“"The Book" To Provide A New Voice In Book Reviews - Arts Journal” plus 4 more |
- "The Book" To Provide A New Voice In Book Reviews - Arts Journal
- Book Reviews - Daily News
- Pet Trouble Book Reviews - Kidzworld
- Business book reviews - Dallas Morning News
- Children's Book Reviews - Publishers Weekly
| "The Book" To Provide A New Voice In Book Reviews - Arts Journal Posted: 22 Oct 2009 08:47 AM PDT Forgive me if this has gotten around: as I mention above, I'm in Europe, at meetings, and therefore not seeing much news. But I've received word that The New Republic is starting a new section on its website called The Book. As TNR literary editor Leon Wieseltier wrote in his explanation of it, "the plan was to rush in and fill the vacuum in book criticism that is being left by the carnage in American newspapers" -- only better.
And though The Book is named in the same way as many TNR blogs, like The Vine (about the environment), it won't be a blog, Wieseltier says. Some of this sounds similar to Arts & Letters Daily. But not exactly. In any case, I certainly welcome it. Anything of quality that adds to the discussion of books has got to be a godsend to publishers and readers everywhere.
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| Posted: 20 Oct 2009 04:21 PM PDT
October 21, 2009
Katherine Hall Page, creator of the Faith Fairchild series, has another delicious mystery with a poignant Christmas theme in her latest work, "The Body in the Sleigh" (William Morrow, 256 pages). Caterer Faith Fairchild has had a difficult autumn. Her husband, Tom, suffered an acute attack of pancreatitis triggered by gallstones. After his release from the hospital, the couple decide to spend Christmas recuperating and, hopefully, relaxing at their cottage on Sanpere Island in Maine. But their dreams of a Merry Christmas are quickly dashed when Faith discovers the body of a young girl in an old sleigh that is part of the holiday decorations in front of the island's Historical Society. The girl appears to have overdosed on heroin, but the staged scene suggests foul play. The mystery is a nice twist on the Nativity Story, complete with a child found in a manger on Christmas Eve. In the Biblical story, the lowly shepherds are the first to adore the Christ Child. » Full StoryThis content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| Pet Trouble Book Reviews - Kidzworld Posted: 21 Oct 2009 11:26 AM PDT Series: Pet Trouble The Pet Trouble series of books by author T. T. Sutherland is all about dogs who just can't seem to behave themselves! The hilarious books in this series relates the sometimes-complicated love-not-quite-hate-but-close relationship lots of kids have with their pets. Book #1: Runaway Retriever Parker's new golden retriever Merlin is a guy's best friend, with tons of energy for walks and playing catch. And Merlin clearly thinks Parker is the best thing since rawhide bones. There's just one problem. Merlin is an escape artist. No fence is too high, no cage too strong to keep him from following Parker everywhere he goes. Can Parker make Merlin sit – and stay? Book #2: Loudest Beagle On The Block Ella spends all her time inside, practicing her music for the school talent show. But with her new beagle, Trumpet, she's starting to make new friends and see a whole world away from the piano bench. There's just one problem. Every time Ella starts to sing, Trumpet howls. Loudly. If Ella doesn't lose her canine costar, she doesn't stand a chance at the show – but can tone-deaf Trumpet tone it down? Book #3: Mud-Puddle Poodle When she finally gets a dog of her own, Rosie knows it's going to be perfect – unlike everything else in her chaotic house with four crazy brothers. There's just one problem. Buttons hates her fancy dog pillow, but she loves a good, dirty pile of leaves! Rosie's new pet is her complete opposite. Can she ever learn to live with this mess of a dog? Book #4: Bulldog Won't Budge Eric has always wanted a dog. So when a bulldog named Meatball is abandoned at his mother's veterinarian office, Eric is sure it's fate – he can give Meatball a new home! There's just one problem. Meatball is stubborn. And slow. Eric wants to go to the park and play fetch, but Meatball likes to lie in the grass and drool. Is there anything Eric can do to get this bulldog to budge? Book SiteThe Pet Trouble series, about dogs who just can't behave, has its very own website, too! Check it out at www.pet-trouble.com. The site includes all the Pet Trouble books (plus excerpts!), an author bio for T. T. Sutherland, answers to all your pet questions by Sunshine, the author's dog, Sunshine's Friends photo gallery, where you can send in a picture of your own adorable pet, games and quizzes and loads of links to other pet-related sites. Check it out ! Related Stories:> This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| Business book reviews - Dallas Morning News Posted: 19 Oct 2009 05:45 AM PDT
The Essential Bennis
Warren Bennis (Jossey-Bass, $42)
Warren Bennis, a peer of Peter Drucker, compiled his insights over more than 50 years into one volume. He identifies four core competencies gifted leaders have in abundance: Adaptive capacity. They see beyond the apparent. They know that they don't know what they don't know, so they're attuned to learning and see learning in failure. Noticing and the quest for knowledge enable them to see and seize opportunities. The ability to engage others in a shared vision. Leaders encourage dissent and questioning because they use constructive criticism to enhance their adaptive capacity. A distinctive voice. Their self-awareness, self-confidence and self-control show in their character. They know that emotional intelligence – the understanding of feelings that enable people to succeed in life – fosters shared vision. Integrity. Three components define it: ambition, competence and a strong moral compass. Bennis says leaders must hold onto the fearless, why-not parts of their youth that usually fall victim to time and the influence of others.
