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Cool New Books for April
This month's roundup of cool new books features children who behave more like adults, as they try to solve mysteries and overcome adversity. These brave souls include Molly Moon, who finds herself in the middle of a dangerous investigation, and the Grace children, who are still battling those pesky faeries in the fourth Spiderwick novel. We're also spotlighting a fabulous new cookbook from celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse and the latest entry in the bestselling Don't Know Much About series.
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 AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS
Gennifer Choldenko
G.P. Putnam's Sons
ISBN: 0399238611
Ages 8-12
240 pages
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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.
 CHU JU'S HOUSE
Gloria Whelan
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060507241
Ages 10-up
240 pages
When a girl is born to Chu Ju's family, it is quickly determined that the baby must be sent away. The law states that a family may have only two children, and tradition dictates that every family should have a boy. To make room for one, this girl will have to go. Fourteen-year-old Chu Ju knows she cannot allow this to happen to her sister. Understanding that one girl must leave, she sets out in the middle of the night and vows not to return.
 EMERIL'S THERE'S A CHEF IN MY FAMILY! Recipes to Get Everybody Cooking
Emeril Lagasse
illustrated by Charles Yuen
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060004398
All ages
224 pages
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Celebrity chef extraordinaire Emeril Lagasse's first cookbook for kids, THERE'S A CHEF IN MY SOUP!, was a New York Times bestseller. Now Emeril is back with a new cookbook for the entire family! Included here are recipes for every meal of the day, along with snacks, holiday meals and party treats. Safety tips, helpful hints and detailed steps will help everyone in the family join in the fun. So what are you waiting for? Kick your meals up a notch with this entertaining and mouthwatering book.
 IN DARKNESS, DEATH
Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler
Philomel Books
ISBN: 0399237674
Ages 10-up
208 pages
Samurai Lord Inaba has been murdered in his sleep. To make matters worse, the crime took place under the protective eye of the Shogun himself. This is a case for Judge Ooka, Japan's own real-life Sherlock Holmes. And, of course, for his 14-year-old apprentice Seikei. Their only clue --- a bloodstained origami butterfly --- leads them on a journey filled with mysterious shape-shifting ninjas, vengeful peasants and a power-hungry killer you might never suspect. If Seikei is to help solve this crime, he must first survive.
 MOLLY MOON STOPS THE WORLD
Georgia Byng
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060514108
Ages 8-12
384 pages
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Spunky heroine Molly Moon is back --- and this time she's hypnotizing her way to the Academy Awards in Los Angeles. When the star of Broadway's "Star on Mars" suddenly disappears, Molly finds herself in the middle of a dangerous investigation. Accompanied by Rocky and Petula the Pug, she flies to LA to track the sinister activities of American billionaire Primo Cell, who wants to become president and take over the world. He has all the Hollywood celebrities in his power, but Molly has an amazing power of her own that even she doesn't know about!
 NAMING MAYA
Uma Krishnaswami
Farrar, Straus & Giroux
ISBN: 0374354855
Ages 10-up
178 pages
Although Maya has done her best to avoid it, she is spending part of her summer in Chennai, India with her mother, who is trying to sell her grandfather's old house. Soon Maya is drawn into a complicated friendship with eccentric Kamala Mami, who has been a housekeeper and cook for years in Maya's extended family. At the same time, Maya is forced to examine the history of her parents' divorce --- all the more painful because she believes the trouble began with the choosing of her name. It is only with the help of Kamala Mami and Maya's cousin Sumati that Maya is able to see what happened to her parents.
 SNAP
Alison McGhee
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 0763620025
Ages 9-12
129 pages
Eddie makes lists for just about everything and everyone in her life. And for highly important matters, she wears (and snaps) an array of colored rubber bands on her wrist. Unfortunately, no list can help her cope with what's happening to her best friend Sally --- or change the course of things for Sally's grandmother, whom Eddie has grown to love and depend on as well.
