Cool New Books for June
Summer is just around the corner, and what better way to welcome its arrival (not to mention the sweltering heat) than with our roundup of COOL new books! Many of this month's selections deal with young people facing a slew of problems and the difficult choices they must make. As you're reading, think about how you would respond to these dilemmas if you were in their shoes. We also have details on the fascinating history of the American flag, as well as the inside scoop on who invented the ice cream cone.
 |
 AMONG THE BARONS
by Margaret Haddix
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689839065
Ages 8-12
192 pages
As a third child in a society that allows only two children per family, Luke Garner has been in hiding for most of his life. He now has the freedom of a false identity, and he's finally settling into his new life as Lee Grant, a Baron (a member of the highest class of society). But all this may change, because the Grants have decided that Lee's younger brother, Smits, should join Luke at boarding school. Smits arrives with his bodyguard, and each of them reveals in secret that the other is a threat. Things become even more complicated for Luke when the Grants decide that both boys should return home, and Luke discovers that living among the Barons might be deadlier than he ever imagined.
 THE DREAM BEARER
by Walter Dean Myers
HarperCollins
ISBN: 006029521X
Ages 10-up
192 pages
Although he's just a teenager, David Curry has a lot to deal with. He loves yet fears Reuben, his troubled father. His older brother Tyrone is turning into someone David doesn't know anymore --- or trust. And his mom is struggling to hold everything together. But then David meets Mr. Moses, an elderly man who tells him that dreams are the key to understanding reality. And with Mr. Moses's gift of dreams, David begins to see the world much differently.
• Author Talk
• Read a Review and Excerpt
 THE DULCIMER BOY
by Tor Seidler
illustrated by Brian Selznick
HarperCollins/Laura Geringer Books
ISBN: 0066236096
All Ages
160 pages
One day, a stranger delivers an old wicker chest to the Carbuncles' doorstep. In it they find two sleeping baby boys and a beautiful silver-stringed instrument. For the sake of appearing charitable to their neighbors, the Carbuncles take the boys in, but William and Jules are sent to the chilly attic, and the dulcimer is locked away --- until William is old enough to play it. This one instrument helps William discover his natural talent for music --- and a whole lot more!
• Read a Review and Excerpt
 FULL TILT
by Neal Shusterman
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689803745
Ages 10-up
208 pages
Sixteen-year-old Blake has always been the responsible one in his dysfunctional family --- the one who drives safely, gets good grades, and looks after his wild younger brother, Quinn. Quinn is the complete opposite of his brother --- a thrill-seeker who's always chasing after his next adventure, no matter what the cost may be. But Quinn and Blake are in for the surprise of their lives when they're thrust into the world of a bizarre phantom carnival --- and their souls are the price of admission.
 HALF AND HALF
by Lensey Namioka
Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0385730381
Ages 8-12
144 pages
Fiona Cheng is half and half: her father is Chinese and her mother is Scottish. But her features aren't so neatly divided. Fiona looks more like her father than her mother, so people always expect her to be more interested in her Chinese half than her Scottish half. Lately, even Fiona is confused about who she really is.
When her grandparents on both sides of the family come to town for a folk festival, the situation gets even worse. Fiona wants to dance with her Scottish grandfather's folk dancing troupe, but it isn't everyday that you see a Chinese girl dancing the Highland Reel. Fiona starts thinking of ways to make herself look more Scottish, yet she doesn't want her family to think she's trying to hide her Chinese half. Everyone seems to expect different things from her --- so maybe doing something totally unexpected is the only answer.
 OLIVIA KIDNEY
by Ellen Potter
illustrated by Peter Reynolds
Philomel Books
ISBN: 0399238506
Ages 8-12
160 pages
Olivia Kidney's new apartment building is unlike any other. Imagine a building with talking lizards crawling everywhere, a tropical rainforest growing in one of the rooms, and an apartment made entirely of glass! Maybe her father will get fired from his job as the building super, and they can leave. But Olivia is tired of moving from place to place and from school to school. All she wants is a normal life --- and perhaps a friend to share it with.
 THE PRINCESS & THE PAUPER
by Kate Brian
Atheneum
ISBN: 0689861737
Ages 9-12
272 pages
Princess Carina is rich, royal, and spoiled rotten. Julia Johnson is a scholarship student who is smart, independent, and totally poor. These two girls couldn't be more different --- except that they look exactly alike! So when Carina shows up at the Rosewood School for Girls, Julia is hardly aware of her presence. But Carina spots Julia right away --- and if Julia will switch places with her, she'll have a chance to ditch her tiara and run away for a day. Julia would never take a risk like that --- it's way too irresponsible --- except that she really needs the money. Being a fake princess is great, but when Carina doesn't arrive on her flight back to Vineland, things start to get sketchy.
