MORE '2010-REVIEWS' POSTS
Mockingbird By Kathryn Erskine Philomel (a division of Penguin) $15.99 ISBN: 978-0-399-25264-8 Ages 9-12 On shelves now. Children’s librarians read quite a few books for kids and the result is that we tend to want to discuss them with one another. Unlucky librarians are surrounded solely by people who agree with their opinions. You’re much […]
Where Is Catkin? By Janet Lord Illustrated by Julie Paschkis Peachtree Press ISBN: 978-1-56145-523-2 $16.95 Ages 4-8 On shelves now. Julie Paschkis makes cats look fun to draw. There. Done. Shortest review I ever wrote. Where’s my hot toddy? Aw, heck. Look at me. Old softie that I am I can’t just stop with that. […]
Amazing Greek Myths of Wonders and Blunders By Mike Townsend Dial (a Division of Penguin Young Readers Group) ISBN: 978-0-8037-3308-4 $14.99 Ages 7-12 On shelves now. It’s been an uncommonly good year for graphic novel Greek myths, don’t you think? From George O’Connor’s amazing new series (starting with Zeus: King of the Gods) to two […]
Departure Time By Truus Matti Translated by Nancy Forest-Flier namelos $18.95 ISBN: 978-1-60898-009-3 Ages 9-12 On shelves now. Translated children’s novels have a tough row to hoe. In my experience as a children’s librarian I’ll often find that folks react to them in a variety of different ways. Sometimes they like them, but often they’ll […]
Dotty By Erica S. Perl Illustrated by Julia Denos Abrams Books for Young Readers ISBN: 978-0-8109-8962-7 $16.95 Ages 4-8 On shelves now. Seems to me that picture books get split into very particular genres pretty quickly. I actually keep lists of them on my computer at work, depending on how many requests I receive. There […]
Unraveling Freedom: The Battle for Democracy on the Home Front During World War I By Ann Bausum National Geographic $19.95 ISBN: 978-1-4263-0702-7 Ages 10 and up. On shelves November 9, 2010 Who could have predicted that WWI would become the hot literary topic for child readers in 2009-10? I remember when I was a kid […]
The Death (and Further Adventures) of Silas Winterbottom: The Body Thief By Stephen M. Giles Sourcebooks Jabberwocky $12.99 ISBN: 978- 1-4022-4090-4 Ages 9-12 On shelves now Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets The Mysterious Benedict Society. If those words are mere gobblety-gook to you and don’t mean a thing, don’t worry. You can rectify that […]
Art & Max By David Wiesner Clarion Books (an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) $17.99 ISBN: 978-0-618-75663-6 Ages 4-8 On shelves October 4, 2010 Illustrators of children’s books are easier to deal with if you can lump them into little boxes. Multicultural family stories that tug at the heartstrings? That’s the Patricia Polacco box. Cute […]
Sharing the Seasons: A Book of Poems Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins Illustrated by David Diaz Margaret K. McElderry Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) $21.99 ISBN: 978-1-4169-0210-4 Ages 8-12 On shelves now Yesterday I was frustrated. Very very frustrated. I’m a children’s librarian. Patrons tell me what they desire and I find just […]
Where the Streets Had a Name By Randa Abdel-Fattah Scholastic $17.99 ISBN: 978-0-545-17292-9 Ages 9 and up On shelves November 1, 2010 When I was a child I had a very vague sense of global conflicts in other countries. Because of my Bloom County comics I knew a bit about apartheid in South Africa. Later […]