It’s that time of year, when all the yummy fall books start streaming in. As exciting as the new releases are, each box can cause a certain level of anxiety in all of our staffers.
Our store is small enough that we don’t have a shipping and receiving department, so we all chip in when the boxes arrive. We get boxes in every day. Most days it’s a mix of distributor boxes that usually have our special orders and bestseller restocks, and publisher boxes that have all the new books. We usually get five to six boxes of day. This Monday, we got 27 boxes. 27 anxiety-producing boxes. When I see that many boxes come in, my first thought goes to where are all these books going to go? My next thought is: why did I buy so many books? The following thought is how am I going to pay for all these books?
Fears go away quickly when I’ve got some special order folks already waiting for us to unpack the boxes to find their books, and eager customers looking for the newest books that just came in. (Why can’t all boxes, from publishers or distributors, list the contents on an exterior labels, so we’re not forced to dig through every box to find one special order, that’s almost always at the bottom of the last box.)
Checking in boxes is a dance.  One person is usually responsible for one publisher at a time, but while they’re doing that, they’re also at the register and helping customers. Books get checked in and stacked on the back counter for shelving. I’ll be honest, sometimes the shelving stacks can get really high. Really high stacks of books waiting to get shelved can create a wall that seems insurmountable. But it’s always struck me that a huge stack of shelving can get dealt with fairly quickly when it gets organized by section. Taken in small parts it’s not so scary.
Every box gets checked in against the packing list. We do this on the computer now, rather than comparing the books to a paper slip, as this can be terrifically slow.  Then we sort out the special orders and print out the list of folks who need to get called to tell that their books are in. Special order calls, next to helping a live customer in the store, is the most important thing we do. If we don’t call the special order folks right away, we lose the impression of speed in getting the books in. Special order customers need to be called in time so they can pick up their book the day they come in. It’s a balancing act: calling customers and getting all the books processed.
One thing about a smaller store is our boxes are out there for all the world to see and this can create an air of chaos, but it also creates an air of vitality. After our UPS man leaves, we are awash in boxes, but they are boxes of books. Books that someone can’t wait to read, books that I can’t wait to sell, so if there needs to be a little chaos for that to happen, bring me 27 boxes every day.

Halloween is actually sooner than we think and this year my goal is to prepared for our spooky story hour.
Last year, we had a great spooky stories for Halloween that we planned exactly one day before the event. I found myself scouring the Halloween bins looking for “scary things.” It’s amazing what I could do with discounted six-inch plastic spiders and some fishing wire. Our event space has several metal rods that support the building and are great places to loop massive spiders on fishing wire. During the readings, I was poised in the loft space above the listeners slowly moving the massive spiders up and down. It’s a simple effect, but to this day, kids still talk about the spiders that moved up and down according to the story.
I had a can of silly string and a scary-voiced disembodied head that was too frightening to have out, but worked well from above. My role for this was to strategically scare the kids with as many unseen effects I could find. It was fun, and it was planned in about a day. This year, I’m planning now. A full month ahead for the me is like six months to other people. I am planning to go to the party supply store over the weekend and I imagine a bonanza of seasonally appropriate items. No 75% off skulls that made noise when hit the right way, but actual scary things that make noise when you press the button. I can’t wait to stock up on really scary things that work.
It’s funny — generally, I hate Halloween. I don’t like dressing up in costume, but I do like scaring people, especially little kids who still believe in magic. We’ve got some scary stories lined up, although last year the ones that worked the best were people’s real ghost stories. I must say, there’s nothing  as satisfying as scaring kids who think they’re too old or too cool to be scared. There’s nothing more fun than making the a room full of kids squeal in fright with a well-placed ghost voice booing from above.
I need to not be TOO scary though; one boy got so freaked out by last year’s giant spiders that we haven’t seen him since.

Our store is in a small village where everyone knows everybody. Every morning I get my coffee at Kevin’s and for breakfast, I count on the folks at the Good Friends Cafe (not its real name, I’m trying to provide privacy to the owners)  to provide my sustenance. These are the two places I frequent the most, because every day I eat and drink more than I shop. Part of working in a village is being part of a lot of lives. Mostly it’s great, but every once in a while, there is bad news.
Miranda (not her real name), one of the owners of the cafe, was diagnosed with breast cancer recently. Her surgery was last week and I’ve never seen a whole town rally as it did for her. In order to keep the restaurant open, they (the cafe is owned by Miranda and her husband) needed help: help getting their children to and from school, organizing play dates, walking the dog, and more importantly, help in the restaurant.
My secret fantasy has always been to work in a restaurant, taking orders and doing some prep work. Well, last week, I got to fulfill a fantasy while providing relief to a dear friend who needed some time to heal and her husband who wanted to be with her more than he wanted to work in the cafe below their house. I worked all of last week, from 7:30am until the bookstore opened, and on two days I was there for the lunchtime rush (and rush is no exaggeration – and let me just say, hungry people are not as patient as they could be).
Several things struck me about working across the street. The first was how many customers of mine get food at Good Friends. The look of shock on faces was priceless. Some customers just burst out laughing when I tried to take their order and not mess up. Others asked why I was there and to be funny, I said,”I’m just trying to make a little extra money before the bookstore opens.”
Most folks knew Miranda had just had surgery, and were very appreciative of my being there. Many folks reached out to shake my hand or squeeze my arm commenting how nice it was for me to be there. And everyone saw that all the while they had no idea I was finally working in a restaurant!
In between taking orders, and restocking the cookies and pastries, I saw a flood of other volunteers, many of whom were also bookstore customers: dog walkers, dishwashers, child care helpers, etc. It was so moving to see that the entire town has rallied behind this family, almost willing the cancer to go away by their desire to help and their love for Miranda. It was all about keeping it local last week.
I know I’ve commented on customer behavior at the bookstore: folks don’t know what they want, they want something you had on the counter a year ago, etc. Cafe diners are far worse. Let me explain that everyone at Good Friends places their order at the counter and then the food is brought to them. There is a large chalkboard menu on the wall and a smoothie and juice menu on the counter. Regulars know what they want, and some expected me to know what they always have because it was a variation of a menu item. Newcomers to the cafe had a tendency to just stare at it for a long time. So, I thought I’d help them along by using my bookselling techniques. “What are you in the mood for? Sweet, savory or really healthy?” “Do you think breakfast would hit the spot or are you leaning towards the soup?” While I thought people in bookstores made it hard to order the right book because of botched titles, in restaurants they just make up menu items. Could they not get the breakfast special of egg, cheese, spinach on whole wheat and get instead get oatmeal, which was not on the menu? Or a turkey sandwich with ham instead? They’d ask for onions, then change their minds after I’d written the ticket. My handwriting, is, well, let’s just say it’s a challenge for me to be neat, so now I’d have to rewrite the ticket only to have them change their mind back to onions. It was all I could do to not roll my eyes and say,”Seriously? Again?”
Really, I think people just can’t make decisions anymore. I found out from the kitchen crew what we had in abundance and suggested that, with great success every time. I tried to upsell with our fresh squeezed lemonade (there’s a great margin on that) and did my best to represent all the yumminess of the cafe the way I would handsell a book I loved.
There was one very funny moment when Mark, a boy about three, who comes to my store at least once a week, came in and saw me behind the counter. At first he looked confused and thought about crying (he was terrified of me for a while last Christmas when I kept running into him while I was wearing my Santa hat) then he just looked at me, and looked at the direction of the bookstore. I told him I was helping out and I would be at the bookstore later that day. He liked that answer and then ordered a bagel, toasted, not too much cream cheese.

