit far flung, Ginny begins an adventure that is interesting geographically, mysterious in it's purpose, and just fun to read about. She meets a boy, and many of her aunt's friends, which quietly helps her work through the loss she has been wrangling with. I like it.
Reviewer: Mimi Powell, Baker Books
Rated: 7.5

Since this has been reviewed twice already, allow me to add my two cents. I loved the way this book took us in unexpected directions, much as Aunt Peg sent Ginny in different directions. This will appeal to Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants fans.
Reviewer: Bina Williams, Bridgeport Public Library
Rated: 8.5

I enjoyed this one as much as other NECBA reviewers. The writing is a bit unpolished for me, but the story has a quirky charm to it. Who wouldn't be excited at receiving a mysterious package filled with letters from a beloved aunt (who has sadly, recently passed away)? Ginny's aunt sends her on a marvelous adventure, one letter at a time. In the process she stretches her wings a little bit, falls in love just a little bit, and meets interesting people who loved her aunt, too, and helps her grieve just a little bit. A great summer/travel book.
Reviewer: Lisa Dugan, Koen Book Distributors (formerly of)
Rated: 8
 

Akimbo and the Lions
by Alexander McCall Smith
Bloomsbury/St. Martin's
September 2005
$9.95
1-58234-687-9
Primary audience: elementary school, particularly those readers looking for a gentle adventure
and those who love animals
Notable aspects: setting, characters, ideas (conservation)
Review: This is one of two books (the other being Akimbo and the Elephants) which Alexander McCall Smith has written for children. They are set on a game preserve in Africa, where Akimbo's father is head ranger. In this book, a lion has been attacking cattle. A trap is set and Akimbo is allowed to go with his father to catch the lion. But the lion escapes and her cub is caught. Akimbo learns to take care of the cub and to let him go when he is ready to go back to the wild. The story is told with the charm one would expect from Smith's adult books and is complimented by the illustrations of LeUyen Pham.
Nancy Felton, Broadside Bookshop
Rated: 7.5
 

All Rivers Flow to the Sea
by Alison McGhee
Candlewick
November, 2005
$15.99
0-7636-2591-4
Core audience: definitely a young adult book
Notable aspects: characters, language, sensitivity
Review: This beautifully written book deals with the aftermath of a car accident with leaves Rose's older sister Ivy in a coma. Traumatized by the accident, Rose seeks support from her mother (who is having her own difficulties dealing with the accident) and a neighbor. There is some sex in the book as Rose tries to escape her pain with a few of the boys in her school. In the end, and with the help of an understanding friend, she begins to come to terms with her loss.
Reviewer: Nancy Felton, Broadside Bookshop
Rated: 8.5

Core audience: 14 & up
Notable aspects: Beautiful writing, teen dealing with a loss that isn't death, relationships
Review: I'm a big fan of McGhee's book written for adults, "Shadow Baby." Told from a young girl's point of view, it seemed even then she had potential to write for a younger audience. How great for us that she has turned her talents to writing for the YA reader.
This is the story of Rose who has lost her sister to a hospital bed after a tragic accident forced their car off the road. The writing is smooth and as lyrical as a moving body of water. In fact Rose is always saying that the part of her that is water is being pulled to the sea. She repeats many phrases over and over, especially the description of the accident that caused her sister's condition. Of course, these thoughts are never far from her mind, though she tries desperately to push them aside. It's only logical that we the reader would have to relive the accident just as often as Rose does. And the guilt she feels from being the sister who survived is tremendous. She seeks solace in the physical, sleeping with a series of boys in the woods by the water. But the sex doesn't make her feel like she hoped, her thoughts always return to her sister. Fortunately she has others who can help, a kind neighbor who has supported the family in the past, the boy who helped at the scene of the accident, and her mother--by showing Rose the path her life could take. Though hopefully she will never to choose to be that closed off, that isolated. When she does end up connecting with a boy who actually values her, I cheered. Don't worry, it's not one of those novels where the friends come out of the lockers just in time to save the sorrowful protagonist from despair. Rather, it's just a story of a young girl trying to get past an awful thing in her life, even if that just means getting her driver's license.
And yet, on the surface this may be considered by some to be one of those tragic novels for teens where terrible things happen. But there is redemption and McGhee's words and beautiful imagery make it worth reading.
Reviewer: Beth Reynolds, The Norwich Bookstore
Rated: 8.5
 

Amazing Grace
by Megan Shull
Hyperion
September, 2005
$15.99
0-7868-5690-4
Core audience: girls 11-14
Notable aspects - plot, characters, sensitivity
Review:
First, I must admit I was looking forward to this book as I have read and enjoyed Megan Shull's Skye O'Shea books which she published with Pleasant Company. This book was enjoyable too but for a slightly older audience. Grace "Ace" Kincaid is the tennis star who has migrated into the world of spokesperson/modeling, all around media darling. Then, she wakes up one morning and realizes that she is no longer having any fun. A quick meeting put together by her Mom, puts the plans in place for Grace to escape media scrutiny and go live undercover in Alaska while she sorts out her feelings and tries to get back to "normal". We get to watch as Grace makes friends, meets a boy and of course, emerge from hiding after finding herself. A fun read, great for chic lit fans.
Reviewer: Lisa Fabiano, Hearts & Stars Bookshop, Canton, MA
Rated: 7
 

