Saturday, August 27, 2011

Lunch-Box Dream by Tony Abbott

Lunch-Box Dream by Tony Abbott
Farrar Straus Giroux
2011
178p.

Told from multiple points of view, a white family on a 1959 road trip between Ohio and Florida, visiting Civil War battlefields along the way, crosses paths with a black family near Atlanta, where one of their children has gone missing.

Dancing Home by Alma Flor Ada

Dancing Home by Alma Flor Ada
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
2011
147p.

When Margie's cousin Lupe comes from Mexico to live in California with Margie's family, Lupe must adapt to America, while Margie, who thought it would be fun to have her cousin there, finds that she is embarrassed by her in school and jealous of her at home.

Elephant Scientist by Caitlyn O'Connell

Elephant Scientist by Caitlyn O'Connell
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
2011
70p.

Journey to the Namibian desert with Caitlin O'Connell, an American scientist, and witness one of nature's largest, most complex, and most intelligent mammals living today on this earth.

Missing on Superstition Mountain by Elise Broach

Missing on Superstition Mountain by Elise Broach
Henry Holt
2011
262p.

When brothers Simon, Henry, and Jack move with their parents to Arizona, they are irresistably drawn to explore the aptly named Superstition Mountain, in spite of warnings that it is not safe.

William's Midsummer Dreams by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

William's Midsummer Dreams by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
2011
209p.

Now permanently settled with Aunt Fiona, who has adopted him and his siblings, thirteen-year-old William gets the chance to play Puck in a professional production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Bootleg by Karen Blumenthal

Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine and the Lawless Years by Karen Blumenthal
Roaring Brook Press
2011
154p.

For more than a decade starting in 1920, millions of regular Americans ignored the law of the land. Parents became bootleggers, kids smuggled illegal alcohol, and outlaws became celebrities. It wasn't supposed to be that way, of course. When Congress passed the Eighteenth Amendment, prohibiting the sale and manufacture of alcohol in the United States, supporters believed it would create a better, stronger nation. Instead it began an era of lawlessness, when famous gangsters like Al Capone rose to fame, and many reconsidered their concept of right and wrong. This is the story of those years in American history-- the story of prohibition.

Can I See Your ID? by Chris Barton

Can I See Your I.D. : True Stories of False Identities by Chris Barton
Dial Books for Young Readers
2011
121p.

Stories of ten impostors-- many of them teenagers-- push questions of identity, deception, and gullibility to the extreme.

Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy

 Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy
Arthur A. Levine
2011
266p.


Saturday, August 20, 2011

Lucky for Good by Susan Patron

Lucky for Good by Susan Patron
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
2011
208p.

The residents of Hard Pan, California, come together to help Brigitte and Lucky when the County Health Department threatens to close down the café, and meantime Miles's life is complicated by his mother's return.

Mysterious Bones by Katherine Kirkpatrick

Mysterious Bones: The Story of Kennewick Man by Katherine Kirkpatrick
Holiday House
2011
60p.

Presents the story of Kennewick Man, one of the oldest and most complete skeletons found in America near the Columbia River in Washington.

R My Name Is Rachel by Patricia Reilly Giff

R My Name Is Rachel by Patricia Reilly Giff
Wendy Lamb Books
2011
166p.

Three city siblings, now living on a farm during the Great Depression, must survive on their own when their father takes a construction job miles away.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Sparrow Road by Sheila O'Connor

Sparrow Road by Sheila O'Connor
GP Putnam Sons
2011
247p.

Twelve-year-old Raine spends the summer at a mysterious artists colony and discovers a secret about her past.

Waiting for the Magic by Patricia MacLachlan

Waiting for the Magic by Patricia MacLachlan
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
2011

When Papa goes away for a little while, his family tries to cope with the separation by adopting four dogs and a cat.

Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami

Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami
Atheneum Books For Young Readers
2011
266p.

Eleven-year-old Dini loves movies, and so when she learns that her family is moving to India for two years, her devastation over leaving her best friend in Maryland is tempered by the possibility of meeting her favorite actress, Dolly Singh.

The Girl is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines

The Girl is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines
Roaring Brook Press
2011
342p.

In 1942 New York City, fifteen-year-old Iris grieves for her mother who committed suicide and for the loss of her life of privilege, and secretly helps her father with his detective business since he, having lost a leg at Pearl Harbor, struggles to make ends meet.

The Wikkeling by Steven Arntson

The Wikkeling by Steven Arntson
RP Kids
2011
234p.

Henrietta and her pals Gary and Rose all have headaches with an unknown cause and experience other strange incidents--including the appearance of a threatening creature called the Wikkeling--and are hopeful that an ancient bestiary can help solve these mysteries.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Absolute Value of Mike by Kathryn Erskine

Absolute Value of Mike by Kathryn Erskine
Philomel Books
2011
237p.

Fourteen-year-old Mike, whose father is a brilliant mathematician but who has no math aptitude himself, spends the summer in rural Pennsylvania with his elderly and eccentric relatives Moo and Poppy, helping the townspeople raise money to adopt a Romanian orphan.

Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur

Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur
Wendy Lamb Books
2011
216p.

