As summer winds down, I thought I might take a moment and update some of my earlier blog entries.

In my very first post, I mentioned that my UPS man was having knee surgery. I’m happy to report that Mark has made a full, almost astounding recovery. He’s back to being the unicycling fool he was before the surgery. I say fool in the kindest possible way. I’d never met a unicyclist before Mark, and he is just enthusiastic about being able to ride on one giant wheel. It’s delighful.

Sadly, the scariest place in the bookstore, the back room, remains, perhaps even more frightening. Most of this is not my fault, as I’ve got cartons and cartons of Catching Fire waiting for eager kids and adults to read starting Tuesday. Try as I might, I just can’t keep that room clean. When I got back from vacation in July, I had an epiphany — I am the reason the store is messy. My staff consists of self-avowed anal compulsives and I’m, well, I’m not that way. The store is always cleaner at the end of the day if I’m not the one closing up. 

My struggles continue with the Baker and Taylor boxes. No easier to break down than they were months ago. I still struggle, but at least now, I protect my face when I recycle them, so at least, I haven’t punched myself in the face again. I have, however, gotten some wicked cardboard cuts which hurt and bleed way more than regular paper cuts.

The galleys for the fall have ceased and now we’re on to Spring 2010. Blissfully, our mudroom has been organized by month, so all the galleys are now in easy to read order. Meetings are now easier because I can actually find the book I need to look at before a meeting. While I’m organized, it’s a little scary to me that I’m already running out of room for 2010 galleys and it’s just September.

I have one very funny thing to add to When Kids Pay with Money. A young girl, about four, had saved her money to buy a fairy sticker book. It was on sale the day she came, so she saved a dollar, but still wound up needing to use, as her mom said, "all her paper money." This sweet little girl counted out four dollar bills and said to no one in particular, "But I like the paper money." Honey, we all like the paper money.

For a few years now, some of the hottest fairy properties on bookstore shelves have been the Rainbow Magic books — U.K. imports written by Daisy Meadows (which is I’m sure is – ahem – a real person’s name) and published in the U.S. by Scholastic. So far "Daisy" has penned at least nine Rainbow Magic series, each featuring at least seve  titles, all aimed at very young readers. The shelves of our beginning reader section (which are currently groaning for lack of space from having to accommodate all of these) are currently home to…
The Rainbow Fairies (e.g. Ruby the Red Fairy, Inky the Indigo Fairy),
The Weather Fairies (e.g. Abigail the Breeze Fairy, Evie the Mist Fairy),
The Petal Fairies (e.g. Pippa the Poppy Fairy, Olivia the Orchid Fairy),
The Pet Fairies (e.g. Katie the Kitten Fairy, Georgia the Guinea Pig Fairy),
The Jewel Fairies (e.g. Scarlett the Garnet Fairy, Sophie the Sapphire Fairy),
The Fun Day Fairies (e.g. Willow the Wednesday Fairy, Felicity the Friday Fairy), and The Dance Fairies (e.g. Jade the Disco Fairy, Rebecca the Rock n’   Roll Fairy).

As if that’s not already a fairy good-sized load of fairy books, there are (Holy shelf space nightmare, Batman!) two more series coming from Daisy Meadows this winter, each featuring another seven books: the Music Fairies (coming January 2010) and the Sports Fairies (coming April 2010). No doubt many a fairy-loving girl will soon be preoccupied with the difficulties faced by her winged friends in Fiona the Flute Fairy and Brittany the Basketball Fairy, to name just two!

While Daisy Meadows is rapidly covering a lot of thematic territory with these books, I myself am seeing some real sales potential in the areas that have NOT yet been covered by Rainbow Magic. With your help, I would like to enter the fairy successful fairy fray with this: the Book Business Magic series, published under my new penname, Flowering Fields. I know that, thanks to your input, each book in this series will be chock full of fairy exciting adventures and introduce young book lovers to the careers they might want to consider adopting someday.

My outline for the series’ first title, Bettina the Bookseller Fairy, currently looks like this:

Bettina the Bookseller Fairy by Flowering Fields

Bettina the Bookseller Fairy might take home a meager paycheck, but she loves communing with customers during her weekday evenings at Fairy Good Books, where three times she has earned the honor of "Pixie of the Month" for her fairy good customer service skills. Those skills come in extra handy on the day an evil troll leaves his children unattended in the children’s section! Will Bettina be forced to adopt the poor dears?

Now it’s your turn to help this series take shape. What professions do you think should be included in the Book Business Magic series? And what will those fairies’ adventures BE? Please help me fill in these fairy empty blanks by submitting your own title and plot suggestions in the comments below. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Carmen the Copy Editor Fairy
Pansy the Publisher Fairy
Paulina the Publicist Fairy 
Damian the Designer Fairy
Lolita the Librarian Fairy
Michael the Marketing Executive Fairy
Fred the Foreign Rights Fairy 

To create your own artwork to go alongside the fairies you create for Book Business Magic, visit the "Create a Fairy" page of Rainbow Magic Online. (That’s my rendering of Bettina the Bookseller Fairy at the very top of this post. They didn’t have a tattoo option, or I’d have gone that route.)

It seems to me you’d have to have enormous resiliency, not to mention a generous sense of humor and/or deep ethnic pride, to grow up black in this country. One of the many things I hope will come out of having Barack Obama as President is publishers’ embarrassed realization that, heck, there’s not a whole lot out there in the children’s book world featuring kids like Malia and Sasha. That is, books with black characters who lead 21st-century lives in a vibrant world of ethnic diversity. Books that aren’t about slavery, civil rights, and the struggles of interracial relationships. Those stories are vital and must be told—both the brutal and the inspirational—but just as 2009 American Jewish kids don’t see themselves primarily in the context of the Holocaust, neither do black children live in the past. They, like all children, deserve to be active, lively participants in the children’s literature of the present.
It’s not that race is unimportant. Race (and its equally powerful counterpart, class) are always with us in this country, and I do not think we should pretend they are not. That, too, would be a disservice to children. But in this overwhelmingly white field of publishing and bookselling, we need to get beyond an over-awareness of race and get to the real business of living in this colorful world. Somehow, the politeness of political correctness has ended up quashing a lot of what began as an authentic, hopeful, brilliant, warts-and-all exploration of cross-cultural joy and beauty that came out of the Sixties.
As a child of the mid-1960’s and 1970’s, I had the great good fortune of growing up at a time often referred to as a golden age in children’s book publishing. The likes of Ezra Jack Keats and Virginia Hamilton and Walter Dean Myers were unleashing their genius on the world, and in the heady culture of mainstream embracement of hippie ideals, racial representation in books was in some ways more inclusive, broad, low-key yet celebratory, and therefore “realer” than it feels (at least to me) today. I was a Free to Be…You and Me child, a Ms. Magazine ‘Stories for Free Children’ reader, and I wonder how we’ve gotten so far from those promising, inclusive days.
As a bookseller, it’s mortifying to have so few multiracial options to offer parents and kids—both white and black. It’s wildly frustrating to come up against, time and again, the erroneous assumption that white kids will not want to read about non-white kids. That is one of the most ridiculous pervasive myths in all of bookselling. Is Corduroy (interior illustration at right) not one of the most beloved classics of all time? Do children hesitate to pick up Looking for a Moose (left) by Phyllis Root because there are brown faces on the cover? In The Stories Julian Tells, can white children not relate to Julian and his little brother Huey “accidentally” eating up all the dessert before dinner? Do white parents eschew The Snowy Day because Peter is black? Is E.L. Konigsburg’s Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth less appealing to kids because one of its two main characters is black? (I was extremely disappointed to see that the new cover for that marvelous Newbery Honor book, while well designed, now omits the black character.) Are children reading Mary Hoffman’s Amazing Grace unable to put themselves in her imaginative shoes even if they aren’t black, or a girl? (Do I need to answer these rhetorical questions?)
When I worked in publishing back in the early ’90s, I had a friend who brought me along to sort publisher book donations at a well-known author’s NYC apartment. On our way, my friend told me that the author, who had quietly and modestly started an admirable literacy foundation, had also broken the color barrier in series book covers. She had had to fight to get a black main character on the cover of a book, against marketing resistance fearing the book wouldn’t sell to the series’ great white readership. She won the battle, and that book sold more copies than any of its prior series-mates. This is anecdotal, but I have no reason to doubt its veracity.
In some ways, we’ve come so far as a country. But the powerful influence of the nation’s publishing media hasn’t caught up. Nowhere was this more obvious than the recent disturbing events concerning the choice to put a white girl on the cover of a book about a black girl (Justine Larbalestier’s YA novel, Liar. This issue has been widely covered in the trade and blogosphere; for background, check out the author’s blog.) The white girl on the cover wasn’t meant to represent a secondary character in the book; she was meant to represent the black narrator. Now, the narrator is a liar, so there has been some debate about whether or not she is who she says she is. However, if that argument holds, then the best cover choice would be to obscure or omit physical features altogether (the decision of Larbalestier’s original Australian publisher; shown at left). Like it or not, the photograph of a person on a book cover codifies the publisher’s idea of that character’s appearance.
This choice to use a white girl shocked, but shouldn’t have surprised, me; book marketing can be an extremely cynical operation. Larbalestier’s U.S. publisher is certainly not the only house that has found itself on similarly iffy ground, and, to their great credit, they have chosen a replacement cover image that, if still not free from controversy, is a critical good-faith effort that I think will prove to gain more in public restoration of goodwill than they will have lost financially with the expense of the late change. (Note: corporate giant Microsoft just landed itself in some serious hot water with a racial switch on its website.)
One of my all-time favorite books as a middle-grade kid was Louise Fitzhugh’s Nobody’s Family Is Going to Change. It features a wickedly smart, sarcastic, funny main character, Emma, who eats too many cream horns (I had no idea what those were, but was fascinated by them and wanted one) and wants to be a lawyer. Her little brother loves to dance. Their parents—a brusque, traditional, lawyer father and a lovely, passive mother—are not thrilled with their children’s choices, and a family dramedy is born. In the book, race is only an issue inasmuch as it is an issue in Emma’s life, if that makes sense. That is, it’s one of many consuming issues in her life, but not (in her case) the primary one. Still, one of my favorite moments in the story is when Emma messes with her white Upper East Side classmates, who stupidly assume she’s from “the ghetto” because she’s black, though her family is easily as wealthy as any of theirs. She is annoyed and amused by their assumptions; it’s a delicious moment of awareness for readers from both sides of the
ignorance spectrum. Louise Fitzhugh was white, but she opened a window into an urban, black, upper-class world for me, a white kid growing up in Scottsdale, Arizona. I never forgot the subtler lessons underneath all that humor and rebellion Emma shared with me. (By the way, on the new cover for the book, which desperately needed the re-design, it’s interesting that Emma doesn’t look overweight. She hasn’t been whitewashed, but she’s been “thin-washed.” And that’s a blog post for another day.)
The good that has arisen from the unfortunate Liar incident is that it has initiated a more open discussion of racial representation in books and on book covers. The topic is uncomfortable in a field so overwhelmingly not “of color.” Attend a book show, and you will see a sea of largely white faces; finding editors, publishers, and booksellers of color is more challenging than finding male pre-K-through-3 teachers at a school convention. This is not intentional, but it is a fact, and needs to be addressed. At the 2008 BEA, Josie and I met a dynamic duo of young African-American women getting ready to open a bookstore. They spoke about the need for grants and scholarships to attract people of color to publishing programs at universities and colleges. Sounds like an excellent idea.
In the meantime, I’d like to compile a list of 2009 books that feature characters of color in books about contemporary American children, whether or not race is part of the story. In general, there seem to be more books meeting these criteria for teen readers than their younger counterparts. Where is our black Ramona Quimby? It’s not fair to make Christopher Paul Curtis do all the work in middle grade. (Just kidding. Sort of.) I’ve noticed a couple of recent new series for young readers, like Sharon M. Draper’s Sassy books (Scholastic) and Whoopi Goldberg’s Sugar Plum Ballerinas (Jump at the Sun). That’s a great start, but there’s room for so much more. Publishers and authors are invited to email me these titles at shelftalker2 at gmail dot com, and I will publish the list here in ShelfTalker. (Unless you are a bookseller, please don’t put these titles in the comments section, since people tend to discount those recommendations as self-promotion and you may end up undermining the very good title you hope to share with a larger audience.) 
As an undergrad at UC Berkeley, I remember being annoyed by the theme of a university exhibit featuring “Great Female Artists of the 20th Century.” Walking with my calm, brilliant thesis advisor, I ranted a little bit. “This makes it sound like great artists are male by default. They don’t have exhibits of ‘great male artists.’ Why not an exhibition of great artists, many of whom happen to be female?” She smiled, and said, “Ideally, it would be. It will be. But this is one of the steps we have to go through to get there.” The question of racial inclusiveness in children’s literature is a little like that. Like all things racial in this country, it’s been a process. But now I think we’ve gone through enough intermediary steps and are ready to get there.
*** UPDATE: Check out our LibraryThing collection of more than 2000 books featuring main characters of color whose stories are not primarily driven by racial issues: **** Also, for another article on this topic, with book ideas, check out Shelftalker’s “A World Full of Color”, a follow-up to this Ramona Quimby post.

