It’s awards time! Well, mock awards, at least. I have been asked now by three book-y friends what my picks are for the Newbery, Caldecott and Printz awards this year. I love the mock awards because they get me really thinking about the books, and there’s a great deal of cachet if you get them right.

So I’m throwing down the gauntlet to all you avid readers with strong opinions. What do you think will get the nod come January?

I’ll start off:

Newbery: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Caldecott: The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

Printz: Wintergirls by Laura Halse Anderson.

Come January, I’ll announce who among our readers got the most right. I’m only going to count the winners, but if you want to list the two to three honor books per category, well, you just go ahead. While I can’t promise a prize, you will get bragging rights and everyone who reads ShelfTalker will think you’re a book whiz with an eye for quality.

It’s not just the kids walking in with swine flu. It’s the adults, too. And since the name of my store is the Flying Pig, I am all too aware of the jokes that would abound if anyone on staff actually got swine flu, so I’ve forbidden anyone on staff from contracting it. Sure, we can call it H1N1, but we all know it’s still the swine flu, and there have been many reports (OK, two — I never said I wasn’t an alarmist) of it in and around my town. And I don’t want to get it. So, here’s my list of what customers can do to make that happen.

– Do not stop at the store on the way to the doctor with your feverish bundle. Yes, books are comforting, but come in without the sick child who probably wants to go to bed as much I want him to, and we’ll all stay healthy longer.

– If you sneeze into your hand at the register, please don’t hand me your credit card.

– Don’t lick your finger to separate the bills in your wallet.

– Don’t hand me used tissues to throw out for you.

– Don’t get impatient with your sick kids should you bring them to the store. No one’s at their best sick and yelling only gives me a headache which is one of the symptoms of swine flu, so now I’ll start worrying if I’m getting sick and I won’t be able to remember the name of the book whose title you can’t recall.

– If you know you’re sick and you live in town, call us. We might be able to deliver your books to you.

– Do not stop at the store on the way home from the doctor with your feverish bundle.

– Do not not cover your cough.

– Ask for a tissue and use it. Then go wash your hands.

Here’s my list of what our staff will do to make sure you don’t get sick from us:

– We won’t come to work if we’re not well.

– We have Purell hand sanitizer at every register and in the back room. Do not be offended if, after we ring you up, we use it. It’s not a comment on you, unless you’ve done something from the above list, but it’s a way to keep healthy. Plus the ABA told us to.

– If we sneeze, we will use the crook of our arm, or better yet, a tissue, and we will then go wash our hands.

– We won’t lick anything and hand it back to you.

– Do not be offended if you see us sanitize the pens by the register. This is really for your benefit. We don’t use those pens. We keep our pens in the back.

– If you come in the store and don’t see anyone right away, we’re in the bathroom, washing our hands, and we’ll be right out.

So, if we all follow a few simple steps, we can keep the Flying Pig Swine Flu Free. Oh, and if you have a great hand moisturizer, please bring it in as a gift for the staff. Our fingers are practically bleeding from washing.

Price wars are all over the news. In fact, unless you lived under a rock, you’d be hard-pressed to not have heard about the Amazon/Wal-Mart/Target and now Sears (yes, Sears!) ever-escalating one-upmanship (or is it one penny-upmanship) for the ten hottest books coming out in November. Everyone has been weighing about how they feel about this, so I thought I’d take a moment and address it.

It’s ridiculous. It’s maddening and once again I feel like it puts independent booksellers in the very untenable position of being the folks who cry foul and get thought of as whiney. To sell the brand new Barbara Kingsolver novel, which I personally have been waiting for, for either $8.98 or $9 is on the one hand laughable, and on the other hand, it’s a great bargain for folks who can’t afford hardcovers right now. NPR had a segment on this and a customer was quoted as saying about the new prices, "I could get used to this." I hear this and I start to cringe.

How hard is it going to be to explain to customers why we’re not offering more than our usual, very generous hardcover discounts? Do all indie booksellers have the time to explain with every transaction why it’s important to not buy books for up to 74% off their cover price? And honestly, do customers really care? Does anyone but the indie booksellers care about anti-trust laws? Can I even explain this to customers in such a way that they’ll care about it? No, no and no.

So how am I going to salvage my fourth quarter? I have no real idea, yet. So far, I don’t feel like I’m losing business to this price war from my regular customers who "get it." But we all could be losing the casual book buyer, the one who might only come in during the holidays to get books. They don’t need recommendations, they just want the new books by their favorite authors. These folks might be gone, for good.  I am being optimistic here — this trend could cause an enormous siphoning-off of customers from independent bookstores. I mean how can handselling and staffs full of book knowledge compete with 74%  off the newest Stephen King? I hate to say it, but at some point, price will win out if things remain unabated. 

It seems inherently unfair — and if you read all the blogs and listservs on the topic, possibly illegal — to sell these books at such reduced prices, yet it is allowed to happen. There seems to be no concerted effort in the independent bookselling world that I’m aware of (if your trade association is planning something, please comment. Since the publication of this post the ABA announced it was seeking an investigation into this matter by the Justice Department. ), so we’re all moaning to the choir and nothing is changing, except that some booksellers are actually buying those ten books form Walmart or Amazon and saving an additional twenty or so percent than they can get from the publishers, which is not helping the cause. I can totally understand the rationale behind this, but it seems like a very short-sighted thing to do.

I have no answers to this and that frustrates me. All I can do is what I know: I will continue to stock the hot new books as well as the backlist that makes my store unique. I will try to educate my customers as to why buying literature, art really, for such an undervalued amount diminishes our culture. I will continue the conversation about mega-stores dominating the publishing world and the effect that has on editorial content and I will do all of this while I cheerfully wrap your present and ask after your family and give your dog a biscuit.

The sheer ridiculousness of this video made me laugh out loud. Hope it does the same for you! John Howe (or, in his clay form, "Ickle John Howe") is an illustrator best known for his renderings of Tolkien’s worlds. He and Alan Lee were the chief conceptual designers for the movies based on The Lord of the Rings, hence the focus here on Balrogs, and all the references to Gandalf. Howe’s beautiful forthcoming book Lost Worlds is one of many titles we’ll be featuring on our store’s annual list of holiday gift recommendations for children and teens.

What does the not-so-ickle John Howe ACTUALLY sound like? Watch this trailer for Lost Worlds to find out.

Now go picture Gandalf without a pointy hat…

We had a book fair that made money and I didn’t have to do anything! I was stunned. The key to this book fair was having it in the store. 

A book fair involves my staff, usually me, ordering, receiving and packing up a shocking number of boxes and hauling them to the school. Then we would help the PTO volunteers unpack, inventory and set-up the book fair. Then for two and a half days if teachers remembered or felt they could give up a class period kids would stroll in and buy or not buy books. Sometimes the kids had money, more often than not they didn’t. We’d have enormous hold stacks that would hopefully get purchased by the end of each day. We tended to compete with a used book fair running on the opposite side of the gym. This is not a set-up I recommend, but one we could not avoid at our school as both book fairs had run concurrently for decades. Trying to sell a $15 hardcover is hard enough to do on a good day, but when you can buy a bag of books for $1.50, you don’t really stand a chance.