 RUBY ELECTRIC
by Theresa Nelson
Atheneum
ISBN: 0689838522
Ages 10-12
272 pages
For 12 1/2-year-old Ruby Miller, movies are better than real life. The ones she writes are the best of all because those stories work out. The dads in her movies always show up when they've promised, the moms don't hold on to secrets, and the little brothers don't get upset over some missing stuffed animal (all right, it's Ruby's fault he's missing).
But the terrible red-painted graffiti on the concrete riverbanks --- is that her fault, too? Unfortunately she's blamed for it, and she's on a chain gang with two stupid classmates --- the Dumb and Dumber of Hayes Middle School --- doing community service to make up for it. If she were writing the script, the setup would be intriguing, the middle exciting, and the ending a complete and happy surprise. Too bad that real life keeps interrupting.
 BEST KIND OF BABY
by Kate Laing
illustrated by R.W. Alley
Dial Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0803726627
Ages 4-8
32 pages
Sophie accepts the fact that her mom is going to have a baby . . . sort of. But she wishes her new brother or sister could be the kind of baby she wants. After all, human babies can't play like a puppy, make funny noises like a monkey, or blow bubbles like a fish. Or can they? Sophie is in for the best kind of surprise!
 FAVORITE THINGS
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith
Dial Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0803725973
Ages 4-8
32 pages
As Matthew's mom tucks her son into bed, she asks him, "What was your favorite thing today?" Matthew's answers get more and more outrageous: maybe it was the singing elephants who woke him up that morning, or the supersonic car race to school, or meeting a tyrannosaurus squirrel who lives in a tree castle. In the end, though, none of these outrageous events was his favorite. So what was? Find out the answer in this heartwarming and very funny story.
 FOUR FRIENDS IN SUMMER
by Tomie dePaola
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689856938
Ages 4-8
32 pages
It's summertime, and Mister Frog, Mistress Pig, Missy Cat and Master Dog are looking forward to spending long and sunny days in the park, rowing in the lake and tending to their gardens. But their plans don't always turn out the way they had hoped.
 ICE CREAM CONES FOR SALE!
by Elaine Greenstein
Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books
ISBN: 0439327288
Ages 4-8
32 pages
David Avayou. Abe Doumar. Arnold Fornachou. Ernst Hamwi. Charles Menches. Four of them had immigrated to the United States, and all five were at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. Each one claims that he was the first man to put a scoop of ice cream on top of a warm crunchy cone. But only one of them has the evidence to prove he's telling the truth.
 JOE-JOE'S FIRST FLIGHT
by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
illustrated by E. B. Lewis
Knopf
ISBN: 0375810536
Ages 5-8
40 pages
Joe-Joe's father works at the local airport, one of the first in the area, at a time when segregation rules. Even though the men who work at the airport, including Joe-Joe's dad, were promised flying jobs, the owner refuses to let them fly. The town of Blind Eye has lost hope over the men's heartbreak and the injustice being done to them, so much so that the moon won't shine down on the town any longer. More than anything, Joe-Joe wants to bring the moon back to Blind Eye and return hope to the townspeople.
 POLLY'S ABSOLUTELY WORST BIRTHDAY EVER
by Frances Thomas
illustrated by Sally Gardner
Delacorte Press
ISBN: 038573025X
Ages 6-9
96 pages
Things can't get much worse for poor Polly. It's her ninth birthday, and she has come down with a case of the chicken pox and is quarantined for a week. Needless to say, the timing is extremely poor. Why did she have to get the chicken pox now instead of next week? Of course her birthday party has to be canceled. Will things turn around for Polly, or will this really be her worst birthday ever?
 STARS AND STRIPES: The Story of the American Flag
by Sarah L. Thomson
illustrated by Bob Dacey and Debra Bandelin
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060504161
Ages 4-8
32 pages
Did you know that the American flag was once made of scraps and rags? Or that it was decorated with a fierce rattlesnake? Or that it was flown from treetops? Or that it was the inspiration for our national anthem? The history of the American flag is as colorful and complex as our country's past. Yet, despite the way the flag has changed, the pride, unity and strength it inspires in Americans have never faltered. Come explore the origins and symbolism of our flag in this captivating book.
--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio
Back to top.
|