Often, amid the hustle of a busy season, it’s easy to forget the little things that help sell books. I’m talking about the simple, well-written shelftalker. (Okay, secretly I was wondering how long it would me take once I started writing for ShelfTalker, to do a blog *about* shelftalkers. Just about five months — frankly, I feel like I’ve been holding back.)

Sometimes all it takes to turn a browser into a purchaser is an index card singing the praises of the book the customer is considering. A good shelftalker should read like an enthusiastic bookstore staffer handing someone a book. Short and to the point without giving away the plot, the perfect shelftalker is like having another staffer on the floor.

Tips for great shelftalkers:

– Aim for six lines long with six words per line. Elizabeth came back from an educational session with this formula and it really works. This format is easy for the eye to skim, while still being informative. It also looks good either typed up or handwritten.

– Don’t limit yourself to new books. Shelftalkers are a great way to sell backlist.

– Give different staffers different color index cards. This creates a splash of color and customers know JP’s color is orange and they look for her color when they need a recommendation.

– Keep your shelftalkers fresh. On an active shelf, shelftalkers can get worn, torn and dirty. Make sure to keep them looking crisp and re-do as necessary.

– Pay attention when you’re shelving and move shelftalkers to line up with their books again.

– Pull shelftalkers when you’re out of the book. One of our staffers brought in a small wooden box tabbed alphabetically. Whenever we’re out of a book, the shelftalkers gets placed in the box until the book is back in stock. There’s nothing more disheartening to a customer than reading an inspiring shelftalkers only to be told that the book is out of stock.

– Have fun with your shelftalkers. These are not book reviews. Try to write as you would speak to a customer. Think outside the box. I did a shelftalkers for Chelsea Cain’s murder thriller, Sweetheart, that has sold twenty copies this summer of the mass market thriller: "Sure it’s gruesome, sure it’s a female serial killer, but man o’man it’s good. Tense believable plot, rich characters, great easy read." It also helps that this shelf talker is exactly eye , it’s getting read more.

– Don’t put shelftalkers on shelves where little one can tear them off the shelves or get paper cuts.

– I prefer staff written shelftalkers over the ones that come from outside sources. I think having staffers write them lends each shelftalkers more credibilty–someone at the store liked this book enough to write about it.

– There can be such a thing as too many shelftalkers. Look around and see how the shelves actually look. If there are too many cards, none will get read.

– Lastly, read all the shelftalkers in your store. Get to know what your colleagues are recommending, so you can say if someone asks about you haven’t read, "I haven’t read it, but Kelly loved it. Here’s what she said."

Family dynamics can be seen every day at the bookstore. Some of it is downright scary, but more often than not, it’s charming. Summer tends to bring the *entire* family, not just one parent and a child. I’m talking both grandparents, sometimes all four grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and everyone in between.

When a large family comes in, I brace myself, for the increased noise, the number of folks all needing recommendations at the same time and the interplay with family that can be helpful for a sale, or be detrimental. We had a large family in the store yesterday. Two grandmas, one mom, several all-girl cousins and an aunt. They were a model family. They were from upstate New York and South Carolina.

Polite to a fault, the eldest cousin (about fourteen) came up to me and asked,"Will this book stay with me? Will I get scared?" She was looking at Norma Fox Mazer’s The Missing Girl. Yes and yes, I told her. And she seemed satisfied with her choice.  The younger sister chimed in, "Lenore likes to get scared by real things in books, not monsters." Well, there you go. The sister’s banter showed a close relationship revealed in books as each could say what the last book was the other liked and didn’t like. Each child brought the books over to each grandma and book-talked them a little. I was charmed as Grandma nodded and smiled at each girl, happy they were excited about reading.

Not every family is so amiable. One thing I see over and over again is when siblings come in together and the parent said, quite pointedly, "He’s not a reader." Ouch. What a brilliant way to make sure he never becomes a reader. In this situation, I do my best to separate the child from the parent in the hopes that the distance will allow the child to talk about what he finds challenging about reading. I always say to parents that there’s no such thing as a non-reader, the kids just haven’t found the right book.

I often find it’s best to get the parents out of the conversation with kids older than eight. They can articulate what they liked, what they’re in the mood for, etc. Often parents speak too fast to fill the silence of a thoughtful child.  Patience is the key for most kids — and adults for that matter — in finding the right book.

Another family dynamic I don’t enjoy is scolding in the store. I am never sure what to do, even after thirteen years. We once had a very harried mom with four toddlers all under five in the store. One boy hit the other and the mom shook his little arm very hard and said,"Stop hitting." I was dumbstruck by the mixed message.

Then there are the moms who can just ignore a child practically shouting,"MOM, MOM, MOM." Their ability to carry on a conversation while a toddler is just trying to show them something is wonder to me. How can they even hear themselves think with this little person so desperate for her to not be talking to anyone but him? I call these parents the "distracteds." They tend to not give anyone their full attention, probably because there are so many competing for their attention that they’ve just shut down a little. I marvel that these women can get as much done as they do.

We seemed to be blessed with siblings who really get along. We have a family in town who are voracious readers. The older girl and her brother bike in together and she pays for all the books if he carries them home in his backpack. They love this arrangement, and so do we. Although once I had to stop him from biking home with all the books. He is little and the backpack looked too full to be safe on a bike.

Families who share books delight me. Often I’ll recommend a book to a child only to be told, "My sister has that." Well, go borrow it and save your money, I’ll say. The parents often look at me like I’m crazy, sending a sale away. But, if it’s the perfect book, I want the child to read it. If it happens to be a shelf at home, well, I’m fine with that.

My favorite family exchange is when one sibling comes up short for their books and the other sibling just chips in the difference without being asked or asking for something in return. It’s a nice reminder that it’s the small gestures that can be the most meaningful.

In this hi-tech world full of magic that we can see but most of us only partially understand, in this era when stories come at us in every way imaginable via TV, the Internet, even our phones, there is something especially enchanting about the kind of storytelling magic we can watch being made, right in front of our eyes, with nothing but materials even a child can wield: hands, light, sand.

Recently, an extraordinary video has been making the rounds in which Kseniya Simonova, a 24-year-old Ukrainian artist, uses a tray of sand over a light box to tell her stories, using only her hands as paintbrush, pencil, charcoal, sponge, sand sprinkler, eraser, and other tools of the artist’s trade. In the first of the videos below, she unfolds a birth-to-death story of a family and its transformation over time. In the second, she rivets the audience with a powerful war story, that of the German invasion and conquest of Ukraine. These are beautiful pieces of storytelling, and the ephemeral nature of Simonova’s materials and process echoes the themes of her stories.

The videos below come from her performances on—I am not kidding—the 2009 television show, Ukraine’s Got Talent.

Note: I personally prefer watching the first video with the sound off, because I found that the occasional (unnecessary) sentimentality of the music and sound effect choices diluted the poignancy of the narrative. In contrast, I found the sound effects and music very effective in the second (war) video.

Australian magician and performer Raymond Crowe describes himself as "Australia’s only unusualist, … [offering] a captivating combination of visual comedy, ventriloquism, shadow puppetry and magic in every spellbinding performance." He is the man behind the charming hand-shadow rendition of Louis Armstrong’s "What a Wonderful World," illustrating the lyrics with swans, rabbits, donkeys, even a silhouette of the great singer himself. He makes wide-eyed children of us all with his storytelling; it’s art as cozy as it is spectacular, reminiscent of camping trips and bedtime stories, and grandpas entertaining little kids, and making bunny ears in front of the school projector before getting yelled at to sit down. We always did shadow animals when watching Super-8 family films on a screen in the living room. There’s something DVDs have effectively ruled out. So much more convenient, but where is the black barking dog? The wolf face? The misshapen spider or octopus, the only shadow a little sister could manage? *cough* But I digress. See for yourself, and definitely with the sound on:

Watching Kseniya Simonova and Raymond Crowe is a bit like watching tightrope walkers and trapeze artists; you can only ooh and ahh at a talent that is essentially simple but extremely difficult, challenging, requiring both relentless training and artistic genius.

This topic allows me to mention my three all-time favorite books on visual storytelling. All three are brilliant, original, and unique, as good for writers as they are for illustrators:

Uri Shulevitz’s Writing with Pictures: How to Write and Illustrate Children’s Books (Watson-Guptill. $29.95 and worth every penny. ISBN 9780823059355).

Molly Bang’s Picture This: How Pictures Work (Chronicle. $12.99. ISBN 9781587170300).

Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art (Harper Perennial. $22.99. ISBN 9780060976255), which applies to storytelling of all kinds, not just comics. (By the way, if you or your customers have been resisting graphic novels and manga, this book is fantastic for explaining the scope and value of this incredible art form.)

And in case you now have the urge to try hand-shadow storytelling, check out these books:

Hand Shadows: The Complete Art of Shadowgraphy by Lois Nikola. (Home Farm Books. $33.99) ISBN 9781443772624

The Art of Hand Shadows by Albert Almoznino. (Dover. $5.95) ISBN 9780486418766

Hand Shadows and More Hand Shadows by Henry Bursill. (Dover. $3.95) ISBN 9780486295138

No books have yet been written in the U.S. about the art of storytelling with sand, but Simonova is not the only practicing artist. Ferenc Cakó and Ilana Yahav, among others, are worth checking out. And there’s a great-looking class in Singapore you could take….

Our good friend and droll bookselling colleague, Kenny Brechner, who has guest-posted once before (see Kindle at Poseidon’s Gate), cracked us up with an email to the New England Children’s Booksellers online discussion group, and we couldn’t resist posting it here (with his permission, of course).

Kenny writes:

Happy Hanukkah, Corduroy, coming this October, and the spring 2010 release of Happy Easter, Curious George, got me thinking about the issue of classic franchised children’s book characters and holidays. These titles are great, but why stick to the run-of-the-mill, usual-suspect sorts of holidays? What about holidays with literary connotations or philosophical depth? For example, with the recent Robert Burns 250th anniversary getting so much press, was an opportunity missed in not coming out with Eat Your Haggis, Curious George? I know what you’re thinking: Curious George is a monkey, and therefore almost entirely a vegetarian, and the idea of him being goaded to eat a dish comprised of minced heart, lungs, and liver of a sheep or calf mixed with suet, could be construed as not being 100% tasteful. Still, aren’t there larger issues here? If classic franchised children’s book characters don’t lead the way, who will?

Consider Yom Kippur. At first blush, the Jewish Day of Atonement might seem a forbidding topic for Curious George, but George is a curious monkey, and his curiosity has previously resulted in hospital bills, radiology bills, and the unintentional theft of property, such as balloons. Perhaps the concept of atonement would resonate with him.

So what do you think? Which untapped holidays would work here, and which is the world not quite ready for?

Starred-review lists are the equivalent of meeting a group of passionate readers, each clamoring to share with you a fantastic new find. Last week, I posted a list of books for children and teens published in 2009 that have, thus far, earned three, four, or five starred reviews from the major trade publications: Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, The Horn Book, Booklist, The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, and Kirkus Reviews. Here’s a list of the books that, so far, have received one or two starred reviews. Since there are so many titles here, I’m afraid I can’t include cover art.

As I go through these lists, I notice so many wonderful books, many from smaller presses. Reviewers are as varied in their loves as booksellers; one man’s star may be another man’s remainder. That diversity is one of the joys of going to independent bookstores: you never know what hidden treasures you will find there. I still remember discovering Anne Lamott via the copy of Operating Instructions I bought from the staff picks table at Shakespeare & Co. on the Upper West Side in 1993.

I hope you’ll check out some of the titles below, books you might never have considered, in the spirit of discovery.

(These lists will continue to be updated as reviews come out. Check monthly until the final round-up in December.)

* 1 STAR *

3 WILLOWS: THE SISTERHOOD GROWS. Ann Brashares. (Delacorte. $18.99. ISBN 978-0385736763)

AL CAPONE SHINES MY SHOES. Gennifer Choldenko. (Dial. $17.99. 978-0803734609)

ALEX AND LULU: TWO OF A KIND. Lorena Siminovich. (Candlewick. $14.99. ISBN 978-0763644239)

ALIS. Naomi Rich. (Viking. $17.99. ISBN 978-0670011254)

ALVIN HO: ALLERGIC TO CAMPING, HIKING, AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS. Lenore Look. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. (Random House/Schwartz & Wade. $15.99. 978-0375857058)

ALWAYS. Alison McGhee. Illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre. (S&S. $15.99. 978-1416974819)

THE AMARANTH ENCHANTMENT. Julie Berry. (Bloomsbury. $16.99. ISBN 978-1599903347)

THE ANATOMY OF WINGS. Karen Foxlee. (Knopf. $16.99. ISBN 978-0375856433)

ANDROMEDA KLEIN. Frank Portman. (Delacorte. $17.99. ISBN 978-0385735254)

ANNE FRANK. Menno Metselaar & Ruud Van der Rol. Translated by Arnold J Pomerans. (Flash Point. hardcover, $19.99. ISBN 978-1596435469. paperback, $12.99. ISBN 978-1596435476)

THE ANNE FRANK CASE: SIMON WIESENTHAL’S SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH. Susan Goldman Rubin. Illustrated by Bill Farnsworth. (Holiday. $18.95. ISBN 978-0823421091)

APPLESAUCE SEASON. Eden Ross Lipson. Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein. (Roaring Brook. $16.99. ISBN 978-1596432161)

THE ASK AND THE ANSWER. Patrick Ness. (Candlewick. $18.99. ISBN 978-0763644901)

ATTICA. Garry Kilworth. (IPG/Atom. $11.95. ISBN 978-1904233565)

ATTILA THE HUN: LEADER OF THE BARBARIAN HORDES. Sean Stewart Price. (Scholastic/Franklin Watts. $5.95. ISBN 978-0531207376)

THE AWAKENING (DARKEST POWERS 02). Kelley Armstrong. (HarperCollins. $17.99. ISBN 978-0061662768)

BAIT. Alex Sanchez. (S & S. $16.99. ISBN 978-1416937722)

BARNYARD SLAM. Dian Curtis Regan. Illustrated by Paul Meisel. (Holiday House. $16.95. 978-0823419074)

BARTLEBY SPEAKS! Robin Cruise. Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. (Farrar/Melanie Kroupa Bks. $16.99. ISBN 978-0374305147)

BAYOU. V.1. Jeremy Love. (DC Comics/Zuda. $14.99. ISBN 978-1401223823)

BECAUSE I AM FURNITURE. Thalia Chaltas. (Viking. $15.99. ISBN 978-0670062980)

BENNY AND PENNY IN THE BIG NO-NO! Geoffrey Hayes. (Raw Junior. $12.95. 978-0979923890)

THE BEST BAD LUCK I EVER HAD. Kristin Levine. (Putnam. $16.99. ISBN 978-0399250903)

BETTINA VALENTINO AND THE PICASSO CLUB. Niki Daly. (Farrar. $16. ISBN 978-0374307530)

BIG AND SMALL, ROOM FOR ALL. Jo Ellen Bogart. Illustrated by Gillian Newland. (Tundra. $18.95. 978-0887768910)

BILL PENNANT, BABE RUTH, AND ME. Timothy Tocher. (Cricket. $17.95. 978-0812627558.)

BILLY TWITTERS AND HIS BLUE WHALE PROBLEM. Mac Barnett. Illustrated by Adam Rex. (Hyperion. $16.99. 978-0786849581)

BINKY THE SPACE CAT. Ashley Spires. (Kids Can. hardcover, $16.95. ISBN 978-1554533091. paperback, $7.95. ISBN 978-1554534197)

BIRD, BUTTERFLY, EEL. James Prosek. (S&S. $16.99. ISBN 978-0689868290)

BLADE: PLAYING DEAD. Tim Bowler. (Philomel. $16.99. ISBN 978-0399251863)

BLUE MOON. Alyson Noël. (St. Martin’s Griffin. $9.95. ISBN 978-0312532765)

BLUE MOUNTAIN TROUBLE. Martin Mordecai. (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic. $16.99. ISBN 978-0545041560)

BOATS: SPEEDING! SAILING! CRUISING! Patricia Hubbell. Illustrated by Megan Halsey. (Marshall Cavendish. $17.99. ISBN 978-0761455240)

BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY). Lisa Yee. Illustrated by Dan Santat. (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic. $15.99. ISBN 978-0545055925)

BREAK. Hannah Moskowitz. (Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse. $8.99. ISBN 978-1416982753)

BRENDA BERMAN, WEDDING EXPERT. Jane Breskin Zalben. Illustrated by Victoria Chess. (Clarion. $16. ISBN 978-0618313211)

BRIDGET FIDGET AND THE MOST PERFECT PET! Joe Berger. (Dial. $16.99. ISBN 978-0803734050)

THE BROOKLYN NINE. Alan Gratz. (Dial. $16.99. ISBN 978-0803732247)

BUILDING ON NATURE: THE LIFE OF ANTONI GAUDI. Rachel Rodriguez. Illustrated by Julie Paschkis. (Holt. $16.99. ISBN 978-0805087451)

CALLIE’S RULES. Naomi Zucker. (Egmont. $15.99. ISBN 978-1606840276)

CAROLINA HARMONY. Marilyn Taylor McDowell. (Delacorte. $16.99. ISBN 978-0385735902)

A CAROUSEL TALE. Elisa Kleven. (Tricycle. $15.99. ISBN 978-1582462394)

CARTER FINALLY GETS IT. Brent Crawford. (Disney-Hyperion. $15.99. ISBN 978-1423112464)

THE CASE OF THE STINKY SOCKS. Lewis B. Montgomery. Illustrated by Amy Wummer. (Kane Press. paperback. $6.95. ISBN 978-1575652856)

CATHERINE THE GREAT: EMPRESS OF RUSSIA. Zu Vincent. (Scholastic/Franklin Watts. $5.95. ISBN 978-0531207383)

CELESTINE, DRAMA QUEEN. Penny Ives. (Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine. $16.99. ISBN 978-0545081498)

CHICKEN CHEEKS. Michael Ian Black. Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. (S&S. $15.99. ISB
N
978-14169488643)

CHRISTO AND JEAN-CLAUDE: THROUGH THE GATES AND BEYOND. Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan. (Neal Porter/Roaring Brook. $19.95. 978-1596430716)

THE CHOSEN ONE. Carol Lynch Williams. (St. Martin’s Griffin. $16.95. ISBN 978-0312555115)

THE CIRCUS SHIP. Chris Van Dusen. (Candlewick. $16.99. ISBN 978-0763630904)

CLOVER OMNIBUS EDITION. Clamp. (Dark Horse Manga. paperback. $19.95. ISBN 978-1595821966)

COLD HANDS, WARM HEART. Jill Wolfson. (Henry Holt. $17.99. ISBN 978-0805082821)

COLD SKIN. Steven Herrick. (Front Street/dist. Boyds Mills. $18.95. ISBN 978-1590785720)

THE COMPOSER IS DEAD. Lemony Snicket. Music by Nathaniel Stookey. Illustrated by Carson Ellis. (HarperCollins. $17.99. ISBN 978-0061236273)

COOL CAT. Nonny Hogrogian. (Roaring Brook. $17.99. ISBN 978-1596434295)