An in-store book fair involves nothing on my part but making sure I’ve got the hot books in stock. We run our in-store book fairs from a weekend to a weekend. I think this really allows the greatest visibility for the fair and makes reordering easy. Also, working parents stand a better chance of making it in the store if they’ve got two weekends to come in. The real beauty of having parents and kids come to the store is they come to the store. And once in the store they realize how much stock we’ve got for all ages. I sold $36 of cards to someone last night–this is most assuredly a sale that would not have happened at the school.

The key to a really successful in-store book fair is promoting at the school level and also at the store. Staffers need to have their speech down pat for customers so they can quickly state what’s going and who will benefit. We also had ample signage throughout the store, so folks knew what was going on and what school was benefiting.

As the book fair wound down, I realized that my workload had not increased because I had no boxes of books to check back in. There were no massive returns to do or hours of reshelving. All I had to do was run a report, which happily showed we took in more money this year than we did last year, and then write a check to the library that would then come spend with us on books.

All in all, a great win-win.

With so many of you, we share the sad news that beloved writer and teacher, colleague and friend Norma Fox Mazer passed away over the weekend after a sudden and courageous battle with cancer. Norma was an award-winning writer for children and young adults; she was also a lovely, wise, brilliant person whose warmth was felt by strangers and friends alike. She was a calm, good-humored presence, easy to relax around, with the most wonderful smile. But she was also alert, quick, incisive, and direct, a trusted critic and advisor.

Students at the Vermont College of Fine Arts called her the Sultan of Structure for her unfailing expertise in that tricky arena, and those who worked with her marveled at her generous mentorship. Norma was ageless; her slight frame and whimsical braids, and her open, imaginative, curious and lively mind, gave her an air decades younger than her actual years. There was something magical about Norma; one felt happy to be around her.

Josie remembers her casual visits to the bookstore: "Having written more than thirty books, Norma could easily have had an ego, but she didn’t. She lived in Vermont, so every once in a while she’d pop by to the store to say hi and be among the books. I didn’t get to know her well, but I’ll always remember how bright and engaging she was with a kind-hearted smile. I tended to fumble around when she came in the store, rushing to find books for her to sign, and she would calmly take my elbow, look me in the eyes and remind me to breathe. Not many authors try to take care of the frantic bookseller; I liked that about her. I know students from Vermont College’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults felt the same way. She was a nurturer and really loved it when student work was good. I have heard from my friends that she was precise and thoughtful in critiques. She inspired people, be they aspiring writers or readers who found themselves in her books. The children’s book world is diminished by her passing, but we can all find solace in her books."

Twenty-five years ago, in the days before the World Wide Web, I wrote a futuristic short story in which there was a tradition called TalkAbout, or TalkOut; I can’t recall which. When someone died, anyone could go to one of the ubiquitous public cameras and televise their memories of the deceased, no matter how minor their relationship or how small and personal the memory. It was a communal way of grieving that was both personal and widespread. This weekend, when news and loving thoughts about Norma snowballed across Facebook and in writers’ online discussion groups, I thought about how lucky we are to be able to share our memories with each other across the miles, with people who understand what has been lost, and what remains, of the people they love.

Many fine obituaries will detail Norma’s accomplishments in the field of children’s literature. She was an incredible writer, versatile and always moving forward in art. Here in ShelfTalker, we’d like to invite all of you to share your memories of Norma and her books and what they have meant to you, if you’d like.

For those readers who may not have met Norma but have loved her books, here’s a little snippet of a Scholastic interview with her:

There are two poems that put me in mind of Norma. The first sounds like something she might say to the rest of us. It was written in 1910 by the Canon of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, Henry Scott-Holland.

Death is nothing at all,
I have only slipped into the next room.
I am I and you are you
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.

Call me by my old familiar name,
Speak to me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference in your tone,
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.

Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was,
Let it be spoken without effect, without the trace of shadow on it.

Life means all that it ever meant.
It it the same as it ever was, there is unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near,
Just around the corner.

All is well.
Nothing is past; nothing is lost
One brief moment and all will be as it was before
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!

***

Finally, I’ve always loved this Emily Dickinson poem, which I read at my mom’s memorial service many years ago, and which has always seemed to me so perfect for a writer:

I dwell in Possibility – (466) — by Emily Dickinson

I dwell in Possibility –
A fairer House than Prose –
More numerous of Windows –
Superior – for Doors –

Of Chambers as the Cedars –
Impregnable of eye –
And for an everlasting Roof
The Gambrels of the Sky –

Of Visitors – the fairest –
For Occupation – This –
The spreading wide my narrow Hands
To gather Paradise –

It is not often that a book is so completely wonderful that I am compelled — nay, FORCED — to continue reading it to the neglect of all items on my to-do list, but today I fell into not one but two such books, and I’m NOT sorry. (Though I may well be by tomorrow when I’m facing no small number of deadlines…) For now, I am indulging in the delight of today’s distractions, as Toon Tellegen‘s The Squirrel’s Birthday and Other Parties and Letters to Anyone and Everyone (Boxer Books, Sept.) are, quite simply, two of the loveliest and most charming collections of stories I have EVER had the pleasure of reading.

Think A.A. Milne’s stories of Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin, but a shade quirkier — perfect for anyone old enough to sit and listen, and perfect as family (or coworker) read-alouds. Just ask Lorna Ruby and Lee Van Kirk, the two colleagues who counted themselves lucky enough to be in the same office as me today during the stretches in which I read aloud to them. The three of us giggled and cooed together over the delights to be had in these books, wishing all the while that we could corral small children into our office so they too could get in on the fun.

In The Squirrel’s Birthday and Other Parties, the squirrel has, yes, a birthday party, to which he invites every single animal he can think of. As if writing personalized invitations to each of them isn’t enough, he then bakes a different cake for each them too, thinking that it will only be a "real" birthday if by the end of the day everyone can say, "I’ve had more than enough to eat." Here’s a sampling:

He baked huge honey cakes for the bear and the bumblebee, a grass cake for the hippo, a small red cake for the mosquito, and a dry cake for the dromedary. He baked heavy salt cakes for the shark and the squid, and lowered them on a chain into the river. He baked thin cakes as light as air for the swallow and the wild goose and the oystercatcher, cakes so light they floated high above the trees on strings so they wouldn’t fly away. He baked thick, most cakes that were so heavy they could sink through the ground so the earthworm and the mole could eat them in the dark — which is where those cakes tasted best.

Friendship and communications between all manner of animals provide infinite opportunities for storytelling here, and the creatures that take pleasure in one another’s company aren’t necessarily the ones you’d expect to find communing. In the world of Tellegen’s creation, each animal is, it would seem, the sole member of its species, hence the designation of each as "the dragonfly" or "the bear." As such, a good deal of inter-species communication occurs, and creatures occasionally find they have surprising things in common. To wit, this conversation that begins "Renovating the Snail" (a story that appears in The Squirrel’s Birthday…):

"In the morning, when I wake up," the snail said, "I always have such a pain in my horns."

"Oh really?" said the giraffe. "That’s funny! So do I. It’s as if they’re prickling."

"Yes," said the snail. "As if they’re on fire."

"As if someone is pulling on them," said the giraffe.

"Yes," said the snail. "That’s what the pain is like."

