Kidsreads.com - Cool Reads for June

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Cool New Books for June

For the young people featured in this month's roundup of cool new books, life is anything but easy. Three close friends suddenly find themselves fighting on opposing sides of World War I, a strong-willed child embarks on a long and difficult journey in search of a better life, and a homeless boy who moves to the country from New York City faces an uncertain future. Meanwhile, Andrew, Judy and Thudd are experiencing trouble of a different kind, as they continue their efforts underwater to outsmart --- and outlast --- the evil Soggy Bob Sloggins.

EYES LIKE WILLY'S
Juanita Havill
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0688136729
Ages 8-up
144 pages

It's the summer of 1906, and Guy and Sarah Masson have traveled with their parents from Paris to a small resort village on Lake Constance, in Austria. What Guy thinks will be an ordinary vacation is transformed into one of discovery and delight when he and Sarah meet a ten-year-old Austrian boy, Willy Schiller. The three become inseparable that first summer, and each year their friendship grows --- until the summer of 1914. Suddenly the world is at war, and these close friends find themselves fighting on opposite sides.

FISH
L.S. Matthews
Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0385731809
Ages 10-up
192 pages

• Read a Review

My story starts the day that my parents told me we must leave our adopted home forever. Because of the soldiers and the drought we barely had enough to eat and we could no longer stay to help the people in our village.

Right before we were leaving I saw a fish in a small brown puddle and I knew I had to take it with me. The journey would be hard to get across the mountains --- to the safety of the border and the people there who could help us. Yet when I put the fish in the pot I never realized what we would have to face. It never occurred to me to leave Fish behind.

L.S. Matthews' debut novel FISH is an inspirational story that crosses the boundaries of time and place. It lets readers know that when all hope is seemingly lost, miracles can happen.

ON POINTE
Lorie Ann Grover
Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689865252
Ages 8-12
320 pages

For as long as she can remember, Clare and her family have had a dream: Someday Clare will be a dancer in City Ballet Company. For ten long years Clare has been taking ballet lessons, watching what she eats, giving up friends and a social life, and practicing until her feet bleed --- all for the sake of that dream. And now, with the audition for City Ballet Company right around the corner, the dream feels so close. But what if it doesn't come true?

TOES
Tor Seidler
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060540990
Ages 8-12
176 pages

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When a litter of cats is born into the McDonahue family, one kitten stands out from the rest. Toes is an intelligent cat who has seven toes on each foot instead of five. The other kittens tease him and refuse to include him in their games. Feeling lonely and unwanted, Toes decides to run away from home. He finds shelter in a strange basement, where a struggling musician named Sebastian eventually finds him. Sebastian soon realizes that this is no ordinary cat.

WEST WITH HOPELESS
Carolyn Lieberg
Dutton Books
ISBN: 0525471944
Ages 10-up
176 pages

Carin has always traveled west on airplanes to spend her summers with Dad. But this year her loser half sister, Hope, has to drive, and Carin is sure that they're headed for disaster on this road trip. Can these two siblings overcome a bumpy start and some encounters with crazy strangers to grow closer to each other?

WORTH
A. Lafaye
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689857306
Ages 8-12
160 pages

After an accident crushes Nathaniel's leg, his father brings home an orphan boy named John Worth to help work the fields. Worth has come to New York City on the Orphan Train, which brings homeless children west to find new lives. Nathaniel becomes jealous of Worth because Worth has taken his place on the farm and has garnered his father's attention. But Worth has much more important things on his mind --- he is mourning his family and his dream of getting an education and a good job. Slowly, though, the boys begin to discover that perhaps there is enough room on the farm --- and in the family --- for both of them.

ANDREW LOST: IN THE DEEP
J. C. Greenburg
Random House
ISBN: 0375825266
Ages 7-10
83 pages

• ANDREW LOST Series

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.

BLUEBERRIES FOR THE QUEEN
Katherine Paterson
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0066239427
Ages 4-8
32 pages

It's summertime in New England during World War II, and a boy named William likes to imagine at bedtime that he is a brave knight fighting great battles to end the war. But in the morning William wakes up and realizes that he is not old enough to contribute to the war effort. It just so happens though that a real queen moves in just down the road: Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. William's parents explain that the queen has been forced out of her country because of the war. William now realizes that he finally has a chance to do something about the war.

CHLOË'S BIRTHDAY … AND ME
Giselle Potter
Atheneum
ISBN: 068986230X
Ages 4-8
40 pages

Giselle's family is spending the summer in France, and they're about to celebrate little Chloë's fifth birthday there. When Giselle and her mother go shopping for a present, Giselle becomes more and more jealous of her sister and all the attention she's been receiving. Eventually, Giselle finds the perfect gift --- perfume called Chloë --- but wonders why she can't find one called Giselle. At the beach for the party, Giselle has a wonderful surprise for Chloë --- or at least she thinks so.

MERMAID MARY MARGARET
Lynn E. Hazen
Bloomsbury USA
ISBN: 1582348693
Ages 7-10
96 pages

Mary Margaret accompanies her recently widowed grandmother on a cruise to the Greek Islands. Eventually the spunky ten-year-old makes new friends, helps her grandmother say good-bye to Grandpa, and finally has a chance to fulfill her dream of being a mermaid when she joins in a beachside wedding dressed as a mermaid. Along the way she learns more about the ancient world --- and about herself.

MUMMIES, PYRAMIDS, AND PHARAOHS: A Book About Ancient Egypt
Gail Gibbons
Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 0316309281
Ages 4-8
32 pages

Powerful pharaohs, magnificent monuments, sacred animal gods, mysterious hieroglyphics --- the wonders of ancient Egypt are simply amazing. MUMMIES, PYRAMIDS, AND PHARAOHS travels back in time to visit one of the world's oldest civilizations, bringing this incredible culture to life with clear, simple text and vivid watercolors.

WORM GETS A JOB
Kathy Caple
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 076361694X
Ages 5-8
40 pages

When Worm hears about an upcoming art contest, he is confident that he can win --- all he needs is a new Deluxe Paint Set. Unfortunately he doesn't have the money to buy the new paints, so he needs to get a job. As Worm soon learns, finding a job is hard work --- and keeping one is no piece of cake either!

--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio