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April 2009
April's roundup of Cool New Books includes NEWS FOR DOGS, a sequel to Lois Duncan's HOTEL FOR DOGS that finds Andi, who's no longer running a hotel for dogs, starting a newspaper for dogs; WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE, the fourth installment in Loren Long and Phil Bildner's newly titled Sluggers series (formerly Barnstormers) featuring the return of the Travelin' Nine; JAKE RANSOM AND THE SKULL KING'S SHADOW, James Rollins's first book for young readers, in which the arrival of a mysterious envelope plunges Jake Ransom and his older sister, Kady, into a gripping chain of events; TUMTUM & NUTMEG by Emily Bearn, a delightful peek into the lives of a pair of mice who, in three captivating stories, are called on time and again to save the day; and two picture books --- MOONSHOT and ONE GIANT LEAP --- that celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
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CROWS & CARDS
Joseph Helgerson
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780618883950
Ages 8-12
352 pages
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Three warnings for readers who hate surprises: 1. Beware of slivers, 2. and gamblers, 3. and aces.
Zebulon Crabtree found all that out the hard way back in 1849 when his mother and father shipped him off to St. Louis to apprentice with a tanner. Too bad he had serious allergies to fur and advice from his parents. Hearing the beat of a different drummer, Zeb takes up with a riverboat gambler who has some special plans for him, crosses paths with a slave who turns out to be a better friend than cook, and learns that some Indian medicine men can see even though they're blind. And then there's the Brotherhood --- the one that Zeb can't seem to get out of…
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THE DRAGON OF TRELIAN
Michelle Knudsen
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 9780763634551
Ages 9-12
416 pages
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Calen, a lonely young mage-to-be, never dreamed that Princess Meglynne would become his friend. And impulsive Meg never imagined that secretly tending a baby dragon would cause her to be "linked" to the winged beast --- for life. Being attuned to a dragon's thoughts and feelings is exciting but scary, especially when their destinies are tied (for better or worse). And now Meg's sister is about to marry a prince to end a war between kingdoms, a celebration that only Meg and Calen know is endangered by a murderous plot. How can a girl, a boy and a dragon merge their magic and strength to bring down a powerful traitor before it's too late?
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A RECIPE 4 ROBBERY
Marybeth Kelsey
HarperCollins Children's Books
ISBN: 9780061288432
Ages 8-12
288 pages
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Lemonade. Corn dogs. Strawberry shortcake. Veggies?
The Bloomsberry Cucumber Festival is under way, and Lindy plans to avoid all vegetables, as usual. But then she ends up with a plateful of Granny Goose's slimy, disgusting stewed cucumbers. And a mystery.
How did a valuable stolen locket end up buried in cucumber sludge? Granny Goose is a wacky lady, but Lindy knows she'd never steal from anyone. So, with best friend Margaret and know-it-all Gus Kinnard, Lindy sets out to find out who's behind the frame-up.
Can the threesome work together? And can they untangle the mess of clues fast enough to save Granny Goose --- and collect a hefty reward?
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TUMTUM & NUTMEG: Adventures Beyond Nutmouse Hall
stories by Emily Bearn
pictures by Nick Price
Little, Brown for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780316027038
Ages 6-9
512 pages
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Deep inside the broom cupboard of Rose Cottage, two mice live in great style.
Tumtum and Nutmeg lead cozy and quiet lives, secretly looking after Arthur and Lucy, the disheveled human children of the cottage, never dreaming that so many exciting adventures will soon find them. But when evil Aunt Ivy, a squeamish schoolteacher named Miss Short, and pirating pond rats threaten the safety of those they hold dear, the courageous pair will stop at nothing to save the day.
In three thrilling tales with charming illustrations in every chapter, Tumtum and Nutmeg --- along with the valiant efforts of veteran hero General Marchmouse, Ms. Tiptoe's bouncing ballerina army, and a team of caged gerbils --- prove that small-size mice can have world-size hearts.