Last year, we had a wonderful time with the authors of Hello, Cupcake!, who came to the Flying Pig to demonstrate how they create their delectable masterpieces of art and trompe l’oeil creations. So this week we were delighted to welcome back Karen Tack and Alan Richardson to celebrate their new book, What’s New, Cupcake?
The great thing about an author event with these folks is that you feel like you’re in Willy Wonka’s factory, once they’ve set up their two long tables and filled them with frosting cans and tubs of colored sugars and sprinkles and iridescent pearly dragees and Tootsie Roll fruit chews and mini M&Ms and Starbursts and Nilla wafers and Ferrero Rocher candies and caramels and green apple licorice and circus peanuts and marshmallows and licorice pastilles and tubes of neon food coloring.
And then it gets even more wonderful when they show you all the little tips and tricks they use to make those incredible cupcakes. For instance: use Ziploc bags as your piping bags by snipping off one little corner. Neat, tidy, easy to use, and you can control the size of the “noodle” of frosting that comes out by changing the size of the tiny corner you cut off. But don’t handle the bag too much; when frosting warms up, it gets runny and droopy.
Also, scissors are your best friend when it comes to getting inventive with candies: snip a green fruit chew lengthwise halfway, pull those “legs” apart a little, dollop two small round balls of green frosting on the ends, then dip them gently in a tub of tiny green nonpareils. Voilà! Broccoli! And the little carrots and ham and peas are orange and lime and raspberry chews, cut up and shaped, on a bed of piped frosting “noodles.”
Hungry yet? Yum!

After a beautifully choreographed, fun demonstration that was chock-full of these tips and tricks and lightning-fast cupcake creations, Karen and Alan took questions from the audience, which mainly consisted of, “Can we make some?!” And of course, the cupcake gurus had brought 72 unfrosted cupcakes just for this purpose.
Some of the creations? The monsters and flowers were a huge hit with the kids:
z And some kids were bold about making their own creations. This one was made by Walter, who asked charmingly, “What is this?”
Even if the incredible Karen and Alan aren’t in your neighborhood, you can certainly lure customers with cupcake creating parties that your staff can lead. There are videos on the Hello, Cupcake website to help you pick up tips, and of course the books themselves are packed with techniques and simple materials you can find anywhere (even at gas stations). The finished designs look spectacular, but most of them are surprisingly easy to make, even for younger kids. Their whole aim is to make this simple and fun for families.
And boy, is it ever. Food draws a crowd. Last year (crowd absorbing a particularly intriguing technique):

And this year (where you can only see about half the room):

Our staffer Kelly also had the great idea of bringing up some cupcake-related items to sell alongside the books: cupcake earbuds by DCI and lots of pretty pink and brightly colored gift wrap (no cupcakes there, but, as she said, “Cupcake people are gift wrap people.” So true!
I didn’t know about the 2011 Hello Cupcake Wall Calendar, but I’m definitely going to order some from Andrews McMeel, although it looks as though they’re sold out at the moment (9780789321473), as are the warehouses. A good sign for something that just came out in July!
And now, dear readers, I must hie to bed and dream of sugar plums. Sugar plums that can be trimmed and shaped and dipped in other colors of sugar and popped decorously atop a vanilla cupcake with loads of buttercream frosting until it becomes a fabulous treat worthy of Fabergé.
Anyone made some amazing cupcakes? Want to share?

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.
IF YOU THINK YOUR BOOK IS MISSING A STAR, PLEASE NOTE: starred reviews are counted only when they have been officially published by the review magazines. If your book has received a starred review that is not reflected in this list, please make sure the review has been officially published by the review source before contacting me.
Another note: in this update, SLJ’s Preschool to Grade 4 September stars, as well as their Graphic Novel September stars, are not yet included because I can’t track them down in their usual online spot. I will update this list and indicate that in this section when I get those stars.

