Monday, October 17, 2011

New YA Books

The Call - Michael Grant
A seemingly average twelve-year-old learns that he is destined to gather a team of similarly gifted children to try to save the world from a nameless evil, which is threatening to reappear after having been imprisoned for three thousand years.

Brooklyn, Burning - Steve Brezenoff

Sixteen-year-old Kid, who lives on the streets of Brooklyn, loves Felix, a guitarist and junkie who disappears, leaving Kid the prime suspect in an arson investigation, but a year later Scout arrives, giving Kid a second chance to be in a band and find true love

1
3 Curses - Michelle Harrison
When fairies steal her brother, thirteen-year-old Rowan Fox promises that in exchange for his return she will find the thirteen charms that the fairies have enchanted and hidden in the human world.

The Ghostwriter Secret - Mac Barnett

Twelve-year-old Steve is investigating a diamond heist but the case suddenly changes when the author of the Bailey Brothers detective novels writes him a letter to say that he fears for his life.

Saga - Conor Kostick
On Saga, a world based on a video role-playing game, fifteen-year-ol
d Ghost lives to break rules, but the Dark Queen who controls Saga plans to enslave its people and those of New Earth, and Ghost and her airboarding friends, along with Erik and his friends from Epic, try to stop her.

The Secrets of the Crown - Adam Jay Epstein

When human magic is destroyed, familiars Aldwyn the cat, Skylar the blue jay, and Gilbert the tree frog set out without their wizards to seek the Crown of the Snow Leopard, the only object that can save the kingdom of Vastia from the evil hare Paksahara.

Breadcrumbs - Anne Ursu
Hazel and Jack are best friends until an accident with a magical mirror and a run-in with a villainous queen find Hazel on her own, entering an enchanted wood in the hopes of saving Jack's life.

The Limping Man - Maurice Gee

When the Limping Man, who controls minds for evil purposes, and his army invade Blood Burrow, Hana flees into the woods for safety, where she joins a group who wants to confront and destroy him before he takes over the world.

The
Son of Neptune - Rick Riordan
Demigod Percy Jackson, still with no memory, and his new friends from Camp Jupiter, Hazel and Frank, go on a quest to free Death, but their bigger task is to unite the Greek and Roman camps so that the Prophecy of Seven can be fulfilled

New Nonfiction Books

A Storm Called Katrina - Myron Uhlberg
When flood waters from broken levees submerge their New Orleans neighborhood in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a young cornet player and his parents evacuate their home and struggle to survive and stay together.

Victoria and Her Court - Virginia Schomp
A social history of Victorian England, focusing on life in the upper echelons of society during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901).

Lives of the Presidents - Kathleen Krull
Presents the lives of the presidents, focusing on their roles as parents, husbands, pet owners, and neighbors, while also including humorous anecdotes about
hairstyles, attitudes, diets, fears, and sleep patterns.

Skywalkers: Mohawk Ironworkers Build the City - David Weitzman
Narrative text and photographs examines Native American history and the development of structural engineering and architecture, focusing on Mohawk ironworkers.

Basic Genealogy for Kids - Bonnie Hinman
Introduces readers to basic tools and techniques for researching their ancestors.

Using Technology to Find Your Family History - Tammy Gagne
Explains how to use technology to research genealogical information, offering insight into where to explore, how to search, and the details that can be found.

How to Research Your Ancestry - Tamra Orr
Offers kids practical advice on how they can research their ancestry, with an overview of various sources for genealogy information and tips on organizing everything
into a family tree.

Design Your Family Tree - Amie Jane Leavitt
An introduction to genealogy for children that explains how to create a family tree, with tips on finding information on their ancestors and documenting that information in an easy-to-read format.


Teen Cyberbullying Investigated - Tom Jacobs
Powerful collection of landmark court cases involving teens and charges of cyberbullying, which includes: sending insulting or threatening emails, text, or instant messages directly to someone; spreading hateful comments about someone through emails, blogs, or chat rooms; stealing passwords and sending out threatening messages using a false identity; and building a Web site to target specific people. Each chapter features the seminal case and resulting decision, asks readers whether they agree with the decision, and urges them to think about how the decision affects their lives. Chapters also include related cases, important facts and statistics, and suggestions for further reading.


Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans - Kadir Nelson
A simple introduction to African-American history, from Revolutionary-era slavery up to the election of President Obama.

New Teaching Aids


Carrying Bags for Big Books

30"x24" plastic bag with handles that can be used to carry big books and other large teaching aids. The bags are stored in the Big Book cases near the CMC door.

New Children's Books

The Wizard of Oz: A Scanimation Book - Rufus Butler Seder

We're off to see the wizard! The magic of Scanimation meets the wonderful Wizard of Oz, bringing to life 10 memorable scenes from the movie that's enchanted generations of viewers.


Under the Mambo Moon - Julia Durango

Contains poems about the different people who stop by Marisol's
father's music store on a hot summer night, looking for just the right songs to make their hearts fly home.

