The
2005-2006 List
Anderson,
Janet S. 2003. The Last Treasure. New York: Dutton. ISBN
0-525-46919-2, $17.99.
After
receiving a mysterious summons from a distant cousin, Ellsworth Smith
returns to his father’s family home and quickly becomes embroiled in a
quest to find an elusive treasure.
Balliett,
Blue. 2004. Chasing Vermeer. Illustrated by Brett Helquist.
New York: Scholastic. ISBN 0-439-37294-1, $16.95. Audio Cassette: Listening
Library, ISBN 0-3072-0672-6, $25.00. Audio CD: Listening Library, ISBN
0-3072-0673-4, $28.00. Paperback Edition: Scholastic, ISBN 0-439-37297-6,
$6.99.
Coincidences and puzzles abound in this fast-paced mystery as two
eleven-year-olds, Petra and Calder, search for clues to a missing Vermeer.
Borden,
Louise. 2004. Sea Clocks: The Story of Longitude. Illustrated
by Erik Blegvad. New York: McElderry. ISBN 0-689-84216-3, $18.95.
Spare
prose and delicate pen and ink watercolors (reminiscent of the eighteenth
century setting), capture John Harrison’s persistent and dedicated
forty-year quest to make an instrument that determines longitude on a
moving ship.
Brown, Don. 2003. Mack Made Movies. Illustrations by the
author. Brookfield, Conn.: Roaring Brook Press. Library Edition: ISBN
0-7613-2504-2, $23.90. Trade Edition: ISBN 0-7613-1538-1, $16.95.
The
story of silent movies and Mack Sennett, “the King of Comedy” who began
his slapstick career as a horse and later became the owner of his own
studio, unfolds in this illustrated biography.
Collins,
Suzanne. 2003. Gregor the Overlander. New York: Scholastic.
ISBN 0-439-43536-6, $16.95. Paperback Edition: Scholastic, ISBN
0-439-67813-7, $5.99.
When
Gregor’s sister tumbles through a portal in their New York City apartment
complex, he follows her to a parallel world called Underland. There,
Gregor discovers that the inhabitants believe him to be their prophesized
hero, the “Overland warrior,” sent to save their civilization.
Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee. 2003. The Conch Bearer.
Brookfield, Conn.: Neal Porter/Roaring Brook Press. Library Edition: ISBN
0-7613-2793-2, $23.90. Trade Edition: ISBN 0-7613-1935-2, $16.95. Audio
Cassette: Listening Library, ISBN 0-8072-1959-2, $26.00. Paperback Edition:
Aladdin, ISBN
0-689-04163-2, $5.99.
India
provides the backdrop for this adventure fantasy wherein a young boy, his
street urchin cohort, and the mysterious Abhaydatta set off on a quest to
return a magical conch shell to its rightful place.
George, Kristine O’Connell. 2004. Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems.
Illustrated by Barry Moser. San Diego: Harcourt. ISBN 0-15-202325-9,
$16.00.
This
kinetic and keen journal of poems traces one family’s experiences with a
hummingbird and her young throughout their seasonal activities of nest
building, egg hatching, and flying lessons.
Hannigan,
Katherine. 2004. Ida B . . . and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid
Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World. New York:
Greenwillow. Library Edition: ISBN 0-06-073025-0, $16.89. Trade Edition:
ISBN 0-06-073024-2, $15.99. Audio Cassette: Listening Library, ISBN
1-4000-9093-8, $18.00.
Ida B
details her struggles as her insular, home-schooled world on an idyllic
Wisconsin farm with her loving and devoted parents is replaced by public
schooling, the sale of part of their land, and her Mother’s battle with
cancer.
Henkes, Kevin. 2003. Olive’s Ocean. New York: Greenwillow.
Library Edition: ISBN 0-06-053544-X, $16.89. Trade Edition: ISBN
0-06-053543-1, $15.99. Audio CD: Harper Children’s Audio, ISBN
0-06-074814-1, $22.00. Paperback Edition: HarperTrophy, ISBN 0-06-053545-8
$5.99.
Over
the course of one memorable summer, Martha experiences a myriad of events
and emotions as she embarks on an affirming rite of passage from childhood
innocence to adolescent awareness of her world.
Hopkinson, Deborah. 2004. Sailing for Gold: The Klondike Kid, Book 1.