When twelve-year-old Elise, orphaned since age three, becomes disheartened by middle school, with its bullies, changing relationships, and higher expectations, keys to long-locked rooms and messages from her late father help her cope.

Flyaway by Lucy Christopher

Flyaway by Lucy Christopher
Chicken House/Scholastic
2011
314p.

While visiting her father in hospital, thirteen-year-old Isla meets Harry, the first boy to understand her and her love of the outdoors. But Harry is ill, and as his health fails, Isla is determined to help him in the only way she knows how. Together they watch a lone swan struggling to fly on the lake outside Harry's window.

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch
Scholastic Press
2011
287p.

Twenty years after the start of the war that caused the Collapse, fifteen-year-old Stephen, his father, and grandfather travel post-Collapse America scavenging, but when his grandfather dies and his father decides to risk everything to save the lives of two strangers, Stephen's life is turned upside down.

Addie on the Inside by James Howe

Addie on the Inside by James Howe
Atheneum Books for Children
2011
206p.

Outspoken thirteen-year-old Addie Carle learns about love, loss, and staying true to herself as she navigates seventh grade, enjoys a visit from her grandmother, fights with her boyfriend, and endures gossip and meanness from her former best friend.

War and Watermelon by Rich Wallace

War & Watermelon by Rich Wallace
Viking Children's Books
2011
186p.

As the summer of 1969 turns to fall in their New Jersey town, twelve-year-old Brody plays football in his first year at junior high while his older brother's protest of the war in Vietnam causes tension with their father.

The Silver Bowl by Diane Stanley

The Silver Bowl by Diane Stanley
Harper
2011
307p.

From the age of seven when she became scullery maid in a castle, Molly has seen visions of the future which, years later, lead her and friend Tobias on an adventure to keep Alaric, the heir to the throne, safe from a curse.

The Returning by Christine Hinwood

The Returning by Christine Hinwood
Dial Books for Young Readers
2011
302p.

When the twelve-year war between the Uplanders and Downlanders is over and Cam returns home to his village, questions dog him, from how he lost an arm to why he was the only one of his fellow soldiers to survive, such that he must leave until his own suspicions are resolved.

Silhouetted by the Blue by Traci L. Jones

Silhouetted by the Blue by Traci L. Jones
Farrar Strauss Giroux
2011
200p.

After the death of her mother in an automobile accident, seventh-grader Serena, who has gotten the lead in her middle school play, is left to handle the day-to-day challenges of caring for herself and her younger brother when their father cannot pull himself out of his depression.

Manatee Scientists by Peter Lourie


The Manatee Scientists: Saving Vulnerable Species by Peter Lourie
Houghton Mifflin Children's Books
2011
80p.

Part of the Scientists in the Field Series

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Lemonade Crime by Jacqueline Davies

Lemonade Crime by Jacqueline Davies
Houghton Mifflin
2011
152p.

When money disappears from fourth-grader Evan's pocket and everyone thinks that his annoying classmate Scott stole it, Evan's younger sister stages a trial involving the entire class, trying to prove what happened.

Tom Thumb by George Sullivan

Tom Thumb: A Remarkable True Story of a Man in Miniature by George Sullivan
Clarion Books
2011
200p.

Explores the life and career of the dwarf Tom Thumb, who toured the world as a curiosity at the behest of showman P.T. Barnum.

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
Viking
2011
349p.


Twelve-year-old Sunny Nwazue, an American-born albino child of Nigerian parents, moves with her family back to Nigeria, where she learns that she has latent magical powers which she and three similarly gifted friends use to catch a serial killer.

A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine

A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine
Harper Collins Children's Books
2011
328p.

Twelve-year-old Elodie journeys to Two Castles in hopes of studying acting but instead becomes apprentice to a dragon, who teaches her to be observant and use reasoning, thus helping her to uncover who is poisoning the king.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall

Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall
Alfred A. Knopf
2011
295p.


When the three younger Penderwick sisters go to Maine with Aunt Claire and are separated from oldest sister Rosalind for the first time in their lives, an uncertain Skye is left in charge as the OAP--oldest available Penderwick.

Chime by Franny Billingsley

Chime by Franny Billingsley
Dial Books for Young Readers
2011
361p.

 In the early twentieth century in Swampsea, seventeen-year-old Briony, who can see the spirits that haunt the marshes around their town, feels responsible for her twin sister's horrible injury until a young man enters their lives and exposes secrets that even Briony does not know about.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
Scholastic Press
2011
396p.


When a plane crash strands thirteen teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island's other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Junonia by Kevin Henkes

Junonia by Kevin Henkes
Greenwillow Books
2011
176p.

The week of her tenth birthday, Alice and her parents go to Sanibel Island, Florida, just as they do every year, but this time some of the people who are always there are missing and some new people have come, which unsettles Alice, who wants things to be exactly the same as they alway are.

Hidden by Helen Frost

Hidden by Helen Frost
Farrar Strauss Giroux
2011
147p.

When fourteen-year-olds Wren and Darra meet at a Michigan summer camp, both are overwhelmed by memories from six years earlier when Darra's father stole a car, unaware that Wren was hiding in the back.