Toys Come Home - Emily Jenkins

When a little girl gets a plush stingray for her birthday, it makes friends with some of her other toys as they all try to navigate in the world of real pe
ople.

12 Days of Christmas - Barbi Sido

A board book with accordion-style fold-out pages presents an illustrated version of the traditional Christmas carol "Twelve Days of
Christmas."

Roslyn Rutabaga and the Biggest Hole on Earth - Marie-Louise Gay

Roslyn Rutabaga is a rabbit. One day she has a plan to dig the biggest hole on earth. Will she succeed? Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Medal

Anna Hibiscus - Atinuke


Anna Hibiscus, who lives in Africa with her whole family, loves to splash in the sea and have parties for her aunties, but Anna would love to see snow.
Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor


Pocketful of Posies - Salley Mavor

Peek inside and discover a treasure trove of nursery rhymes stunningly illustrated. Each rhyme has been lovingly stitched with rich fabric and colorful threads and exquisitely ornamented with everyday objects such as acorns, buttons, beads, driftwoo
d, stones, and shells. Boston Globe-Horn Book Award

The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories - Dr. Seuss

Presents seven Dr. Seuss stories first published in magazines between 1950 and 1951, with an introduction and commentary on each.


A Little Bitty Man and Other Poems for the Very Young - Halfdan Rasmussen

Halfdan Rassmussen was born in Copenhagen in 1915 and fought in the Danish resistance during the German occupation. This is a selection of his children's poetry translated into English.


Levi Strauss Gets a Bright Idea - Tony Johnston


Retells, in tall-tale fashion, how Levi Strauss went to California during the Gold Rush, saw the need for a sturdier kind of trouser, and invented jeans.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

New Childtrens Book

Wonderstruck - Brian Selznick
Having lost his mother and his hearing in a short time, twelve-year-old Ben leaves his Minnesota home in 1977 to seek the father he never knew in New York City, and meets there Rose, who is also longing for something missing from her life. Ben's story is told in words; Rose's in pictures.

New Teaching Aids

Double-sided self-portrait mirror
Double-sided, table-top mirror, approximately 8"x11". For ages 3 and up.

Dry-erase boards

Magnetic, dry-erase board, approximately 18"x24". See call number 371.33 L438M for a set of erasers.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

New Graphic Novel

Hera: The Goddess and Her Glory - George O'Connor
Recounts the stories of the many heroes who sought and won the approval and patronage of Hera, the Queen of the Gods, including the story of Heracles.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

New YA Books

Jefferson's Sons - Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
A fictionalized look at the last twenty years of Thomas Jefferson's life at Monticello through the eyes of three of his slaves, two of whom were his sons by his slave, Sally Hemings.

Stay with Me - Paul Griffin
Fifteen-year-olds Mack, a high school drop-out but a genius with dogs, and Céce, who hopes to use her intelligence to avoid a life like her mother's, meet and fall in love at the restaurant where they both work, but when Mack lands in prison he pushes Céce away and only a one-eared pit-bull can keep them together.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

New YA Book

You Will Call me Drog - Sue Cowing
Unless eleven-year-old Parker can find a way to remove the sinister puppet that refuses to leave his hand, he will wind up in military school or worse but first he must stand up for himself to his best friend Wren, his mother, and his nearly-absent father.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

New Children's Books

Grandpa Green - Lane Smith
A child explores the ordinary life of his extraordinary great-grandfather, as expressed in his topiary garden.

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site - Sherri Duskey Rinker
At sunset, when their work is done for the day, a crane truck, a cement mixer, and other pieces of construction equipment make their way to their resting places and go to sleep.

The Twins' Blanket - Hyewon Yum
Two twin girls, who have always shared everything, sleep in separate beds with their own blankets for the first time.

Fort Mose - Glennette Tilley Turner
Follows the history of slavery from West Africa to America, recounts what daily life was like, and describes the founding of the Spanish colonies.

ZooZical - Judy Sierra
When the winter doldrums arrive at the zoo, a very small hippo and a young kangaroo decide to stage a "ZooZical," a show to display their singing, dancing, acrobatic, and other talents to the people of Springfield.

Mouse and Mole: A Perfect Halloween - Wong Herbert Yee
As Halloween approaches, Mouse helps her friend Mole get over his fear and enjoy the holiday.

Butterflies - Seymour Simon
Provides information about the physical characteristics and behaviors of butterflies.


Drawing from Memory - Allen Say
Caldecott medalist Allen Say chronicles his experiences as an artist during World War II, and describes his relationship with his mentor Noro Shinpei, Japan's leading cartoonist.

School for Bandits - Hannah Shaw
Ralph Raccoon is too polite so his parents send him to Bandit School to learn to behave like a properly bad raccoon.

A Zeal of Zebras - Woop Studios
An alphabet book featuring the imaginative use of collective nouns to identify the individual letters and describe different groups of animals.