Avalon High
by Meg Cabot
HarperCollins
December, 2005
$16.99
0-06-075586-5
Core audience: 12 and up
Review:
This is what you can depend on in a Meg Cabot novel: a smart, funny leading girl with a good head on her shoulders, nice parents, gorgeous guys and inventive plots. Avalon High is a fun read. Part romance and part fantasy it is a funny, twisted, modern retelling of the Arthurian legend.
Reviewer: Lorna Ruby, Wellesley Booksmith
Rated: 8
 

BANG!
by Sharon G. Flake
Jump at the Sun/Hyperion
September, 2005
$16.99
0-7868-1844-1
Core audience: Ages 12 and up
Notable aspects:
Review:
The sound of a gun shot killing a young black boy is heard over and over in this thought-provoking story. The senseless shooting of seven-year-old Jason destroys family life for his older brother, Mann. While his mother counts everyday since the shooting with stickers on a calendar and bakes Jason a birthday cake that no one will eat on each of his birthdays; Mann's father has determined that the way to stay alive is to be tough. To that end he takes Mann and his cousin Kee-Lee camping only to abandon them during a storm with only a tent and a brown paper bag. Inside the bag are a cell phone and a handgun. Miles from anywhere they recognize the boys are forced to get by hitchhiking and begging. Mann's father's plan is fatally flawed and even the boy's talent fo! r and love of art can not prevent failure. The boys do not become too tough to die. Instead they become too hardened to stay alive. The book is a strong attempt at tackling an as-yet solution less problem; young black men dying at the hands of young black men.
Reviewer Kathy Goddard
Rated: 8.5
 

Best Foot Forward
by Joan Bauer
Penguin/ Putnam
June'05, $16.99
0-399-23474-8
Core audience: Teen girls will love this!
Notable aspects: character, humor, underlying ideas
Review:
Jenna Boller (RULES OF THE ROAD) is back! It's her Jr. year at school, she's working at Gladstone's Shoes, enjoying her new red car, still trying to come to terms with her absent father's alcoholism and now- this! Mrs. Gladstone has hired a new guy for the store- Tanner Cobb- who has a police record and a lot of good looks. Jenna doesn't trust him, especially as he was caught shoplifting shoes from her store! There is something not quite right at one of the shoe factories, and a recent merger has produced controversial new policies. With lots of action and humor and the feistiness of old Mrs. Gladstone, the story moves quickly to a satisfying end. Honesty learned and self-esteem earned are major themes here, along with a passion for all the foibles of retail. This is a sure-fire winner for girls who want to read about the "real world"(and the satisfaction of "real work"). I can't wait for it to be in paper and accessible for all teen girls!
Reviewer: Sue Carita, The Toadstool Bookshop, Milford,
Rated: 8

Review:
Joan Bauer is another one of my favorite writers, and I always eagerly anticipate reading her new book as soon as I receive it. This story continues the one in Rules of the Road which is about Jenna shoe salesperson extraordinaire and Mrs. Gladstone, maven of a shoe empire. In this book Jenna's familial issues are more in the background as Jenna and the other shoe sales people help Mrs. Gladstone save her company after her son convinces her to sell it to a competitor who is shifty and makes inferior shoes, using sweat shops to do it. Though it sounds serious, it's more a marvelous adventure featuring Joan Bauer's funny sense of humor and witty writing. I don't think this one is as rich as the first one, but if you love the characters, you will love reading more about them like I did.
Reviewer: Lisa Dugan, Koen Book Distributors (formerly of)
Rated: 7.5
Core audience: Ages 12 and up
Notable aspects: strength of character

Review:
A second book about Jenna Boller, the high school shoe salesperson of Rules of the Road. Learn how Jenna deals with business competition and her fragile self-esteem. She again learns from her boss, Mrs. Gladstone: this time how to give people a second chance and to be strong by admitting to mistakes and putting "her best foot forward".
Reviewer: Janet Bibeau, Storybook Cove
Rated: 7
 

Birdwing
by Rafe Martin
Arthur Levine/Scholastic
October, 2005
$16.99
0-439-21167-0
Core audience: ages 10+, boys and girls
Notable Aspects: beautifully written, well-developed characters
Review:
Rafe Martin has written an absolutely faithful and exceedingly satisfying continuation of The Six Swans, which happens to be one of my favorite fairy tales originally collected by the Grimm Brothers. In the original telling, six brothers turned into swans by an evil step-mother are rescued and mostly returned to their humanity through the extraordinary efforts and sacrifices of their sister. Only the youngest brother's left arm remains a wing -- an ending that I always found utterly charming.
As Martin explores in his book, however, being a teenager and then young adult man with a swan wing isn't exactly "charming." Reminiscent of Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Adventures, we travel with our good-hearted hero, Ardwin, on his coming of age journey as he struggles to discover whether he is man or bird, gifted or cursed. Along the way he encounters delightfully memorable friends (humans and beasts) and nasty foes who provide rich, but seamless, layers to the main plot.
I absolutely loved this book. Martin does a superb job of unfolding -- rather like Ardwin's wing, actually -- the essential birthright challenge each of us has to come to terms with who we are, who we are becoming, and how we fly.
Reviewer: Gretchen Baker-Smith, Baker Books
Rated: 10
 

