This coming Saturday is Shelburne Day. A day created by the town to celebrate all that makes our town special. Somehow, this involves every business renting a tent and having a sale. On the surface this sounds simple, but sales are actually a lot of work.
The goal of a sale is two-fold. First, to sell books that have been languishing. these are generally books that can no longer be returned — oddball books from small publishers whose returns aren’t worth the freight back, and the mistakes the buyer (sadly, usually me) has made throughout the year. The second goal of a big sale is to generate cash flow, so it’s imperative to sell lots of books.
Having a store-wide sale, coupled with a sidewalk sale (we’re skipping the tent this year), means a lot of decisions have to get made. The first decision is what books will go outside on the deck and our tiny lawn on sales tables. We’re thinking the steeply discounted books will be outside. Kind of a teaser to bring folks into the store. There needs to be a healthy mix of books, though — some more current titles and some more obscure. Once the titles for outside are decided, they must be coded for the right discount.  Stickers are the easiest way, but if time allows, it’s always best to get the discounts in the computer, so that anyone on staff can know the discount. Admittedly, this is tedious, but it can help give you a really good idea of the number of books you’ve got at the variety of discounts.
Display for the sale books makes a big difference. These are still books, and shouldn’t be treated like rumpled sweaters at a bargain basement. They need to look appealing at all times, which means the table must constantly be refreshed and tidied. I cannot stress this enough. A table with a haphazard scattering of books looks bad and doesn’t invite browsing or sales.
Inside the store we like to have a sales sheet to give to customers, so they can browse freely without having to ask us to check on sale prices. This sales sheet is backed up by highly visible signage in all the sections. This allows for independent shopping and can help avoid confusion about what’s on sale. The mere act of writing the sales sheet helps us see what all the discounts are, thus ensuring that we’ve got a good mix of steep and regular discounts. Every sale needs balance: enticing discounts for shoppers, but a sense for the shopkeeper that you’re not giving too much away.
It’s always funny to me how attached to books I become at sale time. As the sale gets closer I often myself regarding books in a different way. Has it earned its keep? Is it time for this title to go? Or will it cause me pain to see this title go at a steep discount? It’s a process that involves the whole staff. Everyone chimes in with their suggestions and together we put the store on sale, inside and out.
One of the best things about a sidewalk sale is being able to work outside. And you can be sure, if it’s a sunny day, we’ll all be fighting for a shift on the lawn. Look for a blog post next Monday for some photos and a recap of the sale.

Let’s say you’re mortal. Now let’s say you’re a book lover. Where’s the intersection between these two things? You guessed it — bookcase coffins. Which (with apologies to you squeamish types) is the theme of today’s post.
In my travels around the web searching for apartment storage solutions, I stumbled upon (and — really — it felt like I’d actually stumbled when I came across these) two different bookcases that double as coffins. This way you can hide your coffin in plain sight if you want to own and take possession of a coffin before you die, which apparently an increasing number of people are choosing to do.
Let me pause for a brief confession here: when I first found these bookcase coffin images, I thought this was going to be a funny post — a “what an odd and offbeat idea, let’s all laugh about it” post. BUT then I read the content of the webpages on which these coffins appeared, and the topic suddenly became both a lot less humorous AND a lot more interesting.
The first two bookcase coffins below come from the website of a Maine group called Last Things: Alternatives at the End of Life. The group and website were created by  Klara Tammany, whose moving essay about her own mother’s burial illustrates the reasons her family and others are choosing to have green burials and rejecting what she sees as impersonal and ecologically damaging funeral and burial practices. Last Things offers support and resources for those looking for more information about alternative burial options. The coffins displayed on their site (including this one) are all handmade by group member/woodworker Chuck Lakin. The first one here is the Bookcase Coffin model.


This second model is what Chuck calls a Multipurpose Coffin. It can be used either as a bookcase OR as an entertainment center, and I personally think it’s 100% convincing as either of those things. (I mean, really — who would know?)


Like Chuck Lakin, New Zealand company Final Furniture Limited is creating coffins mindful of eco-conscious clients. Their nextgen bookshelf/wine rack allows you to raise a glass to your past while, well, facing your future. The photo on the beach at the top of this post shows how the bookcase/winerack looks in its… alternate form. (I feel like I’m writing about a Transformer here.)

While the Last Things and Final Furniture bookcase coffins are probably intended more for people nearing the end of their lives, this next one (via Inhabit), which designer William Warren calls Shelves for Life, is not. As Warren explains, “Shelves For Life is a self-initiated project to further explore ideas of built-in sentimentality within our possessions. The aim is to make stronger emotional relationships with our belongings and encourage lifelong use… They are intended to be used throughout life as storage for personal belongings. On death, the shelves are dismantled and rebuilt as a coffin.”

Maybe I’m being swayed by the fact that we’re about to spend some money on a “real” sofa which feels like an almost-lifelong commitment, but I like the rather anti-IKEA aim of Warren’s experiment with this. (Note, though, that someone has apparently come up with plans to make an IKEA bookcase coffin too.) Disposable is bad. You can store things in it now AND be buried in it later is, um… Good. Mostly. Especially when the design is as elegant as this.
That having been said (and this is the problem), I’m not sure how it would feel to be shelving books in and dusting knick-knacks on my future coffin. Suddenly that bookcase would feel a bit TOO important to me, I think. (God forbid the movers drop THAT one!) And I’m not sure I’d want such a large, visual reminder of my own mortality in my living room. Unless its presence would encourage me to procrastinate less and work more… Hmmm.
In looking around for more info on this topic I came across a thoughtful post on a blog called Pink Slip by one Maureen Rogers, that concludes thusly: “I have just gauged that our old Workbench bookcases are neither deep enough nor sturdy enough to act as coffins. If, when the time comes when Jim and I experience the miracle of death, we’re planning on anything other than cremation and scatter, I would consider one of [Chuck Lakin’s] creations. I’d probably go for the coffee table version. We can always use more storage.”
And, Maureen, you’d always have it too.

It’s time for another update of the starred reviews from Booklist, The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, the Horn Book, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, and VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates).
Starred reviews are excellent guideposts, but they don’t tell the whole story, of course. There are amazing books out there that never receive a starred review but are popular and/or critical favorites nonetheless. This year, to name just a couple of examples, I have been really surprised not to come across any starred reviews yet for the rather extraordinary, beautifully written Zora and Me, by Victoria Bond and TR Simon (Candlewick), or The Red Umbrella, a fascinating novel about the 1961 Cuban children’s exodus by Christina Diaz Gonzalez (Knopf).
Please note: starred reviews are counted only when they have been officially published by the review magazines, so if your book has an upcoming star, never fear; it will be included in a future update.
Edited to add: So far, I’ve logged 749 starred reviews for 494 books. Publishers, please alert me to any oversights. This is a detail-laden process, and as careful as I try to be, there may be bobbles here and there.
Receiving a starred review is a rare and wonderful honor for a book and its creators, so we hope this list will be a handy resource for buyers of all stripes. The list was compiled from all the review sources by one little indie bookseller; please consider ordering from any of your favorite indies instead of a chain or online megastore.
Happy reading!
SIX STARS

CONSPIRACY OF KINGS, A. Megan Whalen Turner. (Greenwillow, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061870934.
COSMIC. Frank Cottrell Boyce. (HarperCollins/Walden Pond, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061836831
DREAMER, THE. Pam Munoz Ryan. Illustrated by Peter Sis. (Scholastic, $17.99) ISBN 978-0439269704
WAR TO END ALL WARS, THE. Russell Freedman. (Clarion, $22) ISBN 978-00547026862

FIVE STARS

FEVER CRUMB. Philip Reeve. (Scholastic, $17.99) ISBN 978-0545207195

INCARCERON. Catherine Fisher. (Dial, $17.99) ISBN 978-0803733961

KAKAPO RESCUE: SAVING THE WORLD’S STRANGEST PARROT. Sy Montgomery. Illustrated by Nic Bishop. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $18) ISBN 978-0618494170

MIRROR, MIRROR: A BOOK OF REVERSIBLE VERSE. Marilyn Singer, illus. by Josée Masse. Dutton, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0525479017

NOTHING. Janne Teller, trans. from the Danish by Martin Aitken. (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416985792

SIR CHARLIE: THE FUNNIEST MAN IN THE WORLD. Sid Fleischman. (Greenwillow, $19.99) ISBN 978-0061896408

UBIQUITOUS: CELEBRATING NATURE’S SURVIVORS. Joyce Sidman, illus. by Beckie Prange. (Harcourt, $17) ISBN 978-0618717194

FOUR STARS

AS EASY AS FALLING OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH. Lynne Rae Perkins. (Greenwillow, $16.99) EAN 978-0061870903

BALLET FOR MARTHA: MAKING APPALACHIAN SPRING. Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan. Illustrated by Brian Floca. (Roaring Brook/FlashPoint/Porter, $17.99) ISBN 978-1596433380


BORROWED NAMES: POEMS ABOUT LAURA INGALLS WILDER, MADAM C. J. WALKER, MARIE CURIE, AND THEIR DAUGHTERS. Jeannine Atkins. (Holt, $16.99) ISBN 978-0805089349

CITY DOG, COUNTRY FROG. Mo Willems. Illustrated by Jon J Muth. (Hyperion, $17.99) ISBN 978-1423103004

CLEVER JACK TAKES THE CAKE. Candace Fleming. Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. (Random House/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99) ISBN 978-0375849794

COUNTDOWN. Deborah Wiles. (Scholastic, $17.99) EAN 978-0545106054

DEATH-DEFYING PEPPER ROUX, THE. Geraldine McCaughrean. (Harper, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061836657

FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK. Melina Marchetta. (Candlewick, $18.99) ISBN: 978-0763643614

HERE COMES THE GARBAGE BARGE! Jonah Winter, illus. by Red Nose Studio. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0375852183

LING & TING: NOT EXACTLY THE SAME. Grace Lin. (Little, Brown, $14.99) ISBN 978-0316024525

MY GARDEN. Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow, $17.99) ISBN 978-0061715174

MYSTERIOUS HOWLING, THE (INCORRIGIBLE CHILDREN OF ASHTON PLACE, THE, BOOK 1). Wood, Maryrose. (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $15.99) ISBN: 978-0061791055

ONE CRAZY SUMMER. Rita Williams-Garcia. (HarperCollins/Amistad, $15.99. ISBN 978-0060760885

OUT OF MY MIND. Sharon M. Draper. (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416971702

REVOLVER. Marcus Sedgwick (Roaring Brook, $16.99) ISBN 978-1596435926

WHAT IF? Laura Vaccaro Seeger. (Roaring Brook/Porter, $15.99) ISBN 978-1596433984

THREE STARS

ALCHEMY AND MEGGY SWANN. Karen Cushman. (Clarion, $16) ISBN 978-0547231846

AMELIA EARHART: THIS BROAD OCEAN. Written and illus. by Sarah Stewart Taylor and Ben Towle. (Center for Cartoon Studies/Disney-Hyperion, $17.99) ISBN 978-1-4231-1337-9

BLACK JACK: THE BALLAD OF JACK JOHNSON. Charles R. Smith. Illustrated by Shane W. Evans. (Roaring Brook/Porter, $16.99) ISBN 978-1596434738

BOSS BABY, THE. Marla Frazee. (Simon & Schuster/Beach Lane, $16.99) ISBN 978-1442401679

BUNNY DAYS. Tao Nyeu. (Dial, $16.99) ISBN 978-0-8037-3330-5

CARDTURNER, THE: A NOVEL ABOUT IMPERFECT PARTNERS AND INFINITE POSSIBILITIES. Louis Sachar. (Delacorte, $17.99) ISBN 978-0385736626

DARK DAYS OF HAMBURGER HALPIN, THE. Josh Berk. (Knopf/Borzoi, $16.99) ISBN 978-0375856990

EFRAIN’S SECRET. Sofia Quintero. (Knopf, $16.99) ISBN 978-0375847066.