They nodded at each other and felt pleased that they shared a morning complaint.

"Of course," said the giraffe, "I can’t discuss such things with the sparrow."

Accompanying all of these stories are lovely watercolor illustrations by Jessica Ahlberg that perfectly capture their moods and endear you, still further, to the books’ characters. Under the title for "The Costume Party" (a story in The Squirrel’s Birthday) appears a small drawing of a whale wearing tiny ladybug wings on his back. (He has somehow tied a string around his middle to hold the wings in place.) I can’t decide which I love more — the whale dressed as a ladybug, the mole dressed as a lobster, or the walrus dressed as a snail. Each is so wonderfully charming, in part because it is so completely absurd.

It’s the absurdity and dryness of the humor in these stories that saves them from being overly sweet or (God forbid) "cutesy." That, and the fact that the animals, while always entertaining, are not always cheery. The unevenness of their moods and differences in their character is what makes the experiences of these animals so charming, so familiar, so touching, and so human.

I leave you with this excerpt from "The Mole’s Letters", which appears in Letters to Anyone and Everyone. In it, Mole despairs of the fact that he never receives any letters:

And so, in the darkness, deep underground, he wrote himself letters, one after the other.

Dear Mole,
Yours sincerely,
The mole

or

Dear Mole,
I miss you.
The mole

Once he’d finished writing each letter, he hid it somewhere under the mud. Then he would chance upon it a little later and read it. Sometimes the letters brought tears to his eyes.

Thank you very much, Mole, he thought. Or I miss you too, Mole.

Sometimes he threw a party for all the senders of his letters. Then he ran from one side of the other of the darkest of all his tunnels and caverns. He danced too. Am I really happy? he wondered as he danced with himself.

At the end of one of these parties, he went and sat in a corner and wrote a letter to himself with the immortal words,

Dear Mole,
You have to go on a journey.
The Mole.

He nodded and went on a journey. Upwards, toward the mysterious air. He held his breath, saw the light shining down through the earth, and slowly climbed on.

That evening, he paid an unexpected visit to the squirrel. They drank tea and the mole talked about his parties deep under the ground. Large, dark parties without a trace of light. The squirrel shook his head, amazed. The mole stirred his tea and hoped that time would now finally stand still.

I hope you’ll read these books and find they made time stand still for you. As for me, I will now get back to all the items (yikes!) on my to-do list…

Halloween is almost upon us, and we thought we’d share with you several new titles and a few perennial favorites to get kids of all ages in the mood for the spooky holiday that comes with candy.

To start things off, here’s a great book to help families set the scene for creative Halloween festivities: Extreme Halloween: The Ultimate Guide to Making Halloween Scary Again, by Tom Nardone (Perigee, $14.95 ISBN 039953525X). Nardone, who brought us Extreme Pumpkins II last year, loves Halloween like Roseanne and Dan Connor of TV fame—the more gleefully grisly, the better. Lots of great projects for in and outside the house, from party tips and treats to full-blown haunted houses. Why not have an alligator in the leaf pile? Want to bury your friends alive? How about a toilet bowl filled with candy? And can anyone resist a cake that bleeds? Ewww! FUN.

On the opposite end of the scare spectrum is the board book for little kids by veteran toddler pleaser Anne Rockwell. Pumpkin Day, Pumpkin Night, illustrated by Megan Halsey (Walker, $6.99 ISBN 080279405X) follows a child through the gentle joy of finding the perfect pumpkin at a farmer’s market, preparing it, and enjoying the immense satisfaction of setting it out, carved and lit, on a fall night. Sweet and not scary.

Another cute book that offers Halloween flavor without the fright is Andrea Beaty and Pascal Lemaitre’s new title, Hush, Baby Ghostling (S&S/McElderry, $14.99 ISBN 1416925457) I’m a sucker for books that turn familiar ideas upside down*, and this one is charming. The little ghost, wiped out after a long night of haunting, is afraid to go to sleep, so Mama settles him in by promising to keep the dark on and soothing him with happy thoughts—of monsters, bats, and other nighttime creatures. A sweet bedtime story with a little twist. (*Another goodie is the 1997 title No Such Thing by Jackie French Koller and Betsy Lewin (Boyds Mills Press, $15.95 ISBN 1563974908), in which a boy is afraid of monsters, and a monster is afraid of boys. And then—they meet.)

Can You Make a Scary Face? Well, can you? Because kids will want you to, right along with them, when you read this at story hour. They will also wiggle, wriggle, puff, and dance. Author/artist Jan Thompson introduces a bossy ladybug who starts things off by telling readers to STAND UP ("No. I changed my mind. SIT DOWN. No, STAND UP!") She exhorts them to try getting rid of a bug by blowing it away. Each command leads to the need for another command, since the bug is not so easily gotten rid of. The story is hilarious to small children — another good choice for youngsters who want a cheery introduction to the world of "scary." (S&S/Beach Lane, $12.99 ISBN 1416985816)

Can clever mice outwit a cat (named Scary Cat) who invites himself to a mouse Halloween feast? Lois Ehlert’s Boo to You! poses this question in rich, detailed collages made from vegetables and paper and twine, among other materials. (S&S/Beach Lane, $17.99 ISBN 1416986251) I think you can guess the answer: they do indeed find a way to drive away the cat, and I have to admit, I felt a little sorry for the lonely feline carnivore. But the art is the real star of this book, and teachers will like the informative end pages with photos of fall fruits and vegetables, a recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds (simple and tasty), and info about jack o’lanterns.

Margie Palatini is always fun to read aloud, and this punny tale about a fizzled fairy godmother who finds herself out of work is no exception. Gone with the Wand: A Fairy’s Tale (illustrated by Brian Ajhar, Orchard, $16.99 ISBN 0439727685) is a witchy story that’s really about taking care of kids who need tucking in. For a titch more Halloween sensibility, Palatini’s Piggie Pie! is a perennial Flying Pig favorite. This one is about a witch in search of plump piggies for her next pie, but the alert swine are on to her in time, and dress up as cows, ducks, chickens, and even the farmer, in order to fool her. When a hungry wolf heads to the farm seeking the same meal, he and the foiled witch meet up, with a surprise ending. My cousin’s kids must have made me read it to them 150 times over the course of about three nights one summer—always the sign of a crowd pleaser. (Illustrated by Howard Fine, Clarion, $6.95 ISBN 0395866189)

Another older title, and one of my all-time favorite Halloween picture books, is Hogula: Dread Pig of Night, by Jean Gralley (ages 4-8). For some reason, I can’t get enough of Hogula, the vampire pig who "snorts" people into a snooze, and Elvis Ann, a girl who can’t be snorted, and who wields her own wicked talent, unleashing her evil "kissyface" upon the innocent. Can Elvis Ann and Hogula become friends? Only if they agree not to snort or kissyface each other. Another top-notch read-aloud for groups of kids. Or for one special kid at bedtime. (Ages 4-8) (Holt/Owlet, $6.95 ISBN 0805071644)