CREEPY CRAWLY CRIME. Aaron Reynolds. Illustrated by Neil Numberman. (Holt. $16.95. ISBN 978-0805082425. paperback. $9.95. ISBN 978-0805087864)

THE CURIOUS GARDEN. Peter Brown. (Little, Brown. $16.99. ISBN 978-0316015479)

DARKWOOD. M.E. Breen. (Bloomsbury. $16.99. ISBN 978-1599902593)

DAYS OF LITTLE TEXAS. R.A. Nelson. (Knopf. $16.99. ISBN 978-0375855931)

DESSERT FIRST. Hallie Durand. Illustrated by Christine Davenier. (S&S/Atheneum. $14.99. ISBN 978-1416963851)

DIEGO: BIGGER THAN LIFE. Carmen T. Bernier-Grand. Illustrated by David Diaz. (Marshall Cavendish. $18.99. ISBN 978-0761453833)

DINOSAUR WOODS: CAN SEVEN CLEVER CRITTERS SAVE THEIR FOREST HOME? George McClements. (Beach Lane./S&S. $16.99. ISBN 978-1416986263)

DISTANT WAVES: A NOVEL OF THE TITANIC. Suzanne Weyn. (Scholastic. $17.99. ISBN 978-0545085724)

DO NOT BUILD A FRANKENSTEIN! Neil Numberman. (Greenwillow. $16.99. ISBN 978-0061568169)

THE DOLL SHOP DOWNSTAIRS. Yona Zeldis McDonough. Illustrated by Heather Maione. (Viking. $14.99. ISBN 978-0670010912)

DOWN DOWN DOWN. A JOURNEY TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA. Steve Jenkins. (Houghton. $17.00. ISBN 978-0618-966363)

DRAGONBREATH. Ursula Vernon. (Dial. $12.99. ISBN 978-0803733633)

THE DREAM STEALER. Sid Fleischman. Illustrated by Peter Sis. (Greenwillow. $16.99. ISBN 978-0061755637)

DUCK TENTS. Lynne Berry. Illustrated by Hiroe Nakata. (Holt. $16.95. ISBN 978-0805086966)

THE DUEL: THE PARALLEL LIVES OF ALEXANDER HAMILTON & AARON BURR. Judith St. George. (Viking. $16.99. ISBN 978-0670011247)

EARTH IN THE HOT SEAT: BULLETINS FROM A WARMING WORLD. Marfé Ferguson Delano. (National Geographic. $16.95. ISBN 978-1426304347)

EARTHGIRL. Jennifer Cowan. (Groundwood. $17.95. ISBN 978-0888998897)

EL BARRIO. Debbi Chocolate. Illustrated by David Diaz. (Holt. $16.95. ISBN 978-0805074574)

THE ELEVATOR MAN. Stanley Trachtenberg. Illustrated by Paul Cox. (Eerdmans. $18. ISBN 978-0802853158)

EMMA-JEAN LAZARUS FELL IN LOVE. Lauren Tarshis. (Dial. $16.99. ISBN 978-0803733213)

EMMALINE AND THE BUNNY. Hannigan. Katherine. Illustrated by Katherine Hannigan. 112p. Greenwillow. $17.99. ISBN 978-0061626548)

THE ENEMY: A BOOK ABOUT PEACE. Davide Cali. Illustrated by Serge Bloch. (Random/Schwartz & Wade Bks. $15.99. ISBN 978-0375845000)

ERIKA-SAN. Allen Say. (Houghton Mifflin. $17. ISBN 978-0618889334)

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: A WRITER’S LIFE. Catherine Reef. (Clarion. $20. ISBN 978-0618987054)

EVERY HUMAN HAS RIGHTS: A PHOTOGRAPHIC DECLARATION FOR KIDS. National Geographic. $17.95. ISBN 978-1426305108)

EVOLUTION REVOLUTION. Robert Winston. (DK. $16.99. ISBN 978-0756645243)

EXTREME SCIENTISTS: EXPLORING NATURE’S MYSTERIES FROM PERILOUS PLACES. Donna M. Jackson. (Houghton. $18. ISBN 978-0618777068)

EYES LIKE STARS (THEATRE ILLUMINATA, ACT I . Lisa Mantchev. (Feiwel & Friends/St. Martin’s. $16.99. ISBN 978-0312380960)

THE FABULOUS FEUD OF GILBERT AND SULLIVAN. Jonah Winter. Illustrated by Richard Egielski. (Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine. $16.99. ISBN 978-0439930505)

FACE TO FACE WITH GORILLAS. Michael "Nick" Nichols & Elizabeth Carney. (National Geographic. $16.95. ISBN 978-1426304064)

THE FACELESS ONES (SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT 03). Derek Landy. (HarperCollins. $16.99. ISBN 978-0061240911)

FAITH. Maya Ajmera, Magda Nakassis, & Cynthia Pon. (Charlesbridge. hardcover, $16.95. ISBN 978-1580891776. paperback, $7.95. ISBN 978-1580891783)

FAITH, HOPE, AND IVY JUNE. Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. (Delacorte. $16.99. ISBN 978-0385736152)

THE FANTASTIC UNDERSEA LIFE OF JACQUES COUSTEAU. Dan Yaccarino. (Knopf. $16.99. ISBN 978-0375855733)

THE FATAL CHILD. John Dickinson. (Fickling/Ranom House. $17.99. ISBN 978-0385751100)

THE FETCH. Laura Whitcomb. (Houghton. $17. ISBN 978-0618891313)

FINN THROWS A FIT. David Elliott. Illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering. (Candlewick. $16.99. ISBN 978-0763623562)

FLETCHER AND THE SPRINGTIME BLOSSOMS. Julia Rawlinson. Illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke. (Greenwillow. $17.99. ISBN 978-0061688553)

FLYGIRL. Sherri L. Smith. (Putnam. $16.99. ISBN 978-0399247095)

FRANKIE PICKLE AND THE CLOSET OF DOOM. Eric Wight. (S&S. $9.99. ISBN 978-1416964841)

FRANNY PARKER. Hannah Roberts McKinnon. (Farrar. $16. ISBN 978-0374324698)

FROGS. Nic Bishop. (Scholastic. $17.99. ISBN 978-0439877558)

FUNNY HOW THINGS CHANGE. Melissa Wyatt. (FSG. $16.95. ISBN 978-0374302337)

THE GEORGES AND THE JEWELS. Jane Smiley. Illustrated by Elaine Clayton. (Knopf. $16.99. ISBN 978-0375862274)

THE GIRL WHO THREW BUTTERFLIES. Mick Cochrane. (Knopf. $15.99. ISBN 978-0375856822)

THE GIRL WHO WANTED TO DANCE. Amy Ehrlich. Illustrated by Rebecca Walsh. (Candlewick. $17.99. ISBN 978-0763613457)

GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS. Adapted by Gennady Spirin. (Marshall Cavendish. $17.99. ISBN 978-0761455967)

THE GOLDSMITH’S DAUGHTER. Tanya Landman. (Candlewick. $16.99. ISBN 978-0763642198)

GOOD DOG, AGGIE. Lori Ries. Illustrated by Frank W. Dormer. (Charlesbridge. $16.99. ISBN 978-1599902401)

GREENER GRASS. Caroline Pignat. (Red Deer. paperback. $12.95. ISBN 978-0889954021)

HAMLET: A NOVEL. John Marsden. (Candlewick. $16.99. ISBN 978-0763644512)

HAPPENSTANCE FOUND. P. W. Catanese. (S&S/Aladdin. $16.99. ISBN 978-1416975199)

HARPER LEE. Kerry Madden. (Viking. $16.99. ISBN 978-0670010950)

HARRY AND HORSIE. Katie Van Camp. Illustrated by Lincoln Agnew. (Balzer & Bray/HarperTeen. $16.99. ISBN 978-0061755989)

HENRY’S NIGHT. D.B. Johnson and Linda Michelin. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. $16. ISBN 978-0547056630)

HOW DO I LOVE YOU? Marion Dane Bauer. Illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church. (Cartwheel/Scholastic. $8.99. ISBN 978-0545072700)

HOW DO YOU WOKKA-WOKKA? Elizabeth Bluemle. Illustrated by Randy Cecil. (Candlewick. $15.99. ISBN 978-0763632281)

HOW MANY BABY PANDAS? Sandra Markle. (Walker. $15.99. ISBN 978-0802797834)

HOW OLIVER OLSON CHANGED THE WORLD. Claudia Mills. Illustrated by Heather Maione. (Farrar. $15.95. . ISBN 978-0374334871)

HOW TO SCRATCH A WOMBAT: WHERE TO FIND IT…WHAT TO FEED IT…WHY IT SLEEPS ALL DAY. Jackie French. Illustrated by Bruce Whatley. (Clarion. $16. ISBN 978-0618868643)

HURRY UP AND SLOW DOWN. Layn Marlow. (Holiday House. $16.95. ISBN 978-082342178-7)

I AND I: BOB MARLEY. Tony Medina. Illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson. (Lee & Low. $19.95. ISBN 978-1600602573)

I HEARD GOD TALKING TO ME: WILLIAM EDMONDSON AND HIS STONE CARVINGS. Elizabeth Spires. (Farrar/Frances Foster Bks. $17.95. ISBN 978-0374335281)

I WANT TO BE FREE. Joseph Slate. Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. (Putnam. $16.99. ISBN 978-0399243424)

THE IMAGINARY GARDEN. Andrew Larsen. Illustrated by Irene Luxbacher. (Kids Can. $16.95. ISBN 978-1554532797)

THE ISLANDS OF THE BLESSED. Nancy Farmer. (Atheneum. $18.99. 978-1416907374)

IT’S USEFUL TO HAVE A DUCK. Isol. (Groundwood. $10. ISBN 978-0888999276)

IT’S A SECRET! John Burningham. Illustrated by John Burningham. (Candlewick. $16.99. ISBN 978-0763642754)

ITTY BITTY. Cece Bell. (Candlewick. $9.99. ISBN 978-0763636166)

JACK TUMOR. Anthony McGowan. (Farrar. $17.95. ISBN 978-0374329556)

JASPER DASH AND THE FLAME-PITS OF DELAWARE. M. T. Anderson. (Simon & Schuster/Beach Lane. $16.99. ISBN 978-1416986393)

JEREMY DRAWS A MONSTER. Peter McCarty. (Holt. $16.99. ISBN 978-0805069341)

JESSICA’S GUIDE TO DATING ON THE DARK SIDE. Beth Fantaskey. (Harcourt. $17. ISBN 978-0152063849)

JOE AND SPARKY GET NEW WHEELS. Jamie Michalak. Illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz. (Candlewick. $15.99. ISBN 978-0763633875)

JOURNEY OF DREAMS. Marge Pellegrino. (Frances Lincoln/PGW. $15.95. ISBN 978-1847800619)

JUMPING OFF SWINGS. Jo Knowles. (Candlewick. $16.99. ISBN 978-0763639495)

THE KING’S TASTER. Kenneth Oppel. Illustrated by Lou Fancher. (HarperCollins. $17.99. ISBN 978-0060753726)

LADYBUG GIRL AND BUMBLEBEE BOY. David Soman and Jacky Davis. (Dial. $16.99. ISBN 978-0803733398)

LEAVING GLORYTOWN: ONE BOY’S STRUGGLE UNDER CASTRO. Eduardo F. Calcines.( Farrar. $17.95. ISBN 978-0374343941)

LET’S DO NOTHING! Tony Fucile. (Candlewick. $16.99. ISBN 978-0763634407)

LIFE IN THE BOREAL FOREST. Brenda Z. Guiberson. Illustrated by Gennady Spirin. (Holt. $16.99. ISBN 978-0805077186)

LINCOLN AND HIS BOYS. Rosemary Wells. Illustrated by P.J. Lynch. (Candlewick. $16.99. ISBN 978-0763637231)

LINCOLN SHOT: A PRESIDENT’S LIFE REMEMBERED. Barry Denenberg. Illustrated by Christopher Bing. (Feiwel.

