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Fall Yields a Bounty
Harvest of New Books
by Sara Yu
Ahh... The fruits of fall: apples, pumpkins,
pomegranates, and a new crop of fabulous books. We have found
some new favorites this season– just published and ready
for your consumption. Enjoy with a warm mug of cider!
by Meg Cabot
Ages 10-14
Sam’s life is already too complicated.
Nobody appreciates her artistic talent; she has a crush on
her older sister’s boyfriend; and her younger sister
is a genius. But when she saves the President of the United
States from an assassination attempt and wins the attentions
of his super-cute son, her life suddenly gets a whole lot
crazier. The author of the enormously popular Princess Diaries
series does it again with a smart, sassy novel pre-teens will
devour.
by Julia Alvarez
Ages 11 and up
The beloved and critically acclaimed author
of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and In the Time
of the Butterflies now tells a historically accurate, emotionally
gripping story for young adults. It is 1960 in the Dominican
Republic and twelve-year-old Anita de la Torre’s favorite
uncle has disappeared. Indeed, her entire family is acting
strangely, and Anita is getting scared. As she contends with
growing up and her first crush, she also experiences the realities
of life in a dictatorship and struggles to remain hopeful.
by Don Brown
Ages 5-10
Alexandra David-Neel was a French opera singer who, at the
age of 43, left her husband to travel through Asia. There,
she studied Buddhism, learned to speak perfect Tibetan, and
became the first non-Asian woman to visit the capital of Tibet,
Lhasa, the Forbidden City. Simple but informative text and
beautiful watercolor illustrations convey the adventure, excitement,
and determination that characterized this truly remarkable
woman’s life.
by Mark Teague
Ages 5-7
Desperate to leave obedience school, a charming
but delinquent dog describes his plight in a number of letters
to his owner. Poor Ike! Obedience school must be awful…or
is it? Hilarious, larger-than-life paintings by the illustrator
of How
Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? reveal the truth. Kids are sure
to love the silly, but thoroughly satisfying, tale.
Lois Lowry
Ages 6-9
“Gooney Bird Greene stood up beside
her desk in the middle of the room. ‘Can I tell the story?’
she asked. ‘Can I be right smack in the middle of everything?
Can I be the hero?’” So Gooney Bird Greene tells
a series of “absolutely true” stories starring none
other than herself. Through her stories, her classmates get
to know the new kid whose clothes, lunches, and, best of all,
imagination are just as unique and creative as her name. In
the process, two-time Newbery Award winner Lowry introduces
young readers to the concepts and elements of storytelling.
by Katherine Paterson
Ages 11 and up
Angel Morgan’s life looks bleak. Her
father is in jail; her mother abandoned her at her great-grandmother’s
house; and Angel has to assume responsibility for the care
of her little brother and “Grandma.” But just when
she’s about to give up, she meets the enigmatic Star
Man, who teaches her about the constellations and gives her
something to look forward to each day. Full of real world
troubles and confusion, but peopled with kind and generous
characters, her new novel affirms that Katherine Paterson
is one of the very best children’s writers out there.
by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Peter
Sis
Ages 5-8
“We’re sailing to Scranimal Island
/ It doesn’t appear on most maps. The PARROTTERS float
on the tide there / The STORMY PETRELEPHANT flaps.” So
begins a wondrous word-play journey full of fantastical illustrations,
clever rhymes, and silly puns. Once again, a collaboration
between beloved nonsense poet Prelutsky and ever-enchanting
illustrator Sis yields a magical adventure.
by Cornelia Funke
Ages 10-13
Orphans Prosper and Bo are struggling to
survive on their own among the gorgeous architecture and ancient
canals of Venice when a mysterious boy called Thief Lord rescues
them. Soon enough, the Thief Lord and his troupe of runaways
become embroiled in a thrilling plot including a high-stakes
robbery, a private detective, a villainous Count, and an extraordinary,
magical secret. Wonderful characters, a captivating setting,
and a thoroughly engrossing story will make this everybody’s
new favorite book.
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