Cool New Books for September
It's September, which means you can all look forward to another exciting year of learning at school. But even as you're flipping through the pages of your math, history and science textbooks, it's important to remember that there are a number of great entertaining --- and educational --- books to be read outside the classroom --- and many of them can be found right here in this month's roundup of cool new books.
Among the highlights are MAGGIE'S DOOR and MILKWEED, two historical novels, which tell the heartwrenching and riveting stories of Nory Ryan, Sean Red Mallon, and Misha as they struggle to overcome adversity. Also, be sure to take a look at a few picture books written by three high-profile and influential women --- Lynne Cheney, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York and Madonna.
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 ALL THE STARS IN THE SKY: The Santa Fe Trail Diary of Florrie Mack Ryder, The Santa Fe Trail, 1848
DEAR AMERICA Series
Megan McDonald
Scholastic
ISBN: 0439169631
Ages 9-14
188 pages
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When Florrie's mother decides to move their family from Missouri to New Mexico, the Ryders encounter endless hardship as they undertake the journey across the Great Plains of the Midwestern prairie, hoping for a better life at the other end.
 ALMOST FOREVER
Maria Testa
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 0763619965
Ages 9-13
80 pages
A young girl watches her father march off to serve a year in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. A year is a long time when you're waiting for letters or some reassuring words. A year seems endless when you don't know where your father is anymore. A year is almost forever when you're wondering --- and forgetting.
 A COOL MOONLIGHT
Angela Johnson
Dial Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0803728468
Ages 8-12
144 pages
Born with an unusual and dangerous allergy to the sun, nine-year-old Lila can only be outside at night. She plays by the light of the moon with her playmates, two mysterious girls who wear tutus and costume wings and often show up when Lila is alone. Lila longs to feel the warmth of the sun on her skin, and with the help of her friends she is planning to do precisely that.
 MAGGIE'S DOOR
Patricia Reilly Giff
Wendy Lamb Books
ISBN: 0385326580
Ages 8-12
160 pages
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This is the story of the journey from Ireland to America told by both Nory Ryan and her neighbor and friend Sean Red Mallon, who are fleeing their homeland due to a deadly potato famine. Their stories are different but they each have the same destination in mind --- the home of Nory's sister Maggie in Brooklyn. Patricia Reilly Giff's long research into Irish history and her great powers as a storyteller is evident in this deeply involving, riveting stand-alone companion novel to NORY RYAN'S SONG.
 MILKWEED
Jerry Spinelli
Knopf
ISBN: 0375813748
Ages 10-up
224 pages
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In his first historical novel, Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli takes us to one of the most devastating settings imaginable --- Nazi-occupied Warsaw of World War II --- and tells a tale of heartbreak, hope, and survival through the bright eyes of a young orphan named Misha.
 TRUE BLUE
Jeffrey Lee
Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0385730934
Ages 10-up
144 pages
Molly hates being the new kid and Chrys hates being the weird kid. Both have secrets. Molly's secret is at home, while Chrys's is under the ratty trench coat he wears to school every day. But when Molly realizes that she and Chrys would make a winning team for the science competition, an unlikely friendship develops that encourages both to reveal their true colors.
 UTTERLY ME, CLARICE BEAN
Lauren Child
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 0763621862
Ages 8-11
192 pages
It's not easy to concentrate on schoolwork when mysterious things are happening all around you. Clarice and her utterly best friend Betty Moody have high hopes for their book project about Clarice's favorite heroine, Ruby Redfort, and anticipate winning the class prize --- until Betty suddenly disappears and Clarice's horrible teacher, Mrs. Wilberton, teams her up with the naughtiest boy in school. Will her new partner ruin everything? Will Betty ever come back? And what on earth happened to the silver trophy everyone's hoping to win?
 A IS FOR ABIGAIL: An Almanac of Amazing American Women
Lynne Cheney
illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689858191
Ages 4-8
48 pages
Lynne Cheney, bestselling author and wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, brings us the stories of the many great women who are part of our history and our lives. This marvelous book is filled with details to ponder and discuss in celebration of the diversity, strength and ingenuity of American women. With the letters of the alphabet as an outline, each page contains quotations from historical sources and is illustrated with remarkably detailed drawings by the renowned Robin Preiss Glasser.
 THE ENGLISH ROSES
Madonna
Callaway Editions
ISBN: 0670036781
Ages 4-8
Nicole, Amy, Charlotte and Grace are best friends. Together, they have sleepovers, picnics and ice-skating parties. But the one girl they never include in their plans is Binah. She seems to have a perfect life, and this makes the girls jealous. But when a fairy godmother takes them on a magical journey, they discover that Binah's life may not be as perfect as they originally thought.
 FIRE STORM
Jean Craighead George
illustrated by Wendell Minor
Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060002638
Ages 6-10
32 pages
Axel, along with his aunt, uncle and dog, are on the river-kayaking adventure of a lifetime. But when flames suddenly flash dangerously close, Axel knows his family is in trouble. Before long, they are caught in a blazing fire storm and must find shelter in a hurry.
 I'M A MANATEE (Book and CD)
John Lithgow
illustrated by Ard Hoyt
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689854277
Ages 5-8
32 pages
As a little boy falls asleep, his pet guinea pig's water bottle begins to leak. The room becomes filled with water and the boy imagines himself to be a manatee. An ocean adventure begins in which the manatee bonds with other undersea creatures, stops a boater from dumping trash overboard, and returns home --- a little damper --- in the morning.
After you read this hilarious story, be sure to sing along with John Lithgow as he performs "I'm a Manatee" on the enclosed CD.
 LITTLE RED
Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York
illustrated by Sam Williams
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689843402
Ages 3-6
40 pages
It's a beautiful sunny day in Bluebell Woods, and Little Red and her friends are preparing a delicious picnic. But when Little Red discovers a bunny who has hopped onto a lily pad in the middle of the pond and is stranded, she offers to help. Soon Bunny is hopping on dry land just in time to help finish all the delicious picnic food.
Little Red is a very special character --- she was inspired by the hugely successful doll that Sarah Ferguson designed as a mascot for her charity, Chances for Children.
 SOMETIMES MY MOMMY GETS ANGRY
Bebe Moore Campbell
Illustrated by E.B. Lewis
G.P. Putnam's Sons
ISBN: 0399239723
Ages 5-up
32 pages
On some days Annie's mother is a loving and caring parent, making pancakes for breakfast and helping Annie get ready for school. But on other days, she gets very angry. Annie must make her own breakfast and even put herself to bed at night. Annie's grandma helps her remember what to do when her mother isn't well, and her silly friends are there to cheer her up. No matter what, Annie knows that even when Mommy is angry on the outside, she never stops loving her on the inside.
 THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A BOOT
Linda Smith
illustrated by Jane Manning
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060286911
Ages 4-8
32 pages
There once was an old woman who lived in a musty old boot. She didn't like children, or anything that was little or cute. So when a family with FIVE boisterous children moves into the tumble-down shoe next door, the old woman will do anything to get rid of them.
 WHERE IS LITTLE REYNARD?
Joyce Carol Oates
illustrated by Mark Graham
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060295597
Ages 4-8
32 pages
Mama cat has seven kittens. Little Reynard is the smallest, and his brothers and sisters tease him about his size and his orange color. Fortunately for Little Reynard, a little girl named Lily takes special care of him, giving him his own bowl and even letting him sleep on her pillow. Still, Little Reynard sometimes feels that he doesn't really belong.
--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio
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