EXTRAORDINARY MARK TWAIN, THE (ACCORDING TO SUSY). Barbara Kerley, illus. by Edwin Fotheringham. Scholastic Press, $17.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0545125086

FARM. Elisha Cooper. (Scholastic/Orchard, $17.99) ISBN 978-0545070751

HAPPYFACE. Stephen Emond. Little, Brown, $16.99 (320p) ISBN 978-0316041003

HEART OF A SAMURAI. Margi Preus. (Abrams/Amulet, $15.95) ISBN 978-0810989818

KEEPER. Kathi Appelt, illus. by August Hall (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416950608

LAST SUMMER OF THE DEATH WARRIORS, THE. Francisco X. Stork. (Scholastic/Levine, $17.99) ISBN 978-0545151337

LMNO PEAS. Keith Baker. (Simon & Schuster/Beach Lane, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416991410

MERCURY. Hope Larson. (Atheneum, $17.99 hc; $9.99 pb)  ISBN hc 978-1416935858; ISBN pb 978-1416935889

PRINCE OF MIST, THE. Carlos Ruiz Zafón, trans. from the Spanish by Lucia Graves. (Little, Brown, $17.99) ISBN 978-0316044776

RED PYRAMID, THE. Rick Riordan. (Hyperion, $17.99) ISBN 978-1423113386

SHARK VS. TRAIN. Chris Barton. Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. (Little, Brown, $16.99) ISBN 978-0316007627

SHIP BREAKER. Paolo Bacigalupi. (Little, Brown, $17.99) ISBN 978-0316056212

SKY IS EVERYWHERE, THE. Jandy Nelson. (Dial, $17.99) ISBN 978-0803734951

SLEEPY, OH SO SLEEPY. Denise Fleming. (Holt, $16.99) ISBN 978-0805081268

SOME GIRLS ARE. Courtney Summers. (St. Martin’s Griffin, $9.99) ISBN 978-0312573805

THEY CALLED THEMSELVES THE KKK: THE BIRTH OF AN AMERICAN TERRORIST GROUP. Susan Campbell Bartoletti. (Houghton, $19) ISBN 978-0618440337

THREE RIVERS RISING: A NOVEL OF THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD. Jame Richards. (Knopf, $16.99) ISBN 978-0375858857

TRICKSTER: NATIVE AMERICAN TALES. Edited by Matt Dembicki. (Fulcrum, paperback, $22.95)  ISBN 978-1555917241

TURTLE IN PARADISE. Jennifer L. Holm. (Random, $16.99) ISBN 978-0375836886

WICKED GIRLS. Stephanie Hemphill. (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061853296

WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON. John Green and David Levithan. (Dutton, $17.99) ISBN 978-0525421580

YEAR OF GOODBYES, THE: A TRUE STORY OF FRIENDSHIP, FAMILY, AND FAREWELLS. Debbie Levy. (Disney-Hyperion, $16.99) ISBN 978-1423129011

TWO STARS

10 P.M. QUESTION, THE. Kate de Goldi. (Candlewick, $15.99) ISBN 978-0763649395AFTER EVER AFTER. Jordan Sonnenblick. (Scholastic, $17.99) ISBN 978-0-439-83706-4

ALL STAR!: HONUS WAGNER AND THE MOST FAMOUS BASEBALL CARD EVER. Jane Yolen, illus. by Jim Burke. Philomel, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-399-24661-6

ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL. Ashley Bryan. (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, $16.99) ISBN 978-1-4169-8939-4

ATHENA: GREY-EYED GODDESS. George O’Connor. (Roaring Brook/First Second/Porter, $16.99) ISBN 978-1596436497

BATS AT THE BALLGAME. Brian Lies, Houghton Mifflin, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-547-24970-4

BEACH TAIL, A. Karen Lynn Williams. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. (Boyds Mills, $17.95) ISBN 978-1590787120

BEDTIME FOR BEAR, A. Bonny Becker. Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton. (Candlewick, $16.99) ISBN 978-0763641016

BEFORE I FALL. Lauren Oliver. (HarperTeen, $17.99) ISBN 978-0-06-172680-4

BEST FRIENDS FOREVER: A WORLD WAR II SCRAPBOOK. Beverly Patt. Illustrated by Shula Klinger. (Marshall Cavendish, $17.99) ISBN 978-0-7614-5577-6

BIG RED LOLLIPOP. Rukhsana Khan. Illustrated by Sophie Blackall. (Viking, $16.99) ISBN 978-0670062874

BIRMINGHAM SUNDAY. Larry Dane Brimner. (Boyds Mills/Calkins Creek, $17.95) ISBN 978-1590786130

BLACK ELK’S VISION: A LAKOTA STORY. S.D. Nelson. (Abrams, $19.95) ISBN 978-0810983991

BLUE SO DARK, A. Holly Schindler. (Flux, paperback, $9.95) ISBN 978-0738719269

BORDERLINE. Allan Stratton. (HarperTeen, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061451119
BORN YESTERDAY: THE DIARY OF A YOUNG JOURNALIST. James Solheim. Illustrated by Simon James. (Philomel, $15.99) ISBN 978-0399251559

BRIDGET’S BERET. Tom Lichtenfeld. (Holt/Christy Ottaviano, $16.99) ISBN 978-0805087758

CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS, THE. Jack Prelutsky. Illustrated by Mary GrandPré.  Music by Camille Saint-Saëns. (Knopf, $19.99) ISBN 978-0-375-86458-2

CHESTER’S MASTERPIECE. Watt, Mélanie. (Kids Can Press, $18.95) ISBN 978-1554535668

CHICKEN THIEF, THE. Batrice Rodriguez. (Enchanted Lion, $14.95) ISBN 978-1592700929

CITY OF SPIES. Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan. Illustrated by Pascal Dizin. (Roaring Brook/First Second, $16.99) ISBN 978-1596432628

COUNTRY ROAD ABC: AN ILLUSTRATED JOURNEY THROUGH AMERICA’S FARMLAND. Arthur Geisert. (Houghton Mifflin, $17) ISBN 978-0547194691
CRAZY. Han Nolan. (Harcourt, $17) ISBN 978-0152051099

DOG LOVES BOOKS. Louise Yates. (Knopf/Borzoi, $16.99) ISBN 978-0375864490

DRAGONS OF DARKNESS. Antonia Michaelis. Translated by Anthea Bell. (Abrams, $18.95) ISBN 978-0810940741

DRIVEN: A PHOTOBIOGRAPHY OF HENRY FORD. Don Mitchell. (National Geographic, $18.95) 978-1426301551

DRIZZLE. Kathleen Van Cleve. (Dial, $16.99) ISBN 978-0803733628

EVERY LITTLE THING IN THE WORLD. Nina de Gramont. (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, $16.95) ISBN 978-1426305955

FALLING IN. Frances O’Roark Dowell. (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416950325

FLASH. Michael Cadnum. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $16.99) ISBN 978-0374399115

FLORA’S VERY WINDY DAY. Jeanne Birdsall. Illustrated by Matt Phelan. (Clarion, $16) ISBN 978-0618986767

GHOSTOPOLIS. Doug Tennapel. (Scholastic/Graphix, hc $24.99, ISBN 978-0545210270; pap. $14.99. ISBN 978-0545210287)

GHOSTS OF ASHBURY HIGH, THE. Jaclyn Moriarty. (Scholastic/Levine, $18.99) ISBN 978-0545069724

GREEN WITCH. Alice Hoffman. (Scholastic Press, $17.99) ISBN 978-0545141956

GRIFF CARVER, HALLWAY PATROL. Jim Krieg. (Penguin/Razorbill, $15.99) ISBN 978-1595142764

GUARDIAN OF THE DEAD. Karen Healey. (Little, Brown, $17.99) ISBN 978-0316044301

HALLOWILLOWEEN: NEFARIOUS SILLINESS FROM CALEF BROWN. Calef Brown. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $16.99) ISBN

HATTIE THE BAD. Jane Devlin. Illustrated by Joe Berger. (Dial, $16.99) ISBN 978-0803734470

HEART AND THE BOTTLE, THE. Oliver Jeffers. (Philomel, $17.99) ISBN 978-0399254529

HENRY IN LOVE. Peter McCarty. (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061142888

HIVE DETECTIVES, THE: CHRONICLE OF A HONEY BEE CATASTROPHE. Loree Griffin Burns. Illustrated by Ellen Harasimowicz. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $18) ISBN 978-0547152318

HOW TO CLEAN A HIPPOPOTAMUS: A LOOK AT UNUSUAL ANIMAL PARTNERSHIPS. Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $16) ISBN 978-0547245157

HOW TO SURVIVE MIDDLE SCHOOL. Donna Gephart.  (Delacorte, $15.99) ISBN 978-0385737937

I CAN BE ANYTHING! Jerry Spinelli, illus. by Jimmy Liao. Little, Brown, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0316162265

IF STONES COULD SPEAK: UNLOCKING THE SECRETS OF STONEHENGE. Marc Aronson. (National Geographic, $17.95) ISBN 978-1426305993

ILLYRIA. Elizabeth Hand. (Viking, $15.99) ISBN 978-0670012121

I’M THE BEST. Lucy Cousins. (Candlewick, $14.99) ISBN 978-0763646844

IN THE WILD. David Elliott. Illustrated by Holly Meade. (Candlewick, $16.99) ISBN 978-0763644970

IT’S A BOOK. Lane Smith. (Roaring Brook, $12.99) ISBN 978-1596436060

KNIFE THAT KILLED ME, THE. Anthony McGowan. (Delacorte, $16.99) ISBN 978-0385738224

LAFAYETTE AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Russell Freedman. (Holiday House, $24.95) ISBN 978-0823421824
LAST BEST DAYS OF SUMMER. Valerie Hobbs. (FSG/Foster, $16.99) ISBN 978-0374346706

LINCOLN TELLS A JOKE: HOW LAUGHTER SAVED THE PRESIDENT (AND THE COUNTRY). Kathleen Krull and Paul Brewer. Illustrated by Stacy Innerst. (Harcourt, $16) ISBN 978-0152066390

LITTLE BLACK CROW. Chris Raschka. (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum/Jackson, $16.99) ISBN 978-0689846014

