It’s time to start selling books hand over fist! The holidays are descending on us far sooner than we think. Forget that it was 55 degrees in Vermont today, sooner or later there will be snow on the ground and folks will come in with lists. Lists of people who need presents. It’s our job as booksellers to make sure no one on any list goes without a great book, or two (or three) this holiday season. Just how we do that is the fun of being a bookseller. I love the challenge of the holidays. I try to open the store early, by 8:30 if I can, to get the parents after they drop the kids off, and I go all day. Holiday shoppers are like a captive audience of folks needing recommendations. It’s fun, it’s challenging and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Being a great handseller is about listening and sharing. You listen to what the customer says they want, or who they’re looking to buy a gift for (this is the harder category) and then you share with them what you think they’ll like. I find pure enthusiasm for a book does more to sell it than anything else. If you love a book and can convincingly talk about why you love the book, you’ll have a much better chance of selling that book, to anyone. My favorite part of the holidays is hearing three months later how much Aunt Betty loved the book I recommended. This is what makes me happiest as a bookseller: hitting the nail on the head and coming up with a great book for a customer.

I listen to what a customer tells me about the gift recipient. Sometimes they don’t have much information to share and that can make them feel bad. I try to allay any anxiety about that and focus instead on what they do know. Sometimes all I have to go on is "He’s nine. " Okay then, here are three books I think a nine-year-old boy might really like.

I try to limit my suggestions to three books. I find more than that can be overwhelming. I also booktalk each book, and sometimes more than three booktalks can be a lot for some folks to stand through. I try very hard not to hover, so I leave them with a comfy chair and their stack of books and I check in with them after they’ve had a chance to look at the books. Sometimes, the first group gets rejected and then you must find other books. This can be trying, especially if you’re busy and you just love the books you recommended, but I find that taking that extra time often pays off. Happy customers return, and more importantly, the books will be better suited to their intended recipients.

If the store is really busy, I’ve been known to triage customers according to the ages they’re shopping for. It’s fun and saves me having to discuss the same book three times in a row. I get all the folks buying books for middle schoolers in the middle grade section and pick four or five books (with a group, I’ll always do more than three, so folks can hold a book). The beauty of this technique is everyone starts talking and then the group is basically handselling to each other, comparing what their kids liked and didn’t like.

I have to share the best holiday handselling I’ve ever seen. Picture Elizabeth Bluemle, bookseller extraordinaire,  two years ago when The Book Thief came out in paper back. She had just been talking about with a group of customers about why she loved the book. A customer asked her if the book was really good. Elizabeth just raised one eyebrow and the woman bought two.

One of the keys to a successful holiday season is to know your stock and be able to be conversant on as much as you can. While I’m not really a huge adult non-fiction reader, I need to be able to discuss at least a few titles with anyone who walks in the door. Read outside your genre. You never know when a young reader is going to veer into the adult section and they’ll expect you to follow them, knowledgeably.

The other key to success is to have titles in your head for each age group and to make sure you have those titles in stock. Talk to your co-workers about their go-to books. Knowing what other staff loves increases what you know, and can only help you sell books.

The key to the holidays is to remember that everyone just wants to get the right book. Money is tighter now than it’s been, and if folks take longer, they’re not being difficult, they’re deciding how best to spend 15 or 20 dollars. Mostly, the holidays are when I get wear my Santa hat and remember why I love selling books.

Here’s the updated list of starred reviews for 2009 children’s books. For book covers and more information, I’ve created the 2009 Stars Library on LibraryThing.com.

This month saw two books join the 5-star list: Frances Hardinge’s fantasy, THE LOST CONSPIRACY (Harper), and Elizabeth Partridge’s MARCHING FOR FREEDOM: WALK TOGETHER, CHILDREN, AND DON’T YOU GROW WEARY (Viking). Two more books hopped up to the 4-star level: BAD NEWS FOR OUTLAWS: THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF BASS REEVES, DEPUTY U.S. MARSHAL by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson; illus. by R. Gregory Christie (Carolrhoda), and JOHN BROWN: HIS FIGHT FOR FREEDOM by John Hendrix (Abrams).  Several books joined the 1-, 2-, and 3-star lists. Congratulations to all of you hardworking authors, illustrators, editors, art directors, and publishers!

Every year, many worthy books slip by without any starred reviews. In the comments field, I’d love to hear from booksellers and librarians: What are the books you’ve loved this year that HAVEN’T received any stars? (Authors and publishers, as tempting as it may be to use this as a forum to promote your books, please don’t. It’s always obvious, and ends up hurting more than helping.)

