Cool New Books for August

We hope you're all having a very enjoyable and relaxing summer. But perhaps some of you are getting a little tired of doing the same things day after day --- sleeping late, hanging around the pool, surfing the Net, and watching countless hours of television. So why not take a look at this month's roundup of cool new books? Neil Gaiman writes about wolves in the walls, Judy Moody is trying to predict the future, Granny Torrelli is serving up delicious soup, and Amelia Bedelia is celebrating her 40th birthday by volunteering at the library. With characters like these, how can you possibly be bored?

ESCAPING THE GIANT WAVE
by Peg Kehret
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 068985272X
Ages 8-12
160 pages

Thirteen-year-old Kyle thought spending a vacation on the Oregon coast with his family would be great. He had never flown before, and would be seeing the Pacific Ocean for the very first time. One evening Kyle is left in charge of his younger sister, BeeBee, while his parents attend an adults-only Salesman of the Year dinner on an elegant yacht.

Everything appears to be running smoothly --- until an earthquake comes and starts a fire in their hotel! Kyle realizes they’re in serious danger of being engulfed by giant tsunami waves three or four stories high. The perfect vacation has become a nightmare! Somehow, Kyle and BeeBee have to outwit nature's fury and save themselves from the tsunami terror.

GRANNY TORRELLI MAKES SOUP
by Sharon Creech
Joanna Cotler Books
ISBN: 0060292903
Ages 8-12
160 pages

Twelve-year old Rosie and her best friend just can’t seem to get along, but Granny Torrelli knows just what to do to make things better. With warm words and secret family recipes, she helps Rosie see that nothing can break the bond between two lifelong pals.

THE HAUNTING OF SWAIN'S FANCY
by Brenda Seabrooke
Dutton
ISBN: 0525469389
Ages 10-up
160 pages

Taylor comes to Swain's Fancy to spend the summer with her father, his new wife, Sylvia, and her children, Nicole and Peter. She has to share a room with Nicole, who doesn’t exactly give her the warmest reception. But the stepsisters' hatred of one another soon takes a backseat, as they are faced with some pretty perplexing questions. Why is the bedroom so cold? And who is that person looking out the attic window? Forget about sibling rivalry. Taylor, Nicole, Peter, and neighbor Cody instead join forces to solve a murder committed during the Civil War.

LOSING IS NOT AN OPTION
by Rich Wallace
Knopf
ISBN: 0375813519
Ages 10-14
144 pages

It appears as if Ron is simply a watcher, watching everything from his pick-up basketball team to his dad moving in with his grandmother. But in reality, he is more than a mere observer: he’s a hustler on the court, a free-thrower, a poet, a poker player, a rule breaker, a loving grandson, a runner, and a ruthless competitor in the 3200 meter.

In nine interwoven stories, award-winning author Rich Wallace brings a small-town high school to life through the unforgettable voice --- and the heart-pounding defeats and triumphs --- of an athlete.

THE MAYOR OF CENTRAL PARK
by Avi
illustrated by Brian Floca
HarperCollins Juvenile Books
ISBN: 006000682X
Ages 8-12
208 pages

In the year 1900 in big and beautiful New York City, Oscar is the Mayor of Central Park --- the greatest place on earth for the squirrels, chipmunks, mice and other animals who reside there. As if that’s not enough, Oscar is both the manager and shortstop of his baseball team, the Central Park Green Sox.

Life is good for Oscar and those he governs, until Big Daddy Duds --- jewel thief, thug, and leader of rats --- decides to invade the park with 500 of his closest friends. When he does, the other animals that live there will be thrown out of their homes. Everyone looks to the Mayor to save them, but even he may not be able to save himself from the invaders.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK OF LISTS
by James Buckley, Jr. and Robert Stremme
Scholastic Reference
ISBN: 0439419050
Ages 9-up
320 pages

You, along with your family and friends, will be amazed at the enormous amount of fascinating trivia and useful information packed into the SCHOLASTIC BOOK OF LISTS. Each page contains a list that covers a specific aspect of world history, U.S. history, social studies, geography, climate, math, science, language arts, pop culture, animals, or the arts.