LITTLE RED HEN AND THE PASSOVER MATZAH, THE. Leslie Kimmelman. Illustrated by Paul Meisel. (Holiday House, $16.95) ISBN 978-0823419524

LOVE STORY STARRING MY DEAD BEST FRIEND, A. Emily Horner. (Dial, $16.99) ISBN 978-0803734203

MAMA MITI: WANGARI MAATHAI AND THE TREES OF KENYA. Donna Jo Napoli. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. (Simon & Schuster/Wiseman, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416935056

MEANWHILE: PICK ANY PATH. 3,856 STORY POSSIBILITIES. Jason Shiga. (Abrams/Amulet, $15.95) ISBN 978-0810984233

MILLION SHADES OF GRAY, A. Cynthia Kadohata. (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416918837

MIMI’S DADA CATIFESTO. Shelley Jackson. (Clarion, $17) ISBN 978-0547126814

MOCKINGBIRD. Kathryn Erskine. (Philomel, $15.99) ISBN 978-0399252648

MONSTERS OF MEN. Patrick Ness. (Candlewick, $18.99) ISBN 978-0763647513

NEST FOR CELESTE, A: A STORY ABOUT ART, INSPIRATION, AND THE MEANING OF HOME. Henry Cole. (HarperCollins/Tegen, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061704109

NIGHT FAIRY, THE. Laura Amy Schlitz. Illustrated by Angela Barrett. (Candlewick, $16.99) ISBN 978-0763636746
NINI LOST AND FOUND. Anita Lobel. (Knopf, $17.99) ISBN 978-0375858802

NO MOON. Irene N. Watts. (Tundra, $12.95) ISBN 978-0887769719

NUMBERS. Rachel Ward. (Scholastic/Chicken House, $17.99) ISBN 978-0545142991

OH, NO! (OR, HOW MY SCIENCE PROJECT DESTROYED THE WORLD) Mac Barnett. Illustrated by Dan Santat. (Disney-Hyperion, $16.99) ISBN 978-1423123125

ONCE. Morris Gleitzman. (Holt, $16.99) ISBN 978-0805090260

OSTRICH BOYS. Keith Gray. (Random, $17.99) ISBN 978-0375858437

PARIS IN THE SPRING WITH PICASSO. Joan Yolleck. Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman. (Random/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99) ISBN 978-0375837562

PIRATE OF KINDERGARTEN, THE. George Ella Lyon. Illustrated by Lynne Avril. (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum/Jackson, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416950240

PIRATE’S GUIDE TO FIRST GRADE, A. James Preller. Illustrated by Greg Ruth. (Feiwel & Friends, $16.99) ISBN 978-0312369286

POETRY SPEAKS WHO I AM: POEMS OF DISCOVERY, INSPIRATION, INDEPENDENCE, AND EVERYTHING ELSE. Edited by Elise Paschen. (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, $19.99) ISBN 978-1402210747

POISON EATERS AND OTHER STORIES. Holly Black. Illustrated by Theo Black. (Big Mouth House, $17.99) ISBN 978-1931520631

PRIVATE THOUGHTS OF AMELIA E. RYE. Bonnie Shimko. (FSG, $16.99) ISBN 978-0374361310

SCARS. Cheryl Rainfield. (WestSide, $16.95) ISBN 978-1934813324

SHADOW HUNT, THE. Katherine Langrish. (Harper, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061116766

SHARING THE SEASONS: A BOOK OF POEMS. Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins. Illustrated by David Diaz. (Simon & Schuster/McElderry, $21.99) ISBN 978-1416902102

SICK DAY FOR AMOS MCGEE, A. Philip C. Stead. Illustrated by Erin Stead. (Roaring Brook, $16.99) EAN 978-1596434028

SIT-IN: HOW FOUR FRIENDS STOOD UP BY SITTING DOWN. Andrea Davis Pinkney. Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. (Little, Brown, $16.99) ISBN 978-0316070164

SKIT-SCAT RAGGEDY CAT: ELLA FITZGERALD. Roxane Orgill. Illustrated by Sean Qualls. (Candlewick, $17.99) ISBN 978-0763617332

SLEEPOVER AT GRAMMA’S HOUSE. Barbara Joosse. Illustrated by Jan Jutte. (Philomel, $17.99) ISBN 978-0399252617

SPIES OF MISSISSIPPI: THE TRUE STORY OF THE SPY NETWORK THAT TRIED TO DESTROY THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. Rick Bowers. (National Geographic, $16.95) ISBN 978-1426305955)
STAR IN THE FOREST. Laura Resau. (Delacorte, $14.99) ISBN 978-0385737920

STOLEN. Lucy Christopher. (Scholastic/Chicken House, $17.99) ISBN 978-0545170932

SUMMER BIRDS: THE BUTTERFLIES OF MARIA MERIAN. Margarita Engle. Illustrated by Julie Paschkis. (Holt, $16.99) ISBN 978-0805089370.

SWEET HEREAFTER. Angela Johnson. (Simon & Schuster, $16.99) ISBN 978-0689873850

TELL US WE’RE HOME. Maria Budhos. (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416903529

TIME YOU LET ME IN: 25 POETS UNDER 25. Selected by Naomi Shihab Nye. (Greenwillow, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061896378

TOADS AND DIAMONDS. Heather Tomlinson. (Holt, $16.99) ISBN 978-0805089684

UNDER A RED SKY: MEMOIR OF A CHILDHOOD IN COMMUNIST ROMANIA. Haya Leah Molnar. FSG/Foster, $17.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0374318406

UNSINKABLE WALKER BEAN, THE. Aaron Renier. (First Second, $13.99 paper) ISBN 978-1596434530

VAMPIRE RISING (Alex Van Helsing series, BK. 1. Jason Henderson. (HarperTeen, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061950995

WAGER, THE. Donna Jo Napoli. (Holt, $16.99) ISBN 978-0805087819
WATER SEEKER, THE. Kimberly Willis Holt. (Holt, $16.99) ISBN 978-0805080209

WHITE CAT. Holly Black. Simon & Schuster/McElderry, $17.99) ISBN 978-1416963967

WINDS OF HEAVEN. Judith Clarke. Holt, $16.99) ISBN 978-(0805091649

WONDER HORSE: THE TRUE STORY OF THE WORLD’S SMARTEST HORSE. Emily Arnold McCully. (Holt, $16.99) ISBN 978-0805087932

WOODS RUNNER. Gary Paulsen. (Random/Lanb, $15.99)  ISBN 978-0385738842
YUMMY: THE LAST DAYS OF A SOUTHSIDE SHORTY. Greg Neri. Illustrated by Randy DuBurke. (Lee & Low, $16.95) ISBN 978-1584302674

ZEN & XANDER UNDONE. Amy Kathleen Ryan. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $16) EAN 978-0547062488