The Next Evolution of Marketing
Bob Gilbreath (McGraw-Hill, $27.95)
Thousands of us love DVRs because we can fast-forward through commercials. With decreasing bang for the buck through traditional channels, marketers should embrace Bob Gilbreath's life-improvement marketing. Yes, that's right: Marketing can improve your life. It improved mine as I traveled through the Los Angeles airport with a laptop needing a recharge – a free Samsung charging station came to my rescue. My friend Jane didn't go to dove.com looking for coupons. She went for advice on improving her teenage daughter's self-esteem. Another tack: Giving consumers access to product reviews sells good products and quickly alerts you to the ones that need improvements. Gilbreath offers hundreds of examples of companies that "sell" by incorporating life improvement into their marketing plans. Step by step, he shows how to do the same.
Jim Pawlak reviews business books for The Dallas Morning News. bizbooks@hotmail.com
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| Children's Book Reviews - Publishers Weekly Posted: 20 Oct 2009 01:26 AM PDT Picture Books Whoo Goes There? Jennifer A. Ericsson, illus. by Bert Kitchen. Roaring Brook/Porter, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-59643-371-7Compelling pacing, dark colors and an air of mystery lend significance to a series of events that might otherwise go unnoticed. Sitting on a bare tree limb under a full moon, Owl hears a rustling noise. "Whoo goes there? thought Owl. Is it a mouse—a fat little mouse just right for my dinner?" But no, it's a cat. The sequence is repeated with different animals: Owl's prospect always turns out to be either an unappetizing animal or prey that another animal has gotten to first—a useful lesson in the series of near misses that constitute the life of a predator. Ericsson's (A Piece of Chalk) sentences are short and spare, but the tension builds as Owl keeps getting fooled. Kitchen (Animal Alphabet) is master of the whisker-thin paint stroke—readers can almost see the porcupine's quills quiver in the velvety night. His paintings of the animals are a little like solemn American primitive portraits, though more detailed—and they add a layer of complexity to a deceptively simple book. Ages 2–6. (Oct.)  The Mitten Jim Aylesworth, illus. by Barbara McClintock. Scholastic Press, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-439-92544-0Aylesworth and McClintock's (Our Abe Lincoln) retold folktale about a lost mitten opens sweetly, with a playful boy wearing the tomato-red hat, scarf and mittens his grandmother has knit for him. After a carefree sled ride, he returns home, gazing disconsolately at his mittenless hand. He gets a comforting hug and hot chocolate while, outside, a delighted squirrel crawls into the mitten. Soon a rabbit asks to share the warmth: " 'Please!' begged the rabbit./ 'My toes are cold as ice!/ Your mitten looks so cozy,/ and warm toes would feel so nice!' " The tale grows sillier as a fox, then a bear, repeat the rabbit's rhyme to humorous effect and persuade the mitten's occupants to let them in the tight space, massively distending the mitten (they soon discover its limits—with explosive results). McClintock adapts her 19th century–style pen-and-ink imagery to the slapstick, emphasizing the animals' gestures and facial features in a Currier & Ives winter wonderland. The lifelike animals recall Joel Chandler Harris's folktales, and the naturalism—which is an unlikely but inspired vehicle for comedy—is full of surprises. Ages 3–6. (Oct.) The Truly Terribly Horrible Sweater... That Grandma Knit Debbie Macomber and Mary Lou Carney, illus. by Vincent Nguyen. HarperCollins, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-06-165093-2Young Cameron is counting on Grandma Susan to come through with a cool gift for his birthday. Instead, he gets a hideous sweater—one that defies all the boy's attempts at eradication (including donating it to the church rummage sale and dousing it in condiments). But Cameron changes his tune when Grandma explains the significance behind each of the colors in the sweater's lovingly stitched stripes (green commemorates a winning soccer goal, yellow signifies that he is "the sunshine of all our lives"). Macomber, a bestselling romance novelist making her picture book debut, and Carney (Tyler Timothy Bradford and the Birthday Surprise) do little to freshen up a chestnut premise—the narration feels like a well-intentioned youth sermon, and Cameron's efforts to rid himself of the sweater never gain comic momentum. Nguyen's (Gorilla Garage) characters tend toward a Plasticine quality reminiscent of the humans in the Toy Story movies, but his paintings pick up a considerable amount of energy and beauty whenever the story moves beyond its