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43 Old Cemetery Road
DYING TO MEET YOU: 43 Old Cemetery Road, Book One
written by Kate Klise
illustrated by M. Sarah Klise
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780152057275
Ages 8-12
160 pages
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Ignatius B. Grumply moves into the Victorian mansion at 43 Old Cemetery Road hoping to find some peace and quiet so he can crack a wicked case of writer's block. But 43 Old Cemetery Road is already occupied by 11-year-old Seymour, his cat Shadow, and an irritable ghost named Olive. It's hard to say who is more outraged. But a grumpy old ghost just might inspire this grumpy old man. And the abandoned kid? Well, let's just say his last name is Hope.
Sisters Kate and M. Sarah Klise, the creators of the award-winning Regarding the… series, offer up this debut volume in a clever new series told in letters, drawings, newspaper articles, a work-in-progress manuscript, and even an occasional tombstone engraving.
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Jake Ransom
JAKE RANSOM AND THE SKULL KING'S SHADOW
James Rollins
HarperCollins Children's Books
ISBN: 9780061473791
Ages 10-up
416 pages
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When a mysterious envelope arrives for Jake Ransom, he and his older sister, Kady, are plunged into a gripping chain of events. An artifact found by their parents --- on the expedition from which they never returned --- leads Jake and Kady to a strange world inhabited by a peculiar mix of long-lost civilizations, a world that may hold the key to their parents' disappearance.
But even as they enter the gate to this extraordinary place, savage grackyls soar across the sky, diving to attack. Jake's new friends, the pretty Mayan girl Marika and the Roman Pindor, say the grackyls were created by an evil alchemist --- the Skull King. And as Jake struggles to find a way home, it becomes obvious that what the Skull King wants most is Jake and Kady --- dead or alive.
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The Red Blazer Girls
THE RED BLAZER GIRLS: THE RING OF ROCAMADOUR
Michael D. Beil
Knopf Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780375848148
Ages 8-12
304 pages
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It all began with The Scream. And ended with…well, if we told you that, it wouldn't be a mystery! But in between The Scream and The Very Surprising Ending, three friends find themselves on a scavenger hunt set up for a girl they never met, in search of a legendary ring reputed to grant wishes. Are these sleuths in school uniforms modern-day equivalents of Nancy, Harriet, or Scooby? Not really, they're just three nice girls who decide to help out a weird lady, and end up hiding under tables, tackling word puzzles and geometry equations, and searching rather moldy storage rooms for “the stuff that dreams are made of” (that's from an old detective movie). Oh, and there's A Boy, who complicates things. As boys often do.
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Sluggers (formerly Barnstormers)
SLUGGERS: WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE
Loren Long and Phil Bildner
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
ISBN: 9781416918660
Ages 7-10
272 pages
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The year is 1899, and the Travelin' Nine are barnstorming their way across the good ol' U.S. of A., trying to raise money to pay off the Payne family's big-league debt.
Griffith has a run-in with the Chancellor and learns that the baseball isn't the only item the infamous industrialist is after. Even more mysteriously, the Chancellor claims to have something that the Paynes want.
And Ruby. Where in the world has she vanished to? Does her disappearance have anything to do with the Chancellor's threats? Or is there some other plan in play?
And finally, Graham makes a heartfelt birthday wish and somehow gets exactly what he asks for. But questions still remain: Was it real? Can it possibly be true? Or is it all just a dream?
If they don't watch out, Griffith, Ruby, Graham and the Travelin' Nine may find themselves in deep water in the Land of 10,000 Lakes!
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Suddenly Supernatural
SUDDENLY SUPERNATURAL: UNHAPPY MEDIUM
Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Little, Brown for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780316066877
Ages 8-12
320 pages
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In this third Suddenly Supernatural book, spirit-seeing Kat has pretty much overcome her fear of communicating with ghosts. But when she and best friend Jac visit the Whispering Pines Mountain House and Kat is challenged to help a deceased medium make her way back into the light, things get a little darker.
From battling off dark spirits to fighting with Jac, Kat's week-long stay at the haunted mountain house is anything but relaxing. The question is what will be scarier: facing off with a misguided spirit or with her best friend, whose mother happens to be their chaperone?
