Celebritrees : Historic and Famous Trees of the World
School Library Journal Gr 2 4—Preus introduces 14 trees famous in history or legend. Some are renowned for their age, height, girth, or other physical characteristics. For example, Methuselah, a bristlecone pine in California, is more than 4000 years old, while the Tule Tree in Mexico measures 177 feet around. Others are associated with historic […]
The School of Night : a Novel
The New York Times – Marilyn Stasio: There's one nice thing about literary puzzles—the clues don't normally involve bloody pentacles or symbolically displayed body parts. A few codes and cryptograms are all you need to get caught up in an enigmatic mystery like The School of Night…the story is fascinating.
"N" Is For Noose
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
Donated in Memory of Theresa Dowd by Mary & Don Beaudin. Children's Literature: Calpurnia is an active, inquisitive eleven-year-old girl, living in a small Texas town in 1899. She takes no interest in cooking or sewing and is, in fact, inept in all household duties. Calpurnia is the only girl in a family of seven […]
The Girl With Glass Feet : a Novel
The New York Times – Robin Romm: The hybrid form of the book?fairy tale, myth, psychological realism and fantasy?impresses. But Shaw's most delightful offerings are the vivid details he provides to make the magical real?The end of the book, saturated with color and emotion, is risky and brave like the message it imparts. Only a […]
Wolf Hall : a Novel
The Washington Post – Wendy Smith: Henry VIII's quest to make Anne Boleyn his queen has inspired reams of historical fiction, much of it trashy and most of it trite. Yet from this seemingly shopworn material, Hilary Mantel has created a novel both fresh and finely wrought: a brilliant portrait of a society in the […]
The Spire : a Novel
Library Journal Patterson turns from political hot potatoes like the Arab-Israeli conflict (Exile) and oil in Africa (Eclipse) to write this intriguing novel of psychological suspense. Character development is key here; we meet Mark Darrow, a young football player who receives a scholarship to Caldwell, a local private college; his best friend, Steve Tillman, who […]
Shake the Devil Off : a True Story of the Murder That Rocked New Orleans
Kirkus Reviews: Journalist Brown (Snitch: Informants, Cooperators, and the Corruption of Justice, 2007, etc.) tries his hand at true crime. In October 2006, 28-year-old Zackery Bowen jumped from the roof of La Riviera bar in New Orleans and died instantly upon hitting the concrete. In his pocket was a suicide note explaining that he'd dismembered […]
Life In the Boreal Forest
School Library Journal Gr 3?5?A vast, yet endangered, ecosystem flourishes in this slim, elegant pictorial book. Spirin's dramatic, realistic illustrations spill over the pages, compressing Guiberson's lyrical text into bamboo-toned columns on the side. Exploding with the sounds of the boreal forest (in spring, a Tennessee warbler sings "tika tika swee swee!" while a moose […]
Katie Loves the Kittens
Added to the library in honor of the birth of Amelia Sara Metcalf. School Library Journal: PreS-Gr 3 When Sara Ann brings home three little kittens, her enthusiastic dog, Katie, is beside herself with joy. Unfortunately, the tail-wagging pooch shows her affection through leaps, bounds, and howls that scare the newcomers and earn her repeated […]