Cool New Books for May

May's roundup of Cool New Books includes GOSSAMER, a contemporary fantasy from two-time Newbery winner Lois Lowry that examines where our dreams and nightmares come from; BEHIND THE CURTAIN: An Echo Falls Mystery, the sequel to Peter Abraham's national bestseller DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE; FLY BY NIGHT, an outstanding debut novel from Frances Hardinge that is by turns thrilling, heartbreaking and hilarious; an all-new Berenstain Bears adventure (this time they're at the beach for some fun in the sun); and series updates to Cirque du Freak, The Land of Elyon, Mercy Watson and Amelia Bedelia.

Stand-Alone Fiction

FLY BY NIGHT
Frances Hardinge
HarperCollins
ISBN-10: 0060876271
ISBN-13: 9780060876272
Ages 10-up
496 pages

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Twelve-year-old Mosca Mye doesn't have much. Her cruel uncle keeps her locked up in his mill, and her only friend is her pet goose, who will bite anything that crosses his path. But she does have one small, rare thing: the ability to read. She doesn't know it yet, but in a world where books are dangerous things, this gift will change her life.

Enter Eponymous Clent, a smooth-talking con man who whisks her away into a world of secret societies and floating coffeehouses, spies and smugglers, crazed dukes and double-crossing racketeers. It would be exactly the kind of tale Mosca has always longed to take part in, until she learns that her one true love --- words --- may be the death of her.

GOSSAMER
Lois Lowry
Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books
ISBN-10: 0618685502
ISBN-13: 9780618685509
Ages 10-up
144 pages

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Where do dreams come from? What nighttime messengers are the guardians of our most deeply hidden hopes and our half-forgotten fears? Drawing on her rich imagination, two-time Newbery winner Lois Lowry confronts these questions and explores the conflicts between the gentle bits and pieces of the past that come to life in dream, and the darker horrors that find their form in nightmare. In a haunting story that tiptoes between reality and imagination, two people --- a lonely, sensitive woman and a damaged, angry boy --- face their own histories and discover what they can be to one another.

THE OUTSIDE GROOVE
Erik E. Esckilsen
Walter Lorraine Books/Houghton Mifflin
ISBN-10: 0618668543
ISBN-13: 9780618668540
Ages 10-up
224 pages

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Casey LaPlante wanted nothing to do with racecar driving, even though her brother Wade was Fliverton's newest stock-car hero and her whole town was interested in little else. She felt ignored by her parents, who she believed favored Wade by a mile; with so much of her family's income being poured into Wade's racing career, she wasn't even sure they would help pay her college tuition.

So one late April evening, Casey decides to get behind the wheel and finally get noticed. After all, how difficult could racecar driving be? But as the first female driver at Demon's Run racetrack, she finds getting up to speed more challenging than she had ever expected.

Series Titles / Sequels

Amelia Bedelia

AMELIA BEDELIA UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Herman Parish
Greenwillow Books
ISBN-10: 0060843446
ISBN-13: 9780060843441
Ages 6-up
64 pages

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In Herman Parish's latest laugh-out-old offering, Amelia Bedelia has come to babysit Angela and Andrew Hardy while their mother goes to the doctor. Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong! Before long, the three of them are knee-deep in home renovation projects, including an attempt to fulfill Mrs. Hardy's wish for marble countertops...by covering them with real marbles, of course!

Cirque du Freak

LORD OF THE SHADOWS: Cirque du Freak Series, Book #11
Darren Shan
Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 0316156280
Ages 10-up
240 pages

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Darren Shan is going home --- and his world is going to hell. Old enemies await. Scores must be settled. Destiny looks certain to destroy him, and the world is doomed to fall to the Ruler of the Night...

The stage is set for the terrifying final installment in the Cirque Du Freak series, book 12, coming in September 2006.

Echo Falls

BEHIND THE CURTAIN: An Echo Falls Mystery
Peter Abrahams
Laura Geringer Books/HarperCollins
ISBN-10: 0060737042
ISBN-13: 9780060737047
Ages 10-up
352 pages

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Things aren't quite right at 99 Maple Lane: Ingrid's dad's job is in jeopardy, but he won't explain why. Ingrid's brother Ty is getting really buff, but when he starts getting moody, Ingrid wonders if there's more to his physical fitness than lifting weights. Meanwhile, Ingrid's beloved soccer coach is replaced by Julia LeCaine, who seems to have another agenda altogether.