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. One last note: this list was compiled from all the review sources by one little indie bookseller. Please consider ordering books from any of your favorite indies, or via IndieBound.org, instead of a chain or online megastore. Keep those tax dollars local!
SIX STARRED REVIEWS
CONSPIRACY OF KINGS, A. Megan Whalen Turner. (Harper/Greenwillow, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061870934.
COSMIC. Frank Cottrell Boyce. (HarperCollins/Walden Pond, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061836831
DREAMER, THE. Pam Muñoz Ryan. Illustrated by Peter Sís. (Scholastic, $17.99) ISBN 978-0439269704
WAR TO END ALL WARS, THE. Russell Freedman. (Clarion, $22) ISBN 978-00547026862
FIVE STARRED REVIEWS
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. (HarperCollins/Greenwillow, $19.99) ISBN 978-0061896408
UBIQUITOUS: CELEBRATING NATURE’S SURVIVORS. Joyce Sidman, illus. by Beckie Prange. (Harcourt, $17) ISBN 978-0618717194
FOUR STARRED REVIEWS
AS EASY AS FALLING OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH. Lynne Rae Perkins. (HarperCollins/Greenwillow, $16.99) EAN 978-0061870903
BALLET FOR MARTHA: MAKING APPALACHIAN SPRING. Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan. Illustrated by Brian Floca. (Roaring Brook/Flash Point/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/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99) ISBN 978-0375849794
COUNTDOWN. Deborah Wiles. (Scholastic, $17.99) ISBN 978-0545106054
DARK EMPEROR AND OTHER POEMS OF THE NIGHT, by Joyce Sidman. Illustrated by Rick Allen. (Houghton, $16.99) ISBN 978-0547152288
DEATH-DEFYING PEPPER ROUX, THE. Geraldine McCaughrean. (Harper, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061836657
EFRAIN’S SECRET. Sofia Quintero. (Knopf, $16.99) ISBN 978-0375847066.
FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK. Melina Marchetta. (Candlewick, $18.99) ISBN: 978-0763643614
HEART OF A SAMURAI. Margi Preus. (Abrams/Amulet, $15.95) ISBN 978-0810989818
HERE COMES THE GARBAGE BARGE! Jonah Winter, illus. by Red Nose Studio. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0375852183
KEEPER. Kathi Appelt, illus. by August Hall (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416950608
LING & TING: NOT EXACTLY THE SAME. Grace Lin. (Little, Brown, $14.99) ISBN 978-0316024525
MY GARDEN. Kevin Henkes (HarperCollins/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
SLEEPY, OH SO SLEEPY. Denise Fleming. (Holt, $16.99) ISBN 978-0805081268
THEY CALLED THEMSELVES THE KKK: THE BIRTH OF AN AMERICAN TERRORIST GROUP. Susan Campbell Bartoletti. (Houghton, $19) ISBN 978-0618440337
UNSINKABLE WALKER BEAN, THE. Aaron Renier. (First Second, $13.99 paper) ISBN 978-1596434530
WHAT IF? Laura Vaccaro Seeger. (Roaring Brook/Porter, $15.99) ISBN 978-1596433984
YUMMY: THE LAST DAYS OF A SOUTHSIDE SHORTY. Greg Neri. Illustrated by Randy DuBurke. (Lee & Low, $16.95) ISBN 978-1584302674
THREE STARRED REVIEWS
ALCHEMY AND MEGGY SWANN. Karen Cushman. (Clarion, $16) ISBN 978-0547231846
AMELIA EARHART: THIS BROAD OCEAN. Sarah Stewart Taylor and Ben Towle. (Center for Cartoon Studies/Disney-Hyperion, $17.99) ISBN 978-1423113379
ANNEXED. Sharon Dogar. (Houghton, $17) ISBN 978-0547501956
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
BUTTERFLY. Sonya Hartnett. (Candlewick, $16.99) ISBN 978-0763647605
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
DUST DEVIL. Anne Isaacs. Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky. (Random/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99) ISBN 978-0375867224
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
LAFAYETTE AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Russell Freedman. (Holiday House, $24.95) ISBN 978-0823421824
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
MEANWHILE: PICK ANY PATH. 3,856 STORY POSSIBILITIES. Jason Shiga. (Abrams/Amulet, $15.95) ISBN 978-0810984233
MERCURY. Hope Larson. (Simon & Schuster/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
SNOOK ALONE, by Marilyn Nelson. Illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering. (Candlewick, $16.99) ISBN 978-0763626679)
SOME GIRLS ARE. Courtney Summers. (St. Martin’s Griffin, $9.99) ISBN 978-0312573805
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
WHAT HAPPENED ON FOX STREET. Trisha Springstubb. Illustrated by Heather Ross. (HarperTeen/Balzer + Bray, $15.99) ISBN 978-0061986352
WHITE CAT. Holly Black. Simon & Schuster/McElderry, $17.99) ISBN 978-1416963967
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 STARRED REVIEWS
10 P.M. QUESTION, THE. Kate de Goldi. (Candlewick, $15.99) ISBN 978-0763649395
AFTER EVER AFTER. Jordan Sonnenblick. (Scholastic, $17.99) ISBN 978-0439837064
AGGIE THE BRAVE. Lori Ries. Illustrated by Frank W. Dormer. (Charlesbridge, $12.95) ISBN 978-1570916359
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
ALPHAOOPS! H IS FOR HALLOWEEN. Alethea Kontis. Illustrated by Bob Kolar. (Candlewick, $15.99) ISBN 978-0763639662
APRIL AND ESME, TOOTH FAIRIES. Bob Graham. (Candlewick, $16.99) ISBN 978-0763646837
ART & MAX. David Wiesner. (Clarion, $17.99) ISBN 978-0618756636
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 978-0547249704
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
BINK & GOLLIE. Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee. Illustrated by Tony Fucile. (Candlewick, $15.99) ISBN 978-0763632663
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
BONES: SKELETONS AND HOW THEY WORK. Steve Jenkins. (Scholastic, $16.99) ISBN 978-0-545-04651-0
BORDERLINE. Allan Stratton. (HarperTeen, $16.99) ISBN 978-0-06-145111-9
BORN YESTERDAY: THE DIARY OF A YOUNG JOURNALIST. James Solheim. Illustrated by Simon James. (Philomel, $15.99) ISBN 978-0399251559
BOY IN THE GARDEN, THE. Allen Say. (Houghton, $17.99) ISBN 978-0547214108
BRIDGET’S BERET. Tom Lichtenfeld. (Holt/Ottaviano, $16.99) ISBN 978-0805087758
CAPTAIN SKY BLUE. Richard Egielski. (Scholastic/di Capua, $17.95) ISBN 978-0545213424
CHESTER’S MASTERPIECE. Watt, Mélanie. (Kids Can Press, $18.95) ISBN 978-1554535668
CHICKEN THIEF, THE. Beatrice 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
CONFESSIONS OF THE SULLIVAN SISTERS. Natalie Standiford. (Scholastic, $17.99) ISBN 978-0545107105
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
CROWFIELD CURSE, THE. Pat Walsh. (Scholastic/Chicken House, $16.99) ISBN 978-0545229227
CURSE OF THE WENDIGO, THE. Rick Yancey. (Simon & Schuster, $17.99) ISBN 978-1416984504
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. (Atheneum, $16.95) ISBN 978-1426305955
FALLING IN. Frances O’Roark Dowell. (S&S/Atheneum, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416950325
FINDING FAMILY. Tonya Bolden. (Bloomsbury, $15.99) ISBN 978-1599903187
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
FORGE. Laurie Halse Anderson. (S&S/Atheneum, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416961444
FREDERICK DOUGLASS: A NOBLE LIFE. David A. Adler. (Holiday House, $18.95) ISBN 978-0823420568
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, $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. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $16.99) ISBN 9780547215402
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
HENRY KNOX: BOOKSELLER, SOLDIER, PATRIOT. Anita Silvey. Illustrated by Wendell Minor. (Clarion, $17.99) ISBN 978-0618274857
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
KNUFFLE BUNNY FREE: AN UNEXPECTED DIVERSION. Mo Willems. (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99) ISBN 978-0061929571
LAST BEST DAYS OF SUMMER, THE. Valerie Hobbs. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux/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. (S & S/Atheneum/Richard Jackson Bks, $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. (S&S/Wiseman, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416935056
MILLION SHADES OF GRAY, A. Cynthia Kadohata. (S&S/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
MR. ELEPHANTER. Lark Pien. (Candlewick, $14.99) ISBN 978-0763644093
MR. MENDOZA’S PAINTBRUSH: A GRAPHIC NOVEL. Luis Alberto Urrea. Illustrated Christopher Cardinale. (Cinco Puntos, $16.95) EAN 978-1933693231
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
NO SAFE PLACE. Deborah Ellis. (Groundwood, $16.99) ISBN 978-0888999733
NUMBERS. Rachel Ward. (Scholastic/Chicken House, $17.99) ISBN 978-0545142991
ODYSSEY, THE (graphic novel). Adapted by Gareth Hinds. (Candlewick, hc $24.99; pb $14.99) ISBN hc 978-0763642662; pb 978- 0763642686)..
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
PIG PARADE IS A TERRIBLE IDEA, A. Michael Ian Black. Illustrated by Kevin Hawke. (Simon & Schuster, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416979227
PIRATE OF KINDERGARTEN, THE. George Ella Lyon. Illustrated by Lynne Avril. (S&S/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. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $16.99) ISBN 978-0374361310
REPLACEMENT, THE. Brenna Yovanoff. (Penguin/Razorbill, $17.99) ISBN 978-1595143372
REVOLUTION. Jennifer Donnelly. (Delacorte, $18.99) ISBN 978-0385737630
SCARS. Cheryl Rainfield. (WestSide, $16.95) ISBN 978-1934813324
SHADOW HUNT, THE. Katherine Langrish. (Harper, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061116766
SHADOWS, THE. Jacqueline West. Illustrated by Poly Bernatene. (Dial, $16.99) ISBN 978-0803734401
SHARING THE SEASONS: A BOOK OF POEMS. Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins. Illustrated by David Diaz. (S&S/McElderry, $21.99) ISBN 978-1416902102
SICK DAY FOR AMOS MCGEE, A. Philip C. Stead. Illustrated by Erin Stead. (Roaring Brook/Porter, $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. (S&S/Atheneum, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416903529
THERE’S A PRINCESS IN THE PALACE. Zoe B. Alley. Illustrated by R.W. Alley. (Roaring Brook/Porter, $19.99) ISBN 978-1596434714
THERE’S GOING TO BE A BABY. John Burningham. Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. (Candlewick, $16.99) ISBN 978-0763649074
THINGS A BROTHER KNOWS, THE. Dana Reinhardt. (Random House/Lamb, $16.99) ISBN 978-0375844553
TIME YOU LET ME IN: 25 POETS UNDER 25. Selected by Naomi Shihab Nye. (HarperCollins/Greenwillow, $16.99) ISBN 978-0-06-189637-8
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
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 HORSE TRICK, THE. Kate Thompson. (Harper/Greenwillow, $17.99) ISBN 978-0062004161
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/Lamb, $15.99) ISBN 978-0385738842
ZEN & XANDER UNDONE. Amy Kathleen Ryan. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $16) EAN 978-0547062488
ONE STARRED REVIEW
12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS. Rachel Isadora. (Putnam, $16.99) ISBN 978-0399250736
13 TREASURES. Michelle Harrison. (Little, Brown, $15.99) EAN 978-0316041485
13 WORDS. Lemony Snicket. Illustrated by Maira Kalman. (HarperCollins, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061664656
ACCOMPLICE. Eireann Corrigan. (Scholastic, $17.99) ISBN 978-0545052368
ADDICTED TO HER. Janet Nichols Lynch. (Holiday House, $17.95) EAN 9780823421862
ADVENTURES OF GRANNY CLEARWATER AND LITTLE CRITTER, THE. Kimberly Willis Holt. Illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith. (Holt, $16.99) ISBN 978-0805078992
ADVENTURES OF JACK LIME, THE. James Leck. (Kids Can, $16.95) ISBN 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
AGENT Q; OR, THE SMELL OF DANGER! A PALS IN PERIL TALE. M.T. Anderson. Illustrated by Kurt Cyrus. (S&S/Beach Lane, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416986409
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 978-0-8027-9837-4
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 978-0-399-25091-0
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
BEATLE MEETS DESTINY. Gabrielle Williams. (Marshall Cavendish, $16.99 ISBN 978-0761457237
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
BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO LIVING. Lia Hills. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $17.99) ISBN 978-0374306595
BEHEMOTH. Scott Westerfeld. Illustrated by Keith Thompson. (Simon Pulse, $18.99) ISBN 978-1416971757
BENNO AND THE NIGHT OF BROKEN GLASS. Meg Wiviott. Illustrated by Josée Bisaillon. (Kar-Ben, hc $17.95; pb $7.95) ISBN hc 978-0822599296; ISBN pb 978-0822599753
BIBLIOBURRO: A TRUE STORY FROM COLOMBIA. Jeanette Winter. (S&S/Beach Lane, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416997788)
BIG NATE: IN A CLASS BY HIMSELF. Lincoln Peirce. (HarperCollins, $12.99)
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 (HarperCollins/Greenwillow, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061673047
BLACK MAGIC. Dinah Johnson. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. (Holt/Ottaviano, $15.99) ISBN 978-0805078336
BLANK CONFESSION. Pete Hautman. (Simon & Schuster, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416913276
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
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
BRAINS FOR LUNCH. K.A. Holt. Illustrated by Gahan Wilson. (Roaring Brook/Porter, $15.99) ISBN 978-1596436299
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)
BUILT TO LAST. David Macaulay. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $24.99) ISBN 978-0547342405
BULLET POINT. Peter Abrahams (HarperTeen, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061227691
BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS, I’LL BE DEAD. Julie Anne Peters. (Disney-Hyperion $16.99) ISBN 978-1423116189
CALL, THE. (Magnificent Twelve #1). Michael Grant. (Harper/Tegen, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061833663
CALVIN CAN’T FLY: THE STORY OF A BOOKWORM BIRDIE. Jennifer Berne. Illustrated by Keith Bendis. (Sterling, $14.95) ISBN 978-1402773235
CAN I PLAY TOO? Mo Willems. (Hyperion, $8.99) ISBN 978-1423119913
CANADIAN RAILROAD TRILOGY. Gordon Lightfoot. Illustrated by Ian Wallace. (Groundwood, $24.95) ISBN 978-0888999535
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
CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS, THE. Jack Prelutsky. Illustrated by Mary GrandPré. Music by Camille Saint-Saëns. (Knopf, $19.99) ISBN 978-0375864582
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
CATE OF THE LOST COLONY. Lisa Klein. (Bloomsbury, $16.99) ISBN 978-1599905075
CELESTIAL GLOBE, THE. Marie Rutkoski. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $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. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux/Foster, $17.99) ISBN 978-0374341367
CHASING ORION. Kathryn Lasky. (Candlewick, $17.99) ISBN 978-0763639822
CHIRU OF HIGH TIBET, THE: A TRUE STORY. Jacqueline Briggs Martin. Illustrated by Linda Wingerter. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $17.99) ISBN 978-0618581306
CHRISTMAS EVE GHOST, THE. Shirley Hughes. (Candlewick, $15.99) ISBN 978-0763644727
CHRISTMAS IS HERE. Adapted from the King James Bible. Illustrated by Lauren Castillo. (S&S, $12.99) ISBN 978-1442408227
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
CLOCKWORK THREE, THE. Matthew Kirby. (Scholastic, $17.99) ISBN 978-0545203371
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
COME SEE THE EARTH TURN: THE STORY OF LEON FOUCAULT. Lori Mortensen. Illustrated by Raúl Allén. (Random/Tricycle, $17.99) ISBN 978-1582462844
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. (S&S/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. (S&S/McElderry, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416997030
CRUISERS, THE. Walter Dean Myers. (Scholastic, $15.99) ISBN 978-0439916264
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
DANGER BOX, THE. Blue Balliett. (Scholastic, $16.99) ISBN 978-0439852098
DANGEROUS NEIGHBORS. Beth Kephardt. (Egmont USA, $16.99) ISBN 978-1606840801
DANICA PATRICK: RACING’S TRAILBLAZER. Karen Sirvaitis. (Lerner/21st Century, $33.26) ISBN 978-0761352228
DARK WATER. Laura McNeal. (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. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux/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. (HarperCollins/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. (Harper 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. (Razorbill, $17.99) ISBN 978-1595143082
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
EVERYTHING BUT THE HORSE. Holly Hobbie. (Little, Brown, $16.99) ISBN 978-0316070195
EVIL WITHIN. Nancy Holder. (Penguin, $9.99) ISBN 978-1-595142917
EXILED QUEEN, THE (SEVEN REALMS 02). Cinda Chima Williams. (Disney-Hyperion, $17.99) ISBN 978-1423118244
EXIT STRATEGY. Ryan Potter. (Llewellyn, $9.95) ISBN 978-0738715735
EXTRAORDINARY SECRETS OF APRIL, MAY, AND JUNE. Robin Benway. (Penguin/Razorbill, $16.99) ISBN 978-1595142863
EYE FOR COLOR, AN: THE STORY OF JOSEF ALBERS. Natasha Wing, illus. by Julia Breckenreid (Holt, $16.99) ISBN 978-0805080728
FACTOTUM (THE FOUNDLING’S TALE 3). D.M. Cornish. (Putnam, $19.99) ISBN 978-0399246401
FANTASTIC SECRET OF OWEN JESTER, THE. Barbara O’Connor. (FSG, $15.99) ISBN 978-0374368500
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
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. (Henry Holt, $16.99) ISBN 978-0805089752
FLETCHER AND THE SNOWFLAKE CHRISTMAS. Julia Rawlinson. Illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke. (Harper/Greenwillow, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061990335
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. (HarperCollins/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. (Disney-Hyperion, $16.99) ISBN 978-1423119197
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. (Eerdmans, $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. (S&S/Wiseman, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416997306
GOOD HORSE, A. Jane Smiley. (Knopf, $16.99) ISBN 978-0375862298
GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE BARBIE, THE: A DOLL’S HISTORY AND HER IMPACT ON US. Tanya Lee Stone. (Viking, $19.99) ISBN 978-0670011872
GRIMM LEGACY, THE. Polly Shulman. (Putnam, $16.99) ISBN 978-0399250965
HALF BROTHER. Kenneth Oppel. (Scholastic, $17.99) ISBN 978-0545229258
HALF WORLD. Hiromi Goto. Illustrated by Jillian Tamaki. (Viking, $16.99) ISBN 978-0670012206
HALF-LIFE OF PLANETS, THE. Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin. (Disney-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. (S&S/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. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $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
HOTHOUSE. Chris Lynch. (HarperTeen, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061673795
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 & Co., $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 SHALL WEAR MIDNIGHT. Terry Pratchett. (Harper, $16.9) ISBN 978-0061433054
I’M BIG! Kate and Jim McMullan. (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061229749
IMMORTAL BELOVED. Cate Tiernan. (Little, Brown, $16.99) ISBN 978-0316035927
INCREDIBLE VOYAGE OF ULYSSES. Bimba Landmann. (Getty, $19.95) ISBN 978-1606060124
INSECT DETECTIVE. Steve Voake. Illustrated by Charlotte Voake. (Candlewick, $16.99) ISBN 978-0763644475
INSIDE TORNADOES. Mary Kay Carson. (Sterling, $9.95) ISBN 978-1402777813
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. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $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
IVY LOVES TO GIVE. Freya Blackwood. (Scholastic/Levine, $15.99) ISBN 978-0545234672
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. (Random House/Knopf, $19.99) ISBN 978-0375859700
JIMI: SOUNDS LIKE A RAINBOW. A STORY OF THE YOUNG JIMI HENDRIX. Gary Golio. Illustrated by Javaka Steptoe. (Clarion, $16.99) ISBN 978-0618852796
JIMI: SOUNDS LIKE A RAINBOW. A STORY OF THE YOUNG JIMI HENDRIX. Gary Golio. Illustrated by Javaka Steptoe. (Clarion, $16.99) ISBN 978-0618852796
JOURNEY INTO THE DEEP. Rebecca L. Johnson. Foreword by Sylvia A. Earle. (Millbrook Press, $31.93) ISBN 978-0761341482
JUMP. Elisa Carbone, Viking, $16.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-670011858
JUNKYARD WONDERS, THE. Patricia Polacco. (Philomel, $17.99) ISBN 978-0399250781
JUST ONE BITE: 11 ANIMALS AND THEIR BITES AT LIFE SIZE. Lola M. Schaefer. Illustrated by Geoff Waring. (Chronicle, $17.99) ISBN 978-0811864732
JUSTIN CASE: SCHOOL, DROOL, AND OTHER DAILY DISASTERS. Rachel Vail. Illustrated by Matthew Cordell. (Feiwel & Friends, $16.99) EAN 978-0312532901
KNEEBONE BOY, THE. Ellen Potter. (Feiwel & Friends, $16.99) ISBN 978-0312377724
KNIGHTS: IN HISTORY AND LEGEND. Edited by Constance Brittain Bouchard. (Firefly, $29.95) ISBN 978-1554074808
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
LAST TRAIN, THE. Gordon Titcomb. Illustrated by Wendell Minor. (Roaring Brook/Porter, $16.99) ISBN 978-1596431645
LAWN TO LAWN. Dan Yaccarino. (Knopf, $17.99) ISBN 978-0375855740
LEGEND OF THE GOLDEN SNAIL, THE. Graeme Base. (Abrams, $19.95) ISBN 978-0810989658
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 PRINCE, THE. (graphic novel). Antoine de Saint-Exupery and Joann Sfar. Illustrated by Joann Sfar. (Houghton, $19.99) ISBN 978-0547338026
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)
LONG WALK TO WATER, A: BASED ON A TRUE STORY. Linda Sue Park. (Clarion, $16) ISBN 978-0547251271
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
MAD AT MOMMY. Komako Sakai. (Scholastic/Levine, $16.99) ISBN 978-0545212090
MAGGIE’S BALL. Lindsay Barrett George. (Harper/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
MATCHED. Ally Condie. (Dutton, $17.99) ISBN 978-0525423645
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
MEMORY BANK, THE. Carolyn Coman. Illustrated by Rob Shepperson. (Scholastic/Levine, $16.99) ISBN 978-0545210669
MERMAID’S MIRROR, THE. L.K. Madigan. (Houghton, $16) ISBN 978-0547194912).
MILES TO GO. Jamie Harper. (Candlewick, $12.99) ISBN 978-0763635985
MILO: STICKY NOTES AND BRAIN FREEZE. Alan Silberberg. (S&S/Aladdin, $15.99) ISBN 978-1416994305
MIRROR. Jeannie Baker. (Candlewick, $18.99) ISBN 978-0763648480
MISS BROOKS LOVES BOOKS! (AND I DON’T). Barbara Bottner. illustrated by Michael Emberley. (Knopf/Borzoi, $17.99) ISBN 978-0375846823
MISTWOOD. Leah Cypress. (HarperCollins/Greenwillow, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061956997
MOCKINGJAY. Suzanne Collins. (Scholastic, $17.99) ISBN 978-0439023511
MOON BEAR. Brenda Z. Guiberson. Illustrated by Ed Young. (Holt, $16.99) ISBN 978-0805089776
MOON OVER MANIFEST. Claire Vanderpool. (Delacorte, $16.99) ISBN 978-0385738835
MR. MONSTER. Dan Wells. (Tor, hc $21.99; pb $11.99) ISBN hc 978-0765322487; pb 978-0765327901
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
NIC BISHOP LIZARDS. Nic Bishop. (Scholastic, $17.99) ISBN 978-0545206341
NINTH WARD. Jewell Parker Rhodes (Little, Brown, $15.99) ISBN 978-0316043076
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
NOT SO SCARY STORY ABOUT BIG SCARY THINGS. C.K. Williams. Illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska. (Harcourt, $16.99) ISBN 978-0152054663
NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL. Siobhan Vivian. (Scholastic Push, $17.99) ISBN 978-0545169158
NOTORIOUS BENEDICT ARNOLD, THE. Steve Sheinkin. (Roaring Brook/Flash Point, $19.99) ISBN 978-9781596434868
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. (North-South, $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
PAJAMA PIRATES. Andrew Kramer. Illustrated by Leslie Lammle. (Harper, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061251948
PALACE BEAUTIFUL. Sarah DeFord Williams. (Putnam, $16.99) ISBN 978-0399252983
PARANORMALCY. Kiersten White. (HarperTeen, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061985843
PAYBACK TIME. Carl Deuker. (Houghton, $16) ISBN 978-0547279817
PEA BOY AND OTHER STORIES FROM IRAN. Elizabeth Laird. Illustrated by Shirin Adl. (Frances Lincoln, $22.95) ISBN 978-1845079123
PECAN PIE BABY. Jacqueline Woodson. Illustrated by Sophie Blackall. (Putnam, $16.99) ISBN 978-0399239878
PEGASUS. Robin McKinley. (Putnam, $18.99) ISBN 978-0399246777
PICTURE THE DEAD. Adele Griffin. Illustrated by Lisa Brown. (Sourcebooks Fire, $14.99) ISBN 978-1402237126
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 Press, $17.95) ISBN 978-1590785928
PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ. A.S. King. (Knopf, $16.99) ISBN 978-0375865862
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. (Harper/Greenwillow, $16.99.) ISBN 978-0061673085.
QUIET BOOK, THE. Deborah Underwood. Illustrated by Renata Liwska. (Houghton, $12.95) ISBN 978-0547215679
RAIN SCHOOL. James Rumford. (Houghton, $16.99) ISBN 978-0547243078
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. (North-South, $14.95) ISBN 978-0735823006
RESISTANCE. Carla Jablonski. Illustrated by Leland Purvis. (Roaring Brook/First Second, $16.99) ISBN 978-1596432918
REX ZERO, THE GREAT PRETENDER. Tim Wynne-Jones. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $16.99) ISBN 978-0374362607
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
ROOSTER PRINCE OF BRESLOV, THE. Ann Redisch Stampler. Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. (Clarion, $16.99) ISBN 978-0618989744
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
SAINT TRAINING. Elizabeth Fixmer. (Zondervan, $14.99) ISBN 978-0310720188
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. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $16.99) ISBN 978-0374366940
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 978-1416994060
SHADOW. Suzy Lee. (Chronicle, $15.99) ISBN 978-0811872805
SHADOWEYES. Ross Campbell. Illustrated by Ross Campbell. (SLG Publishing, $14.95) ISBN 978-1593621896
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
SHUTOUT. Brendan Halpin. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $16.99) ISBN 978-0374368999
SIGNED, ABIAH ROSE. Diane Browning. (Random/Tricycle, $15.99) ISBN 978-1582463117
SILENT NIGHT. Juliet Groom. (Good Books, $16.99) ISBN 978-1561486977
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 FOR THE CAMERA. James Kelle. (Simon & Schuster, $16.99) ISBN 978-1442406230
SMILE! Leigh Hodgkinson. (HarperTeen/Balzer + Bray, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061852695
SNAIL TRAIL: IN SEARCH OF A MODERN MASTERPIECE. Jo Saxton. (Frances Lincoln, $17.95) ISBN 978-1847800213
SNEAKY SHEEP. Chris Monroe. (Carolrhoda, $16.95) ISBN 978-0761356158
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
SOUP DAY. Melissa Iwai. (Holt, $12.99) ISBN 978-0805090048
SOURCES OF LIGHT. Margaret McMullan. (Houghton Harcourt, $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
STABLE. Ted Lewin. (Flash Point, $17.99) ISBN 978-1596434677
STALLING. Alan Katz. (S&S/McElderry, $16,99) ISBN 978-1416955672
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
STEPHENIE MEYER: DREAMING OF TWILIGHT. Katherine Krohn. (Lerner/21st Century, $33.26) ISBN 978-0761352204
STORYTELLER. Patricia Reilly Giff. (Random/Lamb, $15.99) ISBN 978-0375838880
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. (HarperCollins/Greenwillow, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061577796
SUGAR CHANGED THE WORLD: A STORY OF MAGIC, SPICE, SLAVERY, FREEDOM, AND SCIENCE. Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos. (Clarion, $20) ISBN 978-0618574926
SUNDAY IS FOR GOD. Michael McGowan. Illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. (Random House/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99) ISBN 978-0375841880
SWING CAFÉ. Carl Norac. Translated from the French by Jacob Homel. Illustrated by Rebecca Dautremer. (The Secret Mountain. (IPG, dist.), $16.95) ISBN 978-2923163628
SWITCHING ON THE MOON: A VERY FIRST BOOK OF BEDTIME POEMS. Collected by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters. Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. (Candlewick, $21.99) ISBN 978-0763642495
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 ARE NO SCARY WOLVES. Hyewon Yum. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux/Foster, $16.99) ISBN 978-0374380601
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 Press, $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
TUPAC SHAKUR: HIP-HOP IDOL. Carrie Golus. (Lerner/21st Century, $33.26) ISBN 978-0761354734
TYGER TYGER (GOBLIN WARS #1). Kersten Hamilton. (Clarion, $17) ISBN 978-0547330082
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
VAMPIRE BOY’S GOOD NIGHT. Lisa Brown. (Harper, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061140112
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
VIOLET IN BLOOM (FLOWER POWER). Lauren Myracle. (Abrams, $15.95) ISBN 978-0810989832
VIRALS. Kathy Reichs. (Razorbill, $17.99) ISBN 978-1595143426
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, $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, $16.95) 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 ARE IN A BOOK! (ELEPHANT & PIGGY). Mo Willems. (Hyperion, $8.99) ISBN 978-1423133087
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
WE WANT YOU TO KNOW: KIDS TALK ABOUT BULLYING. Deborah Ellis. (Coteau, $21.95) ISBN 978-1550504170
WELCOME HOME, MOUSE. Elisa Kleven. (Random/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 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
WHERE THE TRUTH LIES. Jessica Warman. (Walker & Co., $16.99) ISBN 978-0802720788
WHO STOLE MONA LISA? Ruthie Knapp. Illustrated by Jill McElmurry. (Bloomsbury, $17.99) ISBN 978-1599900582
WHY DO ELEPHANTS NEED THE SUN? Robert E. Wells. (Albert Whitman, $16.99) ISBN 978-0807590812
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 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
YOU. Charles Benoit. (HarperTeen, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061947049
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
ZEN GHOSTS. Jon J Muth. (Scholastic, $17.99) ISBN 978-0439634304
ZERO KISSES FOR ME. Manuela Monari. Illustrated by Virginia Soumagnec. (Tundra, $12.95) ISBN 978-1770492080
ZERO. Kathryn Otoshi. (KO Kids, $17.95) ISBN 978-0972394635
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.
ZOMBIES VS. UNICORNS. Edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier. (S&S/McElderry, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416989530
ZORA AND ME. Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon. (Candlewick, $16.99) ISBN 978-0763643003

