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Cool New Books for February
February’s roundup of Cool New Books includes MOVING DAY, the first installment in Meg Cabot’s debut middle-grade series, Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls; OGGIE COODER, a chapter book by Sarah Weeks that introduces readers to a fourth grader whose talent for charving will propel him into an adventure; THE MOZART QUESTION by author Michael Morpurgo and illustrator Michael Foreman, in which a boy’s passion for music unlocks a painful secret and draws his family together; THE LONDON EYE MYSTERY, a spine-tingling thriller from Siobhan Dowd involving a mysterious disappearance, two sleuthing siblings and a race against time; and last, but certainly not least, Jane O’Connor’s highly anticipated third picture book starring Fancy Nancy.
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Stand-Alone Chapter Books/Middle Grade Novels
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THE BUDDHA’S DIAMONDS
Carolyn Marsden and Thay Phap Niem
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 9780763633806
Ages 8-12
112 pages
• Read a Review
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Every day, Tinh heads out to sea with his father to catch fish for their family and the market. While he sometimes misses flying kites with other children on the beach, Tinh is proud to work alongside Ba. Then a fierce storm strikes, and Ba entrusts Tinh to secure the family vessel, but the boy panics and runs away. It will take courage and faith to salvage the bamboo boat, win back Ba’s confidence and return to sea.
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KALINE KLATTERMASTER’S TREE HOUSE
written by Haven Kimmel
illustrated by Peter Brown
Atheneum/Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 9780689874024
Ages 7-12
160 pages
• Read a Review
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Kaline Klattermaster adores his mother, but sometimes she can be on the forgetful side and appears as if she’s losing her mind. For instance, she leaves him in the tub for THREE HOURS, gives him a chicken leg for breakfast and forgets that he needs to go to school. And Kaline is not completely sure his mom understands how time works. She's been even a bit more crazy since his dad left. So it's a very good thing that the parents in Kaline's tree house are not so crazy. They understand him. They don't mind that he sometimes has to play his pretend bugle, and, of course, they are FULL of good advice on how to handle bullies. His mom hints that the tree house is imaginary, but Kaline is unconvinced.
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THE KEY TO RONDO
Emily Rodda
Scholastic Press
ISBN: 9780545035354
Ages 9-12
352 pages
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• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
There are three rules to the old painted music box: Wind the box three times only. Never shut the box when the music is playing. And never move the box before the music stops. Leo wouldn't dream of breaking these rules, but does his stubborn cousin Mimi listen? She winds the box four times --- and suddenly the paintings on its side come to life and a powerful witch is released. Now its up to Leo and Mimi to stop the witch, if only they can find the key to the music box --- and the magical world it controls.
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THE LONDON EYE MYSTERY
Siobhan Dowd
David Fickling Books/Random House
ISBN: 9780375849763
Ages 8-12
336 pages
• Read a Review
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Ted and his older sister, Kat, watched their cousin Salim board the London Eye. But after 30 minutes it landed and everyone got off --- except Salim. Where could he have gone? How on earth could he have disappeared into thin air? Ted and Kat become sleuthing partners, since the police are having no luck. Despite their not-so-warm-and-fuzzy relationship, they overcome their differences to follow a trail of clues across London in a desperate attempt to find their cousin. Ultimately it comes down to Ted, whose brain works in its own very unique way, to find the key to the mystery.
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THE MOZART QUESTION
written by Michael Morpurgo
illustrated by Michael Foreman
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 9780763635527
Ages 8-12
80 pages
• Read a Review
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Like any young boy, Paolo becomes obsessed with what he can’t have --- in his case, a violin. Hidden away in his parents’ room, it beckons the boy to release the music inside it. The music leads Paolo to a family secret, a story of World War II that changed the course of his parents’ lives. But once the truth is told, the family is reunited in a way no one had thought possible.
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SIMON BLOOM, THE GRAVITY KEEPER
Michael Reisman
Dutton Juvenile
ISBN: 9780525479222
Ages 9-up
256 pages
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• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Sixth-grader Simon Bloom can’t believe his luck when he finds a book that enables him to control the laws of physics. By simply reciting the formulas it contains, he can cancel gravity to fly around his bedroom, or decrease friction so he can slide down the street as if he were on rollerblades. When two thugs with evil intentions come after Simon, he must use the formulas to save himself and the book from falling into their hands.
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THE TALLEST TREE: The Paul Robeson Story
Sandra Belton
Amistad/Greenwillow Books
ISBN: 9780060527495
Ages 8-up
160 pages
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• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Little Catfish knows that something is missing from his street. For one thing, there are hardly any stores, and there is only one lonely tree left standing on the block. Even the Regal Theater is run-down. Little Catfish's friend Mr. Odell says that the biggest stars used to appear at the Regal, including the legendary Paul Robeson. Now it's only a shabby community center. But what if Little Catfish can fix whatever is missing? What if he and Mr. Odell can find a hero to help, one who can do just about anything, like Paul Robeson?