Boy Girl Boy
by Ron Koertge
Harcourt
September, 2005
$16.00
0-15-205325-5
Core audience: Age 14 and up
Notable Aspects: Plot, characters
Review:
Elliot, Teresa and Larry have been friends forever. Now they're seniors in high school anticipating graduation and huge changes in their lives. They have vowed to escape together to California, thereby continuing their insular relationship. But life gets in the way and each has to make personal accommodations. The story is told from each of their perspectives in alternating chapters. This device allows the reader to learn about their inner workings. Although they are stereotyped - Larry is gay, Teresa is a runner whose mother has left, and Elliot is the jock - each is interesting and very real. The quality of their friendship is an inspiration! Some sexual content puts this squarely in the high school reading section.
Reviewer: Carol Stoltz, Porter Square Books
Rated: 8
Core audience: Harcourt says for ages 14+ and I agree!
Notable aspects: plot, character and sensitivity to teen issues
Reviews:
Larry, Theresa and Elliott have been close friends forever. In fact they have formed their own little family to support each other emotionally in the face of disfunctional families. Now that they are graduating from high school, they secretly plan to run off to California and start new lives together. (Hold that ironic thought.) As we learn more about each one's awakening aspirations, we can see a slow erosion of the bond that has kept them conforming to the others' expectations for each one. Individual goals are emerging and they will move forward in different directions. I have always enjoyed Koertge's humorous descriptions and his easy way with snappy teen dialogue from clever kids. It is still here along with the heartwrenching bitterness of kids without loving and stable home lives. Teens will enjoy this tale about bonding and the need to let loose and go after one's own dreams. There are gender issues, some pot smoking and some sexual situations. It is good to such a book rated for 14 yrs. + by the publisher.
Reviewer: Sue Carita, Toadstool Books, Milford, NH
Rated: 7.5
Reviewer Kathy Goddard
Rated: 7.5
 

Captain Hook
by J.V. Hart
Harper Collins
September, 2005
$15.99
0-06-000220-4
Core audience: boys, 10+ yrs
Notable Aspects: writing, language, plot, characters
Review:
It's about time, I guess, that someone wrote a story explaining how one of the world's all-time favorite literary villains came to be so dastardly. J.V. Hart is a reasonable person to do this, and I had high hopes it would be a jolly good read. The plot and premise are good: James Matthew, the lonely, bastard son of a wealthy, powerful Briton, was virtually friendless and obsessed with proving his "badness" from infancy. Life events (read: fabulously raucous adventures) culminated in him becoming "Captain Hook." Hart's book tells this tale.
However, I was very disappointed in the darkness to which Hart chose to sink his character and his story. For instance, the graphic descriptions of the whippings James (Hook) receives soon after he arrives at the school are far too close in detail to those of Dan Brown's in The DaVinci Code. James' mind is so twisted at times, that I kept thinking I was almost reading True Crime. MUST the Land of Make Believe be so reality based????
Very well-written and fast paced, it will be enjoyed by many children -- especially 10-12 year old
boys . I just wished for more "romp" and less childhood trauma and cruelty.
Reviewer: Gretchen Baker-Smith, Baker Books
Rated: 7
 

Car Trouble
by Jeanne DuPrau
Greenwillow/Harper
$15.99
August 2005
0-06-073672-0
Core audience: Age 14 and up
Notable Aspects: Characters, humor, absurd events
Review:
In an amusing turn away from her previous fantasy novels (which I loved!), Jeanne Duprau introduces us to Duff Pringle, computer nerd extraordinaire. Having just finished high school., Duff decides to bag college in favor of a high paying job in Silicon Valley with a company called Incredibility, Inc. Duff may know his computers, but cars, fuggedabouti: the dinky used car he buys for the cross country trip barely gets him across his native state of Virginia. Add his handy laptop computer, Stu--a burly wacky hitchhiker, Bonnie-the daughter of a con artist, Moony--a carsick dog and several cars including one filled with cash, and soon Duff is on the trip of a lifetime. To say things definitely do not turn out the way Duff expected is an understatement. And every teen can identify with Duff's reluctance to tell his parents what is going on!
Did I have the roles cast for a movie? You bet! (Note: I have not heard of one...no rumors about it from me please!) But the book was a very funny twist on the "coming of age novel." Car trouble will be a great "summer in paperback" book. Let's hope that the pb has the same great cover! For an enjoyable ride, stick out your thumb--there may be room in the backseat for you!
Reviewer: Bina Williams, Bridgeport Public Library
Rated: 8.5
 