When we moved to Vermont from Manhattan, the biggest shock wasn’t the change from city to country; it was the shift from color to (not black-and-) white. We couldn’t get used to the lack of diversity. It felt unnatural, limited, and wrong. When tourists of color happened into the store, we embarrassed ourselves with our enthusiasm. For the first year, I even had a hard time telling some of my customers apart; in addition to the uniform Caucasian-ness, there was a sameness of dress—cotton turtlenecks, fleece vests, jeans*—and hair, lots of straight, shoulder-length hair. (Josie’s Mediterranean Jewish ringlets are quite exotic here.) Up until 14 years ago, Josie and I spent our individual lives in areas of the country that were richly multicultural.
Last I checked, Vermont had the United States’ least diverse population. I think we’re at 97+% white. In Vermont’s defense, its record for equal treatment is excellent; we may not have a big nonwhite population, but folks that do live here have equivalent opportunities and salaries as their white counterparts. But the point I’m making is, Dorothy, we’re not in New York City anymore.
All that by way of saying, we understand the challenge of making ‘books of color’ mainstream purchases for white audiences.
At the New England Independent Booksellers Association trade show next week, the Children’s Bookselling Advisory Council is holding a panel discussion on this topic. I’d love for booksellers, authors, publishers and editors, sales reps and publicists to attend and share their successful strategies for getting past reluctant or stymied gatekeepers and reaching across color lines to share wonderful, diverse books with kids. I’ll be posting a follow-up in ShelfTalker after the panel.
Here’s the description:

