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May 2009
May’s roundup of Cool New Books includes THE LAST OLYMPIAN, the conclusion to Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, in which the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy's 16th birthday unfolds; THE DARK PLANET, the final book in Patrick Carman’s Atherton trilogy, which continues Edgar's quest to discover the truth about a mad scientist’s plan to save the Earth from self-destruction; THE CASE OF THE CRYPTIC CRINOLINE by Nancy Springer, the latest Enola Holmes mystery that finds the much younger sister of Sherlock Holmes investigating the kidnapping of Mrs. Tupper, her beloved landlady; and DORMIA, Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski’s debut novel about a 12-year-old boy who learns he is a Great Sleeper destined to save Dormia, an ancient kingdom deep in the Ural Mountains, from extinction.
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DARKWOOD
M.E. Breen
Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books
ISBN: 9781599902593
Ages 10-14
288 pages
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Darkness falls so quickly in Howland that the people there have no word for evening. One minute the sky is light, the next minute it is black. But darkness comes in other forms, too, and for 13-year-old Annie, the misery she endures in her Uncle’s household makes the black of night seem almost soothing. When Annie escapes, her route takes her first to a dangerous mine where a precious stone is being stolen by an enemy of the king, and later to the king’s own halls, where a figure from Annie’s past makes a startling appearance. All the while, reported sightings of kinderstalk --- mysterious, wolf-like creatures that prowl Howland’s dark forests --- grow more frequent.
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DORMIA
Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780547076652
Ages 10-up
528 pages
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Alfonso Perplexon is an unusual sleeper. He climbs trees, raises falcons, even shoots deadly accurate arrows, all in his sleep. No one can figure out why.
Then one evening a man arrives at Alfonso’s door, claiming to be Alfonso’s long-lost uncle Hill. This uncle tells a fantastical tale: Alfonso’s ancestors hail from Dormia --- an ancient kingdom of gifted sleepers --- which is hidden in the snowy peaks of the Ural Mountains. According to Hill, Dormia exists thanks to a tree known as the Founding Tree, with roots that pump life into the frozen valley. But the Founding Tree is now dying, and in a matter of days, Dormia faces an icy apocalypse.
Dormia’s salvation lies with the Great Sleeper, who possesses the special powers to enter a sleep trance and grow a new Founding Tree. Hill suspects that Alfonso is just such a person. In fact, Alfonso’s sleeping-self has already hatched this tree. Now the question is: Can Alfonso and his uncle deliver it in time?
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KALEIDOSCOPE EYES
Jen Bryant
Knopf Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780375840487
Ages 9-13
272 pages
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When Lyza helps her dad clean out her late grandfather’s house, a mysterious surprise brightens the sad task. In Gramps’s dusty attic, Lyza discovers three maps, carefully folded and stacked, bound by a single rubber band. On top, an envelope says “For Lyza ONLY.” What could this possibly be? It takes the help of her two best friends, Malcolm and Carolann, to figure out that the maps reveal three possible spots in their own New Jersey town where Captain Kidd (the Captain Kidd, 17th-century pirate) may have buried a treasure. Can three 13-year-olds actually conduct a secret treasure hunt? And what will they find?
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MUDSHARK
Gary Paulsen
Wendy Lamb Books/Random House
ISBN: 9780385746854
Ages 8-12
96 pages
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Mudshark is the go-to guy for any mysteries that need solving. That is, until the Psychic Parrot takes up residence in the school library and threatens to overturn Mudshark’s position as the guy who knows all the answers. The word in school is that the parrot can out-think Mudshark. And right now, the school needs someone who’s good at solving problems. There’s an escaped gerbil running rampant, an emergency in the faculty restroom, and all the erasers are disappearing from the classrooms.
When Mudshark solves the mystery of who’s stealing the erasers, he discovers the culprit has the best of intentions. Now he has to think of a way to prevent the Psychic Parrot from revealing the eraser-thief’s identity.