These starred reviews come from Booklist, The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, The Horn Book,  Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal.

***** 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.)

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

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.)

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)

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.)

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

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)

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)

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

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

*** 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.)

ANNE FRANK: HER LIFE IN WORDS AND PICTURES. 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)

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.)

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

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

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

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

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. A
ge
s 4-8.)

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

ELEANOR, QUIET NO MORE. Doreen Rappaport. 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.)

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

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.)

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

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.)

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)

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

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)

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)

** 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)

ALPHABEASTIES AND OTHER AMAZING TYPES. Sharon Werner and Sarah Forss. (Blue Apple. $19.99. ISBN 978-1934706787)

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)

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)

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

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

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

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)

DJANGO: WORLD’S GREATEST JAZZ GUITARIST. Bonnie Christensen. (Roaring Brook/Neal Porter. $17.99. ISBN 978-1596434226)

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)

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

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

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

FUNNY BUSINESS: CONVERSATIONS WITH WRITERS OF COMEDY. Leonard S. Marcus. (Candlewick. $21.99. ISBN 978-0763632540)

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)

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

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)

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

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

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)

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)

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

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)

TRUCE: THE DAY THE SOLDIERS STOPPED FIGHTING. Jim Murphy. (Scholastic. $19.99. ISBN 978-0545130493)

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)

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

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)

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

* 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 NATURAL DISASTERS. Lenore Look. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. (Random House/Schwartz & Wade. $15.99. 978-0375857058)

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

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)

BAD APPLE. Laura Ruby. (HarperTeen. $16.99. ISBN 978-0061243301)

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

BANQUET FOR HUNGRY GHOSTS, A: A COLLECTION OF DELICIOUSLY FRIGHTENING TALES. Ying Chang Compestine. Illustrated by Coleman Polhemus. (Holt/Ottavianio. $16.99. ISBN 978-0805082081)

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)

BIG WOLF AND LITTLE WOLF: THE LITTLE LEAF THAT WOULD NOT FALL. Nadine Brun-Cosme. Illustrated by Olivier Tallec.(Enchanted Lion / Macmillan. $16.95. ISBN 978-1592700882)

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)

BLESSING’S BEAD. Debby Dahl Edwardson. (Farrar/Melanie Kroupa. $16.99. ISBN 978-0374308056)

BLOOD AND GOO AND BOOGERS TOO! A HEART-POUNDING POP-UP GUIDE TO THE CIRCULATORY AND RESPIRATORY SYSTEMS. Steve Alton. Illustrated by Nick Sharratt and Jo Moore. (Dial. $18.99. ISBN 978-0803733251)

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)

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)

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)

CAMILLE MCPHEE FELL UNDER THE BUS. Kristen Tracy. (Delacorte. $16.99. ISBN 978-0385736879)

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)

CHILD OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. Paula Young Shelton. Illustrated by Raul Colon. (Schwartz & Wade. $17.99. ISBN 978-0375843143)

CHILDREN OF THE SEA, VOLUME 1. Dalsuke Igarashi. (Viz. $14.99. ISBN 978-142159141)

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

CHRISTMAS MAGIC, THE. Lauren Thompson. Illustrated by Jon J. Muth. (Scholastic. $16.99)

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. Illustrated by Heather Maione. (Viking. $14.99. ISBN 978-0670010912)

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

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

DRAGONFLY. Julia Golding. (Marshall Cavendish. $17.99. ISBN 978-0761455820)

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

DUCK AND THE KANGAROO, THE. Edward Lear. Illustrated by Jane Wattenberg. (HarperCollins/Greenwillow. $16.99. ISBN 978-0061366833)

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)

FLAWED DOGS, THE NOVEL: THE SHOCKING RAID ON WESTMINSTER. Berkeley Breathed. (Philomel. $16.99. ISBN 978-0399252181)

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)

GATEWAY. Sharon Shinn. (Viking. $17.99. ISBN 978-0670011780)

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)

GINGERBREAD PIRATES, THE. Kristin Kladstrup. Illustrated by Matt Tavares. (Candlewick. $16.99. ISBN 978-0763632236)

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

THE GIRL WHO WANTED TO DANCE. Amy Ehrlich. Ill
ustrated 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)

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)

HOW TO STEAL A CAR. Pete Hautman. (Scholastic. $16.99. ISBN 978-0545113182)

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)

INTO THE WILD NERD YONDER. Julie Halpern. (Feiwel & Friends. $16.99. ISBN 978-0312382520)

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)

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)

KIT FEENY: ON THE MOVE. Michael Townsend. (Knopf. hc $12.99. ISBN 978-0375956140. pb $5.99. ISBN 978-0375856143)

