Thursday, January 30, 2014

New Picture Books

Itsy Bitsy Spider - Dosh Archer
"A spider arrives at City Hospital with some strange head injuries. How did this happen? And does it have anything to do with all the water rushing down the water spout?"-- Provided by publisher

Mo's Mustache  - Ben Clanton
Mo's big, beautiful mustache inspires all of his friends to copy his style by growing fabulous mustaches of their own, leaving Mo to wonder how he will continue to distinguish himself's Mustache.


Read Me a Story, Stella - Marie-Louise Gay
Stella introduces her little brother Sam to the pleasures of reading.

A Moose That Says Moooooooooo - Jennifer Hamburg
"Chaos ensues when a child imagines a zoo filled with animals doing the unusual and the unlikely."-- Provided by publisher


Off We Go! A Bear and Mole Story - Will Hillenbrand
"Bear teaches his friend, Mole, how to ride his bike with no training wheels. After many bumps along the road, they make it to their final destination: the Storymobile."

Fraidyzoo - Thyra Heder
Little T remembers that she was frightened last time her family visited the zoo but not why, so her creative family helps by imitating animals from A to Z until she recalls exactly what caused her fear.


The Long, Long Line - Tomoko Ohmura
Numbered and named, fifty animals line up to take a roller coaster ride on a giant whale!

Xander's Panda Party - Linda Sue Park
Xander's plan to host a panda party falls through, since he is the only panda at the zoo, but when he extends the invitation to all of the bears, complications ensue. Includes author's note on the wonders of the animal kingdom and the international effort to save pandas from extinction.

How to Hide a Lion - Helen Stephens
Iris understands that grown-ups are afraid of lions, but when she finds one in her playhouse she knows he is kind so she keeps him hidden from her parents for as long as possible.

Outfoxed by Mike Twohy
Fox breaks into a henhouse to steal a chicken for dinner but grabs Duck, instead--a clever fowl that pretends to be a dog.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Elementary and Middle Grade Fiction

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp - Kathi Appelt
Twelve-year-old Chap Brayburn, ancient Sugar Man, and his raccoon-brother Swamp Scouts Bingo and J'miah try to save Bayou Tourterelle from feral pigs Clydine and Buzzie, greedy Sunny Boy Beaucoup, and world-class alligator wrestler and would-be land developer Jaeger Stitch.


Serafina's Promise - Ann E. Burg
In a poor village outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Serafina works hard to help her family, but dreams of going to school and becoming a doctor--then the earthquake hits and Serafina must summon all her courage to find her father and still get medicine for her sick baby brother as she promised.


How to Catch a Bogle - Catherine Jinks
In 1870s London, a young orphan girl becomes the apprentice to a man who traps monsters for a living.

Rooftoppers - Katherine Rundell
When authorities threaten to take Sophie, twelve, from Charles who has been her guardian since she was one and both survived a shipwreck, the pair goes to Paris to try to find Sophie's mother, and they are aided by Matteo and his band of "rooftoppers."

Monday, January 27, 2014

New Nonfiction

Elementary
Stripes of All Types - Susan Stockdale
What kinds of animals have stripes? And why do they have them? To hide more easily? To recognize one another? To warn enemies to stay away? In this book you'll learn that animals have stripes for all these reasons and more. This book introduces young readers to the many ways in which animals around the world wear their stripes. An afterword tells a bit more about each animal and where it lives. (Reading Level - 2.8)

Upper Elementary and Middle School
The Mad Potter: George E. Ohr, Eccentric Genius - Jan Greenberg & Sandra Jordan
Looks at the life of potter George E. Ohr, known for his unique designs, whose work did not become widely successful until after his death. (Reading Level - 5.2)

The Animal Book: A Collection of the Fastest, Fiercest, Toughest, Cleverest, Shyest - and Most Surprising- Animals on Earth - Steve Jenkins
Shares facts on over three hundred animals and offers a brief overview of the history of life on Earth. Dance with a blue-footed booby, or stare down an eyelash viper. But mind your step-- in the animal world, the name of the game is survival. (Reading Level - 6.0)

Follow Your Money: Who Gets It, Who Spends It, Where Does It Go?
- Kevin Sylvester and Michael Hlinka
Discover the path your money takes as it goes for everything from the raw materials used to make a product, to the workers who produce it and the advertisers who promote it. (Reading Level - 6.2)


Young Adult
March: Book One - John Lewis
A graphic novel trilogy based on the life of civil rights leader and congressman John Lewis.
(Reading Level - 9-12)




Friday, January 24, 2014

New Picture Books


Pomelo's Opposites - Ramona Badescu
Pomelo the ele-fantastic hero explores opposites-- of the classic variety, the philosophical, and those that are just plain silly and fun to read.

The Bear's Song - Benjamin Chaud
Papa Bear wakes up to find his son missing, and his search leads him to an opera house and a command performance.