ONE STAR

13 TREASURES. Michelle Harrison. (Little, Brown, $15.99) EAN 978-0316041485
ADDICTED TO HER. Janet Nichols Lynch. (Holiday House, $17.95) EAN 9780823421862
ADVENTURES OF JACK LIME, THE. James Leck. (Kids Can, $16.95) EAN 978-1554533640
ADVENTURES OF NANNY PIGGINS, THE. R.A. Spratt. Illustrated by Dan Santat. (Little, Brown, $15.99) ISBN 978-0316068192
AFTER THE KISS. Terra Elan McVoy. (Simon Pulse, $16.99) ISBN 978-1442402119
AGGIE THE BRAVE. Lori Ries. Illustrated by Frank W. Dormer. (Charlesbridge, $12.95) ISBN 978-1570916359
ALPHAOOPS! H IS FOR HALLOWEEN. Alethea Kontis. Illustrated by Bob Kolar. (Candlewick, $15.99) ISBN 978-0763639662
AMAZING FACES. Poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illus. by Chris Soentpiet. (Lee & Low, $18.95) ISBN 978-1-60060-334-1
AMERICAN BABIES. (Charlesbridge, board book, $6.95) ISBN 978-1580892803
AMY & ROGER’S EPIC DETOUR. Morgan Matson. (Simon & Schuster, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416990659
ANIMAL CRACKERS FLY THE COOP. Kevin O’Malley. (Walker, $16.99) ISBN 978-0802798374
ANNA HIBISCUS. Atinuke. Illustrated by Lauren Tobia. (Kane/Miller, $5.99)  978-1935279730
ASHES. Kathryn Lasky. (Viking, $16.99) ISBN 978-0670011575
AZAD’S CAMEL. Erika Pal. (Frances Lincoln, $17.95) ISBN 978-1845079826
BABY SHOWER. Jane Breskin Zalben. (Roaring Brook/ Porter, $16.99) ISBN 978-1596434653
BACK OF THE BUS. Aaron Reynolds. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. (Philomel, $16.99) ISBN 978-0399250910
BACK TO BED, ED! Sebastien Braun. (Peachtree, $15.95) ISBN: 978-1561455188
BAG IN THE WIND. Ted Kooser. Illustrated by Barry Root. (Candlewick, $17.99) ISBN 978-0763630010
BAMBOO PEOPLE. Mitali Perkins. (Charlesbridge, $16.95) ISBN 978-1580893282
BANDIT’S SURPRISE. Karen Rostoker-Gruber. Illustrated by Vincent Nguyen. (Marshall Cavendish, $16.99) ISBN 978-0761456230
BAXTER, THE PIG WHO WANTED TO BE KOSHER. Laurel Snyder. Illustrated by David Goldin. (Random/Tricycle, $15.99) ISBN 978-1582463155
BEAR FLIES HIGH. Michael Rosen. Illustrated by Adrian Reynolds. (Bloomsbury, $16.99) ISBN 978-1-59990-386-6
BEAR IN THE AIR. Susan Meyers. Illustrated by Amy Bates. (Abrams, $15.95) ISBN 978-0810983984
BEAUTIFUL MALICE. Rebecca James. (Random House, $25) ISBN 978-0553808056 (NOTE: publisted as an adult book; lauded by VOYA as a crossover for older teens)
BEAUTIFUL YETTA: THE YIDDISH CHICKEN. Daniel Pinkwater. Illustrated by Jill Pinkwater. (Feiwel & Friends) ISBN 978-0312558246
BEAUTIFUL. Amy Reed. (Simon & Schuster, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416978305
BEAVER IS LOST. Elisha Cooper. (Random House/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99) ISBN 978-0375857652
BENNO AND THE NIGHT OF BROKEN GLASS. Meg Wiviott. Illustrated by Josée Bisaillon. (Lerner/Kar-Ben, hc $17.95; pb $7.95) ISBN hc 978-0822599296; ISBN pb 978-0822599753
BIBLIOBURRO: A TRUE STORY FROM COLOMBIA. Jeanette Winter. (Simon & Schuster/Beach Lane, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416997788)
BIG NATE: IN A CLASS BY HIMSELF. Lincoln Peirce. (HarperCollins, $12.99) ISBN 978-0061944345
BINK & GOLLIE. Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee. Illustrated by Tony Fucile. (Candlewick, $15.99) ISBN 978-0763632663
BINKY TO THE RESCUE. Ashley Spires. (Kids Can, hc $16.95 ISBN 978-1554535026; pb $8.95 ISBN 978-1554535972)
BIRTHDAY BALL, THE. Lois Lowry. Illustrated by Jules Feiffer. (Houghton, $16) ISBN 978-0547238692
BLACK HOLE SUN, by David Macinnis Gill (Greenwillow, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061673047
BLACK MAGIC. Dinah Johnson. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. (Holt/Ottaviano, $15.99) ISBN 978-0805078336
BLEEDING VIOLET. Dia Reeves. (Simon Pulse, $16.99) ISBN 978-1-4169-8618-8
BLOCKHEAD: THE LIFE OF FIBONACCI. Joseph D’Agnese. (Holt, $16.99) ISBN 978-0805063059
BOBBY THE BRAVE (SOMETIMES). Lisa Yee. Illustrated by Dan Santat. (Scholastic/Levine, $15.99)  ISBN 978-0545055949
BONES: SKELETONS AND HOW THEY WORK. Steve Jenkins. (Scholastic, $16.99) ISBN 978-0-545-04651-0
BONESHAKER, THE. Kate Milford. Illustrated by Andrea Offermann. (Clarion, $16) ISBN 978-0547241876
BOY WHO CLIMBED INTO THE MOON, THE. David Almond. Illustrated by Polly Dunbar. (Candlewick, $15.99) ISBN 978-0763642174
BOYS, THE. Jeff Newman. (Simon & Schuster, $15.99) ISBN 978-1416950127
BRAND-NEW BABY BLUES. Kathi Appelt. Illustrated by Kelly Murphy. (HarperCollins, $16.99) ISBN 978-0-06-053233-8
BRILLIANT. Rachel Vail. (HarperTeen, $16.99) ISBN 978-0060890490
BRONTORINA. Howe, James. Illustrated by Randy Cecil. (Candlewick, $15.99) ISBN 978-0763644376)
BULLET POINT. Peter Abrahams (HarperTeen, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061227691
BUTTERFLY. Sonya Hartnett. (Candlewick, $16.99) ISBN 978-0763647605
BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS, I’LL BE DEAD. Julie Anne Peters. (Disney-Hyperion, $16.99) ISBN 978-1423116189
CAN I PLAY TOO? Mo Willems. (Hyperion, $8.99) ISBN 978-1423119913
CANDY BOMBER: THE STORY OF THE BERLIN AIRLIFT’S “CHOCOLATE PILOT.” Michael O. Tunnell. (Charlesbridge, hc $18.95; pb $9.95) ISBN hc 978-1580893367; pb 978-1580893374
CAPTAIN SMALL PIG. Martin Waddell. Illustrated by Susan Varley. (Peachtree, $15.95) ISBN 978-1561455195
CARBON DIARIES 2017, THE. Saci Lloyd. (Holiday House, $17.95) ISBN 978-0823422609
CASE OF THE GYPSY GOOD-BYE, THE. Nancy Springer. (Philomel, $14.99) ISBN 978-0399252365
CAT THE CAT, WHO IS THAT? Mo Willems. (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $12.99) ISBN 978-0-06-172840-2
CELESTIAL GLOBE, THE. Marie Rutkoski. (FSG, $16.99) ISBN 978-0374310271
CHALK. Bill Thomson. (Marshall Cavendish, $15.99) ISBN 978-0761455264
CHAMPION OF CHILDREN, THE: THE STORY OF JANUSZ KORCZAK. Tomek Bogacki. (FSG, $17.99) ISBN 978-0374341367
CHASING ORION. Kathryn Lasky. (Candlewick, $17.99) ISBN 978-0763639822
CINCO DE MOUSE-O! Judy Cox. Illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler. (Holiday House, $16.95) ISBN 978-0823421947
CLEMENTINE, FRIEND OF THE WEEK. Sara Pennypacker. Illustrated by Marla Frazee. (Disney-Hyperion, $14.99) ISBN 978-1-4231-1355-3
CLOCK WITHOUT A FACE, THE. Gus Twintig. (McSweeney’s, $19.95) ISBN 978-1934781715
CLOUD TEA MONKEYS. Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham. Illustrated by Juan Wijngaard. (Candlewick, $15.99) ISBN 978-0763644536
COME FALL. A.C.E. Bauer. (Random, $15.99) ISBN 978-0-375-95855-7
CONSTELLATIONS. F. S. Kim (Children’s Press, hc $26; pb $6.95) hc EAN: 978-0531168950; pb EAN: 978-0531228029
COW LOVES COOKIES, THE. Karma Wilson. Illustrated by Marcellus Hall. (Simon & Schuster/McElderry, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416942061
CRISPIN: THE END OF TIME. Avi. (HarperTeen/Balzer + Bray, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061740800
CROSSING THE TRACKS. Barbara Stuber. (Simon & Schuster/McElderry, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416997030
CRUNCH. Leslie Connor. (HarperCollins/Tegen, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061692291
DANCING FEET! Lindsey Craig. Illustrated by Marc Brown. (Knopf, $16.99) ISBN 978-0375861819
DANCING PANCAKE, THE. Eileen Spinelli. Illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff. (Knopf, $12.99) ISBN 978-0375858703
DARK EMPEROR AND OTHER POEMS OF THE NIGHT, by Joyce Sidman. Illustrated by Rick Allen. (Houghton, $16.99) ISBN 978-0547152288
DARK WATER. Laura McNeal. (Random House/Knopf, $16.99) ISBN 978-0375849732
DAVE THE POTTER: ARTIST, POET, SLAVE. Laban Carrick Hill. Illustrated by Bryan Collier. (Little, Brown, $16.99) ISBN 978-0316107310
DEAD BEAUTIFUL. Yvonne Woon. (Hyperion, $16.99) ISBN 978-1423119562
DEAR GEORGE CLOONEY: PLEASE MARRY MY MOM. Susin Nielsen, Tundra, $15.95 (240p) ISBN 978-0-88776-977-1
DEPARTURE TIME. Truus Matti. (namelos, hc $18.95, ISBN 978-1608980871; pb $9.95, ISBN 978-1608980093
DILLWEED’S REVENGE: A DEADLY DOSE OF MAGIC. Florence Parry Heide. Illustrated by Carson Ellis. (Harcourt, $16.99) ISBN 978-0152063948
DINOSAUR MOUNTAIN: DIGGING INTO THE JURASSIC AGE. Deborah Kogan Ray. (FSG/Foster, $16.99) ISBN 978-04374317898
DINOSAUR VS. THE POTTY. Bob Shea. (Disney, $15.99) ISBN 978-1-4231-3339-1
DIRTBALL PETE. Eileen Brennan. (Random, $15.99) ISBN 978-0-375-83425-7
DJANGO, THE. Levi Pinfold. (Candlewick/Templar, $16.99) ISBN 978-0763627889
DOGS. Emily Gravett. (Simon & Schuster, $15.99) ISBN 978-1416987031
DOLLHOUSE FAIRY, THE. Jane Ray. (Candlewick, $16.99) ISBN 978-0763644116
DON’T SPILL THE BEANS! Ian Schoenherr. (Greenwillow, $16.99) ISBN 978-0-06-172457-2
DOODLEBUG: A NOVEL IN DOODLES. Karen Romano Young. (Feiwel & Friends, $14.99) ISBN 978-0312561567
DRACULA. Adapted by Nicky Raven. Illustrated by Anne Yvonne Gilbert. (Candlewick, $19.99) ISBN 978-0763647933
DRAGONBREATH: ATTACK OF THE NINJA FROGS. Ursula Vernon. (Dial, $12.99) ISBN 978-0803733657
DRAGONBREATH: CURSE OF THE WERE-WEINER. Ursula Vernon. (Dial, $12.99) ISBN 978-0803734692
EASTER EGG, THE. Jan Brett. Putnam, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-25238-9
ECOMAZES: TWELVE EARTH ADVENTURES. Roxie Munro. (Sterling, $14.95) ISBN 978-1402763939
EGRET’S DAY, AN. Jane Yolen. Photography by Jason Stemple. (Boyds Mills/Wordsong, $17.95) ISBN 978-1590786505
EIGHT DAYS. Edwige Danticat. Illustrated by Alix Delinois. (Orchard, $17.99) ISBN 978-0545278492
EIGHTH-GRADE SUPERZERO. Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich. Scholastic/Levine, $16.99 (336p) ISBN 978-0-545-09676-8
ELSIE’S BIRD. Jane Yolen. David Small. (Penguin/Philomel, $17.99) ISBN 978-0399252921
EMILY’S FORTUNE. Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Illustrated by Ross Collins. (Delacorte, $14.99) ISBN 978-0385736169
EMMA’S POEM: THE VOICE OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY. Linda Glaser. Illustrated by Claire A. Nivola. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $17) ISBN 978-0547171845
ENCHANTED GLASS. Diana Wynne Jones. (Greenwillow, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061866845.
ENCYCLOPEDIA MYTHOLOGICA: GODS AND HEROES. Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda. (Candlewick, $29.99) ISBN 978-0763631710
ETERNAL ONES, THE. Kirsten Miller. (Penguin/Razorbill, $17.99) ISBN 978-1-59514-308-2
EVEN MONSTERS NEED HAIRCUTS. Matthew McElligott. (Walker, $16.99) ISBN 978-0802788191
EVERYDAY LIFE IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE. Kathryn Hinds. (Marshall Cavendish/Benchmark, $42.79 ISBN 978-0761444848
EVIL WITHIN. Nancy Holder. (Penguin, $9.99) ISBN 978-1-595142917
EXILED QUEEN, THE (SEVEN REALMS 02). Cinda Chima Williams. (Hyperion, $17.99) ISBN 978-1423118244
EXIT STRATEGY. Ryan Potter. (Flux, $9.95) ISBN 978-0738715735
EXTRAORDINARY SECRETS OF APRIL, MAY, AND JUNE. Robin Benway. (Penguin/Razorbill, $16.99) ISBN 978-1595142863
FARAWAY ISLAND, A. Annika Thor. Translated by Linda Schenck. (Delacorte, $16.99) ISBN 978-0385736176
FDR’S ALPHABET SOUP: NEW DEAL AMERICA, 1932-1939. Tonya Bolden. (Knopf, $19.99) ISBN 978-0375852145
FINDING FAMILY. Tonya Bolden. (Bloomsbury, $15.99) ISBN 978-1599903187
FIRE OPAL, THE. Regina McBride. (Delacorte, $16.99) ISBN 978-0385737814
FIRE WILL FALL. Carol Plum-Ucci. (Harcourt, $18) ISBN 978-0152165628
FIREFLY LETTERS, THE: A SUFFRAGETTE’S JOURNEY TO CUBA. Margarita Engle. (Holt, $16.99) ISBN 978-0-8050-90826