domestic confines. Ages 3–7. (Oct.) The Monkey with a Bright Blue Bottom Steve Smallman, illus. by Nick Schon. Good Books, $16.99 (26p) ISBN 978-1-56148-668-7This rhyming folktale asks readers to imagine a time when "the world was new" and almost all the animals had coats and skin "as dull as an elephant's poo"—all the animals, that is, except the birds, who flashed through the sky "like feathery rainbows." Finding a box of paints and seeing his chance during afternoon naptime, an envious and mischievous monkey does a jungle-wide makeover—he paints a leopard bright yellow (dripping black spots on it accidentally) and add stripes to both the zebra and the tail of the lemur. Appropriately, as the title hints, the monkey gets his own cosmetic comeuppance. Smallman's (The Lamb Who Came for Dinner) chipper verse doesn't have much in the way of wordplay, but it moves along at a crowd-pleasing, bouncy clip ("And still to this day when the monkey goes by,/ The animals giggle, they laugh till they cry"). Similarly, Schon's (Look What I Found!) workmanlike characterizations and standard-issue environments are buoyed considerably by his festively tropical palette and a wide repertoire of expressions. Ages 3–7. (Oct.) The Smallest Snowflake Bernadette Watts. North-South, $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7358-2258-0As she listens to the big plans of other snowflakes ("I'll ride the wind to the most beautiful mountain in the world"), the Smallest Snowflake wonders where she will land; she's searching for "someplace special." With the delicacy of embroidery, Watts's ink and watercolor spreads show snowy landscapes around the wintry world: rosy-cheeked women in red scarves hurrying past the domes of St. Basil's Cathedral, Mount Fuji standing against a pink sky swirling with snow, ice-dwellers fishing by igloos and icy peaks. Some may wonder how an object as ephemeral as a snowflake can think of searching for a place to settle down, but the Smallest Snowflake does just that, landing in the window box of a stone cottage. "There was a fire glowing in the fireplace and... on the table, a picture being painted" (an image from Watts's version of Little Red Riding Hood sits on the table). As spring comes, the inevitable conclusion brings not tragedy but elation for the snowflake: "Love filled her heart with such warmth that she melted away with joy." A gentle celebration of winter beauty. Ages 3–up. (Oct.) The Knitting of Elizabeth Amelia Patricia Lee Gauch, illus. by Barbara Lavallee. Holt, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-8050-6535-0Gauch (the Tanya books), in an unusual but touching story, introduces a girl whose mother knits her out of wool "just the way she wanted her," giving her "a sky-blue petticoat that she never had to take off." As Elizabeth Amelia grows, she goes off to school, is universally beloved for her softness and bounce, and eventually marries. Only then, without children, does she feel a void. Using a piece of yarn unraveling from her foot, Elizabeth Amelia knits a baby, then "borrows" yarn from other parts of her own body to knit three more. Readers may find the now legless woman's shrinking physique alarming ("You're nothing but a pillow!" exclaims her husband). With the support and help of her family, though, she knits replacement body parts so she can again dance and do "a great many things... that she hadn't done before"). Though the story is admittedly strange, Lavallee's (Grandma Calls Me Beautiful) stylized and exuberant watercolors embody the joy that comes from giving of oneself (sometimes literally) and of getting it right back. Ages 4–8. (Oct.) The Busiest Street in Town Mara Rockliff, illus. by Sarah McMenemy. Knopf, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-375-84020-3Agatha May Walker and Eulalie Scruggs are lifelong friends who live directly across from each other on Rushmore Boulevard. The aptly named thoroughfare has become so congested ("Cars zipped by. Motorcycles roared. Giant trucks rumbled and grumbled, coming through, coming through") that the simple act of visiting one another has become downright dangerous. So Agatha engages in a classic act of civil disobedience: she plants a wingback chair smack in the middle of the street and offers her homemade gingersnaps to even the rudest drivers. Page by page, the traffic retreats, neighbors emerge from their homes and soon Agatha and Eulalie are presiding over a festive pedestrian playground, complete with mariachi band. The heroines' willingness to take a stand in the name of civility and community shows that even little old ladies (and, by implication, little kids) can make a difference. It's a story that could easily turn preachy or treacly, but Rockliff (Next to an Ant) and the always buoyant McMenemy (Everybody