We all want to support and sell wonderful multicultural books, but many of us live in areas with fairly homogenous populations. How do we get past unconscious color barriers, both our own and our customers’, and put great books featuring characters of all colors in the hands of children? Participants will leave with helpful resources, including sample booktalks, tips for successful conversations with hesitant customers, resources for meeting the needs of multiracial families in your neighborhood, a list of helpful websites, and an annotated bibliography of great multicultural books by age.  Panelists will include bookseller Elizabeth Bluemle (The Flying Pig Bookstore, Shelburne, Vt.), author Mitali Perkins, Stacy Whitman (Editorial Director of Tu Publishing), and Karen Lotz (President and Publisher of Candlewick Press).
One of the resources I’m preparing is a bibliography of 2010 titles that feature kids of color, especially those where race is not a major issue in the book. The character(s) of color must be featured prominently (not as sidekicks or observers) on the covers of the books I’m including. Publishers are invited to send titles of all books meeting these criteria for inclusion in the bibliography — ebluemle at publishersweekly dot com. I’ll also make sure those titles are included in the LibraryThing.com collection of books in print that satisfy those criteria (but are not limited to 2010 titles).
It’s been a year since I first posted about race in children’s books. Some progress has been made, but it’s also been a year in which Tea Party politicians† have actually gained a foothold in the national discussion. More than ever, we need books for children that present a wide range of experiences, family structures, and racial and cultural differences to the future voting citizens of our nation.
I’m excited about this panel and the discussion among its participants. Hope to see you there! If you can’t make it, but would like to share your own successful efforts along these lines, please comment below and I’ll share your thoughts with the participants.
* Confession: I wear that Vermont uniform myself now. It’s inevitable. And comfy. Edited to add: And in case it isn’t clear from my Vermont’s-equal-opportunity comment, our customers, while mostly Caucasian, are the most broad-minded, open-hearted bunch of people anywhere. We are lucky to be able to sell color in our white town. But not all towns are like this, and I want to help booksellers and librarians in those towns share more diverse books with their clientele.
† Edited to add: I understand that it is jarring to read a blog post and come upon wholesale criticism of something one supports, especially in a blog devoted to children’s bookselling. However, publishing and bookselling are affected by politics, and I do have opinions about those effects. Normally, I would avoid such specific criticism, but the growing ugliness of intolerance and racism expressed in our country — openly, and with defiance, even — is so disheartening and alarming to me that I cannot ignore them.
My personal political opinions are of course solely mine, so please don’t be annoyed with PW (which is merely supporting my 1st Amendment right to free speech). What I value most is this dialogue; whether we agree or disagree, these are vital issues of our time, and should be debated.