Chicken Boy
by Francis O'Roark Dowell
Simon & Schuster
July, 2005
$15.95
0-689-04330-9
Primary audience:10 & up
Notable aspects: Strong voice, Story focusing on family dynamics and issues without being too heavy
Review: I picked this book up not quite sure of the focus of the story, and what exactly to expect. Once I started reading I got it-- a young boy who overcomes obstacles in his life and the teacher who saves him. Okay, that could work. Wait, wait. No, it's really a book about an outsider who gets a friend that changes the direction of his life. No. I read a little more and figured it was really about a boy who lost his mother and is put into foster care. And then it came to me. You can't pigeonhole, or chickenhole, this book into one category. Yes, all these things happen to young Tobin and he deals with them, the very best that he can. And isn't that what life is really about, one experience after the other that culminates into something meaningful to look back upon. Of course Henry, Tobin's friend and confidante, would tell you something different. The meaning of life is really--CHICKENS!
I finished this book thinking that my younger self would really have enjoyed reading it. Especially the part about chickens. As a child I craved any and all books about animals, if for no other reason than to live vicarously through the kids who actually were allowed to have pets. I liked Tobin's voice, very distinct and direct. And his Grandmother was certainly an interesting chracter. Nothing is really wrapped up in the end, though it's not a cliffhanger ending either. Maybe we'll just get lucky someday and find out that Dowell has more she wants to say about Tobin, his family and friends, and more about those chickens.
Reviewer: Beth Reynolds, Norwich Bookstore, VT
Rated: 7.5
 

Clarice Bean Spells Trouble
by Lauren Child
Candlewic
July, 2005
$15.99
0-7636-2813-1
Core audience: 8-12
Notable aspects: spunky heroine (both Clarice & Ruby), great use of quirky artwork
Review: "Clarice Bean, Clarice Bean, She's just Great and Oh So Keen." I was ever so pleased to discover yet another Clarice Bean book. I love all of Lauren Child's picturebooks, but they never last long enough. Since Clarice has graduated to Chapter Books, I find I'm much happier. I didn't intend to read this one out loud, but after stopping my family and quoting bits and pieces of extremely funny dialogue, I decided to just share all of her hi-jinks with them. She makes us laugh even when she's being so earnest, like auditioning for the play, or memorizing words for the spelling bee. But it's her friend, Karl Wrenbery, who makes us crack up. Especially when he gets in trouble with the teacher for saying she's not blind. His punishment-to BE in the school play, which just leads to more irreverent laughter.
But there is a serious side to Karl, the dog trainer of beloved Cement. Clarice discovers what's been making him so unhappy lately, and sticks up for him when he needs it most. Child's ending isn't saccharine or cloying sweet and when Clarice winds up meeting favorite girl spy, you feel as pleased as punch.
Reviewer: Beth Reynolds, Norwich Bookstore
Rated: 8

Notable aspects: books, spelling, friendship, cheekiness
Review:
She's sassy, she's smart, she's (once again) in trouble, but this time for the very RIGHT reason of trying to help a friend in need. I adore Clarice's obsession with her favorite book character/girl spy Ruby Redfort, I adore her devotion to learning spelling words, and I adore the fact that this novel made me laugh out loud, repeatedly, in public. FUN stuff, and a worthy follow-up to Utterly Me, Clarice Bean. (Though I wish this one had included a bit more funky artwork.)
Reviewer: Alison Morris, Wellesley Booksmith
Rated: 8
 

The Counterfeit Princess
by Jane Resh Thomas
Clarion/Houghton Mifflin
September, 2005
$15.00
0-395-93870-8
Core audience: Girls, historical fiction fans, ages 10-14
Notable aspects: plot, interesting setting, strong writing
Review:
"The last time Iris ever saw her parents, they were bundling her into the cupboard behind the great walnut armoire in the library." So begins this fast-moving historical tale set during the volatile weeks surrounding Edward VI's death and the Duke of Northumberland's plot to seize the throne from its rightful heirs. Northumberland is systematically ridding the court of anyone who might oppose him, and Iris's parents are among those imprisoned and ultimately executed, their lands confiscated by Northumberland's men. When Iris vows revenge on the Duke, she finds herself embroiled in a dangerous plan to help protect Princess Elizabeth Tudor, the future queen, and one of Edward's heirs by acting as a spy -- and body double --for Elizabeth, whom she resembles. Resh Thomas deftly weaves in quite a bit of detail about the daily life of lesser and greater nobility in pre-Elizabethan England, creating a vivid backdrop for the action. An afterword helps separate fascinating fact from heightened fiction.
Reviewer: Elizabeth Bluemle, Flying Pig Bookstore
Rated: 8.5
 

Crackback
by John Coy
Scholastic
November, 2005
$16.99
0-439-69733-6
Core audience: Boys, 12 years +
Notable Aspects: issues
Review: This is a really good book for teen boys, "reluctant" or otherwise. The main character loves and plays football. He isn't the best player, and this creates friction in his relationship with his very tough to please dad. When team members offer him steroids to improve his playing (and his relationship with dad?) he has a tough decision to make. Miles, who is a good kid (but not so good that readers won't relate) works hard on this decision and eventually makes the right choice. This and other pertinent high school issues are explored well.
Reviewer: Mimi Powell, Baker Books
Rated: 7
 