Bonjours!) proffer their object lesson with a light touch: the reportorial prose and cheery, naïve drawings exude a matter-of-fact optimism that's genuinely inspiring. Ages 5–8. (Oct.) Dragons Love Stephen Parlato. Simply Read (PGW, dist.), $16.95 (44p) ISBN 978-1-897476-18-5Dramatic and surreal, Parlato's (The World That Loved Books) dragon collages, made up of repeated and sometimes distorted images, take center stage in this work. "Dragons love flowers, their colors and perfumes," he writes, as the corresponding spread shows a dragon composed of flaming parrot tulips and sunset-colored birds of paradise. Succeeding spreads show more dragons, their claws, snouts, wings and tails made up of rainbow hues of beetles, seashells, leaves, mushrooms—even flags of the world. The creatures recall Fabergé eggs, gilded, bejeweled and adorned with calligraphic swirls and coils. The rambling free verse is a collage, too, in which medieval-sounding expressions ("Dragons love mushrooms.... They know to choose carefully the ones they eat... lest poison be their fate") rub shoulders with modern colloquialisms ("then [they] boogie on back to their caves"), not always to pleasing effect. There's an inspirational quality to Parlato's text ("And what Dragons love most of all on this Earth... are children like You, who still believe in dragons and great deeds in great need of doing"), but it largely feels incidental to the baroque richness of Parlato's artwork. Ages 5–up. (Oct.) John Brown: His Fight for Freedom John Hendrix. Abrams, $18.95 (40p) ISBN 978-0-8109-3798-7This unflinching biography by illustrator Hendrix (Abe Lincoln Crosses the Creek), his first as author, begins with a lucid summary of the antislavery movement, pre–Civil War politics and Brown's early activities in the underground railroad. With the massacre of proslavery settlers at Pottawatomie Creek, Hendrix zooms in closer to reconstruct the abolitionist's transformation into an outlaw ("John's ruthless tactics spread fear into the hearts of the Border Ruffians and others, but also branded John a crazed madman"). The violent raid in Harper's Ferry, Va., leads to Brown's arrest and execution and is the climactic event of this compelling narrative. In an author's note, Hendrix opines why Brown should be admired as visionary, not villain ("Terrorists crave destruction and turmoil, and the seed of John's rebellion was compassion"). An aptly polarized palette of saturated amber and blue acrylic washes with pen and ink lends the folk hero's tale hyperbolic splendor (in one memorable spread Brown metamorphoses into a tornado). Hand-hewn, period-fashion fonts spell out Brown's pronouncements and biblical quotations, underlining his convictions. A strong introduction to Brown's controversial legacy. Ages 8–12. (Oct.) Fiction Return to the Hundred Acre Wood David Benedictus, illus. by Mark Burgess. Dutton, $19.99 (208p) ISBN 978-0-525-42160-3Christopher Robin returns from boarding school (80 years later) in this authorized but largely forgettable third volume of stories about Pooh, Piglet and the denizens of Milne's famous forest. Missing is the charm of the first book, mediated by an adult narrator creating a tableau for his child's imaginative play with a coterie of stuffed friends. Like the first books, there are 10 stories, but they are aged up to reflect Christopher's new interests—the play here involves a spelling bee, cricket, the creation of a school, the use of a thesaurus, atlas, dictionary, etc. A new character, Lottie the Otter, joins Rabbit and Owl to make a trio of the sanctimonious. Even saintly Kanga—Kanga!—loses her patience with Roo. There are a few inspired moments, including Rabbit's ill-conceived plan to lure his Friends and Relations to participate in a census using carrots and shortbread. (Rabbit also gets the best line: "Happy may be all very well, Eeyore, but it doesn't butter any parsnips.") Burgess's illustrations are serviceable and resemble the originals, but, again, topping Shepard's originals proves a tough act to follow. All ages. (Oct.) The Shadow of Malabron Thomas Wharton. Candlewick, $16.99 (400p) ISBN 978-0-7636-3911-2Some readers may be initially disappointed that Wharton's children's book debut, first in the planned Perilous Realm trilogy, scoops up so many common fantasy elements: someone from our world accidentally ends up in a magical world, immediately meets a helper as danger threatens and later encounters a wise older character who knows the land's geography and history. But a fun twist awaits: the world where teenage Will Lightfoot finds himself (the aptly named Perilous Realm) is the place where all of Earth's stories originate ("The storytellers in your world have always traveled to the Realm, either in the flesh, as you have, or in their dreams and imaginings," Will learns from the toymaker, Pendrake). Will and his companions seek a way home while fighting the minions of the evil Malabron, who is trying to enslave the entire realm, as well as other dangers. Most elements of the story are predictable, but the ways the characters deal with them are less so, and Will's companions move beyond their familiar tropes. Young readers will find much to keep them turning pages. Ages 10–up. (Oct.) Gateway Sharon Shinn. Viking, $17.