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Atherton
ATHERTON #3: THE DARK PLANET
Patrick Carman
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780316166744
Ages 8-12
368 pages
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When Edgar discovers a way to leave the mysterious satellite world of Atherton, he couldn't have imagined the gloom that awaited him on the dark planet, where the oceans are toxic, the forests are full of mutant monsters, and children toil in darkness, controlled by ruthless maniacs. Max Harding --- an orphan of the Silo, the maker of Atherton, and the last hope of a dying world --- left this place behind, and now Edgar is determined to complete the mad scientist's spectacular plan, revealing Atherton's true purpose.
Edgar's quest to discover Earth's dark secret leads to an out-of-this-world adventure in the final book of the Atherton trilogy.
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Dyamonde Daniel
MAKE WAY FOR DYAMONDE DANIEL
written by Nikki Grimes
illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Putnam Juvenile
ISBN: 9780399251757
Ages 7-9
80 pages
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Dyamonde Daniel may be new in town, but that doesn’t stop her from making a place for herself in a jiffy. With her can-do attitude and awesome brain power, she takes the whole neighborhood by storm. The only thing puzzling her is the other new kid in her class. He’s awfully grouchy --- but Dyamonde is determined to get to the bottom of his frowning attitude and make a friend.
Readers will fall in love with Dyamonde Daniel, the spirited star of a new series by Nikki Grimes. With her upbeat, take-charge attitude, Dyamonde is a character to cheer for --- and the fun, accessible storytelling will hook kids from the first page.
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Enola Holmes
THE CASE OF THE CRYPTIC CRINOLINE: An Enola Holmes Mystery
Nancy Springer
Philomel Books
ISBN: 9780399247811
Ages 9-11
176 pages
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For Enola, who has been longing for her absent mother, it’s difficult to make personal connections. Other than her occasional run-ins with her brother Sherlock, Enola doesn’t have many people in her life, except her landlady, Mrs. Tupper. While she’s nearly deaf and can’t cook to save her life, Mrs. Tupper is endearing --- really the closest thing Enola has to family these days. So imagine her horror when Enola comes home to find Mrs. Tupper kidnapped! Who would take her, and why? And what does Florence Nightingale have to do with it? There must be more to the kind,
homely Mrs. Tupper than meets the eye.
Enola will put absolutely everything at risk to find Mrs. Tupper. And whoever took her had better watch out --- because this time, it’s personal.
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Mackenzie Blue
MACKENZIE BLUE
Tina Wells
HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 9780061583087
Ages 8-12
224 pages
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Mackenzie Blue, aka Zee, has it all --- smarts, talent, humor, and style. But is it enough to survive middle school?
Countdown to a 7th Grade Meltdown
1. Your BFF moves away.
2. Someone steals your diary and reveals your deepest secrets --- to the entire class.
3. You have one chance to become a rock star and one chance to totally blow it.
Guess what!? All three happened to me! School's a disaster already. Don't get me wrong --- I love Brookdale Academy and I have a fabulous crew of friends. (At least, I think I do.) But, if I'm going to survive, I need all the help I can get!
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The Magic Thief
THE MAGIC THIEF: LOST
Sarah Prineas
HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 9780061375897
Ages 10-up
400 pages
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Conn may only be a wizard's apprentice, but even he knows it's dangerous to play with fire…especially around magic. His master, Nevery, warns him that it could all blow up in his face. Besides, they have bigger problems to deal with. There is evil afoot in the city of Wellmet, an evil that isn't human.
But Conn is drawn to the murmurs he hears every time he sets off an explosion --- something is trying to talk to him, to warn him. When none of the wizards listen, Conn takes matters into his own hands. His quest to protect everything he loves brings him face-to-face with a powerful sorcerer-king and a treachery beyond even his vivid imagination.
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Percy Jackson & The Olympians
THE LAST OLYMPIAN: Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book 5
Rick Riordan
Disney-Hyperion
ISBN: 9781423101475
Ages 10-up
400 pages
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All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of victory are grim. Kronos's army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan's power only grows. While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it's up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.
In this momentous final book in the New York Times bestselling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy's 16th birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.