At rehearsals for "The Wizard of Oz," Ingrid sees some suspicious goings-on at Echo Falls High. True to her hero, Sherlock Holmes, Ingrid begins fishing around to find out who's really pulling the strings in Echo Falls. But one morning, while en route to the dreaded MathFest, Ingrid is kidnapped and locked in the trunk of a car. Even if she escapes, will anyone believe her story?

The Land of Elyon

THE TENTH CITY: The Land of Elyon, Book 3
Patrick Carman
Orchard Books/Scholastic
ISBN: 0439700957
Ages 9-12
208 pages

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The Land of Elyon has begun to fail, poisoned by the evil that creeps across the Dark Hills and into Bridewell. As she moves toward a thrilling conclusion, Alexa must find a way to overcome the Lonely Sea, rescue Yipes from the clutches of Victor Grindall, and unlock the mystery of the Tenth City. But can she find the answers she needs in time to save The Land of Elyon?

Mercy Watson

MERCY WATSON GOES FOR A RIDE
Kate DiCamillo
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 0763623326
Ages 6-10
80 pages

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Mr. and Mrs. Watson's portly pig, Mercy, loves nothing more than a ride in the car. It takes a fair amount of nudging and bribing to get her out of the driver's seat. But once the convertible is on the road, Mercy loves the feel of the wind tickling her ears and the sun on her snout. One day the Watsons' elderly neighbor, Baby Lincoln, pops up in the backseat hoping for some "folly and adventure" --- and in the chaos that ensues, an exuberant Mercy ends up behind the wheel!

Companion to DEAF CHILD CROSSING

NOBODY'S PERFECT
Marlee Matlin and Doug Cooney
Simon & Schuster
ISBN-10: 068986986X
ISBN-13: 9780689869860
Ages 8-12
240 pages

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Megan has spent forever planning her positively purple birthday sleepover. Then a new girl, Alexis, joins her class. Alexis seems perfect: She's smart, pretty, and a great soccer player. But no matter how hard Megan tries to befriend Alexis, the new girl is aloof or rude. At first, Megan thinks Alexis is shy. Then Megan starts to fear that Alexis is treating her differently because she's deaf. When the girls are forced to work together on a science fair project, Megan learns the truth ---- and realizes that nobody's perfect.

Picture Books

BOY ON THE BRINK
David McPhail
Henry Holt and Company
ISBN: 0805076182
Ages 4-8
32 pages

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After a fun-filled day of fishing, playing on the beach, and riding ponies at a carnival, a young boy goes to sleep and dreams of adventures inspired by the day's events. The boy rescues a yellow-haired girl from the castle guards, patches a crack in the dam, and saves a giant ship from falling off the edge of a waterfall --- always managing to escape from the brink of disaster.

THE BERENSTAIN BEARS GO ON VACATION
Stan & Jan Berenstain
illustrated by Mike Berenstain
HarperCollins
ISBN-10: 0060574313
ISBN-13: 9780060574314
Ages 4-8
32 pages

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It's summer vacation, and the Berenstain Bears are off to the seashore for sun and fun. There is so much to do --- swimming, fishing, building sand castles, browsing through the general store, eating delicious dinners. Even a rainy day becomes a fun day with a visit to Gull Island Museum. Days at the shore pass quickly, and the Berenstain Bears must head home. They know it will be hard to leave this place, but Gull Island will always be waiting for them next summer.

POP'S BRIDGE
Eve Bunting
illustrated by C.F. Payne
Harcourt Children's Books
ISBN: 0152047735
Ages 5-8
32 pages

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Some people call the Golden Gate Bridge "the impossible bridge" because they say it can't be built. But Robert's father is building it. He's a skywalker --- a brave, high-climbing ironworker. Robert is convinced his dad has the most important job on the crew...until a frightening event makes him see that it takes an entire team to accomplish the impossible.

THELONIUS MONSTER'S SKY-HIGH FLY PIE
Judy Sierra
illustrated by Edward Koren
Knopf
ISBN-10: 0375832181
ISBN-13: 9780375832185
Ages 4-8
40 pages

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Judy Sierra's new picture book presents a monster that children will love as he makes a goo-filled crust, lures hundreds and thousands of succulent flies into it, and invites his most disgusting friends and family members to a gala fly-pie party. "How it glistens! And listen --- it hums!" shout the hungry monsters. But just as his guests are about to dig in --- the pie flies off. "Bye, bye, fly pie."

--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio

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