Archive for December, 2010

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

If you like supernatural teen fiction, you will love Paranormalcy.  Evie is a heroine with pizazz and spunk.  As the only human who can see through any  paranormal creature’s glamor, Evie’s job is to capture and neutralize dangerous paranormal creatures such as hags, vampires, and the occasional werewolf.  While her job can be very exciting, living in an underground compound surrounded by adults and paranormal creatures can be pretty tedious.  Things get interesting for Evie, though, when she develops a crush on an almost normal paranormal guy.

This is an engaging story with lots of fun characters and a heroine worth emulating. Evie is a strong girl who does not let other people tell her who she is.  Kiersten White’s story is clean enough for pre-teens yet engaging enough for older teens. Parents who object to dark themes will be pleased with the tameness in this teen novel.  Paranormalcy has an exciting plot, a fabulous heroine, and a great message of empowerment.

Paranormalcy, by Kiersten White; HarperTeen; $16.99; Ages 12 and up

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Sugar and Ice by Kate Messner

Claire Boucher loves to ice skate. Growing up on a maple farm, she hasn’t had a lot of time for practicing, but has spent each free moment on the cow pond in the backyard, spinning and jumping. At the annual Maple Show, Claire is offered the opportunity to train with a class of elite skaters in Lake Placid, under the direction of a world famous coach. At first, she’s torn as to what to do, not wanting to leave the farm chores to someone else, but when her parents make it possible, Claire jumps at the chance to really skate.

When Claire arrives at the training camp, she is bombarded with catty girls and tough competition. When she has to make the decision to stay or go back to normal life at the farm, Claire must put her dream up against what matters most to her.

This was a sweet story, with a great message for young girls. Claire is a realistic character with goals she’s striving towards, yet her family and home keep calling to her. The decision she was forced to make is one that a lot of kids have to deal with at some point in their lives and it was handled in a believable and interesting way. Great descriptions of the setting, making for a perfect winter read! You’ll want to cozy up with the book and a mug of hot cocoa while reading about Claire’s skating journey.

Sugar and Ice by Kate Messner, Walker Books, Ages 8-10, $16.99

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Holiday Hits!

For the sports-lover:  Sports Illustrated Kids All Access: Your Behind-The-Scenes Pass to Sports Stars, Locker Rooms, and More!

This interactive book has information on all your favorite sports stars! Measure your hand against Shaquille O’Neal’s, explore the inner-workings of Fenway Park, and examine the gear needed to stay safe in football with this expansive informational guide! Get the inside scoop on all things sports with this engaging book!

Sports Illustrated Kids All Access: Your Behind-The-Scenes Pass to Sports Stars, Locker Rooms, and More!; Time Inc.; $19.95; Ages 6 and up

For the History Buff: Tales of Famous Heroes by Peter and Connie Roop

Go on a journey through history and meet some of the most important and influential people around! Peter and Connie Roop supply readers with the enthralling true stories of seventeen important figures. Learn how Sacagawea guided Lewis and Clark along the Missouri River. Discover how Florence Nightingale and Jonas Salk made medical history! With clear, comprehensive text and wonderful, unique illustrations, this book is sure to be a holiday hit!

Tales of Famous Heroes by Peter and Connie Roop; Scholastic ,$17.99; Ages 8-10.

For the Animal Lover: National Geographic Kids’ Wild Animal Atlas: Earth’s Astonishing Animals and Where They Live

Travel around the world and back again in this amazing animal atlas! Enjoy the large colorful pictures of some of the most bizarre, ferocious, adorable and interesting creatures on our planet! Learn about different animal habitats, from the tundra to the grassland. Explore the small animals in the Alps, or read about some marsupials in Australia. With maps, pictures and facts galore, this book is bursting with information!

National Geographic Kids’ Wild Animal Atlas: Earth’s Astonishing Animals and Where They Live; National Geographic; $18.95 ; Ages 6 and up.

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The Sixty-Eight Rooms

On a field trip to the Art Institute of Chicago, Ruthie becomes fascinated by the Thorne Room exhibit, featuring miniature rooms created to look as they would during specific periods in history. Ruthie is not only drawn to the perfection of miniatures, but also feels a strange pull to the rooms. When she and her best friend, Jack, discover a magic key that allows Ruthie to shrink small enough to enter the rooms, she is thrilled! She explores all over, discovering she can not only look around the rooms, but she can go out into the entire world of the rooms’ time period.

Ruthie and Jack experience Massachusetts during the Salem Witch Trials and medieval times, among others. Children interested in history or adventure stories will definitely find themselves falling into the story of Jack, Ruthie, and the Thorne Rooms. Fans of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and The Borrowers will enjoy the story as well. A fun read aloud with the family and the perfect bridge to more books about art, history, and museums.

The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone, Random House, 16.99. Ages 10-12

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Celebrate Hanukkah with these Great Books

Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel, by Amy Cartwright; Price Stern Sloan 2010; $7.99; Ages 3 and up

You and your young one will enjoy this book set to the words of the familiar holiday song. The letters on the dreidel are incorporated into the colorful illustrations. The end of the book includes a pop-up surprise: three children playing with a dreidel that spins as you open and close the book.

Hanukkah: a Counting Book, by Emily Sper; Scholastic, Cartwheel Books 2001; $6.99; Ages newborn – 6

Count the lights of the menorah with this colorful and informative counting book. Each page shows one more candle through the stenciled pages with Hebrew and Yiddish translations of the numbers. Candles are displayed in order from right to left. Opposite pages include images of jelly doughnuts, elephants, Maccabees and other Hanukkah fair. At the end of the book is the story of Hanukkah. Great for the littlest celebrators with lots to look at and sturdy pages.  Great for those who are a little older and more aware of the tradition.

Eight Winter Nights: A Family Hanukkah Book, by Laura Krauss Melmed; Chronicle Books 2010; $16.99; ages 3-6

As Hanukkah approaches, a family prepares by pulling out and polishing the menorah. As each Hanukkah night goes by, they light the candles. One night they play dreidel; another they sing; another they are waiting for relatives to visit; all told in ryhming verse:

It’s so hard to wait
’til the cousins arrive
to help light the candles
on night number five

Pastel illustrations add to the text and the end of the book includes the story of Hanukkah and an explanation of some Hanukkah symbols. An awesome book to add to your Hanukkah collection.

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Murder for Her Majesty by Beth Hilgartner

Summer’s pick:

Alice Tuckfield is a fugitive. Living in Elizabethan England, she witnesses her father’s murder. Too afraid to go to the authorities, Alice runs away to York in search of a family friend. Before she can reach the friend, however, Alice is taken in by a group of choir boys who disguise her as a boy and sneak her into the cathedral boys’ choir. Safe and happy for the time being, Alice tries to figure out the identities of her father’s murderers. They might be closer than she thinks, though, and Alice could be in more danger than anyone realizes. Infused with humor, danger, and mystery, both boys and girls will enjoy this story because the main characters are male and female. This is a good book for young readers and excellent as a family-friendly read aloud.

A Murder for Her Majesty by Beth Hilgartner (Sandpiper); Ages 9-12; $6.95

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