LITTLE PANDA. Renata Liwska. (Houghton. $12.95. ISBN 978-0618966271)

LIVING SUNLIGHT: HOW PLANTS BRING THE EARTH TO LIFE. Molly Bang and Penny Chrisholm. (Scholastic/Blue Sky. $16.99. ISBN 978-0545044226)

LOUSY ROTTEN STINKIN’ GRAPES. Margie Palatini. Illustrated by Barry Moser. (S&S. $15.99. ISBN 978-0689802461)

LOVE, AUBREY. Suzanne LaFleur. (Random/Wendy Lamb. $15.99. ISBN 978-0385737746)

LOVEY AND DOVEY. Elle van Lieshout, Mies Van Hout, & Erik van Os. (Lemniscaat. $16.95. ISBN 978-1590786604)

LYONESSE: THE WELL BETWEEN THE WORLDS. Sam Llewellyn. (Orchard. $17.99. ISBN 978-0439934695)

MAGIC AND MISERY. Peter Marino. (Holiday. $17.95. ISBN 978-0823421336)

MAMA SAYS: A BOOK OF LOVE FOR MOTHERS AND SONS. Rob D. Walker. Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. (Scholastic/Blue Sky. $16.99. ISBN 978-0439932084)

A MAP OF THE KNOWN WORLD. Lisa Ann Sandell. (Scholastic. $16.99. ISBN 978-0545069700)

MARCHING FOR FREEDOM: WALK TOGETHER, CHILDREN, AND DON’T YOU GROW WEARY. Elizabeth Partridge. (Viking. $19.99. ISBN 978-0670011896)

MARE’S WAR. Tanita S. Davis. (Knopf. $16.99. ISBN 978-0375857140)

MARTHA DOESN’T SAY SORRY! Samantha Berger. Illustrated by Bruce Whatley. (Little, Brown. $15.99. ISBN 978-0316066822)

ME AND YOU. Geneviève Côté. (Kids Can. $16.95. ISBN 978-1554534463)

ME AND YOU. Janet A. Holmes. Illustrated by Judith Rossell. (NorthSouth. $14.95. ISBN 978-0735822504)

MELONHEAD. Katy Kelly. Illustrated by Gillian Johnson. (Delacorte. $12.99. ISBN 978-0385734097)

MERMAID QUEEN: THE SPECTACULAR TRUE STORY OF ANNETTE KELLERMAN, WHO SWAM HER WAY TO FAME, FORTUNE & SWIMSUIT HISTORY! Shana Corey. (Scholastic. $17.99. ISBN 978-0439698351)

MILES BETWEEN. Mary Pearson. (Holt. $16.99. ISBN 978-0805088281)

A MIRROR TO NATURE: POEMS ABOUT REFLECTION. Jane Yolen. Photos by Jason Stemple. (Boyds Mills/Wordsong. $17.95. ISBN 978-1590786246)

MORIBITO II: GUARDIAN OF THE DARKNESS. Nahoko Uehashi. Translated by Cathy Hirano. (Scholastic/Levine. $17.99. ISBN 978-0545102957)

THE MORGUE AND ME. John C. Ford. (Viking. $17.99. ISBN 978-0670010967)

MOST LOVED IN ALL THE WORLD: A STORY OF FREEDOM. Tonya Hegamin. Illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera. (Houghton Mifflin. $17. ISBN 978-0618419036)

THE MOSTLY TRUE ADVENTURES OF HOMER P. FIGG. Rodman Philbrick. (Scholastic/Blue Sky. $16.99. ISBN 978-0439668187)

THE MOUNT RUSHMORE CALAMITY (FLAT STANLEY’S WORLDWIDE ADVENTURES 01). Sara Pennypacker. Illustrated by Macky Pamintuan. (Harper. hardcover, $15.99. ISBN 978-0061429910. paperback, $4.99. ISBN 978-0061429903)

MOUSE WAS MAD. Linda Urban. Illustrated by Henry Cole. (Harcourt. $16. ISBN 978-0152053376)

MOXY MAXWELL DOES NOT LOVE PRACTICING THE PIANO: BUT SHE DOES LOVE BEING IN RECITALS. Peggy Elizabeth Gifford. Photos by Valorie Fisher. (Schwartz & Wade/Random House. $12.99. ISBN 978-0375844881)

MRS. LINCOLN’S DRESSMAKER: THE UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIP OF ELIZABETH KECKLEY AND MARY TODD LINCOLN. Lynda Jones. (National Geographic. $18.95. ISBN 978-1426303777)

MY BROTHER BERT. Ted Hughes. Illustrated by Tracey Campbell Pearson. (Farrar. $16.95. ISBN 978-0374399825)

THE MUSEUM OF MARY CHILD. Cassandra Golds. (Kane/Miller. $16.99. ISBN 978-1935279136)

MY LIFE IN PINK AND GREEN. Lisa Greenwald. (Amulet/dist. by Abrams. $16.95. ISBN 978-0810983526)

MY MOM IS TRYING TO RUIN MY LIFE. Kate Feiffer. Illustrated by Diane Goode. (S&S/Wiseman. $16.99. ISBN 978-1416941002)

NEVERMORE: A PHOTOBIOGRAPHY OF EDGAR ALLAN POE. Karen E. Lange. (National Geographic. $17.95. ISBN 978-1426303982)

NEW YEAR AT THE PIER: A ROSH HASHANAH STORY. April Halprin Wayland. Illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch. (Dial. $16.99. ISBN 978-0803732797)

THE NINE LIVES OF ROTTEN RALPH. Jack Gantos. Illustrated by Nicole Rubel. (Houghton Mifflin. $16. ISBN 978-0618-800469)

NO MORE US FOR YOU. David Hernandez . (HarperTeen. $16.99. ISBN 978-0061173332)

NOT ALL ANIMALS ARE BLUE: A BIG BOOK OF LITTLE DIFFERENCES. Béatrice Boutignon. (Kane/Miller. $15.95. ISBN 978-1933605968)

NOTHING BUT GHOSTS. Beth Kephart. HarperTeen. $17.99. ISBN 978-0061667961)

THE ODD EGG. Emily Gravett. (S&S. $15.99. ISBN 978-1416968726)

ODDLY. Joyce Dunbar. Illustrated by Patrick Benson. (Candlewick. $16.99. ISBN 978-0763642747)

OK GO. Carin Berger. (HarperCollins/Greenwillow. $17.99. ISBN 978-0061576669)

ON THE FARM. David Elliott. Illustrated by Holly Meade. (Candlewick. $16.99. ISBN 978-0763633226)

ONCE WAS LOST. Sara Zarr. (Little, Brown. $16.99. ISBN 978-0316036047)

THE ONE AND ONLY MARIGOLD. Florence Parry Heide. Illustrated by Jill McElmurry. (Schwartz & Wade/Random House. $16.99. ISBN 978-0375840319)

ONE LONELY DEGREE. C.K. Kelly Martin. (Random House. $16.99. ISBN 978-0375851636)

ONE WORLD, ONE DAY. Barbara Kerley. (National Geographic. $17.95. ISBN 978-1426304606)

ONLY A WITCH CAN FLY. Alison McGhee. Illustrated by Taeeun Yoo. (Feiwel & Friends/dist. by St. Martin’s. $16.99. ISBN 978-0312375034)

OPEN THE DOOR TO LIBERTY!: A BIOGRAPHY OF TOUSSAINT L’OUVERTURE. Anne Rockwell. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. (Houghton. $18. ISBN 978-0618605705)

ORANGE. Benjamin. (Tokyopop. paperback. $14.99. ISBN 978-1427814630)

OSCAR AND ARABELLA AND ORMSBY. Neal Layton. (Hodder (IPG. dist). $14.95. ISBN 978-0340884546)

OTTER MOON. Tudor Humphries. (Boxer/dist. by Sterling. $16.95. ISBN 978-1906250693)

OUR CORNER GROCERY STORE. Joanne F. Schwartz. Illustrated by Laura Beingessner. (Tundra. $19.95. ISBN 978-0887768682)

OUTLAW. Tony Lee. Illustrated by Sam Hart and Artur Fujita. (Candlewick. hardcover, $21.99. ISBN 978-0763643997. paperback, $11.99. ISBN 978-0763644000)

PANORAMA: A FOLDOUT BOOK. Fani Marceau. Illustrated by Joelle Jolivet. (Abrams. $19.95. ISBN 978-0810983328)

PEARL AND WAGNER: ONE FUNNY DAY. Kate McMullan. Illustrated by R. W. Alley. (Dial. $14.99. ISBN 978-0803730854)

PEARL HARBOR: A PRIMARY SOURCE HISTORY. Jacqueline Laks Gorman. (Gareth Stevens. $31.00. ISBN 978-1433900471)

PEEP!: A LITTLE BOOK ABOUT TAKING A LEAP. Maria Van Lieshout. (Feiwel & Friends. $12.99. ISBN 978-0312369156)

PELÉ. KING OF SOCCER/PELÉ. EL REY DEL FUTBOL. Monica Brown. Illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez. (Rayo/HarperCollins. $17.99. ISBN 978-0061227790)

A PENGUIN STORY. Antoinette Portis. (HarperCollins. $17.99. ISBN 978-0061456886)

PERSEPHONE. Sally Pomme Clayton. Illustrated by Virginia Lee. (Eerdmans. $18. ISBN 978-0802853493)

POP. Gordon Korman. (HarperTeen. $16.99. ISBN 978-0061742287)

POSY. Linda Newbery. Illustrated by Catherine Rayner. (S&S/Atheneum. $16.99. ISBN 978-1416971122)

PRETTY DEAD. Francesca Lia Block. (HarperTeen. $16.99. ISBN 978-0061547850)

THE PRINCESS AND THE BEAR. Mette Ivie Harrison. (HarperTeen. $17.99. ISBN 978-006155314X)