Year of the Jungle: Memories From the Home Front - Suzanne Collins
Suzy spends her year in first grade waiting for her father, who is serving in Vietnam, and when the postcards stop coming she worries that he will never make it home.

Me Too! - Valeri Gorbachev
For beginning readers. "Chipmunk and Bear spend a snowy day together and discover that they like to do all of the same things."-- Provided by publisher


The Silver Button - Bob Graham
At the same moment that Jodie's baby brother takes his first step, a city's worth of moments unfold.


When Charley Met Grampa - Amy Hest
It's a snowy day, and Grampa is coming by train for a visit. Henry can't wait for him to meet his new puppy, Charley.

Moo! - David LaRochelle
When Cow gets her hooves on the farmer's car, she takes it for a wild ride through the country.


No Fits, Nilson! - Zachariah OHora
Amelia must continually remind her gorilla friend, Nilson, not to have fits, especially when they are running errands with her mother, but sometimes Amelia stomps and growls, too.

I'm Not a Pig in Underpants - Elwood H. Smith
"A rhyming story in which a mysterious animal narrator challenges readers to figure out its identity by explaining which kinds of animal it is not."-- Provided by publisher

Nonfiction
Sophie Scott Goes South - Alison Lester
"Sophie Scott is only nine years old, but she's going to Antarctica on an icebreaker with her dad, the ship's captain. During the voyage to Mawson Station and back, Sophie keeps a diary. She sees icebergs, penguins, seals and whales. She makes new friends, wonders at the southern lights and even becomes stranded in a blizzard!"--Back cover

To Dare Mighty Things: The Life of Theodore Roosevelt - Doreen Rappaport
President Theodore Roosevelt is known as "the man with a plan," the "rough rider." His figure stands tall in American history; his legacy stretching him to larger-than-life proportions. But before his rise to fame, he was just "Teedie," a boy with ambitious dreams to change the world, and the conviction to see his stupendous imaginings brought to fruition. As an American president, he left an impressive mark upon his country. He promised a "square deal" to all citizens, he tamed big businesses, and protected the nation's wildlife and natural beauty. His fearless leadership assured that he would always be remembered, and his robust spirit now dares others to do mighty things. In her moving picture book portrait, award-winning author Doreen Rappaport uses her well-honed approach of personal quotes and vivid prose to spin together the tale of a sickly boy who became a monumental man. Coupled with C.F. Payne's dramatic artwork, the story of President Teddy, touchstone of American history, is brought to life. (provided by publisher)

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

New YA Books

The Naturals - Jennifer Lynn Barnes
"Seventeen-year-old Cassie, who has a natural ability to read people, joins an elite group of criminal profilers at the FBI in order to help solve cold cases."-- Provided by publisher

Curtsies & Conspiracies - Gail Carriger
Book the Second in the Finishing School series. In her alternate England of 1851, fifteen-year-old Sophronia tries to uncover who is behind a plot to control a prototype that has the potential to alter human and supernatural travel, and to learn what role Mademoiselle Geraldine's academy for young spies plays in the affair.

The Eye of Minds - James Dashner
"Michael is a skilled internet gamer in a world of advanced technology. When a cyber-terrorist begins to threaten players, Michael is called upon to seek him and his secret's out."-- Provided by publisher

Foul Trouble- John Feinstein
"College recruiters are clambering to sign up Terrell Jamerson, the #1 high school basketball player in the country. But not all of these recruiters are straight shooters, and Terrell will have to think fast if he wants to stay in the game."-- Provided by publisher


Maggot Moon - Sally Gardner
"An unlikely teenager risks all to expose the truth about a heralded moon landing. What if the football hadn't gone over the wall. On the other side of the wall there is a dark secret. And the devil. And the Moon Man. And the Motherland doesn't want anyone to know. But Standish Treadwell--who has different-colored eyes, who can't read, can't write, Standish Treadwell isn't bright--sees things differently than the rest of the "train-track thinkers." So when Standish and his only friend and neighbor, Hector, make their way to the other side of the wall, they see what the Motherland has been hiding. And it's big."--Dust jacket

Hostage Three - Nick Lake
Seventeen-year-old Amy, her father, and her stepmother becomes hostages when Somalian pirates seize their yacht, but although she builds a bond with one of her captors it becomes brutally clear that the price of life and its value are two very different things.


Champion: A Legend Novel - Marie Lu
"June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic--and each other--and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic's border cities."-- Provided by publisher


All Our Yesterdays - Cristin Terrill
"Em must travel back in time to prevent a catastrophic time machine from ever being invented, while Marina battles to prevent the murder of the boy she loves."-- Provided by publisher


Twinmaker - Sean Williams
When her best friend, Libby, misuses instant transportation technology to alter her appearance, seventeeen-year-old Clair is drawn into a shadowy world of conspiracies and cover-ups as she attempts to save Libby from the hidden consequences of her actions.


Nonfiction
The Great American Dust Bowl - Don Brown
The causes and results of the Dust Bowl and how the lessons learned are still used today. Presented in comic book format.