The Summer Before Boys by Nora Baskin

The Summer Before Boys by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
2011
196p.

Twelve-year-old best friends and relatives, Julia and Eliza are happy to spend the summer together while Julia's mother is serving in the National Guard in Iraq but when they meet a neighborhood boy, their close relationship begins to change.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Katherine Tegen Books
2011
487p.

In a future Chicago, sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomoly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan

Throne of Fire (The Kane Chronicles, 2) by Rick Riordan
Disney/Hyperion
2011
452p.

Carter Kane and his sister must prevent the chaos snake Apophis from breaking free in a few days' time or the world will come to an end. To have any chance of battling these Forces of Chaos, the Kanes must revive the sun god Ra.

Sidekicks by Jack Ferraiolo

Sidekicks by Jack Ferraiolo
Amulet Books
2011
309p.

"Batman has Robin, Wonder Woman has Wonder Girl, and Phantom Justice has Bright Boy, a.k.a. Scott Hutchinson, an ordinary dude by day and a superfast, superstrong sidekick by night, fighting loyally next to his hero...despite his doubts about the social benefits of wearing yellow tights. After an embarrassing incident involving said tights and the revelation that his lifelong nemesis, supervillain sidekick Monkeywrench, might be one of the most popular kids at his school, Scott begins to question his role. How long can he stay on the sidelines and still hope to have a life?"--Dust cover flap.

Enclave (aka Razorland) by Ann Aguirre

Enclave by Ann Aguirre
Feiwel and Friends
2011
262p.


In a post-apocalyptic future, fifteen-year-old Deuce, a loyal Huntress, brings back meat while avoiding the Freaks outside her enclave, but when she is partnered with the mysterious outsider, Fade, she begins to see that the strict ways of the elders may be wrong--and dangerous.

Second Fiddle by Rosanne Parry

Second Fiddle by Rosanne Parry
Random House Books for Children
2011
233p.

Six months after the fall of the Berlin Wall, three eighth-grade girls living on an American military base with their families in Berlin try to save a Russian soldier, who has been beaten and left for dead, by smuggling him to Paris, where they are going to perform in a music competition.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Philomel Books
2011
344p.


In 1941, fifteen-year-old Lina, her mother, and brother are pulled from their Lithuanian home by Soviet guards and sent to Siberia, where her father is sentenced to death in a prison camp while she fights for her life, vowing to honor her family and the thousands like hers by burying her story in a jar on Lithuanian soil. Based on the author's family, includes a historical note.

One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street by Joanne Rocklin

One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street by Joanne Rocklin
Amulet Books
2011
207p.

The last remaining orange tree on a Southern California street brings together neighbors of all ages as they face their problems and anxieties, including the possibility that a mysterious stranger is a threat to their tree.

All the World's a Stage by Gretchen Woelfe

All The World's a Stage: A Novel in Five Acts by Gretchen Woelfe
Holiday House
2011
163p.

Twelve-year-old orphan Christopher "Kit" Buckles becomes a stage boy in a London theater in 1598, tries his hand at acting, and later helps build the Globe Theater for playwright William Shakespeare and the Chamberlain's Men acting troupe.

The Year We Were Famous by Carole Estby Dagg

The Year We Were Famous by Carole Estby Dagg
Clarion Books
2011
250p.

A novel based on the true story of seventeen-year-old Clara Estby's walk across America with her mother Helga in 1896, to win a ten thousand dollar prize and save their home from foreclosure.

Bird in a Box by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Bird in a Box by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Little, Brown
2011
278p.

In 1936, three children meet at the Mercy Home for Negro Orphans in New York State, and while not all three are orphans, they are all dealing with grief and loss which together, along with the help of a sympathetic staff member and the boxing matches of Joe Louis, they manage to overcome. Includes author's notes.

Ten Miles Past Normal by Francis O'Roark Dowell

Ten Miles Past Normal by Francis O'Roark Dowell
Atheneum Books For Young Readers
2011
211p.


Because living with "modern-hippy" parents on a goat farm means fourteen-year-old Janie Gorman cannot have a normal high school life, she tries joining Jam Band, making friends with Monster, and spending time with elderly former civil rights workers.


Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry

Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
2011
151p.


Mouse Mistress Hildegarde musters all her ingenuity to keep a large colony of church mice safe from the exterminator and to see that they make it through the dangerous Blessing of the Animals.

Dogtag Summer by Elizabeth Partridge

Dogtag Summer by Elizabeth Partridge
Bloomsbury Books for Young Readers
2011
229p.

In the summer of 1980 before she starts junior high school in Santa Rosa, California, Tracy, who was adopted from Vietnam when she was six years old, finds an old ammo box with a dog tag and picture that bring up painful memories for both her Vietnam-veteran father and her.

Hurricane Dancers by Margarita Engle

Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck by Margarita Engle
Henry Holt
2011
145p.

Quebrado has been a slave on captain Bernadino de Talavera's pirate ship for years, but when a hurricane sinks the ship and kills most of the crew, Quebrado escapes to safety and finds acceptance and refuge in a nearby village.