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)

LEARN TO SPEAK MUSIC: A GUIDE TO CREATING, PERFORMING, AND PROMOTING YOUR SONGS. John Crossingham. Illustrated by Jeff Kulak. (OwlKids. hc $27.95. ISBN 978-1897349649. pb $17.95. ISBN 978-1897349656)

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)

LONG WAIT FOR TOMORROW, THE. Joaquin Dorfman. (Random House. $16.99. ISBN: 978-0375846946)

LONG WALK TO FREEDOM. Nelson Mandela and Chris Van Wyk. Illustrated by Paddy Bouma. (Roaring Brook/Flash Point. $16.99. ISBN 978-1596435667)

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)

MAGIC UNDER GLASS. Jaclyn Dolamore. (Bloomsbury. $16.99. ISBN 978-1599904306)

MALICE. Chris Wooding. Illustrated by Dan Chernett. (Scholastic. $14.99. ISBN 978-0545160438)

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

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)

NIC BISHOP MARSUPIALS. Nic Bishop. (Scholastic. $17.99. ISBN 978-0439877589)

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)

OLD POSSUM’S BOOK OF PRACTICAL CATS. T.S. Eliot. Illustrated by Axel Scheffler. (Harcourt. $16. ISBN 978-0547248271)

OMNIVORE’S DILEMMA, THE: THE SECRETS BEHIND WHAT YOU EAT. Michael Pollan and Richie Chevat. (Dial. $17.99. ISBN 978-0803734159)

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)

PLUTO, VOLUME 1. Naoki Urasawa and Osamu Tezuka. Translated by Jared Cook. (VIZ Media. $12.99. ISBN 978-1421519180)

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)

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

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)

RAIDERS’ RANSOM. Emily Diamond. (Chicken House/Scholastic. $17.99. ISBN 978-0545142977)

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)

SALT, VOLUME 1. Maurice Gee. (Orca. $18. ISBN 978-1554692095)

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)

SECRET OF ZOOM, THE. Lynne Jonell. (Holt. $16.99. ISBN 978-08050885640

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)

SIGNAL. Cynthia DeFelice. (Farrar. $16.99. ISBN 978-0374399153)

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 978-0399247057)

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

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

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

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

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

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)

STEEL PAN MAN OF HARLEM, THE. Colin Bootman. (Carolrhoda. $16.95. ISBN 978-0822590262)

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, ed
itors. (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)

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)

WHEN YOU MEET A BEAR ON BROADWAY. Amy Hest. Illustrated by Elivia Savadier. (Farrar/Melanie Kroupa. $16.99. ISBN 978-0374400156)

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

WHITE NOISE: A POP-UP BOOK FOR CHILDREN OF ALL AGES. David A. Carter. (Little Simon. $22.99. ISBN 978-1416940944)

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)

WHOO GOES THERE? Jennifer A. Ericsson. Illustrated by Bert Kitchen. (Roaring Brook/Neal Porter. $17.99. ISBN 978-1596433717)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

WOOF: A LOVE STORY. Sarah Weeks. Illustrated by Holly Berry. (HarperCollins. $16.99. ISBN 978-0060250072)

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)

****

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, at shelftalker2 @ gmail dot com.

Let’s launch a children’s book illustration career right here, today, on this very blog, shall we? The other day, while preparing a post to help you with your holiday shopping, I stumbled across the work of an immensely talented young woman who has a shop on Etsy. Her name? Brigette Barrager.

Because she is reportedly tired of hearing how much her illustrations resemble some of the work by the late great Mary Blair, I will instead point out the fact that Brigette’s illustrations feel fresh, hip, and playful. I love her use of color, and I love her caricatures of both people and animals, their exaggerated features adding so much to their personalities.

Looking at her sketches, it’s clear she can craft complex characters with just a few strokes of the brush or pen. Even her singular drawings (like this napkin doodle) suggest a larger narrative.

I have never met Brigette personally and I know little about her beyond what I’ve been able to read on the web, but I’ve seen enough at this point to know that this woman is hot stuff. (I’m referring here to her art, but it’s also true that Brigette herself is completely adorable.)

She graduated from CalArts in 2007 with a BFA in Character Animation. She appears to be gaining recognition in the animation world, but has only illustrated one book so far.

And what book is that? A staple-bound, 8" x 8" format movie tie-in for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, the cover of which features a still from the movie rather than a sampling of Brigette’s wonderful interior art (see sample pages below from The Weather Report: with Sam Sparks written by Alison Inches, published by Simon Spotlight, August 2009).