THE PROBLEM WITH THE PUDDLES. Kate Feiffer. Illustrated by Tricia Tusa. (S&S/Wiseman. $16.99. ISBN 978-1416949619)

PROPHECY OF THE SISTERS. Michelle Zink. (Little, Brown. $17.99. ISBN 978-0316027427)

PUNKZILLA. Adam Rapp. (Candlewick. $16.99. ISBN 978-0763630317)

PUPPET. Eva Wiseman. (Tundra. $17.95. ISBN 978-0887768288)

PUT IT ON THE LIST! Kristen Darbyshire. (Dutton. $16.99. ISBN 978-0525479062)

QUINITO’S NEIGHBORHOOD /EL VECINDARIO DE QUINITO. Ina Cumpiano. Illustrated by José Ramírez. (Children’s Book Press. $7.95. ISBN 978-0892392292)

RACHAEL RAY: FOOD ENTREPRENEUR. Dennis Abrams. (Chelsea House. library edition. $30. ISBN 978-1604130782)

READ IT, DON’T EAT IT! Ian Schoenherr. (HarperCollins/Greenwillow. $17.99. ISBN 978-0061724558)

RECYCLE THIS BOOK: 100 TOP CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHORS TELL YOU HOW TO GO GREEN. Dan Gutman, ed. (Random House/Yearling. pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-0385737210)

THE RED BLAZER GIRLS: THE RING OF ROCAMADOUR. Michael D. Beil. (Knopf. $15.99. ISBN 978-0375848148)

THE REFORMED VAMPIRE SUPPORT GROUP. Catherine Jinks. (Harcourt. $17. ISBN 978-0152066093)

RIVER OF DREAMS: THE STORY OF THE HUDSON RIVER. Hudson Talbott. (Putnam. $17.99. ISBN 978-0399245213)

ROAWR! Barbara Joosse. Illustrated by Jan Jutte. (Philomel. $16.99. ISBN 978-0399247774)

ROBOT ZOT! Jon Scieszka. Illustrated by David Shannon. (S&S. $17.99. ISBN 978-1416963944)

THE ROCK AND THE RIVER. Kekla Magoon. (Aladdin. $15.99. ISBN 978-1416975829)

ROSIE AND SKATE. Beth Ann Bauman. (Wendy Lamb/Random House. $15.99. ISBN 978-0385737357)

RUINED: A NOVEL. Paula Morris. (Scholastic/Point. $16.99. ISBN 978-0545042154)

SAME DIFFERENCE. Siobhan Vivian. (Push/Scholastic. $17.99. 978-0545004077)

SAME SAME. Marthe Jocelyn. Illustrated by Tom Slaughter. (Tundra. $15.95. ISBN 978-0887768859)

SAY THE WORD. Jeannine Garsee. (Bloomsbury. $16.99. ISBN 978-1599903330)

SCAT. Carl Hiaasen. (Knopf/Borzoi. $16.99. ISBN 978-0375834868)

THE SECRET LIFE OF PRINCE CHARMING. Deb Caletti. (Simon & Schuster. $16.99. ISBN 978-1416959403)

THE SECRET WORLD OF WALTER ANDERSON. Hester Bass. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. (Candlewick. $17.99. ISBN 978-0763635831)

SECRETS OF TRUTH AND BEAUTY. Megan Frazer. (Disney-Hyperion. $15.99. ISBN 978-1423117117)

SEPTEMBER 11: A PRIMARY SOURCE HISTORY. Alan Wachtel. (Gareth Stevens. $31.00. ISBN 978-1433900488)

SERENDIPITY MARKET. Penny Blubaugh. (HarperTeen. $16.99. ISBN 978-0061468754)

SHIVER. Maggie Stiefvater. (Scholastic Press. $17.99. ISBN 978-0545123266)

SHOOTING STAR. Fredrick McKissack, Jr. (Atheneum. $16.99. ISBN 978-1416947450)

SIGNING THEIR LIVES AWAY: THE FAME AND MISFORTUNE OF THE MEN WHO SIGNED THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. Denise Kiernan & Joseph D’Agnese. (Quirk. $19.95. ISBN 978-1594743306)

SILKSINGER (DREAMDARK 02). Laini Taylor. (Putnam. $18.99. ISBN 978-0399246319)

SILVER PHOENIX: BEYOND THE KINGDOM OF XIA. Cindy Pon. (Greenwillow. $17.99. ISBN 978-0061730214)

THE SINGING (BOOKS OF PELLINOR 04). Alison Croggon. (Candlewick. $18.99. ISBN 978-0763636657)

SKY HIGH: THE TRUE STORY OF MAGGIE GEE. Maris
sa Moss. Illustrated by Carl Angel. (Tricycle. $16.99. ISBN 978-1582462806)

SKY MAGIC. Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins. Illustrated by Mariusz Stawarski. (Dutton. $17.99. ISBN 978-0525478621)

SLEEPSONG. George Ella Lyon. Illustrated by Peter Catalanotto. (Atheneum. $16.99. ISBN 978-0689869738)

THE SLEEPY LITTLE ALPHABET: A BEDTIME STORY FROM ALPHABET TOWN. Judy Sierra. Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. (Knopf. $16.99. ISBN 978-0375840029)

SLITHER AND CRAWL: EYE TO EYE WITH REPTILES. Jim Arnosky. (Sterling. $14.95. ISBN 978-1402739866)

SLOB. Ellen Potter. (Philomel. $16.99. ISBN 978-0399247057)

THE SMALL ADVENTURE OF POPEYE AND ELVIS. Barbara O’Connor. (FSG. $16.99. ISBN 978-0374370558)

SO PUNK ROCK (AND OTHER WAYS TO DISAPPOINT YOUR MOTHER). Micol Ostow. Illustrated by David Ostow. (Flux. paperback. $9.95. ISBN 978-0738714714)

SOLDIER’S SECRET: THE STORY OF DEBORAH SAMPSON. Sheila Solomon Klass. (Holt/Christy Ottaviano. $17.95. ISBN 978-0805082005)

THE SONG OF FRANCIS. Tomie DePaola. (Putnam. $16.99. ISBN 978-0399252105)

SOPHOMORE SWITCH. Abby McDonald. (Candlewick. $17.99. ISBN 978-0763639362)

SOUL ENCHILADA. David Macinnis Gill. (HarperTeen. $16.99. ISBN 978-0061673016)

SPIDERS. Nic Bishop. (Scholastic. $17.99. ISBN 978-0439877565)

STAGECOACH SAL. Deborah Hopkinson. Illustrated by Carson Ellis. (Disney-Hyperion. $16.99. ISBN 978-1423111498)

STARCLIMBER. Kenneth Oppel. (HarperCollins/Eos. $17.99. ISBN 978-0060850579)

STEADY HANDS: POEMS ABOUT WORK. Tracie Vaughn Zimmer. Illustrated by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy. Clarion. $16. ISBN 978-0618903511)

STORIES FROM THE BILLABONG. James Vance Marshall. Illustrated by Francis Firebrace. (Frances Lincoln. $19.95. ISBN 978-1845077044)

THE STORY BEHIND TOILETS. Elizabeth Raum. (Heinemann. $28.21. ISBN 978-1432923501)

STRAWBERRY HILL. Mary Ann Hoberman. Illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin. (Little, Brown. $15.99. ISBN 978-0316041362)

THE SUPER HUNGRY DINOSAUR. Martin Waddell. Illustrated by Leonie Lord. (Dial. $16.99. ISBN 978-0803734463)

SUPERHERO SCHOOL. Aaron Reynolds. Illustrated by Andy Rash. (Bloomsbury. $16.99. ISBN 978-1599901664)

SWIM THE FLY. Don Calame. (Candlewick. $16.99. ISBN 978-0763641573)

SWOON. Nina Malkin. (Simon Pulse. $17.99. ISBN 978-1416974345)

T-MINUS: THE RACE TO THE MOON. Jim Ottaviani. Illustrated by Zander Cannon and Kevin Cannon. (Aladdin/Simon. hardcover, $21.99. ISBN 978-1416986829. paperback, $12.99. ISBN 978-1416949602)

TACKY GOES TO CAMP. Helen Lester. Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. (Houghton. $16. ISBN 978-0618988129)

TAKEN BY STORM. Angela Morrison. (Razorbill. $16.99. ISBN 978-1595142382)

TEEDIE: THE STORY OF YOUNG TEDDY ROOSEVELT. Don Brown. (Houghton. $16. ISBN 978-0618179992)

THE TERRIBLE PLOP. Ursula Dubosarsky. Illustrated by Andrew Joyner. (FSG. $15.99. ISBN 978-0374374280)

THANK YOU, GOD, FOR EVERYTHING. August Gold. Illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin. (Putnam. $16.99. ISBN 978-0399240492)

THERE. Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick. (Roaring Brook/Neal Porter. $17.95. ISBN 978-
1596430877)

THIRTEENTH CHILD (FRONTIER MAGIC 01). Patricia C. Wrede. (Scholastic. $16.99. ISBN 978-0545033428)

THREE LITTLE KITTENS AND OTHER FAVORITE NURSERY RHYMES. Comp. and Illustrated by Tony Ross. (Holt. $16.95. ISBN 978-0805088854)

THUMB AND THE BAD GUYS. Ken Roberts. Illustrated by Leanne Franson. (Groundwood. $17.95. ISBN 978-0888999160)

TILLIE LAYS AN EGG. Terry Golson. photos by Ben Fink. (Scholastic. $16.99. ISBN 978-0545005371)

TOBY ALONE. Timothée de Fombelle. Illustrated by Francois Place. Translated by Sarah Ardizzone. (Candlewick. $17.99. ISBN 978-0763641818)

THE TOLL BRIDGE. Aidan Chambers. (Abrams/Amulet. $8.95. ISBN 978-0810983588)

TOUCH. Francine Prose. (HarperTeen. $16.99. ISBN 978-0061375170)

TRICKING THE TALLYMAN. Jacqueline Davies. Illustrated by S. D. Schindler. (Knopf. $17.99. ISBN 978-0375839092)

TROPICAL SECRETS: HOLOCAUST REFUGEES IN CUBA. Margarita Engle. (Holt. $16.95. ISBN 978-0805089363)

TRUCKS GO. Steve Light.