The designs and illustrations are sure to appeal to all children --- whether you’re browsing for your own pleasure, using the index to get some quick homework help, or trying to impress your classmates with your newly acquired knowledge!

THE TEARS OF THE SALAMANDER
by Peter Dickinson
Wendy Lamb Books
ISBN: 0385730985
Ages 10-up
208 pages

Alfredo, a choirboy in 18th-century Italy, loses his family in a fire, and his mysterious Uncle Giorgio carries him away to their ancestral home below a volcano. There he learns that Uncle Giorgio is the Master of the Mountain; he can control the volcano. He is also an alchemist, able to make gold from the tears of the fiery salamander he captured from the heart of the mountain. Alfredo is his heir, the next Master. And as Alfredo learns the history of his family and its power, he begins to suspect that his uncle is actually a fearsome sorcerer.

THE WOLVES IN THE WALLS
by Neil Gaiman
illustrated by Dave McKean
HarperCollins Juvenile Books
ISBN: 038097827X
Ages 9-12
56 pages

Lucy is sure there are wolves living in the walls of her house. And as everybody says, if the wolves come out of the walls, it's all over. Naturally, her family doesn't believe her. Then one day, the wolves come out --- but it's not all over. Instead, Lucy's battle with the wolves is only just beginning.

AMELIA BEDELIA, BOOKWORM
AMELIA BEDELIA Series
by Herman Parish
illustrated by Lynn Sweat
Greenwillow
ISBN: 0060518901
Ages 4-8
64 pages

Amelia Bedelia has returned --- just in time to celebrate her 40th birthday! This time, our favorite literal-minded housekeeper is spending a day volunteering at the library. But Mrs. Page, the librarian, is surprised when Amelia Bedelia "borrows" the bookmobile for a bookstore visit. Can Amelia Bedelia explain that she was just trying to go by the book? Or will she have the book thrown at her for this latest misunderstanding?

JUDY MOODY PREDICTS THE FUTURE
JUDY MOODY Series
by Megan McDonald
illustrated by Peter Reynolds
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 076361792X
Ages 6-10
160 pages

Judy Moody definitely has a mood for every occasion. And now she has a mood ring to prove it! The mood ring's Extra Special Powers have put Judy in a mood to predict, and her outrageous predictions have everyone wondering if she really is psychic. According to our little fortune teller, the Toad Pee Club's long-lost mascot will reappear, Judy will earn the coveted Thomas Jefferson tricorn-hat sticker for Great Job, Good Thinking --- and love may be the real reason behind her teacher's new glasses.

MARY SMITH
by Andrea U'Ren
Farrar, Straus & Giroux
ISBN: 0374348421
Ages 4-8
32 pages

Did you ever wonder how people woke up in time for school or work in the days before alarm clocks? In the early twentieth century, townspeople in England hired "knocker-ups" like Mary Smith for a few pence a week. Mary traveled through streets during the predawn hours armed with a peashooter and a pocket watch, waking her clients at whatever hour they requested by aiming dried peas at their bedroom windows.

But as Mary helps her town start its day in a timely fashion, she receives quite a rude awakening when she comes home. Could it be that the knocker-up’s own daughter has been sleeping in?

PUMPKINHEAD
by Eric Rohmann
Knopf
ISBN: 0375824162
Ages 5-9
32 pages

Otho was born with a pumpkin for a head, but surprisingly his family never looked at him curiously. One day, this unusual boy loses his pumpkin head --- quite literally ---when a bat decides it would make a good home. But this is not the end for Otho; rather, it marks the beginning of a great adventure that will make you think, think, and think some more!

VERY HAIRY HARRY
by Edward Koren
Joanna Cotler Books
ISBN: 0060509074
Ages 4-8
40 pages

Harry wants to be hairy --- hairier than he already is, hairier than ANYBODY else. There are all kinds of possibilities when you’re hairy: playing hide-and-seek without having to move, having your dog look like he’s a part of you, and having a place to store all of your favorite things. But Harry learns there may also be problems with being very hairy --- itchy problems to be exact.

--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio

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