I think Brigitte deserves opportunities much finer than this. In an October 2008 interview she said, "I would really, really like to do a graphic novel in the future, and a children’s book or two." I know this is still the case, as I wrote to Brigitte before posting this, JUST to confirm it. She is NOT looking for an agent, but, yes, she would love to hear from publishers.

For the sake of all of us who enjoy seeing this level of talent on the pages of the books we read, I’m hoping you’ll contact this woman. Take a look at her blog, review the work in her portfolio, see the art she’s posted on Flickr, buy up the items in her Etsy store, and get in touch. After she’s done amazing work for you and sold tons of books/won lots of awards, you can thank me. Preferably with original art or hmm… Maybe a high-paying job as a talent scout who trolls Etsy looking for undiscovered genius? That’d be fine too.

As for the Etsy items that first made me go, "Oh, WHAT FUN! Who is this woman??" That would be the Miss Librarian Paper Doll. Get yours here.

We had a great author event on Saturday with Grace Lin, whose latest book is When the Mountain Meets the Moon. The event drew a diverse crowd of happy children and parents. (One child had actually made a card for Grace, which was awfully sweet.) Three things contributed to the success of this event.

The first was our promotion. The event was listed on our website, our entire email list got an invitation to the event on Thursday morning, and we had our event posters up all over town. I saw some new faces at the event and asked how they heard of it. This leads to item number two: author websites.

Grace’s website is fabulous. It’s chock full of information without being overwhelming, and it’s very easy to navigate. Sometimes authors get really cutesy with their websites and it can be infuriating. As much as I loved the Harry Potter books, I grew to hate J.K. Rowling’s website because I could never figure out what to do in what order. Grace’s site is visually pleasing and she helps promote getting autographed books for folks who can’t make it to the event by including the store phone number — very smart.

As booksellers we can never underestimate the power of the author website. Kids, and parents, check their favorite author websites, a lot. When there’s new info or local events listed, they pay attention and often try to make the event, as this one family did. So, I had a great win-win Saturday. Four people who checked Grace’s website, came to the event and then fell in love with my store and signed up for my email list.

Lastly, what makes a great event is the author. Grace had a presentation that was engaging for all. First, she read a very lively part of the book. The reading took about six minutes, which is the right amount of time for a crowd that skewed younger. Then we had a craft activity. If you look closely at the photo on the left, you can see the number 5. All the kids, parents and one bookseller had a sheet of paper and a pen and we learned how Grace drew the dog (the same dog she’s been drawing since she was 8) for The Year of the Dog. This was simple and do-able for everyone in the room.  See the finished dog on the right. Grace explained this process easily and patiently. And I must say I think everyone was pleasantly surprised at how well their dogs came out, except me. My dog wound up with too many eyes.

There is a fourth thing that can help an event and that’s the social networking sites. I didn’t have a chance to ask anyone if they saw our tweet or Facebook status for the event, but it can’t hurt you to do this. If your store is on the net with a website, you might want to think about creating a "fan of…" for your store. It’s amazing how many of your customers will find you and become fans. Grace and I were talking after the event about promotion and she said it’s the general rule that people need to see things three times for it to sink and be remembered, or acted upon, so between the store and author, if a promotion’s done well, you can reach that number very easily and increase your chances of a successful event.

I’m going to practice my dog now and get the eye in the right place.

I’m curious what everyone is reading right now. Currently I’m reading two books: The Maze Runner and The Demon’s Lexicon. I don’t normally read this much fantasy, especially concurrently, but both of these are extremely compelling and I can’t bear not to read a little of each every night; they speak to different audiences who I think will enjoy them as much as I am. My current challenge is to not leap ahead into the spring 2010 galleys, although they look very yummy. I’m trying to get ready for the holidays by reading some gems that I might have missed.

As we are approach the heart of the fourth quarter, I find myself eyeing my shelves thinking about what I can actively sell to all the various gift purchasers shopping in my store. I know what my favorites are: Wintergirls, The Lion & the Mouse, School of Fear, Once Was Lost, the new Mysterious Benedict Society, The Julie Andrews’ Poetry Collection… the list could go on and on.

So, what’s in your bag, e-reader, or on your bedside table? And, what can’t you wait to handsell to gift purchasers this holiday season?

The season for charitable giving (and giving) is upon us. I have been keeping track of the number of times this fall I’ve been asked to make a donation. Every day someone has come in or called at least once a day for the last forty days. Really, every day someone has asked the store for something: a gift card, a book, several books, a whole gift basket, etc., and all for very good causes. 