TUMTUM & NUTMEG: ADVENTURES BEYOND NUTMOUSE HALL. Emily Bearn. Illustrated by Nick Price. (Little, Brown. $16.99. ISBN 978-0316027038)

THE TWILIGHT PRISONER. Katherine Marsh. (Disney-Hyperion. $17.99. ISBN 978-1423106937)

UNDER SIEGE: THREE CHILDREN AT THE CIVIL WAR BATTLE FOR VICKSBURG. Andrea Warren. (Farrar/Melanie Kroupa. $17.95. ISBN 978-0374312558)

THE UNINVITED. Tim Wynne-Jones . (Candlewick. $16.99. ISBN 978-0763639846)

THE UNKNOWNS. Benedict Carey. (Amulet. $16.95. ISBN 978-0810979918)

UP CLOSE: BILL GATES. Marc Aronson. (Viking. $16.99. ISBN 978-0670063487)

UP CLOSE: HARPER LEE. Kerry Madden. (Viking. $16.99. ISBN 978-0670010950)

UP CLOSE: THEODORE ROOSEVELT. Michael L. Cooper. (Viking. $16.99. ISBN 978-0670011346)

A WALK IN NEW YORK. Salvatore Rubbino. (Candlewick.$16.99. ISBN 978-0763638559)

THE WATERS & THE WILD. Francesca Lia Block. (HarperTeen. $16.99. ISBN 978-0061452444)

WE’RE ALL IN THE SAME BOAT. Zachary Shapiro. Illustrated by Jack E. Davis.
(Putnam. $16.99. ISBN 978-0399243936)

WHAT BLUEBIRDS DO. Pamela F. Kirby. (Boyds Mills. $16.95. ISBN 978-159078-6147)

WHAT IS THIS? Antje Damm. (Frances Lincoln /PGW. dist.. $15.95. ISBN 978-1845078997)

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO HUMPTY: FROM THE FILES OF A HARD-BOILED DETECTIVE. Jeanie Franz Ransom and Joe Dumpty. Illustrated by Stephen Axelsen. (Charlesbridge. $15.95. ISBN 978-1580891097)

WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE?: HOW ALICE ROOSEVELT BROKE THE RULES, CHARMED THE WORLD, AND DROVE HER FATHER TEDDY CRAZY. Barbara Kerley. Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham. (Scholastic.

WHAT WOULD EMMA DO? Eileen Cook. Simon Pulse. paperback, $7.99. ISBN 978-1416974321)

WHEN ROYALS WORE RUFFLES: A FUNNY & FASHIONABLE ALPHABET! Chesley McLaren and Pamela Jaber. Illustrated by McLaren. (Schwartz & Wade. $16.99. ISBN 978-0375851667)

THE WHITE WITCH. Janet Graber. (Roaring Brook. $17.95. ISBN 978-159643373)

WHITEFOOT: A STORY FROM THE CENTER OF THE WORLD. Wendell Berry. Illustrated by Davis Te Selle. (Counterpoint. $22. ISBN 978-1582434322)

WHY IS SNOT GREEN? AND OTHER EXTREMELY IMPORTANT QUESTIONS (AND ANSWERS). Glenn Murphy. (Flash Point. $9.95. ISBN 978-1596435001)

WILD GIRL. Patricia Reilly Giff. (Wendy Lamb/Random House. $15.99. ISBN 978-0375838903)

WILD THINGS. Clay Carmichael. (Front Street/ dist. by Boyds Mills. $18.95. ISBN 978-1590786277)

WILLOUGHBY AND
THE LION. Greg Foley. (HarperCollins/Bowen. $17.99. ISBN 978-0061547508)

WILSON AND MISS LOVELY: A BACK-TO-SCHOOL MYSTERY. John Stadler. (Random/Corey. $9.99. ISBN 978-037584478-2)

WINK: THE NINJA WHO WANTED TO BE NOTICED. J. C. Phillipps. (Viking. $15.99. ISBN 978-0670010929)

WINTER WOOD (TOUCHSTONE TRILOGY 03). Steve Augarde. (David Fickling/Random House. $17.99. ISBN 978-0385750749)

WOMBAT WALKABOUT. Carol Diggory Shields. Illustrated by Sophie Blackall. (Dutton. $16.99. ISBN 978-0525478652)

WONDERLAND. Tommy Kovac. Illustrated by Sonny Liew. (Disney. $19.99. ISBN 978-1423104513)

THE YANKEE AT THE SEDER. Elka Weber. Illustrated by Adam Gustavson. (Tricycle. $16.99. ISBN 978-1582462561)

THE YEAR THE SWALLOWS CAME EARLY. Kathryn Fitzmaurice . (Harper. $16.99. ISBN 978-006124971)

YOU ARE THE FIRST KID ON MARS. Patrick O’Brien. Illustrated by Patrick O’Brien. (Putnam. $16.99. ISBN 978-0399246340)

THE YOUNG INFERNO. John Agard. Illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura. (Frances Lincoln. $19.95. ISBN 978-1845077693)

YOUNG SAMURAI: THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR. Chris Bradford. (Disney-Hyperion. $16.99. ISBN 978-1423118718)

YUM YUM! WHAT FUN! Mara Bergman. Illustrated by Nick Maland. (Greenwillow. $17.99. ISBN 978-0061688607)

ZENITH. Julie Bertagna. (Walker. $16.99. ISBN 978-0802798039)

ZERO IS THE LEAVES ON THE TREE. Betsy Franco. Illustrated by Shino Arihara. (Tricycle. $15.99. ISBN 978-1582462496)

** 2 STARS **

11 BIRTHDAYS. Wendy Mass. (Scholastic. $16.99. ISBN 978-0545052399)

14 COWS FOR AMERICA. Carmen Agra, with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah. Illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez. (Peachtree. $17.95. ISBN 978-1561454907)

1968. Michael T. Kaufman. (Roaring Brook/Flash Point. $22.95. ISBN 978-1596434288)

ADVENTURES IN CARTOONING: HOW TO TURN YOUR DOODLES INTO COMICS. James Sturm and Andrew Arnold et al. (Roaring Brook/First Second. $12.95. ISBN 978-1596433694)

AFRICAN ACROSTICS: A WORD IN EDGEWAYS. Poems by Avis Harley. Illustrated with photos by Deborah Noyes. (Candlewick. $17.99. ISBN 978-0763636210)

AFTER THE MOMENT. Garret Freymann-Weyr. (Houghton. $16. ISBN 978-0618605729)

ALL GOD’S CRITTERS. Bill Staines. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. (Simon & Schuster. $16.99. ISBN 978-0689869594)

ALL IN A DAY. Cynthia Rylant. Illustrated by Nikki McClure. (Abrams. $17.95. ISBN 978-0810983212)

ALL OF BABY, NOSE TO TOES. Victoria Adler. Illustrated by Hiroe Nakata. (Dial. $14.99. ISBN 978-0803732179)

ALONG FOR THE RIDE. Sarah Dessen. (Viking. $19.99. ISBN 978-0670011940)

ANYTHING BUT TYPICAL. Nora Raleigh Baskin. (Simon & Schuster. $15.99. 978-1416963783)

BILLY AND MILLY, SHORT AND SILLY. Eve B. Feldman. Illustrated by Tuesday Mourning. (Putnam. $16.99. ISBN 978-0399246517)

BLOODLINE. Katy Moran. (Candlewick. $16.99. ISBN 978-0763640835)

A BOOK. Mordicai Gerstein. (Roaring Brook. $16.95. ISBN 978-1596432512)

BRING ME SOME APPLES AND I’LL MAKE YOU A PIE: A STORY ABOUT EDNA LEWIS. Robbin Gourley. (Clarion. $16. ISBN 978-0618158362)

BROKEN SOUP. Jenny Valentine. (HarperTeen. $16.99. ISBN 978-0060850715)

CARS ON MARS: ROVING THE RED PLANET. Alexandra Siy. (Charlesbridge. $18.95. ISBN 978-1570914621)

A CHAIR FOR ALWAYS. Vera B. Williams (Greenwillow. $16.99. ISBN 978-0061722790)

CHASING LINCOLN’S KILLER: THE SEARCH FOR JOHN WILKES BOOTH. James L. Swanson. (Scholastic Press, $16.99. ISBN 978-0439903547)

CHILDREN OF WAR: VOICES OF IRAQI REFUGEES. Deborah Ellis. (Groundwood. $15.95. ISBN 978-0888999078)

CITY I LOVE. Lee Bennett Hopkins. Illustrated by Marcellus Hall. (Abrams. $16.95. ISBN 978-0810983274)

THE COLOR OF EARTH. Kim Dong Hwa, trans. from the Korean by Lauren Na. (Roaring Brook/First Second. ISBN 978-1596434585)

THE CUCKOO’S HAIKU AND OTHER BIRDING POEMS. Michael J. Rosen. Illustrated by Stan Fellows. (Candlewick. $17.99. ISBN 978-0763630492)

DENIED, DETAINED, DEPORTED: STORIES FROM THE DARK SIDE OF AMERICAN IMMIGRATION. Ann Bausum. (National Geographic. $21.95. ISBN 978-1426303326)

THE DEVIL’S PAINTBOX. Victoria McKernan. (Knopf. $16.99. ISBN 978-0375837500)

DOG AND BEAR: TWO’S COMPANY. Laura Vaccaro Seeger. (Roaring Brook/Neal Porter. $12.95. ISBN 978-1596432734)

DOPE SICK. Walter Dean Myers. (HarperTeen/Amistad. $16.99. ISBN 978-0061214776)

DUCK! RABBIT! Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. (Chronicle. $16.99. ISBN 978-0811868655)

EVERYTHING FOR A DOG. Ann M. Martin. (Feiwel and Friends. $16.99. ISBN 978-0312386511)

THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH. Carrie Ryan. (Delacorte. $16.99. ISBN 978-0385736817)

THE FROG SCIENTIST. Pamela S. Turner. Illustrated with photos by Andy Comins. (Houghton. $18. ISBN 978-0618717163)

GENTLEMEN. Michael Northrop. (Scholastic Press. $16.99. ISBN 978-0545097499)

GHOSTS OF WAR: MY TOUR OF DUTY. Ryan Smithson. (HarperTeen/Collins. $16.99. ISBN 978-006166468-7)

GOING BOVINE. Libba Bray. (Delacorte. $17.99. ISBN 978-0385733977)

THE GREAT AND ONLY BARNUM: THE TREMENDOUS, STUPENDOUS LIFE OF SHOWMAN P. T. BARNUM. Candace Fleming. Illustrated by Ray Fenwick. (Random House/Schwartz & Wade. $18.99. ISBN 978-0375841972)

HANNAH’S WINTER. Kierin Meehan. (Kane/Miller. $15.95. ISBN 978-1933605982)

HEART OF A SHEPHERD. Rosanne Parry. (Random House, $15.99. ISBN 978-0375848025)

HEARTSINGER. Karlijn Stoffels, trans. from the Dutch by Laura Watkinson. (Scholastic/Levine. $16.99. ISBN 978-0545069298)

HELLO BABY! Mem Fox. Illustrated by Steve Jenkins. (S&S/Beach Lane. $15.99. ISBN 978-1416985136)

HIGHWAY ROBBERY. Kate Thompson. Illustrated by Johnny Duddle and Robert Dress. (Greenwillow. $15.99. ISBN 978-0061730344)

HOME ON THE RANGE: JOHN A. LOMAX AND HIS COWBOY SONGS. Deborah Hopkinson. Illustrated by S.D. Schindler. (Putnam. $16.99. ISBN 978-0399239960)

HONK, HONK, GOOSE! CANADA GEESE START A FAMILY. April Pulley Sayre. Illustrated by Huy Voun Lee. (Holt. $16.95. 978-0805071030)

JUMPED. Rita Williams-Garcia. (HarperTeen/Amistad. $16.99. ISBN 978-0060760915)

KALEIDOSCOPE EYES. Jen Bryant. (Knopf. $15.99. ISBN 978-0375840487)

KING OF THE SCREWUPS. K.L. Going. (Harcourt. $17. ISBN 978-0152062583)

THE LAST OLYMPIAN. Rick Riordan. (Hyperion. $17.99. ISBN 978-1423101475)

THE LION’S SHARE: A TALE OF HALVING CAKE AND EATING IT, TOO. Matthew McElligott. (Walker. $16.99. ISBN 978-0802797681)

LISTEN TO THE WIND: THE STORY OF DR. GREG & THREE CUPS OF TEA. Greg Mortenson and Su
san L. Roth. (Dial. $16.99. ISBN 978-0803730588)

LUCY LONG AGO: UNCOVERING THE MYSTERY OF WHERE WE CAME FROM. Catherine Thimmesh. (Houghton. $18. ISBN 978-0547051994.