Lovely, lovely art and poetic text combine to make Only a Witch Can Fly by Alison McGhee, illustrated by Taeeun Yooone, one of this year’s standout Halloween stories. (Feiwel & Friends, $16.99 ISBN 0312375034) On Halloween night, a little girl comes home after trick-or-treating, but instead of settling into bed, she sneaks outside, yearning to fly up to the great big moon. As her little brother and some appropriately Halloween-y animals (bat, cat, owl) watch, she tries and fails, picks herself up and tries again. Then, in a breathtaking moment, she rises into the air. This is a quiet book about pursuing one’s dreams. "Hold tight to your broom / and float past the stars, / and turn to the heavens and soar." For an added treat, McGhee, always a lyrical writer, has sneaked the text into a sestina. Note about the art: the book cover is dramatic, but even it doesn’t do justice to the quiet gorgeousness of the linoleum-block art inside. (Ages 4-8)
 

Taking a turn from the lyrical to the loud, Horrid Henry and the Scary Sitter has a very funny Halloween story among its four sections. Halloween should be Henry’s best day of the year: you get to play tricks on people ALL DAY LONG, scot-free, dress up as something really repellent, plus, there’s free candy. But when Henry’s parents expect him to drag along his little brother in a humilatingly cute costume, Henry has other plans. Author Francesca Simon and illustrator Tony Ross clearly take enormous pleasure in their horrid hero and his terrible behavior—and so do kids ages 5-8. (Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky, $4.99 ISBN 1402
21
7811)

Two more middle-grade favorites that have been around for a while: The Witch Family by Eleanor Estes and Edward Ardizzone (what a team!) (Houghton Mifflin, $6.99, ISBN 015202610X) This is a wonderful, imaginative younger novel, suited especially for girls who love to draw and make up stories. Amy and Clarissa, best friends, have created a whole world on drawing paper, in which a terrible old witch is banished (or "banquished," as one of the girls likes to say) to live on the top of a glass hill and allowed out only once a year to haunt people on Halloween night. The old witch gets lonely, so she sends Malachi, a spelling bumblebee, down the hill to ask Amy and Clarissa to send her some company. The girls create a little witch family for her, consisting of a witch their own age as well as a "teeny witchie" baby. Issues of friendship, bullying, and teasing are addressed, in addition to questions of creating a fair and just world when you’re the ones holding the creative power (in this case, drawing pencils). There’s just something magical about this book, and it’s very Halloween-y. (Ages 7-10)

For fourth- and fifth-graders, it’s hard to do better for a read-aloud than to start with the first chapter of Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth by E.L. Konigsburg. This book won the Newbery Honor in the same year her From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler won the gold medal. Elizabeth is new to town and meets a mysterious girl in her class who says she is a witch. She does read Macbeth and knows how to write spells in old-fashioned script (the kind where s’s look like f’s), and Elizabeth is intrigued enough to agree to become Jennifer’s apprentice. They start with small spells, which Jennifer insists have worked. When they acquire a toad, ostensibly for a bigger spell, Elizabeth finds herself torn between loyalty to her friend and a burgeoning sense that what they’re playing at might get a little out of control. The first chapter is light and intriguing, and includes a school Halloween parade; a very good one to read to classes the week before the holiday. (Aladdin, $5.99 ISBN 1416933964)

Two quickies-but-goodies here. We’re always looking for scary short stories to read aloud at Halloween. Having gone through Alvin Schwartz’s worthy Scary Stories canon many times, it’s nice to have a new addition to the mix in More Bones: Scary Stories from Around the World (by Arielle North Olson and Howard Schwartz — hmm, any relation to Alvin? — illustrated by E.M. Gist; Puffin, $6.99 ISBN 0142414255) Great for ages 8-12. And who can resist Half-Minute Horrors, featuring more than 70 short-short stories by authors and artists including Neil Gaiman, Lemony Snicket, Holly Black, Margaret Atwood, Gregory Maguire, Jon Scieszka, Libba Bray, Jerry Spinelli, Francine Prose, Arthur Slade, Lauren Myracle, M.T. Anderson, Bret Helquist, Brian Selznick, Chris Raschka and many, many others. (HarperCollins, $12.99. ISBN: 0061833797) Just look at its cover over there on the right. Eek!

Fabulous.

For your teen and adult customers:
Gris Grimly, master of dark art, is the ultimate Halloween illustrator, and Edgar Allan Poe, with his eery, haunting stories, is the ultimate Halloween author. Happily, they’ve been paired again to bring you Edgar Allen Poe’s Tales of Death and Dementia (Atheneum, $18.99. ISBN: 1416950257) This follow-up to Edgar Allen Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Madness offers a new set of classics, newly illustrated by Grimly. The collection includes the inimitable, famous "The Tell-Tale Heart," as well as the less familiar "The Oblong Box," "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar," and "The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether." Sophisticated Halloween fare for teens and adults. And no Halloween list would be complete without Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, a mesmerizing book about justice and tolerance and integrity, which just happens to have one of the most memorable Halloween night scenes in all of literature. Boo Radley, anyone? (Harper Perennial, $12.95. ISBN: 0060935464)

***

Though this post is long, the list of books just scratches the surface. What are your favorite literary Halloween treats?

“It’s always been a dream of mine to open a bookstore.” We must hear this two or three times a week, sweetly confessed by starry-eyed book lovers. I don’t have the heart to tell them that, when you do have a bookstore, your dreams — the real ones, the nightly ones — change just a tad.

Here are a few recurring highlights from actual dreams Josie and I have had over the years:

The store is full of customers, you’re alone, and the cash register and POS system aren’t working.

The sections have all been moved; in fact, they’re changing while you look at them.

Your store is suddenly outside.

You’ve had to move your store from a great location to a lousy one, and grieve.

You need to get to work and can’t find your store in the strange city you suddenly find yourself in.

You’re trying to get to work, but the elevator you step into goes sideways, at a fast clip, in the opposite direction of where you need to be.

Your store layout has become a honeycomb of little rooms with organization that makes no sense and bad lighting.

You discover a whole sales floor’s worth of overstock you have to deal with.

The sales meeting you’re in lasts a full week.

There’s an angry customer at the counter demanding the book he’s been waiting for — for eight months.

You’ve got a huge line at the register and you’ve forgotten how to type.

You have all new staff members you don’t know, and they just stand around chatting while customers stream by, needing help.

Suddenly you can’t remember a single Dr. Seuss title.

You’ve just recommended a bunch of perfect books to a teen, only to find you’re out of all of them. (Oh wait, that wasn’t a dream. That just happened on Friday.)

***

After thirteen years in this changeable business, when people tell me “I’d like to open a bookstore when I retire,” I just smile and say, “Good luck with that. It’s a beautiful dream.”

Here you go, folks: the updated list of 2009 starred reviews for children’s books. And, for those who would like the list with book covers and more information, the 2009 Stars Library.

I confess I feel a little mixed about this big project of presenting the starred-review titles, and I’ll tell you why. On the one hand, it’s a huge help as I think about the books I want to include in my annual (print) newsletter, Pig-Tales—sixteen colorful pages of our favorite books of the year for children and adults. With the starred list below, I can scan to make sure I’m not forgetting something I really loved back in April but slipped my memory by October. I can also note titles I might have missed altogether.

