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WHAT TO GIVE, WHAT TO GET
Best Books of 2004
As 2004 comes to a close, we at Kidsreads.com have assembled some of our favorite books of the year for children. These entertaining and memorable reads, which consist of both chapter books and picture books, make for great holiday gifts (to give or to get). We also have links to four exciting series that made their debut this year --- Geronimo Stilton, R.L. Stine’s Mostly Ghostly series, the All-New Nancy Drew adventures, and the Lady Grace Cavendish mysteries --- as well as updates to other series titles, including the final installment in the first cycle of The Spiderwick Chronicles. We hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane and make some new discoveries along the way!
Chapter Books
 AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS
Gennifer Choldenko
G.P. Putnam's Sons
ISBN: 0399238611
Ages 8-12
240 pages
• Read a Review
Moose Flannagan moves with his family to Alcatraz so his dad can work as a prison guard and his sister, Natalie, can attend a special school. But Natalie has autism and unfortunately is denied admittance into the school. When Moose meets Piper, the cute daughter of the Warden, he knows immediately that she's trouble but she is also strangely irresistible. All Moose wants to do is protect Natalie, live up to his parents' expectations and stay out of trouble --- but it's difficult to fulfill these goals while on Alcatraz.
 CHASING VERMEER
Blue Balliett
illustrated by Brett Helquist
Scholastic
ISBN: 0439372941
Ages 8-12
254 pages
• Read a Review & Excerpt
When a book of unexplainable occurrences brings Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay together, strange things start to happen: seemingly unrelated events connect, an eccentric old woman seeks their company, and an invaluable Vermeer painting disappears. Before they know it, the two find themselves at the center of an international art scandal. Can they decipher a crime that has left even the FBI baffled?
 CHILDREN OF THE LAMP: The Akhenaten Adventure
P. B. Kerr
Orchard Books/Scholastic
ISBN: 0439670195
Ages 9-12
355 pages
• Read a Review & Excerpt
• Author Interview
One day, twelve-year old twins John and Philippa Gaunt discover that they're descended from a long line of djinn. All of a sudden, they have the power to grant wishes, travel to extraordinary places, and make people and objects disappear. They are about to embark on a search to locate a monstrous looking (but supposedly dead) pharoah named Akhenaten and his tomb, which may be holding seventy lost djinn. Will the twins be strong and clever enough to outwit the most evil djinn in the universe and live to see another day?
 THE GAME OF SUNKEN PLACES
M. T. Anderson
Scholastic
ISBN: 0439416604
Ages 9-12
272 pages
• Read a Review
When Brian and Gregory receive an invitation to stay at a distant relative's strange mansion, they agree to make the trip. Once there, they stumble upon The Game of Sunken Places, a board game that represents the dark woods outside the mansion. Soon the boys are dealing with a number of sinister characters, including trolls and elves. Luckily, they have wit, observation, and a keen sense of adventure on their side. But will this be enough to make them the ultimate victors?
 LAUGH TILL YOU CRY
Joan Lowery Nixon
Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0385730276
Ages 8-12
112 pages
• Read a Review & Excerpt
Thirteen-year-old Cody and his mom were only supposed to spend the summer in Texas, but his grandmother is sick and needs them to stay. Now Cody is "the new kid" at the local middle school and he feels like he's on some strange planet. Cody's luck begins to change when he meets Officer Ramsey, a policeman and aspiring stand-up comic. Officer Ramsey appreciates Cody's jokes so much that he pays Cody for the material! But it's no laughing matter when a crime is committed at school --- and Cody becomes a suspect.
 MILLIONS
Frank Cottrell Boyce
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060733306
Ages 8-12
256 pages
• Read a Review & Excerpt
Damian and Anthony Cunningham suddenly find themselves with a large sum of money. Their "dilemma" is that they have only seventeen days to spend it before it becomes worthless. Should they buy a hundred television sets? A thousand pizzas? Help end world poverty? The clock is ticking, and the bank robbers who stole the money are closing in!