MACHINES GO TO WORK. William Low. (Holt. $14.95. ISBN 978-0805087598)

THE MAN WHO LIVED IN A HOLLOW TREE. Anne Shelby. Illustrated by Cor Hazelaar. (Atheneum. $17.99. ISBN 978-0689861697)

MOON RABBIT. Natalie Russell. (Viking. $16.99. ISBN 978-0670011704)

MY UNCLE EMILY. Jane Yolen. Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. (Philomel. $17.99. ISBN 978-0399240058)

NAKED MOLE RAT GETS DRESSED. Mo Willems. (Hyperion. $16.99. ISBN 978-1423114376)

NEIL ARMSTRONG IS MY UNCLE AND OTHER LIES MUSCLE MAN MCGINTY TOLD ME. Nan Marino. (Roaring Brook. $16.95. ISBN 978-1596434998)

NIC BISHOP BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS. Nic Bishop. (Scholastic. $17.99. ISBN 978-0439877572)

ONCE UPON A TWICE. Denise Doyen. Illustrated by Barry Moser. (Random. $16.99. ISBN 978-0375856129)

ONE BEETLE TOO MANY: THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF CHARLES DARWIN. Kathryn Lasky. Illustrated by Matthew Trueman. (Candlewick. $17.99. ISBN 978-0763614362)

THE ORANGE HOUSES. Paul Griffin. (Dial. $16.99. ISBN 978-0803733466)

OUR ABE LINCOLN. Jim Aylesworth. Illustrated by Barbara McClintock. (Scholastic. $16.99. ISBN 978-0439925488)

OUR CHILDREN CAN SOAR: A CELEBRATION OF ROSA, BARACK, AND THE PIONEERS OF CHANGE. Michelle Cook. Illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera, R. Gregory Christie, Bryan Collier et al. (Bloomsbury. $16.99. ISBN 978-1599904184)

PEACE, LOCOMOTION. Jacqueline Woodson. (Putnam. $15.99. ISBN 978-039924655)

PIPPO THE FOOL. Tracey E. Fern. Illustrated by Pau Estrada. (Charlesbridge. $15.95. ISBN 978-1570916557)

PRINCESS HYACINTH: THE SURPRISING TALE OF A GIRL WHO FLOATED, by Florence Parry Heide. Illustrated by Lane Smith. (Random House/Schwartz & Wade. $17.99. ISBN 978-0375937538)

RATTLE AND RAP. Susan Steggall. (Frances Lincoln (PGW, dist). $15.95. ISBN 978-1845077037)

RIOT. Walter Dean Myers. (Egmont USA. $16.99. ISBN 978-1606840009)

THE SECRET SCIENCE ALLIANCE AND THE COPYCAT CROOK. Eleanor Davis. (Bloomsbury. $18.99. hardcover ISBN 978-1599901428; paperback, $10.99. 978-1599903965)

SNEAKY WEASEL. Hannah Shaw. (Knopf. $15.99. ISBN 978-0375856259)

THE STORM IN THE BARN. Matt Phelan. (Candlewick. $24.99. ISBN 978-0763636180)

THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY. Jenny Han. (Simon & Schuster. $16.99. ISBN 978-1416968238)

SURFACE TENSION: A NOVEL IN FOUR SUMMERS. Brent Runyon. (Knopf. $16.99. ISBN 978-0375844461)

SURPRISE SOUP. Mary Ann Rodman. Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. (Viking. $15.99. ISBN 978-0670062744)

SYLVIE AND THE SONGMAN. Tim Binding. Illustrated by Angela Barrett. (Random House/David Fickling. $15.99. ISBN 978-0385751575)

TALES OF THE MADMAN UNDERGROUND: AN HISTORICAL ROMANCE 1973. John Barnes. (Viking. $18.99. ISBN 978-0670060818)

THIS FULL HOUSE. Virginia Euwer Wolff. (HarperTeen/Bowen. $17.99. ISBN 978-0061583049)

TRAVELING THE FREEDOM ROAD: FROM SLAVERY AND THE CIVIL WAR THROUGH RECONSTRUCTION. Linda Barrett Osborne (Abrams. $24.95. ISBN 978-0810983380)

A VOICE OF HER OWN: BECOMING EMILY DICKINSON. Barbara Dana. (HarperTeen. $16.99. ISBN 978-0060287047)

WHEN STELLA WAS VERY, VERY SMALL. Marie-Louise Gay. (Groundwood. $16.95. ISBN 978-0888999061)

WHEN THE WHISTLE BLOWS. Fran Cannon Slayton. (Philomel. $16.99. ISBN 978-0399251894)

WHY I FIGHT. J. Adams Oaks. (Atheneum. $16.99. ISBN 978-1416911777)

YUMMY: EIGHT FAVORITE FAIRY TALES. Lucy Cousins. (Candlewick. $18.99. ISBN 978-076364474)

I’ll admit to spending too much time on the Internet. Last night, I was curious to see if there were any truly smart babies out there. I went to Google and typed in "babies reading" and honestly expected to not get much back. Well, it seems there are some stunningly bright babies. No, these aren’t laughing babies, or funny babies, these are actual babies, reading. Reading!

Check out this little twelve-month-old. I have watched this three times because I just can’t believe it.  Reading babies. This little one can’t even speak, but her word recognition is, quite frankly, scary. Honestly, I wasn’t reading this well until I was six.

I love the dad’s easy erase toy — as if to prove this is actually happening. I can only imagine the questions this family will have for their local bookseller.

"She’s two, but reading at a tenth grade level. Can you recommend something for her?" Um, no, not really. I recommend she go play in the sandbox and read some Frog and Toad.

Check out this seventeen-month-old who somehow showed up on the Today Show.
All these smart babies got me thinking about how little ones learn to read. Let’s face it, most kids are not nearly as precocious as their families think they are. They learn to read the same way we did — they learn their letters, they sound out words and they discover the joy of stories. As we get ready for the school year to begin I see a lot of kindergartners and first graders feeling pressure that they don’t know how to read yet. Oh, the pressure starts so early.

There are loads of great books now to help kids learn to read. Among my favorites are the Now I’m Reading!

series by Innovative Kids. This series has two volumes now that go from pre-reading to independent reading, the art is very kid-friendly, there are 40 stickers, and the thing that parents like the best — a parent’s

guide to help them teach their kids. The best part is each book comes with ten small books, so there’s a real sense of accomplishment when a child’s finished a book.

Candlewick has a similarly successful series: Brand New Readers, which works along the same lines. Ten books in a set, certificate of achievement and poster to track the child’s reading. Great art and lots of fun characters to choose from.

And the last book I want to recommend for early readers is one from Random House that I literally unboxed last week. The Big Green Book of Beginner Books, featuring six fully illustrated titles by Dr. Seuss. There is a mix of familiar Wacky Wednesday, I Wish I Had Duck Feet and not so familiar titles, like Maybe You Should Fly a Jet! Maybe You Should Be a Vet!, Would You Rather Be a Bullfrog?, so the book won’t duplicate many collections.

So, if your baby isn’t reading yet, don’t despair.  He shouldn’t be. Babies who read are amazing, but not the norm. And when your child gets ready, you’ve got lots of great books to choose from. For now, babies should be laughing, like this little one.

Sunday at the bookstore is usually a slow day, especially when the temperature heads toward 90 degrees. Most folks are at the lake or beach. This is the day when the folks who do come in, have a little more time to chat. Today was a surprisingly sad day.

Usually the bookstore is filled with burbling babies and kids catching fire with reading. Parents are happy to share funny stories. Today, the question, "How are you?" was met with such honesty, by simple statements of fact, that I was stunned. One customer revealed that her marriage was shattered; another, that her otherwise healthy young husband (a man who’d been in the store buying books not three weeks ago) was recovering from surgery for a brain tumor.

I always think of the bookstore as a bar without the alcohol. People feel safe here; there is comfort in a place where the walls are lined with books. We are familiar faces to many who come in. Sometimes I feel like we’re the place people can speak their bad news first, almost like a trial run. I cannot say how many times we know before the kids, and sometimes before the husband or wife, that a marriage is ending. Illnesses are revealed in hushed whispers. Moves in and out of town are announced.

Book orders shift quickly as life deals hard blows. Mom’s House, Dad’s House for Kids and Helping Your Child Through Divorce get mixed in with Percy Jackson novels. Beating Cancer with Nutrition gets added to a smaller pile of novels. At these times, we also make a point of stocking a few more books than we might normally about divorce, or beef up our health section with a few more titles on beating cancer, so that a customer can quietly choose without having to special-order something aloud.

Just as we watch the children grow, we see customers fight battles. Battles with spouses that occasionally get played out in the store; battles with illness, especially cancer, with its varying stages of hair loss, and the ravages of chemo. Our town is small enough that we know how everyone is doing. Very occasionally, we lose someone. More often than not, we watch people slowly return to the vigorous people we knew and life goes on. It is an honor to be part of our customers’ lives. We share in their pain and their victories. There are days when just seeing someone walk in the door can almost make me cry, because I know they’re okay. Good booksellers are like good bartenders: we know when to leave people alone and we know when to ask, "Hey, are you okay?" We’re lucky that life tends to triumph.

As if to prove that point, my last customer of the day brought in her eleven-week-old English Shorthair Pointer puppy, Maisie Dobbs, as part of her socialization training. There is nothing like a rompy puppy with massive feet, tons of white spots, and puppy breath to help make a bad day a little better.

And just to make it fair, we’ll now carry more of The Perfect Puppy and How to Talk to Your Dog.