 TALES FROM SHAKESPEARE
Tina Packer
Scholastic
ISBN: 0439321077
Ages 9-12
192 pages
Author Tina Packer brilliantly retells ten of William Shakespeare's most powerful works, all of which look at this essential question: What does it mean to be alive? Ten award-winning artists beautifully illustrate each of the following tragedies and comedies: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, King Lear, As You Like It, Macbeth, The Tempest, Othello, Twelfth Night and, of course, Romeo and Juliet.
 THE UNSEEN
Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0385730845
Ages 9-12
208 pages
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Xandra Hobson has always been fascinated by magic. So when she rescues a beautiful wounded bird, she's convinced that the glowing white feather it leaves behind is magical. When she brings the feather to school, she's surprised to find that Belinda is also interested in it. Belinda is a weird girl whom everybody makes fun of. Xandra doesn't want to be seen with her, but Belinda seems to know something about the feather --- so Xandra decides to befriend her. Belinda calls the feather a key. But a key to what? And how does it work?
 THE WILLOUGHBY SPIT WONDER
Jonathon Scott Fuqua
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 0763617768
Ages 10-13
145 pages
It's 1953 and the Korean War is over, but Carter Johnston loves to watch the navy bombers come and go as they guard against the Communist threat. With his family facing a threat of a different kind, Carter dreams of being a superhero. Could he be like the Sub-Mariner and become the Boy Who Swam Across Hampton Roads, the Willoughby Spit Wonder? Carter's sister, Minnie, says he'll get himself killed, but Carter needs to show their ailing father that success comes to those who try.
 Book 4: THE IRONWOOD TREE
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689859392
Ages 6-10
128 pages
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.
 DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT DINOSAURS
Kenneth C. Davis
illustrated by Pedro Martin
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060286199
Ages 6-9
48 pages
Dinosaurs were some of the most fascinating animals that ever lived on our planet. Some were huge, and some were tiny; some ate leaves, and some loved to chomp on other dinosaurs! In this latest addition to the Don't Know Much About series, you'll discover dinosaurs that had a thousand teeth, dinosaurs that could run forty miles per hour, and dinosaurs that ate an entire school-bus-sized pile of vegetables in a single day! And you'll learn how paleontologists discovered the most famous dinosaur of all --- the ferocious Tyrannosaurus rex. For more, visit DontKnowMuch.com/kids.
 FAIRYTALE NEWS
Colin and Jacqui Hawkins
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 0763621668
Ages 4-8
40 pages
Extra, extra! A foldout newspaper in every book!
Have you heard the news? The notorious B.B. Wolf was arrested today wearing Granny Hood's nightgown! As he went free on bail, an angry Little Pig shouted, "That's the last straw!" Meanwhile, Goldilocks's three victims report that they're bearing up well.
Read these stories and more in the exclusive, hilarious FAIRYTALE NEWS, complete with a pun-filled, pullout newspaper tucked in a handy pouch. On sale now!
 NO DOGS ALLOWED!
Sonia Manzano
illustrated by Jon J Muth
Atheneum
ISBN: 0689830882
Ages 3-7
32 pages
Sonia Manzano, who plays Maria on Sesame Street, makes her picture-book debut in NO DOGS ALLOWED!
When Iris, her family, her neighbors and her dog head out on a road trip to the Enchanted Lake, it seems like it will be a perfect day. However, a series of unfortunate and unexpected events occur: the car breaks down, they get lost, and when they finally arrive at a lake, they observe a sign that reads NO DOGS ALLOWED! What on earth will they do now?
 SIDEWALK CIRCUS
Paul Fleischman
illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 0763611077
Ages 5-9
32 pages
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Step right up and witness an astounding assemblage of tightrope walkers, strong men, sword swallowers and clowns. The Garibaldi Circus is coming soon --- but for those with clear eyes, the performers may already be in the ring. So get ready to sharpen your vision and look very closely. A show like you've never seen is about to begin!
--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio
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