 PETER AND THE STARCATCHERS
Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Hyperion
ISBN: 0786854456
Ages 9-12
464 pages
• Read a Review
Young orphan Peter and his mates are dispatched to an island ruled by the evil King Zarboff. They set sail aboard the Never Land, a ship carrying a precious and mysterious trunk in its cargo hold --- and the journey quickly becomes both exciting and dangerous. Battles with pirates and thunderstorms at sea are just some of the events that will immerse readers in a story that ultimately reveals the secrets and mysteries of the beloved Peter Pan.
 THE SEA OF TROLLS
Nancy Farmer
Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books
ISBN: 0689867441
Ages 10-13
480 pages
• Read a Review & Excerpt
Jack was only eleven when the berserkers nabbed him. The year is A.D. 793, and in the following months, Jack and his little sister are enslaved by Olaf One-Brow and his fierce young shipmate Thorgil. With a crow named Bold Heart for mysterious company, they are swept up into an adventure-quest highly reminiscent of THE LORD OF THE RINGS.
Other threats include a willful mother Dragon, a giant spider, and a troll-boar with a surprising personality. And let's not forget Ivar the Boneless and his wife, Queen Frith, a shape-shifting half-troll, and several eight-foot-tall, orange-haired, full-time trolls.
It's obvious that award-winning author Nancy Farmer has her creative juices flowing once again!
 SO B. IT
Sarah Weeks
Laura Geringer Books/HarperCollins
ISBN: 0066236223
Ages 10-up
256 pages
• Read a Review & Excerpt
• Book Club Guide
Although she lives an unconventional lifestyle with her mentally disabled mother and their doting neighbor, Bernadette, Heidi has a lucky streak that has a way of pointing her in the right direction. When a mysterious word in her mother's vocabulary begins to haunt her, Heidi's thirst for the truth leads her on a cross-country journey in search of the secrets of her past.
 TRAVEL TEAM
Mike Lupica
Philomel Books
ISBN: 0399241507
Ages 10-up
288 pages
Twelve-year-old Danny Walker may be the smallest kid on the basketball court, but he plays with lots of heart and a great deal of court sense. But none of this matters when he's cut from his local travel team, the same team that his father led to national prominence as a boy. Danny's father knows that his son isn't the only kid who was cut for the wrong reason, and he and a bunch of never-say-die kids prove that heart simply cannot be measured.
Picture Books
 AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL: A Pop-up Book
Robert Sabuda
Little Simon
ISBN: 0689847440
All Ages
16 pages
• Click here for more.
Robert Sabuda is one of the most innovative and inventive creators of children's books today. His latest pop-up creation is AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL, and his interpretation of this treasured anthem is dazzling.
 THE BOY ON FAIRFIELD STREET: How Ted Geisel Grew Up to Become Dr. Seuss
Kathleen Krull
illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
Random House
ISBN: 0375822984
Ages 6-12
48 pages
Award-winning author Kathleen Krull has produced the first picture book biography of Dr. Seuss, in which she focuses on the first 22 years of the life of Ted Geisel, the man who created this unforgettable character. As a child, Geisel loved drawing the animals he visited in his father's zoo and eventually realized that he could make a living doing what he loved to do best --- doodling and writing funny things about the world as he saw it.
 THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON: A Pop-up Book
Stephen King
illustrated by Alan Dingman
Little Simon
ISBN: 0689862725
 Ages 8-up
16 pages
Stephen King has written more than forty books, all of which are worldwide bestsellers. Now his award-winning 1999 novel, THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON, is being re-told in a stunning pop-up book, King's first. Nine-year-old Trisha McFarland gets lost in the wilderness of the Appalachian Trail after wandering off to escape the constant bickering of her mother and brother.
 THE MONSTER TRAP
Dean Morrissey
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060524995
Ages 5-up
40 pages
When Paddy hears noises in the middle of the night, he is sure that monsters are roaming the halls of his grandfather's house. So Pop does what any loving, caring grandpa would do --- he builds a monster trap. The next night, the trap is set and Paddy waits for a sign that it has captured a monster --- but he soon discovers that the trap doesn't work in quite the same way that Pop imagined.