The Crimes and Punishments of Miss Payne
by Barry Jonsberg
Knopf/Random House
June, 2005
$15.95
0-375-83240-8
Core audience: ages 14 and up
Notable aspects: friendship, espionage, mystery, loyalty, trusting one's instincts
Review: The Crimes and Punishments of Miss Payne is a wickedly clever tale of friendship and (yes) espionage. Its star is Calma, a whip-smart, headstrong girl whose remarks alternate between bitingly funny and surprisingly sincere, sometimes managing to be both at once. Her engagingly self-aware voice delivers a story that is surprisingly twisted and unexpectedly moving, but (okay, okay) rather implausible. Its delivery, though, is so enjoyable and so suspenseful that readers will happily shelve disbelief as they speed their way to the very last page.
Reviewer: Allison Morris, Wellesley Booksmith
Rated: 8.5
 

Criss Cross
by Lynne Rae Perkins
Harper Collins
September 2005
$15.99
0-06-009272-6
Core audience: 12 and up
Review: There are so many wonderful elements to this new novel from Lynne Rae Perkins: 38 witty chapter headings, lovely random drawings from the author, and a necklace that travels. The main characters are all friends whose stories criss and cross through out the book. They are sweet and funny and quirky and I could not get enough of their world.
Reviewer: Lorna Ruby, Wellesley Booksmith
Rated: 9
.
I LOVE Lynne Rae Perkins' books! Like All Alone in the Universe, Criss Cross is sweet (in a non-sickening way), funny, and heartfelt. I love her characters, her style of writing, and the illustrations she scatters throughout the book.
Reviewer: Lisa Dugan, Koen Book Distributors (formerly of)
Rated: 8
 

Defiance
by Valerie Hobbs
FSG
August, 2005
$16.00
0-374-30847-0
Core audience: boys & girls, ages 10-14; parents of seriously ill children
Notable: plot, characters, language, imagination, sensitivity, humor, child-connected, strong ending, significant underlying ideas, emotional credibility
Review: Toby is 11 and his cancer is in remission, but his mother isn't. She's anxious every minute about his health, his father is in denial, and Toby's had enough. If he's going to die, he'd like to live normally first, so he hides a new tumor and explores the rural neighborhood where he and his mother are vacationing. An underfed cow leads him to its ancient owner, Pearl, a near-blind woman with the motto "Whoever steals my freedom takes my life." As Toby helps Pearl with milking, chores, and interfering daughters, Pearl helps Toby connect to the deeper world of poetry, the wider universe of time, and an acceptance of natural life endings. No drug dealers, terrorists or sexual abusers are required to maintain dramatic tension and move us to tears, so skilled is Hobbs' writing. Once the lump clears from one's throat, it doesn't matter that a postscript tells us that Toby does accept further cancer treatment, and lives to study mediicine. There was a time when the subject matter might have limited the prospects of such a book, but after Kira Kira's Newbery, Defiance deserves very high consideration for honors and reader appeal.
Reviewer: Carol Chittenden, Eight Cousins
Rated: 9
 

A Dog's Life
by Ann M. Martin
Scholastic Press
October, 2005
$16.99
0-439-71559-8
Core audience: Ages 10-14 according to pub.
Notable aspects: language, sensitivity, theme
I really liked this compelling story about Squirrel, whose life we follow from birth to old age. Born to a stray dog, he and his brother learn to fend for themselves when Mom leaves. They also move on and encounter their first experience with suburbia and roads. Brother is picked up and never seen again. Squirrel meets another stray, Moon, and for a while they travel together surviving whatever they encounter. Then Moon is gone and Squirrel survives for years on his own, going from farm barns in winter to suburban sheds in summer. There are very few contacts with humans, some helpful, some menacing. With heartrending sensitivity, but no sentimentality, the story is told from Squirrel's very matter-of-fact point of view. We love this dog who faces whatever life dishes out and moves on. He finally ends up, an old dog, with a loving old woman, living in her house, with his head on her lap. There are some worthwhile messages here about neglect of pets, cruelty, abandonment. It is a haunting story, beautifully told, with lots of fodder for discussion.
Reviewer: Sue Carita, The Toadstool Bookshop, Milford, NH
Rated: 8.5

Review: I usually love Ann Martin's books and feel that she has really gone beyond the Babysitters Club niche to become one of the best writers for children today. I adored that last 5 or so novels she wrote and was delighted by her Newbery Honor. So, maybe I expected more from A Dog's Life. I did worry about him and his brother and then brother substitutes. I was happy with the ending as well, but I found that there were places where the dog had too much human knowledge or perceptions in his head. I don't have the book with me to refer to it, but the credibility meter fluctuated. I do think it will lead to great discussions and, paired with Shiloh, could be a great unit on dog abuse and abandonment. I even bet the ASPCA Bergh awards will seriously consider this in their deliberations. So, my grade would be a little lower, say a 7.
Reviewer: Bina Williams, Bridgeport Public Library
Rated: 7

Review:
I must confess I couldn't finish reading A Dog's Life because there was so little for the reader to learn from it about the way a dog experiences the world. I wanted it to be a modern counterpart to the wolf in Wolf Brother, whose use of smell, bonding, memory and pack instincts were both informative and charming, with no sacrifice of plot.
Reviewer: Carol Chittenden, Eight Cousins
Rated: 6
 