Sometimes it’s hard to be a little kid in a bookstore. There are so many yummy things to touch, play with and read that kids can easily get into trouble. Books are colorful, often noisy and beg to be touched, and let’s not forgot the toys, plush or otherwise. No wonder kids are checking everything out. We’ve developed a system to help kids and their families have great shopping experiences. We call it the Distract and Delay.
It’s not a child’s fault for being a child. But as booksellers we have to find ways to keep our books from getting damaged and to keep families happy while everyone browses.  Distracting a young child is actually pretty simple when you’re not the parent. Kids will often say no to parents just because they can, but booksellers promising a basket of fun things to play with can be hard to resist. Having stuffed animals that kids can play with, and get dirty, is a great way to keep little ones engaged. We keep a little basket of dragons in the front of the store. Often when I’m helping a parent with books I’ll find a young child setting up one of our stuffed dragons in a play scene, acting out a story. It’s as endearing as it is helpful. I try to have empathy for the kids when they get upset. I also try to limit easy access to books that make noise. Why tempt fate by leaving something that is loud and irritating within the reach of curious hands?
Delaying gratification can be a lot harder. Little kids coming in to buy other kids presents don’t understand why they can’t get anything. And really, do you blame them? We like to ask them a question: do you have a birthday or holiday coming up? If they say yes, we’ll take out our book registry and fill in a page for them with their name and the things they liked. We’ll date it and then tell the child that it’s in the binder. It’s important for children to be acknowledged, and writing down a wanted item is a great way to do that. They know their desire for a book or toy has been safely written down and that can usually be enough to stave off a tantrum. The interesting thing about this is, more times than not the child never asks to see that list again. The parents remember and look at the list.
When an older child is told no and is pouting about it, l might suggest that they pay for the item themselves. If they react in shocked horror, as if to say, “I don’t want it that badly,” then it’s pretty clear they can walk away from the book without feeling bereft and once that’s realized, they tend to stop whining.
The goal of all this is to make shopping as pleasant as possible for all our customers, young and old alike. And really, there’s no prettier sight than a tantrum that’s redirected.