Monday, September 19, 2011

New YA Books

Wildwood - Colin Meloy
When her baby brother is kidnapped by crows, seventh-grader Prue McKeel ventures into the forbidden Impassable Wilderness--a dangerous and magical forest in the middle of Portland, Oregon--and soon finds herself involved in a war among the various inhabitants.

The Girl Is Murder - Kathryn Miller Haines
In 1942 New York City, fifteen-year-old Iris grieves for her mother who committed suicide and for the loss of her life of privilege, and secretly helps her father with his detective business since he, having lost a leg at Pearl Harbor, struggles to make ends meet.

The Fox Inheritance - Mary E. Pearson
Two-hundred-sixty years after a terrible accident destroyed their bodies, sixteen-year-old Locke and seventeen-year-old Kara have been brought back to life in newly bioengineered bodies, with many questions about the world they find themselves in and more than two centuries of horrible memories of being trapped in a digital netherworld wondering what would become of them.

Lie - Caroline Bock
Told in several voices, a group of Long Island high school seniors conspire to protect eighteen-year-old Jimmy after he brutally assaults two Salvadoran immigrants, until they begin to see the moral implications of Jimmy's actions and the consequences of being loyal to a violent bully.

Silhouetted by the Blue - Traci L. Jones
After the death of her mother in an automobile accident, seventh-grader Serena, who has gotten the lead in her middle school play, is left to handle the day-to-day challenges of caring for herself and her younger brother when their father cannot pull himself out of his depression.

Witchlanders - Lena Coakley
After the prediction of Ryder's mother, once a great prophet and powerful witch, comes true and their village is destroyed by a deadly assassin, Ryder embarks on a quest that takes him into the mountains in search of the destroyer.

Sparrow Road - Sheila O'Connor
Twelve-year-old Raine spends the summer at a mysterious artists colony and discovers a secret about her past.

Americapedia: Taking the Dumb Out of Freedom - Jodi Lynn Anderson
Presents a blend of humor and a civic textbook to cover American politics, international relations, religion, and culture.

Now Playing: Stoner & Spaz II - Ron Koertge
High schooler Ben Bancroft, a budding filmmaker with Cerebral Palsy, struggles to understand his relationship with drug-addict Colleen while he explores a new friendship with A.J., who shares his obsession with movies and makes a good impression on Ben's grandmother.

Waterfall - Lisa T. Bergren
Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Bentarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives with their parents, famed Etruscan scholars, among the romantic hills. Stuck among the rubble of medieval castles in rural Tuscany on yet another hot, dusty archaeological site, Gabi and Lia are bored out of their minds-- until Gabi places her hand atop a handprint in an ancient tomb and finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy. And worse yet, in the middle of a fierce battle between knights of two opposing forces. And thus does she come to be rescued by the knight-prince Marcello Falassi, who takes her back to his father's castle--a castle Gabi has seen in ruins in another life. Suddenly Gabi's summer in Italy is much, much more interesting. But what do you do when your knight in shining armor lives, literally, in a different world?

Cascade - Lisa T. Bergren
When Gabi and Lia return to medieval Italy with their mother, they find a heroes' welcome from the people of Siena and enemies that wish them dead.

People - Blexbolex
Explores, through brief text and illustrations, various sorts of people, the jobs they do, and the connections among them.


Dead End in Norvelt - Jack Gantos
In the historic town of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, twelve-year-old Jack Gantos spends the summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with a most unusual chore involving the newly dead, molten wax, twisted promises, Girl Scout cookies, underage driving, lessons from history, typewriting, and countless bloody noses.


City of Orphans - Avi
In 1893 New York, thirteen-year-old Maks, a newsboy, teams up with Willa, a homeless girl, to clear his older sister, Emma, from charges that she stole from the brand new Waldorf Hotel, where she works. Includes historical notes.

I'll Be There - Holly Goldberg Sloan
Raised by an unstable father who keeps constantly on the move, Sam Border has long been the voice of his younger brother, Riddle, but everything changes when Sam meets Emily Bell and, welcomed by her family, the brothers are faced with normalcy for the first time.

Trapped: How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet Below the Chilean Desert - Marc Aronson
Provides a detailed account of rescue efforts to save thirty-three miners, who got trapped in a copper-gold mine in San Jose, Chile, examining the psychological, physical, and environmental factors influencing the course of the rescue, and describing the efforts of experts from around the world--drillers, astronauts, submarine specialists, and others--came together in response to the crisis.

Big Nate on a Roll - Lincoln Peirce
Middle-schooler Nate Wright vies against his rival, the "perfect" Artur, to win the grand prize of a customized skateboard in their scout troop contest.

Queen of Hearts - Martha Brooks
Shortly after her first kiss but before her sixteenth birthday in December, 1941, Marie Claire and her younger brother and sister are sent to a tuberculosis sanatorium near their Manitoba farm.

Addie on the Inside - James Howe
Outspoken thirteen-year-old Addie Carle learns about love, loss, and staying true to herself as she navigates seventh grade, enjoys a visit from her grandmother, fights with her boyfriend, and endures gossip and meanness from her former best friend.