The Raven Boys
Kirkus Reviews An ancient Welsh king may be buried in the Virginia countryside; three privileged boys hope to disinter him. Meanwhile, 16-year-old Blue Sargent, daughter of a small-town psychic, has lived her whole life under a prophecy: If she kisses her true love, he will die. Not that she plans on kissing anyone. Blue isn't […]
Big Nate Makes the Grade
Nate Wright is known to his pals and teachers for many things, his penchant for mischief and his school record for detentions being the foremost. But beating out brainiac Gina's grades is not one of those things! In Big Nate Makes the Grade, the school life goings-on of Nate, his pals, and his long-suffering teachers […]
Rage of Lions
Kirkus Reviews The second episode in a series projected to run to at least six cranks up the stakes, the gore, the body count and the number of super-powered were-creatures as the kingdom of Westland is overwhelmed by huge armies of invaders. The cruel, depraved, deposed Lion King (take that, Disney) sits besieged in his […]
The Boston Tea Party
The New York Times The goal here is immediacy, but also historical accuracy, and Freedman…impressively achieves both. He neither sugar coats nor cherry picks in describing the events of Dec. 16, 1773. He delivers the historical past without ideology or histrionics…Peter Malone's classic, detailed watercolors illuminate the episode marvelously, as do Freedman's afterword, bibliography and […]
The Outcasts
School Library Journal Gr 6 Up—Hal Mikkelson, 16, is appointed "skirl," or leader of his brotherband, eight seafaring Skandian boys left unchosen by their athletic and popular peers. Disadvantaged by Ingvar's impaired vision, Ulf and Wulf's constant bickering, Stefan's clowning, Jesper's thievery, and Stig's hot-headed impulses, the outcasts become Herons, after the wolfship Hal helped […]
Island : a Story of the Galapagos
School Library Journal Gr 3–6—Chin combines a bit of storytelling, factual explanations, and large and small paintings to chronicle the "birth" and ongoing development of islands in this far-off ocean cluster. A focus on the evolutionary rise and fall of the islands and skillful arrangement of an especially large number of images distinguish his presentation […]
The Invaders
Overview The adventure continues in the Ranger's Apprentice companion trilogy! Hal and the Herons have done the impossible. This group of outsiders has beaten out the strongest, most skilled young warriors in all of Skandia to win the Brotherband competition. But their celebration comes to an abrupt end when the Skandians' most sacred artifact, the […]
Bigger Than a Bread Box
Children's Literature Twelve-year-old Rebecca has the bad fortune of witnessing the break-up and separation of her parents. As if that's not bad enough, she also receives the ironic curse of having her wishes come true. In this realistic fantasy Rebecca discovers a bread box in her grandmother's attic which produces objects of her wishing—a book, […]
Wereworld : Rise of the Wol
Publishers Weekly In this thrilling middle-grade debut, first in the Wereworld series, British author/illustrator Jobling (the designer of the Bob the Builder TV series) creates a memorable new setting in which were-creatures rule. When Drew’s mother is attacked by a monster, Drew’s true nature as a werewolf is unleashed. Driven from his home through a […]
The One and Only Ivan
Publishers Weekly Inspired by a true story, Applegate (Home of the Brave) offers a haunting tale told from the perspective of Ivan, a silverback gorilla who has been confined to a small “domain†of concrete, metal, and glass for 27 years. Joining Ivan at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade are Stella, […]