Illustrated by Bill Farnsworth. New York: Aladdin. Library Edition: ISBN
0-689-86032-3, $11.89. Paperback Edition: Aladdin, ISBN: 0-689-86031-5,
$3.99.
Amidst the chaos in Seattle at the beginning of the Klondike gold rush,
orphaned Davey overcomes a multitude of obstacles as he searches for his
only living relative, an uncle who lives somewhere in the newly discovered
gold fields.
Krull,
Kathleen. 2004. The Boy on Fairfield Street: How Ted Geisel Grew Up to
Become Dr. Seuss. Illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. New
York: Random House. Library Edition: ISBN 0-375-92298-9, $18.99. Trade
Edition: ISBN 0-375-82298-4, $16.95.
Biographer Krull introduces readers to the first twenty-two years in Ted
Geisel’s life; spot art reproductions of familiar characters from Dr.
Seuss’s many works remind children of these favored books and tie into
detailed backmatter concerning Dr. Seuss’s later life and work.
Loy,
Jessica. 2003. Follow the Trail: A Young Person’s Guide to the Great
Outdoors. Photographs by the author. New York: Holt. ISBN
0-8050-6195-9, $18.95.
Filled with numerous ideas, safety rules, and games, as well as ways to
identify animal tracks, wildflowers, and constellations, this outdoor
guide provides a roadmap for camping fun and excitement.
Mann,
Elizabeth. 2003. Empire State Building. Illustrated by Alan
Witschonke. New York: Mikaya. ISBN 1-931414-06-8, $19.95.
From
inception to completion, Mann tracks the wonders of architecture,
engineering, and construction that went into the creation of the Empire
State Building. Social and political profiles of both millionaires and
laborers capture the essence of the individuals who dreamed of and built
this landmark.
Marsden,
Carolyn. 2004. Silk Umbrellas. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick.
ISBN 0-7636-2257-5, $15.99.
At
eleven, Noi, like her grandmother, paints delicate designs on silk
umbrellas that she sells in the local Thai market. But, when this income
fails to sustain the family, she must struggle to reconcile her own dreams
with her mother’s plan for her to work in a factory.
Montgomery, Sy. 2004. The Tarantula Scientist. Photographs by
Nic Bishop. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-618-14799-3, $18.00.
Follow scientist Samuel Marshall at work in the field in French Guiana, as
well as in the Hiram College lab in Ohio, while he studies all kinds of
tarantulas, including the Goliath birdeater, native to French Guiana and
as big as a dinner plate.
Raven,
Margot Theis. 2004. Circle Unbroken: The Story of a Basket and Its
People. Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. New York: Melanie Kroupa/Farrar.
ISBN 0-374-31289-3, $16.00.
Through her grandmother’s tales, a young girl learns the story of her
African-American heritage as well as the art of making traditional Gullah
sweetgrass baskets.
Sandin,
Joan. 2003. Coyote School News. Illustrated by the author. New
York: Holt. ISBN 0-8050-6558-X. $17.95.
Monchi Ramirez guides readers through the 1938 school year in a small
school in rural Arizona. Students celebrate La Fiesta de los Vanqueros and
strive to win baseball games as well as a Perfect Attendance Award in this
illustrated historical fiction.
Wheeler,
Lisa. 2004. Seadogs: An Epic Ocean Operetta. Illustrated by
Mark Siegel. New York: Richard Jackson/Atheneum. ISBN 0-689-85689-X,
$16.95.
Staged as an operetta, the final voyage (including a pirate attack and a
search for buried treasure) of a small but courageous canine crew plays
out in lively verse and comic book like illustrations.
Wise,
William. 2004. Christopher Mouse: The Tale of a Small Traveler.
Illustrated by Patrick Benson. New York: Bloomsbury. ISBN 1-58234-878-2,
$15.95.
In
this firstmouse narrative, young Christopher relates episodes of his life
in short, fast-paced chapters as he deals with a dangerous cat, a scheming
boy, and a young taxidermist.
Youme.
2004. Sélavi, That Is Life: A Haitian Story of Hope.
Illustrated by the author. El Paso, Texas: Cinco Puntos. ISBN 0-938317-84-9,
$17.95.
Through a moving text and the beauty of batik, collage, and photographs,
Youme presents the circumstances of a group of street children in Haiti
and shows how together they build a home in the midst of civil unrest.