On the other hand, there’s a danger to ‘starry’ thinking. I hope we are aware enough not to slip into prioritizing stars past a certain point, but having this list in front of me is a temptation. The list of titles is so long that one is in danger of skimming over the single stars, not to mention the myriad of fantastic books that haven’t received any starred reviews. To take just two examples from years past, we’ve sold countless copies of the hilarious crowd-pleasing dog tribute, Once I Ate a Pie by Patricia MacLachlan et al., and the gorgeous, perfect-to-read-aloud, every-teacher-should-know-about 17 Kings and 42 Elephants by Margaret Mahy and Patricia MacCarthy. As far as I can tell, neither received a starred review. (This information is harder to glean than one might imagine, even on distributor databases.) Are those kinds of books lost in the shuffle if we use starred-review lists as primary references for ordering?

Delighted readers are all the "starred review" a book really needs, and I hate to think that the list below might be complicit in a bookseller or librarian passing over worthy, wonderful titles that just didn’t happen to fit a reviewer’s or editor’s criteria of what is deserving of a star for that issue of that particular review magazine. Reviews are extremely helpful for busy booksellers, librarians, and teachers — but there is no substitute for actually reading a book, or sharing it with children, oneself.

So — with all that in mind, here are the 2009 starred-review titles as of today. Starred reviews for 2009 titles come from 2008-2009 reviews in Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, The Horn Book, Booklist, The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, and Kirkus Reviews.

Any mistakes are mine; collating all of these is quite a project, and definitely subject to human error. Authors and publishers, please let me know if I’ve missed any.

***** 5 STARS *****

CHARLES AND EMMA: THE DARWINS’ LEAP OF FAITH. Deborah Holt Heiligman. (ISBN 978-0805087215. $18.95. YA.)

CLAUDETTE COLVIN: TWICE TOWARD JUSTICE. Phillip Hoose. (Melanie Kroupa/FSG. ISBN 978-0374313227. $19.95. MG/YA.)

FIRE. Kristin Cashore. (Dial. $17.99. ISBN 978-0803734616. YA.)

THE LION & THE MOUSE. Jerry Pinkney. (Little, Brown. $16.99. ISBN 978-0316013567. PreS-Grade 1.)

MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD. Francisco X Stork. (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic. $17.99. ISBN 978-0545054744. YA.)

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

MOONSHOT: THE FLIGHT OF APOLLO 11. Brian Floca. (Richard Jackson/Atheneum. ISBN 978-1416950462. $17.99. Grades 2-5.)

SEASON OF GIFTS, A. Richard Peck. (Dial. $16.99. ISBN 978-080373082. MG.)

TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA. Shaun Tan. (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic. $19.99. ISBN 978-0545055871. YA.)

WHEN YOU REACH ME. Rebecca Stead. (Wendy Lamb/Random House. $15.99. ISBN 978-0385737425. MG.)

WINTERGIRLS. Laurie Halse Anderson. (Viking, $17.99. ISBN 978-0670011100. YA.)

**** 4 STARS ****

ALL THE WORLD. Liz Garton Scanlon. Illustrated by Marla Frazee. (Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster. $17.99. ISBN 978-1416985808. Ages 4-7.)

BUTTON UP! WRINKLED RHYMES. Alice Schertle. Illustrated by Petra Mathers. (Harcourt. $16. ISBN 978-0152050504. PreS-Grade 2.)

CATCHING FIRE. Suzanne Collins. (Scholastic. $17.99. ISBN 978-0-439023498. MG/YA.)

DINOTHESAURUS: PREHISTORIC POEMS AND PAINTINGS; written and illus. by Douglas Florian. (Simon & Schuster. $17.99. ISBN 978-1416979784. Grades 2-5.)

THE ETERNAL SMILE. Gene Luen Yang. Illustrated by Derek Kirk Kim. (Roaring Brook/First Second. $16.95. ISBN 978-1596431560. YA.)

THE EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE. Jacqueline Kelly. (Holt. $16.95. ISBN 978-0805088410. MG.)

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

HEROES OF THE VALLEY. Jonathan Stroud. (Disney-Hyperion. $17.99. ISBN 978-1423109662. MG/YA.)

HOOK. Ed Young. (Neal Porter/Roaring Brook. $17.95. ISBN 978-1596433632. PreS-Grade 1.)

IF I STAY. Gayle Forman. (Dutton. $16.99. ISBN 978-0525421030. YA.)

THE LOST CONSPIRACY. Frances Hardinge. (HarperCollins. $16.99. ISBN 978-0060880415. Grades 6-10.)

RED SINGS FROM TREETOPS: A YEAR IN COLORS. Joyce Sidman. Illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski. (Houghton. $16.00. ISBN 978-0547014944. Ages 5-8.)

THE SNOW DAY. Komako Sakai. (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic. $16.99. ISBN 978-0545013215. Ages 3-5.)

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

THUNDER-BOOMER! Shutta Crum. Illustrated by Carol Thompson. (Clarion. $16. ISBN 978-0618618651.Ages 4-7.)

*** 3 STARS ***

ALL THE BROKEN PIECES. Ann E. Burg. (Scholastic. $16.99. ISBN 978-054508092. YA.)

ALMOST ASTRONAUTS: 13 WOMEN WHO DARED TO DREAM. Tanya Lee Stone. (Candlewick. $24.99. ISBN 978-0763636111. Grades 5-8.)

ASHLEY BRYAN: WORDS TO MY LIFE’S SONG. Ashley Bryan. Photos by Bill McGuinness. (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster. $18.99. ISBN 978-141690541. Ages 8-12.)

BIRDS. Kevin Henkes. Illustrated by Laura Dronzek. (Greenwillow. $17.99. ISBN 978-0061363047. Ages 3-5.)

BUBBLE TROUBLE. Margaret Mahy. Illustrated by Polly Dunbar. (Clarion. $16. ISBN 978-0547074214. Ages 3-7.)

BURN MY HEART. Beverley Naidoo. (HarperCollins/Amistad. $15.99. ISBN 978-0061432972. MG.)

THE CARBON DIARIES 2015. Saci Lloyd. (Holiday House. $17.95. 978-0823421909. Grades 9-12.)

CHICKEN LITTLE. Rebecca Emberley and Ed Emberley. (Neal Porter/Roaring Brook. $16.95. ISBN 978-1596434646. PreS-K.)

CORETTA SCOTT. Ntozake Shange. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. (Harper/Tegen/Amistad. $17.99. ISBN 978-006125364. Ages 4-9.)

CREATURE OF THE NIGHT. Kate Thompson. (Roaring Brook. $17.95. ISBN 978-1596435117. Grades 9-12)

CROSSING STONES. Helen Frost. (FSG. $16.99. ISBN 978-0374316532)

DARWIN. Alice B. McGinty. Illustrated by Mary Azarian. (Houghton Mifflin. $18. ISBN 978-0618995318. Grades 1-4)

THE DAY-GLO BROTHERS: THE TRUE STORY OF BOB AND JOE SWITZER’S BRIGHT IDEAS AND BRAND-NEW COLORS. Chris Barton. Illustrated by Tony Persiani. (Charlesbridge. $18.95. ISBN 978-157091673. Ages 8-12.)

THE DEMON’S LEXICON. Sarah Rees Brennan. (Margaret K. McElderry/Simon & Schuster. $17.99. ISBN 978-1416963790. YA.)