We all know bookstore events are fickle things. Sometimes, no matter how much planning, press, social media or in-store promotion goes into an event, it can be still be under-attended. At the Flying Pig we are trying something new with a few upcoming events. It’s a simple line on all our promotional materials: “Must RSVP, space limited.”
It’s working. We’ve been flooded with RSVPs for two events. The beauty of an RSVP is it automatically is it forces people to think ahead for events. All too often people have the best intentions but in the grind of daily life sometimes people forget events. But if they know they might not be able to come to the event because we’ll have run out of space, they are more likely to commit to attending. By having an event be RSVP it heightens the allure of the event, and it makes folks remember that these events are special. I’ve noticed that once something makes it on the family calendar, it tends to happen. The mere act of seeing an event listed somewhere, on our website, a flyer, or even in the store, and then making a phone call to the store and asking to be put on the list, makes the customer lock the event into their brain so they actually come.
When we take RSVP information we ask for phone numbers and emails. We will try to send out reminder emails the week of the event to the RSVP folks. Having the contact info is also important should there be a change of venue or a cancellation due to weather. Plus, having customer emails is always a great thing as most folks prefer to be contacted via email.
The beauty of the RSVP list is when it works, people fill the store during events. Once you’ve got them there, you can promote other events. We try to always have our next month’s event flyer out for folks to take with them. Busy people need to be reminded, again and again, of upcoming events in as many ways possible. Plus, as a bookseller who has hosted many events, there is something thrilling about an RSVP list that is robust weeks before the event. Also, the list helps you order your event books with a greater sense of control. That’s a huge bonus and helps to take some of the anxiety out of events.
What customers forget is that all events are special, and booksellers try very hard to make each one a rousing success. Are there any tips booksellers have to make every event a well-attended success?