Drift House, the First Voyage
by Dale Peck
Bloomsbury Children's Books
September, 2005
$16.95
1-58234-969-X
Core audience: ages 10 and up
Notable aspects: plot, descriptive language
Review:
After 9/11 their parents decide to send Susan, Charles and Murray to stay with their Uncle Farley for safety reasons. Little do they know Uncle's house looks like a large boat and sails away almost as soon as they arrive. Nothing is as it seems and great ocean adventures await the three siblings. They encounter pirates who travel through time and have a connection to their family, a talking masthead parrot named President Wilson, and engage in conversations about the true nature of beauty and art with mermaids, both kindly and evil. I liked the unusual names given to the sea creatures like Ula lu la lu, the mermaid who turns out to be a real menace; Her Most Aqueous Empress Queen Octavia, who would like nothing better than to see them all disappear down The Great Drain; and Spiralla Plop, the butterfrog. When all is straightened out at the end, we just know there will be more in store. Drift House isn't home yet. Readers will look forward to the rest of the journey. I do.
Reviewer: Sue Carita, The Toadstool Bookshop, Milford, NH
Rated: 8
 

Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie
by Jordan Sonnenblick
Scholastic
September, 2005
$16.99
0-439-75519-0
Core audience: ages 10-13
Notable aspects: Good characters, realistic issues
Review:
Life is pretty stressful at 12 or 13, especially when you aren't very tall, or athletic, and you're a bit "geeky." Add a very appealing 5 year old brother and give him leukemia, and you have the recipe for complete desperation. But Steven is very appealing in his own right, and despite feeling neglected by both parents, who are emotionally and physically overwhelmed, he manages to be the best brother he can. A serious illness takes a toll on every member of a family. This book mixes humor and the stuff of real life adolescence, while depicting how Steven manages his feelings of abandonment and helplessness. It does it well.
Reviewer: Mimi Powell, Baker Books
Rated: 7-8
Strengths: Plot, characters and setting
Review:
Written in the first person, Steven, who plays drums in an All-Star Band, leads a fairly typical life. One day while horsing around with his younger brother, everything changes. It is discovered that Jeffery has leukemia. Steven continues, day by day, practicing for the big concert, but little by little finding that his life at home is falling apart. Mom stops teaching, has to take Jeffery to the city for treatments and Dad withdraws. All very hard for a young teen to handle. The story helps us understand how hard it must be for families to handle a situation such as this. Trying to keep everyone together and yet not realizing how all the members need support. Fortunately a school counselor helps Steven find his way.
Reviewer: Pat Byrne, BookEnds, Winchester, Ma.
Rated: 8
Reviewer Kathy Goddard
Rated: 7.5
Reviewer: Cathy Smith, Eight Cousins
Rated: 8.0
 

Eldest
by Christopher Paolini
Alfred A. Knopf/Random House
August, 2005
$21.00
0-375-82670-X
Core audience: Middle School and up
Notable Aspects: plot, character, imagination
Eldest is a worthy sequel to Eragon. The action shifts between Eragon as he continues his training as a dragon rider in the land of the elves, and his cousin Roran, who is facing his own challenges from the Empire. The two strands come together in a huge battle scene at the end of the book. The book has wonderful characters and the sweeping scope of a struggle between good and evil. Both Eragon and Roran must struggle within themselves as they face difficult moral dilemmas. The writing is a bit overdone in places, but this is a small quibble in a book that kept me enthralled, and I am eagerly awaiting the third book.
Nancy Felton, Broadside Bookshop
Rated: 9

Review: I just finished reading Eldest this afternoon and I am speechless. This book was awesome! It's better than Eragon in my humble opinion. The last few chapters were especially good; what a cliffhanger ending! I can't wait for the third book! What can I say... The best thing about this installment was the incredible amount of new things and new characters introduced, not to mention a few shocking plot twists! The secrets of many characters' pasts are uncovered. Eragon is changed in many, many ways as he and Saphira learn more about being a rider and dragon duo from a pair of very special teachers in the Elvin forest land of Du Weldenvarden. Meanwhile, Eragon's cousin Roran and the entire village of Carvahall face their own dangerous trials as they too feel the terrible brunt of the Empire's probing hands. You learn the true meaning of the book's title and the title of the trilogy itself in this book. The characters get deeper, the stakes are raised, and all I can advise is to get ready for one amazing ride!
Reviewer: Katherine Campbell, Millbrook Merritt Bookstore, Millbrook, NY
Rated: ...

Core audience: 12+ fantasy readers
Notable aspects: storyline, characters
Review: The second book of this trilogy is even better than the first. The twisting story line, character development, magic, mystery, dragons, emotions, survival and death - expectant fans will not be disappointed. While Eragon and Saphira study and learn, Roran fights evil in his own way. Will they see each other again?
Reviewer: Joanne Bibeau, Storybook Cove
Rated: 8.5
 

Elsewhere
by Gabrielle Zevin
FSG
September, 2005
$16.00
0-374-32091-8
Core audience: middle grade/YA female readers
Notable aspects: plot, characters, language, authenticity & accuracy, imagination,
sensitivity, humor, interesting setting, strong ending, significant underlying ideas
Review:
The main character Liz has died in a car accident and arrives in "elsewhere" which is basically heaven. In elsewhere you don't have a job per say, but you do pursue your avocation and since Liz loved dogs and learns she actually speaks the language of dog, she goes to work in the office that greets newly departed dogs and then she pairs them with new owners here in elsewhere. She also ends up living with her grandmother whom she never knew when she was alive, as her grandmother had died of cancer before Liz was born. Initially, in elsewhere, Liz is despondent. She misses her family and friends. She's mad that she never got her driver's license, never fell in love, never had the opportunity to do so many things. She witnesses her funeral and is annoyed that they've buried her in a dress she never liked and that her best friend isn't there. Elsewhere does have viewing ports which you pay for with tokens, and so Liz takes to watching her family's life on earth for long periods of time. This is unadvisable because it stops you from "living". There is also an underground cave deep in the ocean where you can go and supposedly communicate with your loved ones. This happens through water and Liz attempts communicating with her family, though she only succeeds in turning on all the faucets and her brother is the only one to understand her. Of course, this is illegal and when she gets fished out, she meets a nice young man Owen who died when he was 26. Did I tell you that in Elsewhere people age backwards? This means that one day they become babies again and are then sent on a journey back to earth where they are once again reborn. Therefore people often tell their ages by the # of years old they were when they died along with the age they are now. Anyway, this is all rambling on too long, but I liked the idea of this book. I liked the writing, and I liked the story, and I liked the characters, and I liked the humor, and I think the author made it work. It sort of reminds me of Cynthia Rylant's Heavenly Village, but this one is far more successful in making one believe in elsewhere.
Reviewer: Lisa Dugan, Koen Book Distributors (formerly of)
Rated: 8
Reviewer: Carol Chittenden, Eight Cousins
Rated: 9
 

Every Man for Himself: Ten Short Stories About Being A Guy
edited by Nancy F. Mercado
Dial/Penguin
September, 2005
$16.99
0-8037-2896-4
Core audience: Ages 12 and up
Review: While story collections can be a tough sell, this one deserves a chance. Two of the gems that shine brightly in this setting are stories by David Levithan and Craig Thompson. In Levithan's tale, Princes, a young dancer, Jon, struggles to win the approval of his family. When Jon's younger brother stands up for him by refusing to go through with his planned Bar Mitzvah unless Jon can invite a same-sex date, their parents are forced to reconsider their prejudices. While in Thompson's graphic story, Strange Powers, cliques are deconstructed via the classic Jock vs. skate punk rivalry. Questions of masculinity and power are wrestled with but the basic dynamic infuses both groups. Everything changes when girls bring their strange magic to the situation.
Stories by well-known authors fill this uneven collection but one other notable feature of this book is the usually overlooked about-the-author blurbs. Here each author is given a full page to talk about "guy-ness" and other relevant topics. A picture of each author is another nice touch.
Reviewer Kathy Goddard
Rated: 8.5
 

Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp
by Rick Yancey
Bloomsbury
October, 2005
$16.95
1-58234-693-3
Core audience: Boys, reluctant readers, fans of Artemis Fowl
Notable aspects: plot, characters, imagination, humor, child-connected
Review:
Fans of Artemis Fowl will love this story. It doesn't contain fairies or an evil boy mastermind, but the feel of the book is very similar. Alfred Kropp is not anybody's idea of a hero, and yet he becomes just that. His uncle ropes him into a get rich quick scheme which involves stealing Excalibur (King Arthur's sword). Soon an ancient order of knights as well as the knights' enemies scoop Alfred up in their quest for the sword. I think some people will have a problem with the level of violence (there are a lot of bad guys and a few good guys killed) but I think it works for the purposes of this story. It's very cinematic in nature, that is to say, it feels like you are reading a movie. It's very fast paced, the writing humorous, and there are lots of car chases. Boys should enjoy this one. In fact, I believe the author wrote it for his sons incorporating the stuff they wanted in a story.
Reviewer: Lisa Dugan, Koen Book Distributors (formerly of)
Rated: 8.5
 

First Boy
by Gary Schmidt
Henry Holt
October, 2005
$16.95
0-8050-7859-2
Core audience: 9-12
Notable Aspects: Engaging characters, Political issues, setting
Review: Cooper Jewett is a 14 year-old living on a farm in New Hampshire with his grandfather when the story begins. His grandfather dies in his sleep and this causes much personal and surprising political upset. The dedication of this boy to continue running the farm on his own, the interest of the presidential candidates in him, and the question of his true lineage all converge to create a very fast-paced story. Cooper is a wonderfully real kid with a great deal of insecurity and an equal amount of courage. The farm setting is very believeable. The story, however, is a bit unbelieveable. Deus ex machina in action.
Reviewer: Carol Stoltz, Porter Square Books
Rated: 7.5
 