DINOTRUX. Chris Gall. (Little, Brown. $16.99. ISBN 978-031602777. Ages 4-8.)

THE DUNDERHEADS. Paul Fleischman. Illustrated by David Roberts. (Candlewick. $16.99. ISBN 978-0763624989. Ages 6-10.)

ELEANOR, QUIET NO MORE. Doreen R
ap
paport. Illustrated by Gary Kelley. (Disney-Hyperion. $16.99. ISBN 978-0786851416. Grades 2-5.)

A FOOT IN THE MOUTH: POEMS TO SPEAK, SING, AND SHOUT. ed. by Paul B. Janeczko, illus. by Chris Raschka. (Candlewick. $17.99. ISBN 978-0763606633. Ages 8-12.)

GERTRUDE IS GERTRUDE IS GERTRUDE IS GERTRUDE. Jonah Winter. Illustrated by Calef Brown. (S&S/Atheneum. $16.99. ISBN 978-1416940883. Ages 4-10.)

HIGHER! HIGHER! Leslie Patricelli. (Candlewick. $15.99. ISBN 978-0763632410. Preschool.)

LEVIATHAN. Scott Westerfeld. Illustrated by Keith Thompson. (Simon Pulse, $19.99. ISBN: 978-1416971733)

LIAR. Justine Larbalestier. (Bloomsbury. $16.99. ISBN 978-1599903057)

LITTLE CHICK. Amy Hest. Illustrated by Anita Jeram. (Candlewick. $17.99. ISBN 978-0-763628901. Ages 3-6.)

THE MAGICIAN’S ELEPHANT. Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Yoko Tanaka. (Candlewick. $16.99. ISBN 978-0763644109. Grades 4-7.)

MISSION CONTROL, THIS IS APOLLO: THE STORY OF THE FIRST VOYAGES TO THE MOON. Andrew Chaikin and Victoria Kohl. Illustrated by Alan Bean. (Viking. $23.99. ISBN 978-0670011568. Grades 5-8.)

MY PEOPLE. Langston Hughes. Photos by Charles R. Smith, Jr. (Atheneum/Ginee Seo. $17.99. ISBN 978-1416935407. Ages 4-8.)

THE NEGRO SPEAKS OF RIVERS. Langston Hughes. Illus. by E.B. Lewis. (Disney-Jump at the Sun. $16.99. ISBN 978-0786818679. Ages 4-8.)

NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL. Justina Chen Headley. (Little, Brown. $16.99. ISBN 978-0316025058. YA.)

ORANGUTAN TONGS: POEMS TO TANGLE YOUR TONGUE. Jon Agee. (Disney-Hyperion. $16.99. ISBN 978-1423103158. Ages 4-8.)

PHARAOH’S BOAT. David Weitzman. (Houghton Mifflin. $17. ISBN 9780547053417. Grades 4-7.)

REDWOODS. Jason Chin. (Neal Porter/Roaring Brook. $16.95. ISBN 978-1596434301. PreS-Grade 3.)

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

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

A SAVAGE THUNDER: ANTIETAM AND THE BLOODY ROAD TO FREEDOM. Jim Murphy. (Margaret K. McElderry/Simon & Schuster. $17.99. ISBN 978-0689876332. Grades 6-10.)

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

SOLACE OF THE ROAD. Siobhan Dowd. (Random/David Fickling Bks. $17.99. ISBN 978-0375849718)

SWEETHEARTS OF RHYTHM: THE STORY OF THE GREATEST ALL-GIRL SWING BAND IN THE WORLD. Marilyn Nelson. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. (Dial. $21.99. ISBN 978-0803731875)

TSUNAMI! Kimiko Kajikawa. Illus. by Ed Young. (Philomel. $16.99. ISBN 978-0399250064. Grades K-3.)

THE VAST FIELDS OF ORDINARY. Nick Burd. (Dial. $16.99. ISBN 97800803733404. Grades 9-12)

WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON. Grace Lin. (Little, Brown. $16.99. ISBN 978-0316114271. Ages 8-12.)

WHIFF OF PINE, A HINT OF SKUNK, A: A FOREST OF POEMS. Deborah Ruddell. Illustrated by Joan Rankin. (McElderry/Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1416942115. $16.99. Gr. 3-5.)

WRITTEN IN BONE: BURIED LIVES OF JAMESTOWN AND COLONIAL MARYLAND. Sally M. Walker. (Carolrhoda. $22.95. ISBN 978-0822571353. MG/YA.)

YEARS OF DUST: THE STORY OF THE DUST BOWL. Albert Marrin. (Dutton. $22.99. ISBN 978-0525420774. Grades 5-8.)

YOU NEVER HEARD OF SANDY KOUFAX?! Jonah Winter. Illustrated by André Carrilho. (Schwartz & Wade/Random House. $17.99. ISBN 978-0375837388)

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

** 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)

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

ALBERT EINSTEIN. Kathleen Krull. Illustrated by Boris Kulikov. (Giants of Science Series) (Viking. $15.99. ISBN 978-0670063321)

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)

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)

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

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

BAD NEWS FOR OUTLAWS: THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF BASS REEVES, DEPUTY U.S. MARSHAL, by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson; illus. by R. Gregory Christie (Carolrhoda. $17.95. ISBN: 978-0822567646)

BEFORE COLUMBUS: THE AMERICAS OF 1491. Charles C. Mann. (S&S/Atheneum. $24.99. ISBN 978-1416949008)

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

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

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)

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

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

CROW CALL. Lois Lowry. Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. (Scholastic, $16.99. ISBN 978-0545030359)

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)

DOOM MACHINE, THE. Mark Teague. (Scholastic/Blue Sky. $17.99. ISBN 978-0545151429)

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)

EVERYTHIN
G 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)

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)

HATE LIST. Jennifer Brown. (Little, Brown. $16.99. ISBN 978-0316041447)

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)

HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT. Natalie Standiford. (Scholastic. $17.99. ISBN 978-0545107082)

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

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

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)

LAST NIGHT I SANG TO THE MONSTER. Benjamin Alire Saenz. (Cinco Puntos. $19.95. ISBN: 978-1933693583)

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)

LIPS TOUCH: THREE TIMES. Laini Taylor; illus. by Jim Di Bartolo. (Scholastic/Levine, $17.99. ISBN 978-0545055857)

LISTEN TO THE WIND: THE STORY OF DR. GREG & THREE CUPS OF TEA. Greg Mortenson and Susan 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)

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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)

RAVEN SUMMER. David Almond. (Delacorte. $16.99. ISBN 978-0385738064)

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

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

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

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

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

STICK MAN. Julia Donaldson. Illustrated by Axel Scheffler. (Scholastic/Levine. $16.99. ISBN 978-0545157612)

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)

UNFINISHED ANGEL. Sharon Creech. (HarperCollins. $15.99. ISBN 978-0061430954)

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

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

WAITING FOR WINTER. Sebastian Meschenmoser. (EDC/Kane Miller. $15.99. ISBN 978-1935279044)

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)

* 1 STAR *

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

AFTER. Amy Efaw. (Viking. $17.99. ISBN 978-0670011834)

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 NAT
URAL 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)

ALMOST PERFECT. Brian Katcher. (Delacorte. $17.99. ISBN 978-0385736640)