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YOU’RE A BAD MAN, MR. GUM!
written by Andy Stanton and illustrated by Chad Dezern
HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 9780061152405
Ages 8-12
176 pages
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Mr. Gum may be the nastiest man on Earth, but he has the tidiest, greeniest, floweriest, gardeniest garden in the world. That is, until a giant whopper of a dog named Jake destroys it in a fit of doggy joy. In retaliation, Mr. Gum hatches one of his astonishingly evil plots, involving some poisonous meat, and soon --- very soon --- things will get uglier than Mr. Gum in his underwear. Unless, of course, a golden-haired local girl named Polly can stymie Mr. Gum, save Jake and prove to the world why the truth is a lemon meringue…
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Series Books/Sequels
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Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls
ALLIE FINKLE’S RULES FOR GIRLS: Book One – Moving Day
Meg Cabot
Scholastic Press
ISBN: 9780545039475
Ages 8-12
240 pages
• Read a Review
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
When nine-year-old Allie Finkle's parents announce they are moving her and her brothers from their suburban split-level into an ancient Victorian in town, Allie is sure her life is over. She's not at all happy about having to give up her pretty pink wall-to-wall carpeting for creaky floorboards and creepy secret passageways --- not to mention leaving her modern, state-of-the-art suburban school for a rundown, old-fashioned school just two blocks from her new house. With a room she's half-scared to go into, the burden of being "the new girl" and her old friends all a half-hour car ride away, how will Allie ever learn to fit in? |
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Darkside
DARKSIDE, Book 1
Tom Becker
Orchard Books/Scholastic
ISBN: 9780545037396
Ages 9-12
304 pages
• Read a Review
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Jonathan Starling's home has been attacked, his dad is in an asylum, he's running for his life, and there's nowhere to hide. And now, Jonathan has stumbled upon London's greatest secret: Darkside. Incredibly dangerous and unimaginably exciting, Darkside is the creepiest place Jonathan has ever seen. It's a world of nightmares and secrets, where fear and evil rule, and Jonathan has to find a way out. |
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The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Basil
ISLAND OF THE VOLCANO MONKEYS: The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Basil #2
Wiley Miller
The Blue Sky Press/Scholastic
ISBN: 9780439861328
Ages 7-10
128 pages
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Basil Pepperell thinks he's ordinary, but when he and his friend Louise ride her pet pteranodon, Beatrice, to forbidden Monkey Island, they discover an advanced society of monkeys bred to have human intelligence. This is the work of evil Euric von Rottweil, who is planning to use his monkeys to further his plan of "Peace Through World Domination." |
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Oggie Cooder
OGGIE COODER #1
Sarah Weeks
Scholastic Press
ISBN: 9780439927918
Ages 7-10
176 pages
• Read a Review
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Oggie Cooder has a talent --- he can charve better than anyone else in Truman Elementary School. (Charving, for the uninitiated, is the carving of a piece of cheese with one's teeth.) Oggie doesn't think this is anything special --- but his whole school will be disagreeing with him soon. Because after he inadvertantly charves during a nationwide hunt for unusual talents, his charving puts him on the path to fame and fortune. Suddenly, he's the star of the school…but he's not sure that he wants to shine that way. |
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Picture Books
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CHARLIE HITS IT BIG
written by Deborah Blumenthal
illustrated by Denise Brunkus
HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 9780060563530
Ages 3-8
32 pages
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Charlie is just a regular guinea pig with a loving owner, a comfortable home, regular meals, a fondness for Fruity-Nut Buffet --- and dreams of the big time. Now he's leaving the only home he's ever known and heading for the coast. Stardom awaits him --- but is it all he hoped it would be?
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FANCY NANCY: BONJOUR, BUTTERFLY
written by Jane O’Connor
illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser
HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 9780061235887
Ages 4-7
32 pages
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Nancy thinks butterflies are simply exquisite. And that is why she can't wait for her friend Bree's Butterfly Birthday. It's going to be the fanciest birthday party ever! But when Nancy finds out she can't go because her grandparents' 50th anniversary party is the same day, she is furious. (Mad is way too plain for how she feels.) Will Nancy be able to overcome her disappointment?
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GRACE FOR PRESIDENT
written by Kelly DiPucchio
illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Hyperion Books for Children
ISBN: 9780786839193
Ages 5-9
40 pages
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
When Grace's teacher reveals that the United States has never had a female president, Grace decides to be the first. And she immediately starts off her political career as a candidate in the school's mock election. But soon, she realizes that she has entered a tough race. Her popular opponent claims to be the "best man for the job" --- and seems to have captured all the male votes --- while Grace concentrates on being the best person.
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--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio
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