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-670-01178-0Daiyu was adopted as a baby from China by an American couple, and now as a teenager in St. Louis, a strangely attractive gem sends her into an alternate world where North America was colonized by Chinese settlers rather than Europeans. Daiyu is recruited by Ombri and Aurora, two "servants of the gods" who are also able to move between worlds, to help stop Chenglei, a dangerous traveler who has been elected prime minister of Shenglang (the alternate version of St. Louis and "arguably the most important city on the world called Jia"). But even as Daiyu becomes increasingly fascinated by Shenglang and attracted to Kalen, who assists Ombri and Aurora, she begins questioning everything: is the charming Chenglei truly evil? ("Were Aurora and Ombri simply interdimensional bounty hunters who had their own agenda?" she wonders. "How could she possibly know?"). Shinn's (General Winston's Daughter) fantasy finds the right balance between adventure and romance, while illuminating how seductive evil can be and that sometimes the best weapon one can possess is a skeptical mind. Ages 12–up. (Oct.) A Brief History of Montmaray Michelle Cooper. Knopf, $16.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-375-85864-2A highly atmospheric setting on the invented European island of Montmaray and a memorably eccentric cast prove a standout backdrop for this adventure set in 1936. In personable, smart diary entries, 16-year-old Sophie FitzOsborne unveils her life of aristocratic poverty in a crumbling fortified castle with sharks below the rickety drawbridge, living with her unbalanced uncle the king, tomboy sister Henry, bluestocking cousin Veronica and eerily loyal housekeeper ("It's not my fault I'm a princess [albeit one from an impoverished and inconsequential island kingdom that is miles from anywhere]," Sophie moans). Cooper ably interweaves this fictional dynasty with historical fact, sketching details about the Spanish Civil War and growing Nazi power, the handful of villagers left on the island ("there are now as many Royal Highnesses on the island as there are subjects"), visits from friends from England and Sophie's longed-for debut. When German soldiers arrive, events take a perilous turn, and the revelation of long-hidden family secrets adds additional gothic undertones. Cooper's taut pacing and strong characters make this a powerful historical novel. Ages 12–up. (Oct.) Malice Chris Wooding, illus. by Dan Chernett. Scholastic Press, $14.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-545-16043-8Toying with the menace and adventure of urban legends and comic books, Wooding (The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray) introduces readers to the bizarre realm of Malice in this novel/comic book hybrid. Every kid knows how to get there: gather certain ingredients and call six times for Tall Jake, and he may come to steal you away. When their friend Luke vanishes, Seth and Kady theorize that he was taken by Tall Jake, and begin to investigate. Then Seth disappears as well, sucked into a world where mechanical monsters stalk the unwary and the only way home is to obtain a rare white train ticket. As Kady continues to uncover secrets in the real world—including her own connection to Malice—Seth and a new friend undergo a harrowing journey seeking answers. The cliffhanger ending means that many of those answers must wait until the second book, Havoc, planned for 2010. But the fast-paced story line and whimsically dangerous setting will capture plenty of attention. Even more eye-catching are the interspersed sections where comic book panels replace textual narrative (as well as the three-dimensional cover), making this a memorable multimedia experience. Ages 12–up. (Oct.) Ice Sarah Beth Durst. S&S/McElderry, $16.