FLEABAG. Helen Stephens. (Holt, $16.99) ISBN 978-0805089752
FOLLY. Marthe Jocelyn. (Random House/Lamb, $15.99) ISBN 978-0385738460
FOR THE WIN. Cory Doctorow. (Tor, $17.99) ISBN 978-0765322166
FOREVER FRIENDS. Carin Berger. (Greenwillow, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061915289
FOX AND THE HEN, THE. Eric Battut. (Boxer Books, $16.95) ISBN 978-1907152023
FRANKIE PICKLE AND THE PINE RUN 3000. Eric Wight. (Simon & Schuster, $9.99) ISBN 978-1416964858
FRANKLIN’S BIG DREAMS, by David Teague. Illustrated by Boris Kulikov. (Hyperion, $16.99) ISBN 978-1423119197
FREDERICK DOUGLASS: A NOBLE LIFE. David A. Adler. (Holiday House, $18.95) ISBN 978-0823420568
FREE AS A BIRD. Gina Barber-McMurchy. (Dundurn, $10.99) ISBN 978-1554884476
FREEFALL. Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams. (Scholastic/Chicken House, $18.99) ISBN 978-0545138772
GARMANN’S STREET. Stian Hole. (Eerdman’s, $16.99) ISBN 978-0802853578
GENIUS WARS, THE. Catherine Jinks. (Harcourt, $17) ISBN 978-0152066192
GHOST OF CRUTCHFIELD HALL, THE. Mary Downing Hahn. (Clarion, $17) ISBN 978-0547385600
GIRL STOLEN. April Henry. (Holt, $16.95) ISBN 978-0805090055
GIRL WITH THE MERMAID HAIR, THE. Delia Ephron. (HarperTeen, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061542602
GLIMPSE. Carol Lynch Williams. (Simon & Schuster/Wiseman, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416997306
GRIMM LEGACY, THE. Polly Shulman. (Putnam, $16.99) ISBN 978-0399250965
HALF-LIFE OF PLANETS, THE. Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin. (Hyperion, $16.99) ISBN 978-1423121114
HALF-MINUTE HORRORS. Edited by Susan Rich (HarperCollins, $12.99) ISBN 978-0061833793
HALLELUJAH FLIGHT, THE. Phil Bildner. Illustrated by John Holyfield. (Putnam, $16.99) ISBN 978-0399247897
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SOPHIE HARTLEY. Stephanie Greene. (Clarion, $16) ISBN 978-0547251288
HARD KIND OF PROMISE, THE. Gina Willner-Pardo. (Clarion, $16) ISBN 978-0547243955
HEADS. Matthew Van Fleet. (Simon & Schuster/Wiseman, $17.99) ISBN 978-1442403796
HEART IS NOT A SIZE, THE. Beth Kephart. (HarperTeen, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061470486
HENRIETTA HORNBUCKLE’S CIRCUS OF LIFE. Michael de Guzman. (FSG, $16.99) ISBN 978-0374335137
HENRY AARON’S DREAM. Matt Tavares. (Candlewick, $16.99) ISBN 978-0763632243
HEREVILLE: HOW MIRKA GOT HER SWORD. Barry Deutsch. (Abrams/Amulet, $15.95) ISBN 978-0810984226
HEY, RABBIT! Sergio Ruzzier. (Roaring Brook/Porter, $16.99.) ISBN 978-1596435025
HIP HOP DOG. Raschka, Chris. (HarperCollins, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061239632
HOME IS BEYOND THE MOUNTAINS. Celia Barker Lottridge. (Groundwood, $16.95) 978-0888999320
HOUSE OF DOLLS. Francesca Lia Block. Illustrated by Barbara McClintock. (Harper, $15.99) ISBN 978-0061130946
HOW TO CLEAN YOUR ROOM IN 10 EASY STEPS. Jennifer LaRue Huget. Illustrated by Edward Koren. (Random/Schwartz & Wade, $16.99) ISBN 978-0375844102
HOW TO MAKE A BIRD. Martine Murray. (Scholastic/Levine, $17.99) ISBN 978-0439669511
HUDSON, by Janice Weaver. Illustrated by David Craig. (Tundra, $22.95) ISBN 978-0887768149
HUSH. Eishes Chayil. (Walker, $16.99) ISBN 978-0802720887
I AM A BACKHOE. Hines, Anna Grossnickle. (Random/Tricycle, $12.99) ISBN 978-1582463063.
I AM GOING (ELEPHANT & PIGGIE). Mo Willems. (Hyperion, $8.99) ISBN 978-1423119906
I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER (JOHN CLEAVER). Dan Wells. Tor, $9.99) ISBN 978-0765327826
I DON’T WANT A COOL CAT! Emma Dodd. (Little, Brown, $15.99) ISBN 978-0316036740
I KNOW HERE. Laurel Croza. Illustrated by Matt James. (Groundwood, $18.95) ISBN 978-0888999238
I’M BIG! Kate and Jim McMullan. (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061229749
INCREDIBLE VOYAGE OF ULYSSES. Bimba Landmann. (Getty Publications, $19.95) ISBN 978-1606060124
INSECT DETECTIVE. Steve Voake. Illustrated by Charlotte Voake. (Candlewick, $16.99) ISBN 978-0763644475
INTERRUPTING CHICKEN. David Ezra Stein. (Candlewick, $16.99) ISBN 978-0763641689
INTRIGUE AT HIGHBURY (OR, EMMA’S MATCH) Carrie Bebris. (Tor, $22.99) 978-0765318480
IS IT NIGHT OR DAY? Fern Schumer Chapman. (FSG, $16.99) ISBN 978-0374177447
IS YOUR BUFFALO READY FOR KINDERGARTEN? Audrey Vernick. Illustrated by Daniel Jennewein. (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061762758
JEKEL LOVES HYDE. Beth Fantaskey. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $17) ISBN 978-0152063900
JIM, WHO RAN AWAY FROM HIS NURSE AND WAS EATEN BY A LION. Hilaire Belloc. Illustrated by Mini Grey. (Knopf, $19.99) ISBN 978-0375859700
JUMP. Elisa Carbone, Viking, $16.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-670011858
JUNKYARD WONDERS, THE. Patricia Polacco. (Philomel, $17.99) ISBN 978-0399250781
JUSTIN CASE: SCHOOL, DROOL, AND OTHER DAILY DISASTERS. Rachel Vail. Illustrated by Matthew Cordell. (Feiwel & Friends, $16.99) EAN 978-0312532901
KNIGHTS: IN HISTORY AND LEGEND. Edited by Constance Brittain Bouchard. (Firefly, $29.95) ISBN 978-1554074808
KNUFFLE BUNNY FREE: AN UNEXPECTED DIVERSION. Mo Willems. (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99) ISBN 978-0061929571
KUBLA KHAN: THE EMPEROR OF EVERYTHING. Kathleen Krull. Illustrated by Robert Byrd. (Viking, $17.99) ISBN 978-0670011148
LAST SONG. James Guthrie. Illustrated by Eric Rohmann. (Roaring Brook, $10.99) ISBN 978-1596435087
LAWN TO LAWN. Dan Yaccarino. (Knopf, $17.99) ISBN 978-0375855740
LEGEND OF THE KING, THE. Gerald Morris. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $16) ISBN 978-0547144207
LIBERTY OR DEATH: THE SURPRISING STORY OF RUNAWAY SLAVES WHO SIDED WITH THE BRITISH DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Margaret Whitman Blair. (National Geographic, $18.95) ISBN 978-1426305900
LIES (A GONE NOVEL). Michael Grant. (HarperCollins, $17.99) ISBN 978-0061449093
LIFE AND TIMES OF SCROOGE MCDUCK, THE. VOL. 1. Don Rosa. (Boom! Kids, $24.99) ISBN 978-1608865383
LIGHTER SIDE OF LIFE AND DEATH, THE. C.K. Kelly Marton. (Random, $16.99) ISBN 978-0375845888
LILLY AND THE PIRATES. Phyllis Root. Illustrated by Rob Shepperson. (Boyds Mills Press, $16.95) ISBN 978-1590785836
LINGER. Maggie Stiefvater. (Scholastic, $17.99) ISBN 978-0545123280
LITTLE DIVA. LaChanze. Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. (Feiwel & Friends, $16.99) ISBN 978-0312370107
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD. Gennady Spirin. (Marshall Cavendish, $17.99) ISBN 978-0761457046
LITTLE WANTING SONG, A. Cath Crowley. (Knopf, $16.99) ISBN 978-0375960963
LOCKDOWN. Walter Dean Myers. (HarperTeen, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061214806
LOLA LOVES STORIES. Anna McQuinn. Illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw. (Charlesbridge, PLB $15.95. ISBN 978-1580892582; pap. $6.95. ISBN 978-1580892599)
LOST BOY: THE STORY OF THE MAN WHO CREATED PETER PAN. Jane Yolen. Illustrated by Steve Adams. (Dutton, $17.99) ISBN 978-0525478867
LOST FOR WORDS. Alice Kuipers. (HarperTeen, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061429224
LULU AND THE BRONTOSAURUS. Judith Viorst. Illustrated by Lane Smith. (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, $15.99) ISBN 978-1416999614
LYLE WALKS THE DOGS: A COUNTING BOOK. Bernard Waber. Illustrated by Paulis Waber. (Houghton Mifflin, $12.99) ISBN 978-0547223230
MAGGIE’S BALL. Lindsay Barrett George. (Greenwillow, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061721663
MAGIC UNDER GLASS. Jaclyn Dolamore. (Bloomsbury, $16.99) ISBN 978-1599904306
MAMA, IS IT SUMMER YET? Nikki McClure. (Abrams, $17.95) ISBN 978-0810984684
MAMBA POINT. Kurtis Scaletta. (Knopf, $16.99) ISBN 978-0375861802
MARY MAE AND THE GOSPEL TRUTH. Sandra Dutton. (Houghton Mifflin, $15) ISBN 978-0547249667
MARY’S PENNY. Tanya Landman. Illustrated by Richard Holland. (Candlewick, $15.99) ISBN 978-0763647681
MAX CASSIDY: ESCAPE FROM SHADOW ISLAND. Paul Adam. (HarperCollins/Walden Pond, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061863233
MED HEAD: MY KNOCK-DOWN, DRAG-OUT, DRUGGED-UP BATTLE WITH MY BRAIN. (Little, Brown, $8.99) ISBN 978-0316076173
MEETING, THE. Brigitte Luciani. Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. Translated by Carol Klio Burrell. (Lerner/Graphic Universe, $6.95) ISBN 978-0761356318
MISS BROOKS LOVES BOOKS! (AND I DON’T). Barbara Bottner. Illusytsyrf by Michael Emberley. (Knopf/Borzoi, $17.99) ISBN 978-0375846823
MISTWOOD. Leah Cypress. (Greenwillow, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061956997
MOON BEAR. Brenda Z. Guiberson. Illustrated by Ed Young. (Holt, $16.99) ISBN 978-0805089776
MR. ELEPHANTER. Lark Pien. (Candlewick, $14.99) ISBN 978-0763644093
MR. MENDOZA’S PAINTBRUSH: A GRAPHIC NOVEL. Luis Alberto Urrea. Illustrated by Christopher Cardinale. (Cinco Puntos, $16.95) EAN 978-1933693231
MY HAVANA: MEMORIES OF A CUBAN BOYHOOD. Rosemary Wells and Secundino Fernandez. Illustrated by Peter Ferguson. (Candlewick, $17.99) ISBN 978-0763643058
MY LIFE AS A BOOK. Janet Tashjian. (Holt/Ottaviano, $16.99) ISBN 978-0805089035
NABEEL’S NEW PANTS: An EID TALE. Fawzia Gilani-Williams. Illustrated by Proiti Roy. (Marshall Cavendish, $15.99) ISBN 978-0761456292
NECROMANCER, THE (SECRETS OF THE IMMORTAL NICHOLAS FLAMEL). Michael Scott. (Delacorte, $18.99) ISBN 978-0385735315
NINTH WARD. Jewell Parker Rhodes (Little, Brown, $15.99) ISBN 978-0316043076
NO SAFE PLACE. Deborah Ellis. (Groundwood, $16.99) ISBN 978-0888999733
NORTHWARD TO THE MOON. Polly Horvath. (Random/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99) ISBN 978-0375861109
NOT ALL PRINCESSES DRESS IN PINK. Jane Yolen. Illustrated by E.Y. Stemple and Anne-Sophie Lanquetin. (Simon & Schuster, $15.99) ISBN 978-1416980186
ODYSSEY, THE. Homer and Tim Mucci. Illustrated by Ben Caldwell. (Sterling, $7.95) ISBN 978-1402731556
OH, DADDY! Bob Shea. (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061730801
OLDER THAN THE STARS. Fox, Karen C. (Charlesbridge, $15.95) ISBN: 978-1570917875
OLIVIA GOES TO VENICE. Ian Falconer. (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, $17.99) ISBN 978-1416996743
ON THE BLUE COMET. Rosemary Wells. Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. (Candlewick, $16.99) ISBN 978-0763637224
OSCAR AND THE VERY HUNGRY DRAGON. Ute Krause. (NorthSouth, $16.95) ISBN 9780735823068
OTHER HALF OF MY HEART, THE. Sundee T. Frazier. (Delacorte, $16.99) ISBN 978-0385734400
PADDLING OF DUCKS, A: ANIMALS IN GROUPS FROM A TO Z. Marjorie Blain Parker. Illustrated by Joseph Kelly. (Kids Can, $16.95) ISBN 978-1553376828
PALACE BEAUTIFUL. Sarah DeFord Williams. (Putnam, $16.99) ISBN 978-0399252983
PICTURE THE DEAD. Adele Griffin. Illustrated by Lisa Brown. (Sourcebooks Fire, $14.99) ISBN 978-1402237126
PIG PARADE IS A TERRIBLE IDEA, A. Michael Ian Black. Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. (Simon & Schuster, $16.99) ISBN 978-9781416979227)
PIGS TO THE RESCUE. John Himmelman. (Holt, $16.99) ISBN 978-0805086836
PINGPONG PERRY EXPERIENCES HOW A BOOK IS MADE. Sandy Donovan. Illustrated by James Christoph. (Capstone, $25.32) ISBN 978-1404857599
PLANET HUNTER: GEOFF MARCY AND THE SEARCH FOR OTHER EARTHS. Vicki O. Wittenstein. (Boyds Mills, $17.95) ISBN 978-1590785928
POD. Stephen Wallenfels. (namelos, pb $9.95) ISBN 978-1608980109
POISONED HONEY: A STORY OF MARY MAGDALENE. Beatrice Gormley. (Knopf, $16.99) ISBN 978-0375852077