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)

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)

ASH. Malinda Lo. (Little, Brown. $16.99. ISBN 978-0316040099)

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)

BACK HOME. Julia Keller. (Egmont. $15.99. ISBN 978-1606840054)

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)

BENAZIR BHUTTO. Sean Stewart Price. (Heinemann. $38.93. ISBN 978-1432932220)

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)

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)

BOG BABY, THE. Jeanne Willis. (Random House/Schwartz & Wade. $16.99. ISBN 978-0375861765)

BOOK OF SLEEP, A. Il Sung Na. (Knopf. $15.99. ISBN 978-0375862236)

BOY WHO INVENTED TV, THE: THE STORY OF PHILO FARNSWORTH. Kathleen Krull. Illustrated by Greg Couch. (Knopf/Borzoi. $16.99. ISBN 978-0375845611)

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

BREATHLESS. Jessica Warman. (Walker. $16.99. ISBN 978-0802798497)

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)

BRIEF HISTORY OF MONTMORAY, A. Michelle Cooper. (Knopf. $16.99. ISBN 978-0375858642)

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

BROTHERS STORY, THE. Katherine Sturtevant. (FSG. $16.99. ISBN 978-0374309923)

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

BYLINES: A PHOTOBIOGRAPHY OF NELLIE BLY. Sue Macy. (National Geographic. $19.95. ISBN 978-1426305139)

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

CAN YOU MAKE A SCARY FACE? Jan. Thomas. (S&S/Beach Lane. $12.99. ISBN 978-1416985815)

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)

CHARLES DARWIN AND THE BEAGLE ADVENTURE. A. J. Wood & Clint Twist. (Candlewick/Templar. $19.99. ISBN 978-0763645380)

CHICKEN CHEEKS. Michael Ian Black. Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. (S&S. $15.99. ISBN 978-1416948643)

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

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

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)

CLOVER TWIG AND THE MAGICAL COTTAGE. Kaye Umansky. Illustrated by Johanna Wright. (Roaring Brook. $16.99. ISBN 978-1596435070)

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

COLOR OF HEAVEN, THE. Dong Hwa Kim. Translated by Lauren Na. (First Second. $16.99. ISBN 978-1596434608)

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)

DEVIL’S KISS. Sarwat Chadda, (Disney-Hyperion. $17.99. ISBN 978-1423119999)

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

DINOSAUR TAMER, THE. Carol Greathouse. Illustrated by John Shroades. (Dutton. $16.99. ISBN 978-0525478669)

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)

DOG BISCUIT. Helen Cooper. (FSG. $16. ISBN 978-0374318123)

DOG DAYS. Jeff Kinney. (Abrams.Amulet. $13.95. ISBN 978-0810983915)

DOG IN THE WOOD, THE. Monika Schroder. (FSG. $17.95. ISBN 978-1590787014)

THE DOLL SHOP DOWNSTAIRS. Yona Zeldis McDonough. I
llustrated 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)

DUST BOWL THROUGH THE LENS, THE: HOW PHOTOGRAPHY REVEALED AND HELPED REMEDY A NATIONAL DISASTER. Martin W. Sandler. (Walker. $19.99. ISBN 978-0802795472)

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)

EAST-WEST HOUSE, THE: NOGUCHI’S CHILDHOOD IN JAPAN. Christy Hale. (Lee & Low. $17.95. ISBN 978-160060361)

EGG DROP. Mini Grey. (Knopf. $16.99. ISBN 978-0375842603)

EIDI. Bodil Bredsdorff. Translated by Kathryn Mahaffy. (Farrar. $16.99. ISBN 978-0374312671)

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)

EPOSSUMONDAS PLAYS POSSUM. (Coleen Salley. Illustrated by Janet Stevens. (Harcourt. $16. ISBN 978-0152064204)

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)

EVERYTHING MACHINE, THE. Matt Novak. (Roaring Brook. $17.99. ISBN 978-01596432864)

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)

EYE FOR COLOR, AN: THE STORY OF JOSEF ALBERS. Natasha Wing; illus. by Julia Breckenreid. (Holt. $16.99. ISBN 978-0-805080728)

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)

FAMILY SECRET, A. Eric Heuvel. Translated by Lorraine T. Miller. (Farrar. $18.99. ISBN 978-0374322717. Pb $9.99. ISBN 978-0374422653)

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)

FLASH BURNOUT. L.K. Madigan. (Houghton. $16. ISBN 978-0547194899)

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)

FOOD, GIRLS, AND OTHER THINGS I CAN’T HAVE. Allen Zadoff. (Egmont. $16.99. ISBN 978-1606840047)

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)

FROGS AND TOADS ALL SANG, THE. Arnold Lobel. Illustrated by author & Adrianne Lobel. (HarperCollins. $16.99. ISBN 978-0061800221)

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)

GIANT-SLAYER, THE. Iain Lawrence. (Delacorte. $16.95. ISBN 978-0385733762)

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)

THE GOBLIN AND THE EMPTY CHAIR. Mem Fox. Illustrated by Leo Dillon and Diane Dillon. (S&S/Beach Lane. $17.99. ISBN 978-1416985853)

GOLDILOCKS. Ruth Sanderson. (Little, Brown. $16.99. ISBN 978-0316778855)

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 978-1570916454)

GRACIAS / THANKS. Pat Mora. (Lee & Low. $17.95. ISBN 978-1600602580)

GREAT DEATH, THE. John Smelcer. (Holt. $16.99. ISBN 978-0805081008)

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)

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

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A SNEEP? Tasha Pym. Illustrated by Joel Stewart. (FSG. $16.95. ISBN 978-0374328689)

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)

IMOGENE’S LAST STAND. Candace Fleming; illus. by Nancy Carpenter. (Schwartz & Wade/Random. $16.99. ISBN 978-0375836077)

INVISIBLE I (AMANDA PROJECT). Stella Lennon. (HarperTeen. $16.99. ISBN 978-0061742125)

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)

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)

JOE RAT. Mark Barratt. (Eerdmans. $9.00. ISBN 978-0802853561)

JOHN BROWN: HIS FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. John Hendrix. (Abrams. $18.95. ISBN 978-0810937987)

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

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

JUST THE RIGHT SIZE: WHY BIG ANIMALS ARE BIG AND LITTLE ANIMALS ARE LITTLE. Nicola Davies. Illustrated by Neal Layton. (Candlewick. $14.99. ISBN 978-0763639242)

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)

LAST DECEMBER. Matt Beam. (Front Street. $18.95. ISBN 978-1590786512)

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

THE LEGEND OF NINJA COWBOY BEAR. David Bruins. Illustrated by Hilary Leung. (Kids Can Press. $16.95. ISBN 978-1554534869)

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 & Friends. $24.95. ISBN 978-0312370138)

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)

LOOKING LIKE ME. Walter Dean Myers. Illustrated by Christopher Myers. (Egmont. $18.95. ISBN 978-1606840016)

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)

LUKE ON THE LOOSE. Harry Bliss. Toon Bks. $12.95. ISBN 978-1935179009)

LUV YA BUNCHES. Lauren Myracle. (Abrams. $15.95. ISBN 978-0810942110)

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)

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)