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-4169-8643-0Durst (Into the Wild) skillfully integrates a contemporary girl into an updated version of the tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon, balancing the magical with the modern. Cassie grew up hearing the story of the Polar Bear King and the North Wind's Daughter. On her 18th birthday, she discovers it wasn't a fairy tale—it was the true story of her own missing mother, and now the Polar Bear King has come to claim Cassie for his bride. But if that part of the story is true, than the other part is, too: Cassie's mother lives. Cassie marries Bear in exchange for her mother's rescue, but finds he's more than an animal—he's a "munaqsri," responsible for the transport of souls. Cassie accidentally betrays Bear's trust and he is forced to leave her, sending Cassie on a harrowing adventure that takes her beyond the ends of the earth to save Bear and restore the essential balance of nature. While one of Cassie's many tribulations goes on a tad long, her quest for self-worth, independence, maturity and love, is twisty, absorbing and satisfying. Ages 12–up. (Oct.) The Other Side of Blue Valerie O. Patterson. Clarion, $16 (240p) ISBN 978-0-547-24436-5This slow and predictable debut elaborates the familiar theme of a young artist's coming-of-age. Fifteen-year-old Cyan is dealing with the mysterious death of her father in a boating accident the year before, as well as her mother's remoteness, during a summer vacation on the Caribbean island of Curaçao. Cyan's inner dialogue as she copes with her loneliness and alienation is punctuated with extended contemplations on color: "Color is how we perceive light hitting an object," she muses, referring to a book by Goethe, a gift from her father. "The color closest to the darkness... is blue." Her struggles are amplified by the arrival of a potential future stepsister who, Cyan imagines, is everything her artist mother would like her to be—thin, beautiful and a willing protégé. Her only ally is the housekeeper, Martia, whose nurturing serves as a stark contrast to Cyan's disapproving and distant mother. During an awkward sexual encounter with Cyan, Mayur, an overbearing teenage neighbor, finally reveals the piece of information that confirms what most readers will have suspected is at the center of the family dysfunction. Ages 12–up. (Oct.) Into the Wild Nerd Yonder Julie Halpern. Feiwel and Friends, $16.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0-312-38252-0Sophomore Jessie Sloan is having a bad year. Her two closest friends are turning punk and boy-crazed; one of them even pursues Jessie's longtime crush. To make matters worse, Jessie's beloved older brother will soon be leaving for college. Jessie feels adrift and spends her time sewing skirts and listening to audiobooks. Halpern's (Get Well Soon) story picks up pace when class nerd Dottie introduces Jessie to Dungeons and Dragons, which Jessie (to her surprise) actually enjoys, leading her to a new group of friends as well as a heartfelt, if a little clichéd, crush on a cute boy with his own nerdish tendencies. Jessie is a thoughtful, sympathetic narrator ("How is it that someone becomes a dork?... What makes some people like punk music and Denny's and other people like costumes and Dungeons and Dragons?"), and her fresh voice will reveal to readers just how independent and exceptional she is (even when Jessie can't see it herself). The relationships and dialogue ring true; readers navigating the stratified social structures of high school will relish an ending that celebrates true friendship. Ages 12–up. (Oct.) Mirrorscape Mike Wilks. Egmont USA, $16.99 (336p) ISBN 978-1-60684-008-5Wilks (The Ultimate Alphabet) launches a trilogy with this adventure set in a world where imagination has power and art is literally alive. Melkin (Mel) Womper, a talented young artist, is given the chance of a lifetime when he's selected to study under the famous painter, Ambrosius Blenk. This puts him at odds with the sinister Adolfus Spute, who represents the Fifth Mystery, one of five organizations with a stranglehold on everything that involves the five senses (the Fifth Mystery controls color). It also brings him the enmity of Blenk's lazy, drunken head apprentice, Groot. Together, these enemies make life difficult for Mel and his new friends, Ludo and Wren. Soon after Mel discovers the secret of passing through certain paintings into the Mirrorscape, a surreal alternate world that exists within the paintings, Spute launches an all-out attack on Blenk. Devilish angels, walking houses, impossible contraptions and monsters galore collide in a no-holds-barred battle of the brushes. Wilks creates a chaotic, whimsical romp that will appeal to the mind's eye. Ages 12–up. (Oct.) Age 14 Geert Spillebeen, trans. from the Dutch by Terese Edelstein. Houghton Mifflin, $16 (224p) ISBN 978-0-547-05342-4Patrick Condon, a strapping Irish boy who, even at age 10, stood "head and shoulders" above his peers, dreams of joining the military. His opportunity comes at age 12 when, posing as his older brother, he successfully enlists as a part-time soldier with the Militia Battalion shortly before the onset of WWI. His training sessions seem like a game; the grim reality of fighting an actual