 PRINCESS KNIGHT
Cornelia Funke
illustrated by Kerstin Meyer
The Chicken House/Scholastic
ISBN: 0439536308
Ages 5-up
32 pages
Violet is a young princess who would like to show the world that she is just as brave and strong as her brothers. Unfortunately, her strict father insists that she get married, and her brothers only mock her when she wants to be included in their fun. Violet resolves to show everyone, once and for all, how intelligent and brave she really is. So she decides to disguise herself as a boy and take part in a knights' jousting tournament. But when the big day arrives, will Violet be able to prove what she's truly made of?
 SANTAKID
James Patterson
illustrated by Michael Garland
Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 0316000612
Ages 3-6
48 pages
Chrissie is one of the luckiest kids in the world, because her father is none other than Santa Claus! As a resident of the North Pole, Chrissie visits Santa's Toy Workshop everyday and plays with Santa's friends, including his elves and reindeer. But one morning, the Big Boss of the Exmass Express Company arrives at the North Pole and proclaims that he has bought Christmas! Almost immediately, everything at the North Pole changes --- the doves won't fly or sing anymore, the elves stop making toys, and worst of all, Santa loses his holiday spirit. In order to save Christmas, Chrissie must remember her father's own magical words.
 SEPTEMBER ROSES
Jeanette Winter
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 0374367361
Ages 7-up
40 pages
On September 11, 2001, two sisters from South Africa are flying to New York City with 2,400 roses to be displayed at a flower show. When they land, they learn of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. All flights are canceled; the sisters can't go home, and they're stranded with boxes and boxes of roses.
In the days that followed this unthinkable tragedy, Jeanette Winter visited Union Square and saw, among the hundreds of memorial offerings, twin towers made of roses.
 THE TRAIN OF STATES
Peter Sis
Greenwillow Books
ISBN: 0060578386
Ages 6-up
64 pages
Somewhere in the middle of the country, students are learning about the United States. They hear a train chugging along and race to the window to watch it pass. Along with the conductor and engineer, they observe fifty freight cars, each carrying a magnificent carved and painted wagon representing one of the fifty states. These colorful wagons celebrate the famous, symbolic, historic, and odd moments associated with each state. And stenciled on the sides of every freight car are the state bird, flower, tree, capital, origin of the state name, year of statehood, and a fun state fact.
This beautifully illustrated picture book by award-winning artist Peter Sis will provide young people with one of the most enjoyable geography and history lessons they'll ever have.
 WHAT'S HAPPENING TO GRANDPA?
Maria Shriver
illustrated by Sandra Speidel
Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 0316001015
Ages 6-9
48 pages
Kate has always adored her grandfather's storytelling, but lately he's been repeating the same stories again and again. One day, he even forgets Kate's name. Her mother's patient explanations open Kate's eyes to what so many of the elderly must confront: Alzheimer's disease and other forms of memory loss. Determined to support her grandfather, Kate explores ways to help him --- and herself --- cope by creating a photo album of their times together, memories that will remain in their hearts forever.
Inspired by her own father's struggle with Alzheimer's, Maria Shriver offers a touching and optimistic story that encourages awareness, acceptance and dialogue among family and friends.
 WILD ABOUT BOOKS
Judy Sierra
illustrated by Marc Brown
Knopf
ISBN: 037582538X
Ages 4-8
40 pages
In the summer of 2002, Springfield librarian Molly McGrew accidentally drives her bookmobile into the zoo. But this turns out to be a very good mistake to have made, because Molly introduces the joys of reading to all the inhabitants there. She finds the perfect book for each animal --- including tall books for giraffes, tiny books for crickets, and books in Chinese for pandas. In no time at all, Molly has them "going wild, simply wild, about wonderful books."
