Cool New Books for November

November's roundup of Cool New Books is rawther special, because Simon & Schuster is celebrating Eloise's 50th birthday with an anniversary edition that both longtime fans and newcomers to the series will treasure. This new release contains the original Eloise story --- in which Kay Thompson introduces readers to the precocious six-year-old who lives in the Plaza Hotel --- and a scrapbook with photos and drawings by Hilary Knight. Other featured titles this month include DAWN UNDERCOVER, about an "invisible" girl who transforms into the world's best spy, and the latest additions to the Andrew Lost and Nancy Drew series.

Chapter Books/Middle Grade

ANDREW LOST #12: IN THE ICE AGE
J. C. Greenburg
Random House
ISBN: 0375829520
Ages 7-10
96 pages

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Andrew, Judy and Thudd have escaped the dinosaurs only to find themselves surrounded by the woolly mammoths of the Ice Age! Can they locate their lost Uncle Al and travel back to their own time before the evil Dr. Kron-Tox puts his nefarious plan into action?

BAD TIMES, BIG CRIMES: Nancy Drew (All New) Girl Detective #14
Carolyn Keene
Aladdin Paperbacks
ISBN: 0689878834
Ages 8-12
160 pages

• NANCY DREW (ALL NEW) GIRL DETECTIVE
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Nancy is sitting with Ned in a lecture and the next minute she's in a city hall meeting on how to get through the beginning of the Great Depression. And if being stuck in the 1930s isn't bad enough, someone is robbing local banks of what little money they have. Everyone is panicked about their money, so the thief could be just about anyone. Nancy knows she needs to put her worries about her own predicament aside and concentrate on locating the culprit. But when, and how, will she get home?

BEFIDDLED
Pedro de Alcantara
Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0385732651
Ages 8-12
192 pages

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Becky Cohen has a rough life. Everywhere she goes she's an outsider: shunned and mocked at school, at her violin lessons, and at home by her disapproving mother. Her only true friend is her brilliant little brother, newspaper-loving Benjy. She dreams of becoming a great violinist, but at the group lessons she's forced to take at the Y, Becky panics and plays badly. Then she meets Mr. Freeman, her building's handyman. He has a lot to teach her about becoming a musician, and being a friend.

DAWN UNDERCOVER
Anna Dale
Bloomsbury Children's Books
ISBN: 1582346577
Ages 8-12
380 pages

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Dawn Buckle spends most of her days trying to get people to notice her, but whether at home or at school, it's as if she's invisible. And that's exactly what makes her the ideal recruit for S.H.H. (Strictly Hush Hush), a secret intelligence agency. Readers will discover how the world's most forgettable girl transforms herself into a world-class spy (and brings in a surprising double agent).

THE SECRET APARTMENT
Natalie Fast
Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0385746717
Ages 8-12
192 pages

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Eleven-year-old Jillian's life is changing and she's not happy about it. First of all, her mother got remarried and they moved from their house in Pennsylvania to her new stepfather's apartment in New York City. Second, her new stepfather has a daughter, which means Jillian now has a stepsister. And finally, Jillian is being sent to camp for the summer.

But she gets a break when Mrs. Whiteflower in the penthouse apartment asks her to catsit for the summer. Mrs. Whiteflower's apartment offers a great view of the windows in the building across the street. Watching the neighbors is fun --- until Jillian and her new friend Emily see something that doesn't look right. And it's up to them to save the day.

UNEXPECTED: 11 Mysterious Stories
edited by Laura E. Williams
Scholastic Paperbacks
ISBN: 0439455855
Ages 9-12
304 pages

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An eerie house filled with forgotten treasures. A young detective from the future. A miniature village that feels like home. A mom abducted by trolls.

These are just a few of the eleven mysterious encounters conjured up by some of today's most popular and acclaimed authors, including Gail Carson Levine, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Norma Fox Mazer, Jane Yolen, and Bruce