New England Children's Bookselling Advisory Council

2007 Spring Review Top 10 Titles (plus 2)

This list is the tenth 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 16 was selected to be selected for the NEIBA 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 — and probably more — excellent titles s/he might have missed.

Does My Head Look Big In This?
by Randa Abdel-Fattah
(Orchard Books, 978-0439919470 / $16.99)

Sixteen-year-old Amal, an Australian teenager, decides to go full-time with her hijab (the Muslim head covering for females), in the face of varying reactions from friends, family, school officials, and strangers. This funny, fascinating first novel will resonate with teenagers of all stripes as it follows the adventures and misadventures of a young heroine learning to stand up for what she believes. (Ages 13+)

The Invention of Hugo Cabret
by Brian Selznick
(Scholastic, 978-0439813785 / $22.99)

We hardly need to introduce this whale of a bestseller, but in case you haven't already marveled at its part-pure-illustration, part-pure-text, 533-page deliciousness, let us entice you. Brian Selznick has created a new kind of graphic novel that alternates, rather than combines, art and text. The two magically work together to tell the story of a young orphan keeping the clocks running in a French train station while he tries to realize his late father's dream of repairing an amazing and mysterious automaton. Surprises and twists abound in this mystery/adventure. (Ages 9+)

Jack Plank Tells Tales
by Natalie Babbitt
(Michael di Capua Books, 978-0545004961 / $15.95)

A gentle pirate, out of work, has one week to find a job or he'll lose his temporary home at Mrs. DelFresno's boarding house on Saltwash Island. Each attempt at employment fails as Jack recalls colorful stories from his pirating past that show why he would never make it as a farmer, jeweler, baker, etc. Will Jack find his true calling before the week is out? You bet your bilge he will! (Ages 7-10)

Lemonade Mouth
by Mark Peter Hughes
(Delacorte, 978-0385904049 / $15.99)

A fictional legendary band made up of five former Rhode Island high-school misfits recalls its amusing origins in school detention before going on to revolutionize rock and roll. Great fun for fans of music and individuality everywhere. (Ages 12+)

The Off Season
by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
(Houghton Mifflin, 978-0618686957 / $16)

Everyone's favorite female football-playing phenom, DJ Schwenk, returns in this sequel to Dairy Queen. Romance with handsome rival quarterback Brian heats up but stays hidden; face-time with brothers Win and Bill becomes complicated when one of them takes a wicked sack; and crunch time hits DJ as she makes tough decisions about sports, college, family fractures, and farm finances. Big issues in a funny package. (Ages 12+)

The Mysterious Benedict Society
by Trenton Lee Stewart
(Little, Brown, 978-0316057776 / $16.99)

Hundreds of smart, quirkily gifted children are invited to take an admissions test for the exclusive (and mysterious) "Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened." There are only four successful applicants, all somewhat unlikely candidates who soon learn the real purpose of the L.I.V.E.: to infiltrate an evil organization and stop its mastermind. Part Roald Dahl, part Lemony Snicket, but also wholly original, this is the kind of adventurous, suspenseful, funny and sometimes even cozy books kids love. (Ages 8-12)

The New Policeman
by Kate Thompson
(Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 978-0061174278 / $16.99)

Fifteen-year-old J.J. Liddy wants to give his mother an unusual birthday present this year: the gift of time. Literally. Time and also Celtic music hold special significance for the Irish J.J. and his family, involving a dark secret from the past as well as a magical secret in the present. David Almond-esque magical realism enchants readers. (Ages 12-17)

Rex Zero and the End of the World
by Tim Wynne-Jones
(FSG, 978-0374334673 / $16)

It's the 'Fifties in Ottawa, and the U.S. and Russia are alarming Canadians with their escalating Cold War. Bomb shelters are being built in the neighborhood, and - unrelated but equally dramatic -- there's supposedly an escaped zoo panther roaming the streets. Rex, his buddies (two guys and a girl), and Rex's endearing family muddle through the confusion with charm, humor, and optimism. (Ages 9-12)