POP! THE INVENTION OF BUBBLE GUM. Meghan McCarthy. (Simon & Schuster/Wiseman, $15.99) ISBN 978-1416979708
POSSESSING JESSIE. Nancy Springer. (Holiday House, $16.95) ISBN 978-0823422593
PRESENT TENSE OF PRINNY MURPHY, THE. Jill MacLean. (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, $11.95) ISBN 978-1554551453
PRIME BABY. Gene Luen Yang. (First Second, hc $19.99; pb $6.99) ISBN 978-1596436503; pb 978-1596436121
PRINCESS SAYS GOODNIGHT. Naomi Howland, illus. by David Small. (Harper, $16.99) ISBN 978-0-06-145525-4
PROJECT SEAHORSE. Pamela S. Turner. Photographs by Scott Tuason. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $18) ISBN 978-0547207131
PUSH BUTTON. Aliki. (Greenwillow, $16.99.) ISBN 978-0061673085.
QUIET BOOK, THE. Deborah Underwood. Illustrated by Renata Liwska. (Houghton, $12.95) ISBN 978-0547215679
RATFINK. Marcia Thornton Jones. Illustrated by C. B. Decker. (Dutton, $16.99) ISBN 978-0525420668
RECKLESS. Cornelia Funke. Translated by Oliver Latsch. (Little, Brown, $19.99) ISBN 978-0316056090
RED MOON. David McAdoo. (Cossack Comics, $19.99) ISBN 9780-615353241
REINVENTION OF MOXIE ROOSEVELT, THE. Elizabeth Cody Kimmel. (Dial, $16.99) ISBN 978-0803733039
REMEMBERING CRYSTAL. Sebastian Loth. (NorthSouth, $14.95) ISBN 978-0735823006
RESISTANCE. Carla Jablonski. Illustrated by Leland Purvis. (Roaring Brook/First Second, $16.99) ISBN 978-1596432918
RIDE, THE: THE LEGEND OF BETSY DOWDY. Kitty Griffin. Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman. (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416928164
RIDING THE BLACK COCKATOO. John Danalis. Foreword by Boori Monty Pryor. (Allen & Unwin Australia, $9.99) ISBN 978-1741753776
RING WENT ZING! THE: A STORY THAT ENDS WITH A KISS. Sean Taylor. Illustrated by Jill Barton. (Dial, $16.99) ISBN 978-0803733114
RIVER, THE. Mary Jane Beaufrand. (Little, Brown, $16.99) ISBN 978-0316041688
ROBIN MAKES A LAUGHING SOUND, THE: A BIRDER’S JOURNAL. Sallie Wolf. (Charlesbridge, $11.95) ISBN 978-1580893183
ROSLYN RUTABAGA AND THE BIGGEST HOLE ON EARTH! Marie-Louise Gay. (Groundwood, $16.95) ISBN 978-0888999948
RUBY NOTEBOOK, THE. Laura Resau. (Delacorte, $16.99) ISBN 978-0385736534
SABLE QUEEN: A TALE OF REDWALL. Brian Jacques. (Philomel, $23.99) ISBN 978-0399251641
SALEM BROWNSTONE: ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWERS. John Harris Dunning. Illustrated by Nikhil Singh. (Candlewick, $18.99) ISBN 978-0763647353
SALMON BEARS, THE: GIANTS OF THE GREAT BEAR RAINFOREST. Nicholas Read and Ian McAllister. Photos by Ian McAllister. (Orca, $18.95) ISBN 978-1-55469-205-7
SALT. Maurice Gee. (Orca, $18) ISBN 978-1554692095
SAVING SKY. Diane Stanley. (Harper, $15.99) ISBN 978-0061239052
SAY HELLO! Rachel Isadora. (Putnam, $16.99) ISBN 978-0399252303
SCARLETT FEVER. Maureen Johnson. (Scholastic/Point, $16.99) ISBN 978-0439899284
SCUMBLE. Ingrid Law. (Dial, $16.99) ISBN 978-0803733077
SEASONS. Blexbolex. Translated from French by Claudia Bedrick. (Enchanted Lion, $19.95) ISBN 978-1-59270-095-0
SECRET CAVE, THE: DISCOVERING LASCAUX. Emily Arnold McCully. (FSG, $16.99)
SECRET SPEAKERS AND THE SEARCH FOR SELADOR’S GATE. K.S.R. Kingworth. (Rawle & Windsor, $15.99 paperback) ISBN 978-0980130355
SECRET TO LYING. Todd Mitchell. (Candlewick, $17.99) ISBN 978-0763640842
SEEDS OF CHANGE: WANGARI’S GIFT TO THE WORLD. Jen Cullerton Johnson. Illustrated by Sonia Lynn Sadler. (Lee & Low, $18.95) ISBN 978-1600603679
SHADE. Jeri Smith-Ready, Simon Pulse, $17.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-4169-9406-0
SHADOWS, THE. Jacqueline West. Illustrated by Poly Bernatene. (Dial, $16.99) ISBN 978-0803734401
SHAKESPEARE MAKES THE PLAY-OFFS. Ron Koertge (Candlewick, $15.99) ISBN 978-0763644352
SHAPESHIFTERS: TALES FROM OVID’S METAMORPHOSES. Retold by Adrian Mitchell. Illustrated by Alan Lee. (Frances Lincoln, $22.95) ISBN 978-1845075361
SIGNED, ABIAH ROSE. Diane Browning. (Random/Tricycle, $15.99) ISBN 978-1582463117
SISTERS RED. Jackson Pearce. (Little, Brown, $16.99) ISBN 978-0316068680
SIX RULES OF MAYBE, THE. Deb Caletti. (Simon Pulse, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416979692
SMALL FREE KISS IN THE DARK, A. Glenda Millard. (Holiday House, $16.95) ISBN 978-0823422647
SMELLS LIKE DOG. Suzanne Selfors. (Little, Brown, $15.99) ISBN 978-0316043984
SMILE! Leigh Hodgkinson. (HarperTeen/Balzer + Bray, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061852695
SNOOK ALONE, by Marilyn Nelson. Illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering. (Candlewick, $16.99) ISBN 978-0763626679)
SNOWBALL EFFECT, THE. Holly Nicole Hoxter. (HarperTeen, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061755712
SOLAR SYSTEM, THE. Howard K. Trammel. (Children’s Press, $6.95) ISBN 978-0531228029
SOLOMON’S THIEVES. Jordan Mechner. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham and Alex Puvilland; color by Hilary Sycamore. (First Second/Roaring Brook, $12.99) ISBN 978-1596433915
SOMEBODY EVERYBODY LISTENS TO. Suzanne Supplee. (Dutton, $16.99) ISBN 978-0525422426
SONG OF THE WHALES, THE. Uri Orlev. Translated by Hillel Halkin. (Houghton, $16) ISBN 978-0547257525
SONS OF LIBERTY, THE: VOLUME 1. Alexander Lagos and Joseph Lagos. Illustrated by Steve Walker. (Random, hc $18.99; pb $12.99) ISBN hc 978-0375856709; pb 978-0375856679
SORTA LIKE A ROCK STAR. Matthew Quick. (Little, Brown, $16.99) ISBN 978-0316043526
SOURCES OF LIGHT. Margaret McMullan. (Houghton Mifflin, $15) ISBN 978-0547076591
SPACE BETWEEN TREES, THE. Katie Williams, Chronicle, $16.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0811871754
SPACEHEADZ. Jon Scieszka and Francesco Sedita. Illustrated by Shane Prigmore. (Simon & Schuster, $14.99) ISBN 978-1416979517
SPELLS. Aprilynne Pike. (Harper, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061668067
SPORK. Kyo Maclean. Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault. (Kids Can, $16.95) ISBN 978-1553377368
STAND STRAIGHT, ELLA KATE: THE TRUE STORY OF A REAL GIANT. Kate Klise. Illustrated by M. Sarah Klise. (Dial, $16.99) ISBN 978-0803734043
STAR CRUSHER, THE: MISSILE MOUSE. Jake Parker. (Graphix. $10.99) ISBN 978-0545117159
STARS. Ker Than. (Children’s Press, $6.95) ISBN 978-0531228067
STUCK ON EARTH. David Klass. (FSG/Foster, $16.99) ISBN 978-0-374-39951-1
SUBURB BEYOND THE STARS, THE. M.T. Anderson. (Scholastic, $17.99) ISBN 978-0545138826
SUBWAY. Christoph Niemann. (Greenwillow, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061577796
SUNDAY IS FOR GOD. Michael McGowan. Illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. (Random House/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99) ISBN 978-0375841880
TAKE ME WITH YOU. Carolyn Marsden. (Candlewick, $14.99) ISBN 978-0763637392
THEODOSIA AND THE EYES OF HORUS. R.L. LaFevers. Illustrated by Yoko Tanaka. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $16) ISBN 978-0547225920
THERE’S A PRINCESS IN THE PALACE. Zoe B. Alley. Illustrated by R.W. Alley. (Roaring Brook/Porter, $19.99) ISBN 978-1596434714
THINGS A BROTHER KNOWS, THE. Dana Reinhardt. (Random House/Lamb, $16.99) ISBN 978-0375844553
THIS IS ROCKET SCIENCE: TRUE STORIES OF THE RISK-TAKING SCIENTISTS WHO FIGURE OUT WAYS TO EXPLORE BEYOND EARTH. Gloria Skurzynski. (National Geographic, $18.95) ISBN 978-1426305979
THIS WORLD WE LIVE IN. Susan Beth Pfeffer. (Harcourt, $17) ISBN 978-0547248042
THOMAS AND THE DRAGON QUEEN. Shutta Crum. Illustrated by Lee Wildish. (Knopf/Borzoi, $15.99) ISBN 978-0375857034
TO DARKNESS FLED: BLOOD OF KINGS. Jill Williamson. (Marcher Lord, $17.99) ISBN 978-0982598702
TODD’S TV. James Proimos. (HarperCollins/Tegen, $15.99) ISBN 978-0061709852
TOO BUSY MARCO. Roz Chast. (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416984740
TOYMAKER, THE. Jeremy de Quidt. (Random House/Fickling, $16.99) ISBN 978-0385751803
TREASURE OF DEAD MAN’S LANE AND OTHER CASE FILES. Simon Cheshire. Illustrated by R. W. Alley. (Roaring Brook, $16.99) ISBN 978-1596434752
TREE HOUSE, THE. Marjorie Tolman and Ronald Tilman. (Boyds Mills/Lemniscaat, $17.95) ISBN 978-1590788066
TRUCKER, THE. Barbara Samuels. (FSG, $16.99) ISBN 978-0374378042
TUMBLEWEES SKIES. Sherrard, Valerie. (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, $11.95) ISBN 978-1554551132
TYRANNY. Lesley Fairfield. (Tundra, $10.95) ISBN 978-0887769030
UGLY DUCKLING, THE. Adapted by Sebastien Braun. (Boxer Books., $16.95) ISBN 978-1907152047
UNBOUND AND UNBROKEN. Amos Etsy. (Morgan Reynolds, $28.95) ISBN 978-1599351360
VIEW FROM THE TOP, THE. Hilary Frank. (Dutton, $16.99) ISBN 978-0525422419
VILLAGE GARAGE, THE. G. Brian Karas. (Holt/Ottaviano, $16.99) ISBN 978-0805087161
VIRGINIA HAMILTON: SPEECHES, ESSAYS & CONVERSATIONS. Arnold Adoff and Kacy Cook. (Scholastic, $29.99) ISBN 978-0439271936
VORDAK THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE: HOW TO GROW UP AND RULE THE WORLD. Scott Seegert. Illustrated by John Martin. (Egmont USA, $13.99) ISBN 978-1606840139
W IS FOR WOMBAT. Bronwyn Bancroft. (Little Hare Books, $8.99) ISBN 978-1921541179
WAITING OUT THE STORM. JoAnn Early Macken. Illustrated by Susan Gaber. (Candlewick, $15.99) ISBN 978-0763633783
WALDEN THEN AND NOW: AN ALPHABETICAL TOUR OF HENRY THOREAU’S POND. Michael McCurdy. (Charlesbridge, $15.99) ISBN 978-1580892537
WANTED: THE PERFECT PET. Fiona Roberton. (Putnam, $16.99) EAN 978-0399254611
WARRIORS IN THE CROSSFIRE. Nancy Bo Flood. (Front Street, $17.95) ISBN 978-1590786611
WE THE CHILDREN (BENJAMIN PRATT AND THE KEEPERS OF THE SCHOOL 01). Andrew Clements. Illustrated by Adam Stower. (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, $14.99) ISBN 978-1416938866
WELCOME HOME, MOUSE. Elisa Kleven. (Random House/Tricycle, $15.99) ISBN 978-1582462776
WELCOME TO MY NEIGHBORHOOD: A BARRIO ABC. Quiara Alegría Hudes. Illustrated by Shino Arihara. (Scholastic/Levine, $16.99) ISBN 978-0545094245
WHAT ABOUT BEAR? Suzanne Bloom. (Boyds Mills, $16.95) SIBN 978-1590785287
WHAT HAPPENED ON FOX STREET. Trisha Springstubb. Illustrated by Heather Ross. (HarperTeen /Balzer & Bray, $15.99) ISBN 978-0061986352
WHAT MOMMA LEFT ME. Renée Watson. (Bloomsbury, $15.99) ISBN 978-1599904467
WHAT THE LADYBUG HEARD. Julia Donaldson. Illustrated by Lydia Monks. (Holt, $16.99) ISBN 978-0805090284
WHEN JACK GOES OUT. Pat Schories. (Boyds Mills, $13.95) ISBN 978-1590786529
WHITE HORSE TRICK, THE. Kate Thompson. (Greenwillow, $17.99) ISBN 978-0062004161
WISHING FOR TOMORROW: THE SEQUEL TO A LITTLE PRINCESS. Hilary McKay. Illustrated by Nick Maland. (Simon & Schuster/McElderry, $16.99) ISBN 978-1442401693
WIZARD FROM THE START, A: THE INCREDIBLE BOYHOOD & AMAZING INVENTIONS OF THOMAS EDISON. Don Brown. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $16) ISBN 978-0547194875
WOLVEN. Di Toft. (Scholastic/Chicken House, $16.99) ISBN 978-0545171090
WONDER OF CHARLIE ANNE, THE. Kimberly Newton Fusco. (Knopf, $16.99) ISBN 978-0375861048
WORD AFTER WORD AFTER WORD. Patricia MacLachlan. (HarperCollins/Tegen, $14.99.) ISBN 978-0060279714
YOUNG ZEUS. G. Brian Karas. (Scholastic, $17.99) ISBN 978-0-439-72806-5
YUCKY WORMS. Vivian French. Illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg. (Candlewick, $16.99) ISBN 978-0763644468
ZEUS: KING OF THE GODS. Adapted and illustrated by George O’Connor. (First Second/Porter, $16.99 hc, $9.99 pb.) ISBN 978-1-59643-431-8 hc; ISBN 978-1-59643-625-1 pb.