As a small business owner in a small community, it’s hard to say no to anyone who walks in with a simple request. But as some point you have to say no. Or do you?

I give gift cards almost exclusively. I like the gift card because the auction winner has to come back to the store to redeem their prize and I might gain a new customer. The charities don’t like them as much because very seldom do folks bid more than the face value of the gift card. Although, at some schools, where the kids really love our store, there have been bidding wars. I don’t like giving books because then there’s not necessarily an enticement for the winner to come back to the store. I set an amount a month of what I can afford to give away, assuming all the gift cards get redeemed. Once I reach that number, I try to stick to it unless a very good customer comes in and asks for a donation.  There’s only one situation where I have no real problem saying no and that’s when someone comes to me and they’ve never been to my store and their event seems too far to bring a new customer to the store.

I do love it when the grade school kids come in and make the plea themselves. There is something really touching about a third grader coming and reading something they’ve written off a crumpled piece of paper about how their class is raising money for field trips. I never say no to these little guys. But I do make them work for it, just a little. I don’t let them get away with having their parents explain their mission. I like their speeches, and secretly, I’ll always give more to a kid than to an adult.

When I feel inundated with requests, another thing I do is limit the kind of organization I give to. If it’s not book/child related, I have a much easier time saying no. But it’s so hard to say no to anyone.  I’ve already bought four enormous Christmas wreaths and given away over $100 in gift cards in the last three weeks. Oh, and I’m on the hook for several rolls of gift wrap for another charity.

I’d be very curious to know how other bookstores deal with the requests they get from the many good organizations that seek donations.

Guest blogger Kenny Brechner from DDG Booksellers writes:
As you can see from this PW article, Simon & Schuster is now selling e-chapters of books. As exciting as this advance is it doesn’t go nearly far enough, which is why, at DDG, our crack team of scientists has just developed the next big advance for reading, the Corneal Lens “Pay as you go” E-Reading Register.
When you fill your car with gas you only pay for what goes in the tank, right? And that’s the beauty of the CLERR™: you only pay for what you actually read. As easy to put in as a contact lens, the CLERR™ emits a colorless laser image which interacts with the CLERR™ portable E-Reader, or any of the vast available CLERR™ digital library of ebooks and e-magazines, available for you to read on any computer. The way it works is that you can download whatever you want for free. You just pay as you read!
As your eyes pass over any CLERR™ digital content, the CLERR™ lens transmits a colorless infrared beam which interacts with the text and wirelessly transmits the number of characters you read, automatically debiting your credit card .002 cents per character. You don’t pay for what you don’t read! And if your credit card is overdrawn? No problem. The CLERR™ will deliver a searing pain into your cerebral cortex, letting you know to deposit more funds.
Frequently asked questions about the CLERR™:
Can other people steal a peak at your CLERR™ digital content without wearing their CLERR™ lens? No, it is only intelligible if you have a CLERR™ lens in.
Can I put in my CLERR™ lens myself? Sure!
Can I remove my CLERR™ lens myself? No! Only a DDG CLERR™ technician can remove the lens.
Can I re-read text with the CLERR™? You can re-read up to 1,000 characters for free, and after that re-read passages are charged at a special half-off rate. The re-reading rate is currently the same whether you re-read because you liked it a lot or because you’ve forgotten it. Hopefully we’ll have the capability of making finer distinctions soon.
And, with the introduction of CLERR™ billboards, movies, television shows, posters, and flyers, you’ll be able to pay for almost everything you read!
Should you worry about being trapped out on the street because your credit card is overdrawn and every written object you see is causing your CLERR™ lens to transmit searing pain to your cerebral cortex? No! Just shut your eyes and ask someone to guide you to the nearest bank.
CLERR™ developer Kenny Brechner demonstrates an overdraw with destitute prototype tester Margaux DePue. Good thing she was paid her test-subject money up front!

I hope everyone had a splendid Halloween. I just wanted to report on two costumes I saw at the coffee shop across the street from the Flying Pig on Saturday.

I can safely say that I feel like I’ve now made it to the pinnacle of bookselling; someone made a costume from my store name! And aren’t they adorable? Stephanie, the Flying Pig on the left, said she’s been trying to be a flying pig since we moved to Shelburne three years ago. She kept waiting for someone else on staff to join her, and this year she finally got a co-flying pig, Emily, sort of like me and Elizabeth.

Here they are from the back. They insisted on this photo. They’re very proud of their tails. And really, why shouldn’t they be?

As if two grown-ups dressing up like flying pigs weren’t enough, Allie, one of our favorite teen customers, above, chose to dress as a flying pig as well. Pretty cool, huh?