MITTEN, THE. Retold by Jim Aylesworth. Illustrated by Barbara McClintock. (Scholastic. $16.99. ISBN 978-0439925440)

MONSTRUMOLOGIST, THE. Rick Yancey. (S&S. $17.99. ISBN 978-1416984481)

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

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

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)

MR. AND MRS. PORTLY AND THEIR LITTLE DOG, SNACK. Sandra Jordan. Illustrated by Christine Davenier. (Farrar. $16.99. ISBN 978-0374350895)

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)

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)

MY NAME IS JASON. MINE TOO: OUR STORY. OUR WAY. Jason Reynolds & Jason Griffin. (HarperCollins/Joanna Cotler Bks. $12.99. ISBN 978-0061547881)

MY PAPA DIEGO AND ME: MEMORIES OF MY FATHER AND HIS ART / MI PAPA DIEGO Y YO: RECUERDOS DE MI PADRE Y SU ARTE. Guadalupe Rivera Marin. (Children’s Book Press. $17.95. ISBN 978-0892392285)

NASREEN’S SECRET SCHOOL: A TRUE STORY FROM AFGHANISTAN. Jeanette Winter. (S&S/Beach Lane. $16.99. ISBN 978-1416994374)

NEVER SMILE AT A MONKEY. Steve Jenkins. (Houghton. $16. ISBN 978-0-618966202)

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)

NEWSGIRL. Liza Ketchum. (Viking. $16.99. ISBN 978-0670011193)

NIGHT LIGHTS. Susan Gal. (Knopf. $14.99. ISBN 978-0375858628)

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)

NUBS: THE TRUE STORY OF A MUTT, A MARINE, & A MIRACLE. Major Brian Dennis and Kirby Larson and others. (Little, Brown. $17.99. ISBN 978-0316053181)

ODD AND THE FROST GIANTS. Neil Gaiman. Illustrated by Brett Helquist. (HarperCollins. $14.99. ISBN 978-0061671739)

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)

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)

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

OPERATION YES. Sara Lewis Holmes. (Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine. $16.99. ISBN 978-0545107952)

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

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

OTIS. Loren Long. (Philomel. $17.99. ISBN 978-0399252488)

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)

PALE ASSASSIN, THE. Patricia Elliott. (Holiday House. $17.95. ISBN 978-0823422500)

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)

PHILOSOPHY, INVENTION, AND ENGINEERING. Derek Hall. (Brown Bear. $24.95. ISBN 978-1933834481)

PHOTOGRAPHER: INTO WAR-TORN AFGHANISTAN WITH DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS. Emmanuel Guibert. Photos by Didier Lefèvre. Translated from French by Alexis Siegel. Illustrated by author & Frédéric Lemercier. (Roaring Brook/First Second. $29.95. ISBN 978-1596433755)

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

POP-UP GUIDE TO NURSERY RHYMES, A. Matthew Reinhart. (LittleSimon. $26.99 ISBN 978-1416918257)

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

POUCH! David Ezra Stein. (Putnam. $15.99. ISBN 978-0399250514)

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)

PUFFLING. Margaret Wild. Illustrated by Julie Vivas. (Feiwel & Friends. $16.99. ISBN 978-0312565701)

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

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PURPLE HEART. Patricia McCormick. (HarperCollins/Balzer & Bray. $16.99. ISBN 978-0061730900)

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

RABBITS. Anita Ganeri. (Heinemann. Pb $7.99. ISBN 978-1432934019)

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)

RISE AND FALL OF SENATOR JOE MCCARTHY, THE. James Cross Giblin. (Clarion. $22.00. ISBN 978-0618610587)

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)

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

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)

SAVING THE GHOST OF THE MOUNTAIN: AN EXPEDITION AMONG SNOW LEOPARDS IN MONGOLIA. Sy Montgomery. Photos by Nic Bishop. (Scientists in the Field Series). (Houghton. $18. ISBN 978-0618916450)

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

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

SEARCH, THE. Eric Heuvel & Ruud Van der Rol. Lies Schippers. Translated by Lorraine T. Miller. (FSG. $18.99. ISBN 978-0374365172)

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)

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. Marissa 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 97
8-0399247057)

SNIPER, THE. James Riordan. (Frances Lincoln. $8.95. ISBN 978-1845078850)

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

SOJOURNER TRUTH’S STEP-STOMPING STRIDE. Andrea Davis Pinkney. Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. (Jump at the Sun. $16.99. ISBN 978-0786807673)

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)

SOPHIE PETERMAN TELLS THE TRUTH. Sarah Weeks. Illustrated by Robert Neubecker. (S&S/Beach Lane. $16.99. 978-1416986867)

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

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

SPELLS. Emily Gravett. (S&S. $16.99. ISBN 978-1416982708)

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)

STEALING DEATH. Janet Lee Carey. (Egmont. $16.99. ISBN 978-1606840092)

STITCHES: A MEMOIR. David Small. (Norton. $23.95. ISBN 978-0393068573)

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)

STORY OF THE CHICAGO BEARS, THE. Nate LeBoutillier. (Creative Education. $32.80. ISBN 978-1583417508)

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)

SWEETHEART OF PROSPER COUNTY, THE. Jill S. Alexander. (Feiwel & Friends. $16.99. ISBN 978-0312548568)

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)

THANKS A LOT, EMILY POST! Jennifer LaRue Huget. (Random/Schwartz & Wade. $16.99. ISBN 978-0375838538)

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)

TOON TREASURY OF CLASSIC CHILDREN’S COMICS, THE. Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly, editors. (Abrams ComicArts. $40. 978-0810957305)

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. (Chronicle. $8.99. ISBN 978-0811865425)

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

VOICES OF CHRISTMAS. Nikki Grimes. Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. (Zonderkidz. $16.99. ISBN 978-0310711926)

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

WAR GAMES. Audrey Couloumbis and Akila Couloumbis. (Random House. $16.99. ISBN 978-0375856280)

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

WE ARE THE WEATHER MAKERS: THE HISTORY OF CLIMATE CHANGE. Tim Flannery. Adapted by Sally M. Walker. (Candlewick. $17.99. ISBN 978-0763636562)

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

WE TROUBLED THE WATERS. Ntozake Shange. Illustrated by Rod Brown. (Harper/Amistad. $16.99. ISBN 978-0061337376)

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. $16.99. ISBN 978-0439922319)

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

WHAT’S COMING FOR CHRISTMAS? Kate Banks. Illustrated by Georg Hallensleben. (FSG. $15.99. ISBN 978-0374399481)

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

WHEN THE SNOW FELL. Henning Mankell. Translated by Laurie Thompson. (Delacorte. $15.99. ISBN 978-0385734974)

WHERE TEDDY BEARS COME FROM. Mark Burgess. Illustrated by Russell Ayto. (Peachtree. $16.95. ISBN 978-1561454877)

THE WHITE WITCH. Janet Graber. (Roaring Brook. $17.95. ISBN 978-1596433373)

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 Ho
use. $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)

WINTER’S END. Jean-Claude Mourlevat. Translated by Anthea Bell. (Candlewick. $17.99. ISBN 978-0763644505)

THE WIZARD OF RONDO. Emily Rodda. (Scholastic. $16.99. ISBN 978-0545115162)

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 978-0061624971)

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)