battle doesn't set in until two years later when Patrick, who has advanced to the status of full-time soldier, is called to defend France and Belgium. Facing trench warfare firsthand, Patrick wonders, "What is worse? To be hit by a piece of shrapnel that tears off a limb and rips open your belly? Or to be killed right away?" Based on historical facts, this tale of an underage soldier captures the initial excitement and ultimate disillusionment of men, young and old, fighting at the front. Spillebeen's choice to reveal Patrick's fate in the first chapter may lessen the suspense, but readers will be emotionally prepared to bear the story's conclusion. Unadorned prose expresses unsettling truths in straightforward, clear terms. Ages 12–up. (Oct.) Happy Hanukkah! Seven new books for the eight days of Hanukkah. Happy Hanukkah, Corduroy Don Freeman, illus. by Lisa McCue. Viking, $5.99 (14p) ISBN 978-0-670-01127-8In this board book, Corduroy, who sports a purple yarmulke in addition to his customary green corduroy overalls, entertains a pink patchwork bunny, a rag doll, a long-eared dog and a blue mouse for a Hanukkah celebration. Once his guests arrive, they light the menorah, eat potato latkes, exchange gifts, spin the dreidel and sing Hanukkah songs together. A straightforward, lighthearted introduction to the holiday, featuring a familiar face. Up to age 2. (Oct.) A Chanukah Present For: Me! Lily Karr, illus. by Jill McDonald. Scholastic/Cartwheel, $6.99 (16p) ISBN 978-0-545-14874-0This inviting board book is decorated like a Hanukkah present on the outside, with a sparkling silver ribbon and blue background with Hanukkah motifs. Inside, readers can learn about the simple joys of the holiday: they are invited to count how many pieces of chocolate gelt appear and later guess what's inside a pile of fried doughnuts. On the final spread, family members (they resemble paper dolls) display their favorite parts of the holiday. Lively and charming. Also available: A Christmas Present for: Me! Up to age 3. (Sept.) Hanukkah Lights David Martin, illus. by Melissa Sweet. Candlewick, $5.99 (26p) ISBN 978-0-7636-3029-4In this cheerful board book, five children light a new candle on their menorah for each night of Hanukkah as they indulge in activities like exchanging gifts, making shadow puppets and reading a story. The text is simple and soothing—"Hanukkah candles, shining bright./ One more candle every night"—while patterns as cozy as a patchwork quilt are featured throughout: the children are dressed in festive floral and plaid prints, and the candles they place on the menorah feature stripes, dots and curlicues. Also available: Christmas Tree. Ages 1–3. (Sept.) Hoppy Hanukkah! Linda Glaser, illus. by Daniel Howarth. Albert Whitman, $15.99 (24p) ISBN 978-0-8075-3378-9A loving family of rabbits prepares to celebrate Hanukkah in its comfy home. Siblings Simon and Violet can hardly stand the anticipation as they wait for sunset. As evening approaches, readers can learn about Hanukkah activities along with the young rabbits: "Each night we'll light one more candle—for eight nights," Mama explains. The festivities continue as the family prepares latkes, plays a game of dreidel, and Simon and Violet receive a gift. The book exudes a gentle, familial warmth that should nurture readers' enthusiasm for their own traditions. Ages 2–5. (Sept.) My Chanukah Playbook Salina Yoon. S&S/Little Simon, $10.99 (10p) ISBN 978-1-4169-8957-8This sturdy, interactive book comes with eight shiny gold pieces of cardboard gelt, which can be removed from a tray in the cover via a ribbon pulley. As the minimal, accessible text describes the history of the holiday (the victory of the Maccabees, the miracle of the oil), readers can place the gelt into the Maccabees' die-cut shields, onto plated latkes and into a "tzedekah" or "charity" box (the gilt doesn't snap perfectly into theallotted spaces, but it's still a pleasing effect). On the last spread, readers can "light" the "chanukkiyah" by sliding the gelt into individual slots for each of the eight candles for a satisfying finale. Ages 3–5. (Oct.) Menorah Under the Sea Esther Susan Heller. Kar-Ben, $17.