Flush
by Carl Hiaasen
Knopf, Random House
$16.95
September 13, 2005
0-375-82182-1
Core audience: Ages 8-12
Notable aspects: Funny, interesting setting, great environmental message
Review: Carl Hiaasen has done it again -- I think we have another award-winner on our hands. I loved Flush even more than Hoot! Our sleuth is again an eleven-year-old boy, Noah Underwood. His father Paine has just deliberately sunk the giant casino boat which sits in the harbor of their Florida Keys home, in an act of civil disobedience: Paine is sure that the boat is dumping its sewage into the harbor, instead of hauling it to a sewage treatment plant. The coast guard refuses to listen to Paine, so he took matters into his own hands. Now Paine is in jail, and it's up to Noah to prove to everyone that is father is not a nut, and to get the boat's owner put out of business once and for all. Throw in Noah's smart-aleck little sister Abbey (yes, named after Abbey Hoffman), the always-drunk Lice Peeking and his terrifying girlfriend Shelley (she has a barbed wire tattoo on her arm) and a mysterious pirate guy who keeps showing up at just the right time, and you've got quite an adventure. I didn't even mind all the technical talk about boats and fishing, which was about comprehensible as Japanese to me -- it all just made the story more real. I read this book in one sitting, and it was such a satisfying read.
Reviewer: Sara Chaganti, The Bookloft Rating: 9.5
Reviewer: Nancy Felton, Broadside Bookshop
Rated: 9

Notable aspects: Plot, characters and environmental theme
Review: Family centered story with a father very passionate about his environment. Discovering that an off-shore gambling boat in Florida is dumping raw sewage into the ocean, he takes matters into his own hands. From here on the action never stops. His children set out to help and in doing so meet all kinds of interesting characters that aid them in their dilemma. As enjoyable a read as Hoot.
Reviewer: Pat Byrne, BookEnds, Winchester, Ma.
Rated: 9

Core audience: ages 9 and up
Notable aspects: environmentalism, bullies
Review:
With Flush, Carl Hiassen proves once again to know just what kids are looking for in a book and just how to deliver it to them. A memorable cast of characters, a humorous string of incidents, a few good lessons, and two young heroes make this a smart, funny caper that kids are sure to latch onto -- hook, line, and sinker.
Reviewer: Allison Morris, Wellesley Booksmith
Rated: 9

Core audience: 9-12
Notable aspects: Plot, environmental theme, characters
Review:
Well, he's done it again, and in my opinion even more so! This is a Florida-based story about a family working to prevent a gambling ship from dumping raw sewage into the ocean. The action never stops, and the characters (even the minor ones like Shelly and Lice) are quirky, entertaining, and very real. Hard issues of family life and the environment are faced head on. This will be a sure winner for the kids' audience much like Hoot was, and for some of us adults, too.
Reviewer: Carol Stolz, Porter Square Books
Rated: 9

Reviewer Kathy Goddard
Rated: 8

Reviewer: Lisa Dugan, Koen Book Distributors (formerly of)
Rated: 9

Reviewer: Carol Chittenden, Eight Cousins
Rated: 8
 

Full Service
by Will Weaver
FSG
October, 2005
$17.00
0-374-32485-9
Core audience: Boys 13-15
Notable aspects: Sensitivity, characters, authenticity & accuracy, humor, child-connected, strong ending, significant underlying ideas.
Review:
Paul Sutton is 16 and living in what might as well be Lake Wobegon, with his seriously religious family and his bubbling hormones. With his mother's encouragement (over his father's misgivings) he takes a summer job at the local gas station, and gets an eyeful of the wider world and the local microcosm, for violence and for peace, for sexual and for chaste, for richer and for poorer, for caring and for crude. As he grows through these experiences, Paul manages to sort out which values to keep close, which to repudiate, and which to hold at a respectful distance.
Reviewer: Carol Chittenden, Eight Cousins
Rated: 8.5
 

Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator: A Mystery
by Jennifer Allison
Dutton/Penguin
July, 2005
$10.00
0-525-47375-0
Core audience: Mystery lovers aged 10 to 12
Notable aspects: strong and unique characters, facts that fall into place, humor, significant underlyng ideas
Review:
Gilda, a lovable spunky kid who takes matters into her own hands, declares on the last day of school that she is going to San Francisco and then she does! She manages to get herself an invitation to visit a distant relative she has never met and there meets a very serious and sad girl, Juliet. Together they try to solve the puzzle of Juliet's aunt's death and the "ghost" in the locked tower. In addition to Gilda using "psychic interventions" (more sleuthing and intuition and luck than anything else) to deal with the ghost, this book explores surviving characters' coming to terms with a loved one's death. Juliet's aunt (her father's sister) committed suicide when Juliet was three. While Juliet and her father are dealing with this loss, Gilda is dealing with the recent death of her father. I thoroughly enjoyed this book even if the mystery was predictable.
Reviewer: Janet Bibeau, Storybook Cove
Rated: 7.5 (because Newbery Award winners are not usually funny and witty)
 
Girl, Nearly 16, Absolute Torture
by Sue Limb
Delacorte Press/Random House
June, 2005
$15.95
0-385-73216-3

Core audience: Teen girls will love this
Notable aspects: quirky characters, sensitivity to teen feelings, fun plot
After her Charming But Insane book about Jess Jordan and her quirky family I hoped for more and here it is! Mum has planned a great history-filled trip to Cornwall but Jess is only interested in going to see her Dad there. Meantime, dreamy Fred will be left at home, possible in the clutches of Jess' best friend. Ouch! Lots of teen angst and misunderstandings here (mostly caused, we see
by too much time on the cell phone!) And THEN, wait till she gets to her Dad's house! Real surprises appear! Fun handsell to younger teen girls and lots of chuckles for us all! Reviewer: Sue Carita, The Toadstool Bookshop, Milford,
Rated: 8

- go to page 2 reviews -