Tell Me Another Morning
by Zdena Berger
(Paris Press, 978-1930464100 / $15.95 paperback)

This autobiographical novel about the Holocaust was originally published in the 1960's. Paris Press, which publishes neglected literature by women writers, has now brought it back into print. It tells the story of the German invasion of Prague and the deportation of Jews to Terezin and from there to Auschwitz through the eyes of 14-year-old Tania. In lyrical language, Berger captures the slowly growing awareness of danger as the Germans arrive in her city, the horrors of life in the camps and her experiences after she is liberated from Bergen-Belsen and she attempts to understand what has happened to her and her family. This is an important addition to Holocaust literature and to literature in general. (Ages 12+)

The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #03)
by Rick Riordan
(Miramax, 978-1423101451 / $17.95)

Fourteen-year-old Percy Jackson-son of the Greek god Poseidon and a mortal woman-is on his way to Camp Half-blood with two new recruits when word comes (via manticore) that the goddess Artemis is missing. Same goes for Percy's good friend and sparring partner, Annabeth. Percy's mission is clear: unite a squabbling band of rescuers, thwart monsters and dangerous prophecies and other Olympian hazards, and get the girl(s). (Ages 10-14)

Twisted
by Laurie Halse Anderson
(Viking, 978-0670061013 / $16.99)

Is it really so great to go from invisible high-school social outcast to high-school legend? Tyler Miller zooms up the social ladder after a summer's worth of working off a graffiti crime through outdoor labor buffs him up. But his new status sets him up for trouble; his long-time tormentor hates him even more, his hot new girlfriend is pushing him in unwanted directions, and he finds himself even more alone than he started out. Anderson's story of alienation is powerful and thought-provoking, and leavened with lots of humor. (Ages 13+)

The Wednesday Wars
by Gary D. Schmidt
(Clarion/Houghton Mifflin, 978-0618724833 / $16)

Holling Hoodhood, a bright seventh grader with anxiety issues, becomes the unwitting enemy of his teacher when he is the only student left in class on Wednesdays (a day the rest of his classmates go to catechism or Hebrew school). Since neither Holling nor Mrs. Baker can leave school early-this is 1967- 8, after all-Mrs. Baker does her best to challenge Holling, assigning him punishing Shakespeare plays. Initially resistant, Holling warms beautifully to the Bard; but the rest of his life is a series of mishaps and hilarious misadventures involving rats, cream puffs, autographed baseballs, and yellow tights. Charming and sure to be a winner in classrooms everywhere. (Ages 10-14)

Rewviewers

Elizabeth Bluemle, Flying Pig Bookstore (Shelburne, VT);
Kenny Brechner, Devaney, Doak & Garrett (DDG) Booksellers (Farmington, ME);
Rondi Brower, Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers, Ltd. (Kinderhook, NY);
Sue Carita, The Toadstool Bookshop (Milford, NH);
Carol Chittenden, Eight Cousins (Falmouth, MA) and BookStream (Poughkeepsie, NY);
Heather Doss, Children's Book Buyer - Bookazine (Bayonne, NJ);
Nancy Felton, Broadside Bookshop (Northampton, MA);
Pat Fowler, Village Square Booksellers (Bellows Falls, VT);
Matthew Frassica, Flying Pig Bookstore (Shelburne, VT);
Natacha Liuzzi, Book Rack and Children's Pages (Essex, VT);
Kristen McLean, The Association of Booksellers for Children (Jamaica Plain, MA);
Kari Patch, Harvard Book Store (Cambridge, MA);
Karlene Rearick, The Alphabet Garden (Cheshire, CT);
Beth Reynolds, Norwich Bookstore (Norwich, VT);
Ellen Richmond, Children's Book Cellar (Waterville, ME);
Sharon Ristau, UConn Co-op (Storrs, CT);
Juanita (JP) Schittina, Flying Pig Bookstore (Shelburne, VT);
Bina Williams, Bridgeport Public Library (Bridgeport, CT)