Series Books
Debut Books
 GERONIMO STILTON Series by Geronimo Stilton
What series is hotter than boiling cheese fondue, smoother than a cheddar cheesecake, and more delicious than a mozzarella milkshake? It's the Geronimo Stilton adventures, featuring Geronimo Stilton himself! As you might expect from a series starring a mouse, these books are full of the cheesiest puns ever. To add to the fun, each book is fully illustrated with funny drawings, colorfully expressive fonts, maps, character lists and pictures --- and much more.
 MOSTLY GHOSTLY by R.L. Stine
Ooooh, is there anything better than snuggling down with a nicely ghastly ghost story? Maybe just one thing: settling in with a whole series of heebie-jeebie-inspiring books. The MOSTLY GHOSTLY series by R.L. Stine celebrates friendship between Max, and brother and sister Nicky and Tara. Ooooh, you're going to love being scared to death!
 NANCY DREW (ALL NEW) GIRL DETECTIVE by Carolyn Keene
Nearly seventy-five years after solving her first mystery, Nancy Drew is back in an all-new series from Simon & Schuster. To celebrate her triumphant return, America's most popular female detective has been given a complete makeover --- with a new look, new car, some new friends and, of course, brand-new cases to solve. Longtime fans and newcomers alike will be on the edge of their seats, as Nancy, Bess, George and the rest of the gang join forces once again to fight crime and rid the world of evil.
 THE LADY GRACE CAVENDISH MYSTERIES by Lady Grace Cavendish
The year is 1569, and Lady Grace Cavendish is chronicling her adventures in the court of Queen Elizabeth I. She became a protégée to the monarch when her mother, one of the Queen's most trusted friends and a Gentlewoman of the Bedchamber, lost her life in a plot to kill the Queen. When she's not attending to Her Majesty, Lady Grace spends her time romping through the royal gardens with her friends, a laundry maid and a tumbler --- and unravelling mysteries that need to be solved.
Series Updates
 THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES, Book 4: THE IRONWOOD TREE
Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689859392
Ages 7-up
128 pages
• Read a Review & Excerpt
The adventures of Simon, Jared and Mallory continue in Book 4 of this bestselling series. Someone at school is running around pretending to be Jared, and it's not Simon. To make matters worse, Mallory has disappeared. Clues point to the old abandoned quarry just outside of town. Dwarves have taken over an abandoned mine there, and the faerie world is abuzz with the news that a creature plans to rule the world.
 THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES, Book 5: THE WRATH OF MULGARATH
Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689859406
Ages 7-up
160 pages
• Read a Review & Excerpt
After escaping from the dangerous ogre Mulgarath and his goblin servants, Simon, Jared and Mallory head home. Upon their arrival at the Spiderwick estate, they discover that the place has been ransacked and that their mother has been abducted. How on earth will they be able to rescue her without that precious Field Guide? Don't even think about missing this final book in the first Spiderwick series!
 A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 11: THE GRIM GROTTO
Lemony Snicket
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0064410145
Ages 9-12
352 pages
• Read a Review & Excerpt
Lemony Snicket's wildly popular series about the perfectly likeable but hopelessly doomed Baudelaire orphans continues, to the delight of fans everywhere. In this eleventh installment, Sunny, Violet and Klaus are adrift in a sea of awfulness that includes a submarine, a determined villain with a stylish girlfriend, an alarming message from a lost friend, and hypochondria. In other words, this is a Lemony Snicket book --- no question about it!
 THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM, Book Two: GRIM TUESDAY
Garth Nix
Scholastic Paperbacks
ISBN: 0439436559
Ages 9-up
368 pages
Arthur doesn't think he will ever have to return to the strange house that nearly killed him on Monday --- the house that contains an entire world. But Tuesday brings new challenges --- in the form of an enemy named Grim Tuesday, who threatens the well being of both Arthur's family and his world.
 ANDREW LOST: ON THE REEF - Book 7
J.C. Greenburg
Random House
ISBN: 0375825258
Ages 7-10
96 pages
Hot on the trail of the giant squid, Andrew, Judy and Thudd smash the Water Bug into Australia's Great Barrier Reef --- home to some of the world's most dangerous creatures. Then their arch-enemy, Soggy Bob Sloggins, steals their underwater vehicle. The kids must find their way through the reef and get the Water Bug back --- before those deadly creatures become restless!