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Sequel to HOTEL FOR DOGS
NEWS FOR DOGS
Lois Duncan
Scholastic Inc.
ISBN: 9780545108539
Ages 8-12
224 pages
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Now that Andi is no longer running a hotel for dogs, she decides to start a new project -- a newspaper for dogs! With her brother Bruce and a few friends, the kids make a hit out of their paper. But they also attract the attention of some mysterious dognappers. Can the kids find the criminals and bring their dogs safely home?
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FARLEY FOLLOWS HIS NOSE
Lynn Johnston and Beth Cruikshank
HarperCollins Children's Books
ISBN: 9780061702341
Ages 4-8
32 pages
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Good-natured and ever-hungry, Farley goes wherever his nose leads him. But as one delicious smell follows another, soon Farley is meeting new friends and exploring parts of town he's never seen before. Just how far has he wandered? Will he find a familiar smell to lead him back home?
This delightful read-aloud is the first picture book to star a character from Lynn Johnston's For Better or For Worse, and it arrives just in time to celebrate the strip's 30th anniversary.
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FRECKLEFACE STRAWBERRY AND THE DODGEBALL BULLY
written by Julianne Moore
illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
ISBN: 9781599903163
Ages 3-8
40 pages
• Buy from Amazon.com
Freckleface Strawberry loves the Early Bird program at school because it means extra time on the playground --- except when it rains. Rain means indoor playtime...and facing the school bully Windy Pants Patrick in a bruising game of dodgeball. Ignoring him seems the safest thing, but what's our freckled heroine to do when she's forced to confront the bully alone? Beat him at his own game, of course.
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FUNNY FARM
written and illustrated by Mark Teague
Orchard Books/Scholastic
ISBN: 9780439914994
Ages 4-8
32 pages
• Buy from Amazon.com
Award-winning author/illustrator Mark Teague creates a farm with a sense of humor. Readers will laugh out loud when Cousin Edward arrives from the city to help out on the farm. The cows, pigs and sheep have been waiting for Cousin Edward to visit Hawthorne Farm. The fun is never ending as Edward tries his best to milk the cows, tend the sheep, feed the pigs, plant the garden, and much more. It is truly a day that Edward will never forget!
Join Edward as he pitches in with chores on his first visit to Hawthorne Farm --- where the pigs play practical jokes, the sheep brush their teeth before heading out to graze, and the mice churn their own butter.
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IT'S THE BEST DAY EVER, DAD! written by Brooke Shields
illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld
HarperCollins Children's Books
ISBN: 9780061724459
Ages 3-8
32 pages
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Frankie relates the adventures she and her sister, Violet, share out and about with Dad and their dog, Darla, on a day when they get to embrace some alone time with Dad --- and let Mom stay home to rest. A fun time marked by activity, sharing of Dad's attention, and treats to eat, this is a book filled with good feelings about the importance of family love and the joy of being together.
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MOONSHOT: The Flight of Apollo 11
written and illustrated by Brian Floca
Richard Jackson Books/Atheneum
ISBN: 9781416950462
Ages 4-7
48 pages
• Buy from Amazon.com
Simply told, grandly shown, here is the flight of Apollo 11. Here for a new generation of readers and explorers are the steady astronauts, clicking themselves into gloves and helmets, strapping themselves into sideways seats. Here are their great machines in all their detail and monumentality, the ROAR of rockets, and the silence of the Moon. Here is a story of adventure and discovery --- a story of leaving and returning during the summer of 1969, and a story of home, seen whole, from far away.
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ONE GIANT LEAP
written by Robert Burleigh
illustrated by Mike Wimmer
Philomel Books
ISBN: 9780399238833
Ages 6-8
40 pages
• Buy from Amazon.com
The words are instantly recognizable: “That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.” Spoken by Neil Armstrong moments after he became the first human being to set foot on the moon, they have come to represent all that is possible when man's determination to achieve the seemingly impossible results in success.
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of this extraordinary moment in human history, Robert Burleigh and Mike Wimmer have created a breathtakingly beautiful tribute that transports readers to the stars, where they will experience the moon landing just as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin did.
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--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio
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