The other day, the store was busy and I answered the phone cheerily enough. The woman on the other end played to my ego: “You’re so good at recommending, I was wondering if you could make some suggestions for my five-year-old.” I was more than happy to help.

A tidbit for a Monday morning: this very funny video re-imagining the world of Jane Austen if it included Fight Club. I am a sucker for a good mash-up (but there are very few really well-executed ones).

Jane Austen Fight Club
What children’s book mash-ups would you like to see? I’m thinking Babe the Gallant Pig / Top Chef. (Oh no I di’n’t!) Or how about Flowers for Algernon, where Charley meets The Runaway Dolls? (Hey, I never said they were good ideas.) Josie suggests Horton Hears a Who and Machiavelli’s The Prince.
What should the next YouTube book mash-up blockbuster be, hmm?

When we ran a post in ShelfTalker recently about young-adult book covers—The Season of Windblown Hair — Or, the Zeitgeist of Book Covers—author Nancy Werlin wrote us a note. She said, “Elizabeth’s recent cover post sparked me to write something about covers from an author’s POV. ” Attached to her note was the article that follows this introduction; it’s a revealing, behind-the-scenes look at the kind of conversations established authors have with their editors (and agents, and others) during the cover design process. We are delighted to add her voice to the conversation about how book jackets are designed and changed and edited until they are approved and ready for the bookshelves.
[Note: Not all authors are invited into the cover design process; perhaps even the majority are not. Publishing houses have varying policies about author participation in book cover and art discussions, and newer authors generally have less input than well-known authors with more experience in the industry, like Nancy.]
And now, without further ado, here is:
Anatomy of a Cover: Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin
Part 1. Thrifty R Us
So, I was having breakfast with my editor, Lauri Hornik at Dial/Penguin, at the ALA convention in June, and suddenly Lauri lowers her voice and says, “Did you see that story in Publishers Weekly about the YA cover shoot?!”
“You bet I did,” I say. “Ack!”
“They spent over $20,000!”
“$28,000!” [Note: It was actually $26,000. I have a tendency to exaggerate for the sake of the story.]
“In fairness, it was for four covers. But still! Can you imagine?”
“No!”
This explains why, in talking about the cover of Extraordinary, I will be discussing stock art, PhotoShop, and the genius of in-house cover designers – in this case, Natalie Sousa at Penguin. I also have to mention interior designer Jasmin Rubero, because Extraordinary has a lovely page design too.
Part 2. Cover Design Mission
There was a mission: To match the cover of Extraordinary to the cover of the paperback Impossible, which was commercially successful. Consider the outdoor natural setting, the single girl in motion with her hair blowing, and the cursive font used for the title; both covers have these in common.
Conceptually, though, the “same but different” mission was tricky for the designer. You couldn’t have the cover of Extraordinary suggest to readers that they’d be getting the continuing adventures of Lucy Scarborough from Impossible, only that they are likely to get a similar reading experience.
Then there’s the mission of any cover: to represent the book’s contents authentically enough while appealing to the tastes of those most likely to want to buy it and read it.
“Authentically enough.” What do I mean by this? Well, I’m a veteran of YA book covers (just take a look at my website’s Cover Gallery, in which you’ll find my sometimes trenchant comments on the covers of my books over time). I used to want covers that represented the book’s contents very closely, and were also pretty. Many folks automatically believe that this is what makes a good cover.
But I’ve changed my mind about this. While the cover should not lie (by implication or outright), its job is simply to say: “Pick me up!” to someone who might like the book. That is all. And you have more moving parts than the art: you also have the title and author’s name.
Part 3. The Right Stock Photo
I can only guess how long it took Natalie to find the right stock photo. I imagine she typed “young girl” (and maybe some other keywords) into many different stock photo sites and scanned and scanned and scanned through the results. In the end, she found it at Agenja Free/Alamy.
If you click on the stock photo website link, you can perform the search. Enter “young woman forest” (don’t use the quotes). You’ll see a selection of photos that includes the green forest glade from the Extraordinary cover. (Or you can just look at the picture of the search results.)
On the second page, you’ll find the photo that Natalie used, and you’ll see a few others of that same blonde girl in a red dress frolicking in the forest. There’s one of the girl running toward (rather than away from) the camera; one of her holding her dress out; a few of her sitting in the grass; one of her dancing in sort of a demented way. Maybe Natalie considered some of those as well.
In any event, she created a mock-up (one of many, no doubt) which was the one that Lauri first sent to me.
Part 4. Actual E-Mail: Cover Mock-Up #1 … and #2 … and #3 … and the Final Decision
Here’s the actual email dialogue that followed.