 ANDREW LOST: IN THE DEEP – Book 8
J.C. Greenburg
Random House
ISBN: 0375825266
Ages 7-10
83 pages
On their final underwater adventure to save the giant squids from bad guy Soggy Bob Sloggins, Andrew, Judy and Thudd drive the Water Bug deep into the ocean, where the only light comes from strange glowing creatures. Just as they're passing over the deepest place on earth, the Water Bug loses power! Now, instead of saving the giant squids, Andrew, Judy and Thudd must save themselves.
 ANDREW LOST: IN TIME – Book 9
J.C. Greenburg
Random House
ISBN: 0375829490
Ages 7-10
96 pages
The evil Dr. Kron-Tox has kidnapped Uncle Al and whisked him away in his time machine. Luckily, Andrew has a time machine of his own. But like most of Andrew's inventions, the Time-a-Tron doesn't work quite right. It tumbles Andrew, Judy, and Thudd back to the very beginning of the universe! Will they regain control of the Time-a-Tron in time to save Uncle Al … and themselves?
 CHET GECKO Case #9: GIVE MY REGRETS TO BROADWAY
Bruce Hale
Harcourt
ISBN: 0152167005
Ages 8-12
115 pages
The original leading man in Mr. Ratnose's musical version of Shakespeare's "Omlet, Prince of Denver?" has disappeared, and it's up to Chet Gecko to solve this baffling mystery --- and avoid a dreaded lip-lock with the female lead!
 CHET GECKO Case #10: MURDER, MY TWEET
Bruce Hale
Harcourt
ISBN: 0152050124
Ages 8-12
136 pages
Chet Gecko's associate, Natalie Attired, is accused by the vice principal of blackmailing her and is suspended. Chet instantly tackles the case, which leads him into danger and many snack feasts along the way.
 HAPPY HAUNTING, AMELIA BEDELIA
Herman Parish
Greenwillow Books
ISBN: 0060518944
Ages 6-up
64 pages
Mr. and Mrs. Rogers are throwing a Halloween party, and one of their guests is (of course) Amelia Bedelia. But she has been so busy helping the neighborhood children make their Halloween costumes that she has forgotten all about the party. So when she arrives at her employers' house, she is shocked to discover creepy bats hanging over the front door, spooky jack-o'-lanterns in the window, and tombstones on the front lawn. Amelia Bedelia wants to start cleaning up the mess immediately --- but fortunately the Rogerses persuade her to join the festivities, and that's when the real Halloween fun begins!
 LIONBOY: THE CHASE
Zizou Corder
Dial Books
ISBN: 0803729847
Ages 10-up
263 pages
• Read a LIONBOY Review
• Author Interview
This second book in the Lionboy trilogy finds Charlie Ashanti and his lion friends making it safely to Venice --- but it turns out that their journey has only just begun. King Boris's palace was meant to be a haven, but it's starting to feel more like a prison. When word arrives that his parents are not being held in Italy after all, Charlie knows he must take fast action. Luckily a new ally has arrived --- and just in the knick of time: Rafi is in hot pursuit.
 SAMMY KEYES AND THE PSYCHO KITTY QUEEN
Wendelin Van Draanen
Knopf
ISBN: 0375823492
Ages 10-up
304 pages
• SAMMY KEYES Series
It's Sammy Keyes's birthday, but this clever young sleuth is in no mood to celebrate. Let's count the reasons why.
1) Sammy's arch-enemy is actually her star sister. 2) The creepy new student at Slammin' Dave's Pro Wrestling School keeps hissing at Sammy to stay away. 3) Sammy's cat is missing, and while Sammy is searching for him, she finds three dead cats in dumpsters around town. 4) A psycho cat lady blames Sammy when it turns out that one of the dead cats belonged to her. 5) And last but certainly not least, Sammy's mom confesses that she lied about Sammy's age so she could start her in school one year early.
Well, there's always next year's birthday!
--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio
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