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Seekers
SEEKERS #3: SMOKE MOUNTAIN
Erin Hunter
HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 9780060871284
Ages 10-up
288 pages
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There is a place where bears can live in peace, where there is sea-ice all year, where the forests are full of prey, where flat-faces never go. Polar bears Kallik and Taqqiq, black bear Lusa, grizzly Toklo, and the shape-shifting Ujurak believe that this fabled bear paradise must be the destination of their quest. But the path they follow is dangerous.
The burning Smoke Mountains are more treacherous than anything the bears have faced before, and tensions run high as they encounter obstacle after obstacle. A rushing river and hostile flat-faces separate them from their goal, and a bear is pushed to the brink of death. Signs and omens point in different directions, and the bears, though traveling together, must each follow his or her own star…causing one bear to leave the group forever.
But as the others travel on, they soon learn that it will take all their strength and determination to reach their destination.
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Sequel to EMMA-JEAN LAZARUS FELL OUT OF A TREE
EMMA-JEAN LAZARUS FELL IN LOVE
Lauren Tarshis
Dial Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780803733213
Ages 10-up
169 pages
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Emma-Jean is experiencing something new and unsettling, but not entirely unpleasant. It’s a fluttering in her heart when she imagines herself asking Will to the seventh-grade dance. Her best friend Colleen is worried that Will might laugh if Emma-Jean invites him. After all, Emma-Jean is a different kind of girl --- certainly different from queen-bee Laura, who has always made it clear that Will is hers. Maybe Colleen can distract Emma-Jean from this risky plan by recruiting her for a top-secret investigation. You see, Colleen has an anonymous admirer, and if Emma-Jean can help her figure out who he is, then Colleen could ask him to the dance.
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Sequel to GODS OF MANHATTAN
GODS OF MANHATTAN II: SPIRITS IN THE PARK
Scott Mebus
Dutton Juvenile
ISBN: 9780525421481
Ages 10-up
272 pages
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A month has passed since Mannahatta --- the spirit city that coexists alongside Manhattan --- was revealed to Rory, when an earthquake rocks New York. The island itself is attempting to shake off the Trap around Central Park, and only Rory has the power to open it before even greater catastrophe strikes. But centuries-old wounds must be healed before Rory turns the key. With New York’s most notorious figures --- including Captain Kidd and Bill the Butcher --- at his side and on his trail, Rory discovers that the answer to peace lies with the one man he never wants to see again: his father.
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CRAZY HAIR
written by Neil Gaiman
illustrated by Dave McKean
HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 9780060579081
Ages 4-8
40 pages
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Where tigers stalk and ground sloths sleep, amid sailing pirates and leaping dancers, young Bonnie ventures out with comb in hand to tame her friend's unruly mane.
Step inside the imaginations of the bestselling creators of THE WOLVES IN THE WALLS and THE DAY I SWAPPED MY DAD FOR TWO GOLDFISH as Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean take readers on an unforgettable adventure. CRAZY HAIR, their youngest picture-book collaboration yet, is a witty, funny rhyming tale.
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HOMEGROWN HOUSE
written by Janet S. Wong
illustrated by E. B. Lewis
Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 9780689847189
Ages 4-8
40 pages
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When the boxes are unpacked and the books are shelved (alphabetically), all a young girl wants to do is settle into her house. Grandmom says that it takes time to learn to love a house right. And with a little patience and imagination, this young girl is determined for hers to become homegrown.
Award-winning illustrator E.B. Lewis's warm, familial scenes pair with Janet Wong's yearning text for a story of wishes, dreams, and a true sense of home.
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YES DAY!
written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 9780061152597
Ages 4-8
40 pages
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No matter how silly the requests may be, there is one day a year when children receive positive answers: Can I have pizza for breakfast? Yes! Can we have a food fight? Yes! Can I stay up really late? Yes! This day is called Yes Day and it's the best day of the year.
Amy Krouse Rosenthal's clever text coupled with Tom Lichtenheld's delightful illustrations will send kids on a journey into their wildest wishes. With humor and appreciation for life's little pleasures, YES DAY! captures the excitement of being a kid.
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--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio
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