Did everyone catch the recent medical study that showed kids’ reading skill and speed both improved when they read to dogs?
This makes sense, for at least a couple of reasons. Most importantly, reading to a fuzzy animal who won’t judge, criticize, or correct you takes the pressure off the reading-aloud experience. Secondly, reading aloud to a creature who cannot read at all turns even struggling readers into experts by comparison. Both circumstances build confidence. And let’s face it, cuddling up with a furball to read aloud is a lot less intimidating than standing up and stammering out sentences in front of a roomful of kids and your teacher.
But in addition to being more fun, and more comfortable, reading to dogs also turns out to have measurable results.

The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine teamed up with Tony La Russa of the All Ears Reading program, an organization that teams kids and animals at the Animal Rescue Foundation of Walnut Creek, Calif. Together they devised a study that followed children’s reading skills before and after a program of reading to rescue dogs over the course of several weeks, assessing improvement in both fluency and enjoyment levels. They found that third-graders in a public school improved their reading by 12% over the course of 10 weeks, while a second study with home-schooled students showed an improvement of 30% over the course of the same period. And, according to the UC Davis article about the study, “…75 percent of the parents reported that their children read aloud more frequently and with greater confidence after the study was completed.” A downloadable summary of the final report can be found here. And the UC Davis site has a charming video about the study.
Now, that’s something to wag your tail about! (Yes, I couldn’t resist.) We’re thinking about doing this kind of program at the bookstore. Have any of you booksellers or librarians tried it? We’d love to hear your stories!

So I was in the iTunes app store looking around, and got all excited about a game I saw featured “New and Noteworthy” section called Assault Comma. See it there? To the right, promising grenades and punctuation?! I was all set to plunk down my 99¢.
Sadly, the title was cut off, and the game is actually Assault Commando, and when I realized that, I lost all interest and consoled myself browsing among productivity tools I will never actually use but make me feel hopeful about creating order in a chaotic universe. I think this says pretty much everything about me that you need to know.
I had to laugh at myself for actually believing there would be an action game based on a punctuation mark, so I made fun of my nerdiness by confessing this on Facebook. But then I got an outpouring of responses from amused writer friends who would totally buy an app called Assault Comma — no matter what it actually did. Which makes me think there’s a huge untapped market of games for nerdy book lovers and writer-types. Are you listening, developers?
My vision of Assault Comma would be a game where you’d have to get commas into the right places and zap them from the wrong places, with points for speed and daring. Kate Messner suggested a quest version of the game, with the subtitle, “A Copyediting Odyssey.” Both would be more fun than they sound, honest. If you, you know, like commas.
This led to ideas for other games, too. MJ Auch came up with “Apostrophe Apocalypse,” where “you could run around blowing up those signs that say Strawberry’s for Sale.”
Hahahahaha! Perfect. I would pay a buck for that, especially if the signs were from real photos found around the world. GoogleMaps could get involved; players would learn the geography of all the worst apostrophe offenders, so it would be educational as well as hilarious.

MJ’s game sparked for me a natural spin-off: Quotation Qwitter, a flight simulator game where you zoom in and blast all the quote marks off signs like EVERYTHING “ON SALE” TODAY! or WE USE “REAL” CHEESE.
Chronicle Books might want to hop on this one, since they just published The Book of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks: A Celebration of Creative Punctuation by Bethany Keeley, based on her Unnecessary Quotes web site.
Searching for images to include in this ShelfTalker post led me to all kinds of funny websites—which led me to yet more. The English Fail Blog has a great blog roll (a list of blogs they follow, with links). Each one is a perfect procrastination tool for writers.
Which is why I wanted Assault Comma in the first place: as a fun way to waste time. And really, that’s what all writers want. Most of us will readily admit it, and shell out (pennies, if not big bucks) to get it. Game developers: you have a captive, easily lured audience here. Bring us our nerdy game’s, and we will “flock,” to them.