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8225-7386-9; $7.95 paper ISBN 978-0-8225-7390-6This picture book follows marine ecologist David Ginsburg to the McMurdo research station in Antarctica to study sea urchins during Hanukkah. Since there is no night in the Antarctic summer, Ginsburg wonders, "How can you light a menorah when the sun is still shining?" Circling underwater, he hits upon an idea, gently placing sea urchins and sea stars in the shape of a menorah on the sea floor. The vibrant color photography and surprising thematic juxtaposition—readers will learn as much about urchins as about the holiday—makes this a memorable selection, even for readers who don't celebrate Hanukkah. Ages 5–9. (Sept.) Hanukkah Around the World Tami Lehman-Wilzig, illus. by Vicki Wehrman. Kar-Ben, $16.95 (48p) ISBN 978-0-8225-8761-3; $7.95 paper ISBN 978-0-8225-8762-0This tour of Hanukkah includes information on its historical significance and the ways in which it is celebrated in places like New York City, Turin, Sydney and Warsaw. After an introductory section about the history, terminology and customs associated with the holiday, the book features a story of a child living in each city. Each section explains how he or she will celebrate the holiday and offers brief historical summaries of Judaism in each region as well as recipes for dishes like burmelos, precipizi and latkes. The informative sections are nicely balanced against the more festive elements. Ages 8–11. (Sept.) Flights of Fancy From interactive fun to rousing read-aloud, here are some winning gift ideas. Watch Me Go! Rebecca Young, illus. by Von Glitschka. Scholastic/Cartwheel, $12.99 (16p) ISBN 978-0-545-14699-9Using the same lenticular technology as the duo's Watch Me Hop!, this compact book creates the illusion of moving vehicles, including a race car, spaceship and fire engine. The movements, undeniably smooth and detailed, are "activated" when readers tilt the book vertically. Some are exceptional (an approaching train slowly floods a dark tunnel with light), as the eight machines identify themselves in bold, block print: "I'm a digger./ My treads go around./ Watch me go move the ground!" It's a simple, modest optical effect, but paired with the book's crisp silhouette backgrounds, it should hold readers' attention. Ages 3–up. (Sept.) There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly Jeremy Holmes. Chronicle, $16.99 (18p) ISBN 978-0-8118-6793-1The old lady in this smart reimagining could have been designed by Dada artists: her eerie, bespectacled eyes peer at readers from atop this tall, narrow-format book and her skin is made from an antique map. To access the story, readers must remove a slipcover (which functions as her coat): appropriately enough, the darkly humorous story takes place in her midsection. Holmes delights in showing the animals' grisly successes at dispatching their predecessors (the bird sent to catch the spider dangles three of the arachnid's eyes from its mouth, but ends up a roast dinner for the cat on the next page). As expected, the old lady doesn't make it through the ordeal: her eyes close as the final page turns. A stylishly macabre treasure. Ages 4–8. (Oct.) Waddle! Rufus Butler Seder. Workman, $12.95 (12p) ISBN 978-0-7611-5112-8On the heels of Gallop! and Swing!, Seder's latest Scanimation ode to movement adds color to its bestselling formula, mostly to good effect. Like the previous books, the simple text poses playful questions ("Can you hop like a frog? flip-flop-floop!"). The level of detail on a few animals (the hopping frog, leaping dolphin and chomping alligator) is striking, but the addition of color also has the effect of reducing the contrast, and thus the detail, in others (notably the pig, hummingbird and bear), whose features are indistinct. Still, readers should find the animations mesmerizing. Ages 4–8. (Oct.) Where's Waldo? The Incredible Paper Chase Martin Handford. Candlewick, $14.99 (24p) ISBN 978-0-7636-4689-9In this seventh Waldo book, Waldo and his companions conceal themselves in a prehistoric landscape (with exotic dinosaurs not exactly found in the fossil record) and hide out during a "dog fight" (warrior men dressed in dog costumes wage battle using feather-tipped spears), among other unusual settings. Readers can also engage with interactive features like a "Muddy Swampy Jungle Game," which comes with a fold-out board, counters and Waldo cards, and a punch-out "Wacky Waldo Circus," complete with performers and an audience. The extras will entertain, but purists may find that nothing beats the fun of simply spotting Waldo in a crowd. Ages 5–8. (Oct.) Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T.S. Eliot, illus. by Axel Scheffler. Harcourt, $16 (80p) ISBN 978-0-547-24827-1This lively and accessible edition of Eliot's classic homage to felines rounds up the familiar gang, with characters like the sprightly Jellicle Cats, who dance in chorus lines on moonlit rooftops, and the vicious Great Rumpuscat, whose fearsome jaws and eyes like "fireballs fearfully blazing" send rival dog gangs scattering. The distinctive personalities of each cat—brought to life by Scheffler's expressive cartoonlike paintings—and Eliot's lyrical, tongue-and-cheek wordplay, will appeal to a new generation of cat aficionados. Ages 6–9. (Oct.) This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
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