LAURI (to Nancy): Here’s a jacket-in-progress (#1).
I’m not liking the hot pink color of the dress and shoes, and I’m thinking that we’ll want some shimmer effect for punch and to hint at the otherworldly setting. What do you think? Could this girl fairly represent Mallory? And do you like the general look of this? We are, of course, trying very specifically to give the novel a companion look to the IMPOSSIBLE paperback.
NANCY: Hm. Interesting! Yes to giving it a companion look to IMPOSSIBLE. And I think this “pops.” But it’s also a little too running-girl-Gothic for me. (Remember those old ’70s romance paperbacks? They always showed a girl in peril, running in a dress.)
I like the green landscape and the high heels. I agree with you about not liking the hot pink color in the dress.
Yes, that could be Mallory, who’s described as having straw-colored hair. But is there a way to make the cover indicate *two* girls? I don’t actually like having Mallory only on the cover; she’s not the main character. If only one girl is shown, it should be Phoebe.
GINGER KNOWLTON (agent): My favorite part is the title font. I immediately thought that I would want a handwriting expert to interpret it.
15-YEAR OLD TEEN: It doesn’t fit the description of Phoebe. And… the girl looks obnoxious… as do the colors. Buuuuuut that’s just me. I would rather see an image of a girl standing in the garden with Phoebe’s description – short with wild red-brown hair or even Mallory with a pair of wings… but yeah… that’s just my snobby opinion. 😛
NANCY: The most salient detail, to me, is that our teen expects to see Phoebe, not Mallory. And she’d rather see a garden than a forest.
LAURI: Thanks, Nancy. This is helpful. We’re limited, in terms of setting and girls, by what we can find as a stock image. But I do think Natalie can work some magic with PhotoShop. Stay tuned.

LAURI (to Nancy): Here’s the other jacket comp that we’ve been thinking about recently. Would love to hear your thoughts.
NANCY: [Answer lost in the bowels of email, but it was something on the order of, “Dear God, no.”]

LAURI: Here’s a third cover option — one that I love. What do you think?
NANCY: I like everything about it except the girl. The forest atmosphere is terrific. Would it be possible to swap in a different girl or change her clothes?
LAURI: I know — it’s nothing that Phoebe would wear. I’ll ask Natalie if there’s any way to change the outfit. But can we get away from having Phoebe in all black? Any other options? [Note: In the novel, Phoebe wears nothing but black. But it turns out that this is not the best visual choice if you want your cover girl to be striking.]
LAURI (presenting final cover, showing original girl who now has reddish hair and is wearing black): After much discussion, we’ve decided that the attached comp is the strongest:

We did look at inserting other girls into the photo that had the grand trees and the pinks in the sky, but it looked awkward, and Sales found that photo too introspective/quiet to have shelf impact. This one was forcefully preferred by the group, and with the outfit a different color and her hair more Phoebe-ish, I feel very good about this one. Some questions: Do YOU feel good about this one? Does this girl look enough like Phoebe? And how do you feel about the new title type? The previous version, as gorgeous as it is, was too difficult to read.
NANCY: Well, “forcefully preferred by the group” is a strong argument for me. This #1 had been growing on me since I first saw it, and I suspect it will grow on me even more over time, as did the IMPOSSIBLE cover. Yes, I do think this could be Phoebe now — and that’s quite important. And I love how this cover matches with the IMPOSSIBLE cover.
(And I adore the shoes. This cover asks the important and perhaps irresistible question: Why is she running through a glade in THOSE SHOES????)
The original title font was so lovely, I mourn it, but I can live with this. It gives the same feel, almost, and it IS easy to read.
In short: I am on board, too.
LAURI: The color of the outfit makes a BIG difference in the tone of the whole. I feel it gives the book the solidity, the gravitas that it deserves, and that it doesn’t any longer look like popcorn. The group at the meeting this week all agreed, and they seemed whole-hearted.
NANCY: One question: can we have a line or two about the plot on the back cover? I just read an article that explained that many kids don’t know to read the flap copy. They look on the back and then put the book back on the shelf if it doesn’t contain some hint of what the book is about.
LAURI: Absolutely!
Part 5. Cover as Magic
I now look over the above exchange with bemusement. Why didn’t I immediately see that the first cover composite was on the right track? That it was going to be gorgeous, and fitting?
Maybe I was scared. Writers put a lot of weight on their book covers. I couldn’t see clearly through the haze of my emotional investment in Extraordinary. Did this cover express everything that I felt about my book? About Phoebe Rothschild, her friend Mallory, and everything that happens between them?
Well, how could it? Extraordinary is an original fairy tale, a contemporary story. But like a traditional fairy tale, it heads quickly into frightening, bloody territory. I am afraid for my book, as it goes out alone into the world, just as I was frightened for Phoebe as I wrote and rewrote her story.
No matter how beautiful and loved a cover may be, the jury on it remains uncommitted until the book has been in the world for a while. Perhaps bookstore buyers will be indifferent. Perhaps it will be lost on store shelves. Perhaps there’s another book or two out there using the same or a similar photo. Perhaps its concept or color scheme is part of a trend that’s suddenly over. Perhaps ShelfTalker at Publishers Weekly or the anonymous designer at “Jacket Whys” or other bloggers will rip it to shreds for a reason never imagined during the design process.
And then there is the inside of the book.
A book cover says “open me.” The opening of a particular book will be magic for some readers; but for others, it will not. And about these others the author must learn to say, “My book, my beautiful book, was not written for them. They will find their magic elsewhere, and that’s just as it should be.”
It’s ever so slightly hard, however, to get to this place of acceptance. And so the author hopes that the cover will itself be magical, attracting all the right readers, and as few as possible of the wrong ones, to what really matters: what’s inside the cover.
***

Most booksellers have had this experience at least once or twice in their careers: selling a book based on a single sentence uttered to a receptive ear. It’s a rare and delicious triumph of communication, a gift given by the booktalking muse, and it delights customers as much as it delights booksellers.
Sometimes, a book provides you with that magical line—often its first sentence—and all one needs to do is read it aloud to a customer and the book is sold. For instance, Frances Marie Hendry’s marvelous Quest for a Maid begins with this stunner: “When I was nine years old, I hid under a table and heard my sister kill a king.” That’s all a kid needs to hear to want to read that book. The same is true of Avi’s True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, which starts thusly: “Not every thirteen-year-old-girl is accused of murder, brought to trial, and found guilty.” The reader is hooked like a pike on a piece of year-old Velveeta.
Not every great first line is enough to sell a customer on a book, though. Perhaps the most famous first line in children’s literature is “Where’s Pa going with that ax?” from E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web. The line certainly earns a reader’s riveted attention, but a bookseller definitely has to add a little bit about Charlotte and Wilbur to that booktalk (at least, if the customer has been living on Neptune for the past century and doesn’t already know the book). And a little extra description is required for one of my favorite first lines, from M.T. Anderson’s Feed: “We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck.” It’s a perfect piece of immediate world-building, but doesn’t give a customer a sense of the plot — so you need a second sentence. But that’s all it takes.
In our store, the most common single-sentence sales come from simply saying that one of our booksellers loved it. These aren’t bookstore-muse-inspired one-liners, but it’s certainly gratifying to make sales based on that level of trust our customers have for our staff members.
The key to the one-liner is that it has to lure the reader with something irresistible, something intriguing or powerful or magical or mysterious that invites a deeper relationship with the book. It also has to be sincere, enthusiastic, and heartfelt. I’m sure the expressions on our faces that sell books as much as the words we use. People can see it in your eyes when you’ve loved a book, lived it, want to share it with others. Here are some of the one-line (or one-phrase) descriptions we give that seem to do the trick for readers.
The Boxes, by William Sleator: “A boy’s mysterious uncle gives him a package to hide, instructing him never to open it—and then the box in his closet begins to tick.”
A Barrel of Laughs, A Vale of Tears, by Jules Feiffer: “There’s a prince so silly that everyone falls down laughing near him, so his father the king thinks he’ll make a terrible ruler someday and sends him on a quest to be serious.”
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins: “It’s got a really brutal premise, but it’s amazing.” That’s enough for kids. For writers and teachers, I add: “and it’s the most perfectly paced book I’ve ever read.”
Life as We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeffer: “A meteor hits the moon off-course, causing major natural disasters, and a typical teenage girl’s whole life, everything she’s ever known and counted on, begins to unravel.” That’s enough to hook a reader, and as we walk toward the front desk, we like to add that it’s a one-sitting read, and that the customer is going to start obsessing about survival supplies.
Gerald Durrell’s My Family and Other Animals: “It’s like reading bottled sunshine.”
The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas: “This is a great summer read: an epic potboiler full of betrayal, revenge, prison escapes, duels, star-crossed lovers, rags and riches.”
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, by Julie Andrews Edwards: “Three kids meet this funny little professor who needs their help to get to the magical Whangdoodleland and rescue the last whangdoodle.” For adults, I add: “And it’s by Julie Andrews, one of the few celebrities who writes beautifully for children.”
Mrs. Biddlebox, by Linda Smith and illustrated by the inimitable Marla Frazee: “It’s the perfect book for anyone who’s caught in a black cloud at the moment, and the illustrations are remarkable.” I love this book so much, and always felt it didn’t get the attention it deserved.
Weslandia, by Paul Fleischman: “A boy who’s kind of a loner, and not like most other kids, is incredibly original and starts building his own society, which unexpectedly brings him all kinds of friends.” (This one works well because every kid feels different from other kids, and wants to create a world where everyone belongs. Or, um, was that just me?)
The nearly wordless sell:
I think Josie has written about this exchange before, but it was such a funny/wonderful bookstore moment that I’m repeating it. She had recommended Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief to a customer, commenting that it was in my personal top ten or twenty favorite books of all time. The customer came up to the counter, caught my eye, and said, “It’s really that good?” All I did was look at her, my face revealing, I guess, every bit of the awe and power and compassion and sorrow and humor that book conjures up for me. “Sold!” she crowed, and plunked down her fifteen dollars. We all just laughed. That’s some book.
How Rocket Learns to Read, by Tad Hills: Show them the cover. That’s it. (It’s easy to come up with a single line to recommend this one, too, though.)
Booksellers and librarians and teachers and readers out there, what are your most successful one-line booktalks?